Leslie 2022

Leslie is a stylized creature project centered around a reimagined predatory shark with exaggerated anatomy, bold color accents, and expressive personality. This project explores creature design, underwater cinematic lighting, and dynamic storytelling through multiple illustrations. The key art pieces depict Leslie in action—locked in combat with a monstrous catfish-like creature—and in a standalone portrait showcasing detailed lookdev and stylized realism.

My Role

Sole Creator: Responsible for the full character pipeline, from concept refinement to final presentation.

Responsibilities:

Creature Concept & Design: Developed the visual identity of Leslie, blending real shark anatomy with stylized proportions, expressive features, and a vibrant color palette.
Sculpting & Modeling: Created the high- and low-poly creature models, including exaggerated teeth, fins, gills, and surface details to enhance appeal and menace.
Catfish Monster Design: Designed, sculpted, and textured the opposing creature for the action composition, ensuring contrasting silhouettes and personality.
Texturing & Lookdev: Painted detailed textures focusing on color gradients, surface roughness, translucency, and underwater specular highlights.
Lighting & Rendering: Built a cinematic underwater lighting setup with volumetric rays, caustics, and directional highlights to support drama and depth.
Environment & FX: Added bubbles, particulate matter, motion streaks, and environmental haze to reinforce underwater movement and atmosphere.
Dynamic Action Illustration: Composed the shark-versus-monster clash scene with strong directional motion, eye-path control, and dramatic tension.
Portrait Illustration: Rendered a detailed side-profile hero shot of Leslie to highlight creature anatomy, textures, and personality in a clean showcase format.
Compositing & Final Polish: Composited all render passes with color grading, glow, sharpening, and texture overlays to achieve a polished, stylized final look.