Self-Reflection:
This module has taught me how to research famous animators and provide thorough analysis of their artistic style. Specifically, I spent much time researching and evaluating the aesthetic techniques of Genndy Tartakovsky (in particular his work on his “Hotel Transylvania” series of animated films). I learned how to research the context surrounding his artwork and to spot major influences (Comics and graphic art) woven throughout. I learned to incorporate his own language of shape, form, colour, pose, etc. into my own work as well. I learned to speak in his own visual tongue. Specifically, I learned how to utilise these elements to create my first ever original character design and 3D Model. I learned that creating a detailed and fully fleshed out character design requires many stages of trial and error. It begins with broad conceptual analyses of Tartakovsky’s work – drawing and writing notes on his artistic style. Then sketching out a range of general and impressionistic ideas that came to mind for this character – before deliberating on what ideas to bring forward. These sketches were then paired with visual image boards I created using pictures gathered from Pinterest to create a general aesthetic and theme around the imagined character. This helped me to generate a better image of the character in my head – but ALWAYS using references to aid my work. Then it was further preliminary sketching before filtering down to the final design I settled on and creating a turn-around for that character so I could better visualise them in 3D space. This design was then taken into Blender and used as a guideline for my 3D modelling process. I learned how to create good topology for my 3D character, which involves creating a clean mesh that is easy to UV-Unwrap and also easier to sculpt with when using Subdivision Surface & Multires Modifiers. After creating my character, I learned how to sculpt them in varying levels of detail before baking my normals. I learned to add greater detail, texture, and colour to them in Substance Painter Pro. I learned how to create a simple armature I could use to pose my character. I also learned how to upload my posed 3D model (and prop) to Sketchfab (an online site/gallery used to display 3D models). I learned how to troubleshoot all of these processes as well as I went along using Mike’s lectures and online YouTube tutorials. This gave me a clearer vision of the full pipeline involved in the 3D Design Process. After all of this I used a variety of progress pictures I had taken throughout the design process to illustrate and write about my work in my personal online blog. I delved into detail about every stage of my process and learned the importance of leaving no stone unturned so that my grade could accurately reflect the amount of work I put into this project. Finally, I learned the importance of asking for help, consulting with my tutors, and relying on the help of my good friends to support my growth as an animator and artist. In turn I was given the opportunity to aid them where they struggled. This was our mutual process of personal and collective development – consisting of late nights and early mornings spent labouring & laughing over whiteboards & computer monitors. 😊