CHARACTER DESIGN — ‘Inola Fasthorse’.

Inola Fasthorse is a Blackfoot Native American character of mine, existing in a universe set in the 1800s. Like with a lot of my work, I draw a lot of inspiration from Old West inspired films and media. Inola means ‘Black Fox’ in Lakota, a Siouan language spoken by the Lakota people of the Sioux tribes.

In this piece she bears a sullen expression, a sharp and untrustworthy stare, and war paint. She is heavily scarred, and dons an eyepatch. Her scarring comes from wounds that occurred from fights within her narrative, and it is an outward reflection of the inner turmoil she has suffered. Inola is not a ‘good’ person, nor does she believe that there are ‘good’ people. She is jaded and standoffish, as preventative measures to stop her past repeating herself. Inola suffered great losses and pain in her story, and with nobody to blame but herself, she chooses to keep others at an arms length. If ill fate befalls those that she loves, and she cannot bear to go through that again, she opts to keep everybody at arms length, even those who would want nothing more than to see her safe.

Her eyepatch is from another injury she sustained, however it signifies her blindness to seeing a life without violence— a life that could be peaceful and soft if she allowed herself to believe in it.

She wears a raven feather in her hair. Traditionally, hawk feathers were worn as trophies of war, like medals. However, she chooses to wear a blackened feather as she doesn’t believe she deserve glory and recognition for her actions. Within indigenous beliefs, the ravens symbolises ill-omens and trickery.