:: Body Style ::

I don’t want to simply make a 3d fan art character, and as the few descriptive quotes of the character found in the books used as reference are very scarce, I am free to alter the character to my hearts extent. In the books the character is simply a female body, with falcons feet for hands and gray skin.

I have my doubts about how well the character description in the books will translate to 3D, and as such I have decided to make the character much more monstrous than that described in the books. With this in mind I have found a couple of references, for the first reference (REF.1), I like how they have blended the avian and human features together, lending more favour towards the bird then the human.

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The second reference (REF.2) is to demonstrate that I intend to extend the arms and legs of the character in order to achieve a more monstrous look. I think this, combined with the clawed hands and feet I hope to make my character more of a horror style than that described in the books.

I aim to make my character seem abused and week, yet also monstrous. Due to this I used references to anorexic body shapes and will use tattered clothing to make the character seem worn. Two notable changes I have made from the book reference material is that instead of simply having one wing, I intend to create a damaged stump of a wing. I feel this will work better on a 3d model and I think it will help the beaten down style I intend to use. Also I have changed the eyes from the human ones described in the books to the reptilian ones you can see in the 2d drawings (2D Head Design). This is to help the monstrous feel I want to make for the character.

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I do also feel like the monstrous characteristics of the character will help to make an interesting animation when we come to animate these characters next term. For example, having the character move her head in sharp, jagged movements like that of a bird will help give a monstrous appearance.

:: Character Personality/ Backstory ::

When it comes to creating a character backstory its important that these elements are conveyed within the visual of the character. My character is obviously based on the character in the Numina series of books (Holmberg, C. 2019). However, the character barely appears in the books and as such I have adapted the character to make it one of my own, with only a few characteristics being carried over.

I want the character to seem powerful, but not regal such as that shown in REF.1. Much more like the character of the witch, from the game ‘Left 4 Dead 2’ (Valve, 2009) (REF.3). A powerful being, but one in very poor health. Slavery is a large talking point of the books, and I want to incorporate this into my character by making her seem like she has been enslaved by some unseen master. I imagine a lot of this will come down to the accessories I create for the character. It would be interesting to experiment with attaching a chained collar to the character and the clothing I give the character will also hint toward the poor conditions the character lives in.

The key part of my character is blending the human and bird elements together in a convincing manner. I aim to lean toward the bird more than the human, but its important not to use regal bird elements if I want to make the character seem to be in poor health. That’s why I will use cool and sickly colour tones for the claws, and leathery bat wings as opposed to more admirable feathered falcon wings.

:: References ::

LIZ (2012) ‘LIZ’S SKETCHBOOK: Just-for-fun personal art blog.’ [Online Website]. Available online: http://lizliu.com/sketchblog/2012/05/bird-3/ [Accessed 22/10/2-21]

SeekPNG.com (n.d.) [Online Image]. Available online: https://www.seekpng.com/ipng/u2w7r5u2i1y3w7q8_the-witch-from-left-4-dead-left-4/ [Accessed 30/10/2021]

Valve Corporation (2009) ‘Left 4 Dead 2’ [Video Game]. Available online: https://store.steampowered.com/app/550/Left_4_Dead_2/ [Accessed 30/10/2021]

Velocci, C (2018) ‘THE FAILED SLENDER MAN MOVIEW WAS A NAIL IN THE COFFIN OF A DYING FANDOM’ [Online Article] Available online: https://www.theverge.com/2018/8/30/17793760/slender-man-movie-creepypasta-fandom-community-stabbing [Accessed 22/10/2021]