Atom Hawk Character Brief
-  All that glitters can be sold

This is one of Atom Hawks artist test briefs that is designed to see how potential job applicants you would work on one of there professional project. The brief is based on a professional time period with you been expected to see what you can create in 15 hours of design time.

The Story:

There are many roads that tell many tales as they wind and twist but from time to time they all converge on a similar tale, that of the Market Bazaar of Mendlebur. A sprawling mass of canvas-fronted stalls and rickety-patchwork pavilions, Mendlebur is a glistening opal in the sea of trade. A busy hubbub of negotiation, deals and rarities

Augel was a merchant’s merchant, a trader who everyone knew for better or worse. He prided himself on the quality of his items and often emblazoned his outfit with gold to remind those less successful than himself of the place in the markets. Greedy but also charming, Augel was a trader who could acquire anything that glittered…for the right price.

Game Background:

The world of ‘All that glitters can be sold will be released on PC and console as an MMO. The game is set in a vibrant fantasy world in which a lot of the fashion and visual cues are mixtures of real world cultures and societies.

The primary purpose of this test is to design and define a visual target for one of our leading characters; the charismatic Augel. (As a stretch goal, you are welcome to look at designing some of the other notable characters in the market- this can be the other traders, various creatures and characters visiting the market or other people you feel could fit within the world we’ve created.)

Requirements:

1 Final Concept for Augel, from sketch through to final polish.

(Recommended Work Process: Silhouettes-> Refined Sketch-> Colour-> Final Render)

Each stage of the work process should be client-ready (presented ready to be sent to the client at a level of render that looks professional and easy to understand for artists and non-artists alike)

We would like to see six iterations for the characters in the initial stages

This can include action poses/ headshots/personality shots- whatever you feel sells the character

Theme:

Augel needs to stand out as a unique individual. His clothes should showcase that he is wealthy, confident and comfortable in his status and satisfied with his position in the market. He is mid 40’s and quite rotund. His smile is wide and his eyes sparkle with a clear arrogance. He dresses to impress; both as a way to intimidate rivals in the market, as well as showcasing his success.

Keywords – Loud, Arrogant, Golden, Wealthy, Affluent

Style:

We want to have our characters grounded in reality-realistic proportions and real world clothing

 As the game is a AAA console and pc game the visual appeal will be supported by the high tier engine level and be a large selling point of the game. As such, details, textures along with a unique character style will be successful.

All that glitters can be sold will also utilise the modular gear system of other modern games to allow the playable character to locate inter-changeable pieces of gear for different slots of a character’s armour which can be customised and reutilised to create different stats, armour and visuals for a character. Showcasing an understanding of this approach in your designs will be valuable. We are going for a photorealistic look for this project.

Minimum delivery:

A full character, in a dynamic but head-on pose, rendered to final polish. Whilst the focus of the test is the character design, feel free to place the final character in an environment that feels suitable for his backstory.
Minimum delivery size: 2000px on its longest side for the final piece

Stretch goal 1:

Minimum delivery + sketches from each stage of your process

Stretch goal 2:

Minimum delivery + stretch goal 2 + design notes

Stretch goal 3:

Minimum delivery + stretch goal 2 + break outs of any interesting objects / details from the character’s outfit (e.g. mask, hat, gloves, etc)

Stretch goal 4:

Rough Concepts for Supporting Characters from the Market (sketch or rough colour stage only)

Timings:

In a real test scenario – you’d have 15 hours for the test. This translates as two 7.5 hour working days, the same hours we work at Atomhawk. Clock your hours and keep a record of what has been achieved within the timing plan, as the ability to work quickly and within a timescale is an important part of the test.

Notes:

Gauge your time carefully. If you have a choice between submitting a half done stretch goal, or a good looking image without it, submit your best looking asset with no WIP elements.

 When designing the character, consider how the design will translate to a 3D model. Any elements that will cause clipping issues should be carefully considered.

- Submission portal for final work will be set up in Canvas assignments later in the module