Design Workshop: Jason Hoagland creates a Hypersmash Universe character (first in a series)

CHARACTER DESIGN: VELOCITY HAWK

I wanted to take a moment to examine the visual evolution of an original Hypersmash Universe character -- in this case, the speedster known as Velocity Hawk. Sitting in my office at Harvard, I have a stack of designs with literally hundreds of variations of the hero, with some interpretations looking wildly divergent from the others. This is Jason Hoagland's approach to creating a character: he strives for perfection. And it's a fascinating process to witness firsthand. (Click image to enlarge.)

This is intended to show the chronological development of the character's look. But you'll have to forgive me if the order isn't completely accurate, because it can be pretty hard to keep track of all the changes.

Jason and I are both fans of the iconic Japanese hero, Ultraman. At this stage of development, the costume borrowed heavily from that influence.

The original art for the costumes above are done in color with markers, trying out different color combinations for each one.

Some logo ideas.

Because he's a speedster, it's important to take Velocity Hawk's footwear into consideration.

Can't forget the gloves, the back, and the side of the costume.
That's a very nice model turnaround sheet, isn't it?

And this is what the character looks like today. more or less.

Man, Velocity Hawk has a killer booty. Huh. Who knew?

And that wraps things up for now. In a couple of posts, we'll have a more abbreviated look at Jason designing a different character -- our Valkyrie Warrior, The Myth! Hope you enjoyed this exclusive first look.

And coming up next? A look at some of Scott Arnold's rockin' sequential work. Definitely check back for that because Scott does some amazing work on those pages (which isn't surprising in the least, since he's one talented dude!)