FYP 02 - The Scout

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Final Year Project
Semester 02

Self-Set Brief: 
Concept 1 character, mount and prop. Illustrate 1 environment.
Setting is a xeric shrubland/desert with influence from Chinese and Himalayan tribes.

Nomad: The Scout
These scouts travel the xeric shrublands on their bird-like mounts trying to lead their tribe towards new water and food sources. The instrument they carry is used to communicate with each other over long distances.






Research went into a lot of different tribes, eventually settling on Chinese and Himalayan styles, particularly the Mustang tribe and their masks.







I start off with some initial silhouettes using a calligraphy pen - I find it's easier to get ideas flowing if I start out on paper.

After I've narrowed down the direction of the design, I move into digital silhouettes which are more accurate to the brief and can have more detail put into them.

I then choose a design I think works best and push that further - tying in elements from other silhouettes that I think might work.





Then it's onto finer elements of the design like the mask and colour scheme. For the colour I try and think about what will work best in a desert, but I also bring in a blue accent as it's important to the backstory of this character - blue is a sacred colour that represents water and therefore the abundance of life.

From here I also work on prop design. The scouts carry instruments with them that they use to communicate with each other over long distances.

I liked D the most, however it wouldn't be a very functional design; the horn would fill up with sand during storms or general travel, and the mask would have to be lifted each time it was used. Aside from being impractical narrative-wise, it would also mean extra animation work in-game. Not as budget-friendly as the drum.

The drum was designed to be large and obvious - it's an important part of the scout's equipment. Having said that, the materials it is made from are layered and lightweight. The curved shape adds extra visual interest whilst also hugging the body to help it stay in place whilst travelling.



The Scout - Final Turnaround Sheet.



The Drum - Final Turnaround Sheet.

https://www.artstation.com/arikb


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