Safer, Smarter Teens! – Grade 6

Character Concept Art

The roster ended up with fourteen characters, which consisted of Lauren herself, her partner Rodney, the many kids from previous Lauren’s Kids programs, and a few new faces. Below were our explorations in how these characters have changed from grade 5 to 6 and how we should keep them recognizable.

Character Busts and Expressions

Once the designs were approved, I was asked to create closeups of each character. This is when I settled on a style for the eyes that was reminiscent of previous Lauren’s Kids programs, but had a more mature, anime-inspired look.

Character Turnarounds

We were working with an overseas team for this project, and it was my job to create each character’s turn sheet.

Rendering Lookdev

During the program’s conceptual phase we experimented with a few rendering styles for the characters, and we eventually landed on a PBR look.

Prop Design

I also created drawings for the production which were used as photographs!

Overseas Team Direction

Once the overseas team began to send us the character models, it was my job to draw and paint over them to stay consistent with the concept art.

The team was also having issues with modeling and rendering hair for the characters, so I came during the asset stage and created a hair shader they could use and adjusted a few of the hair models for maximum appeal.

Background Painting

Before the production swapped to completely 3D environments, I had the opportunity to paint a backdrop myself!

I also had to convert this daytime establishing shot to nighttime lighting.

And that’s all! The program is currently being shown in schools around the world – thank you to Lauren’s Kids for giving me the opportunity!