[edit: image removed]
Hi Jez,
Thanks so much for your suggestions! I implemented them on one of the characters and I think she looks a lot better. Can't wait to get to work on the others. I really appreciate your insights. And the visual helped me to understand what you meant. The only point I'm confused on is the location of nowhere land. :D Should I be avoiding placing the pupils in the center of the eye or touching the edges? Or just anything that looks unfocused? Your drawings gave the impression that they should be touching the edges. Is that correct? Thanks again!
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Mikdog--I think I like the original collar best myself. Maybe the mandarin collar can be his formal wear. hehe.
I couldn't figure out what was going on with the neck in that test! lol I later realized that it was because I put the entire head and neck in a switch layer so the point binding was lost. So I separated out the neck, face, bangs, and hair. I was dreading doing that for a long time. Especially after I had put a head on each phoneme layer. But it was definitely worth it. Now I can try some point animation actions for the hair moving. bwahaha.
Anyway, I point binded(bound?) the neck and now it has some flex to it, although I don't think I showed that in this test: http://vimeo.com/10440019
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Slowtiger--Thanks, I really notice that proper gestures would make a difference. I don't suppose you have any book recommendations for animating gestures and body language?
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Sbtamu--Thanks! I like that idea a lot. In an angry expression, I think the harsh feeling of the eyebrows could add a lot to the scene. :)
Character Design
Moderators: Víctor Paredes, Belgarath, slowtiger
Last edited by lwaxana on Sun Mar 28, 2010 3:31 am, edited 1 time in total.
There's no special book about that I'm aware of.
Instead I recommend to just study footage from actors and other people. This will also solve your eye problem: just get some video of a child telling some story into the camera and notice how it will look down, up again, into the camera, sideways to some parent, and so on. Just one single scene will give you enough fodder for all your scenes.
Also have a look for footage from old sitcoms: the kind where the actors were still allowed to move their faces. Make screengrabs from interesting poses/faces. And then sit down and do those faces with your character - all of them!
Instead I recommend to just study footage from actors and other people. This will also solve your eye problem: just get some video of a child telling some story into the camera and notice how it will look down, up again, into the camera, sideways to some parent, and so on. Just one single scene will give you enough fodder for all your scenes.
Also have a look for footage from old sitcoms: the kind where the actors were still allowed to move their faces. Make screengrabs from interesting poses/faces. And then sit down and do those faces with your character - all of them!
Whoa, just saw that thread, nice work lwaxana, I really like the way those evolved, they look great.
Seems you we're in good hands too
Too late for me to add to the mix but I would like to share a link to an online version of my all time favorite animation book, this is what got me started 30+ years ago, a super classic, just in case you do not have it already
Plenty of tricks and guidelines for character creation there and I still believe you can find some used ones on Amazon.
I still posess some I bought as a teenager, memory lane, sigh!
Preston Blair Advanced Animation
G
Seems you we're in good hands too
Too late for me to add to the mix but I would like to share a link to an online version of my all time favorite animation book, this is what got me started 30+ years ago, a super classic, just in case you do not have it already
Plenty of tricks and guidelines for character creation there and I still believe you can find some used ones on Amazon.
I still posess some I bought as a teenager, memory lane, sigh!
Preston Blair Advanced Animation
G
Thanks GCharb! I didn't realize that Preston Blair had a book on advanced animation. That link will definitely come in handy. Do you actually have the first edition with the copyrighted characters?
When you mentioned the evolution of the characters, I was compelled to go back and look at some of the really old drawings of them. They're probably 8 years old now. :-\ Here's an example, just for fun. :D
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I think I'm almost done with these character designs. There are just a couple of things I want to work out. I have two different hair options for the girl. One is flat on the top and the other is rounded. The rounded looks right when I'm looking at her hair, but the flat looks better to me when I'm looking at her eyes. I also might adjust some of the colors. And I'm still open to suggestions. :D
When you mentioned the evolution of the characters, I was compelled to go back and look at some of the really old drawings of them. They're probably 8 years old now. :-\ Here's an example, just for fun. :D
------
I think I'm almost done with these character designs. There are just a couple of things I want to work out. I have two different hair options for the girl. One is flat on the top and the other is rounded. The rounded looks right when I'm looking at her hair, but the flat looks better to me when I'm looking at her eyes. I also might adjust some of the colors. And I'm still open to suggestions. :D
Okay, the neck issue keeps coming up so I'm going to try to get this figured out once and for all! :D Here are some comparisons. Thanks Neomarz for the barbie neck suggestion! One thing I like about the barbie necks is that I moved the head more to the center and the head doesn't look so far forward. It seems to work best on the girl character. But it also makes the characters look more delicate, which is not really what I'm going for. Maybe some compromise between the current neck and the barbie neck...
I'm not liking the curved collars. The curve breaks up the line of the body too much which seems to water down the style. And it also looks like their necks are being constricted by their collars.
So maybe the weird neck/shoulders/head issue is mostly about the placement of the neck at the base of the head and how centered the head is on the body? Any opinions or suggestions on this?
I am very impressed with your amazing attention to detail throughout the character development process.
My immediate reaction to the un-curved collars, regardless of the head/neck relationship is that the head is on backwards. A slight curve in a collar usually describes the volume of the figure's torso. Because that curve is missing in the straight-collar figures, they all appear stiffer and flatter to my eye.
That observation aside, you are the only one who knows what the look and feel of your project needs to be. I look forward to seeing how your project and your characters evolve.
Once again I am very impressed with the care you are giving to your project. Makes me feel lazy and inspires me to improve my own character development process. As a real new-comer to animation, I have so much to learn. I appreciate all your contributions to the forum.
My immediate reaction to the un-curved collars, regardless of the head/neck relationship is that the head is on backwards. A slight curve in a collar usually describes the volume of the figure's torso. Because that curve is missing in the straight-collar figures, they all appear stiffer and flatter to my eye.
That observation aside, you are the only one who knows what the look and feel of your project needs to be. I look forward to seeing how your project and your characters evolve.
Once again I am very impressed with the care you are giving to your project. Makes me feel lazy and inspires me to improve my own character development process. As a real new-comer to animation, I have so much to learn. I appreciate all your contributions to the forum.
What if?
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Mikdog and Gleeful--Hmm... I thought that image was incontrovertible proof that a curved collar looked bad. :D But I experimented some more and I'm liking this tunic collar for the girl. The red shirt collar looks okay to me with a plain curve. I'm still working on the green one, though.
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Gleeful--Aw, thanks very much! :D I'm a newcomer to animation too, which I think is why this is taking me so long! But I am really amazed how much getting feedback from this forum has made me stretch. With everyone's input, these designs are becoming way better than I imagined them. I have never experienced that before. It's pretty amazing.