Through the previous two articles on this subject, we’ve looked at characters who were the inspiration for later adaptations and others who were not included in the later stories. This article looks at the development of the main character of the first phase of the Broken Promise series, Keyanna Renata Lance.

It’s no secret that I based a lot of her character on myself, I am also dyslexic and we both have a great imagination. On the other hand, whilst Keyanna can sing the birds from the trees, I cannot carry a note in a bucket, singing is a gift I’ve often wished I had but it is beyond me. Keyanna’s character began her journey closely resembling my own character, she was someone who was shy, easily embarrassed and often overwhelmed. Throughout her journey, and with the help of some friends, like the Bellnett brothers, she gains her confidence and shrugs off the shell of self-doubt.

 

In this first image I have drawn Keyanna Lance wearing her standard Arten dress. Throughout her travels she wears variations on this green and brown dress, as it comes in different lengths and thicknesses of fabric depending on the climate conditions. I’ve hinted in the first book that Keyanna wears substantial undergarments, which are made from a blend of spider silk and Kevlar. All her clothing, including her boots are reinforced and highly durable. I imagine that her boots are made from a synthetic leather as Artens do not eat the meat of any creature raised by its mother’s milk, and few will wear the skins of dead mammals either. This drawing doesn’t show the hidden blades concealed within each boot, or the Kevlar armoured plating between the layers of synthetic leather, but it does show the boot being knee-high and laced up at the front.

From the end of the first chapter of book one, Keyanna puts on a simple black coat, which she seldom removes as it becomes an iconic part of her character. This is also a personal preference, I too believe that a simple black coat is appropriate in any situation and it allows someone to blend into the crowd. Been able to blend into the background is important for Keyanna especially at the beginning of her journey.

In this image I have tried to show the detailing of the seams and the almost military style collar, the coat is knee length and has two front pockets, it’s also tailored giving it a good fit. Although Keyanna mostly wears the coat over her weapon’s belt, so her feminine curves are often spoilt by the bulky hilt of her sword and her caster gun.

In the third image which is taken from the first book cover, you can see I have simplified Keyanna’s outfit, and have not shown the hem of her dress, only the grey leggings underneath. This was mostly out of necessity, and slightly out of the desire to keep the cover image simple. I deliberately painted Keyanna walking away into the painting to give a sense of depth to the picture and a hint of intrigue as to where she was going, and this composition honestly had nothing to do with the fact that I can’t draw faces. In the cover art for book two “Journeys” Keyanna’s outfit has changed slightly, I will share that image in a future article.

In these two images you can see the ideas I had for Keyanna’s body armour, in the first ink drawing, in green and black I envisioned the armour going over her normal clothing. This light armour was intended to be worn all the time and I’ve even shown her wearing her sword and gun, but I later decided that she shouldn’t be wearing armour all the time, as it made her look too bulky and too threatening. The second pencil sketch shows my idea for a more complete set of body armour, with the jointed shoulder pads and the overlapping sections on the breast plate. I intended this armour to allow the maximum amount of movement. Even the armoured leg panels are separated, there are eight in total. When I was thinking about Keyanna’s battle armour I took inspiration from multiple sources, the second set of armour has a Roman legionary look about it and that’s intentional. The importance for armour which allows unrestricted movement is essential for Keyanna, with her fighting style this becomes more apparent in the later books in the series.

Although she doesn’t wear battle armour all the time, she does take to wearing a coat with armour plating tactfully hidden within, which you will hear more about in the second book of the Broken Promises series.