3D artist Simon Allan and retoucher Rainer Usselmann worked with agency GressOslo to create a series of playful under the sea scenes for Norway's new architectural complex Sørenga.
Simon started the project by looking at references of sea creatures that are native to the Atlantic sea, surrounding the Scandinvian peninsula. He then modeled the playful characters based on Atlantic cod, Hermit crabs and the common starfish.
To make the creatures relatable, I gave them human features and characteristics like any cartoon character. However the trick here was finding the right balance between the hyper-real creatures the client wanted and the human characteristics required to convey the message with a believable charm. We wanted to keep the creatures as natural as possible and subtly change the shape of their faces to allow human expressions, exagerating smiles and eyes, but not adding anything not found in nature, explains Simon.
Once modeled, Simon used volumetric lighting in 3Ds Max to create the effect of light passing through the deep waters. The final scenes were then finessed in retouching by Rainer Usselmann to bring out the underwater colours and highlight photo-realistic detailing on the creatures.
Credits
Client Sørenga
Agency GressOslo
CGI Artist Simon Allan
Retoucher Rainer Usselmann