Bapoto

Character Design class: Final model sheet for the class, I kicked my ass for this one.

Bapoto (Or as I call him, Poto) means "noisy" and this character is very much a pest to his family and the nasty predators that surround them. I have a full bio on my class blog site if anyone is interested: [link]

I designed him by first getting inspired by prehistoric mammal skeletons, mostly their crazy horn covered skulls, and then taking those bones I constructed my own prehistoric species. Once I had a concept developed for him as if it were a real animal, I trimmed the design until he became an attractive and friendly looking character. I also wanted him to be a lively and animated contrast to my Mountain Goliath, who was more of a beast than a real character to interact with. I only had a day and a half to think of an idea and then turn in a fully finished professional model sheet. Lots of concept struggling, hard hand labor and mental exertion but in the end, Poto came out pretty awesome. If I can see myself interested in drawing the character again for a comic strip then I feel it is complete.

The final critique of my work ended on a very positive note than the last time I talked about character design to my instructor. I "exceeded the class expectations and understand this line of work is very competitive by showing that I was serious about designing characters." This gives me hope that I'll actually make a living off of characters, whether it is for movies, TV shows or graphic novels. Maybe one day I'll actually be working for a big company. Onward to getting an internship and becoming a professional!