Concept and Inspiration Behind 'Candy' + Process Video & File

A few weeks ago, I saw a movie called Closer (2004) with Natalie Portman, in which she is a stripper involved in a drama. There is a particular scene where she wears a pink wig, and I like it. It's not the first time the hairstyle of that wig captures my attention, plus the pink was very iconic, in my opinion. It was only yesterday that, seeing references to sweets, for some reason, I remembered her character when I found a photo of a pink lollipop.

After that small connection, I just remembered quite a few references from other movies like Blade Runner and From Dusk Till Dawn, in which strippers or sex workers used to have a snake. I figure that wearing a long transparent jacket could give it a cyberpunk tone and, thanks to the snake, it could somehow capture the heart shape of the lollipop on the character.

My favorite, although silly, were the men dressing like ants enjoying the show. I think it gives certain humor to the situation and creates this kind of relation between real-world ants seeking sweets. I guess this is self-evident, but still, I wanted to share it.

Here is how the concept composition was structured:

• Mood: Badass, Sexy, Funny
• Color: pink, white, purple/blue (cyberpunk)
• Ref: lollipop
• Action: stripper with a snake taking money out of a salaryman dressed like ants.

Based on the poll done last week, many of you expressed interest in my concept development, inspiration, and ideation. So, today, I wanted to mainly focus on that aspect in order to keep it straightforward and simple. Please take a look at the video process in case you are curious about the illustration execution or check the PSD file in search of specific treatment on layers and filters.

Drop any questions you have in the comments, or simply send me a DM, and I'll be more than happy to help. Thanks so much for your support.