ANIMATION FUNDAMENTALS : PROJECT 1 - CHARACTER DESIGN & LAYOUT DESIGN

 ANIMATION FUNDAMENTALS 

PROJECT 1 - CHARACTER DESIGN & LAYOUT DESIGN

Bachelor of Design in Creative Media 

DONG XINBEI / 0359733

week4 - week 7

INSTRUCTION

EXERCISES

Analysis and Requirements

Project 1 involves pre-production for 2D animation, primarily focusing on character description and design. First, set the character's age, gender, weight, attitude, and personality using information from film studies and cinematography class. 

Design the character to reflect their personality in the story, making it visually appealing to the target audience. Additionally, gather references from movies, anime, comics, etc., ensuring the character has at least two legs for the walk cycle in Project 2.

In the design process, study shape language to reflect the character's personality and ensure the proportions are appropriate for their age and gender, emphasizing the eyes and facial features to convey emotions. The character's silhouette should be distinctive and recognizable, standing out from the background and other characters. Furthermore, use dynamic poses to convey movement and personality, and choose a vibrant and appealing color scheme, utilizing warm and cool colors to convey different meanings.

Research and Reflections

For Project 1A design, I sought out some reference images that would be helpful for the visual aspects, aiming to create better artwork for shaping my characters.

Figure 1.1 Visual references

Figure 1.2 Visual references

Figure 1.3 Visual references

Figure 1.4 Visual references

I plan to create a cat sprite, who is also one of the protagonists in the film studies class. I will sketch from head to toe, ensuring that every detail fits its image. Expressions and movements also need to match the character's personality, and I will strive to make them vivid and true to express its emotions and traits.

In addition to appearance, I will delve into its background story and emotional depth to better showcase its complexity and charm in the design.

Digitization

I mimicked some similar elements from the visual reference images for my sketches.

Figure 2.1 sketch in procreate

Before designing a complete character, it's necessary to establish the character's basic body type and segmented body proportion design, while ensuring they align with the character's image.

Figure 2.2 sketch in procreate

Figure 2.3 sketch in procreate

Figure 2.4 Front, three-quarter view, side, back sketches

From the character's perspective, I will first create a sketch of the complete character appearance. Using design principles, I will design the character from the front, side, back, and three-quarter view. This step is to ensure that I can comprehensively design the character in the upcoming lessons. 

According to the proportions of the head and body, I will maintain consistency across all angles within the same scale.

Figure 2.5 Facial expression sketches

The sketch design is to provide a better foundation for the final task. I will choose colors for the character based on their personality and the scenes they need to be in. I ultimately chose lighter colors to highlight the character's features.

After completing the basic character design, I followed the requirements and referred to some visual references to design the actions and expressions the character would make in different scenes and states. These include facial expressions like anger, disappointment, helplessness, shock, and grievance. By changing some scenes, we need to design more character actions to make them look like more than just a flat character.

Final Outcome

Character Turnaround Sheet：

Figure 3.1 Character Turnaround Sheet in JPG

Character Expression Sheet ：

Figure 3.2 Character Expression Sheet in JPG

Character Pose Sheet ：

Figure 3.3 Character Pose Sheet in JPG

Figure 3.4 Project 1A in PDF

Figure 3.5 Project 1A in PDF

Figure 3.6 Project 1A in PDF

Project 1B — Layout Design 

For this next stage of layout design, I've found several reference images to help inspire my ideas. I'm not very familiar with the color aspect, so I need to look at more design images to provide visual references for my final design.

Figure 4.1 visual reference

Figure 4.2 visual reference

Figure 4.3 visual reference

Digitization

I've used a color similar to that of a forest as the base color for the background. I'll be adding more layers on top of this background to design my final piece.

Figure 4.4 sketch

I added many layers to depict elements such as tree leaves, grass, and some clouds in my design.

Figure 4.5

Figure 4.6

I experimented with color combinations for the design of the wooden cabin, following basic design principles based on shadow and contrast.

Figure 4.7

After my initial drawing, I overlaid some changes in opacity on the base layers to create a surreal effect in the final visuals. I swapped colors in the bottom layer and added lighter shades for certain parts that needed adjustments, creating a blurred effect.

Figure 4.8

Figure 4.9

Final Outcome

Wooden cabin in the forest：

Figure 4.10 Scene design （1280 x 720）

Figure 4.11 Final Outcome in JPG（1280 x 720）

Figure 4.12 Final Outcome in PDF（1280 x 720）

Reflection

In completing Task 1, I believe it can provide a solid foundation for my future courses because it was exceptionally challenging for me. Prior to taking this course, I had no experience with drawing, making this task particularly daunting. Nonetheless, I persevered with my ideas and designs, pushing myself to the limit. I applied the design knowledge I've acquired to characters and scene designs, incorporating visual references before creating. Additionally, I made adjustments based on feedback from my mentor during the final stages of the design.