Hermit Crab Blocking model

Hermit Crab _Orthographic

This is a refine drawings after the tutorial with Alan.

Before

After

Environment- modelling

For my environment , most of it will be texture on a plane but I have model some props to make the space more 3D than theatre. 

Script edited recording

Last week I have the privilege to go to Maidstone studio to record my script and this is the  final edited version out of different test.

Minor Project_ Flash Professional with Maya

As what my animation style is going to be heading line arts and sketching style, I have watched some tutorials on You tube and start exploring how to use Adobe Flash. The first animation is a trial of get used to the software. After that I export the file as a sequence and lay out as a transparence texture in Maya which show in the second video. 

 

 

 

   



  

Minor Project _ style refine

Phil has sent me these videos as a references for my animation style, as my concept at the minute was a bit too complex on screen , but these are very simple but effective

Minor Project _ transparence experiment

I have re-visited my previous work and took the glow away. I have also lay out my paining as a texture.

Minor Project_ Orthographic_ Hermit Crab

This is the Orthographic map of the Hermit Crab and I have removed the cloak to just clear up the figure .

Minor Project _Pitch

Minor Project_ Pitch

Minor Project _ Title_test

Minor Project _ Hermit Crab Concept Art

Minor Project_ Character Colour test

Minor Project_ Concept Art _ Hong Kong

Minor Project_ Hermit Crab thumbnails

These are some Hermit crab thumbnails which I have created, I was trying to combine  my portrait of  and the shells structure of the crab to present myself.

Minor Project _ HK concept art_ thumbnails

I have created more thumbnails about Hong Kong, I like the style of top right and the composition of  the bottom left one. I think I could combine those two together and test with the colours as well.

Minor Project _ more researches about Hong Kong

I have found a animation that about Hong Kong and also the cartoon I used to watch when I was little and it was all about Hong Kong. These give me ideas of how could the landscape look like.

Minor Project_ concept art thumbnails

These are some concept thumbnails I have created about the HK world and how would it looks like.I mainly focus on the busyness of Hong Kong traffic and the memories of travelling in my childhood. And I was thinking to use backpack, letters or paper and glasses to represent the people rather make them all appear in the scene. It will be flying around and cross over each other.But after I have done those drawings, I think I need a bit more control of the colour.

I looked at some of the images I have select and using it as a references of the colour.

Minor Project_ Style development

After I have created a simple model in Maya and UV it, these are some images I was making the process of texturing. I tried not to lose my drawing style in maya and these are some experiments I have been exploring.

 I have put a transparent outline around the model to make it blurry and effective.

 sRGB image

 RAW image

 sRGB image

 RAW image

 sRGB image

 RAW image

Line up (sRGB)

Line up (RAW)

Minor Project_style development

After I had a tutorial with Phil last Friday, he suggested me to explore in maya to experiment the way I can keep my illustration style in 3D space. Therefore I have quickly created an shell model and laid out the UV for tomorrow so I can put different texture on. 

Minor project_Second draft of voice over script

This is my second draft of my voice over script, I have trimmed and organised a bit more from the last voice over and tried to make the story more focusing on what I want to share. 

Minor Project_ Inner world development

After creating the animatic, I think it looks a bit flat in a way to present the inner world/ imaging world of the story in visually. Therefore I have looked at different researches to get some inspiration. Alan suggested me to watch "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" to get some idea.

 

For the Hong Kong shell, because Hong Kong is always busy to me so I am thinking to create a busy metropolis under the sea which relate to Hermit Crabs and sea animal.

 

And for the England shell, because UK always raining and I think it could be something happen in that world and the England building at the background and the water push me to land and find the three shell.

Minor Project _Animatic scene- Hermit crab go into the shell

To understand the structure and how I should transit the scene from the beach to the inner world of the shell and get out of it, I have created an animatic specific for experimenting if that would work. I have edited one with sound and one without to see if that will make sense to each other or not. This is the scene after the introduction shot on the beach and the young hermit crab saw the Shell of Hong Kong.

 

Without sound

With sound

Minor Project _ shell thumbnails

These are some thumbnails I have created about the shells.

 

 While I was doing those sketching, and I think it would be cool to create something relate to Hong Kong. And the tower of Babel comes to my mind which I think I could build the whole Hong Kong city on the shell.

These are the thumbnails I have created after inspired by the idea.

 

Minor Project_ Voice over

This is my voice over about my story. It is a bit awkward to record and listen to my voice but I made it for my first draft, I also try to keep the time less than 4 minutes as well so it is not over time.

Minor Project_ Storyline

This is my storyline that I am thinking about how would the animation going and what things will be showing on screen and to line up with my voice over. I will have a main scene which is the beach, and will have three shells which are Hong Kong and England and after I become a Christian, when the crab get into the shells, it will like travelling the imagine world. The animation timeline will be from the morning to evening.

-Introduction of the scene which is on the beach (Main scene) which is in the morning.

-Zoom in the the Hermit crab (myself), walking searching on the beach like a kid. 

-Get into the first shell (which is my hometown-HK),  camera shows the design at the same time  when the crab get in to the shell.

-[Shell of HK] There will be lots of door and the crab is travelling to different one to show how I feel  when I was young keep moving to someone's care.

-[Main scene] carrying the HK shell and walk on the beach.

-People's foot start walking in the scene (presenting school, family voices of what they think I should  be)and the ground is shaking and the crab try to escape and not get kill.

-The tide is rising as the day pass by and the water run towards the crab (represent myself arrive to  England) and it found another shell when the water fall back.

-The crab look around the shell first before it gets in because of the last experiences.

-It gets into the second shell(which is England)

-[Shell of England] There is nothing there and empty/full of sand and the crab is falling down/sinking (as there is nothing  I am leaning or standing on) and it fall down on a rock and found the third shell.

-Introduce the third shell which is a glass like texture as well. The crab walk closer to the shell carefully and the reflection shows itself how it looks like, it get into the shell slowly and it fit prefect to it. It finds a shell that it belongs to.

-[Main scene] It is almost evening and the hermit crab walking on the beach. As the sun light goes, the hermit crab start glowing in the dark and walk confidently of how it looks like and the shell it belongs to.

-Zoom out of the beach showing actually there are lots of different kinds of  hermit crab walking on the beach as well (we all looking for our identities and where we belongs to ).

Minor Project _ Art direction researches

For my art direction and style I am looking for a big comparison between the Hermit crab and the environments and objects around it. Therefore I tried to  get some inspirations though researches and references. And I have found this video on Vimeo which helps me to think about the temple and movement of transition. 

Although I will test it myself to see if it will look nicely in transparence with impressionist texture environments, this is something I imagine when I think of texturing the crab in glass like texture.

As I am going to texture the crab to transparent, it gives me to create some interesting texture animation on the surface or inside the crab when the animation goes on. Rosalyn has suggested me to add this kind of movement at the below video, colour changes when the emotion change in my animation which I think it is very interesting.

She also showed me some  images of glowing animals in the sea which inspired me that to present my story in a different way.

Minor Project_ Art style development

After the tutorial on Friday with Alan, This week I am focusing on the storyline and style I am pushing forward to. Alan suggested me to think about how to present the hermit crab when it is changing the shells, when it without a shell and how to not make it too gross. I start researching how they looks like in structure and colours.

As this is a personal story and the hermit crab as the shadow of myself. Rather just create a texture of how they look like, I refresh my thinking of how I used to think myself in my memories. And an interesting thing come up to me is that I used to think I am one of those who are invisible. I was in a invisible bubble living my own life, people comes and goes and being busy and I am not going anywhere. Somehow I felt like I am an Alien to those around me and lead me to think where I belongs to. Therefore I am thinking to texture the crab in transparency or glass like texture to express and bring out the difference between the crab and the environments and objects.

 

 

Minor Project_ Mindmap

As for this project I would like to create different environments when the crab is in different shells/objects. Therefore I try to use  mind map to think and organise what I want to talk about and how I feel about those environment.

I am thinking to create three to four environments and animated when the crab go into different places or shells. I simply wrote down how I felt and experienced in those environments. To be honest I think it will be an open ending for my animation because I am still on that journey. I am imperfect, but I know I am getting there and everyday I am getting closer.

 

I am going to start recording myself of telling the story instead of writing a script first, because it is a personal story and feelings which I feel more comfortable to bring out what I want to say .Then I can organise what I am saying though doing the script.

Minor Project _ Thumbnails & Visualise ideas

As I was inspired by those impressionism paintings, I have created some thumbnails today in experimenting and exploring what I want. These are some thumbnails I created about Hong Kong where I was born. In my memories Hong Kong is always busy and lot of noise, the atmosphere is very humid and foggy.  

I have also created something in Maya to visualize what is my idea on my mind. As I am telling my story with  lots of memories and flash back from the past, I think edit different things relate to my past like pictures and videos, will be interesting flowing at the background while I am speaking.

Art direction and style

For the idea of Hermit Crab , I imagine this kind of styles and impression appear in my animation because part of my animation is from my memonries which feel strong but quite bury as well. I have looked at few artists like Max Ernet, Georhes Seurat and Monet for inspirations.

Year 3 - project proposal- personal story

Over the summer I have been thinking what to do in the future and I would love to become an illustrator and artist for children books and animations. I would love to explore and focus more on my personal style and environment designs in the coming year. Therefore I would like to create a year project, an animation base on my personal story, a testimony of myself finding my identity and security.

 

My idea come from  the Hermit Crab and  visualise my story into this concept. Hermit Crab is a kind of crab which keep changing shells as they are growing. Since I was little, my parents always been busy in work and I was under care by different family members or nursery centre and I was always confused where am I going, who am I staying with. I didn't understand the different between shelter and  home. As I was getting older , it is no just about a physical home anymore but I went into different "shells" like family, school, relationships where people told me who I am, how I should be and what I should become.

 

The main scene will be the crab walking on the beach as the timeline of my journey. I would like to create different environments or world when the crab get into different shells/ rubbishes /objects, and the environments will be animated line up with my voice over.

 

These are few researches I have been looking at: