2023
ROLE
Lead 3D Artist
TIMELINE
2023
TOOLS
Blender, ZBrush, Substance Painter
DELIVERABLE
Animated Music Video
To celebrate the legacy of TLC's multi-platinum 1999 hit "No Scrubs" and their historic performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, MTV commissioned production studio Cartuna alongside LotusFly Animation to reimagine the trio in a stylized 3D animated tribute.
As Lead Character Artist on the project, I was tasked with translating the legendary R&B group—T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chilli—from 2D concepts into fully realized 3D character models ready for animation. The objective was to honor their iconic 1999 visual aesthetic, iconic wardrobe, and unmistakable personalities while delivering a polished, modern stylized character direction
The pipeline began with 2D character turnarounds and stylistic concept art sent by the production team. My role was to interpret these 2D drawings into balanced 3D forms while maintaining instant recognizability for all three pop culture icons.
Stylization & Proportions: Using ZBrush, I translated the flat concept artwork into 3D space, establishing the facial hierarchy, anatomical proportions, and signature expressions for each member.
Iterative Polish: I worked closely through feedback loops with the project manager, refining head shapes, facial features, and silhouettes over multiple iteration passes to ensure the models matched the studio's exact visual tone.
Wardrobe & Accessories: Once the base anatomy was locked, I modeled their metallic stage outfits and accessories, ensuring clean surface topology for production efficiency.
Left Eye’s Signature Makeup: Left Eye was famous for her distinct facial paint and under-eye block accent. I authored high-precision texture maps to ensure her signature makeup remained crisp and true to her 1999 VMA appearance.
Chilli’s Stylized Cornrows: Rather than using a complex hair groom system, the project required clean, stylized 3D hair geometry. I sculpted and textured Chilli’s signature cornrow hairstyle directly as geometric volumes, capturing her hair structure while maintaining a clean, animated aesthetic.
T-Boz’s Silhouette & Shading: T-Boz’s hairstyle and facial structure required precise shape definition and warm, rich skin shading to match her iconic stage presence.
Material Response: I set up studio lighting environments in Maya to verify how the metallic costumes, skin textures, and stylized hair geometry reacted under camera lighting.
Production Handoff: After running turntable test renders and securing final approval from the production leads at Cartuna and LotusFly, the clean 3D character assets were handed over to the rigging and animation teams.
Final Release: The animated short debuted on MTV's official social channels and YouTube, capturing hundreds of thousands of views and sparking widespread nostalgia among music fans.
