Monster Park - character design

Here's some character development from a little while  ago for the Monster Park animation project. Initially I was asked to work on some illustrations and storyboards to help give a flavour of key episodes for the BBC who were looking at developing the series at the time. I was soon asked to help redesign the main monster character - Typhoon. The producers felt he was looking a bit too 'Swamp Thing' like and wanted to make him a little more heroic/realistic and perhaps give him some Samurai style armour and weapons, though made out of vegetation.

My first stab at the character (above, and head detail below) turned out to be just too detailed and realistic for the style of animation they were going to use. It helped with generating a lot of ideas that could then be adapted to the house style however.

Below are a couple of quick attempts at simplifying the character

even going so far as removing his mouth apparently...

At some point it was suggested we make him more of a traditional English green man/Robin Hood figure and give him a hood formed out of his own foliage.

We then had to try and steer him away from being too human, and back towards hulking monster.

My favorite incarnation (below) was the one used for some promotional material.