Final Design

I initially set out to create my character in low poly 3D, however due to a restrain on time, I had to leave my final design as a small series of interactions between my character and a butterfly. I wanted to show some kind of relationship between Clement and an object that would cause him to express a range of emotions. I decided to take my first three expressions further and push them slightly, as well as adding a fourth expression showing sadness.

I am happy with the character and think that he would be appealing to a young audience. His simple design would allow for easy animating and could be turned into a minimal 3D model in time. I will create a 3D version of the design in my own time, however for now I believe that these designs could take a place in my portfolio or still showreel. I would feel confident including this design in my work to show industry professionals when applying for a job. 

Individual close-up images:

Character Creation

I designed a character inspired by Clement, keeping in mind the 2.5D look I wanted to create as well as the conventions of a children's cartoon character.

I designed a head and hair design that I was happy with but could not pinpoint exactly what kind of eyes I wanted him to have. This was an important part of the design as the eyes are so full of expression and speak to younger viewers who can't understand dialogue. I used a slightly oil pastel/crayon style brush to draw the character to give a styalised and hand-drawn looking design. I was inspired by Jeff Turley's style of lighting in which he places harsh sunlight shown through white lines on to the character.

I experimented with the sizes of the iris and pupil until I found one that jumped out to me. Out of the choices above I felt as though the bottom right was the most appealing and the closest to how I saw my brother, It also suited the cartoon conventions I looked at earlier; large boldly-lined eyes.

I then drew a standard neutral pose and played with emotion. I created an intrigued/shocked look, a tired/unimpressed look and a happy look. I tweaked these emotions to create ones that were the most similar to Clement's natural expressions. For example, instead of drawing a closed mouth smile to show happiness I drew an wide open mouth smile showing the few teeth he has as he would do in reality.

Research for Character Design

I chose to base my charater on my little brother, Clement. He is two years old and quite the character. I found some footage I shot of him last Summer wish was perfect in showcasing his personality. This helped me to study how he moved, talked and reacted to his environment; I sat down with a sketchpad and sketched a few things of interested I found whilst watching.

Contacting Industry Professionals

Whilst completing this project I have also been working alongside a group of animators in animation studio, 'Playback Studio'. It has been very beneficial to already have a taste of industry and be able to showcase my work to them as well as offering advice on their own work. Unfortunately it has taken up a large portion of my time, but on the other hand, it has made me feel much more at ease in terms of speaking to professionals and I believe I will be able to contact future potential employers with confidence.

Existing Industry Influences

There are many concept artists within the animation industry who I look up to for inspiration and motivation to draw. For this project I decided to look at a few artists in particular who I felt suited the look I wanted to achieve.

Jeff Turley

Bobby Pontillas

Shiyoon Kim

I felt as though they all capture the playfulness and innocence of youth beautifully, as well as having a great eye for design and colour. I will use their work to inspire me throughout the process of creating my character.

Existing Showreel Influences

Potential employers receive many similar looking show-reels on a daily basis, often skimming over submissions and looking for something to grab their attention and stand out from the crowd. I decided to have a research of existing show-reels that I feel break the norm and make an impact. I will try to apply some key aspects of these reels to my own piece to create something that will impress employers and make my portfolio memorable.

'Sam Westall Concept Art Showreel'

While I believe this artist could have put more varied original work into his show-reel, I was drawn to it as a whole because of the soundtrack he used which varied with each sketch and added emotional context to his images. The 3D effects he layered over the work created interest and some excitement for the viewer and gave off the impression of movement and action in an otherwise still image. These combined helped the drawings to tell a story without animating them

'Tiago Hoisel CGI Illustration Reel'

This artist has a very noticeably unique style which he enhances through the design of his show-reel. Not only does it improve the viewers experience while they look at his artwork, but it also showcases the artist's talents further and highlights his creativity in all aspects. It shows how the artist considered a 3D extension to his 2D work and how he has knowledge of various roles in the industry and can design his work to suit a 3D environment.

Key Features of my Showreel Piece

Colour

 Consider the power of colour and experiment with the use of it. Ask what the colour choices say about the character.

Lighting

Use lighting to create a mood and an atmosphere. Lighting can change the audiences perception of a character's personality; think how I want the character to come across to viewers.

Composition

Think about strong composition and posing to create a character that is eye-catching and leaves the audience wanting to know more about him/her/it.

Style

Experiment with different art styles. Be versatile and interesting by offering a range of different interpretations of a character.

Expression

Show the character in a variety of moods and situations that affect the way he/she/it is reacting to different situations. Create a unique personality.