Practical Research- plasticine referencing

The style of animation that I have been gravitating toward recently is one that uses 2D digital puppets, in software such as Anime Studio Pro, in order to cut down on the time consumed by animating everything with frame by frame drawings. This means that whole characters can potentially be animated with only one drawing and the technique enables me to bring to life a very direct translation of any given sketchbook image so my animation retains the same qualities as my illustrative style (as in my Father Time character for the Apex project).

the sketchbook drawing

the final animation

In this very direct translation of sketchbook images, however, there lies a problem. The animation will, inevitably, have a very 'paper cut-out' feel. I am, in fact, making cut-outs albeit digitally. Where such a style is the desired effect this is all very well but I wish to explore the possibilities of translating my sketchbook characters into more 3 dimensional beings while sticking with 2 dimensional animation techniques and the use of software such as Anime Studio Pro and After Effects. I have in the past felt daunted by creating more 3 dimensional characters and, apart from those with the most basic of geometries and features, I find it quite tricky to envisage and put to paper drawings of a character from many different angles that are consistent and that are clearly of the same subject. With this in mind I felt that a solution could be reached with a process that I have been imagining that would use plasticine models as reference for 2D drawings.

The plan is simple. Firstly start, as ever, with a sketchbook character. With this drawing as reference, model a 3 dimensional plasticine figure of the character. Now you have a model to be referenced from any angle for a more dynamic and believably 3 dimensional animation. In order to experiment with this idea I decided to simply animate a head that rotates a full 360 degrees. Once I had made the plasticine model I photographed it at different angles to inform the animation. In fact, I photographed the model for every frame of the planned rotation so that I had essentially made a photographic version of my animation already that I could rotoscope into my 2D illustrative style of choice.

One of the biggest problems with this technique is my plasticine modelling ability. Character design will, potentially, end up being compromised because you are adding an extra medium with an extra set of limitations: as well as being an illustrator I am now asking myself to be a sculptor. I may end up making decisions on character design based upon what I am able to build in plasticine whereas my imagination may manifest more easily with pen and paper alone.

I think that, for a relatively simple piece like this, the above technique could be useful. When you increase the complexity of the sequence, however, there would come a point at which you would need to actually be animating the plasticine character, features and all, in order to provide reasonable reference for the final, drawn product. You would perhaps just be adding to your work load unnecessarily, feeling as if you were animating twice, when you could just be working through the sequence with the final media alone (perhaps in trial and error mode). Nonetheless this technique certainly works and it would also be useful to reference light and shadow from the physical model adding form to the 2D final product. I'm happy with the outcome of this short experiment and I think that I may explore this further in the future. 

Apex Animatic

This is the animatic (of sorts: more a rough animation test really) for the Apex project. I think it's shaping up well. This is a digital test and I still hope to shoot the moving background in stop motion with some movement in the objects (rotating flowers etc).

Some other obvious discrepancies-
- The end won't last as long once the full view is seen.
- The duck will be reacting to it's environment much more and will be less robotic.
- Perhaps some foreground effects can be added digitally (like snow falling in winter).
- The father time and mother nature characters will obviously also be animated.

Memory Animatic

Here is a rough (somewhere between an animatic and full animation) of what I'll be producing for the memory project. I did this in photoshop, just adapting the image and saving the next frame as a jpeg. It's basically just a digital version of how I plan to produce the final (mixed media on glass maybe) which will hopefully have a more ephemeral quality. 

Luke Pearson

Just set this as my new wallpaper. It's by Luke Pearson and was for an exhibition by Edinburgh's very own Analogue Books called 'Turn up the Colour'. Missed the exhibition unfortunately (it was in August 2010). I think it's cool: true to Pearson's apparent love of drawing rocks and mountains-

  

Finally about ready to start manufacturing the seasons wheel for the Apex project with time running out!
This is a digital mock up of something like what I hope to achieve (click it for a better view)-

Innovation with Impact

Here's a video by Gentleman Scholar in which the visuals are driven by and respond to the audio track (Bill Gates talking about 21st Century Development) in the kind of way I hope to achieve in my memory project.

Having watched this and upon review of my memory animatic I think that there should simply be more happening (more movement, more change) in my project.

Lauren Child

I'm thinking that the illustration of Lauren Child is definitely a good source of inspiration for both of my current animation projects. The sketchy, and innocent style of her characters (like Charlie and Lola) might be something that I would consider for my memory project, although the style I hope to achieve will hopefully be much messier. The use of textures and sampled patterns in her illustration is just the sort of thing I'll be doing for the Apex project. The image below was for Liberty Fabrics who she designed some patterns for based on her illustrative style and sampling old liberty patterns.

 

Wolf Sketches

Here are some character design sketches for the pre-fusion wolf in 'Eric and the Wolf'-

I like the simpler style of the examples on the bottom right. There's something pleasing about the successful creation of a character using just a few quick and simple lines (like in the work of Benjamin Cady, creator of the animation short 'The Goat and the Well').

Eric and the Wolf

I've developed an idea for a comic based on a random drawing from my sketchbook that had no reason other than that I thought it would look cool. Here it is-

I think it will be called Eric and the Wolf and will involve the two main characters being fused through some freak occurence. I'm thinking there will be an inadvertent use of a secret portal of ancient magic and it'll go kind of wrong! The two will have to try to co-exist and will find it tricky to begin with (naturally). Eric will be an average guy, unhappy in his job, leading a pretty unfulfilled life until the addition of the wolf eventually teaches him the joys of existence and that he can take control of his own life.

Here's a wee concept drawing with two tone colour-

  

Baby Dragon

Another 9 panel strip I did recently (click to enlarge)-

I tried to dull down the colours a bit compared to 'The Grass is Always' (see earlier post). I think it's better.

I started doing these short strips with their simple layout and style after discovering the feel good comics of Todd Webb (http://www.toddbot.com/).

The Grass is Always...

Here's a 9 panel comic I did a while ago (click it for a bigger view)-

The colours aren't very subtle like good ol' Tom Gauld (see earlier post).

Nobrow

Recently I've been loving the comics and other narrative illustration coming from Nobrow (http://www.nobrow.net/), especially the work of Luke Pearson.

The cover of Nobrow 6 (the latest instalment of their magazine) is by Tom Gauld (http://www.tomgauld.com/). His restrained use of colour here is great. Starting with a black and white sketch you need only add two shades of blue to create a real atmosphere. Even though there are only two colours it doesn't feel like there should be more. Here it is-

I shamelessly had a quick attempt on the wacom at something very similar-

Memory Project

Here's a quick synopsis of the memory project I'm doing.


The idea was to create an animation based on a 30s audio clip of me recounting a memory, any memory. The retelling was to be spontaneous and unrehearsed, full of ums and ers.


The memory I talk about is from the two years I spent as a child living in California. Once, in the sandpits at kindergarten, I become trapped under a large, upturned green bucket. I had been playing, maybe hiding under the bucket, and someone had come and sat on top. In the short time that I was rendered trapped I remember feeling terribly frightened which is probably why the memory (one of few I have of my time in California) has stayed with me. 


My plan for this project is to create something quite sketchy and ephemeral in accordance with the nature of memories and dreams. Also the sketchy style will be a reference to my age at the time: it will be as if the animation was drawn by my five year old self.     

Seasons Wheel Styling

I'm thinking about the style of the seasons wheel for the Apex project. I'd like it to have a textured, almost handmade feel. I've also been trying to steer myself away from depicting 'realistic' seasonal landscapes in favour of something that is (hopefully) more evocative and abstract. 
It being the 100th birthday of Disney artist Mary Blair, I've been looking at some of her illustration and can definately take something from them. The textures and simplified shapes will help the cutout, handmade look I'm hoping to achieve. I think that another Disney artist, Eyvind Earle, could also be a strong influence.


Here's an example of Mary Blair's work-

And a concept image of mine for the autumn section of the seasons wheel-

    Haha! It looks like the duck's swimming in lava!

Apex Hotel Project

I'm halfway through this project already so here's a (sort of) quick synopsis-


The brief is simple. Create a one minute video with a spring, summer, autumn or winter theme featuring the Apex Hotels rubber duck mascot. 


My instant reaction to the brief was that it would be far more interesting to explore all four seasons rather than sticking to one. The changing seasons with their varied aesthetics throughout the course of a full year struck me as a theme well suited to animation, a medium of change. 


Firstly I sketched out a few versions of the rubber duck to get the creative juices flowing. I was altering the character in varying degrees away from a representation of the real, plastic version to get the best happy medium between creating an expressive and malleable character and having something that was still recognisable as the Apex duck.    


The first rough storyboard I sketched out went against my previous instincts as it involved just one season: winter. I was unconvinced by the idea which cemented in my mind the desire to incorporate all seasons. Rather than having to pick a season and come up with a story for it, I decided that I should let the changing of the seasons themselves drive the narrative.     


A fundamental and unavoidable fact is that the seasons are cyclical and never-ending. This is something that I thought could form the basis of my animation. It is particularly the word 'cyclical' that I latched on to and so I developed the idea that my duck would simply take a walk through the seasons as if on a treadmill which would be represented by a revolving wheel, split into four for each season, that the duck would 'inhabit'.


I liked that this meant the duck would seem to be on some mechanical season machine so I felt that I could further the idea by having a reveal at the end where you see a Father Time figure power this machine by pedalling an exercise bike! I also thought I could add Mother Nature sprinkling the seasons onto the wheel from above.    

The storyboard for this idea was put together and pitched to representatives of Apex. They seemed happy with the idea but suggested that my duck should indeed look a little more like the actual rubber duck. So I redesigned the duck and I think they were right: it is better now.


As far as the execution goes I plan to actually create the wheel and shoot it in stop motion, revolving as the background for most of the film. The characters will be hand drawn or computer drawn and superimposed onto the stop motion background of the wheel. I want that definition between a hand made, built world and the world of Mother Nature and Father Time in which the wheel has been built. 

Just Started

This is my first ever blog. Just created it so I thought I should write something straight away...


...that's it I guess.