Komainu Lion-Dogs
University Games Art Project and mentorship with Nathan Robinson
The year is 2075. Humans ceased to exist from 2040, leaving animals and small robots with artificial intelligence to roam the earth. The robots have been trying to restore certain areas and slowly learning elements of Japanese culture and life. This level has a focus on some of the myths of early Japanese folklore. To celebrate the gods of Japan, the robots have created their own versions of the Yōkai spirits Kodamas.
Working with Nathan Robinson, we are creating a Pokémon Snap type of game where the player takes photos of various Yōkai robots
Top down to see grass effect animation
How It's Made
Models are created in Autodesk Maya, textures are made with Adobe Substance Painter and finally, we are using Unreal Engine 5 to create the game
Inspiration
During the projects I am working on with Nathan Robinson, I am always inspired by Japanese Yōkais and Shinto traditions. In Japan, the Komainu are considered to be powerful spiritual guardians. They are believed to have the ability to ward off evil spirits and protect people who visit the places they are placed. Komainu statues are usually depicted with the head of a lion and the body of a dog. They are often shown with open mouths to symbolize their role as protectors.
As initial inspiration to find the mood, I was looking a lot at Simon Stålenhag's artworks. His paintings portray a planet that has been ravaged by an unidentified catastrophe, with deserted towns, bleak countryside, and odd, extraterrestrial technology. Although his scenes are desolate, Stålenhag fills them with a feeling of beauty and wonder, giving a world on the point of destruction a surrealistic quality. I aspire to make artworks like him.
To familiarise myself with Maya during this project as it had been a while since I had used it, I first made a robot in Midjourney AI and modelled this in Maya.