While I am genetically half-Russian, and while I have lived in Russia for two years, I have never felt quite connected to my Russian heritage. Because of that, I decided to explore fairy tales and traditional folklore through my art and started a visual development of a concept that perhaps would combine various stories into one narrative or idea. I am exploring this idea as both a game concept and a film concept.
The character design above is of Vasilisa, the heroine who encounters one of the most infamous villains in Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga- a grotesque old woman or figure that preys on young women and children. In Vasilisa's story, she is sent in the woods by her step-sisters to fetch a light from Baba and is ultimately kidnapped and forced to work for her. However, I thought it would be interesting if Vasilisa, on her journey to or from Baba Yaga's house, encountered various other characters of stories from famous Slavic folklore or tales.
This is a study mood board created for this character design, where I compiled images of clothing, patterns, illustrations, and quotes to inspire my design.
