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Tadhg O'Reilly McCann 

BA [Hons] 3D Design Modelmaking + Digital Art

I am Tadhg O'Reilly, a 22 year-old Irish artist based in Dublin. I've always been interested in storytelling, making ramshackle films and writing little stories as far back as I can remember, and as I grew, so too did my passion for storytelling. I am deeply fascinated by how effectively one can tell the story of a character through design, and this has led me to a keen interest in character design and concept art. I am hoping, utilising my degree, to go into a profession where I can make more stories and tell them through the wonderful visual media I've learned over my life and in my time at IADT.

My project's name is The King in Gold, as it depicts the deformed skull of a long-dead pirate king, marred by heathen deities for his insatiable greed.
Upon his cursed skull, sits a grand and proud, but terribly withered cavalier-style hat, through which the spires of his eternal crown protrude, and is dressed with many feathers, bones, coins and offerings.
He is displayed upon a carved stone plinth - an altar from which he is venerated by the zealots of a profane pirate cult, devoted to his cruel and avaricious ideologies, and hell-bent upon enacting a prophecy which told of his return to the waves.
His skull is hideously mutated and twisted, reflecting his wicked soul, and the spires of a crown stand tall from his head, his bones turned to gold, a cruel justice delivered by the god that cursed him - to forever be the king he proclaimed he was.
His hat acted as a show of pride and power. Many bones, feathers, treasures, trinkets and other offerings adorn the brim of his hat, including the hair of people he encountered, in a twisted show of respect or intimidation.
The pirate cultists carved this plinth for their king from stone. Hewing bones on its corners, the macabre pedestal would hold their master's head.
Around his head is wrapped the torn and withered remains of his hood, which once boasted a brilliant crimson, but has darkened and deepened after decades of adorning the rotting skull of a cursed man.
His golden greed is captured forever on his strained visage, as the curse turned parts of his skeleton to pure gold.
The skull was sculpted from chavant clay, then was moulded and cold cast in polyurethane resin and brass powder, painted with multiple layers of acrylic black and brown washes, then buffed and gilded with gold powder mixed into gloss medium, giving him a golden finish.
The hat was constructed from EVA foam, to give a lightweight but sturdy base for all of the accoutrements I knew I wanted the hat to house. It was vigorously weathered with various tools, painted with acrylics and dressed with its adornments.
The plinth was constructed from MDF and Blue foam, then covered in multiple layers of plaster to build up a stoney texture. It was then painted with a grey basecoat and multiple layers of blackwashes and dry-brushing. I then dressed it with foliage to imply its long situation in the pirates' cave.
I have been described as "the kid who never grew out of his pirate phase", having been fascinated by piratical history and media for as long as I can remember. I chose to create the King to pay homage to what I consider to be my greatest creative influences, and for my sheer adoration of the image of the dead pirate captain in his chair, aboard his ship, his final moments preserved forever in his nautical tomb.
The King in Gold

The King in Gold depicts the cursed skull of a cruel and insatiably avaricious Pirate King, deformed, twisted and gilded in a grimly poetic form of justice delivered by a heathen god whom he wronged.
Upon the skull sits his withered and torn hat, untouched since the King's death, adorned with many feathers, bones, gold and other offerings and trophies.
The whole macabre piece rests atop a stone plinth, from which it is venerated by a zealous and vicious pirate cult, hellbent on enacting a prophecy which told of their king's return.


Grant Us Eyes

My thesis explored the macabre and terrifying, but endlessly fascinating era of 19th century medicine, and its impact on the narrative and world of my favourite game, From Software's 2015 masterpiece, Bloodborne.
I did so through the lens of historical anecdote, Victorian literature, and medical, societal and judicial philosophy.
I delved deep into the worlds of both Bloodborne and 19th century medical and surgical reality, highlighting the horrors of each, exploring the thirst for knowledge that structure both worlds, and ultimately debating the core of my thesis; insight above all else.

3D Design Modelmaking + Digital Art
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