Some futures are imagined long before they're seen.
What happens when artists from different corners of the world come together to build a universe of their own?
New Age was envisioned as an ambitious African sci-fi animated short, bringing together a global collective of creatives to imagine a futuristic world filled with distinctive characters, music, and untold possibilities.
As Character Lead, I helped shape some of the personalities destined to inhabit that world—from powerful fictional figures to a stylized appearance by Afrobeat musician Mádé Kuti and his accompanying performers.
With production still ongoing, the character work presented here offers a glimpse into the artistry, imagination, and international collaboration bringing this futuristic world to life.
A future imagined together. A world still taking shape.
DisciplineCharacter Artist · Animated Film · Ongoing
Role & creditsCharacter Artist
TagsAnimation · Character
01 — A WORLD WITHOUT BORDERS
One vision. Artists from across the world.
New Age was more than an animated short-film production. It was an ambitious collaborative effort that brought creatives from different countries, backgrounds, and disciplines together around a shared vision.
The project aimed to tell an African sci-fi story through a richly imagined futuristic world.
By the time the characters reached me, the concept artists had already established a compelling visual direction.
My responsibility was to take those designs beyond the page, translating their shapes, proportions, and personalities into three-dimensional characters that could exist within the world being created.
02 — FROM CONCEPT TO FORM
Giving the future its faces.
As Character Lead, I worked on several major characters, translating the approved concepts into detailed 3D sculpts.
Each design came with its own identity and creative challenges.
From the commanding presence of the General to other characters within the film's cast, the goal was to preserve the artistic intent of the original concepts while developing convincing forms, expressive features, and distinctive silhouettes.
The process involved carefully interpreting the 2D designs, refining proportions, and ensuring that every character maintained its visual appeal from multiple angles.
The result was a collection of character sculpts that helped establish the physical identity of New Age's imagined world.
03 — AFROBEAT MEETS THE FUTURE
Bringing Mádé Kuti into a new universe.
One of the most exciting characters I worked on was a stylized interpretation of Afrobeat musician Mádé Kuti.
His appearance was designed as part of a musical performance within the animated film, accompanied by a group of female performers.
Translating a recognizable musician into a futuristic animated world presented an interesting creative challenge: preserving enough of his identity and presence while allowing the character to belong naturally within New Age's established visual style.
Alongside Mádé, I sculpted characters from the accompanying performance ensemble, contributing to a musical sequence that brought another layer of personality to the production.
04 — CREATIVITY ACROSS CONTINENTS
Different artists. One shared vision.
Working on New Age meant being part of a production where different stages of the creative process were handled by artists across the world.
My primary focus was character sculpting, developing the foundational 3D forms from the supplied concepts.
The character assets then continued through the wider production pipeline, with texturing and look-development contributions from other artists, including collaborators based in Mexico.
This collaborative structure meant that each character carried the work of multiple artists, from its original concept through sculpting and surface development.
It was a reminder of how much can be achieved when creative talent works toward a common vision, regardless of geographical boundaries.
05 — A WORLD STILL IN THE MAKING
The future is still unfolding.
New Age remains an ongoing collaborative production, bringing together artists from across the world to create an ambitious African sci-fi experience.
While the film has yet to be released, the character work developed so far represents an important part of its evolving visual identity with over 20+ characters done by myself and over 20 by others.
The sculpts and turntables showcased here offer a closer look at my contribution to that journey—from interpreting the original concepts to shaping the characters that will inhabit this futuristic universe.
The story is still being written. The world is still coming to life.
