Hey everyone, sorry I've been away for so long, things got a little out of control.. 

I've been working on starting up my senior thesis ideas and getting some feedback on rather or not it's a good idea, but I think I'm going to go with it. 

The idea I've been working on for a while now is this universe I'm creating from the ground up. I've been creating things like geography, climate, major cities, governments, international trade, culture, food, animals, religions, customs etc. and covering all the bases. 

I wanted to do this before I had a story in mind so that the possibilities for detail and intricacy will be limitless.

I'm really looking forward to working more in-depth on this concept, and so far it's gotten good reviews - so hopefully it will develop into a successful thesis. 

So basically, it started out with these guys.  I usually do my preliminary drawings as simple chibi doodles just so that I can easily get the idea out and on paper. The symbols next to each of them are for organization for me. Nothing really important. 

The basic idea behind them is that they're all really adapted to their environment and climate, and very unique from culture to culture. Depicted here are all men. 

For a final assignment in my digital illustration class I decided to do at least four or five of these as better drawings, more like how I imagine them. I narrowed things down to these five: 

And from here did the five of them in a more realized form, and wrote a little blurb of information to go along with them.

People of Kamur and Vahn

Three cities in the country Kamur and six in Vahn are populated by these strong, dark-skinned people. Their culture covers a vast region of the world, and they are continuing to branch out and develop.

Originating along the western cost of Vahn, due to drought and over-farmed land that is now mostly wasteland they migrated eastward into what is today the bustling capital city of Sinope, and the successful fishing settlements Danum and Siscia.

Over time fishing ships found the large uninhabited island of Kamur and inhabited it’s lush fertile jungles.

The people of these settlements are known worldwide for being brash and quick-tempered. They stick to traditions, typically and are often conservative and self-interested.

The climate of the regions populated by these people range from stiflingly arid to humid and tropical. They cope with the heat by keeping close to water sources and not worrying about keeping themselves covered by clothing, typically woman and children go without clothing whatsoever, but wear adornments that communicate what family clan they are a member of as well as their wealth.  

People of North Eastern Mor.

These as-of-yet named people populate some of the more established and fastidious metropolises found in the more ancient regions of Mor.  Their cities are greatly built up and heavily populated, not only by natives but by travelers and tradesmen from neighboring countries like Vass,  Di and Nesurr.  The capital city of the country of Mor, and it some people eyes the capital or centre of the world, is Acrae.  This city is bustling, full of life and vibrancy, people from around the world travel to Acrae to find work, sell goods, get a higher education and learn about other cultures that tend to meld in this one place. 

The natives of the region of Acrae tend to have light skin and black hair.  The climate is sub-tropical, typically hot in the summers, mild in the spring, lightly snowy in the winters and moderate in autumn.  These people tend not to eat much red meat, but eat more fruits, grains and fish.

Traditionally, hair is grown out as a sign of nobility.  Someone from a wealthy family expresses their prosperity by being able to keep their hair long, a signal to all that they don’t have to keep their hair back or cropped and work hard.  Many who live within the walls of Acrae as residence are particularly well off, because of this they have a reputation for being self-interested, reclusive and uppity – but in reality tend to be level-headed, peaceful intellectuals.

People of Larri

Also nameless, these red-headed curled-horned people live on the country and continent of Larri, populating the farming and fishing cities Deva, Salva and Aballava. The people of Larri tend to be farmers or merchants in profession, but tend to be masters of leisure. Many festivals and feasts take place throughout the year in celebration of gods, harvests, weddings and anything else they can find as an excuse to relax, play and eat. 

As playful as they may be, these people are by no means lazy.  It takes hard work to keep their country prosperous and with a current pirate issue on their seas, every trip to other countries for trade is a struggle.

The city of Aballava is the capital city of Larri. Though they have the worst case of piracy they have strong military presence, and are fighting hard to control the thieves.

Larri is a country with a seasonal climate, they experience warm summers, rainy mild springs, cold and snowy winters and cool autumns. The people eat a vast variety of red meats, fish, grains, roots and vegetables and have also a selection of alcoholic beverages and mind-altering natural substances for trade to nearby and far-away countries.

These people have a reputation for being unintelligent, brutish and lazy -  but are typically quite the opposite, they simply enjoy celebrating their achievements and enjoying life to the fullest.  

People of Samara

The heavily-forested continent of Samara is a cold-climate environment year-round with only a brief temperate summer.  Regardless, there are still many settlements found along the coasts of Samara, where as inland tends to be uninhabited because of the thick, unruly and at times dangerous forests and mountains.

Many settlements harvest hardwoods from these  forests to be traded and sold in other countries.  Along with wood, furs and treated skins are also a major portion of the market coming from these cities.

The fishing industry is also extremely prominent here as well. Some of the largest fish caught for consumption can be bought here. 

The people of Samara tend to be reserved, isolated people. They don’t welcome outsiders openly and tend to talk little and work hard.  Seen as harsh, cold and merciless people from outside of Samara tend to steer clear of their shores if it can be helped, and trade with this country is handled with professionalism and brevity.

These people tend to be highly spiritual, and are thought of by some cultures to be spirits or deities to be weary of. In reality they are as mortal as any other race, but have a strong connection to the past and future and take personal spiritual wellness very seriously.  

People of Vass and Di
 
These people are known mostly for being peaceful, spiritual and intellectual.  Tending to keep to themselves, but open to visitors the people of these small island countries trade regularly and openly with cultures in Mor, Acrae in particular. There is a lot of shared knowledge and goods between these two countries and a lot of inter-mingling and cross breeding. 
Taking pride in their knowledge, these countries have the largest collection of written texts in the world, which they keep in facilities where people can come and read whatever they like for as long as they wish the only stipulation being that no writing housed in these libraries can be removed or copied down, only memorized.
A lot of people worldwide come to these places to further their education, particularly in the areas of science and history.
Deeply rooted to traditions and spirituality, this is another country that enjoys its festivals and celebrations and finds any excuse it can to throw elaborate parties and feasts. 

 

And then here they are all together, looking spiffy. 

I was pretty happy with this project, hopefully someday I can continue and have nice images of all the races done up like this. 

Hope you enjoyed them <3 There will be more of this soon. 

/A.v.