A group of four kids accidentally stumble into the world of magic and mercreatures and quickly find themselves at the forefront of an ever-complexifying war secretly brewing outside of human affairs.
Each mercreature is based on a different species of fish (pictured). The anatomy and extent of fishy attributes also varies depending on whether they were a natural-born mer or a transformed human.
Each mercreature is based on a different species of fish (pictured). The anatomy and extent of fishy attributes also varies depending on whether they were a natural-born mer or a transformed human.
Choosing to develop these character designs further, I decided to imagine there were 4 seasons of this story, and designed two outfits/season per character (where applicable, as not all characters would appear in all seasons). I also designed an additional 10 characters to help fill out the cast. The series takes place between 2008-2013 in rural coastal North Carolina, so keeping it period- and place-accurate was another facet to keep in mind while designing. The main cast of kids also grows from middle school-aged by the beginning of the story to college-aged by the end, so changing heights and styles was another aspect I wanted to convey throughout this project.
I also designed new tails for the new cast as well, with some characters existing solely in mer form. I also designed tail "upgrades" for the four main characters, and a new tail for a member of the original lineup that did not have his tail earlier in the story.
I then compiled each of the season designs into compilation images with all the characters present to see how the designs work together as a group to convey the mood of each half season, while still displaying a unique sense of style for each character.
Season 1, Part 1:
Season 1, Part 1:
Season 1, Part 2:
Season 2, Part 1:
Season 2, Part 2:
Season 3, Part 1:
Season 3, Part 2:
Season 4, Part 1:
Season 4, Part 2:
I also created compilation images of the cast's tails all put together.