Rotation: Character Design
Character design has always been one of my favourite aspects of animation. We started the class by doing some exercises using objects and silhouettes to come up with character design. We looked into different ideas of aesthetics and character design principles (square, triangle, etc.) to inform our sketches.
Below are some of the concepts I created:
Character design based on a cup. Character silhouettes. Character sketch based on a dog toy.
Final character Design
My character design is based on the scarf. Before finalising this design, I also considered the song option and created a simple sketch based on that. I ultimately decided to proceed with the scarf character as I thought the silhouettes I had sketched were the most interesting to me.
The concept of this character is a biblical angel. I made this link as the scarf pattern seemed to me to be many eyes staring. I found this concept somewhat challenging, as I do not associate the colours of this scarf with the term ‘angel’. However, I decided that was precisely the reason I should stick with the concept.
The story for this character came to me during the design process: A reluctant prophet who is slowly turning into an angel. But wants nothing more than to stay in his human form.
The shape language for this character was influenced by the art of Crystal Kung, Glenn Keane, Ami Thompson and Phobs. I have included my references in the creation process section below.
Creation Process