Orangutan Character Development

I wanted to take my time considering a lot of different options where detailing the appearance and representation of orangutan fur to be included across the poster series.

How much texture do I want to be reflected, if any at all?

Do I prefer a smoother, fuller appearance?

Do I prefer a rough, uneven appearance?

How can I make the aspect of the fur appropriately match the facial expressions used?

Do I want to use just one type of brush, two, or multiple?

How many different colours do I want to include? How bright do I want the colours to come across?

What type of brush best represents an orangutans appearance?

What background will I produce and what fur will best match this?

Below are a series of different pens and brushes I have considered for the overall appearance of the orangutans that will be included throughout my poster series. To me, some are evidently not options I will take forward, such as the 'soft brush' effect right to the bottom, as this is not what comes to mind when I think of orangutans. However this experimentation has thrown what I thought were clear ideas off, as a lot of the different appearances now pose as potential options.

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As a result of the experimentation above, I refined the options right down to just four fur possibilities - digital brushes named Syrup Ink Pen, Ink Bleed, Fine Hair and Styx. What makes the deciding most difficult is how different these four brushes seem to be. The bottom two are very different possibilities to mostly represent the visual effect of hair and fur - where the two options to the top of the image are very pleasing and effective on the eye, but a lot more 'filled' and 'solid', and a lot neater than what an orangutan might actually appear.

Will using either the Fine Hair or the Styx digital brush create a connecting contrast between my overall attempt at avoiding a 'realistic appearance'?

I also took this opportunity to experiment with orangutan skin options. Where their skin is rough, detailed and textured, I certainly want to use a brush that will reflect this. The images below show eight different options.

As a result of this experimentation, the most likely options are three of the four shown below - Rough Skin, Old Skin and Stubble. However, I dont think this is an option I will be able to decide on, until I have concluded the approach I want to take with the overall appearance of the fur.