This week's Fun Art Friday is a drawing of our main character, Autumn. She's a little bit "sword" and a little bit "sorcery" but she's definitely no damsel in distress.

When I was developing this new Chronicle story, I kept doodling this girl with the ponytail and strands of hair on each side of her face. Eventually, I realized that this was going to be my lead. A female lead is still fairly rare in fantasy, especially the traditional "sword and sorcery" style. So, I take care when writing her so that she's believable and not just defined by her gender.

Autumn's main conflict is that she doesn't know who she's supposed to be. Is she a fighter? A thief? A sorcerer? Does she have to be any of those things? Does she follow in the footsteps of the people who raised her or does she strike out on her own? She's also a teenager, so she's going to have all of the insecurities that come with that piled on as well.

Her visual design is fairly utilitarian like the other three characters. A simple tunic/vest combo with leggings and cuffed boots. Her tunic is long enough to be worn as a skirt for a bit more modesty with the leggings. I wanted it all to look like similar to what a squire might wear, to show her tomboyish nature, while still keeping a bit of feminine flair with the collar and cuffs. I also wanted a pretty low key color scheme with the greys and browns and reds. But, the cloak had to stand out a bit and frame her so I went with a complimentary green.

Autumn's only two accessories are a gold badge and a longsword. Both of these bear the crest of the royal house of Belanthia, a nearby human kingdom.Where they came from is still a bit of a mystery that we'll be exploring eventually.

Overall, I'm having a great time telling her story and I hope you all are enjoying reading it.