Lady and the Tramp research

 I watched the extras on Lady and the tramp to find out how they created the charatcers. Before starting any concept art the researchers and artists researched into the background history of dogs. They looked into & main dog groups, which most of are in the film.
They decided that Lady would be a cocker spaniel therefore they looked into the behaviour of sporting dogs, how they act, what they like then, ulitmately, what they look like. They then researched into Hounds and terriers to understand the size of the dogs and the behaviours, For example, what makes the hound so famous for sniffing and hunting.

Terriers are usually small dogs however, at times, can have a bad attitude, especially with new people and new dogs. When watching the film again it is clear to see that Jock, the terrier, is a very loyal and loving dog to his friends but when a new dog arrives, Tramp, he growls and becomes defensive. This particularly interests me as you can see from this concept art that he can be happy and loving but can suddenly change to insecure and angry. After watching the extras on the DVD I watched the film again and it is obvious that the concept artitsts really captured the personalities of the dogs.

Image Source:FancySomeDisneyMagic, online, accessed 17th of February 2012 http://fancysomedisneymagic.tumblr.com/post/4184325826/concept-art-for-lady-lady-and-the-tramp

BlackWingDiaries, online, accessed 17th of February 2012 http://blackwingdiaries.blogspot.com/2006/02/on-story-simplicity.html

A Jo with a Blog, online, ccessed 17th of February 2012 http://ajowithablog.tumblr.com/post/7764842381/jock-concept-art-from-lady-and-the-tramp

Walt Disney

"You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality." - Walt Disney

from the Walt Disney Website

Blog quotes

John.K.Stuff, J.K.S. Monday 13th February 2012. johnkstuff.blogspot.com/
Popular
Source:Blog
"When I design characters for myself, I think less about design than I do about personality. In fact, I rarely think at all about it. I feel it instead."

This quote suggests that a concept artist shouldnt worry about the designs and what the character should look like but should focus more on how the character should act, for example, are they grump as you cacn create a whole chracter around a personailty or emotion.

"Usually my own characters start as an idea that rests somewhere between a general character type and a specific variation. Then I let nature take its course and allow the characters to evolve, being pushed along by the stories I write for them."

Not all characters need to be developed by drawings, they can be developed by storyboards and the script. They can change and grow over time into a different looking character, depending on what the story wants

Drawing for animation

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Basics-Animation-03-Drawing/dp/2940373701
Paul Wells, P.W. Joanna Quinn, J.Q. Les Mills, L.M.2008 Basics Animation 03 Drawing for Animation
Ava publishing
Acadmeic
Source:Book
This book is like a step by step guide to drawing and animation however it references work by different animators and artitsts. At the back of the book is has the name of every film that has been quoted or referenced and lists other books and websites to look into.
This book has been really helpful as it has allowed me to look into professional work a lot more and understand how and why the concept art has got to certain stages.

Jungle Book Concept Art

http://animationarchive.net/Feature%20Films/The%20Jungle%20Book/Concept%20Art/

http://www.cinemablend.com/dvdnews/The-Jungle-Book-Concept-Art-6583.html

One of my all time favourite films is Jungle Book. Ive always been interested in the art and creation of the characters. Researching and looking for information i found a lot of concept art.
Concept art interests me as I like looking at how the character developed into the finished character in the film. I like seeing the rough, quick sketches of the characters with different looks and a lot of different colour changes.
The image of baloo and Mowgli is particularly interesting as the colour of the characters have changed over time. In the 1967 release Baloo is a brown bear however over time it has changed into a dark grey colour.
I love the rough concept art of Junior the elephant as they seem very quick and its not about the style of drawing, more about the look and personality of the character.

http://vi.sualize.us/goalin/model%20sheet

/http://animationart.tumblr.com/post/14875562988/shere-khan-milt-kahl

http://theartofanimation.tumblr.com/post/5476331158/disney-concept-art-the-jungle-book

http://fancysomedisneymagic.tumblr.com/post/5757454912/the-bare-necessities-of-life-concept-art-for-the

Bambi concept art

http://drawn-to-life.tumblr.com/post/4793573334/character-model-for-bambi-in-disneys-bambi

I picked this concept art as you can see the basic shapes the concept artist started with before going onto develop more facial looks for the character. Not many of the looks are that different as its clear to see that changing simple things like the eye shape and mouth shape can change the look and mood of the character.

How to make animated films

Image source: Amazon, online, accessed on the 5th of February 2012 http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Make-Animated-Films-Masterclass/dp/0240810333/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330020378&sr=1-1

 White, T.W. 2009. How to Make Animated Films: Tony Whites Complete Masterclass on the Traditional Principles of Animation. Focal Press
popular
Source:Book

“Even show your initial sketches to others for feedback. Ask them to look at your designs and tell you what they think the inherent personalities and attitudes your characters have. Better still, first show them the silhouette versions of your characters and ask them they same questions before showing them your development sketches.” page 244

This book was really interesting as it was a bit like a step by step guide of how to create and develop characters and their personalities. I choose this quote as I feel that a big part of character concept art and development is showing people your work and your ideas and getting feedback on the look of the character as that way you can see if the character works and gives off the style that you are creating.

White explains that once you have the basic look of the character, start on the development and then work and change what things you think would really make the character. It is okay to try out different looks on the facial and body features as it is part of the development.

“Once you have established the broad characteristics of your character, begin to focus down by better defining his or her key essentials. Does the bigger nose really make him or her better? Would the character work better thinner, fatter or more buff? Ask yourself these questions about all aspects of your character. Feet too big? Too small? Are the arms more effective longer or shorter? And so on.” page 245

"Attitude is another aspect of your characters design that you need to visually communicate to your audience. The pose or stance of the character will very much define his or her attitude. If your character is a kind of "wimpy coward" type of guy, you don't want to draw him wuth an aggressive, fighting stance. Similarly, a big clumsy-looking oaf will not cut is as a sensitive brain surgeon. Look at styling in other films and analyse what the attitude of their best characters exude and why they work so well for the parts they play." page 239

This quote explains that the look of the character is also important when trying to convey a certain attitude and personality as you need to crerate a believeable character that appeals to the audience. If the characters body proportions, look and personality dont match then the audience may not take to that character.

Tangled Concept Art

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/tangled/images/19038996/title/rapunzel-concept-art-fanart

I loved Tangled when it was released and couldnt wait to see it as it was Disneys 50th animated feature film. I was interested in how they could create and develop a character from such a well known story.
I have read and looked at many websites and forums, looking into the concept art and development of the Rapunzel character and how it started. The concept artists started by drawing the traditional rapunzel with the long wavy hair and changing little things to make the character look young and up to date.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tangled-DVD/dp/B004E10JCU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330019985&sr=8-1

Up concept art

Image source: Super Punch, online, accessed on the 5th of February2012 http://superpunch.blogspot.com/2009/04/concept-art-for-pixars-up.html

In the film Up the audience meet the main character as a little boy and see clips of him growing up, getting married and turning into an elderly man. Its interesting as you can see the development of the character in the film and how changing simple things such as the style of dress, hair styles and little facial expressions and lines, can age a character

The Art of 3D Computer Animation and Effects

Image Source: Amazon, online, accessed on the 5th of February 2012 http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-3D-Computer-Animation-Effects/dp/0470084901/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1330020291&sr=1-2

Kerlow, I.K. 2009. The Art of 3D Computer Animation and Effects.John Wiley & Sons; 4th Edition edition
popular
Source:Book

 “The look and personality of characters is developed through drawings, sculpture, maquettes, and even computer generated renderings.” page 62

Concept art isn’t just little sketches and drawings; it can range from computer drawings and models that create the look, feel and personality of the character. They are starting base for any character, from the leading main character to a background character.

"Animated characters, just like humans,animals, plants and minerals, come in all shapes. One of the most fun aspects of devloping a computer animation is designing the shape of the characters." pg290

I like this quote as sometimes when creating and devloping characters for other classes you forget that this is the fun side of the designing. This suggests that you have the power in what you are creating and you can alter the personality of the character by changing the look and shape of the character.

"Often the shape of a character implies much about the character's personality or the way it moves."pg 290

As stated in other research, the shape of the character can visualise the characters personality, so can the way it moves, such as the way it walks and bends. When creating concept art, the poses you give the character will matter as it will not look right if you give a strong, bulky character a wimpy, shy pose. The walk of the character will need to follow the same rules. This links into the 12 principles of animation. Characters need to have a personality to be memorable and to actually become a character, however the audience need to believe in the characetr therefore it needs to be appealing. Any characetr can be appealing, as long as it appeals to the viewers eye, if the anatomy doesnt look right and doesnt fit with the personality then it will not be believable to the audience.

animation writing and development

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Animation-Writing-Development-Script-Effects/dp/0240805496/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1332516354&sr=1-1

 Wright, J.W.2005. Animation Writing and Development: From Script Development to Pitch.Focal Press
academic
Source:Book
“However, really outstanding, professional-quality artwork can help sell your show.”

This quote suggests that you can always have a pitch and an idea which can be bought by many people however artwork can really make the project. The art work can tell a story and can really show off a message behind it. This wasn't the first quote Ive seen however it jumped out to me as  a game designer, a programmer or a director can always have an idea, but its the look and cocept art that can make the idea seem real.

This blog will be focussed on researching into the devleopment of concept art of a character. i will be reading up for quotes and iteresting facts about how concept art is created and/or how important it is to a project