This collection of renderings features an expressive character I designed representing a conflict of opposing perspectives.
The character’s face was modeled with a neutral expression because I wanted her eyes to tell her story. Having a balance of a high level of detail augmented by surrealism creates a sense of familiarity, yet distances the viewer from fully relating to the character in its final iterations.
The facial features, skin tone and hair texture were modeled to have the character present racially ambiguous, unclaimed by any culture and left exposed to be judged by the perspective of the viewer.
The eyeline “above” exhibits what looks like an elitist perspective, does not make eye contact with the camera and appears to have disdain for everything below. However, these eyes may just be a façade opposing the true emptiness below the surface and be an outward projection of the unacceptable flaws she has within herself.
The eyeline “below” is positioned to make eye contact with the viewer, in a longing attempt to be relatable and to convey the effects sustained struggle has on one’s perspective. This view is defeated by what exists above it. Dried makeup, cried off of the eyes, subtly acknowledges evidence of her lasting sadness, stained into the skin.
The confident smile painted onto the lips complete the frame of overcompensation to negate the emptiness of the lower eyes. The makeup overlines the lip as a “drawn on smile.”
Finally, I gave the character heterochromia to show an internal conflict within each perspective, further separating pairs expected to reflect congruently.
These dueling perspectives are displayed in multiple iterations and progress points of this character as I was developing the concept in an experiment of character design, using my knowledge of Gravity Sketch to model the face, Substance Painter to create the UV maps and Blender to render the composition.
