Les Muerte Concept Art

(Copy/Pasted from DA, 'cause I'm too lazy to retype it all.)

Les Muerte is an unexpected new character, an out-of-the-ordinary Plague Doctor. I was seriously just doodling plague doctors, and accidentally created an odd shaped beak on one of them. Well, though I considered just erasing and redoing it, I decided to go with it and see what I could come up with. I started adding strange designs to it, such as the three marks around the eye, the metal scales running down the black beak and the red painted nostril slit.

Then, I started going 'You know, I wonder what this guy would wear?' and came up with this red robe that looks like it came from a boutique in Hell, with a fluttering bottom that looks like fire. Following that was the odd chest-shoulder piece, and the odd neck cover -no, it's not strangling him, the rings are just to keep it in place-. Then, I came to his hands...and decided on a a gauntlet-like look.

Despite his appearance, no, he isn't evil. The first thing that came to mind as I drew him was that he was a stern man, though a bit of a reclusive oddball. He's not very popular in social circles -probably because he looks so...um...unpleasant-, and sticks to a 'get business done and move on to the next patient' when it comes to dealing with people. With the exception of children...which tend to look past his creepy appearance and find him one of the few things to break the gloom of the plague, if only for a moment. They annoy him, he gets irritated, and gives a short chase that sends the kids scurrying away in laughter.

He tends to wander the streets at night, stopping children who are out after curfew and sending them back home. He is also very superstitious, believing the plague to be the work of demons. He is -not- a religious man by any means, but does believe in the supernatural.

His name, actually, came to me on a whim. Quite literally, I know only very basics in Spanish -count to ten and say 'hello' 'goodbye' 'thank you' and 'you're welcome'- and it suddenly popped into mind. Of course, I had to go look at a translator to see if it actually -meant- anything. His name means 'Death will', a will which gives this and that to people upon your death....I found it oddly fitting, so it stuck.

Maybe I'll go doodle some more, now. <.<