Rookies Entry 2019 - Jasmine Steer

Character Design - Scientist to Survivalist

Back in 2018, when I was just starting out in my course, I was tasked with creating a character who had crash-landed on an alien planet they had been sent to scout out, now needing to survive on that planet until the team could salvage a method of communicating back to Earth. I decided to take the character and see how they would look if they had been surviving on the alien planet for possible months, instead of drawing them straight out of the crash.

This year, I decided to re-draw the character and redesign some of the elements of the character, to show how much I have improved in the span of a year.

Above is the final design made in 2018. I had drawn character before the crash, and months after the crash, going out and having to find food for the team as they still try to work out a way of communicating back to Earth.

Here are the thumbnails and sketches made before the final image. I was exploring different poses that were more dynamic or more fitting of the character, but ended up keeping with the same pose as the 2018 original.

The final image had a few changes in comparison to the 2018 final image. The character is grounded better, the spears are gone, the gun has been changed to look less like a nerf gun and the shoes are more sleek. 

Character and Vehicle Design - Neon Rebel Teen

This year I was also tasked with designing a transport that has been cobbled together by a teen rebel. I decided on going for a sci-fi, neon look, inspired by the film adaption of Ghost in the Shell, and the upcoming game, Cyberpunk 2077.

The car was inspired by 70s-80s concept cars, as well as the DeLorean from the Back to the Future films. I wanted to make it seem like an older model car the rebel teen had found or bought for cheap, and had then modified to really stand out and make his own.

Above are the process sheets made when I was designing the character and the car. I wanted the character to have a very vibrant, streetwear look that also worked with the car’s colour scheme. I also wanted the car to look fast and ready to go if the rebel teen needed to get away quickly, but also be able to draw attention to the vehicle if the situation called for it.

Because this was for a school project, I was given feedback to change the look of the car. I was told to remove the booster engine on the back of the car, change the spoiler to a wider and lower one, and add some stickers and decals to the car.

For the final shot, I wanted to push my limits and draw the car from a ¾ view and really push the neon lights on the car and wheels. 

Weapon Design - Horizon Zero Dawn Spears

For this task, I had to pick either a game, film or book which I liked, choose two characters or character archetypes from that media, and then design an item for each character or archetype. I chose one of my favourite video games, Horizon Zero Dawn, and focused on designing spears for the protagonist, Aloy, and one of the villains, Helis. 

One of the challenges of designing a spear for Aloy was that she already had a spear in game, so I had to not take reference off of her spear while designing. I wanted her’s to be cobbled together and really reflect her lifestyle of hunting machines for parts but also not being able to buy or ask another person to create a spear for her because of her outcast status. I also wanted her spear to be light and nimble but be able to deliver a heavy blow like how she plays in game.

Helis’ spear was harder to design as he kind of leads two lives, being the leader of the cultists whilst also being a highly regarded warrior within the shadow carja. I had to reflect both the ragged and torn nature of the cultists whilst also displaying the elite status he has in the shadow carja. I also wanted the spear to be more heavy and bulky, much like his character, and appear like it would deliver devastating blows to someone as small as Aloy.

Creature Design - Arachne

For a school project, I had to choose a creature from Greek mythology to sculpt and render. I chose the weaver Arachne, who was turned into a spider by the goddess Athena, however, I wanted to sculpt her as a half human, half spider creature. I wanted to really make her a creature that would hide in the shadows and slink out when you least expect it, but also create an air of her being tortured soul in this form. 

Creature Design - Ursula (Work in Progress)

For another school project, the task was to design and sculpt a character from Disney’s The Little Mermaid, as if we were a part of the live action adaption team. I chose to sculpt Ursula as she is such an iconic character and is one of my favourite villains.

I decided to keep her pretty close to the original design from Disney, as it is so iconic and recognisable to anyone who has seen her. I made an attempt to use Kathy Bates’ likeness as I felt she is the one who would fit the role best in terms of looking most like Ursula.

The sculpt is to be put in a scene where she is about to take Ariel’s voice in the song Poor Unfortunate Souls.