Minor Project: Beggar Head Modelling

Minor Project: Modelling The beggar

Blocking the head shape.
It's been a bit slow as I had to make a few decisions while blocking his initial shape.

Minor Project: Environment Test

I have been trying to find ways to express the minimalist style and ways to translate it into 3D by either modelling in a minimal way or texturing only bits of the models. After experimenting with Maya and trying a quick transparency test on a simple plane, it seems to be the right technique for me. This will allow me to model the environment as a whole and then decide what will be shown through the texturing process.

Minor Project: Orthographic

Here is the orthographic view for the beggar, I might need to revisit it and tweak the face.
Concerning the amount of details, the texturing process will involve the lines from the original sketch therefore I am avoiding including too much detail at this stage. However I will be making changes as I am modelling him. 

Minor project: Concept Art

This won't be the final concept, but rather an experiment to see how the painterly style works and how the head fits with the body.

Minor Project: Developing faces

I have played around with the features and head shapes for the characters, while some of them still need development, I am quiet satisfied with the beggar, storyteller, fortune teller and dancer.

I still need to develop the musician and water-man faces.
I will appreciate any feedback.

    Storyteller

  

Beggar

 Dancer

 Fortune teller

 Musician

Minor project: Developing Faces

It was time to work on the characters faces, keeping an eye on the influences (African masks, cubism), I am trying to incorporate the style into the features while keeping a realistic look to them.
Below is an updated influence map showing the style I am going for, specifically for faces.

These are still rough and need cleaning up and further development:

Beggar

 Storyteller

Storyteller

For the next post I will post sketches of different features which will be taken into Photoshop where I will doing different combinations to come up with satisfying designs.

Lifedrawing 12/11/2014

Minor Project: Environment development

This is a development of the environment, to show the overall style and mood, I have also incorporated two of my characters ( storyteller and beggar) to see how they work in the environment.
At the moment the environment still needs work on the minimalism style.

These are the two main visual influences for my environment:

          
          

Minor Project: Environment Concepts

These are some quick watercolour thumbnails, ranging from abstract extreme close ups to establishing shots.
These will be further developed in Photoshop, making the brushwork suggestive and minimalist ready to be used in the animatic.

Minor project: Photographs

My friend Youness Mohtadi, an ex-classmate and also a very talented Graphic designer has kindly agreed to take reference pictures for my project, back in Marrakech.
Check out his blog here.
These have helped me a lot in terms of character and environment design as well as using them to put an animatic together.

Minor Project: Editing techniques

After my tutorial with Phil about the flow of my animation, it has been suggested to consider discontinuity as an editing technique.
 I have researched into discontinuity and found it relevant to what I want my animation to communicate.

Discontinuity is an editing technique pioneered by Soviet filmmakers of the 1920's, including Sergei Eisenstein. The style of editing is done through a series of jump cuts, unrelated cut shots and dislocations or exaggeration of time/space. These functions lead to a more complex yet engaging experience.

           


I have also looked at the French new wave, a movement during the late 1950's/60's. It is considered as one of the most influential movement in cinema.
It was characterized by a large use of close-ups, freeze-frame shots, fragmentation, discontinuous and long takes techniques.


                              
                             

This will help me put my animatic together (which I am working on) and communicate this disorienting, magical and dream-like experience.

Minor Project: Character walk cycle

            A quick walk cycle experiment done on Animation Desk, an Ipad app.
                           

       

Minor Project: Pitch Presentation

Pitch

Here and Here

Minor project: Slow-motion idea

While thinking of ways to express the mood/emotions of the market experience, I have thought of considering Slow-motion. It will be some sort of metaphorical way to a literal recreation of the past experience.
The effect of slow motion on our minds is really interesting, as it is impressive and more memorable. This is due to the way people react to events, as they perceive events occurring in slow motion and accompanied by a feeling of awareness and vividness.
 It is known that in the mechanism of perception, the brain perceives longer time due to concentrated information.
I believe this will be a very helpful technique to incorporate into my work, as the animation is about rich memories and experiences, to put the viewer into lifelike experience.
I will be experimenting with this when working on the animatic.

            

           

Minor project: Influence and Characters

After having collected keywords about the market from family, I have started researching into the characters listed. (water men, storytellers, fire breathers, exotic dancers, snake charmers, beggars, fortune tellers)
Below are some photographs I have taken during my holiday back home, Morocco, and others I have found very interesting in terms of exaggeration and style.

These are some drawings of the characters I find most interesting, however I will be drawing the rest of the list and pick those who would be more 'influencing'.

In order to loosen up, I have experimented with ink and tried to get the gesture of the characters and went on to draw the characters in a slightly exaggerated, expressionistic style using graphite, charcoal, ink and watercolour.
Next I will be focusing on facial features using the african masks research as well as experimenting with colours to find the right textures.

Lifedrawing: Week1

I was trying not to get lost in details, and work on the overall installation.

                 

Minor project: Drawings

These are some drawings done after the tutorial, however after researching into appropriate styles, the drawings will be more exaggerated in terms of gesture and face features using the influences I have gathered through research.

Minor Project: Animation Idea + Style Influence

After my tutorial with Phil, it has been suggested that a different approach to the project was necessary in order to successfully communicate the message.

The animation will be more focused on my own experience and portraying that exotic, magical feeling in the market rather than an adaptation of the "Last Storytellers: Tales from the heart of Morocco" however it will still be inspired by it and will include voiceover using extracts from the book.

This will be done through slow motion cuts*, from character to another. Some of them will be looking at the camera, others will be doing what they normally do (snake charmers, herbs sellers, storytellers…) 

* This will be clearer as I am working on the animatic.

To start I will gather as much information as possible from family and from personal experience about the market (colour, senses, noises, feelings…) which I will respond to through drawing and painting.

As for the visual style, I am aiming for a painterly style, dynamic, exaggerated and expressionistic gestures which I believe will really emphasise the importance of each pose and action in the shots.

Below are some initial influence images to get me started:

Cubism

An early 20th Century movement that aims at analysing an object, fragmenting it and reassembling it in an abstract form. The object is depicted from multiple viewpoints, thus expanding the subject's context. Some of its characteristics:

- Simplification of objects into geometrical components

- Overlapping planes

- Distortion of the figures

Expressionism

A modernist movement which originated in Germany, 20th Century.

It was developed before WW1 and is sometimes suggestive of fear and anxiety.

Its characteristics include:

- Colour is used as an emotional device rather than a reflection

- Dynamic and distorted forms to evoke a sense of fluidity and movement

- Exaggerated face features

Fauvism

It began around 1900 and focused on the use of painterly, strong colours and wild brush work to evoke excitement. It is also considered as a form of Expressionism. Main characteristics:

- Simplified drawing with dark outline around some elements.

- Bold brushwork

- Use of bright and unnatural colours.


Traditional African masks

Through further research, I have found out that the traditional african masks played a huge role in influencing movements such as Cubism, Fauvism and Expressionism. It would be a great idea to incorporate that in the style, focusing on the exaggerated features and head shapes.