Animation Fundamentals - Project 1 Character Design

24.04.2024 - 08.05.2024 (Week4- Week 7)

Low Li Vern/ 0362678

Animation Fundamentals / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media

Project 1 Character Design

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INSTRUCTIONS

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Week 4

PROJECT 1: PRE-PRODUCTION FOR 2D ANIMATION PROJECT

The Project 1 consists of 2 work progressions:

1A - Character Design (Week 4) - 15% mark

1B - Background Design (Week 5) - 5% mark

For this work progression 1, Set the character description (Age, Gender, Weight, Attitude, Personality) and design a character based on the information. You may take the character information from Film Studies and Cinematography class.

Our goal here is to create a character design that should reflect his or her personality in the story and be visually appealing to the targeted audience.

To begin, take any references from the existing character that resemble your character. It can be from any movie, anime, comic etc. Note that your character must have 2 legs at least to be able to practice the walk cycle in Project 2. 

Study the references on the design elements application such as:

Shape language

Example: The character's shape language should reflect her personality, with soft and curved shapes to convey kindness and rounded edges to suggest insecurities. The shape language can also include angular shapes to convey determination and strength.

Proportion

Example: The character's proportions should be proportionate to the age and gender, with emphasis on her eyes and facial features to convey emotions and expressions.

Silhouette

Example: The character's silhouette should be distinctive and easily recognizable, with a clear and readable design that stands out from the background and other characters in the scene.

Line of action

Example: The character's line of action should convey movement and personality, with dynamic poses that suggest the character’s attitude. 

Colour

Example: The character's colour scheme should be vibrant and appealing, with warm colours and cool colours to convey certain meaning.

Based on the study, use your creativity to come out with your own unique design by playing around with design elements. Remember it must look different from your references.

Deliverables:

A turnaround sheet (front, side, back and ¾ view perspective)

Pose sheet (Various poses in different emotion) - 5 poses *full body

Character facial expressions  - 5 expressions * focus on chest up

#1 Character description

Name : Dashy

Gender: Female

Age (cat) : One year and a half

Age (human) : 18years old

Weight (cat) : 8kg

Weight (human) : 47kg

Characteristics: Cool, quiet, shy and playful

Hobby: Skate boarding

#2 Ideation

In the reference, the girl's hand and leg appear triangular, which I found unique and reminiscent of an animation style. I decided to use the triangle shape as the basic design for my character.

For my ideation, I decided to draw a cat girl with black and white hair. She has a cool personality but also shows her cute side when she is shy.

#Progress 1A - Character Design 

#Stage 1 A turnaround sheet (front, side, back and ¾ view perspective)

#Stage 2 Pose sheet (Various poses in different emotion) - 5 poses *full body

#Stage 3 Character facial expressions  - 5 expressions * focus on chest up

#Progress 1B - Background Design

For the background design, I decided to draw my character skating around the houses. I used the golden ratio to help with the layout design. The colors I chose for the background are light and warm.

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FEEDBACK

Mr. Kamal's feedback on Project 1A character design suggested that the cat's whiskers should be drawn more clearly, as they currently appear too sketchy. Besides, the cat's eyes could be sharper to more closely resemble those of a real cat. Overall, the character design was good. Regarding the layout design, Mr Kamal noted that the road on the right side looked illogical and could be removed. He also recommended making the lines of the drawing more confident

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REFLECTIONS

Project 1 in the Animation Fundamentals class was a pivotal learning experience, particularly in character design and animation. I focused on creating a character that was not only expressive but also functional for animation. This involved carefully crafting strong key poses that effectively conveyed the character's personality and emotions. I paid close attention to the character's silhouette and proportions, ensuring clarity and appeal in every frame. The process began with rough sketches, where I experimented with different shapes and forms to find the most dynamic and engaging design. Refining these sketches into clean, final drawings taught me the importance of precision and detail in animation.

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THE END