Inspiration & References
I started The Oyabun project after a trip to Japan, where I felt incredibly inspired by the rich culture and art. Additionally, my interest was fueled by watching many movies and playing numerous video games related to the Yakuza. The Oyabun, which means “the boss,” is the title of the leader in the Yakuza, and I decided to create a character based on this theme.
I have always been fascinated by Japanese art, from architecture to product design, which greatly influenced my decision to create a Japanese-themed character. While planning the project, I had a few key objectives. First, the character had to be elderly to differentiate from my previous projects and to practice something new. Second, I wanted to work without relying on a single specific main reference. This approach allowed me more creative freedom, and I wanted to see how this would impact my workflow.
The first step in my pipeline is using PureRef to gather references for each aspect of the creation: head, hair, clothing, pose, and accessories.
