Character Design - Octopus

I experimented with a variety of different designs for the octopus, ranging from more realistically detailed to simplistic and cartoony. Whilst appeal was one of the strongest influences of my design, the practicality of animating the characters with dynamism and flair was my paramount concern. I quickly discerned that a design with all eight legs visible at once would be too impractical to animate, and equally the designs with stubby legs would not move well enough to be appealing. The octopus would be required to pick up objects, which meant that his legs must contain a certain amount of flexibility. His ability to squash and stretch would also add another dynamic to his character, and would allow for a variance in movement important for captivating the audience. 

The variation below is the one I decided to take forward in to the final design stage. The circular shape of his head would be simple to reproduce, whilst also containing a soft and rounded feel to his character. I particularly liked the idea of his legs looking as if they were standing up, as it gives him a more humanized element, whilst still clearly representing an octopus. 

In the below version I have stream lined the octopus further in to having more exact shapes and anatomy.  I have also reduced the number of legs to four due to practical reasons concerning the animation. I experimented with different poses in order to test the various moods the character will have to perform.