DESIGN PROCESS

I had a void in the main cast of my current passion project and needed a slimeball cast member to fill it. I needed a character who embodied the grit and slime of tropical climates and had the rash personality of a 90s comedic relief character. Marnie came to me like a fly to garbage, and her army-green exterior and sharp shapes were born.

Her looks are inspired off Rambo (First Blood 1982) and Animal Mother (Full Metal Jacket 1987). I was worried about her busted outfit being mistaken as too pirate-ish, so I went with old Converse as her shoe of choice instead of boots. The rip-stop fabric of Vietnam-era marine jackets is what gives her her signature green color. Because the fabric is rip-resistant, it is in-character and safe to assume that she cut the sleeves off in that jagged shape on purpose. The G.I. outfit she dawns is story accurate as well, since she was involved in a tropical-climate battlefront. The lack of clothing is due to her habit of turning into a giant lizard occasionally.

My character creation process differs based on what the target is—Am I making the character for a client? To fit into a preexisting world? Generally speaking, I start with shape silhouettes and move to detailed thumbnails once the target is satisfied. From there, I create color samples and work on refining key details. Depending on the complexity of the assignment, I will also do character exploration. This culminates into either a finished ref sheet or final render, whatever the preestablished goal was.