Recommended Free Tools
Jordu Schell’s 2009 account describes a hands-on part of the original Avatar design process: turning existing drawings into physical clay maquettes. He says James Cameron had already set the Na’vi’s broad look—blue, humanoid, elegant, slender and cat-like—before Schell began sculpting characters, starting with Neytiri.
What Jordu Schell says he did on Avatar
In Lauren Davis’s interview for Gizmodo/io9, published September 8, 2009, sculptor and concept artist Jordu Schell recalled being contacted around May 2005. He initially worked on illustrations, but says he left around June because his preference was making things by hand: “actual sculpture in clay, not in 3D programs.”
Schell said he returned to the project in November 2005 after Cameron wanted physical sculpture. His role, as he described it, included developing designs and making character and creature maquettes. He was not describing himself as the sole originator of the Na’vi concept: he said the broad look had already been established and that he was translating designs from other artists into more realistic physical forms.
What was the Na’vi design brief?
A humanoid form with feline qualities
Schell recalled that Cameron wanted the Na’vi to look humanoid, elegant and slender, with a cat-like appearance. These were elements of the brief he remembered, not evidence that Schell independently invented the species’ defining features.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches#1 Best Overall
Blue skin and unusual patterns
Schell did not recall receiving a specific ecological explanation for the Na’vi’s blue color in the script or briefing he saw. He understood the color and patterns as part of making the characters look unusual, recalling the instruction: “I really want them to be unusual. I want them to have these weird patterns.”
He speculated that feline qualities may have been chosen to convey elegance. That is Schell’s interpretation, not a confirmed account of Cameron’s reasoning. The interview records what Schell remembered during the original production period; it does not establish why every design decision was made.
How Schell developed the designs as physical maquettes
Schell said he began the maquettes with Neytiri. He recalled making a full-body Neytiri maquette about 15 inches tall. He also estimated that he made about 15 character maquettes in total, in addition to creature maquettes. Both numbers are his approximate recollections in the 2009 interview, not independently audited production totals.
The process he described moved from existing drawings to three-dimensional clay sculpture. A maquette let the team examine a character as a physical form rather than only as an illustration; Schell’s account emphasizes his sculptural contribution within a broader design effort.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Rank #3
- Used Book in Good Condition
What the interview establishes—and what it does not
Schell said Stan Winston Studios later worked on the faces. He also said that after leaving in 2007 he was no longer privy to later production work. In 2009, he compared what he saw in the trailer with his experience of the designs, but that comparison is his impression at the time—not a definitive account of later decisions or of which design elements remained canonical in subsequent Avatar productions.
For readers asking what inspired Neytiri’s look, Schell’s account offers a limited but useful answer: he began the physical maquettes with her, working from designs and a brief whose broad visual direction Cameron had already set. It does not provide a complete production history or settle the origins of every feature.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Trying the maquette approach
Schell’s account points to a straightforward distinction: drawings communicate a design, while a physical maquette gives it volume. Someone trying the technique can start with a simple character sketch and sculpt a small clay version, focusing on the silhouette and proportions before adding surface patterns. The interview does not identify the type or brand of clay Schell used.
Quick Recap
Best Value
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
