Many, many Caterpillars

A scant few days after my last post, I was offered a commission!

Cliffe Castle museum are revamping their materials, including the boards for a nature trail. They decided that their rather “dry” images for the children’s sections weren’t cutting it anymore. “Cliffe the Caterpillar” would be born!

Cliffe the Caterpillar - first sketches
Initial sketches. Caterpillar #9, ‘The Devil’s Hotdog’, was quickly dismissed.

The first stage of this project was to produce images of a caterpillar’s four life stages… to go on the five information boards. Ah. Easily solved by adding “emerging from chrysalis” as the fifth picture.

I provided some rough inks of a range of caterpillars, eggs and chrysalides to choose from, allowing them to mix & match parts for their ideal mascot. Once the final design was sorted, the chosen images could be polished up supremely.

Cliffe the Caterpillar - Some concept inks

We’re still hammering out who owns the rights to the final images, so i’ll play it safe and show you one Cliffe, a bit faded & through a watermark:

Cliffe The Caterpillar, life stage 2 (watermarked)

The project continues into October, with the creation of Cliffe reading a map, eating leaves and suchlike.
*Yes, that does mean there is Cliffe The Caterpillar The Butterfly. Don’t be too logical.

Still Alive

Just a little update for you.

While learning JavaScript means I can write my age and it’ll adjust automatically to the current date*, it doesn’t make for a visually exciting blog post:

Image of JavaScript code
My birthday is not in August – the code for January is zero.

Among learning syntax (and the usual day-to-day trials) i’ve been dabbling in 3DS Max again, two interviews were prepared for and attended, and the previously mentioned pixel project has been put on hold. Lending the post title a double meaning, i’ve been playing Portal again, but that’s not important right now.

In design news, toying with a series called “Not My Day”. Below is one of the first sketches.

Please let that be chewing gum.
Please let that be chewing gum.