Stella is my pride and joy, and my favourite original character yet. Her creation dates back to 2018, when I was studying 3D Animation in Belgium as an exchange student. I moved to Belgium for 6 months, and during this time I was tasked with the creation of a short animated piece. This project's aim was for me and my colleagues to get used to all the different stages of pre-production, including storyboarding, animatics and the transition into 3D modelling and animation.
Because I was a beginner, I needed to come up with something simple, a character that I could draw over over again, and that would be easy to model. This is how Stella was born! I was always very passionate about birds and anthropomorphic characters, and I saw this as an opportunity to create a character just the way I wanted. Stella is made up of many simple shapes, that were easy to model and animate, and easy to replicate multiple times. Over time, her design got more refined, taking on different haircuts, outfits and proportions.
So, you might have seen this character around here (a lot, I know) , but who is she? Where did she come from? And is she really a duck?? Well now I have the chance to tell you the story of Stella the Duck!
Now, so many years later, Stella stands at the centre of my art as my favourite original creation, my branding and online image! She is me, and represents my love for art, cartoons and character design.
personality
I use Stella to represent myself , which is why she is often a character in my stories, be it main, secondary or background. So far, she has been a mermaid, a ballerina, a magical girl, katana wielder and a background character in my children books!
Even if her roles change, her personality stays the same. Since Stella is a mirror of my passion for art, she is full of energy, colour and personality. She is determined and ambitious, and never gives up on her dreams, which often brings out her stubbornness. She is a social butterfly, and always manages to make others smile, even if it means putting herself second. She loves retro fashion inspired by 80s, 90s and 00s and 10s colourful and girly aesthetic.
history
Below, you can see the evolution of Stella, from sketches, to 2D, 3D, and then her growth up to today! I am very proud of how far she has come.
