mi5016jesspark

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Evaluation

How can I begin to improve my character designs by being more intentional with the choices that I make?

Overall, I am really pleased with how this character and project turned out in the end. I am grateful that this module gave me the opportunity to explore aspects and techniques which I felt like I had no time to explore throughout previous steps in my education. This is because, especially throughout high school and sixth form, I felt as if quantity was desired over the quality of my work. Development was necessary but the process felt quite mind-less at times due to the pressure from tutors that wanted me to churn out multiple art pieces rather than spending the time making sure my art was as good as it could be. This project was quite refreshing really as it allowed me to explore the character process and to consider the steps more carefully.

The project outline was to explore the question “How can I begin to improve my character designs by being more intentional with the choices that I make?” I feel like I have successfully answered this question throughout the projects journey. The question is simple but to the point, which I felt would allow me to flourish without having a project aim that would feel constrictive. Starting out, I focused on anatomy and shape language, something which I identified as an area to explore within a previous project. This new understanding of anatomy and the way I can incorporate shapes within it strengthened the character design as it allowed me to push certain aspects of the character to emphasise the more insect-like features resulting in a more interesting character. I believe that my character designs have and will be improved due to this project as I have had the space to think more carefully about decisions made during the process. The most important thing which I now had the opportunity to focus on was my understanding of colour and the different ways colours can be organised. Due to having an education in media studies, I was aware of what colours to use to evoke certain emotions and atmospheres, however I have never before fully considered the saturation, tone and organisation of colours before this module.

I have learned to improve my character art, I should be more intentional with the colours that I use to make sure the design is palatable and fitting of the aesthetic which I or a potential client may aim for. Making sure tones of the same value are separated by lighter / darker tones is a simple way to break up different aspects of a design. I also found that experimenting with different ideas really helped me be more intentional with my designs as usually I would just run with the first idea and make small tweaks to it. This experimentation seen in the professional practice of character artists ensured I was making the right decision in finalising different aspects. This project allowed me the time to slow down and actually consider different decisions I was making which taught me the importance of making well thought out decisions instead of simply liking how it looks without justification to why said decision was made. Art, although freeing, should have some rhyme and reason to it.

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feedback on final design

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Character concept

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Exploring the characters features within her world

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exploring ways to display the character design

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Final design

Without accessories

With accessories

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knot designs close up and their meaning

Blue represents trust, healing, and long life, and the knot in the color blue would bring forth these positive elements, as well as harmony and longevity.

felt like the white details fit better with the overall design compared to the black

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accessory tests

after contemplating my failed clothing explorations, i wondered why i felt it was necessary to have clothes within this character design. I have only ever worked with human characters within my art career, and due to our societies views on nudity, my characters are always clothed. While clothes are a great way to visually depict aspects of a character, it felt limiting within this character. DO insects need clothes, who says they do? So i decided to scrap the clothing idea and focus on smaller details to elevate the design just that bit further.

Here are the necklace sizing tests for the chosen necklace

Exploring my favourite necklace design sizing

Too busy

^ Final design ^

I like this small addition to the design, makes it interesting while not being too visually overstimulating with the different colours. this blue is actually a tone shifted colour from the palette of the body, making it fit harmoniously within the surrounding colours while also standing out.

here i put the palette into black and white to better see the tones, for the most part the blue stands out against the other colours. I have found turning down the saturation of the colours has greatly helped in making sure the overall pallet works well together.

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clothing explorations

clothing attempts inspired by Chinese traditional clothing. However none of these designs fit the overall vibe of the character that i had envisioned. had to rethink my ideas.

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facial markings

original design tests

testing different ‘overlay settings’ on the multiple designs

^ Design 1 ^

^ Design 2 ^

^ Design 3 ^

^ Design 4^

the chosen design being design 4 on colour dodge 50%, this is because it is subtle yet links to the almost luminous effect seen on the design of the wings. This design was inspired by the design that i created on the body of the character, making the marking more cohesive throughout the rest of the design.

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Final hair choice

Testing hair styles

This first design emulates the fluffy look which i felt was seen within the wings, the longer strands added a little more dimension to the front of the hair however just seems a little standard. Was inspired by the second design conducted.

here i'm testing a different silhouette still in the fluffy design. However be it the way ive drawn it or the overall style, it just doesnt fit the vision.

Trying a more simplified, straighter version. better than the previous design however just doesn't suit.

Shorter hair, fits a 'battle ready' character as it is less hastle however still felt like it was a little plain.

I wanted to explore the origin countries which these moths can be found, while conducting research i found a Chinese traditional hairstyle which vaguely resembles butterfly / moth wings which i liked. The hairstyles keep the characters hair out of their face meaning it wont be a problem during any combat. It also associates itself to a put together / decorated guard system. Similar to how military groups have strict uniform standards. However i felt this hair seemed too formal. almost giving the character a more aged look.

here i imitate the shape of atlas moth wings more closely, i am really glad that i decided to play around with the previous design to get to this result. This design, while still elegant, feels a little more youthful compared to the above design.

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Atlas moth wings

Here is the design for an atlas moths wings. Circled are the aspects in which i took inspiration from and will make it easier to explain my choices.

Overall i followed the main colours present in the moths wings and the rest of the colour palette. This was to make it recognisable from the inspiration.

red- following how the wings display a gradient between colours and also following the pattern present

yellow- following the upside down tear shape of the moths wings

green- the circular designs on the tips of the wings

blue- the yellow gradient on the tips and throughout the rest of the pattern.

I chose to use circular designs at the top of the wings as opposed to the repeating teardrop as i wanted to utilise a natural pattern seen within predators. Many animals display a pattern on their backs as a deterrent to other predators, this pattern is meant to mimic how eyes look to lure predators into being wary of their prey as they think they have been noticed. I thought this design would be a cool addition to the character as she is in a 'protector' role within her world. The moths name translates to "Snake head" in Cantonese as the wings look similar to the head of a cobra. The moths are known to flutter their wings to imitate a snakes movements as a defence mechanism

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colour palette

choosing a colour palette

After reflecting on my very first initial character design attempt, i had thought more purposefully about the colours that i used. i then limited the colour palette as i worked on the second design attempt. This smaller colour palette of 5 colours seemed to work well together! The two colour palettes are very similar, this is because i felt like i had hit the jackpot with the colours i had chosen, however felt as if they needed some minor adjustments. I felt as if the brown could be deeper, to enhance the range in tones. I brightened up the orange to make it stand out more. i kept the pink the same as it was only displayed in the eyes and minor changes weren't necessary. I also kept the yellow the same as i felt like it fit the rest of the palette. I also warmed up the beige-ish colour to a more pink-ish tone.

arrangement test

I have seen similar processes within character design portfolios and advice videos. This step is to determine colour arrangements and to further ensure each step of the character is thought out. This step is in my character design process is again assisted by Iris Muddy. "it is important to think about grouping elements together and how to use these groups purposefully." as explored previously, i wanted to employ the 60-30-10 colour palette arrangement.

Orange body base

The orange base matches the wings of Atlas moths however feels almost too overpowering.

Brown body base

i feel as if the brown base allows each colour to work harmoniously, more so compared to the other combinations.

Yellow body base

The yellow base colour doesn't match the other colours, it being the centre point doesn't allow for harmony

Beige body base

the beige base almost reminds me of sphinx cats, not the vibe im going for

Pink body base

the pink just doesn't lend itself to the overall aesthetics / vibe of an atlas moth. Looks a little sunburnt due to the shade of pink

narrowing it down

I went through all of the colour combinations and colour coordinated each one. Red meaning scrap, yellow meaning i liked / wasn't sure and green meaning i loved / wanted to explore.

I like the idea of the wings being orange as Atlas moth wings, although made up of many colours, are mostly comprised of orange. However this beige colour reminds me of Siamese cats and the yellow just doesn't fit the vibe i was going for.

getting closer to the atmosphere i wanted, however still just doesn't fit what i envisioned.

The beige on the face and hands just feels too plain, there is something just off with this and i cant place it.

the yellow just doesnt seem to suit the vibe i was going for when used for the main body

The Is colour palette just feels too bust for what i was going for. the colours are too bright and don't reflect an atlas moth.

These two are my favourite colour concepts. The overall atmosphere of these two palettes is what i was looking for, I chose the one on the left as an Atlas moths wings are mainly orange, this stays true to the inspiration while exploring my own ideas.

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final outline

And here, ladies and gentlemen is the finalised line art for the moth creature. I am really happy with how this character looks, i feel as if it is well rounded and evokes the aesthetic i wanted. The design can be marketable to children and still be interesting enough to a more mature audience. The separation at the joints is to mimic the way moths, and many other insects, legs look. they are broken up into segments rather than one continuous piece like human legs. where the segments connect act as joints, think the knee and elbow. The larger and rounder hips are to mimic the way a moths body looks, more rounded than slender. This wider and rounder body is what oftentimes separates moths from butterflies,butterflies are more slender and arguably fragile looking, while moths are wider, fluffy and more sturdy

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determining where to place the wings on the character

i like the cape like look of the wings, however it does look like a cape with big shoulder pads.

adding the shape of the atlas moths top wings to this design, still not entirely happy with this silhouette.

This set of wings looks more like an oversized fur coat than a set of wings.

these wings look slightly too bland, almost juvenile.

slightly more butterfly shaped wings, want to go back to moth shape.

i felt it would be beneficial to sketch out an atlas moth to figure out the wing shape, i then just decided to go with this shape.

Test of the atlas moth wings against the silhouette. I decided to have the wings start at the lower back instead of the shoulders like the other designs as i wanted to divert from the stereotypical 'fairy' / winged creature where the wings start from the shoulder blades. i wanted my design to be unique in this deviation from other designs. I also felt like having the wings sprout from the shoulders would make it too complex due to the two pairs of arms originating from the same location.

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Sketching and finalising the character body

here is an idea that i entertained, having a sort of centaur moth person. however, maybe due to my awful understanding of moth anatomy or just the idea itself but this didn't fit the vibe i was going for. This idea as it is now, at an undeveloped stage seems simply too monstrous for what i was going for. This doesn't seem marketable to a wide range of audiences (the concept follows a similar vibe to gravity falls and over the garden wall, marketed to children but with a large adult fan base, and although these shows have some spooky stuff when you think about it, this is just a tad too far)

however this is an idea i'd like to explore in the future for other projects, maybe looking at inspiration like cat bus from studio Ghibli to make the design more friendly looking and palatable to more audiences.

here is a traced sketch of a model which i photo-shopped the second set of arms onto. this was a good start in seeing where i wanted this character to go / figuring out arms and the posing of the character however i felt this sketch was just too human, the proportions need something more to accentuate the cartooney vibe i am after.

adding onto the previous sketch i begin to exaggerate the proportions to enhance the cartoon aspect. Here is when i begin to experiment with the 'nubby feet'. I really liked how the first design had overly fuzzy legs, to me these stepped further away from the human form. However i felt like i could further exaggerate the lefts / feet to further reflect the way moths legs / feet are. The arms look broken under the shoulders and the legs just look a bit off still so i went on to further sketch.

here we see more of the moth character developing, ideas are starting to become clearer. however the feet just feel too strange with the way they point outwards at the tip. I still felt i could enhance the cartoon style i wanted. I do test the silhouette of this character and although alright as a base, still felt bland.

This prior step of figuring out the silhouette of a character really helped me sort of step back from all of the small details and focus of the character as a whole instead of tunnel visioning into certain spots. This is seen as i silhouette and only map out smaller details in this silhouette. the overall shape i am happy with now. moving onto focusing on smaller details such as fur, the legs for some reason jsut make me uncomfortable with that fur at the bottom and the fur on the neck more resembles a neck brace than anything else.

here we see the final design start to take shape. the fur on the neck will be kept, and the overall shape of the body remains the same. However The hands on the hips just do not look correct, the knuckles are just too straight and just look bad.

here the design starts to become more well rounded. I felt like the previous designs were just missing something. I decided to think back to my moth centaur idea and think about how many legs a moth has.

as evident in this photo, there are six legs. Therefore the 3 sets of arms idea was born. and i feel like it just elevates the design more and further removes itself from being entirely human looking (anthropomorphic moth = humanoid moth but i still wanted it to look insect like)

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here is the image that inspired this "colour weight" awareness that i explored in this exercise