Character Design: Creating Characters out of a mix of genres (Like in the 80's Cartoons)

80's cartoons were all about mixing up genres and weird idea mashups. Who would have thought that combining Teenage ninjas with Turtles, Super Heroes with Cats, Cowboys with Space or a Detective with a Robot would be so successful? In this Project we are challenged to do exactly the same thing: Combine two completely different genres and make them work. We meant to re-evaluate what we think is already logic to us and be innovative with our ideas.
Some indelible 80's Cartoons:



Thundercats





He Man and The Masters of the Universe





Silver Hawks





Ninja Turtles





Inspector Gadget



Out of this Project we are going to Produce a Hero, a Sidekick and a Villain. They can be humans, animals or even a mixed up being. So what are the key features of these 3 types of Characters?

A Hero: He/She is the Character that leads the Story. The whole plot revolves around them. Heroes are either 'unlikely' heroes (they work their way up) or are already regarded as ones and have this typical 'heroic' appearance (masculine, heavy clothing, big equipment, vivid colours).



Hercules





Superman





Pocahontas





Alladin



Sidekick:  The Sidekick is the character which allows you to push the boundaries and make up something totally crazy. They are usually the humorous ones that keep a balance in the story and come in all different shapes and sizes. All in all it's a character we can defiantly have fun with.



Mushu (Mulan)







Lumiere and Cogsworth (Beauty and The Beast)





Sebastian (The Little Mermaid)





Villain:  Even though some might not notice but subconsciously all villains come with the same characteristics: pointy features with angled shapes like triangles and squares, dark clothing (mainly black and purple).

Malificent (Sleeping Beauty)



Scar (The Lion King)




Izma (Emperors New Groove)



By taking all these rules in Character Design in, I am going to create my own characters and make something memorable.

Moving to Second Year!

And yes, it is true and I am finally ok with the idea of being a Second Year Student in the Course! After a relaxing and productive summer I am ready to get stuck into uni work again (which I must admit I really missed  during the last 4 months).  I am really excited  with this whole idea of having more freedom in our work.  I know it’s going to be really hard –with a lot of late nights, stress and tiredness, but with the help of my course tutors, my coursemates and my stubbornness I am hoping to survive this year and also have great fun with it. So, let’s lift this big parcel of knowledge and place it a shelf higher  J

 I have been told from graduates that this Second Year  could be described as the hardest year, as we are expected to complete more than one project at the same time. Our first semester  consists of The Narrative Group Project and the Character Design Project:

The Narrative Project:

This Project is all about teamwork, working with a group of people. This is considered quite challenging for most people as working  with a team can be either very successful or end up disastrous. I believe it’s all about hearing your team members’ voice and not being stuck in your own little world. After all, big things happen with the help of more than one person.  (I am hoping to get along with Domantas and Aidan in this case :P )

So in this 15 week project we are expected to produce a 3D film trailer inspired by 1930s-60s films. But this cannot be any trailer. It has to be inspired by the title we were given: The Killers from the Swamp. So this sould be really interesting to do

The Character Design Project
Now this is the Project I was mostly looking forward to. Character design has always been something fascinating for me. I've always remembered myself watching cartoons and drawing my favourite characters on paper. So yes! I cannot wait to be a kid again in this Project.
Of course we were given a starting point for our characters, and that's a random title. I drew The Western Kunf Fu Fighters a very weird but achievable combination.  We are expected to do The Character Design and a Character Bible of A Hero, AVillain and a Sidekick. The characters themselves (and of course the story behind them) has to be inspired by classic 80's cartoons which are famous for their weird mashups. Very exciting Stuff! :D

Angvolmaris Head Progress Part 2

I think I am pretty much done with this one. I now want to make a full body pose of him with his head ring wide open. I like the translucency of it and the really bright blue colour.

Ang.Vol.Maris Head Progress

So this is how far I've gone with his head. I named him Angvolmaris (deriving from Anguis Volaticus Maris) and tried to give him a coral-like texture with sparkling bits.The stripes on his chin will mark the starting point of his blue-veiny stripes which will spread out on the rest of his body. Also his head ring will be bright blue and will stand out proudly, like a lion.

Skeletal Anatomy, Muscle Anatomy and Turnaround of Anguis Volaticus Maris

Phew..This took a while to do. After combining horse, dog and fish skeletons I finally have my creature's anatomy. It's weird how it's more satisfying seeing it inside out. I am not really pleased with the muscles and don't know if they even make any sense. We should probably ask a vet about that :P
And of course the turnarounds. I think the front view makes the creature look awkward. :S Hmm..

(oh, this is a temporary layout)