Character Design: Project 1

on
Week 1 - Week 7
4/4/2023 - 19/5/2023
Leong Jiahui / 0353469
Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
GCD 61704 / CHARACTER DESIGN
Project 1: Personification, The Big Idea!
Instructions

Project 1: Personification, big idea

Project brief: 


WEEK 1 ( 7/4/2023)
To-dos:
  • explore Genshin Impact
  • Idea brainstorm
Its honestly still a bit hard to believe that our entire assignment for this module will be based on Genshin Impact, but it is what it is so to kickstart Project 1, I started brainstorming potential lore for potential Genshin children. Hoping to be able to kill multiple birds with one stone by tackling my vehicle & prop design module and anatomy & character sculpture projects all in one go, I took the requirements of those projects into consideration as well. Here is a brainstorming board of what it could've been:
fig 1.1.1 Project 1 brainstorm on Miro ( 13/4/2023)

Eventually, this is what I settled for - A gem smith from Liyue with the element Geo. There's still a lot of lore and conceptualization to explore, but here is the overall vibe/aesthetic I'm hoping to go for:
fig 1.1.2 character mood board & aesthetic (14/4/2023)

WEEK 2 (17/4/2023) & WEEK 3 (21/4/2023)
To-dos:
  • silhouette study 
  • world-building mood board
  • silhouette sketches
I wasn't entirely sure what my style of thumbnail sketches are, but I tried this no line art, just patches of grey method and stuck with it. While I knew I wanted my character to ooze elegant vibes, I still tried out a variety of outfits and vibes to see if they work. Eventually I settled for the elegant ones, though. 

WEEK 4 (28/4/2023)
To-dos:
  • Progressive sketches 
This is the most fun process! I had a blast coming up with different outfit variations, and my indecisiveness manifested like never before. I studied the elements present in Genshin and Honkai Impact to try to implement them into my design. 

WEEK 5 (5/5/2023)
To-dos:
  • Finalise character design

This is the finalised character design sheet. I'll be honest, it's nice, but nothing, in particular, stands out, which is a problem, I feel. I will improvise as I go, but this will hopefully suffice as my first submission. 

WEEK 6 (12/5/2023)
To-dos:
  • character turn around sketch
  • Preparation for submission  

Final Outcome


Feedback

WEEK 2 (17/4/2023)
The idea and overall character set-up are interesting & solid. Suggests exploring outside of Genshin for characters with similar vibes to help solidify the traits and personalities. Work towards establishing more in-depth lore and start working on silhouette sketches. 

WEEK 4 (28/4/2023)
Take into consideration the climate of Liyue to produce a more weather-appropriate cape/jacket. Add the motifs commonly used in Genshin character designs. Overall great and solid characterization and design and a great start, keep progressing and polish up the design. 

WEEK 5 (5/5/2023)
Miss Anis liked designs 7 & 4. She advised me to mix and match the parts I like from each design. When unsure, refer back to the mood board. The chunky details fit the hoyoverse design a lot. My friends generally preferred  4 & 5. 

WEEK 6 (12/5/2023)
Mr Kanaan advised on how to make the side profile anatomy more balanced and pleasing to look at. Ms Anis suggested a turn-around sketch before submission


Reflection 

Having to create an original character for a game I used to be obsessed with... for marks? It's a different breed of surrealism. Having drawn too many Genshin impact fan arts, and put in too many hours into the game for the past 2+ years, I'm at an advantage in terms of my unhealthy obsession familiarity with the game. I know very well how everything in the game works and what is expected when introducing a new character, so the process came much easier. 
The biggest struggle for this project is mainly me being not very creative and unable to come up with a design with an IT factor that I'm satisfied with. I scrolled through a lot of Pinterest for inspo and eventually settled for the one I like best, cause the perfect design is never going to happen and we have limited time. The process of viewing and studying other artists' work is very enlightening and motivating and helped a lot in expanding my visual library. Overall, I had a lot of fun with this project and am glad we were given a chance to do this. 

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