Nursery rhyme: Lion

To begin with. I had to start creating the characters. I decided to begin with the Lion. Initially, my idea involved the Lion taking the form of a lion headed figure wearing full plate armor and wielding a sword. As the beast is often associated with the ideas of strength, nobility, and royalty, I thought it best to make him look more civilized. This also makes sense when considering that the Lion at the time of the Rhyme was the national symbol of England.

I also want to note that I tried out a more superhero themed idea for the Lion, giving him a more superman-like look.

Whilst on the topic of comic books, one particular book I looked at for inspiration was 'Pride of Baghdad'. Written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Nico Henrichon, it is inspired by the story of four lions who escaped the Baghdad zoo during an American bombing run in April 2003. It shows their struggle to survive outside of captivity and at the same time shows their freedom.       

What I like about the art style in this book is that it is very stylised, especially when you look at the lion's faces. They still look very bestial but you can still tell their emotion. I may need to consider this when creating the Lion character.  

Of course it does help to use real life references as well. So naturally I also looked at real lions for facial and body reference. Though the body will be human, I could make some details, such as the feet and legs more lion like, and perhaps give paws as well.