References and block out sketch:

Warm up:

I started of my research with looking at weightlifting competitions specially the ones where they use boulders. Although I didn’t end up doing it that style of weightlifting due to it being too simple and straightforward for what the lecturers were asking of us to do, it did help me with understanding the basics of weightlifting, and how to go about blocking out the rain character pulling a carrot out of the dirt, which is what I ended up going for after some feedback from my lecturers.

I focused mainly on one of the many references I found and took these notes on sync sketch to study the animation which still helped me when making my final animation.

These are some videos that helped me while researching, this animation, to better understand in different angles how they lifted the boulder. Which still was a helpful analysis to have in mind while working on the carrot pulling animation:

• https://youtu.be/8spgvele6LQ?si=jZ0AUdVX5UcbM_T3
• https://youtu.be/rEZfpYa42sg?si=45RpCI6MdjCwqgLI
• https://youtu.be/o19Qshz8jLE?si=Az8UrtnR_TqLaw6N
• https://youtu.be/t32c0GLRvU4?si=vRjaF5wmLnedsnaO

A reference I also used from our previous animations was the run and jump guide from Richard Williams, because many of the key poses I saw on the weightlifting videos reminded me of these key poses:

Eventually I made the block out on paper, using the analysis I did on Syncsketch as a guide:

Carrot pulling animation:

Other then starting off with what I had found previously I need more animation specific to the movements I wanted to achieve in the block out I had done to plan out what I wanted to go for:

I used this for the arches of the back and the fall back.

 

this was a good reference for the struggle on pulling something heavy off the ground, and create an breaking the arms and the arching of the back in action in 3D.

 

The block out I had done previously was a good for starting point for the carrot pulling animation I also ended up blocking out on paper as well.

I also used the idea of the squash and stretch we did in the run and jump animation here as well when the character was pulling on the carrot, to exaggerate the action and emphasise on how hard it is to pull it out of the ground, make it obvious she is struggling and it’s not something easy to pull out of the ground.

In cases where the internet wouldn’t offer all the references I needed, I filmed myself to see how I would naturally go about doing what my character is doing, to achieve a somewhat realistic look. And I really needed a reference for a specific pose:

Because I was having a hard time understanding how she would pull her body back and how her back would bend and her legs would be.