TMI:Character Designs
commissioned by Cassandra Clare (for www.mortalinstruments.com)
commissioned by Cassandra Clare (for www.mortalinstruments.com)
Once upon a time, marching buzzed and brilliant along St. Marks Place, I showed some friends my footprints on the ceiling of my old job. They've been there some 15+ years, still there actually, from the time someone locked the autoclave room and we needed a tiny someone (IE: 5'1 + less than 100lbs = ME) to be chucked over the divide and rescue our collective asses.
From those scandalous yet fabulous Tattoo Shop years, this is possibly my only true claim to fame, that of being tiny & fearless...
But from this wandering bout of nostalgia Shadowhunters were first imagined.
It wouldn't be till some months later, over Sushi & Saké, that Cassandra Clare laid out the bare bones for me (pun intended). There was lots of hand-holding, not-too-calm encouraging, a bit of cat threatening, lots of booze drinking & limb flailing and would be for years to come. Throughout 2003-2005 these concepts, cities, creatures and characters went through many imaginings.
While these are the Final Result, the adventure doesn't end here-- while I write its early days for a Feature Film, new imaginings are being made!
Never doubt, there is magic in re-telling, not matter how small your story might seem.
~Val Freire
From those scandalous yet fabulous Tattoo Shop years, this is possibly my only true claim to fame, that of being tiny & fearless...
But from this wandering bout of nostalgia Shadowhunters were first imagined.
It wouldn't be till some months later, over Sushi & Saké, that Cassandra Clare laid out the bare bones for me (pun intended). There was lots of hand-holding, not-too-calm encouraging, a bit of cat threatening, lots of booze drinking & limb flailing and would be for years to come. Throughout 2003-2005 these concepts, cities, creatures and characters went through many imaginings.
While these are the Final Result, the adventure doesn't end here-- while I write its early days for a Feature Film, new imaginings are being made!
Never doubt, there is magic in re-telling, not matter how small your story might seem.
~Val Freire
Shadowhunter Gear
(Costume Design)
(Costume Design)
Rough Character Sketches
Clarissa Fray : Preliminary sketches of Clary, even before costumes were thought up, this was drawn while Cassie babbled at me. “She’s you’re height. Has hair like yours. You’re body-type. She’s like you… but she wears Pink!” Words can never express how disconcerting donating your likeness to a character is. Especially when your friend just turns around and makes them wear Pink :P - 2006 (possibly 2005)
Simon Lewis : The man of many T’s. - 2006
Jace Wayland : He is Cassie’s pretty-boy-snarky-leading love interest, etc. (Meaning: everything I struggle to find interesting about a guy) So, not much to say about him. - (2006-ish)Jace Wayland : He is Cassie’s pretty-boy-snarky-leading love interest, etc. (Meaning: everything I struggle to find interesting about a guy) So, not much to say about him. - (2006-ish)
Alec Lightwood : I had a hard time with Alec. Cassie implied ‘frumpy’ but ‘anime pretty’, which don’t exactly go together. - 2006 (possibly2005)
Max Lightwood : quite liked him and was looking forward to his design… until I learned the outcome of his character and reached one helluva mental wibble I couldn’t quite get passed, until years later. - 2006
Isabelle Lightwood : Izzy didn’t have many changes from preliminary sketch to final design. Cassie was fairly cleared that Izzy was based on our friend Ruby. After that the question was ‘what would Ruby wear?’ (this being the girl who originally coined the phrase “looking better in black than the widows of our enemies since 1234.”, the answer was simply ‘something Bad-Ass’.) - 2006
Sebastian Verlac : One of the Baddies. Basically an inverted Jace (meaning their similarities were on purpose). - 2006-ish
Various Growned-Ups : Former Shadowhunter, now Werewolf Pack Leader, Luke. Former Shadowhunter, now Artist Mom, Jocelyn. Former Good-Guy, now uber baddy, Valentine. - 2009
Various Kids : The Vampire, Raphael. The Werewolf, Maia. and the Shadowhunter (Huntress?), Aline. I back-dated this just cuz. - 2009
Jace Wayland: Jonathan Christopher "Jace" Wayland/Morgenstern/Herondale/Lightwood is a Shadowhunter. Location: Williamsburg Bridge.
Character Design
Clary Fray: Clarissa "Clary" Fray/Morgenstern/Fairchild. Location; Bronx Skyline.
Simon Lewis; is a Jewish born band member of a perpetually defunct local indie band. As well as a Downworlder, a Vampire, more specifically a Daywalker. Location: St. Marks Comics on St. Marks Place.
Alec Lightwood: Alexander "Alec" Lightwood is a Shadowhunter. Location: West 14th.
Isabelle Lightwood: Isabelle "Izzy" Lightwood is a Shadowhunter. Location; St. Marks Church in the Bowery, E10th.
Luke Garroway; book store owener, former shadow hunter now Leade of a Werewolf Pack. Location; Brooklyn Bridge.
Magnus Bane is the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Location; Chelsea NYC.
Maia Roberts: Maia Roberts is a biracial teenager born, now werewolf, raised in a New Jersey
Raphael: is a Spanish teenager raised in Mexico, now Vampire and temporary head of New York Clan.
Sebastian Verlac, otherwise known as Jonathan Christopher Morgenstern, was the son of Valentine Morg.
Wednesday’s [August 4th 2010, B+N Union Square affair] was a warm and memorable event (and not just because the humidity was about a billion). Thank you to everyone who turned up and made it awesomener!
We were all very grateful. Actually, grateful doesn’t begin to sum up…
Here’s a photo from our dinner, well fed and sated, three of my all-time favorite people (Honey Coated Casshat, Shiny Happy Holls hugged on by Our Crys ), being happy, together. I ♥/∞
Now, you know, back to work-stuffs…
x
We were all very grateful. Actually, grateful doesn’t begin to sum up…
Here’s a photo from our dinner, well fed and sated, three of my all-time favorite people (Honey Coated Casshat, Shiny Happy Holls hugged on by Our Crys ), being happy, together. I ♥/∞
Now, you know, back to work-stuffs…
x
