The same visual effect could have been obtained by keeping
the body's height constant and instead increasing the width, but since I had
decided to depict a Dwarf - a member of a race not very great in stature - I
chose the former method.
Good examples of this effect can be seen in Games Workshop's
portrayal of Dwarves in their Warhammer series of tabletop games, interesting
concept art for which can be found in publications such as The Art of Warhammer[22]
and The Art of Warhammer Online[23].
This leaves the need to tie the character to the theme of
Nature. Since we are referring to a being who, although a member of a distinct
species in terms of storyline, is in fact visually just a short, heavy-set
human from an anatomical standpoint, the use of stone or wood in its biology is
out of the question. Having thus little choice but to break from the path of
the previous two designs, I decided to use tools and clothing to form the
association.
This meant using only the most basic sort of implements,
using no processed components: only elements which can be readily found in
nature were allowed. To this effect, I opted for a stone axe with a wooden
handle, a piece of sturdy bark armor to protect the shoulder which would be
most exposed during combat, and a simple grass skirt or loin-cloth, to which I
also added a texture layer to create the impression that the figure is caked in
mud or dirt. This enforces the idea that the character is a rather primitive,
tribal-society member, which fits well with the team and the storyline.