OVERVIEW

“Not Fitting In” is a personal photography and CGI series by London-based photographer and CGI director Kai Bastard. Combining studio portraits with hand-sculpted 3D characters, the project explores identity, belonging and the feeling of being different within your own family.

Exploring the feeling of being part of a family without quite belonging. Each image places a person among fantastical relatives, turning the familiar family portrait into a visual expression of emotional distance. Whether that disconnect comes from beliefs, gender, politics or simply a different outlook on life, the images reflect the tension between staying true to yourself and wanting to feel at home within your own family.

SERVICES

  • Ideation

  • Creative development (AI-assisted)

  • Production

  • Studio photography

  • CGI

  • Creative retouching

DELIVERABLES

All Print | Web Site / Digital

APPROACH

I wanted the images to carry the familiarity of a family portrait and the quiet discomfort of feeling out of place. AI became an early sketchbook, allowing me to explore characters, compositions and atmosphere quickly, shaping the visual story before moving into production.

With the creative direction established, a character artist hand-sculpted the creatures in 3D, developing their individual personalities through form, texture and intricate detail. Alongside this, I developed styling references for the 3D environment artist, creating believable domestic spaces that would make these unusual families feel at home.

Casting and wardrobe were guided by the narrative, with the human subject providing the emotional centre of each image. I photographed the talent in my London studio, then brought the photography and CGI together through compositing, retouching and colour grading. Every element needed to feel part of the same world, allowing that subtle sense of not belonging to come through.

AI-assisted concept image of a child seated with three colourful woolly creatures on a yellow sofa.

AI-ASSISTED PREVISUALISATION

AI-assisted concept image of a person with folded arms standing in front of two dragon-like relatives.

AI-assisted sketches used to explore the family relationships, composition and atmosphere before production.

3D CHARACTER DESIGN & SCULPTING

Untextured 3D models of three woolly family characters, showing their different shapes and sizes.

The characters were developed and hand-sculpted in 3D by a specialist character artist, refining their proportions, expressions and surface detail.

Four views of a sculpted dragon character head, showing horns, scales, teeth and facial detail.
Four views of a second dragon character head, with long curved horns and detailed facial scales.

CGI TEXTURING AND MATERIALS

Textured CGI character with yarn-like hair, large eyes and a patterned knitted outfit.
Textured blue CGI character with woolly arms, a striped body and gold-tipped head stalks.
Small textured CGI character with turquoise eyes and hands, a rust-coloured jumper and a patterned skirt.
Two textured CGI dragon heads showing detailed scales, horns, teeth and different facial features.

CGI material studies exploring knitted fibres, scales, colour and surface detail across the two families.

THE FINISHED SERIES

Person in a checked shirt seated with three woolly CGI creatures on a sofa, from Kai Bastard’s Not Fitting In.
Person with folded arms standing between two dragon-like CGI relatives, from Kai Bastard’s Not Fitting In.

Talent photographed in my London studio, combined with CGI characters and environments through compositing, creative retouching and colour grading.

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