i was gonna color this, but i'm kind of busy drawing other stuff at the moment so a sketch submission will have to do. i might update this with a colored version down the line but whatever.

this is a developmental sketch of the pivotal character in a story i'm working on, and his name is Red Leaf (it'd make more sense with color). I've always wanted a central character with minimal voice, and Red's about as close to a mute as you can get--he technically can talk, but only with a limited piece of hardware wired to his throat. It's like a voice box, but half worthless since Red's strange set of rules hold action in higher esteem than vocal function, even at the cost of convenience.

since a good chunk of him is mechanical (he's kind of a mishmash of organism, mecha, and...well, ghost) and made from spare parts spanning several known eras, his actual age is indeterminate, as his organism has long since ceased to age and most of his functions are either mechanized or arcane in nature. His hat and all its sensory apparatus are inextricably wired to his head. He appears to have a great deal of communication equipment as well, but as to whom he communicates with, it's uncertain.

Red's a nomad in the purest sense of the term. His only companion is a large sentient quadrupedal "eat-tank" (to be submitted later, hehe) which devours scrap metal, living organisms, and, literally, dreams.

to travelers or wanderers, Red is regarded with uncertainty as both a harbinger of good fortune or doom. He's said to track and follow nightmares, or to unearth hidden things in ancient ruins, but has also been known to doggedly pursue drifting tumbleweeds for days at a time, so who knows what his priorities are. In spite of all the rumors, he might just be a silly kid with a warped attention span.

i'm getting wordy with the descriptions lately. better dial it back.