Spraybot
I had done only organic, soft and flowing sculpts and outfits up until this point and wanted to tackle a hard surface character. I did some concepts taking a humanoid base and highlighting or isolating the hands in particular as a key part of the character. I also like the kind of "thrown together" aesthetic that looks like a Jimmy Neutron boy genius type character threw it together in a workshop. I decided on the spray can automaton as I am a big fan of graffiti culture and thought it would fit with the idea of being tossed together and having a lot of personality despite being a character that can't emote.
These are some basic material references and a loose but more tied down colored sketch. The general idea was to take the environmental aspects of street culture, like road and traffic signs, and combining them with some electronics and tank treads for the feet. At this point the general engineering is still very up in the air but the idea of the character has become a good jumping off point to start modeling.
I would build each part individually and then move them onto the enlarged spray can. While working on the treads I researched some basic robotic and movement principles and came up with this tripod like design for the treads.
Finally the completed character, Most of the concept stayed the same although I changed the direction and size of the third tread to make it more believable. The frog helmet was added for slightly more emotion although it functions as simple a helmet to adorn the spray nozzle. Most of the textures were given a grunge layer and a damage layer but only enough to show some use and fit with the overall vibe of the Spraybot being made up of used parts. If i were to go back and revisit this sculpt, I would try to make the can itself made up of more scrap metal and not just an enlarged can of spray-paint as I feel like it can throw off the size and look of the sculpt for some people.