Andbox reached out to me with an exciting project: creating 3D models for their rebrand to NYXL. They were impressed by the figures I made for their holiday campaign and wanted something similar for this initiative. As part of their rebrand, NYXL is also launching the Young Creator Project, a program dedicated to supporting emerging content creators in New York City. To add star power, hip-hop artist A Boogie Wit da Hoodie has joined the organization to develop music projects and other content for NYXL and its social media channels. For the first model, I crafted a stylized figure of this NYC native.

NYXL also manages several e-sports teams, including the Call of Duty League team, the New York Subliners. For the second figure, they requested a stylized model of Aydan, a prominent member of the NYSL team.

These models were 3D printed and used extensively for promotional material and social media posts, helping to bring NYXL’s new vision to life.

Team

Ashley Blanchette: Character Design, 3D Modeling

Matt Lucero: Creative Director

The goal of this project was to generate excitement around the NYSL personalities and give back to the fans. By offering these one-of-a-kind collectible keepsakes, fans could take home a unique piece of the team, enhancing NYSL’s presence within the league.

To bring this vision to life, NYSL commissioned me to create four stylized 3D figurines that captured each teammate’s unique personality in my signature style. These figurines were not just decorative but also functional, as they were 3D printed and cast in wax to serve as candles. The project presented unusual challenges in making the candles functional, which I overcame through creative problem-solving, meticulous attention to detail, and a deep understanding of 3D space and manufacturing processes.

For the initial draft, my focus was on getting the proportions right. I wanted the candles to form a cohesive set, so I began with a single base model for each figure and then customized it to match the respective NYSL player. I also started considering accessories that could further highlight their personalities.

In the second draft, I refined the facial features of each figure and added intricate details to the accessories. Since the figurines were monochromatic, all details had to be modeled rather than painted.

Draft 3

With most of the details completed, I turned my attention to optimizing the models for 3D printing and mold making. The biggest challenge was with Hydra, the model on the swing. Since changing the swing wasn’t an option, I enlarged his shoes and added the NYSL logo at the base to enhance stability. For Neptune, originally posed in a clam shell, I reimagined him sitting down with his trident, surrounded by seashells.

Final Renders

The client was very pleased with the final product. The candles were a hit and sold out in one day.

“OMG these are AMAZING! Ashley, you are truly a legend, these were approved on the first pass, there’s literally no feedback, that’s how perfect they are.“

-Matt Lucero NYSL Creative Director

Team

Ashley Blanchette: Character Design, 3D modeling

Matt Lucero: Creative Director

Paul Rey Alcantara Arias: Motion Design

Fellow Chicago artist Blake Jones commissioned me to transform his 2D Buny character into a 3D model, with the aim of pitching it to manufacturers and toy companies for production as a vinyl art toy.

A few work in progress shots, from artist sketch to first draft to feedback to final product.

During the transition from 2D to 3D, a significant challenge we encountered was accommodating the character’s large eyes on its bean-shaped body. In its original 2D form, the character’s elongated eyes were effective; however, in 3D, they risked being obscured by the lower part of the body. I proposed several solutions to Blake (pictured above), and ultimately, we opted to shorten the eyes slightly and introduce a small socket to maintain the body’s original shape for the final design.

Final Render in different colorways

Just as we were wrapping up the project, Blake was approached by UVD toys to produce his character as a vinyl toy. The wax prototype from the manufacturer is shown above. It was incredibly rewarding to witness this character transition from 2D concept to 3D model and finally materialize as a tangible product in the real world.

These blue and pink colorways were available at Urban Outfitters internationally.

Several variations and colorways of the vinyl toy are now available at the following shops:

Team

Ashley Blanchette: 3D model

Blake Jones: Character Design

I had the pleasure of designing and animating three unique characters for Chinchillers, a mobile app created by Shaun Keating. This innovative app encourages users to put down their phones and relax. Chinchillers are virtual pets that thrive when you take a break from your screen. If you spend too much time scrolling, your Chinchillers will become sad and prompt you to take a break. When you do, they’ll cheer up again, rewarding you for taking time to chill.

First Draft of Characters

We knew that future versions of the Chinchillers app would give users the option to purchase different clothes and accessories for their Chinchiller. This meant that the three characters would need to have similar body types so the different assets could be easily mixed and matched to fit.

With this in mind, I decided to focus on creating a few different body shapes and sizes for the first round of character design.

Second Draft of Characters

Once the basic shape of the body was nailed down the focus was on making each character unique. Since the same base needed to be used I did this by changing up their colors and facial features. I also began working on their clothing and accessories to further set them apart.

For the final draft the focus was on refining the outfits and adding lots of little details. I hand painted Max’s Hawaiian shirt and gave him new sneakers. I added eyelashes and blush to Margot as well as changed up the style of her dress to better match her personality. For Miles I added a belt and a logo to his baseball cap.

Once the characters were done I moved on to the backgrounds. Even though we knew future versions of the app would give users the option to change backgrounds we wanted to start out with scenes that further reflected each character’s personality. I designed a beach boardwalk for Max, a fun bedroom for Margot and a garage with a workstation for Miles.

Happy Animations

Okay Animations

Sad Animations

Chill Animations

The final step was creating a unique set of animations for each character. We wanted the Chinchillers to convey four basic emotions: happy, okay, sad, and chill. I created an idle version of each emotion for when the app is first opened, and a shorter, more reactive version for when the user taps the screen. While the Chinchillers share the same set of emotions, each animation is unique and reflects the character’s personality.

Final App Design By Sean Keating

Chinchillers is now available in the App Store! To learn more check out the Chinchiller’s website.

Team

Ashley Blanchette: Character Design, Background + Asset Design, 3D Modeling

Rodger Ruzanka : Animation

Shaun Keating: Mobil App, UI/UX Design

One of my favorite artists and toymakers reached out to me to created a 3D model for a campaign for the release of his Strange Cyborg figure. Even though I was a huge fan of Chompton’s work, I was hesitant at first because their style is a bit out of my wheelhouse, and at the time I was very new to sculpting digitally. Fortunately, Chomp was very encouraging and convinced me to take on the project anyway. He reassured me that since this model was for promotional purposes and not the actual product mold, it didn’t need to be an exact replica. Stepping out of my comfort zone turned out to be an absolute blast! I had so much fun working on this project and gained invaluable experience along the way.

Reference images provided by Chompton Stoodios

A few work in progress shots

The finished product

Choptom Stoodios is an independent art studio that makes designer vinyl toys and ceramic figures. You can check out more of their amazing work here, or buy their toys here.

Team

Ashley Blanchette: 3D Modeling

Chompton Stoodios: Character Design

Fellow Chicago artist Sergio Farfan asked me to collaborate on a fun animation he had planned for an installation piece. The animation was inspired by the Super Mario 64 intro and the character was based on one of Sergio’s 2D paintings.

The Original artwork provided by artist

A few work in progress screenshots working on blocking in all the shapes and fine tuning the details

Stills from the final animation.

The animation was displayed on a CRT monitor during Sergio’s “Five Years” exhibition at Vertical Gallery in Chicago. You can view a walk through of the exhibit here.

Team

Ashley Blanchette: 3D Modeling

Rodger Ruzanka: Animation

Sergio Farfan: Character Design

Versiti, a nonprofit dedicated to blood health, commissioned my partner and me to create a four-part mini comic series and a short animated piece starring their mascot, Beacon the Bear, as a superhero. The campaign was distributed to donors via email and across Versiti’s social media platforms, with the goal of inspiring more people to donate blood.
The story follows Beacon and two teenagers as they race to stop the Blood Bandit from stealing the city’s already limited blood supply. Along the way, they rally their community to donate, driven by the urgent need to help their young cousin and her friends, who are living with a rare blood disorder.

The comics can be read by clicking on the thumbnails above.

I was responsible for creating the background artwork, helping bring Beacon’s world to life and supporting the overall visual storytelling.

Scarlet’s Hospital Room & Hospital Hallway

Hospital Lobby & Exterior

Downtown

Versiti Blood Donation Center

Science Lab

The Blood Bandit’s Secret Hideout

Animation Stills

Team

Ashley Blanchette: Background Design, 3D Modeling

Bijou Ruzanka: Character Design/Modeling/Rigging, Animation, Comic Layout, Script