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Artist's commentary
Estinne in Rain Gears
This is the rain gear design for Estinne the Spirit Dog (灵犬艾斯婷). The original illustration was created in 2018. In 2025, updates were made to the facial style, body structure, and design details, enhancing its overall quality.
Mistakes in the 2018 version
The 2018 version has several subtle yet significant mistakes, in addition to the not-so-appealing face.
- Firstly, the outer line of the straightened leg cannot properly connect to the hip unless the character’s hips are excessively wide.
- Secondly, with one leg bent and its toes on the ground while the other leg is straightened, this posture cannot maintain balance.
- Additionally, the sleeve details consist solely of straight lines, appearing flat and lacking volume.
These issues likely stem from my attention got attracted to the reflective materials while other aspects suffered. For instance, when drawing the reflection of the rain boots, I only paid attention to add more details, resulting in the reflections of both boots being added, so the bent leg is now incorrectly touching the ground; similarly, Estinne’s pose was designed with only a dynamic outline in mind, neglecting anatomy and resulting in errors.
Reflecting on my methods
Although my creative state wasn’t great in 2018, I still encountered similar mistakes frequently in 2025. Clearly, there is an issue with my drawing workflow.
Currently, I design directly with color blocks instead of using lines. While this approach offers flexibility, it often leads to losing sight of the overall image as I focus too much on details. My lack of planning results in unclear concepts, stiffness, and weak compositions—especially when forcing a sketch into a new layout. These issues became evident during my 2025 redraw practices. People may have been more forgiving back then, but expectations for human artists are higher now, and I need to improve.
To be honest, it’s been nearly 30 years since I began digital painting. As an experienced artist—even as a hobby—I shouldn’t still struggle with fundamental aspects like correct structure, well-planned workflows, and good composition. It’s time for me to address these areas moving forward.
Design concepts
The original version was created in 2018, during the rise of “Techwear” influenced by the mobile game “Arknights.” Many artists designed outerwear from fully transparent semi-rigid materials. While I found them visually appealing, my industrial design background warned me they would be hot and uncomfortable due to their lack of breathability. Nonetheless, I decided to create a practice piece themed around rain gear using this reflective and transparent material.
Estinne the Spirit Dog is a Basque Shepherd Dog. There was no particular reason for this choice; I simply selected a long-haired breed with a light grayish-yellow coat to complement the reflective clothing design. This breed is essentially a local rural dog to me.
In 2018, I had not developed any lore for Estinne, and Spirit Animals in Disguise was still in its early stages. By 2025, however, the project had evolved significantly, focusing on local spirit animal cooperatives as a major theme. Coincidentally, the Basque Shepherd Dog comes from the home of Mondragon Corporation—a well-known workers’ cooperative in Western countries—which is an interesting, faithful connection. In the future, Estinne may serve as a spirit animal student within the Mondragon community while Kongshan Union collaborates with Mondragon through the International Cooperative Alliance.