Cave Skeleton V01
The main qualities David was looking for were ''ancient age, authority, menace, and subtly more than human''. In my first pencil sketch, I drew the skeleton in a strange sitting position with its hands on the ground. I also added unusual long toes and strange bony structures that grew out of its rip cage, merging with the rock.
Cave Skeleton V02
David loved my first sketch but wondered if there was a way to justify the arms being in such a position that it might have been holding, and even playing, a flute. David is a fan of Polish painter Zdzislaw Beksinski and mentioned some of his paintings for reference. He also mentioned the Space Jockey in Alien. I used those inspirations and added my own spin to it.
Skeleton 3D Concept
Within a relatively short period of time I designed and sculpted a 3D model in ZBrush. I rendered a few render passes in Modo and composited them in Photoshop. My initial 3D model was very rough, I mainly used it as a base that I overpainted in Photoshop. Once it was decided that my 3D model was going to be printed, I refined the sculpt closer to my concept.
Manifestation V01
It was important to David that the ominous figure of the Empty Man feels sinister, but also not too sinister so that reasonable people would flee if it showed up on the street. In brief, I had to come up with a menacing figure that could pass as a vagrant but is actually a supernatural entity comprised of guilt, grief and death, all wrapped up in a silhouette that has iconic power and archetypal weight. It had to be truly frightening that feels at once familiar yet unique.
Final Confrontation
David liked the asymmetry and bony structure that I put into the designs and wondered if there’s something it could do in the final confrontation, some kind of gag. I made another 3D concept showing the rib-like bones, that cover the chest cavity, uncurl like spider legs and reach toward the hero.