PPP - Final Evaluation

Throughout my first year, I have gained an extensive amount of knowledge about my skills and how well I respond to a brief.

I mostly enjoyed the design process, and developing characters and scenes. I also really enjoy the storyboarding process, and it was something I was contemplating focusing on further in the future.

One of the main inductions that I enjoyed the most was the model making inductions. I really like creating a character that I had designed myself, using plaster sine and wire. Because I really enjoy stop motion, and have experimented with this in the past, I would really like to pursue a response to a brief using stop - motion. In my second year, I will definitely consider focusing on the design aspect of an animation, and also hopefully create a character that I can animate using stop motion

I was hoping to develop my technical skills throughout this year. I feel like I have gained an understanding of photoshop more, and how to use a tablet too. However, I was hoping to have a lot more knowledge. I do feel comfortable using photoshop, and it has been the main software that I have used for my animations so far. I still find it difficult to use a drawing tablet. Mainly because I am a lot more comfortable using more practical mediums. From these modules I have learned that I should stick with what I know I am comfortable with, which is mostly hand drawn animation.

Because I had learnt early on that I prefer the more practical side of animation, I decided to do the last brief using oil paint on glass initially. Because it was a title sequence, I wanted the images to be simple but effective and textured. However, because of technical issues, over and over again, I had to switch my idea to using oil pastels on black paper. Which gave the texture I really wanted, but did not turn out how I imagined in the end. I definitely aim to successfully create an animation using paint one day, but I will probably have to do it in my own time, due to lack of time that is allocated in a brief.

Overall, I have learnt a lot of important skills and also important information about myself from this year. I definitely pursue the more hand-drawn side of animation. I plan on collaborating with peers over summer to create some short animations in my spare time, and I hope to hand draw the parts that I would be doing.

PPP - Presentation - Reflect

I found this presentation really helpful in assessing how far I have come in my first year. I still found it difficult to speak confidently, and was also shy about presenting my past work from the course. I really enjoyed looking back and reflecting on how well I had done and how important the modules were in developing my skills.

I wanted to focus on my strong points the most, and the pieces of work that I enjoyed creating. I also wanted to explain how i wanted to improve over the summer. I wish I had touched up on how I really enjoy stop motion and how I really want to experiment with stop motion again because I enjoyed it so much on my last course.

I learnt that my strong points  came mainly from my responses to the visual language briefs. I really enjoyed designing a character and developing the facial features. I also really enjoyed creating a response to the word I was given in another module.

I realised that my weakest points are time management and how badly I am at presenting in front of a large group. I can present in front of a small group of people and discuss and gain feedback, which is something I enjoy doing as well. I enjoy discussing peoples work and my own, and I feel like I gain a lot of feedback from each crit session I have attended.

Overall, I felt more confident than my last presentation. I still feel like I have a long way to come in my presentation skills, and I will hopefully develop these skills in my second year further.

PPP- Presentation - Disseminate

In this presentation I decided to review my favourite animations that are inspirational to me. I decided to focus on hand-drawn animation the most because it's the main practice that I feel comfortable with, and the main one that I appreciate. I wanted to create a informative presentation about animations that aren't really considered to be typical hand-drawn animations. I also chose these animations because of how experimental they are and how much of an impact they have on the animation industry.

I feel like my presentation skills aren't very good because I find it really difficult to speak in front of a large group of people. Even though I had practiced my presentation, I found it very difficult to get my words out. I feel like my shyness can be mistaken for me being unprepared which is a shame. I found it extremely difficult to recover when I had messed up. I feel like with further practice, I will hopefully gain confidence when talking in front of groups of people.

Copyright Seminar

From this Seminar, I learnt the importance of copyright and how the copyright laws apply to us as animators. I do hope to learn to make my own sound for my animations in the future as I feel I haven't had the opportunity to do this, but this would sort of diminish the risk of getting into trouble for using other peoples sounds without permission in the future.

This seminar also brought to light the importance of my own work as well, and how easy it could be for someone to copy work that I had produced if I post a picture of it on line, because anyone could see it.

I also found it interesting to learn that copyright is automatic in the UK.

I feel overall, I learnt some important stuff from this seminar that I can apply to my own work and also brings to light the importance of respecting other peoples works including animation, music, illustrations ect.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Loop by Michal Socha

Loop

I really like this animation because it's experimental, noisy and creative. I like how there multiple movements and noises all happening at once and how these aspects build and build until everything is chaotic and slowly the tempo declines. I like the use of colour and how the colour palette is limited and how everything is layered on top of each other. I really enjoy this animation because it's creative and involves a lot of human movements which is fun to watch.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Planet Dance

Vimeo Link

I really like this animation because of the mixture of styles and techniques in the animation. It is an animation that is meant to bring awareness to performance art and the difference between performance art and dancing. It demonstrates how animation can be utilised to not just entertain people, but inform them about events and various other things. I would really like to try  a cut out style of animation in the future, because I like the effect it has and how it looks.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - We Can't Live Without Cosmos

We Can't Live Without Cosmos was my favourite animation that was shown at Manchester Animation Festival. I liked how sweet the story was and also how there wasn't any dialogue, which is interesting to me. It made the message about friendship stronger and also more powerful. I really liked the overall style of the animation, and how bold the colours were and how the lines were kind of shaky, but still clear.  It had such a sweet concept to it and I just really loved it.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Anomalisa

Anomalisa is one of my favourite stop motion, animated films. It's really funny, and breaks the fourth wall at times. It's strange how the shots are planned out, and how everything has a lot of realism to it, but it's also clear how it is animated. Charlie Kaufman sort of turns what animation has become on it's head. A lot of animations in recent years have been made specifically for children a lot of the time. But this film is aimed for adults and is more like a live action film than an animated one. 

Overall, I really like this film and stop motion animation is probably my favourite type of animation.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Brother Bear Character Design

One of my favourite creature character designs are the ones from Brother Bear. I really like the detailed studies that were produced. I decided to include this in my blog because I really like character design and I think I enjoy that the most out of all of the stages in an animation process.


These studies resonate in the animated feature. It is obvious that the key elements of the bears body were kept but simplified down in order to fit with the typical animated, Disney design. This is a perfect example of how important visual studies into the elements of what make up a character are. When developing any sort of character, it is clear that creating various observational drawings help create a believable character. Working from detailed drawings of anatomy to build a character is helpful in developing a believable looking animal.




Drawing images such as this one, where an animal is in action, focussing on the anatomy can determine where the tension in the muscle will be in order to exaggerate and clearly depict the action of the scene between two characters. You can clearly see where the tension is in the characters body due to the muscle study that has been built on top of. I would really like to put this process into action one day during one of character design processes because it is a useful technique in creating solid characters.

I would really love to develop my drawing skills in my responses to briefs further in my 2nd year because I would like to make character designing and concept designing my main attribute.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Lady and the Tramp Concept art

These images are probably my favourite set of concept art for an animated feature. I love how simplistic the sceneries are, and how the main focus is the bright and bold colours and also the way a scene would play out in the area.

This is my favourite one from this set of images, because of the depth created regardless of the lack of typical background drawing techniques. It seemed that the aim was to create depth using limited shapes and detail. The contrast between the bright lanterns and the dark atmosphere create further depth in the background. There is little detail in this background image, however there is a sense of depth and distance demonstrated through the blue hues becoming black in the distance.

This is the most detailed painting out of the set. There are a mixture of thin lines and block colour to create form, detail and dimension in the image. The shadows create an eerie atmosphere as well as the trees scattered around into the distance. The way the trees get thinner the further away they are, create a further sense of dimension and depth.

I really enjoy this set of concept art, I always refer to it when creating pieces of art work for an animation because of how much atmosphere is captured in each piece.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Chris Applehans - Concept art

Chris Applehans is probably my favourite concept artists/character designer. I really like his dark and captivating pieces of work that give off such a dark atmosphere.


For the animated filmd Monster House, he created a lot of pieces of work that captured the colours and characters so well.

He clearly demonstrated the atmosphere of the film through a series of painted scenes.

I really like how detailed his pieces of concept art are, and how they demonstrate the storyline.

I really like his concept art for Coraline, because he manages to capture the simple and childish attitude of the main character through the scenery. 

I really like his use of colour and the various shades that he puts together to create the dingy scenery from the feature.

Overall, I plan on taking a lot of inspiration from this artist because of how well he captures the scenery for a film, and how his style varies from feature to feature.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Vanellope

I decided to research into the character designs for this character just because of the various designs that were developed before deciding on the final character.

I really like how interesting it is to try and understand what makes a cute character when designing one. Large eyes, and large heads are usually the key features that mkae the character appear cute.

I really like the texture and colour schemes that were used when developing this character. It's the opposite to what I would do when designing a character because I'm quite messy with sketching out designs, but I still appreciate clean and bright coloured designs.

I also really like how well the character translated to the feature film. The characteristics and personalty of the character shine through the dynamic poses that the character is seen doing. I decided to chose these images because even though they are slightly different to the final design, they are still really significant in the process of developing the character. 

The more that I look at character design and concept design, the more interested I am in it and how important the stage in the production process is.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Curse of the Were Rabbit - Backgrounds and concepts

I decided to look into the background concepts for the Aardman film, Cure of the Were Rabbit, because i'm quite interested in set design.

Because there is a lot of atmospheric scenes throughout the film, a lot of the concept art for the sceneries are dark and foggy.

I really like how these kinds of concept art are also a way of experimenting with the shots that would be best for the feature, and also how the lighting would work.

I like how dark and atmospheric these pieces are, and how well they were translated to film as well. In my responses to briefs, I really enjoy the design process and creating concept shots. I feel like I will pay closer attention to why they are so important, and also utilise that stage in the process to create concept pieces with various outcomes that can be considered in the development of the designs.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Wallace and Gromit

I decided to look at the character designs for the Aardman animated feature, The Curse of The Were Rabbit, because I really like stop motion, and also how their designs translate into the models.

Because these designs would be translated into models, it is clear that it is extremely important to plan out the dimensions and how the character looks from all angles and how they would be posed in motions.

I'm quite interested in creating a moveable model made up of joints over summer because I feel like I haven't been given the opportunity to create a detailed and actually moveable figure.

I like how all the figures have had the inner workings figured out, and where the joints would go.

I really like these sketches because of how in depth they are at working out the angles and viewpoints of the character, and also how the inner-workings of the figure would work and fit in.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Treasure Planet backgrounds

The majority of the concept art for the backgrounds were created by Michael Spooner. I really like his sketchy approach to the designs, and how much depth and detail he creates despite the flowing sense he creates.

I like how there is a lot of texture to his designs because of the pencils he uses. The representation of light in the sceneries is something I quite interested by because of how important lighting is within a scene, and how it can shift the mood of an animated scene.

I quite like how Spooner creates a sense of impact with the large and obscure objects and surroundings of the sci-fi/steampunk theme of the animated feature. I personally didn't enjoy creating backgrounds, but I really want to learn in the future.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Tarzan

Tarzan is ne of my favourite animated features. I am also a fan of Glen Keane, who is a well know and respected Disney animator. I quite like the sort of system that Disney used to use where only one person was animating a certain character. It makes all the characters distinct and different because of the drawing techniques from the animators themselves.

One of the main aspects of the character design from Tarzan that I enjoy the most is the life drawings. The anatomy of a human was compared to the movements of animals such as gazelles, gorillas and lions/tigers because Tarzan is surrounded by all these creatures, he is shown to have developed certain characteristics from various animals.

I enjoy life drawing a lot, and the importance of life drawing when developing a human character is something I hope to learn. I have never really applied life drawing when creating characters before.

Here is a perfect example of how the sketchers would compare the character to certain poses of animals that mimicked his movement. 

I really like how the main focus of these sketches were to get down the line of action they wanted to create, and also the sense of movement.

I like the impressions of tension and weight that is created from these sketches of the character. His body is muscle and often tense from the movements he makes.

Creating visual studies of anatomy like this one was clearly helpful in developing the character because of how much muscle definition and strong bone structure the character has. This is probably something I will practice when designing characters with strong muscles and defined structure.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Colour studies/ Lighting studies

Ratatoulle is a really interesting animated film to me. I really enjoy the atmosphere and colour scheme of the film, because it all ties in with the setting of the film and also the characters themselves. When I researched into the character designs for the movie, I came across the concept art for the feature as well. I did not realise that there was a practice that focused mainly on creating and understand light in a scene.

Dominique Louis

I not only really like the colours used in these pieces, but also how much the lighting affects to mood of the scene as well. i knew that lighting was important, but I did not realise that it was considered so in depth and so early on in the production process of an animated feature.

I also find the process of creating sculptures of the characters really interesting as well, because it helps to gain an understanding of the characters facial features, and how they utilised expression to depict their emotions.

Creating sculptures is also a key practice in the design process because it helps to translates the 2D images into the 3D world in a practical way. By creating 3D sculptures of characters, a character designer then can create digital drawings from the sculpture, focusing on the colour schemes and how the colours react with the shading from the sculptures.

If I was to continue using MAYA and software like it to create animations, I will definitely consider this practice as a way of understanding the features and contours of a characters body and face. 

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Rise of The Guardians Character design

Rise of the Guardians is one f my favourite animated films and it also probably has my favourite set of character designs too.

I am really interested in character designs. I enjoy building upon basic shapes to create interesting characters, and I really like this sheet of basic shapes because you can identify which character is which shape based on the colour and shape.

The main set of characters designs from this movie are the ones of Bunnymund who is meant to be the Easter bunny.

There was a clear exploration of different styles from various character design artists, creating Bunnymund as different personalities based on his appearance.

I really like the drastic switch between each artists interpretation of the character. I think it's fascinating how each individual artist interprets his personality and characteristic in different ways.

This is probably the closest looking version to the final characters appearance. I really like the contrast between the bold, block colours with the sketchiness of the fur. I have always found it really interesting when productions are attempting to make animals human, but still aim to keep certain animal characteristics present.

This is probably my favourite because of how cute and round he is, but also the combination of the metal and the softness of the bunny is kind of cool.

I feel like overall, you can clearly see how important each interpretation of the characters personality is in the development of a characters appearance, and how certain characteristics were developed further, and are present in the final character.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Nick Orsi

A while a go I saw Zootropolis at the cinema. I enjoyed the animated film a lot, and decided to research into the development of the feature.

Nick Orsi was one of the main visual developers on the production of the film. I really enjoy his style and the mixture of textures and unusual shapes he uses for the base of the characters. He also creates an interesting colour palette with his pieces of work. 

Because I am still unsure about what role I would like to pursue after my 3 years are up, I tend to stick close to character and visual development. I enjoy developing characters and the overall style of an animation, and I enjoy looking at the development processes that already exists for Animated Features.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Bill Plympton

Bill Plympton - The Simpsons

Bill Plympton is probably one of my favourite animators because of his sketchy and shaky animations. His animations usually explore the 12 principles of animations in depth through a range of characters and scenarios. He manages to create a great sense of texture and movement in his shorts, and he also manages to create experimental and strange animations through a hand drawn approach.

Bill Plympton - Your face

Your face is probably one of my favourite animations. Plympton manages to create a great sense of texture, and explores the principles of animations in an in depth way. The various cycles that the characters features go through are extremely interesting.

I always refer to this animator when making an animation and characters because of how far he pushes the principles and how perfect he manages to depict textures in a sketchy and hand drawn style.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - The Street by Caroline Leaf Animation

Caroline Leaf created this animation from a short story by Mordechi Richler, using paint mixed with glycerine on glass. It's one of my favourite animations because the characters hearts resonates through the dialogue, and the style of the animation is messy and expressive without the typical bright colours.

The tone of the story is carried through the colour scheme, creating a dingy aesthetic. The constant flow between shots from where she painted over the images is interesting, and I would think I would enjoy doing something similar because I enjoy working with paints.

I like short and quick animations, but I also really like this kind of animation that involves a lot of story and heart, and is executed using interesting techniques. 

Studio Brief 2 - Research - The Hangnail by Shane Acker

The Hangnail was created by Shane Acker in 1999 for the Spike and Mike's Sick Twisted Festival of Animation.

It's quick, funny and kind of revolting which is something Animation usually isn't recently. I like animations that are short and don't involve a lot of storyline, and that focus on experimenting with disgusting visuals in an effective way. 

I feel like these kind of animations inspire me the most because of how simple but effective they are, and how the punchlines in them are a large focus, even though th story itself is short. I would really like to create animation like this that are just experimental, and depend mainly on visuals and sound effects.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Bambi meets Godzilla

Personally, I feel as though this is simplistic animation at it's finest. It's extremely witty with almost a whole minute dedicated to the credits, that repeatedly say "Written by Marv Newland... Choreography by Marv Newland...Bambi's Wardrobe by Marve Newland..."

The swift execution of Bambi is genius. The anticipation built up from the credits creates a sense of mystery for the viewer. It has been said that Marv's stomping of Bambi is symbolic of the shift in animation of that era, sort of demonstrating that animation is a form of entertaining art form and not just for films.

Studio Brief 2 - Research - Fantastic Mr Fox concept art

I decided to look into the concept art for the animated film by Wes Anderson called Fantastic Mr Fox as it's one of my favourite stop motion films made by one of my favourite directors.

Most of the concept art was created by Chris Appelhans, who opts for a detailed, true to form sketches. His drawings are clear and create a sense of character that's true to descriptions and their personalities.

These 3 images are translated extremely well to the production because they're identical to the finished shots. Chris Appelhans has stayed true to Wes Andersons unique composition in scenes. I really enjoy the way Appelhans has digitally created these images, but has made them look like paintings because of the size of the brushes used.

In this image you can see Appelhans' style resonate in the characters. The drawings are quite linear and sketchy.

I enjoy the backgrounds Chris Appelhans created because of how much they look like paintings, but they're actually rendered digitally. I like the abstract block colours as well as the colour palette itself. 

Here, Appelhans' style shifts from abstract, block colours and sketchy drawings to a minimalistic style. Even though it's a small, sharp sketch, it can speak volumes when compared to his other concepts. The drawing of the knife in the chopping board depicts an intense and dramatic atmosphere.