Character Design

AmigaMan · Post by **AmigaMan** » Fri Apr 16, 2010 10:12 pm

These are looking great. I've been following this closely but I'm more confident commenting on animation than design

Really looking forward to seeing these in full motion.

lwaxana · Post by **lwaxana** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 4:56 pm

I changed my mind about the tunic. :D So far I'm liking these necklines. I also adjusted the shoulders so they look less tense. Is the backwards head problem solved?

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Thanks, Amigaman! I can't wait until the actual animation. I think I'm too indecisive for design. :D

sbtamu · Post by **sbtamu** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 5:18 pm

Yes looks good!!!

gleeful · Post by **gleeful** » Sat Apr 17, 2010 6:25 pm

I love these latest designs! The characters are coming to life. The variety of collars/necklines adds a lot of visual interest and will serve to make the individuals easier to identify and remember if there is a lot of action, sudden appearances, etc.

It is so much easier to comment on the work of others than to create something of one's own from scratch. Thanks for making your process accessible to all of us.

Mylenthes · Post by **Mylenthes** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 2:18 am

OOh! You fixed the neck problem, I like!

sbtamu · Post by **sbtamu** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 2:24 am

lwaxana wrote:

I changed my mind about the tunic. So far I'm liking these necklines. I also adjusted the shoulders so they look less tense. Is the backwards head problem solved?

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Thanks, Amigaman! I can't wait until the actual animation. I think I'm too indecisive for design.

The dude on the left looks like an un-named guy on the original star trek series, u know, the ones that are 1st to die.

TBH, I think you are "there" on the necks now. GJ

GCharb · Post by **GCharb** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 5:11 am

Hello again!

Yeah, I still have the advanced Preston Blair book I bought way back, 250 pages or so, very good book

Any plans on animating those characters, that should be fun!

G

lwaxana · Post by **lwaxana** » Sun Apr 18, 2010 4:35 pm

I think I'm done designing these characters. Thanks everyone so much for your help! :D

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Sbtamu--lol That's awesome! His collar also reminds me of the uniforms in Next Gen. I'm almost tempted to put some pips on the collar. ;D

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[edit]

GCharb--Oh, I didn't realize it has 250 pages! That must mean that there is more to it than the scans on ASIFA. (Those pages were incredibly useful, btw!) I'll have to track down a hard copy and see what other pearls of wisdom I can glean.

lwaxana · Post by **lwaxana** » Sun Apr 25, 2010 9:57 pm

I followed Amigaman's character tutorial to put the different character angles into a switch layer. My goal is just to get functional rigs at some basic angles, not to get a 3D effect, but I did try a turn around to see if the rigs are consistent looking: http://vimeo.com/11214342 I'm guessing that the lack of 3D effect means that they need to be more consistent.

Uolter · Post by **Uolter** » Sun Apr 25, 2010 11:31 pm

Very Nice Iwa! In my opinion It works well!

neeters_guy · Post by **neeters_guy** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 5:13 am

sbtamu wrote:The dude on the left looks like an un-named guy on the original star trek series, u know, the ones that are 1st to die.

Make sure you put a red shirt on him.

lwaxana wrote:I'm guessing that the lack of 3D effect means that they need to be more consistent.

Regardless, that turnaround looks great. You're ready to put the show on the road.

Mikdog · Post by **Mikdog** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 9:01 am

Looks good. Reminds me somewhat of Maya The Bee for some reason a show I totally loved as a much smaller child.

Look forward to seeing some more action with these characters. Story-time.

lwaxana · Post by **lwaxana** » Mon Apr 26, 2010 5:16 pm

That's funny that you should mention Maya the Bee, Mikdog. This character's name is Maya. I've thought about changing her name because of the 3d animation software, but the name has stuck. So I do think of Maya the Bee sometimes. ;D I also think of a classic Bollywood movie called Shree 420, in which Maya (illusion) is one possible love interest and Vidya (knowledge, wisdom) is the other. I guess I can only hope people don't read that symbolism into the name. Hmm... maybe there's a way that I can actively address that...

I do really want to start animating the story, but I'm stuck waiting on the script. And I'm also waiting on backgrounds. But I am starting to realize that I need to just push things along if I ever want to finish any scenes. I found some scenes that shouldn't be affected by rewrites, so I think I will follow everyone's advice and just get to it.

lwaxana · Post by **lwaxana** » Sat May 01, 2010 3:25 pm

I started working on a script and storyboard and realized I need another character before I can animate these scenes. This new character is supposed to be an older (55-70? still unsure on the exact age.) mountain woman type. I'm just not sure how to make her look older and keep the same basic style. The smaller ankle pants seemed more appropriate for her character, but I feel weird about it because it gives her such a different shape from the other characters. Any suggestions or thoughts?

Uolter · Post by **Uolter** » Sat May 01, 2010 5:41 pm

She's nice but yes, doesn't look like an old woman. I had similar problems with mine. When i was working on her, every time I added details i had always the impression she was not a woman but a trans

anyway...working on the existing shapes like chin and nose will surely help, also you can try adding a pair of glasses, maybe a few wrinkles below the eyes but of course you're the one can know what is better for her personality.
Personally, i like the pants as they are, they help to differentiate the generation.
Good work!