For my 3D model, I decided to create a magic staff.
During my time using Pinterest throughout the years, I had made a board of inspiration for my original fantasy adventure story, Stargazers. And with almost 800 pins in that board, a good few including magical staff and wand designs, I started there with gathering reference images.
The main focus I had was finding design elements that would be both eye-catching and not overtly complicated to create for a newbie 3D modeller. I wanted my final design to be simple, but still fit my personal style and sensibilities.
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I had a few vague ideas for the concept going into it, so the first type of design I searched up was more worn wooden staffs with glowing crystals with extra trinkets attached. While this concept immediately came to my mind at the thought of a witch or wizard staff, it wasn’t the only idea I wanted to research before making a final choice.
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The second type of design I looked into strayed from the witch/wizard concept, and developed into a more “Shoujo Magical Girl”-esque design, with rounded shapes and bright colours. The references I selected were usually moon-themed or wing-themed, with shining blues, purples and golds becoming the colour scheme for the final design.
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From these references that I collected, I started selecting my favourite elements; such as the grandiose wing shape with a spherical stone or gem adorning the top. I was purposeful in not adding too many details, wanting to focus on including essential elements that I would then execute competently at the modelling stage.
Because of this mindset I had, there were some elements included in the original sketch that didn’t make it into the final design. These elements include a halo of stars surrounding the top of the staff, some sort of fabric or thread flowing from the staff, and even a unique design shape based on one piece of reference I found that made the staff look more like a lantern on a stick.
While all designs are visually appealing in 2D, at this current point in time, I do not feel equipped with enough knowledge or experience in 3D modelling to be able to include these kinds of elements.
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With all of this considered, this is the final design that I came up with for my 3D model of a magic staff!
