Kiera of the School of the Fox

My Mentorship at Think Tank Online

For my mentorship term at Think Tank Online, I decided to make my own character concept based on my favorite universe, The Witcher. I focused on a bust for now as I wanted my mentorship to focus on improving with creating human faces. I plan on finishing the rest of the concept and model in the future as I will be making this entire clothing and armor set a reality for various sword fighting activities. 

I designed the armor with this in mind, based off my experiences and advice from friends, trying to prioritize comfort and protection while trying to stay light enough for as little mobility reduction as possible. Style of course had a big influence as well since I wanted to make it look like it could fit within the world of the Witcher. 

The eyes were especially a challenge with this project as reference of a real witcher's eyes is of course impossible to find. I spent a lot of time staring at my cats' eyes, observing them in different lighting conditions and angles. I tried to imitate the glow I found they have and increase the effect to give Kiera a more supernatural look. 

I always love modelling, especially medieval and fantasy related props, so this project was a lot of fun to make. I developed a love for texturing as well during my time at TTO and I find this project has pushed me to a new level. I especially enjoyed refining the eyes and the leather on this project, even creating a smart material imitating the way my favorite female armor artisan (Soeurs d'Arme) dyes her armors. 

Special thanks to Pietro Berto, Joe Crawford and Raffael Frank. To my family, friends and fellow classmates of TTO, everyone who helped and supported me throughout this long journey, thank you. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you. 

Renders

Clay

Wireframes

Breakdowns

References

Below is a closeup of some of the main references I used, followed by the initial concept art I drew and the full reference board. As you can see, my design evolved over time as I found more interesting references and kept practicing sword fighting over the last few months. I will be finishing the modifications to it in Part 2 as I complete the rest of the character in my free time.  

Brands that inspired my concept: Soeurs d'Arme, Oakstall, Enric Pujol Art, Artisans d'Azure, Dracolite, Mastenarium