Merve
Character development
2024 - Present
ORIGIN
I was losing my hair. Instead of grieving it, I pressed a handful against the shower wall and took a photo. Something in the shape of it looked like a character. Merve came from me — so eventually, it made sense to become him.
01 — CONCEPT
From a photograph of hair patterns, I developed Merve's visual identity in Procreate — the teardrop head, the orange beak, the particular shade of blue that belongs only to him.
02 — 3D SCULPTURE
I moved Merve into Nomad Sculpt, building his full body from scratch. Then into Blender, where I rigged his skeleton and taught him to move.
03 — CONSTRUCTION
I built a wearable shell out of cardboard, layered paper mache until it held his shape, then took him into a spray booth. Three photos side by side:
04 — ANIMATION
05 — BECOMING
I wore him as my persona while I ran tech for a senior New Media fashion show. He came from me, so it made sense to become him.