Cotton - Concept Art
While being recruited by a company from the gaming industry, I was asked to create some concept art as a test. The requirements were to create an original character (more specifically a sheep) in a fun style that is similar to Disney.
Over the course of the following weekend I developed a character named Cotton.
Since I did not have a background of what type of game my character could appear in, I wanted to create him in a style that could work in various types of games and be marketable to large audience. Because I was asked to create him in a style that was somewhat Disney like, my first step was to do some research. After doing the research, I decided to combine the classic Disney style from the 1940s and that of the more modern Disney XD network programs.
Understand that the development of this particular character happened over the course of the weekend. Thus, if I were developing a character the process would go through several development stages. Also, if I were assigned a particular type of game the character might have evolved differently. In addition, I would have taken further steps to create more expressions and would have created several style sheets that showcased him in various poses. I also would have created customizable assets such as: clothing, ties, sunglasses and maybe even a super hero cape (as a fun level-up upgrade).
I am quite happy with the overall design of Cotton. He is a fun-loving sheep who is ready for excitement and laughs. Because I created a character without knowing the type of game he would appear in potentially... he has the ability to serve as a narrator or in a running/jumping game. Also, the character can appeal to a diverse group and is not limited to any particular age.
Because I have a background working Nickelodeon and in casting, I also began thinking of various voices styles for Cotton. In order to keep him pleasing to a larger audience I thought voice similar to that of Alexander Walsh (Chris - Bravest Warriors) or Jeremy Shada (Finn - Adventure Time) would be quite fitting.
What one can determine from this simple test is that I have the ability to develop characters and even a back story for them.... I can also take it one step further and begin to think how the character would sound and how he or she can be used in the marketing of a game or television show.
I tested out a few different looks before settling on this particular style. Because I was limited on time I could only develop the character so far. However, I really wanted to show how he could express different types of emotions. I felt that the ears could play a large part in showing various feelings and attitudes.
The character of Cotton had to be fun ,sweet and cute while being viable to a vast audience. Combining a classic Disney style with the more modern look of Disney XD programs was a way that I could make the character more appealing to various viewers (or gamers).
Cotton had to be created in a way that he could be directly implemented into a game. Thus, every body part that could be animated needed to be created in a separate layer. Thus, the illustration was created with this in mind. This particular version could show him talking about something that would happen in the game.
When creating the character I was also thinking about the name. We all know that wool comes from sheep and cotton comes from a plant, I thought that could be an interesting play on words. Plus when viewing the character the name actually fits. Cotton has puffy white hair on top of his head that is wispy and light just as cotton is.
email: kshinabery212@gmail.com