This post is a free part of what was posted on the Japanese creator support site “Ci-en”. If you want to see the latest production progress on the paid part, visit Ci-en.

Progress Report on Development

　I have continued working on the walking character chips, following up from the previous update. At the very least, I need to create walking graphics for all enemy characters, so I’ve created a progress chart just like before.

　Unlike the original enemy character images, the walking graphics are much more simplified, which allows for faster progress. There are also templates available, and I can basically handle the process by modifying those.

　This is a horse-type character, but the walking graphics for standard humanoid characters already exist. By combining those, I was able to easily create the four-legged walking graphics.

　Once the base template is made, I can use it as the foundation for creating additional characters, so the work pace speeds up even more. However, there were several factors that slowed down the process.

　One factor was the difficulty in drawing the faces correctly. 　I create these by modifying the original images. If the original face has an angle, I first redraw it to face directly forward, and then proceed to draw the back and side views. Since this isn’t done with a 3D model but rather by hand—by me—there are naturally some imperfections.

　Sometimes the result feels slightly off compared to the original image, leaving a subtle sense of discomfort. If it’s within acceptable limits, that’s fine. However, there are times when it exceeds those limits.

　Looking at the creation process for this image, you can see a lot of hesitation. It took quite a long time to find the solution of shortening the distance between the eyes and the nose. While I could sense that something was off, I couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Even though I’ve been drawing seriously for over a decade, it seems I still haven’t acquired a sharp enough sense. I believe this “sharp sense” is one of the most important elements of what people commonly refer to as “artistic skill.” 　That being said, the end result, despite the struggles, doesn’t seem too bad.

　It’s fine when there’s a template, but when I have to create something from scratch, the work speed significantly slows down. 　The biggest appeal of this character, in terms of production, is that they are naked. In other words, since there’s no need to draw clothing, the process is much easier.

　However, as you can see from the enemy character list image, E15-18 are clothed characters. This became the second factor that slowed down production. 　Even though I reuse the original enemy character images to save labor, this only applies to the base image. It works for non-moving parts like the torso, but (while technically the torso should move while walking, drawing it that accurately would take far too much time, so I reluctantly omit this) , parts like skirts, sleeves, and shoes need to have movement added. 　And since I have to create five patterns for each direction—front, back, and side—it becomes a massive workload. Of course, I reuse as much as I can, but I have to carefully consider whether reuse is even possible for each case.

▲ A skirt viewed from the front. Pleated skirts are difficult to draw even without animation. I curse my past self for choosing such a complex design, but since the typical “school uniform” skirt is a pleated skirt, I can’t completely blame my past self. Incidentally, the back of the skirt is simply a mirrored version of the front.

▲ Shoes viewed from the side. Most of the time, I can just slightly adjust the angle, but when the heel lifts, the entire shoe bends. It’s not a major task, but these small details add up to a significant amount of work.

　Here is the finished walking graphic.

　It’s not perfect, but it’s decent enough. 　Fortunately (or unfortunately?), there are three enemy characters in uniforms. This means I can reuse a lot of this work for the other two. 　E18’s clothes will need to be drawn separately, but since they’re not as complex as a school uniform, it should be relatively easy. 　Once I finish the basic walking chips for each enemy character, I’ll move on to creating the facial variations. After that, I plan to work on walking chips for mob characters, which will primarily be used for event scenes and will only require side views. 　Please look forward to future updates.

　Additional production images are available in the paid article of Ci-en.