The Spark
Tyree is one of the main characters from my series Sword Dancers. He’s the emotional one of the group — the heart — balancing Colin’s logic, Ashley’s physicality, and Olivia’s spirituality. Each of the characters bonds with alien beings called Sparks — bio-techno, spider-like symbiotes that merge with their human hosts to create armor and weapons.
What’s interesting is that each Spark manifests differently depending on its host’s core personality. So even if Tyree bonded with a different Spark, his weapon would still take the same form — just with a different power. His current Spark gives him the ability to shoot kinetic energy that charges objects to explode.
When I designed Tyree, I wanted his weapon to reflect who he is — sensitive, empathetic, and caring, but capable of incredible force when pushed. That balance of gentleness and power is the soul of Tyree and Crush.
From Rough Sketch to Silhouette
Tyree’s armor design actually started with something unexpected — The Smurfs. His bright blues and whites were inspired by that simple, classic palette, but I also drew from 1980s shows like Visionaries and The Centurions. Sword Dancers as a whole is my love letter to that era — colorful, bold, and unapologetically earnest.
The hardest part early on was simplifying. I debated whether the Sword Dancers should all look different or share a uniform armor structure. In the end, I went with unity — each character’s individuality comes from their Sparks and personalities, not their armor silhouettes.
Inventing the Pistol-Sword
For Tyree’s weapon — Crush — I didn’t want another standard broadsword, katana, or energy blade. I wanted something rarer, something that made sense for who he is.
Tyree’s father is a decorated military hero, and Tyree grew up under the weight of that expectation. He’s not a born warrior — he’s an empath. But the one thing he is naturally skilled at is shooting. That became the foundation for Crush.
Instead of the usual “gun-with-a-blade-stuck-on” design you see in games, I wanted the pistol to be integrated — a true hybrid. I built the hilt and guard as an actual pistol frame and drew inspiration from cutlass handles, which gave me that elegant curve and trigger guard integration. The result was something unique: a pistol-sword that fires and slashes in one continuous motion.
Adding Shadows and Depth
I’ll be honest — adding shadows is something I’m still playing around with. Color isn’t my strongest skill; I usually “borrow” from what I’ve seen and adapt it to fit my style. Since my art leans toward flat, vector-like design, I used simple flat colors at first.
But as I worked on Tyree, I started experimenting more — layering subtle shadows to add depth and presence. It’s not about realism for me, it’s about giving a sense of form and rhythm. Even small shadows under the armor plates or the weapon’s guard help sell the design’s weight and flow. It’s a process of growth, and Tyree has been the perfect piece to experiment with that balance.
Tyree and Crush: Two Halves of One Spirit
Tyree and Crush are reflections of each other — and of two kinds of empathy. Tyree is the emotional core of the human team, while Crush is the weapons expert among the Sparks. They share the same attributes — thoughtful, intuitive, and powerful — but where Tyree is introverted, Crush is extroverted.
When I drew their pose, I wanted that energy captured — Tyree in motion, swords (or pistols) at the ready, fully in sync with his partner. It’s not about aggression, but confidence. He’s not fighting against something — he’s fighting for something.
And that’s what Sword Dancers is really about — the harmony between emotion, technology, and purpose.