The Chase 2022

The Chase is a high-energy underwater art illustrations featuring my character Shantel pursued by a massive Shark creature. The piece combines dynamic posing, creature modeling, and dramatic underwater lighting to capture the tension, speed, and danger of a deep-sea pursuit. Bright scattering effects, refracted caustics, and the motion of schooling fish enhance the sense of movement and depth.

My Role

Sole Creator: Responsible for the full visual and technical execution—character modeling, creature design, environment creation, lighting, rendering, and final compositing.

Responsibilities:

Concept & Scene Direction: Designed the underwater chase scenario, establishing tension, motion flow, and the contrasting scales between diver, predator, and fish.
Character Modeling & Posing: Created Shantel’s model, including her hair, suit, and arm tech, then posed her in a dynamic escape posture.
Creature Design: Modeled and textured the massive pursuing shark, emphasizing exaggerated forms, teeth, and expressive features for a stylized yet threatening presence.
Fish School Creation: Acquired fish models and positioned multiple fish to guide the viewer’s eye and reinforce the sense of velocity and panic.
Lighting & Rendering: Built a dramatic underwater lighting setup featuring caustics, volumetric scattering, and strong directional highlights to immerse the viewer in the deep-sea environment.
FX & Motion Enhancements: Added bubble trails, directional streaks, particulate underwater debris, and light flares to intensify movement and energy.
Compositing & Final Polish: Composited the render passes with color grading, depth enhancement, glow FX, and texture overlays to achieve the final vivid, stylized look.
Final Presentation: Delivered a polished key-art scene that highlights action, character presence, and cinematic underwater mood.