When talking to Michel about the story, he gave me some advice on the setting. For the characters in the story, think about the gender, name, and personality of the main character, as my style of storytelling has an oriental element to it.
Suggestions:
- You can consider the gender of the main character, would it be more contrasting if it was a girl. From a distance it looks like a boy, but up close it looks like a girl. For example, when the wind blows through the hat or veil, the character’s eyes and face are feminine in close-up.
- doing water in maya would be a bit easier than ue5, and the result would be okay
- give the character a name.
- when designing the character’s clothes, consider making it have the same elements as the monster, to imply that the protagonist and the monster are the same character.
After I get these advices, think about and make improvements to the protagonist’s setting.
I wanted to create the protagonist in a state of amnesia, where he’s immersed in his dream world, and at the end it dawns on him that he’s the monster that’s been there all along. The things he dreams about are actually his memories, except that at the time he was appearing as the monster.
The protagonist, despite his uncertainties, wandering, and self-questioning throughout, must be a composed and emotionally stable monster. Inquisitive about people, yet when actively pursued, frequently yields negative outcomes. People are naturally afraid of things they don’t comprehend, yet they also have an insatiable curiosity about them.
Charater’s name
I looked up a lot of names for this characteristic and discovered that Glaucus is the best fit for the character.
Glaucus is both a reference sea creature name and a god’s name, both mysterious and straightforward. As a god, it possesses great power; as a magical sea creature, it is one of the main references for the construction of monsters.
The protagonist can fly, swim in the sea, and transform into a human. A beautiful appearance combined with powerful abilities makes him both a blue angel of the ocean and a frightening monster.
Clothes and Weapons
Idea：
I’d like to design a wasteland style costume that will be slightly distressed and can be worn by both men and women. Because of the main character I would like to design as an androgynous character, he should be between 14-15 years old with no obvious gender characteristics.
At first I was thinking of boys, but after hearing the advice I thought it would be more appealing to add a feminine touch. Because gods and sea animals are gender-neutral, hermaphrodites.
I have looked for many pictures of fashions and I want to design a costume that is suitable for putting on and taking off. It needs to have a jacket, an inner dress, trousers and shoes.
Based on these pictures I have come up with a few points.
- Wasteland fashions tend to have hats, bibs, lots of strings and the costume has to be wrapped around the body to keep the wind and sand out.
- Jackets are more contoured and the fabrics feel stiff.
- Waistbands are tightened to reflect the shape of the body.
- Loose, comfortable trousers make it easier to move around.
- There are some irregularities in the symmetry of the clothes.
For bags and weapons, a medieval fanny pack that holds both daggers and loose change. Very much in line with the fantasy worldview setting, in which the Chinese and the Western blend into each other. People with oriental styles and western monsters transform into each other.
Design：
A draft of the initial version may be seen on the lower left, however I believe it leans too far towards fashion. Rather, it doesn’t represent the features of the monster, and it seems as though the people and the monster are incompatible.
The second version is the drawing above the first, with the jacket’s shape changed and several details added to better capture the features of the monster. For instance, the jacket’s sleeves are fashioned like the gaping mouth of a monster, complete with tooth accents. I put a skirt at the bottom that has the shape of the monster’s wings. The monster’s body colour, which ranges from dark to light, is the overall colour. As a decorative, an earthy-looking bandage was added.
The final outfit changed the hat, trousers and shoes but retained the jacket from the second iteration. The monster has a lengthy form because I made it thin overall, but the bottom of the second iteration feels rounded. He took off his bibs and put on a hooded sweater with extra string. In keeping with the worldview, the fanny pack design was also modified to resemble a more mediaeval one. In keeping with the impression of the individual fleeing in the opening scene, the dagger is likewise worn out. The interior’s white, short-sleeved clothing complements the relaxed, cosy vibe and is interchangeable for subsequent scenarios.
Monster
I went to the Natural History Museum and did research on the body structure of whales and pelican eel. This set the stage for the subsequent design and rigging.
Reference
Idea：
Referring to the head and mouth of the pelican eel, along with the body and pattern of Glaucus atlanticus. created a completely new species that fits into my perspective.
The yellow portion of the tail resembles the lantern of a lantern fish, which has the ability to glow in the dark. In this way, there will be light and a more attractive image when the monster swims in the deep sea.