During Halloween 2013, the Squatties zombie universe expanded with a new wave of undead characters and the beginning of a second large-scale diorama scene created in Cinema4D.
Originally, the zombie characters were being developed as part of an unreleased collaboration with the Zombie Research Society — an organisation dedicated to the cultural and scientific study of the living dead founded in 2007 by author Matt Mogk. oai_citation:0‡Zombie Research Society
The project evolved into a much larger visual experiment, bringing together eight zombie paper toy characters into a cinematic rendered environment that pushed Squatties beyond printable papercraft and further into stylised world-building and digital illustration.
The finished zombie diorama render created in Cinema4D.Building The Zombie Scene
What began as character development work for the unreleased Zombie Research Society collaboration quickly transformed into a fully realised diorama piece.
Using Cinema4D, the zombie characters were staged into a dramatic rendered scene designed to feel atmospheric, chaotic, and cinematic while still preserving the angular geometric style of the original papercraft builds.
The eight zombie Squatties characters featured within the final sceneSelected For The 5-9 Book
Exceptionally pleased with the final artwork, I submitted the piece to the West of England Design Forum’s 5-9 publication — a curated showcase celebrating personal creative projects developed outside of standard agency and studio working hours.
The book highlighted artists, designers, illustrators, and makers producing independent work alongside their commercial careers, celebrating the passion projects created beyond the traditional “9 to 5”.
The limited edition publication launched on December 5th 2013.
The zombie diorama featured inside the West of England Design Forum’s 5-9 book.Beyond The Day Job
Being included in 5-9 felt especially meaningful because the book celebrated exactly what Squatties represented at the time — personal experimentation, independent creativity, and building something purely from passion outside of commercial client work.
The project marked an important step in evolving Squatties from printable paper toys into larger visual storytelling pieces and fully realised digital scenes.
