Cloud Cuckoo Land: Initial concept art

I created this piece of concept art last term as part of the minor assignment and build up to the final major project. I had a bit of trouble coming up with a concept that I was content with when I was first designing this, and went through several cycles of design processes before making this collage.
I stuck with the idea of the birds carrying the city, as this made logical sense to me in terms of the context of the story: A city run by birds, and its inhabitants wish it to fly; a rational thought to the bird characters of flight would be making it fly themselves, as opposed to creating advanced technology, propellers, etc.

The bottom of the city is created from shapes of amphitheaters, inspired by the original Greek roots of the play. It also creates quite a unique shape, and a base for the city to rest on.
The buildings I wanted to look stacked, built one upon another, mimicking trees and nests.
Overall, I'm happy with this as concept art but will probably look deeper into this aspect of design especially if I'm considering building a part of it; I'll need to know what the streets and details of the city look like.

Final Character Designs: Concept Turnaround

This is my final design for the minor character of 'Prometheus'; Zeus nemesis, and the character that gives the two men a hint on how to beat the king of Gods.
Sly and cunning, I based his design off a quote from the original text "A fox is subtlety itself", tying my theme of anthropomorphism into the design too. I wanted it to look like Prometheus had thrown on a mask and cloak as his disguise for patrolling the city in search of Euelpides and Pisthetairus, steering clear of Zeus' watch from the heavens. Because I wanted it to be obvious that it was a disguise and not an actual animal, I designed a large lumpy hunchback, a mask with boldly contrasting colours so it wouldn't look like it's connected to the rest of the character, and used a silhouette of a person hiding beneath a blanket as inspiration to create his shape.

His cloak will be made from a collection of foraged materials that the character would be able to create or collect himself; leaves, hair, feathers, twigs. How I would want it to appear is a moving, rustling, life of its own, maybe even squirming or morphing slightly, in order to hint Prometheus' immortal powers as a God. (Below the turn around mage I created  a small sheet of certain textures that could be used for the cloak, or that the cloak texture and pattern could shift between.)

Even as a minor character, I wanted to put as much effort and development into Prometheus as I would do a main character, as I feel that the personality and justifications to the design will be better fleshed out this way. By undertaking the full character design process, I was also able to learn more about my environment, and also consider more deeply the making aspects of this assignment. At first, I wanted to create an immovable concept model of this character, about 4 inches tall, as a display model for showcasing the film it would be in. However, through developing these ideas I realised that in retrospect, that idea is quite boring and not really furthering skills or narrative any further. This way I was able to come to much more in depth or challenging ideas.
Overall though, I'm pleased with my design, and think it could be interesting as some kind of large costume piece, rather than a small model!

Owl Character Progression.

Wanting to progress my characters so I can begin finalising the designs, I concentrated on creating a small expression sheet for the Owl character I've been working on. Here I focused mainly on experimentation of potential facial features as well as body shape and posture. I've yet to figure out the exact fashion for the Owl, but as the facial expression and features are what I'd like to take forward into a minor sculpting project, this is what I've been making sure to concentrate on. I will of course figure out the Owls personality and role in the bird city as a whole, as I'd like for my designs to have backstory, justification and a sense of three dimensional depth to their characterisations.

I chose three expressions to work on in Photoshop that, between them, showed the most diversity; neutral, shocked and annoyed. I also chose a full body sketch to show the kind of proportions I'm looking at, at the moment.
My next steps from this will be finalising the design, confirming the personality and characterisation, then sketching out a final expression sheet in order to begin sculpting. I think this order is quite important, as I want to have the personality and characterisation fleshed out before I start thinking how this character would expression emotion.

Character Focus: Epops the Hoopoe.

After looking at the costume piece of the bird mask and discussing the narrative behind it, I wanted to begin concentrating on finalising my choices of character focus. With current events in place, I've taken slight inspiration from certain American politicians in creating this power hungry ruler. First drawing this out in my sketchbook, then taking it over to Photoshop, I've accidentally coloured him to be slightly brighter and healthier looking than I had imagined. I'll probably go back to Photoshop to rectify this, as well as draw out versions of the Hoopoe at different points throughout the film.

This concept art pictured above was to be a representation of him at the beginning of the film; in power over the rest of the birds, he makes an attempt to be formal but it feels a little forced and like he perhaps isn't 100% sure of his decisions himself. He puts on certain graces and takes pride in a diminishing appearance.

After committing unspeakable crimes as a powerful man, he was transformed by the high court and sentenced to live out his days as a Hoopoe; a bird with a 'crown' of feathers, thus mocking his reduction of power. My design will establish this narrative choice by having his feathers falling out as the film goes on and as his character is becoming weaker compared to the two human men, his 'crown' begins to fall.

I've given his clothing a colour scheme of black, white and shades of orange and red in order to replicate the colours of the actual birds plumage. He has twisted, naked 'chicken wing' type 'arms', that were formed after he attempted to turn himself back into a human; this is the only the first of the bodily changes he experienced though. His beak will begin to weaken and chip away, and his feathers will be all but gone by the end. In order to combat this, Epops has a bird mask made, allowing him to keep his once proud and strong beak, and he tries to sew the feathers back into himself in an attempt to maintain his pride and composure. Really though, all this is doing is making him look more and more silly, and it's clear that by he end he's a bit of a mess. It's these changes and the damage to his hubris that sparks him trying to win back the birds and take down Pisthetairus and Euelpides, but I have yet to write that part of the altered narrative in full as of yet, as it's changes to the story I've come to through the designs I've been creating.
The slightly dark narrative of Epops losing his beak and beginning to heavily molt ties into the dark and twisted aesthetic I'm interested in creating, as well as showing the characters downfall.

My next steps will be to create some 'in-character' sketches of expression perhaps, and to create chronological pieces of concept art for this character showcasing his design at various points of the film.
I will also finalise and decide on my other characters that I will be taking forwards so i am able to begin making within the next week.  

Mask Designs

While re-conceptualising the city itself, I've also been thinking about further character designs and translating these into areas of practise. One of the previous ideas I was thinking of progressing was the plague doctor bird mask. This is potentially for the character of the Hoopoe, who becomes more and more decrepit and fallen apart as the film goes on, as is hinted at the beginning of the original play.

The concept I have for his character at the moment is that he used to be human, but on a mad hunt for power and wealth he committed terrible crimes. His punishment was to be transformed into a harmless Hoopoe bird. On his quest to turn back into a human, he discovered a root that had properties of transfiguration. However, upon eating this, rather than turning him back into a human he was morphed into a half bird, half twisted human hybrid, explaining why he is constantly molting and is somewhat humanoid. It also justifies the Hoopoe going along with Pisthetairus' and Euelpides plan of forming power and alliance with the birds.
Because of this plot line I've written as the Hoopoe's narrative, it wouldn't be a far stretch to create a villain from this character; someone who starts off supporting and befriending the main characters, but for ulterior motives. Later on he could betray them, or want to overthrow the city becoming king himself.
Currently this is only an idea for the narrative I've come up with after designing and furthering my project through sketches and visual development, but I really like the idea of a hoopoe styled plague doctor mask that acts to hold together this character. I think  a lot of story could be told behind this one piece of costume. 

Above shows some simple thumbnail concepts I've drafted up looking into different shapes and styles. I think it's important to start with silhouettes when figuring out a piece of costume like this, as I need to see the overall look and form before trying to figure out more intricate details.

Photoshop Tutorial

As a lot of the work I've been doing and will continue to do for this project is design based, I've been generating a lot of concept art as a result. I decided to get a tutorial with Jordan on different ways to use Photoshop and ways of creating character designs. Previously, we've done a lot of work on environments, composition and colour comps, but I specifically wanted to understand how to start drafting up character design on a professional level.
As character design is the aspect of both design and making that I enjoy most, I feel that these lessons will be particularly useful in taking what I enjoy to a professional level, and begin looking into placements or opportunities for.

Above shows some of Jordan's work he drew out while chatting about how silhouettes are a great way to start off a character; this concentrates on the shapes, and important personality traits such how they hold themselves, which can say a lot about a character!
For this we focussed on the owl librarian I've started concentrating on as one of the characters I may potentially take forwards into the making process.

Firstly we experimented with simple silhouettes and brushes, focussing on body shapes. It was also illustrated how photographs and objects can be worked into an image in order to create new and unique concepts.

City Concept Rework

Inspired by 'Monument Valley', I've tried my hand at that style a little bit, but teamed it with the Athenian architecture and windmill idea I've been looking into. These were first doodled out in my sketchbook, then transferred into Photoshop.

With these images, I essentially played with colour palettes and shapes. This style was surprisingly quite time consuming as it had a lot of layers to each image, and getting the lines parallel and in a perspective that made sense and didn't look out of proportion was quite a challenge.

As general ideas and basic pieces of vector concept art I'm pleased with them, but still see that the development and style still has some way to go. However, I'm excited to begin getting to know this city better, now I have a better idea with what direction it is I'm taking the aesthetic.

Concept Art Collection

SKIN TEXTURE: FEATHERS

OWL SECURITY GUARD

CLOUD CUCKOO LAND BASE IDEA

Above are a collection of pieces of concept art I've been working on this morning. They cover three different areas of the world I'm creating: Realism and interpretation, character design and environment.
These ideas are all originally in my sketchbook, but I chose these three to take into Photoshop and experiment with further as I felt they had more potential.

Firstly, I've begun to consider my own interpretation as well as the mediums I could study for my areas of practice. So far I've mainly looked into maquettes and puppets for use in stop motion animation, with specific interest in Laika Studios. However, the idea previously suggested of a lab of prototypes using different materials and processes could be very beneficial and exciting to undertake, as well as avoiding the risk of accidentally pigeon-holding myself into one category. This illustration was based on a rough sketch I did when thinking about how the characters of Pisthetairus and Euelpides would grow feathers once they eat the root that grants them wings. I came the conclusion that it would be a more realistic interpretation and a definite stylistic choice to have the mens arms turn into wings instead of having then sprout angelically from their backs. This could not only add to a potential gothic aesthetic, but also perhaps show a young audience that in order to gain something, you have to work for it or make a fair excahnge? This is a moral I'll be working more on, as so far I don't feel that 'The Birds' has much of a moral story behind it.
The drawing itself depicts the dark navy feather sprouting out of the skin; something I could later on turn into maybe a piece of costume, like a glove, or several prosthetic pieces!

Secondly, the Owl Security guard was a small doodle I did when thinking about the different properties of the birds mentioned in the texts. I already have a fascination with Owls, and was regarding the way they're able to turn their heads almost 360 degrees. This trait they have reminded me of security cameras, and putting the two together I sketched out the Owl Security Guard:

His nocturnal eyes perfectly suited to dark environments, they watch from the doorways and corners of nightclubs, not missing a single trick or drunken antic. Their heads swivel slowly at first, silently scanning the floors of dancing birds, then a sharp turning their heads back to front at any loud noise or sudden movement. No one would dare try anything under their watch.

Thirdly, is my base idea for the city so far. I'm really pleased with this piece as an illustration, but definitely need to work on a stronger concept. As the city is built in a matter of days, there would be no time for grass to grow, and I would also like it to appear more home made or have attributes that help the viewer believe it was built by birds. Maybe have buildings stacked one on top of the other, or look like the city itself has grown from the inside, then been constantly built upon. Looking into architecture could help this too.

Overall I'm very happy with these pieces and can begin to see an improvement in my work, especially when it comes to technique, which I'm pleased with. My next stages will be:
- Begin to research processes and methods I can prototype and begin basic making ideas.
- Focus on specific characters to create specific designs for.
- Research architectures and create a strong concept for the environment for the city itself.

Island Concepts: Photoshop Brush Experimentation

Taking a few of the rough sketches I drew out of the island as a whole from my sketchbook, I've practiced using a few different methods and warm ups in Photoshop. I was inspired to try this more often after being pleased with how the look of my bird priest concept character turned out.

From comparing these three thumbnail drawings, I think that image 2 has the most detail, realism and tone to it. However, this also took the longest to draw out by quite a substantial amount of time.

1 looks the most cartoon like, but this could also be down to use of colour; for drawings 2 and 3, I changed the palette for a much more muted tones.

Ultimately, I think the method used in image 1 gets the concept/ colours and shapes across the fastest, so could be suitable for quick drawings or storyboards. 2 has the most detail so could be used for more in detail concept art of characters, objects or specific places maybe. 3 has a really interesting texture to it, so could be used for feathers, stone, grass, plants etc.

Further Character Concepts

Based on the quote "A Fox is subtlety itself", I designed a loose concept for the character of Zeus's nemesis and infiltrator of the birds city; Prometheus. He sneaks in to inform Pisthetairus of the God's starving condition, hinting on how to dethrone Zeus. He enters the city in a disguise so as to go unnoticed by Zeus or the other Gods. Tying the quote about foxes being subtle and inconspicuous, I came up with this draft concept for Prometheus' disguise: A large hunch, a textured cloak adorned with dry leaves and weird curled shapes. The foxes mask ties back to the quote and is an anthropomorphic link to the animal symbolism I'm using. For this piece of concept art, I went back to the brush and lasso technique I'm familiar with, as I thought it would suit this image better than the previous methods practiced. However, I did experiment with creating the texture on the body section, as I didn't want it to just look like a flat, blank colour.  

What inspired this character was noticing that at one point in the script, religious ceremonies to worship both the birds and the two founding men are created by the birds; hence the idea of a priest character came to mind. This is however, is a concept with a lot of holes; I would need to consider what religious symbolism would actually be used, or what robes could be worn. What I drew was a quick doodle with these ideas in mind.
I based this character on a Gerfalcon, as they have quite a wise but stern look about them, which is how I remember priests to appear when I was younger. However, it still has a piercing eye and very stern demeanor which I like, and I think suits the role.

I used a new technique in Photoshop for this drawing after downloading a new set of brushes. The lasso tool wasn't used at all! Which is a very big step from the usual techniques I've been using. Instead I selected a few different brush styles that gave really interesting textures and look a lot more organic than the lasso technique style. This method was a little more time consuming, (hence why I only did the main body and head) but I'm actually really happy with how it came out! It looks a lot more realistic this way, with the opportunity to add in a lot of different kinds of details, e.g. the dappled grey plumage and highlights around the eyes and beak. 

Messenger Bird: Photoshop Experimentation

This was the second messenger bird I drew; this time I wanted to experiment with using Photoshop differently to what I'm used to, so went for a patchwork watercolour look. The brush was a lot of fun to use, (the actual texture of the brush can be seen in the dark blue line across the cream background rectangle.) I had to figure out a lot of issues that arose with the layers, making sure that they were blended enough to be able to see the pencil drawing underneath.

Overall I like the watercolour brush, but I definitely need practice in this area, to make it look more realistic. Right now I think it actually looks a little messy, so looking up a few tutorials may be beneficial.

Messenger Bird Concept

As there was a recurring theme of a messenger announcing key plot points throughout 'The Birds' I began considering what these messengers could look like and sketched out the idea of a postal/ delivery/ messenger bird. These could be a flock of small hummingbird type characters that flit around, and due the their speed, size and number, are able to quickly pass on information throughout the entire city very easily.

I firstly drew this out in my sketchbook, then took it over to Photoshop to colour it. I used my usual method of the 'brush' and 'lassoo' tool to get defined edges and crisp lines. However, from looking at other artists styles I'd like to branch out and experiment a little more with how I use Photoshop. For this image I used a new brush for the wings to try and make them look a little more feathered. I'm not sure this was too successful, but I learnt a lot more about the program by just using the tools a little differently and trying something new.

Owl Concept 2; Initial Doodling

Second owl idea. I didn't draw the entire figure this time as wanted to concentrate more on the facial expression and putting a little more detail into the costume. I like the concept of the owl librarian, as it could include a dusty and dark environment for the nocturnal creature to dwell in. The connection with books also connotes to the Greek god of wisdom; Athena, whose symbol was of an owl. 

Owl Concept 1; Initial Doodling

After beginning to research aesthetics and character design within animation, stop motion and music videos I decided to begin doodling out a few characters of my own. I began with owls, as they one of my favourite kind of bird mentioned within the text. This concept has no real solid research behind it, and started as a sketch from my head of the kind of character I'd like to develop. Obviously this design is quite humanoid; wearing human clothes, with elongated proportions, but I think she's quite a cute character.

I'm happy with this as an initial design, but later on I would definitely want the design to reflect the text more. This was basically a warm up concept to gather an idea I thought was quite fun, as well as get back into the swing of Photoshop.
As this is centrally a design and prototyping project, getting back into practicing concept art should be one of my goals for the research and development part of this assignment.

On reflection I should also change the document size next time, so as to avoid the image coming out as pixely before I start drawing!

Orpheus Initial design

Moving forwards from the mood boards and historic research, I drafted up a simple initial design for the character of Orpheus.
- Slicked back hair, but made to look a bit messy, like it's been slicked back for a few days.
- Grey waistcoat. Men in the 50's had a very limited dark palette of dark browns, blues, and greys.
- Patched up and re-repaired braces underneath the waistcoat, giving opportunity for the waistcoat to be removed in scenes, e.g. If Orpheus is sitting at the piano, he could have the waistcoat over the back of the chair.
- Rolled up sleeves, give a more informal vibe as well as shows that he cares more about working than appearance.
- Simple black trousers and tie.
- Black shoes; actors own.
- Makeup would be simple dark circles beneath the eyes and potential contouring to create gaunt, tired features.
- The whole thing should be distressed and emphasise the lack of wealth and social situation Orpheus is experiencing.

Character head designs.

As well as full body costume designs I've decided that the face and head need special attention in order to convey the characterisation I desire. At this point I'm unsure what the personality of the mermaid will be so have drawn them fairly expressionless. All of these looks could be created through use of makeup and prosthetics. In terms of design, I wanted to achieve a thin, wide mouth, and small shaped nostrils as a base. The makeup patterns, ear shapes, face shapes and eye colour choices then vary from each design.

Drawn in photoshop with a mouse.

Concept art: Catfish mermaids.

Final design concepts for the Catfish inspired mermaids.
- Bald heads: I don't think long flowing hair would suit these designs, being bald makes the overall look more streamlined. My logic was 'fish don't have hair; it's useless in an underwater environment so I decided against it.
- Simple tops: A tank top with an under bust corset or simple high necked vest top. Gills or stripes wrapped around the sides of the body. Stick to simple colour scheme of orange, grey, white, red. Could buy tops cheaply to then dye up and distress or appliqué/ sequin.
- Tail sewn with a gradient dyed through it and patches appliquéd up the length. Tail fin a different darker colour.
- Body paint: Pale washed out colours with scales textured on up and down arms.
- Face paint: Differs with design but sticks to same basic colour palette. Sclera contact lenses would be ideal but are quite an expensive accessories for such a small part of the characters design, and can be easily done with photoshop too. Ears can be photoshopped on, but if I have time then making these would be ideal.

Drawn in Photoshop with a mouse.

Concept art: Clown twins.

Final design concept for 'The Conjollie Brothers': Conjoined clown twins.
- A creepy vibe to them expressed through dramatic contoured makeup and pale faces.
- More neutral colours are displayed here to go with the old fashioned freak show vibe.
- The two heads could be achieved through Photoshop and duplicating the models head.
- Bowler hats express a nod to 'Laurel and Hardy', a comedic duo who famously wore this style hat.
- In retrospect, adding ruffs, collars or bow ties around the neck could have been beneficial in design. This way cutting out and replicating the heads in Photoshop may be easier, as there will be no neck to line up or make look anatomically correct. I think that this will be something that is later incorporated into further designs and concepts for the character, as it will probably be a worth while addition in both aesthetic and editing.

Eurydice Cage Concepts

After researching visuals of cage fashion, I doodled up some concepts of my own. I used a simple silhouetted style to draw in for now, as the costume will probably be minimal in detail itself to support the time frame and budget for the project.

The performance requires the other characters who are dancers in the scene to walk with chains or ropes around Eurydice supporting the imprisoned theme, so this choreographed choice has been relayed into the designs.

1. This design displays a simple caged skirt that could be made from boning, fabrics or ribbon. The chains would be attached to a loose neck piece. The chains for now were just drawn as thick lines to make their positioning clear for simple doodles.

2. The cage aspects for this concept are are a half head and shoulder pieces. The half cage frames the head creating a halo, possibly representing the innocent and pure nature of the character. The shoulder pieces are to reinforce the caged theme, and the chains would be attached to the wrists instead of the neck; I'm concerned about putting anything around the neck of an actor for obvious health and safety reasons. However, wrist placement may mean the Eurydice has to turn with the dancers pulling on the chains, instead of being able to independently move.

3.  This design was more to experiment with a full head placement of the cage, as inspired by Alexander McQueen, as well as safer and easier positioning of the piece that is connected to the chains: A belt with connections to be clipped into seems safe and easier in terms of choreography, as the belt would move independently of the stationary actor so they may remain facing the audience and there's no risk of a choking hazard.

4. So far this is my favourite design as I think that having the head fully encased by the cage is the most effective way of conveying the theme of imprisonment, as opposed to a caged skirt or shoulder pieces where they may be a danger of it looking too 'fashiony'. The body harness would be stiff and used as the connection for the chains, maybe created out of a thermoplastic like Worbla and foam, as I think boning and fabric would be too weak or thin. The hands are also tied in front of the actor here to further the trapped topic, but with pearls instead of shackles as suggested by Joy in the meeting with the Performing Arts students.

Miranda and Prospero Final Designs.

Costume Details:

Miranda has a blue painted on Earth symbol on her shoulder plate, that she painted on there when bored one day. Shows she’s creatively minded, curious of her home planet, proud of heritage.

Miranda has a better suit than Prospero, as he gives her the better things, and repairs his own with patches. 

The waist armor Prospero has is assembled from broke ship parts. 

Miranda always carries a medical kit, as her dad demand she be ready at all times in case she gets hurt. Shows protective tendencies from father. 

They have similar chest pieces but Prospero’s contains his badges from career. 

Circular patches on knees are elbows designed to cushion, protect and lengthen life of fabric in these wear and tear areas. 

Miranda’s suit is green to show her trainee status. Prospero’s is navy to show higher ranking.