Month: November 2022

Character design and Premiere Pro introduction.

In Character design class I started the exploration of Stanislavski method of creating a character from scratch. From establishing the background and story using 7 questions. I started off with doodling around on paper, creating random characters and trying to imagine them being in a setting. it helped me to start thinking of these characters as of already existing ones from tv series. After some thinking and experimentation I finally decided to create a character from a familiar environment (which is 90s Russia) and started building her visual map.

Week 2 was focused on follow through action that helps to make animated character’s elements more fluid and dynamic. A follow through can be a ribbon attached to a stick, hair, clothes, etc. This allows to show weight and material of a particular element when engaged in action.

Week 2 also focused on line of action and drawing a body. In acting class we explored different ways of movement, and how it can be portrayed more effectively in animation. Creeping, running, crawling, bending. A more successful construction of dynamic poses is achieved when using acting video/photo references.

Bounce and Fall

Week 1 in Character animation course started with exploring basic principles of animation. The bouncing ball is the first exercise that helps to get a grip on the gravity of an object, texture and weight. It also encouraged me to start using TVPaint. In my sketchbook I made notes on the useful features of the software and how to get started on it. I also made some sketches of my experimentation that I did in class using a bowling ball and dropping it to the floor to see how the velocity of the ball changed in mid air and how far it would bounce back.