Character Development
Process Book A collection of work by James Py
Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2. Initial Sketches 3. Digital Transition 4. Animation Process 5. Poster Conception 6. Finalized Poster 7. Closing Thoughts
Introduction I’ve always had an affinity for characters who are scrappy underdogs. I knew when I first sat down to come up with the idea for Charles that I would want to make him a complicated character. The most compelling thing about his backstory is that he hasn’t had an easy life, and it isn’t fair for so much weight to fall onto his shoulders. Despite his situation, Charles steps up to defend his home without bating an eye. The following pages will display how this spunky owl went from initial sketches on paper, to being animated, and finally a completed movie poster design. Hopefully you will find this process interesting and insightful.
Initial Sketches
Digital Transition
Creating a digital sketch of Charles began with learning the essentials of Adobe Illustrator. Since the initial sketches were all made using sillhouettes, tracing the designs using Illustrator made for a streamlined transition to the computer realm. Once the basic design was created, it was then a matter of manipulating that shape for future variations.
Animation Process After finalizing his look, the next step was to breathe life into Charles in the form of animation. Designing each frame of his movements proved to be a challenging, yet rewarding process. Every segment provided a chance to give Charles some personality. Finally, adding a background and sound effects completed the animation.
Animation Process
Poster Conception
Finalized Poster
Finally, it was time to create a poster to capture the spirit of Charles’ story. It was important to me that the movie poster captured the cinematic nature of the tale, but one of the things I wanted to focus on was the whimsical side of the character. The story is serious yes, but I also wanted to make something that could be enjoyed by all ages. Out of the three final designs I felt that the second one was the poster that captured this balance best. I added more dynamic elements to the title image as well.
Closing Thoughts When I look back at the entire process of making this character, it allows me to see how much I’ve learned. I’d like to thank Professor Zinoveva for teaching me the skills necessary to put all of this together and tank you to my classmates for providing valuable feedback every step of the way. Overall the process has been incredibly fun and inspirational. I hope to take the various techniques I’ve learned this semester and apply it to many aspects of my life, and maybe one day even flesh this story out into a real piece of media.
Thank you, stay in touch. james_py@elcamino.edu