ILLUSTRATION | CHARACTER | DESIGN | UI | MOTION | COLLABORATIVE
| CONCEPT |
RYAN HAHN Character Design Portfolio 2019
Hi! My work is often guided by an illustrative urge to paint a visual image of fantastic and speculative worlds, but through the lens of design. I take a research-based approach to my work, often translating, reinterpreting, and recontextualizing folklore, myths, and stories in different contexts and settings.
I like to play with visual and conceptual juxtaposition by creating scenarios and characters with contradicting and contrasting colors, characteristics, features, and styles. For me, character designs act as opportunities for explorations of different and new genres, formats, and themes.
If you enjoyed my work, please contact me here!
email : rhahn01@mica.edu
MAMBA
Implying a sense of depth and "jungle-ness" using flat shapes, angular strokes and
consistent line weights, and no green.
Mamba the Jaguar and Mukenga the Pirate King are inhabitants of a larger conceptual world.
This piece began with a character design idea inspired by a traditional Nigerian ritual
headgear called "Mukenga, the First Man".
Elements of the jungle were first created individually without a detailed composition in mind, then assembled after every component was created to emulate the arbitrary and "undesigned" tendencies of natural growth.
E N C O̳ U N T E R
In a modern world where magic, myths, and the supernatural has coexisted with technology in human history, a militant regime called the Volition uses magic and science to freeze time in an effort to win their war on magic.
Jean Ozark, a rookie Vatican officer, and her various teams must explore and learn about this strange, absurd, and still world and combat the potentially dangerous inhabitants who were powerful enough to evade the effects.
Jean Ozark, the clone/daughter of a deceased and disgraced war heroine.
3D models and assets made on Google Sketch Up
Xelnua, an obedient but powerful mechanical bodyguard containing the spirit of an ancient giant.
Antagonists/ Side Characters
Characters Process and Development Sketches
TROUBLE IN THE EAST
Do Kae Bi and HaRiNa, a pair of Chaotic Good heroes on a chase for the "Junbug" in future South Korea.
A futuristic and technologic take on Eastern Mythology.
"Junbug" is an intel transportation unit/postal service designed after highly agile and evasive
insects like Grasshoppers and Flea. It is the future equivalent of the Pony Express.
In a future where sharing digital information is too risky due to high surveillance,
some return to the analogue method of manual communication to relay sensitive information.
Air travel becomes more restricted due to security reasons, forcing industries to find other solutions of reliable relay.
The next two characters were based off of Eastern Mythology and interpreted into modern and future technology.
Do Kae Bi (도깨비, meaning "Goblin" in Korean lore) is a Korean special unit, "Chosun Commando" soldier.
His amputated arm created an opportunity for the Korean government to utilize
advanced ferrofluid weapons, like the one Do Kae Bi uses as a prosthetic arm/weapon.
His ferrofluid arm can be shaped into any shape, and can become permeable, fluid, resilient, or adamant on command.
HaRiNa (針の, Kanji for "Mother of Needles") is a Kyoto-built advanced assassination unit that escaped cruel conditions of her creators to hunt down perpetrators of cruelty against mechanical kinds.
Her fingers and feet are made of blades. She has 3 additional larger and cable-operated limbs that can be puppeteered and wraps around her body like a backpack when they are not in use. Her right arm splits into two arms to control all 3.
When using all of her limbs (and including her legs), Harina has 8 limbs like a spider.
HaRiNa's blade "hands" behave and are modeled after Velociraptors.
Her "hands" can also detach and behave as a grappling system.
Logos used in Do Kae Bi design
A Do Kae Bi is Korean folklore’s equivalent of a goblin, golem, or other nature related demons.
In future South Korea, war heroes are praised like idols and stars, and receive national stardom and attention.
HaRiNa is based off of the Jorogumo, a demon spider/woman in Japanese mythology.
Legends say that a spider reached a age of a thousand years, and was granted the form of a beautiful woman.
I wanted Junbug to look agile and lightweight like a grasshopper, but armored and tough like a beetle.
Pixel sprite variations
A 360 space exhibiting the 3 characters made using Flexify.
THE MODULAR "BAXTER REBEL" GENERATOR
A modular set of character parts to generate distinct but cohesive characters.
The Baxter Resistance is a fictional people's revolution against mechanical oppressors taking place in the near future.
Their Machiavellian leader is cold and efficient, and uses advanced narcotics to reanimate deceased rebels to repurpose them for battle.
"Stage 1" is a rebel that was reanimated shortly after death.
"Stage 2" is a rebel that was reanimated a bit late.
The result is an partially-undead army of semi-futuristic, highly fashionable and combat ready rebels.
The gang is all here
Custom set for friends
FEAST OF THE CENTURY
Station L-338's Celebration of the Joining of the Qui'Zrak and Hizaren Empires,
hosted by your very own, Commander Arim Hume of Earth.
The Hizaren are based on a combination of Lynch worms and Tardigrades.
Like Tardigrades, their outer most skin is organically resilient to vacuum conditions.
The Qui'Zrak are a nomadic species of Hermit crab-like creatures with a closer relationship to technology than humans. They have the intelligence and skill to use whatever is around to construct temporary body gears to make them more powerful and capable. Their dominant sense is smell, and they thus developed Advanced Reality technology for scent instead of vision.
The top of the dining room displays a history of diplomatic meals.
The table is devised to automatically remove and replace finished dishes.
If a person had the universe to prepare a dinner, what would it look like?
This effect was created using markers and Illustrator vectors.
FEMME FATALE
This is Nicole. Her favorite color is black.
Nicole's modified vehicle
The way this sign reflects light so intensely when photographed with the flash on inspired the look of this character and illustration.
NIGHT TAKES BISHOP!
Ultimate Mechanical Boxing Championship 2059.
UNDEFEATED HUMAN Mike Nightly VS. BISHOP 3.0
Character Design and implication of characteristics and habits through Environment.
Mike Nightly is the champion human boxer in a world of machine boxers. He lives in fame and success, and dines in his in-house boxing ring.
Bishop 3.0 is an underdog machine boxer who's taking on the title to sustain his NEON drug habits.
Vectorization process
Thank you for your time.
ILLUSTRATION | CHARACTER | DESIGN | UI | MOTION | COLLABORATIVE
| CONCEPT |
