Major Project - Taste - Initial thumbnails

Being that ultimately, the characters would end up being myself and Rob, I'd already had more than enough information in order to design us as characters. The challenge here now being if I can find a suitable art style to render us in based on the visual tenets of my influence maps. I began by detailing what exactly it was that I enjoyed most in the second character influence map. 

After this, it became apparent that I still wanted to try for 3D animation, with the idea to then make the background 2D in order to compensate for the added work lent by choosing that particular pipeline. The closest picture to this particular avenue of design is the image of the girl sitting on the 2D line art rocks. I enjoy the interaction between the two planes, and how simple and effective it is, also noting how dynamic bursts of colour create interest in these simplified designs. 

I began by throwing down some rough shapes in my journal. Playing on the idea of simplification, and really, just working out how it could be achieved in a way that actually looked appealing without losing the ability to impart character through expression. Some designs I like better than others, and to be honest, this was at a point where I hadn't drawn for a while (after being in the grips of the dissertation writing process). So this was very much a process of finding my feet again and recalling Justin's character design lessons, whilst also allowing myself the opportunity to play with the angular style I had chosen. 

 Here's the kicker, I thought I had settled on a style for a little while, and followed it through to a semi-developed state, only to change my mind right at the end of it. Ultimately I don't feel bad about it as during the process I ended up doodling something that lead to being closer to the final design I have today. I'll detail that development in a later post.

This refined design has some appeal, and really did inform design choices I made later down the line. The surviving aspects of this particular trail is the nose, which I just enjoy, despite it not looking correct in any way. I also lost the hat, which, despite being iconic, needed to go. To be quite honest, I just felt that this design was lacking in something, perhaps the eyes were a little off, or I just felt that this was a little too flat and reminiscent of a cutesy South Park.