Honestly, I’m not entirely happy with how it turned out, but I learned a lot in the process, and sometimes that’s enough.
The Santa Muerte figure stands in a sparse environment – just a dark background and a single candle. The idea was to keep things minimal so the focus would be on the gesture of death itself: a slow, deliberate movement, almost meditative.
The design itself. I’m not happy with it, and I know why: I didn’t give myself enough time. The design reads as “Santa Muerte-adjacent” rather than a fully realised interpretation. The details don’t cohesively tell a story the way they should. I rushed through the refinement phase, and it shows.
I struggled with modeling from the start and then I combined that struggle by expecting myself to produce high-quality work in a short time. Because the character design didn’t fully land I dimmed the lights to hide what I wasn’t confident in. The single candle creates mood but drowns out form. A death ritual should feel intimate, yes, but not as a cover for incomplete work.
What I’d change: Give the design time. If I do this project again I’d give myself enought time just for the character design and iteration. Multiple rounds of sketches, feedback from others, reference gathering. No rushing to 3D. Model with intention, not speed. I’d spend more time blocking out the silhouette in 3D before detailing. Make sure the proportions feel right before committing to texture and rigging. Be realistic about scope. A fully realised 3D character with textures, rigging, and animation in one week is ambitious.
This project was always going to be about learning, not perfection. I came in wanting to explore death through visual language, informed by cultural research and ritual. I did that research. I grounded the character in Santa Muerte iconography. I created a moment of animation that (despite its flaws) communicates something about reverence and stillness.
This semester was busy, I expected too much from myself, I didn’t do enough research. All of this shows, but I learned. I may be disapointed with myself, but I hope to have grown through this project.
Roman, I hope you still accept my blog-posts. GLG Lay
