OUGD603 - Ace Tennis Brief - Initial Sketches

I started with some initial sketches to get a feel for how I wanted the mascot to look. The brief explicitly stated 'friendly' so I wanted to make sure the lion had a smile on its face, etc.

Rough ideas;

I quite liked the idea of the having the lion doing a thumbs up to add to the 'friendly' and informal vibe.

I then started looking in more detail at the face and facial expression of the lion. My first drawing (bottom left) was a rough idea of how I wanted the form to be. The bottom right drawing was a slightly more refined version, focusing more on the shape of the mane, eyes and mouth. The top right drawing was a more finalized sketch, with added detail such as eyebrows and whiskers.

After refining the face first, I then started to look at the rest of the lion and his body/stance etc. I knew that I definitely wanted the lion stood up - I felt this gave off a more energetic vibe rather than having him sat down. However, I didn't want him TOO active - I felt a jumping/waving/movement stance would be too cheesy and cliche. 

I sketched out a basic form, with the idea in mind that the lion would be wearing a tennis outfit.

I quite liked the arms up in the arm style as it added dynamics without being too much.

I then thought about the brief, and how it stated that they wanted the lion to have a tennis racket in his hand. I looked at the position the body and how I could work with the objects they wanted included.

I loved this idea of the lion holding out the tennis ball, almost as if it is 'offering' it to the children, inviting them to play the game.


I added the tennis racket in the lion's other hand, which I felt looked quite laid-back and casual in a friendly way.

I added the face I liked best to the form and this really made the whole thing come together.