Research...

Initially I had a different idea for this brief, I initially intended to model a non human character. The concepts were doodles of a basic body shape in the form of an egg that would be the main character for the game. This seemed appropriate for the audience at the time, as a connection with the character is essential for the game I am making. However my intentions changed to model a human character, as I have not yet made a full humanoid children's character. This would allow me to develop my skills in this area and check off a personal goal for me in terms of developing my modeling skills. The final character I drew turn-arounds for. The original had a litter picker device on his back, I feel that this wasn't need as it cluttered the player and I wanted it to be as close to my audience as possible. Keeping an empty handed human character was a must for me as the message needed to be relatable to my audience, something they could do. After doing research I opted for a male kid character. This was partly to allow people to relate and to keep the message simple for the target audience. The game could easily be confused with an odd, monster character that clouded the message this game was intended to convey. I made him slightly chubby purely for attraction and lovability with a leaf on his t-shirt just to confirm the characters interests and to enforce the eco friendly message.

Here is a company that I have admired for some time now. Finger Industries. They have caught my eye with the ability to make attractive and unique stylishly designed characters that pull the audiences attention from all over. I feel that the aesthetic of the characters are well designed enough that all audiences can relate and appreciate them. The friendly feel to the characters not only helps the audience relate to the message they are behind but draws them in as all of their designs are very intriguing.

The images below are a collection of the images that I feel have influenced me before starting the design process. The "Biker" character and the male kid in the bottom left picture are very close to what I had in mind for my character. I wanted a character that would appeal to everyone as i feel these do. The simplicity of the characters doesn't retract their appeal but quite the opposite. To simplify the character allows the aduience to understand the character quicker, therefore allowing them to relate or connect faster and easier. I knew this would a key element to my character's design and I would need to use these techniques to get the most out of my concepts when modeling my character.