Better Question: WHO is Vivi?

 SO... Who was this rabbit girl you like to draw, Mace?

That would've been the one question I wish I've been asked, but to put it simply: That is Vivian Tracey. She runs a café known as The Red Spade, part time adventurer, and all-time cute bunny girl.

HISTORY

Let's begin this weird history of this girl, all the way back in November 2014. Back then, she isn't some dimension hopping rabbit, but made as a joke OC back in my DeviantArt days. Pic below is Day Zero: The Day The Bunny is Born.

So early, there is no hair... or tail.

In case you're wondering, yes I've played Vib-Ribbon, which is the main inspiration. It's a funny thing that some joke idea tends to stick around... So do I have more images during her earliest days? Most of the ancient V0 work is lost, because they're all doodles sketched onto my old school work. I only kept my sketchbooks, and luckily there's a remaining copy.

Yes, during the earliest stage, she has a sword.

By the start of January 2015, I updated the design from not being a vector shitpost into something that's my own: So I draw in a tail, add some hair, replace the nose, and voila.

Yeah, I was 17 when I drew this. Her official bio states that her age is 23, with a towering height of 5'1" (or 5'9" with her ears).

I just bring out some of my old sketchbooks, and realize how much more sketches I've not uploaded yet. Maybe someday. That was the V1 design. V2-4 is a little short lived.

Version 2 is simply a slight update. The human version was just a what-if thing.

Version 3 looks a little gangly.

When it comes to redesigns, then I have a problem. She would look the same, albeit in a different artstyle. So I tried something different and then regretted the design.

Version 4 did somewhat succeed on this idea, but this looks a little too CalArts.

Version 4 would get a slight update with her design... Well, only cosplay. There isn't a regular V4 sketch I've done, because it looked bad.

This is one of those ideas that I should redraw with her current design.

After a year since V4, I did have some minor experience using the 3D program called Blender, and that hit me: Why not make Vivi 3D? I mean, if I get her done, I could also use her as a model reference, so win/win, right? Well, 3D modelling is a lengthy process, and so it's a low-poly project.

I did had some help with a few tutorials and some folks from /3/ which got me here.

Version 5 is personally: The best from the previous, bar-none. I liked the design so much I made a car for Re-Volt in 2019.

Since all of that's fun, the cracks are starting to show in her design. One notable instance was her hands that are seemingly long, shown in this illustration here.

It also stems my questioning: If she is a rabbit, why does she still looked human? I mean, take off the ears & tail, and what you have is a pale-skinned girl. In May 2020, I got to work on a total redesign. Her colors aren't monochrome, her facial features are more rabbit like, and even her own sword doesn't look too generic. One more thing I ditched was her outfit, which is like a dress of sorts. She wears a more casual looking outfit with hiking boots.

Top: Design sketch (May 2020), Bottom: Full render (December 2020)

Version 6 took me longer than it should, mostly the procrastination. She does have a few art pieces, and even used as a pose reference for a piece of Owl House fanart I made. The best use of V6 is NOT using the model, but made one designed for a fan game called Sonic Robo Blast 2 Kart, where I made the model first, then the sprites.

It's good, but I tried a couple more attempts to update the V6 model as there's more to be done, to the point that V6.5 was planned to have more polies, alternate hairstyles, and even fully modeled eyes & mouths. Sadly, the latter two are the one reason I stopped continuing that project.

This was the last update to the model.

I still plan on making the model for Vivi, but another redesign was assured. Her look doesn't have too much of a contrast like V5, but a fix of proportions, shortening hair lengths. 6.5's outfit is different than the original V6, which sports a baseball tee, jean shorts, socks, and black shoes. This design sheet was given to artists I commissioned, so here's my first commission drawn by YutaAGC.

So about V7... Like I said, V7 doesn't differ too hard from 6.5. But the difficulties start with her face. Finding her style isn't easy, and she has gone through many initial drafts.

Then I had to realize an old philosophy: Redefine to Resimplify. Older designs had needlessly complex details & shapes, like V1-4's hairstyle being too messy, showing fingernails from a distance, and not making proper design notes.

Don't @ me on the hands, it's just there for reference.

Clothes are another, but the main outfits she may be wearing are her Casuals, Work, and Adventure. The others are just there for fun. 

Version 7 is still being worked on. I may have to draw some proper design notes instead of writing on notepad, and show how is she drawn. Sadly, spare time is not on the menu, as I got some YouTube stuff to deal with. If I do (like after a Lost Legends episode, or sometime in the weekend), I'll try to work this.