Ember is an average girl, or so she wants to be. She struggles with her anger, which gives her fire superpowers. Unlike most fire-powered superheroes, I was inspired by the cold and calculated blue flame of Avatar: The Last Airbender's Azula. This blue flame is considered dangerous and terrifyingly powerful, and its user must be extremely precise and controlled. I wanted to play with this idea of a flame so hot that it turns perfectly blue. Similar to a blue flame, Ember struggles with an intense anger that she must keep under control to defend and not destroy the world. If her flame turns completely pink, then she loses all control.
Designing a character is, in my opinion, the best part of drawing. Exploring a character's personality, style, color palette, and background all contribute to the character's design. I find it quite rewarding to give a character "life," as if they exist in the real world. A lot of my inspiration to create "living" characters comes from animation and cartoons, where I tend to identify with the characters and their stories. One of my favorite ways to create characters with life is using color. I think using color can contribute a lot to how something makes us feel. As Ember is the protagonist, I wanted people to see themselves in her instead of a hot-headed caricature. The blue in her design represents a sense of sadness in her anger, while the green shows reformation to use her heat for good.
storytelling through dramatic scenes