For the final designs of each character (the Soucouyant, the Douen and the Jumbie), I have decided that I am happy with the current design of the bodies. This is regarding the: stance, build, colour and pattern. My peer feedback assured me that most of the fearful emphasis was from the design of the head, as this aspect drew the most attention. Throughout my project, the head, or the 'Ori', was considered the most important due to its significance in Yoruba and Obeah religions and depictions. Therefore my final design drawings were intended to refine the head design for each character, rather than redesigning the body.
I used my peer feedback as a basis for final idea drawing for the Soucouyant alongside my mid development ideas. For example, I experimented with more fire and more of a glow to represent the anger of the Soucouyant, as well as arranging more faces, an idea that I explored with my development drawings. I liked this final design as there was an atmosphere of rage and terror, and the arrangement of the faces was organic-looking, felt repulsive and not too linear and tidy. I also included a pointed lizard-like tongue that reinforces the inhuman aspect of the Soucouyant creature. I think this design is successful as it aligns with what my peers and myself think evokes fear, as well as staying in line with the original folklore. I think that I have interpreted the design from the folklore well and that it has been well informed by my primary research (interviewing and reading) and my secondary research.
My final design drawing for the Jumbie's head was shaped by my peer feedback, in particular, the symbolism of facial scarification in African culture. Originally from interviewing my grandmother early on in the project, I interpreted the Jumbie as a simple malevolent, slightly playful spirit. However, once I continued my research, specifically on the Moko Jumbies, the idea of the Jumbies being spirits of slaves was both chilling and fascinating. Finding out the symbolism of familial scarification fitted in very well with the idea of the Jumbie losing its identity, becoming this vengeful and melancholy spirit. Therefore I adjusted some of the scar markings on the face of the Jumbie to align them more with the types of scars found in West Africa. I also altered the colours slightly, emphasising the green algae-type skin on the wooden surface of the Jumbie to represent wood rot from water, almost like a ship wreck, or a ship that has been in port for a long time. I think that this final design is particularly successful as it brings together my peer feedback, my own research and my own interpretation together effectively, evoking the feelings of both fear and sadness from the view.
The final design of the Douen was mostly driven by my experimentation with 3D modelling previously, as well as drawings and some peer feedback. One of the main points I took away from the peer feedback was to remove the single eye in the centre of the face. By doing this, and creating drawings/3D models without it, I found that the void appearance of the face was much more effective. It drew in the eyes more and I found that it was ultimately scarier than the other design. In my final design drawing I settled on the tones of the skin and the swirl shape of the void face, as well as creating a rounder hat shape with a wide coverage. I think that this final design was successful in that people found it unnerving and unsettling. However, at the same time the Douen did not feel quite as developed as the Jumbie design, which I felt was the most developed of the 3. Despite this, the character encourages the responses that I want, such as fear, nervousness and confusion, and is suitable to be places into a horror game.
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