Once I finished my low poly mermaid I began thinking of ideas for my next model set. I had a strong desire to make a leprechaun character but since I wanted to add a sci-fi twist I decide to make him a robot.
My instructor advised me to work from a solid 2D concept rather than concept as I sculpt. This was a brilliant idea since as I was designing the metal leprechaun I realized the idea would be harder to pull off than I thought. I started with some thumbnails but quickly drew out a rough concept. This is a different work flow than what I had previously done. I typically have an easier time conceptualizing things in a 3d space and therefore don't have to concern myself with perspective, but this allowed me to quickly pop out several ideas and flush out an aesthetic.

I had several ideas for how to pull off a scifi Lep. One was to make a small leprechaun shaped robot, another was to have a small person in strong and robotic suit, to convey a napoleon complex matched with a mechanical prowess, another was to make a Huge pacific-rim sized leprechaun mech to play with the notion of size. 

Unfortunately the  feedback I received was that it was too much like a "mech", that it didn't come across as a leprechaun, and that the mechanical parts weren't clear as to how they work. 

I decided to make a quick model so that I could understand how the joints would work and what a sillhouette would look like from various angles.

The mech aesthetic and mechanical implausibility  were easier to adjust than the fact that he wasn't a leprechaun in the eyes of my instructors and some students. I figured if I added more lep iconography then it would just work. So I thought to make his metal green and gold, give him a pseudo orange beard, coat tail, a top hat, a pseudo pipe, lep proportions, and would add props like a shillelaghs and pot of gold. (all themed with a sci fi/ Celtic aesthetic).








I then drew a new series of thumbnails with different elements and played with the silhouette. At the same time I created some clubs that were like a cross between a shillelagh and a shamrock with a strong  scifi/fantasy look. However, again, the idea wasn't clear enough since no one could tell what they are.








I began to doubt the concept as a whole and decided that I should come back to it as soon as I could flush out the idea.

I then moved onto my original idea before starting my thesis: The Pied Piper.