Tag Archives: Character Design

Donkey Kong Designer Reflects on Iconic Redesign and Diddy Kong’s Origins

Kevin Bayliss, art director at Rare and designer of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, recently shared insights into the creative process behind these beloved characters. He revealed that Donkey Kong’s lack of a neck was due to his own difficulty in drawing them, leading to a design where “I just drew a head basically in his stomach.” Bayliss also noted that DK’s eyes, inspired by those of the Battletoads, made it challenging to convey expressions beyond annoyance.

Interestingly, Diddy Kong’s design was influenced by the Coco Pops monkey, a character Bayliss admired in his youth but was denied the cereal due to its sugar content. He emphasised that effective art design hinges on conveying ideas, not just technical skill, encouraging aspiring artists to focus on their concepts.

He also did a Twitch video where he shared some of the 3D models he is working on.

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