Practice Based Research - Maya-Inspired Concept Design

A character who refuses their fate

I began with a protagonist chosen by Kukulkan as a sacrifice. The character decides to escape. Outside the city, they cross a magical barrier into the Raven Priest’s territory. The priest reads their arrival as a sign of change and begins teaching them basic spells. This gave me a way to connect the protagonist’s flight with the first encounter with magic.

I considered a side-scrolling platformer and looked at Hollow Knight and Ori before choosing a 3D RPG as the format for this concept. I wanted players to see the setting from several angles and explore the spaces between landmarks. My early notes considered combat, stealth and puzzles based on deities and celestial bodies.

From ritual and material to character

In the ritual research, I considered making the protagonist a captured prince. That gave the sacrifice a political context and suggested a possible injured state to show visually. I also noted jade and obsidian for costume accessories, agricultural motifs for ornament, and sharper painted markings for a more martial appearance.

Mythology as a starting point for encounters

I explored using four directional pillars as a puzzle for opening hidden doors or temples. I also considered paired enemies based on the day and night aspects of the sun, with abilities that could interact or cancel one another. My Kukulkan notes suggested a route through connected caverns towards the coast, and a particular time of year for the prophecy to unfold.

Landscapes and equipment

I used geography to sketch a route through plains, rainforest, lakes and coastal areas, with a possible destination near a volcano. The military research gave me a separate starting point for equipment. I considered a spear, bows and stone darts, with a blowgun as a possible tool for hunting or triggering mechanisms. The material notes emphasised wood, hide and obsidian.

Headdress, motifs and colour references

I looked for a silhouette that would show the protagonist’s connection to Kukulkan. Stone reliefs suggested the combination of animal forms and feathers in the headdress, while manuscript images gave me a separate source for patterns and accessories. I also studied how modern games and films interpret related imagery, with those references kept on their own boards.

Silhouette and colour development

In the sketches I varied the height and spread of the headdress, the outline of the shoulders and the shape of the hanging cloth. Once I had narrowed those choices, I compared blue, green and red accents across the same design. The final board keeps a tall feathered silhouette, with bright colour concentrated around the head and upper body.

Feathers and branching forms

My mythology research led me to collect bird forms and feather arrangements for this character. I also looked at antlers with a wide spread and relatively simple branches. These gave me two directions to work with, a sharp profile around the head and a broader shape that could extend sideways.

From silhouette to final palette

I began with several body shapes and compared them against a human scale. I then developed the silhouette with a tapering, root-like lower body and wide antler forms, varying where cloth hangs and how the head reads above them. The colour studies compare several ways to balance the cool feather colours against the warmer branching forms. I carried that contrast into the final design.

Mythic forms and feline movement

The creature references began with animal forms from the mythology research, including jaguar imagery. For the body and poses I studied cougar drawings, looking at the shoulders, spine and tail in both realistic and stylised examples. Those references gave me a grounded starting point for drawing an unfamiliar creature in motion.

Body, crest and poses

I sketched upright, compact and low-slung bodies before developing the four-legged design. The colour studies keep the main body shape consistent so I could compare the long crest, facial markings and decorative fittings. I also drew the creature crouching, leaping and turning its head to see how the crest and tail read from different angles.

A shared visual language for the HUD and menus

I gathered references for frames, status bars, icons and inventory screens. In the sketches I compared a more geometric treatment with a curved, ornamental one, applying each to small HUD elements and to a larger inventory panel. The colour study tested whether the motifs still read when combined with slots and other interface information. I finished the HUD as a separate design sheet, using turquoise bars and gold edging to connect it to the rest of the project.

From weapon references to a ceremonial silhouette

My reference board compares stone blades and points with wooden handles and different ways of joining the two. I sketched several weapon types before developing the long-handled design with an animal head. I kept the handle comparatively quiet so the head could carry the carved forms, bright colour and feather-like details.

Keeping the action readable

I collected references for weapon effects and summoning, paying attention to how the figure reads inside each effect. In my sketches I used a dark character silhouette to test sweeping attacks, emerging shapes and a more symmetrical summoning composition. I developed the last of these into a frame with paired figures and a disc above the caster. The final palette separates the warm outer forms from the dark silhouette, keeping the casting pose visible.

The eight workshop boards record shorter exercises alongside the RPG project. I used them to practise generating ideas quickly and drawing the same subject through different views or poses. They cover environment thumbnails, costume and creature sketches, weapon and vehicle shapes, and storyboard and action studies.