Week 02
50 Shades —— ‘hello 50tty!’

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What makes Hello Kitty instantly recognizable?
What are her most iconic features?

The red-and-blue color scheme?
the big cute face?
the absence of a mouth?
and the six whiskers?

At first, I started with color—looking for materials around me that matched her signature palette, and arranging them into the shape of her bow and outfit.

Real World Render

kt1_ Photo taken with a phone
kt2_ Built a giant Hello Kitty using everyday objects: two canvas bags, two yarn balls, six pen refills, and one marker cap
kt3_ Made with yarn
kt4_ Outlined the doll with a black pen
kt5_ Collage with torn colored paper
kt6_ Drawn with Posca markers
kt7_ Paper 3D model (since no matching color paper was available, I “cheated” by coloring with pens)

Photo taken with a phone

Built a giant KT using everyday objects: two canvas bags, two yarn balls, six pen refills, and one marker cap

Made with yarn

Outlined the doll with a black pen

Collage with torn colored paper

Drawn with Posca markers

Paper 3D model (since no matching color paper was available, I “cheated” by coloring with pens)

Virual World Render

Since I had just moved in and didn’t have many objects around, I quickly ran out of materials using that method.
So I shifted to recreating Kitty through digital means. The first idea that came to mind was using different tools to bring her into the virtual world—and the quickest way, of course, was scanning.

I found that some tools allow you to save the results for further creation—for example, I later used my Polycam scan for re-rendering—while others only let the result stay within the software interface.

One thing I noticed with 3D scanning is that the results often come with glitches or imperfect accuracy. But that “slightly off” feeling is exactly what I find fascinating. It creates a visible distinction between the real and the virtual replica. A lot of artists intentionally use this quality in their work.

The first ones that came to mind were Huang Heshan and Do Ho Suh, both of whom explore virtual textures and replica aesthetics in really interesting ways.
Scanning

kt11_Point cloud 3D scan, resulting in a point cloud model (DepthEye)
kt12_Slitscan + AR, keeping multiple scan results in space; essentially using slitscan as a brush, not exportable (LiDAR slitscan)
kt13_Mesh scan, importable into Blender (Polycam - LiDAR 3D scanner)
kt14_Point cloud 3D scan with cloud computing, export only as video, relatively high precision (Luma 3D)

kt11_Point cloud 3D scan, resulting in a point cloud model (DepthEye)

kt12_Slitscan + AR, keeping multiple scan results in space; essentially using slitscan as a brush, not exportable (LiDAR slitscan)

kt13_Mesh scan, importable into Blender (Polycam - LiDAR 3D scanner)

kt13_ In blender

kt14_Point cloud 3D scan with cloud computing, export only as video, relatively high precision (Luma 3D)

Virual World Render

2D

If I started by observing Kitty through her surfaces or “shapes,” the next step was to focus on lines—her silhouette or outline.

Kitty’s original 1974 version also began as a 2D figure. People only needed that simple contour line—no color—and they could still instantly recognize her.

I experimented with swapping out the material of the outline itself, and it gave Kitty a whole new personality. Some versions even looked kind of gothic and rebellious, haha.

(Which is actually one of the most interesting things about Kitty: behind that sweet and quiet appearance, she’s supposed to be this independent, strong-willed, non-conforming girl.)

kt15_ Illustrator curve drawing
kt16_ Curve outline
kt17_ Using different stroke brushes
kt18-28_ kt1_image + Illustrator built-in effects combined (11 variations)
kt19_ kt1_image + Illustrator plugin: Effect – stipple

kt15_ Illustrator curve drawing

kt16_ Curve outline

kt17_ Using different stroke brushes

Next, I stayed in the 2D realm, but took more of a photographic approach—playing with different visual effects and halftone tools.

The results reminded me of how Kitty has appeared across so many different media over the years: in magazines, newspapers, printed goods, packaging, and merchandise.

It started to feel like a whole archive of Kitty through time—almost like an Eastern version of Andy Warhol.

kt18_
Effect → Sketch → Halftone Pattern

kt19_
Effect → Sketch → Note Paper
Effect → Artistic → Plastic Wrap

kt20_
Effect → Distort → Diffuse Glow

kt21_
Effect → Distort → Diffuse Glow
Effect → Sketch → Stamp

kt22_
Effect → Sketch → Chrome
Effect → Sketch → Photocopy

kt23_
Effect → Sketch → Chrome

kt24_
Effect → Sketch → Photocopy

kt25_
Effect → Distort → Diffuse Glow → Reverse

kt26_

Top Layer_ Effect → Distort → Diffuse Glow (Blending Mode: Multiply)

Bottom Layer_ Effect → Sketch → Note Paper

kt27_

Top Layer_ Effect → Distort → Diffuse Glow (Blending Mode: Difference)

Bottom Layer_ Effect → Sketch → Photocopy

kt28_
Effect → Sketch → Note Paper

kt29_
Illustrator plugin: Effect – stipple

Virual World Render

2D——Half Tone

https://halftone.xoihazard.com/

kt30_ hexagonal-black/white
kt31_ pastel
kt32_ domino
kt33_ nue syntax
blur & color correction clampmax:1
grid：square
color: transparent BG
shape：outline
kt34_ glich
kt35_ ethnic
kt36_ black/white, flip fg/bg
kt37_ ethnic, shape - square
kt38_ pixel
sampling - channel - red,
sampling - channel - blue
sampling - channel - green

kt30_ hexagonal-black/white

kt31_ pastel

kt32_ domino

kt33_ nue syntax
blur & color correction clampmax:1
grid：square
color: transparent BG
shape：outline

kt34_ glich

kt35_ ethnic

kt35_ ethnic

kt36_ black/white, flip fg/bg

kt37_ ethnic, shape - square

kt38_ pixel
sampling - channel - red,
sampling - channel - blue
sampling - channel - green

Virual World Render

3D——Blender rendering
In the final step, I moved beyond the 2D understanding of points, lines, and planes, and returned to Kitty as a 3D object.

Using the scanned data from earlier, I focused on expressing her volume—and even with this volumetric reconstruction, the shape still remained instantly recognizable as Kitty.

I rendered her in a variety of materials. Compared to the earlier 2D results—which felt like a throwback to the print era—this set gave off a much stronger sense of the future.

Some of the transparent materials, combined with the imperfect, glitchy scan textures, reminded me of blister-pack toy packaging—and I found that absolutely fascinating.

kt40_ Coated Funky Glass
kt41_ NPR Cartoon Effect (EEVEE rendering)
kt42_ Procedural Iridescent Plastic
kt43_ Transparent Plastic
kt44_ 3D Geometric Pyramid Pattern
kt45_ Pink Fur
kt46_ Procedural Corroded Metal
kt47_ Wood
kt48_ Procedural Apple
kt49_ Coated funky glass with Environment World
kt50_ Lght Green Scratched Painted Steel with Environment World-Morning grass green cloud
kt51_ Transparent Plastic with Environment World-Morning grass green cloud
kt52_ Transparent Plastic with Environment World-Sunset
kt53_ Wooden Light Wickers with Environment World-Sunset

kt40_ Coated Funky Glass

kt41_ NPR Cartoon Effect (EEVEE rendering)

kt42_ Procedural Iridescent Plastic

kt43_ Transparent Plastic

kt44_ 3D Geometric Pyramid Pattern

kt45_ Pink Fur

kt46_ Procedural Corroded Metal

kt47_ Wood

kt48_ Procedural Apple

kt49_
Coated funky glass
with Environment World

kt50_
Lght Green Scratched Painted Steel
with Environment World-Morning grass green cloud

kt51_
Transparent Plastic
with Environment World-Morning grass green cloud

kt52_
Transparent Plastic
with Environment World-Sunset

kt53_
Wooden Light Wickers
with Environment World-Sunset

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Documentation for IDM Courses

Ideation & Prototyping Creative Coding Print and Code

© Yanrong Tian

Documentation
for IDM Courses

Ideation & Prototyping
Creative Coding
Print and Code