Bowls of the Snake Pit is a stylized, high-intensity action illustration set within the Thibodeaux universe. Drawing heavy inspiration from Frank Frazetta’s fantasy paintings, Conan the Barbarian, and the dark, visceral energy of Berserk, this piece embraces bold anatomy, raw combat, and dramatic fantasy horror.

The scene captures a desperate clash inside a blood-red arena as the protagonist is overwhelmed by serpent-humanoid attackers—watched over by a colossal serpent goddess towering above the battlefield.

My Role

Sole Creator: Responsible for all modeling, sculpting, rigging, texturing, lighting, rendering, effects, and compositing across the entire project.

Responsibilities:

• Creature & Character Modeling:

  • Modeled the protagonist with stylized heroic anatomy and glowing mechanical elements, influenced by Frazetta’s muscular forms and pulp-fantasy posture.

  • Sculpted multiple serpent-humanoid warriors with unique silhouettes, snarling expressions, and exaggerated musculature.

  • Designed the massive serpent goddess with coiled hair, fangs, and imposing presence reminiscent of classical dark-fantasy iconography.

• Rigging:

  • Fully rigged every character including the hero, serpent warriors, and the giant serpent deity.

  • Built rigs suited for dynamic lunging attacks, gripping interactions, and expressive combat poses.

• Texture & Material Development:

  • Painted stylized skin patterns, scaled surfaces, and glowing eyes influenced by gritty sword-and-sorcery aesthetics.

  • Created emissive power effects and battle damage to push the high-fantasy intensity.

• Action-Driven Composition:

  • Staged a two-on-one ambush inspired by classic Conan covers and Berserk’s chaotic melee scenes.

  • Positioned the serpent goddess looming in the background to amplify scale and dread.

• Lighting & Rendering:

  • Developed a fierce red-dominant lighting palette evocative of Frazetta’s infernal backdrops and pulp fantasy mood.

  • Used sharp rim lights, intense shadows, and contrasted cool glows to emphasize combat clarity.

• FX & Atmosphere:

  • Added smoke, dust, energy surges, saliva, and motion accents to heighten the brutality and chaos.

• Compositing & Final Polish:

  • Color-graded the scene for a gritty, sword-and-sorcery feel.

  • Enhanced bloom, emissives, haze, and texture overlays to unify the illustration into a cinematic poster.

Software Used

3DS Max, Maya (Rigging and Posing), Corona Renderer, Substance Painter, TopoGun 2, After Effects, Photoshop