Final Sculpt made by Ryan Cuscaden
In the beginning of Fall Quarter of 2023, my friend Ryan reached out to me with a proposition. He was going to be in a character modeling class and needed a design. Since he knew that I had a BFA in that field, he wanted me to design the character for him, and a legendary duo was born!
Initial silhouettes
Rough out
Prop Design
First Sketch
Version One
Version Two
Version Three
Final!
The process began with Ryan sending me some art he liked as inspiration. He knew he wanted an Aztec warrior, but didn't know the style, age, or anything else. After reviewing what he liked about each piece, I made some initial silhouettes to start narrowing it down. Ryan decided on a realistically proportioned female warrior, with a bird motif throughout her design.
From there, I made two contrasting designs to figure out shape language. At this stage I also designed the weapon for the warrior, and since Ryan and I both had the same image in mind, it didn't need much adjusting. After another round of critique on the designs, we were ready to move into the sketch.
After adding more detail and finalizing proportion, the sketch was approved to move onto color. From here there was a series of rapid fire edits on the night before the final piece was due. The feathered headdress was replaced with beaded cloth strips, decorated with more bird imagery. The feathers were re-added, the headdress was shrunk again, and the helmet was changed from a geometric shape to an organic skull. A back view was added, along with a more detailed look at the beaded strands, and the project was completed!
From there, I made two contrasting designs to figure out shape language. At this stage I also designed the weapon for the warrior, and since Ryan and I both had the same image in mind, it didn't need much adjusting. After another round of critique on the designs, we were ready to move into the sketch.
After adding more detail and finalizing proportion, the sketch was approved to move onto color. From here there was a series of rapid fire edits on the night before the final piece was due. The feathered headdress was replaced with beaded cloth strips, decorated with more bird imagery. The feathers were re-added, the headdress was shrunk again, and the helmet was changed from a geometric shape to an organic skull. A back view was added, along with a more detailed look at the beaded strands, and the project was completed!
Ultimately, it was an amazing experience. The tight time frame made it so much more intense, and the constant communication ensured we ended up with the best design possible at the end.
