So to give my "re-envisioning" of Bayonetta a little bit of context, I'll describe how I came to drawing her the way I did.
As noted in my journal, I recently watched the Aliens Quadrilogy, and I just loved how Winona Ryder looked in it. I also generally have a fondness for tall ladies with pixie cuts. With those two in mind, I went on to draw her out. I didn't want to do a super stylish pose or angle, as this is more along the lines of costume design than anything else, and one aspect I'm most proud of is my approach to her 4-limbed weaponry system. She's asymmetrical (or diagonally-inclined?) in terms of the weapon placements, but I love the idea of using rings with strings as a remote switch mechanism. Not only does it work an accessory design, but there's a physicality to it as well.
Her knee pads were actually inspired by a co-worker's knee pads at work, and how the straps actually tether off to the sides, creating a rather unique, dangly look. The pants were inspired by a nude model who I adore, and also semi-inspired her design. The knife purse/patch is inspired by MGS4's Vamp costume design, and the idea behind their inclusion is for the sole purpose of long-distance silent kills and general projectiles.
Her dress is inspired by something that a friend made in highschool out of her bag. The inclusion of lacing in particular is inspired by her design.
The moon medallion is my own attempt to try and include at least more than one visual motif that's carried over from Bayonetta's original design. I wanted to throw in those red ribbons she has in her hair somewhere here as well, but I just couldn't think of anything that could work without looking stupid. and out of place.
Finally, I want to talk about the sword on her right leg. It looks weird, right? The idea was inspired by the famous scene in MGS4 where Raiden helicopters between a bunch of Gekkos with his blade held by his feet. Not only that, but the idea is that it has an automatized extract/retract system for during kicks, or even just piercing. The ring would be for manual use. Sadly, I couldn't really illustrate visual cue that would imply that its automatized.
Her handguns are "normal," though, and I gave her a knife because that felt a bit more feminine than anything else. I thought about drawing a holster and scabbard of some sort, but chose not to, because I think it would be cooler for her to put them behind her sweater or something.
Something I liked about what I did with her costume design, though, is that I made her clothes design look like she's wearing what could be a few sizes too small. In reality, she's simply wearing chic wear, IMO. I love her outfit, except for those boots. The boots serve her well, in terms of practicality of her weaponry and her outfit's theme, but I wish I could have found something a bit more fitting, and I'm not talking about sneakers either.
