Incredible concept art for The Hulk

Every project has its own challenges, but the most challenging piece had to be The Incredible Hulk (2008). Whenever you design a character that's so well known, you have to be sensitive to the fan base, while making something that works for the film, and feels fresh. It took hundreds of designs to get the final version.

For the Hulk, I started in ZBrush with a base human I had made, and began to change the proportions of the body until I felt it was close to a Hulk-like body. From there, it was making many variations until we got something that was working for the director.

The head was the most time-consuming part – because this is where the character really is

Then I focused on the head. This was the most time-consuming part - mainly because this is where the character really is. The face, the eyes - it's what makes the Hulk, the Hulk. This is where the personality of the character comes through.

Sims focused a lot of his attention on the head and facial features to bring the character to life

Sims focused a lot of his attention on the head and facial features to bring the character to life

Focusing on the Hulk was a process of finding the right look from the structure of the head and face to the length of hair to the exact shade of his skin. Then I also had to incorporate how much of the actor we wanted to see within these designs. I must have done hundreds of versions.

I started with modelling in ZBrush; would bring it into to Softimage to do my render passes; then in Photoshop I'd composite them together and do my tweaks. I would add layers of photos for pores, wrinkles, hair, etc, to help contribute to the realism. After a lot of hard work, we finally found our Hulk.

The Hulk for Louis Leterrier's Incredible Hulk had a more sinewy look than in Ang Lee's original

The Hulk for Louis Leterrier's Incredible Hulk had a more sinewy look than in Ang Lee's original

Aaron Sims is one of the most innovative and versatile concept artists working in films today. He set up his own company in 2005 and has contributed designs for, among other movies, X-Men: First Class, Clash of the Titans and The Amazing Spider-Man.

This article first appeared in 3D World magazine issue 173.

Liked this? Read these!

Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription

Join now for unlimited access

Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

The Creative Bloq team is made up of a group of design fans, and has changed and evolved since Creative Bloq began back in 2012. The current website team consists of eight full-time members of staff: Editor Georgia Coggan, Deputy Editor Rosie Hilder, Deals Editor Beren Neale, Senior News Editor Daniel Piper, Digital Arts and Design Editor Ian Dean, Tech Reviews Editor Erlingur Einarsson and Ecommerce Writer Beth Nicholls and Staff Writer Natalie Fear, as well as a roster of freelancers from around the world. The 3D World and ImagineFX magazine teams also pitch in, ensuring that content from 3D World and ImagineFX is represented on Creative Bloq.