MelMel CasCas
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The Spectral Fishermaid
In a fantasy world where survival depends on your ability to fish in the spectral plane, a young woman finds herself as the main provider for her tribe.

Design Prompt

"A 22 year old (male or female) from a small tribe in a mystical land. Fishes the spectral plane to provide food for the tribe."

Unlike most projects, the main objective of this design was to depict this character in several wildly different styles AFTER I had designed her. Attempting to match semi-realistic and anime styles along with more specific art styles such as Holly Warburton's, Kudaman's, and the TV show Gravity Falls proved to be a challenging and exciting task, as it was my first time trying to emulate most of them. Distilling a character into their most iconic, simplified parts is very rewarding practice! Enjoy viewing the design process and illustrations! My hope is that learning to portray the same character in various styles will help me to adapt to any studio I choose to work with in the future.

reference photos *prompt assigned for Stylized Portraiture I at Brainstorm School of Design, references picked by me I started by hitting up Pinterest and saving any images that sparked ideas in my mind's eye.

Early Design Sketches!

  • sketches of hair design

    Should I lean into the ghostly aspect of the prompt and assume she'll need to pay to gain entrance to the spectral planes, like in Greek myths?

  • sketches of acessories

    Or maybe she's the type of person to proudly provide for her family, gathering bone and teeth trophies from her kills to show off with her attire?

  • sketches of acessories

    If earthly sharks are attracted to blood, what's to stop from assuming that ghostly prey is attracted to the blood of living creatures in the same way?

  • sketches of acessories

    Her tribe probably adores, perhaps even reveres her to an extent, placing magical protection on her in the form of tattoos and offering makeshift crowns as a sign of respect.

  • sketches of acessories

    Even though I'm designing her specific features, changing up her pose and expression can also influence the attitude she gives off.

Stylized Portraits!

  • character in the design of Gravity Falls

    In the style of the TV show Gravity Falls.

  • character in the design Holley Warburton

    In the style of Holly Warburton (@hollywarbs).

  • character in the design Kudaman

    In the style of Kudaman (@kudaman_89).

  • character in anime-like design
  • character in semi-realistic design