Like any creative journey, Little Teo's story wasn't a straight path. It moved like the waves of the great big sea, full of ups and downs, twists and turns, shaped by trial, error, and discovery.
I always wanted to create my own character design, something fun, full of personality, and capable of bringing smiles to people's faces. It all started around 2007 when I did some sketches of whale characters. There was nothing particularly special about them, but something about one of them stuck with me. He felt alive, as if he had a story waiting to be told. To me, the spirit of a whale is that of a majestic, magical creature. What if I added to that personality? Someone playful, cheeky, and bursting with energy, sometimes a little troublemaker throwing tantrums but with a heart of gold. A little whale lost at sea, looking for a way home. That was the background story I had in mind.
I struggled to give this whale a name, as I usually do with most of my work. Originally, I liked the name Leo because I’m a Leo, but the fit didn’t seem right for a whale, so Leo became Teo. It was such a random choice, but somehow, it worked. Looking back, I sometimes wonder if I should have picked something more obvious, like Little Whale. Maybe it would have been easier to brand instead of me constantly trying to tell people it's a whale. But there's a certain appeal to Teo. It feels personal, like he's more than just a character, he has his own identity. And in the end, that's what makes him special. We all know that whales are giant creatures, but I wanted to play on the words a bit more and added 'Little' because, in my mind, he is actually a little giant
So, I had the sketch sitting in my folder for a while. Since I had purchased Softimage XSI Foundation 5 back in the day, I used these sketch ideas to practise modelling and to understand the 3D software. The more I practised, the more Little Teo's 3D form started to take shape. Watching him come to life was such an exciting and rewarding process.
However, I had to hit pause when I moved to Japan for a year. The laptop I took with me was not powerful enough to handle the 3D software, so my Little Teo project had to take a backseat. But when I returned to Australia, I enrolled in a Master’s in Animation, and this gave me the perfect opportunity to bring Little Teo into Maya, another 3D software I was learning during the course. From here, I turned Little Teo into a plush toy because I wanted it to be unique since at the time, every 3D artwork was polished surface style. By giving him some infant accessories, he became a little baby whale. I used him as my base, rigging him and putting him into expressive poses. This not only helped me refine his character.
As Little Teo’s style and appearance evolved, I began exploring hand-creating products, printing my art on my inkjet printer, laminating them and investing in equipment's to create my own mugs, phones case, bookmarks, greeting cards, pin badges and more. I approached a number of store owners, hoping to sell them in local retail shops but faced many rejections along the way. However, the moment a store manager in the stationery department of Kinokuniya agreed to stock my art and display it on their shelves, I felt like I had accomplished something incredible. Seeing my work on those shelves was unreal, and I was so proud to show it off to my friends. I had finally gotten Little Teo into stores. It was little steps but not enough to make waves.
When Blender 3.0 came out with its dramatically improved interface, it became my preferred 3D tool. I used it to rework Little Teo from the ground up. I refined his model, tweaked his expressions, and gave him the polished look he has today. I’m applying these new designs to a series of print-on-demand products in my shop, ready to share his appeal with even more people.
Little Teo's journey has been one of persistence, creativity, and growth. From a simple sketch to a fully realised character, he has evolved alongside my own artistic path. I’m excited about the possibilities ahead, whether it’s expanding his product range, creating more artwork, or one day bringing him to life as a real plush toy. No matter where this journey leads, Little Teo will always be a special part of my creative world, and I hope he brings as much joy to others as he has to me.
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