Whatever Happened to Olga Mesmer? - Face Shapes

So again, going off of the back of the face sketch I produced previously, I began to try to work out other potential shapes, as well as trying to resolve the head shape in 3D, Below is a selection of that process, until I actually started to find a shape that was pleasing enough, and looked convincing to me. 

Where I really started to understand what I needed from the character was a little later on, particularly in the middle thumbnails below, where I also began to experiment with expressions to imbue her with a bit of sass and a certain air of the 'sardonic'.

Moving on from this though, I'll be detailing some further concept art I've produced of Olga, as well as posting some costume experimentation, replete with influence maps for the clothing choice. 

Whatever Happened to Olga Mesmer? - Developing Olga's physicality.

Based on the thumbnail I got quite enthused about last time, I set about developing shapes for the entire body. I knew, based on Olga's character, and also from her original appearance that there were a few signposts I had to adhere to. 

Namely, that Olga should still be rather spritely, despite her age. (She's immortal you know). So with that, a determined factor of 'athleticism'. I also wanted to grasp at a more naturalistic form of physical appeal. For, Olga's character came from the pages of 'Spicy Stories', I wanted to eschew her origins as a character purely for the fantasies of men, and endow her with more realistic proportions. Initially this resulted in the almost 'chibi' designs you see immediately below...

Though I came out of this as I sketched, going for a little more realistic tone in both the shapes and the features. I also had a little play-around with costumes, the one below being inspired by a few choice pieces of Norma Desmond's (see: Sunset Boulevard) wardrobe.

Ultimately this is where I'm sitting with her shape. As she's a faded starlet, I've been experimenting with different poses to try to achieve not only her weariness (from living for so long) but also that brief spark of what made her so popular in her adventures through the years (1920's-Now). The current design I'm focusing on will be how she appeared as a Heroine before she disappeared.

Sculpting class - Hellboy progress

I feel like I made great progress in today's sculpting session. I'm really starting to understand the workings of how to sculpt broadly first and then hone in the details afterwards. This has been particularly useful in building my understanding of 3D shapes in general. Especially as this is the first time I've ever sculpted. 

Whatever Happened to Olga Mesmer? - Olga face development

Whilst thumbnailing sort of aimlessly for a while, seeing what I could come up with whilst looking at Olga's original appearance and thinking back to what sort of complexity I wish to see from the model, I drew something that instantly called to me. 

After this, I took another look at the hair thumbnails I produced earlier on the weekend and applied them to this newer version of Olga. I'm veering towards #2, #10 & #11.

Whatever Happened to Olga Mesmer? - Logo design

I wanted to re-brand the project after, what I perceive to be my poor attempt at it in the interim crit. So I went back to those old pulp covers and tried to recreate their aesthetic in their logo. 

This comprised of - 

Graphical Text (sometimes with a kind of 'cut out' effect). 

Slightly washed out colours. 

Fading. 

I think I've definitely achieved that 'pulpy' look I wanted to exploit, whilst also keeping things simple and graphical. Of course, I seem incapable of creating a logo without spheres featuring prominently, but here, I at least feel it is justified, as Olga is a child of two planets. And roughly, these planets represent Earth & Venus.

Adaptation B - Reflection and Ideation.

After having a chat with Alan last week, I've realigned my goals for this project into something more realistically achieved. 

This all starts with nailing the design for Olga, and below is my brief notation on where I would like to go with that. As well as some preliminary sketches.