Working on Roc Character Concepts

After the first Production Pass last week, my team and I realized that we needed to shift our focus from concept art, research, and reference, to getting an actual animatic. However, while most of our concept art is quite solid, one area we identified as still needing work was the Roc.

This design is vital to get right in as it is the main antagonist in the film, so two weeks ago I made the first iteration of the design.

[ID from Alt Text: Line art drawings of a Roc, a giant mythological bird classically based on an eagle. From left to right, the four drawings depict the wingspan of the Roc from above, the Roc swooping in to pick up an elephant (drawn in basic shapes), a detailed profile view of the bird, and a detailed front view with a wing out. End ID]

After the production pass, my team and I decided that we wanted to move away from the classic depiction of the roc as a gigantic eagle, and base it off of a bearded vulture. While vultures and eagles are both raptors who eat prey that is considerably larger than their general size, they are very different birds. In order to understand any changes I would need to make to the concept art, I began to research the anatomical differences between the two. Because vultures are scavengers whose name comes from the Latin vellere, meaning pluck or tear, their beaks and headshapes are the most notable difference in anatomy. Otherwise, in terms of making concepts for the Roc, the only other significant element is the plumage on the bearded vultures' head and neck, which is very mane-like.

Ultimately, the next iteration of the concept art that I did in this past week is something I and my team are very satisfied with for the time being. I also did some flat color concepts based on color palettes my team had discussed previously, and the next step in the design will be to figure out and settle on any textile-like patterns we want to include in the design.

[ID From Alt Text: Version two of the concept art of the Roc. From left to right, the first two drawings are the same, but the second two are a profile and front view of a Roc based on the bearded vulture, with hooked beak and mane of feathers around its head. The last two drawings are also colored in shades of red and blue for the body and wings, and a white and black face. End ID]

While I do think I got too bogged down in the details of eagle versus bearded vulture this week, I think it provided me with some very valuable information going forward. Next week, however, I will need to shift my focus more fully to working on the animatic.