Minor Project: Rough Delivery Man Design

I've put together a very rough design for the Delivery Man character.

After researching what a 1970s delivery man would look like, I came to the conclusion that being that it is a British setting, the most suitable choice would be a run-of-the-mill English postie.

I may alter the outfit slightly, give the impression that the man works for an independent delivery company, although I think the familiar Postman appearance is a bit more humanising and helps represent the audience more effectively. 

Minor Project: Franklin Outfit Finalising and Hairstyle Possibilities

After posting the various colour scheme options for Franklin and receiving feedback regarding the most appropriate selection, I've decided on the colour scheme below.

In this design I have also added a simple pattern to the woollen waistcoat, as well as a tartan-like pattern on the shirt. As before, I've tried to strike a balance between unsettling, fashionable and period accuracy.

As well as the colour options, I also received feedback regarding the appropriate hairstyle for Franklin. 

I couldn't decide between two styles, nor the final colour, so I've posted several variants of both styles below.

Stylistically, I think the brown option is most suitable, as it doesn't clash with the other colours in the design. Although, from a narrative perspective, I am quite fond of the ginger option, as the associated stereotype plays into the 'social outcast' aspect of Franklin's backstory. Although, this pairing of style and colour scream Little Orphan Annie a bit too loudly.

This is quite an adult hairstyle, which plays to the incongruous nature of the character's construction, as well as the 'amateur hairdresser' aspect of Franklin. There is also something quite unsettling of seeing a young child with such a mature and well kept hairstyle. In terms of colour options, I feel the brown works quite nicely, although the implied 'Aryan' aspect of the blonde helps up the unsettling nature of the character. 

Minor Project: Franklin Outfit Colour Options

Below are a selection of colour options for Franklin's outfit. The colours are picked directly from fashion items of the period and matched somewhat accordingly.

Some of the options are more outlandish than others, pushing the concept of pairing unsettling colours to imply a perpetual sense of dread an unease. Others are more muted, more in line with the muted colours of 1970s Britain.

Reading from the top left to the bottom right, I'm quite fond of the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth options (which doesn't narrow it down by much, but still).

Each of these options seem to lean more towards a muted colour scheme, although I feel as though I need to retain a sliver of the 1970s brightness to prevent the outfit from drifting into the 1940s.

Minor Project: Franklin Hair Options

I've put together some possible variations for Franklin's hairstyle. 

Being that he's an aspiring hairstylist, I felt his hair needed somewhat of a flair, even if he is only a child. 

Originally, a sort of unsettling bowl cut was in mind, although having explored some other options, I'm leaning towards options three and six.

Three has an unsettling hint of flair, whilst six is more in keeping with his age and neglected upbringing.

The final hairstyle will probably fall into place when the rest of his appearance is refined.

Minor Project: Further Franklin Development

I've refined several areas of Franklin's design since my last post. Most notably, he is now a bit more proportionally accurate.

As well as his growth spurt, he has also had a slight change of wardrobe. He is currently sporting a wider collar, slightly different waistcoat and an adjusted pair of flared trousers.

He's also grown a set of facial features, although these are placeholders more than anything, and a bowl cut as opposed to the shorter hair he had before.

Franklin still needs a ton more development, but this is the first time since I started designing him that I've felt he's heading in the right direction.

Minor Project: Refining Franklin

Going from my preferred thumbnail, I've quickly drawn up some refinements for Franklin.

I've chosen to retain the simplistic anatomy at this stage, although that may change as the character is developed.

I started off drawing a character that was reminiscent of the teenagers in Dogtown and Z-Boys, although I felt this didn't really fit the setting nor was it at all unsettling.

Moving onwards, I began looking at more snippets from 1970s clothing catalogues, giving Franklin a fairly loose knitted jumper and flared trousers, although this seemed a bit too straight-laced for the character, not to mention its resemblance to Miles from The Innocents.

Finally, I decided to strip back the baggy clothing and instead, give Franklin a knitted waistcoat and long sleeved shirt. I decided to give him some marigolds to add a little incongruity to the outfit. This is probably my favourite of the refinements, hence the colouring, so this will likely be the design I expand upon.

In terms of overall design, I've began looking at paper fashion cutouts and diagrams in knitting and clothing pattern books of the time. Its a very simple, flat style, but I think it may work quite well in my animation, as a good balance between a realistic, yet stylistic environment.

Minor Project: Figuring Out Franklin

I've put together a few of the more successful thumbnails I've been using to develop Franklin's general appearance.

Taking influence from 1970s cartoons such as Camberwick Green and Ivor the Engine, I attempted to keep the general appearance basic, yet expressive.

Whilst I like the design in the top-centre and bottom-far left, I've opted to use the design in the top-far right, as I feel it hits the right notes of my influences (simple, soft geometry, etc) whilst retaining much of my personal illustration style.

Minor Project: Franklin Initial Character Development

In this post, I've assembled a sample of the design process for Franklin. Its still very early days, but the design appears to be slowly finding its feet.

The first group of images are simple form and construction sketches. A jumping off point for the rest of the design. I wanted Franklin to be a fairly typical child, with his general composure giving him an outward impression of eeriness. I drifted towards the image on the far right and built it up from there.

I began to quickly tighten up the form, as seen in the profile silhouettes. I wanted the character to be somewhat stylised and streamlined in his general form, without looking to blatantly odd. Ive also assembled some general outfit variations, adhering to the fashion trends of children in working class families of the 1970s, as well as the addition of an oversized apron for the second act.

I've also attempted to refine the design of Franklin's face. I wanted him to look childlike, but not so young as to look cutesy. I've opted for larger, more spaced out eyes in most of the design, although I'm not sure whether contributes or removes some of the implied menace of the character.

My aim for the character is to have him at least semi-realised by the pitch, and whilst its not looking overly spectacular at the moment, I believe it's possible.

Minor Project: Understanding Your Tidy-Heidi

Understanding Your Tidy-Heidi

Another excerpt from The Tidy-Heidi Owners Manual, this time, an early chapter on the basic in's and out's of the Tidy-Heidi unit, featuring a breakdown of her various components.

Minor Project: Tidy-Heidi Expression Sample

Tidy-Heidi Expression Sample

Here is a sample of how Tidy-Heidi's expression system will operate, with some assistance from an excerpt from The Tidy-Heidi Owners Manual.

As quoted from the manual,

     "Your Tidy-Heidi unit communicates with the user through a series of emoticons, accompanied with a relevant, easy to understand, colour scheme. 

     When the unit is inactive, a blank screen is displayed. When activated, Tidy-Heidi will display the "Neutral" expression by default, accompanied with a blue light. When Tidy-Heidi is reacting positively, she will display the "Happy" expression, accompanied by a green light. In situations where danger is imminent (or if any offspring of the user require scolding), Tidy-Heidi will display the "Angry" expression, accompanied by a bright red light.

     This is simply a brief example of her expressive range. For a full list, turn to page 128." 

Minor Project: Tidy-Heidi Colour Variants

Tidy-Heidi Colour Variants

I've compiled a collection of colour variants for Tidy-Heidi. I segmented the character up into panels and joints, with each being assigned to a single colour. Once I've decided on the overall two-colour scheme, I will work on the specific elements within the character.

Many of the variants have both the panels and the joints coloured, whilst others have simply the panels coloured, with the rubberised material between the joints remaining black. I've chosen to keep the areas which represent the apron white to retain the overall impression of the character being a sort of maid.

Minor Project: Tidy-Heidi Hair Variants

Tidy-Heidi Hair Variants

This is a collection of the various hairstyles I've been experimenting with. I've included the front view of some of the more successful designs I had previously developed.

I'm fond of all of them, although the variation I am likely to go with is either number four or six.  

Minor Project: Tidy-Heidi Development Progress 14/11/13

Tidy-Heidi Development Progress 14/11/13

The rear view is more or less sorted now, just the arms and face to establish. I've thrown a bit of tone into it, just to see how it looks, although I'm not quite sure of it at the moment.

Minor Project: Tidy-Heidi Development Progress 12/11/13

Tidy-Heidi Development Progress 12/11/13

I've developed the front view of Tidy-Heidi in it's most basic state, just laying out the elements that already existed in the side view. I've yet to develop the arms, or properly decide what sort of hair she will have, but in the meantime, I've began to lay out the rear view, quickly sketching out the general layout before committing to the overall construction. 

Minor Project: Tidy-Heidi Hair Tests

Tidy-Heidi Hair Tests

I've began to look into alternative hair styles for Tidy-Heidi. They're pretty human at the moment, but once I've decided on the general style, I'll make it appear more synthetic afterwards. Any feedback around what works best for the character is appreciated.

Minor Project: Modern Robot Design Progress 1/11/13

Modern Robot Design Progress 1/11/13

A bit more progress on the profile development of my Modern Robot character. I've mainly focused on incorporating the functional elements, such as the vacuum cylinder and intake vents. I've added a couple of visual elements that imply a particular appearance, notably, the front panels and the cylinder plastic arranged to resemble an apron. I'm pleased with how things are coming together so far, and it still appears to be retaining the particular aspects that highlight that it is the updated equivalent of the Older Robot character.

Minor Project: Modern Robot Design Progress 31/10/13

Modern Robot Design Progress 31/10/13

I've began to design my Modern Robot character, using modern appliances as reference. As this character is the updated model of the Older Robot, I've kept certain elements from the Older Robot and redesigned them to make this transition more apparent. Its far from finished, but the general design appears to be there. 

Minor Project: Older Robot Design Progress 31/10/13

Older Robot Design Progress 31/10/13

This is the latest progress on my turnaround for my Older Robot character. I've based the bottom half of the robot on the Sinclair C5, with the upper half based on the Dyson Cyclon vacuum cleaner. I've yet to finish the arms or the head, although the general appearance is more or less final. The colour choices may change, although they will remain heavily influenced by the beige/yellow plastic of the era. 

Minor Project: Older Robot Revised Design

Older Robot Revised Design

After receiving feedback on my last set of silhouettes, I've significantly redesigned my Older Robot character to fit my influences more accurately. The image below is incomplete at the moment, but I wanted to get hold of some feedback before I worked too far into it.

This design is considerably more reminiscent of robot characters and toys from the 1980s, as well as being built in a way that implies its functionality. Instead of being bipedal, it now rolls on a set of wheels, designed to house accessories such as a vacuum cleaner head and rotary lawnmower blades. It is also closer in design to what I have in mind for the Modern Robot, making the fact the the Modern Robot is an upgraded model of the Older Robot more apparent. I've still chosen to give it arms, although the head is now house within a dome, much like the Tomy Omnibot. The general aesthetic is still strongly influenced by beige, plastic household appliances of the 1980s and overall, I feel as though this is getting closer to how I believe the Older Robot should appear.

As always, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated. 

Minor Project: Older Robot Head Concepts

Older Robot Head Concepts

These are just a few basic concepts for the general head structure of the Older Robot. I'm easing myself in somewhat to the design process by designing a portion of the characters at a time, so I've began with the head.
I've taken influence from my 1980s and 1990s Male Character influence map, trying to develop a resemblance with the geeky, doofus character I'm attempting to develop.
The first two designs feature a speaker grille in place of a mouth, acting as the source of the music in the third act. The third design is mouthless, with the music coming from elsewhere on the body, whilst my idea for the fourth design was along the lines of an oscilloscope or something similar (although you can't see in these current designs, as for some weird reason, I always design things in profile first... bit of an annoying quirk...).
Personally, I'm torn between the second and third designs, with the overly nerdy aesthetic of the second design being particularly appealing to me (featuring dome-head screws resembling pimples and a speaker grille as braces).
They'll be further development soon, so keep an eye out!