Pocket Kitchen
Product Visualisation
Client
Personal Project
Year
Feb 2020
Role
Tools
Autodesk Maya, Photoshop
Design Intent
For this project, I returned to what originally excited me about 3D art: creating charming, playful objects with intention. The project began as an exploration of childhood-inspired object design, particularly Polly Pockets and Montessori kitchen toys. I wanted to create a fictional product that felt playful and functional while still holding together as a believable product design.
Approach
Concept
Started with compiling a Pinterest mood board of toy design references and 3D illustration trends of Peter Tarka and Ryogo Toyoda. Developed sketches for initial designs before modeling to establish form language and proportions.
3D Production
Modeled all assets in Autodesk Maya with attention to toy-like proportions and topology. Used royalty-free textures sourced from CC0Textures, assigned them to Arnold Standard Materials. This was before I learned Substance Painter, so I worked within Maya's texturing capabilities.
Lighting & Color
The final color palette and lighting design were inspired by 2020 interior design trends, featuring contrasting black and white tones, rich marble and wood textures, and subtle rose gold accents.
Moodboard
Reflection
Pocket Kitchen was a meaningful personal project because it gave me space to return to work I genuinely enjoyed and complete a concept on my own terms. It helped me rebuild momentum through making, refining, and finishing each element with intention.
Reflection
If I were revisiting it today, I plan to elevate this concept by exploring alternative pastel colour palettes, refining the material work with more detailed texturing in Substance Painter, and designing a playful window-box package.