Callial - Enigmatic Genius
Inspired by the Chinese Gatcha game, Genshin Impact.
Cal is one of my friends that I commonly play games online with in my free time. We often play Genshin Impact together, and because the art style and character designs in the game are absolutely gorgeous, I decided it would be fun to do a study on various Genshin characters and create a set of my own utilizing the online avatars of some of my closest friends.
An in-game enemy which I took inspiration from when making Cal’s machinery parts as well as the runes on his clothing.
When it came to designing the outfits for these characters, the process was more or less trial and error and in the moment decisions. I had a few guidelines I gave for each characters given what I know they like and dislike and the general vibe they give off as individuals. From there I was able to add on pieces and build off their existing personas until I reached something I was happy with. These pieces take by far the least amount of planning ahead of time because how the spontaneity of my process, and my familiarity with my friends.
Cal controls the power of Electro, or lightning/electricity. This element helps highlight his affinity for technology and his incredible intelligence, using his electric abilities to control a pair of robotic arms harvested from enemies in game. The bright contrast of the purple lightning helps to frame the figure as well as create the light source, giving off a purple glow onto the character to increase his contrast against the darker background.
For each of these Genshin designs, I placed them into mockups onto hoodies, as I feel the design would look good on clothing. Down either arm I’ve also included their character title as well as the symbol of their element, in this case “Enigmatic Genius” and Electro.
These mockups help to bring my pieces to life and get an opportunity to see them out in the real world.