#Actual characters refs provided by the links I added. Too much to cover in one post otherwise

[exaflux]

BTAS pre-production stuff/official designs and artstyle stuff

Don't mind the title, I'm a bit naff at titling things...

I'm sure people have made posts about it before, but just in case there's anyone that doesn't know, there's official documents on BTAS floating around the net. Things covering episode writing, bios, a bunch of art that animators would have used. Whole lot of stuff.

I've seen people ask questions/have discussion on things like imitating the style/character heights/other general things. These documents are all official and might be helpful so, hey, might as well share for those not in the know.

Gonna keep it short (I'll provide some links so you can check out for yourself as there's a lot I won't cover) but I'll outline some stuff that catches my eye (first bit is about pre-production and ideas they had, second bit is stuff about how they went about drawing/designing the characters)

Pre-production

In animation, it's standard to have a thing called a writer's bible, also called an animation bible. They include everything from plot synopsis, character/concept art, character bios, episode ideas, basically the whole nine yards. These are used mainly in the early stages to pitch ideas and get projects greenlit, but are also kept around as a handy shortform thing to summarise the whole project as much as possible.

As it turns out, the BTAS writer's bible has been extensively documented! There's a PDF of it actually! And if you don't want a PDF, there's a website that covers all the contents too.

As per writer's bibles, it has a ton of their ideas and direction they wanted to take with the show, from episode structure to joke writing right down to how much settings should be able to change per-episode. There's a whole lot of art too! Here's a snippet about some of the changes they wanted to make with the Dark Knight himself:

And just for fun let's also leave some info about how they approached writing Bruce Wayne:

Anyway! On a more interesting topic- some of the rogues. The bios of most of the rogues are included, as are some art of earlier designs. Riddler looks like a sleezy car salesman and Joker is kinda just missing his lips and has stripy pants is seems.

Also of note: in some alternative timeline somewhere we could have had Calendar Man and Gentleman Ghost in BTAS...

As for character heights... The height chart is sectioned into "head" height for Batman's head. The uppermost line is Batman's height, so Batman is 8 Batman heads tall. While it can be hard to make out some of the character heights due to the poses, it'd be safe to guess that you do take poses into account on the height chart. Two-Face is shorter on the chart than Harvey is for example but you'll notice that Two-Face's art shows his head tilted down slightly, so Two-Face isn't actually shorter it's just his pose.

You'll notice these characters are uncoloured. The colour palettes featured are an interesting point that deserve their own post. I'll touch on them another time.

Style Guides / Character Sheets

Style guides tell animators how to correctly draw characters. Can also be applied for things like backgrounds and props and the likes though, whatever feels needed to be noted to keep consistency even if other people are drawing the characters.

Character sheets are character sheets. 'Nuff said. These just show off a character looks from different angles. Expression sheets showing how character emote, art on full-body posing and sheets on hand poses are things that also tend to be covered in animated productions.

Can be found here and here. A lot of overlap in the art shown between the two links but they're absolutely full of character sheets and turn-arounds. There's definitely a lot more design documents I've seen about in other places, but alas, I can't track them down for the life of me.

Here's some highlights:

(When Twoface blinks only his good eye closes completely. His injured eye only partially closes)

("John Crane")

Some early character art:

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If you made it this far then congrats here's some Batmen for your troubles

[hopecvon]

Cat breed character refs for Felidae Falls AU.

More  Felidae Falls stuff. This is for any one who wishes to make some art based off this AU of mine. You will also learn more about the breeds and why I choice certain ones for some characters. A link will also be provided with more information on the breed. I’ll be self reblogging and adding more characters as time goes.

DIPPER PINES - BLUE POINT BALINESE http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2hyew7 Balinese are off shoots of the Siamese. Much like Dipper, these cats are known for being highly curious and intelligent. And just as Dipper likes to go mystery hunting and uncover new secrets, Balinese cats are known for being very exploitative - seriously these guys get into everything. They are also family oriented and Dipper is without a doubt loyal and protective of his family, especially of his sister Mabel. It is funny that Balinese are known for being graceful when Dipper sometimes has a hard time keeping his balance. MABEL PINES - TORTIE (RED, BROWN, CREAM) POINT JAVANESE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=py-np3C15YE Another off shoot of the Siamese and, other than differences in a wider rang of coat colors, look a lot like Balinese. It's not just looks that made the choice for this cat breed to be Mable, but also their social, loving, and playful nature. That and like Mabel they tend to be very vocal, making them the perfect breed for this Pine twin. SOOS - RAGDOLL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIdyDUhuLwk This is such a Soos kind of cat. Naturally large, Ragdolls are the puppy cats who love to be cuddled and fawned over, especially in families with children. WENDY - RED TABBY WITH WHITE CHEST AND UNDERBELLY MAIN COON https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=meRJKMENg5s Wendy was definitely hard to make a choice about. it was a three way battle between the Main Coon, the Norwegian Forest cat, and the Siberian. In the end I decided on the Main Coon mostly because I felt the Siberian and the Norwegian looked to ruffled and scruffy and more of how Wendy's father Manly Dan would look (I still haven't decided which one will be what he is though). Just like Wendy, Main coons are fun to be around - either chilling or playing. STANLEY PINES - BLUE/SILVER SOMALI http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/cats-101/videos/somali/ Also called the fox cat, these felines are curious with grabby paws who love being the center of attention. Add that they are mischievous but very nurturing, and it no wonder I thought this is breed was meant to be Stan. That and they look like long haired Abyssinians. STANFORD PINES - BLUE/SILVER ABYSSINIAN https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jZ9CGARwEs The Author of the journals is a very intelligent person. So an equally intelligent breed of cat should be what he is in this AU right? Enter the Abyssinians, an ancient cat breed often thought of as the Boarder collie of the cat world. And like Ford, they're not just smart, these are mischievous felines who love to play whenever they get the chance. However just as Ford seems to prefer handshakes to hugs, Abyssinians don’t like being held. (Of course Mabel is an exception because when she wants a hug you just let her hug you.) ROBBIE VALENTINO - BOMBAY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64uA_yxE8b4 Every part of this cat is black, even the pads of their paws, and they have large, striking, round copper eyes. Remember that a werecat’s eyes will change color when shape shifting. Meaning the eye color one is born with may not be the same color they’ll have when they get their full form. These competitive, dog-like felines have been called velcro kitties on occasions. Why? They’re so affectionate that they can become rather clingy. Remind you of anyone? GIDEON GLEEFUL - WHITE NAPOLEON https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pa_6XdT7MHA Fun fact: Napoleon actually had a fear of cats. A cat breed that was named after Napoleon Bonaparte because of how short they are? How could I not make this Gideon. Plus I like to think that Stan would call him, "A real little Napoleon". Napoleon cats are know for being sweet and affectionate, which is what Gideon would want everyone to believe. However this werekit has a darker, power hungry side to him. PACIFICA NORTHWEST - RUST CHEETOH https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqk_WCPSrXc A beautiful spotted cat that is a cross between a Bengal and an Ocicat. This might be the only time in the AU when something like that will happen where this actually plays into what the parents are. Just like Pacifica, this cat has a secret sweet and caring side but still craves attention. All the breeds that are matched to the Northwests are rare cats and often expensive cats, which I'm sure many of you will agree works out just fine for this family. PRISCILLA NORTHWEST - MARBLED BENGAL https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc8yHE8d3zY Just like Pacifica’s mother, Priscilla, on the show it is all about looks with this breed of cats. Their wild spotted coats give them that wild look that comes form their wild roots with the Asian Leopard cat. These felines are high sprung and like things done in a manor that fits their desired tastes. PRESTON NORTHWEST - CHOCOLATE OCICAT https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUHo4LOPivY Also called a spotted tabby by some, these guys may look wild but this is not a descendant of any wild cat (how like a Northwest). The first ocicat was actually unintentional but now are mistaken for exotic cats. One could say something similar happened with Preston’s ancestor - with the whole town founder cover up thing an all. Like all Northwests these guys are rare and want all the attention they can get. BLIND IVAN -  HETEROZYGOUS/ODD EYED WHITE SPHYNX https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuOvHDhMJ-A These are naturally hairless rare breeds, that let you see what all cats look like under the fur. They're intelligent and love being the center of attention, in fact they'll even demand it. In this alternate universe Blind Ivan and the Blind Eye Society still exists - called the Secret Glaring Clowder in this universe. However they are considered to be good guys, as they help keep the truth of the existence of werecats from the humans, especially tourists that visit the town. Ivan is not the leader but rather a spokesman - or spokescat if you prefer, and is the only member that other werecats know of. He keeps the identities of the other members a closely guarded secret - especially the leader whom he works closely with. FIDDLEFORD H. “OLD MAN ”MCGUCKET - GREEN EYED BROWN TABBY WITH WHITE FEET, CHEST, AND UNDERBELLY DOMESTIC LONGHAIR https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5nQsElzopY This is a mongrel of a cat meaning no special pedigree membership here. They’re fur can be silky smooth when cared for and brushed to keep it from being matted. Unfortunately that isn’t the case for McGucket. Only a select few know that the crazy man who lives in the dump is secretly a genius helping to protect the secret population of werecats in Gravity Falls. He become dusty over the years and his fur highly matted due to him having little to no care about his personal appearance. However this old werecat still has his fangs and claws and will use them if he's provoked too much. BILL CIPHER - BRONZE EGYPTIAN MAU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60zcX3GijYQ Some of you might be wondering why I decided to make Bill a cat too. I could have easily made him another animal. Well I had actually come up with the idea of Bill as an Egyptian Mau even before the idea of the AU came to light. In a way it's what started all of this. Plus it's such a perfect breed for Bill to be - not just because of where they originate from. These felines are not only an extremely rare and ancient breed but also highly intelligent and energetic. The average house cats run at 30 mph but Egyptian maus can go over that, making them the fastest domestic cat. Egyptian maus are one of the two only naturally spotted domestic cat breeds, and their spots are only on the edge of their fur making they unique and one of a kind. They are usually possessive, and have some unique vocals. Much like a certain triangle guy. In this AU Bill is technically a werecat but he only has one form that looks to be a cross between a full-form and a merge-form. Most often he appears completely cat with tail, claws, teeth, eyes, fur, and even whiskers but - despite floating in the air most of the time - still walks on two legs and wears clothes . His front paws can still hold objects like hands and he still has the ability to speak. His face is human in bone structure but cat in forms such as his nose, mouth, ears, and eyes. Also those spots are more like little triangles. His left eye is damaged. It looks like someone took a hot triangle shaped branding iron to his face, burning his fur away and swelling his eye shut. Bill also decided to give himself stitches that cover the entire eye area. These stitches don't really do anything but creep and gross everyone out.