Hi, Inklings! 

I can’t believe that it’s been two years since the launch of Inkbound! To celebrate, I thought I would dive into the vault of our internal files and unearth some special, behind-the-scenes concept art from the very first stages of development. 

I hope this small look offers you, our amazing players, a fresh perspective on this game that holds such a special place in my heart as it was the first game I worked on when I started at Shiny Shoe. 

I’ll start off at the beginning with a closer look at one of Inkbound’s base classes: the Magma Miner.

Final Design for the Magma Miner

Like all of the base classes in Inkbound, the Magma Miner went through several design iterations before the Shiny Shoe art team landed on the perfect look that demonstrated the class's brutal strength, warrior-like abilities, and ,maybe, capture the soul of how this class feels to play with its attack style.
(Fun Fact! You'll see that some of the concept sketches in this post are labeled 'Artemis' instead of 'Inkbound.' This was the old in-studio code name we used at Shiny Shoe.)

Early Design for base player class the Magma Miner

Early Concept Sketches for the Magma Miner

As you can see above, the Magma Miner’s visual language was once more focused on the classic symbols of mining. See, for example, the headlamp and goggles in the first image or the pick in the second concept sketch 

Over time, however, the more armored design took shape. In the image below, you can see the design progression as the Magma Miner went from a simpler design to the one that made it into the game.

Evolution of Magma Miner DesignWhat do you think of the early design for the Magma Miner? Do you think that the final look successfully blended the brutal strength of the Magma Miner’s abilities with the fantastical elements of Inkbound’s world?

Final Design for the Weaver

Not all of the Inkbound characters had such a dramatic design transformation between each iteration. In the case of the Weaver, the basic design was similar from beginning to end. See below how the Weaver’s earlier designs had a similar design to the final choice.

Early Concept Sketches for the Weaver Aspect in Inkbound

Instead, for the Weaver, it was the powers that had the most iterations. Check out some of the amazing concepts Daniel Sarmiento Chuquisengo produced back in 2021!

Weaver Actions Concept Sketches

See all the different attacks that the Weaver had and how different they are between each sketch! I, in particular, love the levitating ability or the weaving-into-yarn sketch. 

Second Weaver Actions Concept Sketches

Do you have a favorite power out of the above sketches? What about the patterns in the second concept art compilation? I think they are all so beautiful but let me know if there is one you like more!

Finally, we come to the Mosscloak. This player character who is featured front and center in Inkbound’s key art was always envisioned as a leafy, forest-looking creature as is shown in early concept sketches. 

First Painted Sketch of Early Mosscloak Design

It was the Mosscloak’s weapon that made the artists go back and forth. Although they knew that the weapon would be more organic, wooden, or leaf-themed, how exactly that would manifest was not clear. 

Below you’ll find a large range of weapon forms. From daggers to shurikens to wooden stakes, the Mosscloak’s signature attack was not set in stone.

Mosscloak Explorations Concept Sketches

And the colors were also in question. Although a forest-related character might bring to mind verdant tapestries, the shades of green had to be finalized. See below for the wide range of color studies the artist Luke Banke did.

Color Explorations for Mosscloak Player Aspect

All these, the form, the weapon, and the color paletter were then brought together to make the final design that you got to experience in the game. See the final design below!

Final Design for the Mosscloak

Which color palette did you like the most? Which one, the Mosscloak, the Weaver, or the Magma Miner, is your favorite one? Please let me know in the comments!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look through some of the early designs for the player characters in Inkbound! Seeing all the concept art truly highlights for me just how much work and talent the team poured into Inkbound. Thank you for being the most amazing community of Inklings an indie dev team could ever hope for. 

Finally, the fun has just begun. TODAY, April 9th, I will be playing Inkbound from 12:30 PM PST to 3:00 PM PST here[discord.gg]! Come join me and other Inkbound fans!

See you in the Atheneum!
ShinyCami
Community Manager at Shiny Shoe