Halite (Sodium Chloride)

Apropos of nothing and what feels like several years after the fad’s initial heyday, here is my attempt at a gemsona. Her name is Halite (the fancy name for the crystalline form of table salt). She’s a timid technician-type gem slightly akin to Peridot, very physically weak but highly intelligent. Her gem is cuboid in shape and can be found on the back of her head.

I actually came up with this design a while ago (or something like it) but was in a one of my art funks where I was obsessing over everything, so I could never bring myself to finish it because it never felt quite right (to the point where I got sort of depressed about it). I think part of this was because I really liked the aesthetic of the show (Steven Universe, for anyone who doesn’t follow it), like the lineart and sense of weight everything has, and I was disappointed in myself that I couldn’t quite match up to it to a sufficient level. I don’t think it’s perfect now but I’m generally more relaxed nowadays so at least I was able to finish it. I had a bunch of the SU character sheets open while I worked on it for reference, so I’ve tried to stick to that visual language fairly closely (although I’ve been pretty lazy with a lot of the proportions across the different poses). I’m not sure who drew this sheet (I suspect Rebecca Sugar herself, or maybe Lauren Zuke?) but I found it super useful.

Shape-wise she makes me think of a weird cross between Garnet & Peridot. I’m pleased with her squared-off hairstyle. Looking back I think she’s sort of inspired by Maddie Ziegler, the girl who dances in a few of Sia’s music videos. Despite her hair’s blockiness I imagine it moving quite fluidly, like normal hair.