Researching Quadruped Animation

The project is stepping into other stages of animating. A challenge of animating quadrupeds asks for some better research into approaches and techniques. To start with I have looked at real life references. BBC Motion gallery  and Frame Pool websites offer a great deal of sources.

For instance there is a variety of videos of wolves and dogs in differing  situations. Time lapsed videos and those X rayed ones were the most informative. 

At 11 second club , a website for animators, the topics of how to animate quadrupeds directed quickly to Edward Muybridge’s Books. The animators have discussed the images are as useful as giving 70 percent of the entire animation. Therefore this will too be the key source for animating the wolves.

Another hugely useful thing to do was to read about the general breakdown of dog’s move. Apparently, there are mainly 5 types of movement dogs/wolves do:

Diagonal walking – diagonal legs move simultaneously at the same direction

Pacing  - legs on the same side of the body  move at the same time and direction, there is more roling in the body than in trotting

Trotting - (inbetween walk and sprinting) legs move in diagonal pairs, leghtening the distance of coverage , but not  in simultaneous order , so that one of the  feet is  on the ground

Sprinting – ordinary run

Galloping – moving in a series of leaps , front legs then back legs hit the ground , barely touching the ground. (looks like flying).

The animation will be aiming to build a believable yet stylized animation, so I also looked at some existing animations of quadrupeds. Most interesting seemd to be   Andreas Deja, animator of The Lion King’s  Mufasa character take.

 

 In his opinion building animation of animals one has to suggest real animal qualities but in humanized shape (with expressions and body language, behaviour). Also, there are no hands which help to express a great deal of ideas, therefore the concentration goes onto the overall pose attitude, angles of head, face. 
Some other references are films which showcase some wolves animation, such as The Secret of Kells (2009), Princess Mononoke (1997), The Lion King (1994).

So far this was the initial research before going to animating the characters.

Style Approach: References to Native American Art and Design for Theater

The story is taking it's shape, soon we'll work on character and set design and overall style for the animation. Few key sources are informing it: Native American tribe art and (set) design for theater. Amerindians have a symbolic representations for animals,which do vary slightly , here is an example of wolf:

Examples of Totems, pottery, masks, jewelery and spiritual paintings are truly suggestive for shape, colour combinations, surface textures and graphics

The tale is aiming to represent fight happening inside each of us,  in the inner environment. It  has a more abstract feeling , surrealism, lucidity and secrecy about it therefore, the second big influence, as mentioned above, is design for theater performances.

Clear and recognizable structures merge with abstract decorations and fantastic lighting. Volumes interact and start creating something unexpected. Also, it seems one of the major aspects of set design right there is consideration how all of it will play with the surrounding darkness. How the darkens, as one of the key  elements , will play its part. The following example plays with same setting but different lighting approach, which results in mood changes

Lastlly, all the desicions for reference should now come together and be evident and consistent in our own concepts.

AMerican Indian Art and Symbology

 This originally is a post for The Wolves Within project. It is taking shape and this is more substantial referencing.

American indians possessed rich and varied culture: from fisherman to agriculturist, susbsistence and buffalo hunters. Within diverse environments thei evolved a spiritual relationship to forses of nature, deep concern for animals, understanding of human responsibilities . The origin of the art motifs result from this relationship and observation of nature.

Traditional pattern work, images of animals, objects cary specific meaning

Totem poles  recount  legends, notable events, celebrate cultural beliefs and are  artistic presentations.

PicassoPictures, A Company Profile; Part 1:

  

PICASSO PICTURES is one of the UK’s leading independent animation production companies representing a diverse range of directing and design talents. It has a reputation for producing original and highly creative work. 

Therefore the research into company’s profile will be aiming to look into it’s talents, their outstanding directors, profiles. 

As Inga Johnson, a producer for PicassoPictures,  during the visit at UCA pointed out, the works Tokyoplastic's delivered is what studio is most proud of. The founders of Tokyoplastics are Sam Lanyon Jones, background in photography and Andrew Cope, industrial designer. 

Jaded Expression Magazine describes them: “Animation is at its most imaginative and original height. In the same vein as their imagination, there is no line drawn between the mediums of art that they work in”. One of significant examples would be the Drummachine, which won awards and achievements in film festivals all around the world, most notably the people's choice winner of best animation at the 2004 Sundance film festival. 

The animation evolved as a symbiosis between the music and the visuals, a composition of both animation and sound.
 

The other example is of MTV flower, an animated abstract structural growth:


MTV - Flower from tokyoplastic on Vimeo.

Other examples of their work iclude Nokia Pop vs DJ, Nokia Lips VS Mind Reader, Toyota Chase and others
More of profiles on creative crue are comming soon.

Vilain and Sidekicks design visual reference research

I'm going for two distinct feels in character design. For aliens I've researched bugs, insects and bacterias. The visual research boosted up my designs. I saw lots of new shapes and more important,  what feel it brings.

Basic Plot and Influence Map for Character Design Project

There are few things to do before starting to think about villains, sidekick’s and hero’s character designs. We were asked to first think of what is the basic story in whicg these characters play.


The project asks to create these three designs for a Saturday show’s cartoon series.This means the show is family-friendly, and the genre is suited accordingly. So its necessary to think what’s a good approach for both the story and the design.






My words were Aliens and Monsters. And the story is simple:


There’s a planet where tyranny of evil ruler takes place. He’s a powerful vilain who’s much pleased of the extent of his power and feels the need to see evidence of it all the time. He’s accompanied by a loyal servant – his sidekick. In all his characteristis he compliments the Tyron –week and silly, he’s a mere follower, but faithful and concerned.

But like in many stories, there’s a hope for the people to be saved by a strong-harted hero. A trutfull, optimistic, a bit naive fighter for the good of people.




So far I think the idea and the feel of the story resembles that of Samurai Jack (Tartakovski, Genndy; 2001-2004).

The story doesn’t lack of action, humour but at the same time there’s the epic feel , since all the series emphasize and add up to the same goal – To defeat the evil ruler Aku. But the seemingly meaningful idea behind It soesn’t stop from making the animation highly stylized anf full of suggestive design decidions ( textured planes stad for fields of trees ect. )

I  imagine my character design’s to have freedom in style.


Just to give a glimpse of what I have in mind I collected some images on the influence map.

I was looking at all the most amazing designs of aliens and monsters, which still try to keep a good level of believability by paying attention to details (texturing, proportions, final resolution). I’d be reaching for something much like that, impressive original design but enough complex and finessed.  

Research: Principles of Architecture, Ships and models, Extraordinary Chickens

The first idea after listening the music was, it's going to be an emerging structure. Soon after that I started researching architecture and this was what directed idea's development. it is also a good reference of what the construction of the bird could be.

But as the idea was developing and becoming what I wrote about, I started researching ships . So far I think they are going to serve as bricks for my bird, as well as shape and from solutions. There should be lots of elements of ship in the design works.

Also to refresh my eye and just to brake the stereotypical visualisation of birds I'm looking at the extraordinary breeds of chicken. But just to clear things out, the bird structure is not going to be a chicken (even some of those chickens I saw don't looks like chickens at all..). But I needed to see the variety of shapes and feels brought by the shapes ( why some chickens look cute while others, to my mind, perfectly embody pure evil :D :D )

Few other Little things are important to my concept. such as the Sky lantern.

Slime molds...

Today I read a good new, that we can look to other types of slime molds ( myxomycetes, protostelids, not only dyctiostelids) so I had a look around.

What i found was a variety of them. One might look alien to another. There's a variety of shapes and textures as well as colours.

One interesting fact, Hieronymus Boch in his Garden of earthly Delights depicted 22 different slime molds ( try to find it!)

Also I looked at concept art of others. But just to see whats out there, not relating it with my work.