Sleeping Beauty: A 3D collection from The Rusted Pixel

Image source: Sleeping Beauty by The Rusted Pixel.

In the Summer of 2020, the Adobe Stock 3D Team started working with Paul McMahon (also known as The Rusted Pixel) on one of two custom content collections. Paul is known for his design-savvy 3D works that often incorporate split-complementary color palettes, custom-created 3D models, and engaging scenes that visualize his unique artistic take on the world around us.

Defense! from All the Things by The Rusted Pixel.

As we began collaborating on his creative vision for this initiative, we focused in on a central theme – the art of fairytales. These stories, passed down for generations, have evolved with the tides of societal shifts, emerging as woodblock prints, digital illustrations, animated movies, and fine art.

Fairy tales, in one way or another, have served as a form of cultural commentary over time, reflecting both the positives and negatives of the world around us. They exist as places of criticism or magical escape, depending on both the telling of the story and one’s own personal experience. With this theme and the corresponding inspiration as a guide, Paul, in collaboration with our team, began to create the first custom collection of free 3D assets, inspired by the story of Sleeping Beauty.

The Sleeping Beauty 3D Collection on Adobe Stock.

Sleeping Beauty, also known as the Little Briar Rose, has a long and complex history. The earliest version of this story was documented around the 1300’s, first published in the 1600s by Giambattista Basile, an Italian poet, in his post-humous fairytale collection, The Pentamerone. Revisions, interpretations, and adaptations have been released and published ever since, most notably by the Brothers Grimm, a sibling pair of German academics with a special interest in folklore.

Over time, the tone and tenor of Sleeping Beauty has varied greatly with each retelling. Some are dark and terrifying, told as cautionary lessons, while others give a sense of hope and childlike wonder (with an undertone of that more sinister past). Many of the older versions of the story differ greatly from the ones that most are familiar with today.

The castle of Briar Rose as illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 1916.

Whether known as Briar Rose or Sleeping Beauty, or whether the main character pricks her finger on a piece of flax or a spindle, a central and consistent component of the story is the castle in which Sleeping Beauty resides. The castle is first where celebrations are held and family and guests unite, but eventually becomes Sleeping Beauty’s place of captivity, entombed in brambles, thorns, and branches.

Materials and textures on the Tall Tower from the Sleeping Beauty Collection.

Using the castle as a focal point and as the main character in our story, Paul created a unique collection of fifteen 3D models, free for Adobe Stock users. These can be mixed, matched, customized, and re-tooled to create a new fairytale — a modern take on a centuries-old tradition. Whether you choose Sleeping Beauty or a new, original theme, the narrative is up to you. The fairytale is yours and you have the power to make it your own.

To learn more about The Rusted Pixel and view the second collection in this series, visit Hansel & Gretel: A 3D collection from The Rusted Pixel.