Now that I’ve signed off the Penguin Student Award and Printmaking projects, I can finally dedicate my focus to the Concept Development project- I’ve already conducted a bit of artist research late last year (my post about it is here), so this has already given me a good foundation on which to design my concepts~
For this project, I need to produce as much development/concept material as possible for the upcoming Animation Production project in Semester 2. This includes character/environment designs, storyboards, narrative info, and other supporting material that will be of use to me in the coming months.
I’m starting with the character designs, since I feel that this aspect is the most important, and therefore want to get this done first. I’ll be designing a human young female character (who’ll serve as the centric narrative device), as well as a more visually intricate anthropomorphic deer, who’ll act as an ‘opposite’ character, with contrasting design aesthetics, environment and colour palette. I’ve made two concept boards with palettes and existing artwork that mirror what I want to portray for each of these two characters… a few pics below from each board (all referenced at the end of this post):
Using these images and palettes as a loose style guide will help me to design characters that will complement these visual concepts, while also using my notes on personality and traits that I’ve written up in my sketchbook.
I always find it useful to map out key persona information before designing my character, as I often have a good idea of how I want them to act before I bring them to life on paper- this allows me to incorporate design elements into their aesthetic that support their individual personalities.
I’ll post next week with some character development sketches ♥
References
h. Heikkala, L. (n.d.). Pond [Ink].
e. Jansson, T. (n.d.). The Moomins concept art [Graphite, watercolour].
a. Ma Van As, Y. (2018). After School Violin Lessons [Digital].
c. Mountain Lumber. (n.d.). Reclaimed Antique Hickory [Photograph]. Available at: http://www.mountainlumber.com/portfolio_page/reclaimed-antique-hickory/ [Accessed 1 Dec 2018].
d. Rockefeller, M. (n.d.). Paul’s Cabin [Digital].
f. Studio Ghibli. (2010). Concept art from The Borrower Arrietty [Watercolour].
g. Studio Ghibli. (2010). Screen capture from The Borrower Arrietty [Animated feature].
b. Studio Ghibli. (2010). Concept art from Kiki’s Delivery Service [Watercolour].
chalon joy collingwood 