Examples of Previous Cat Characters

Lady and the Tramp

Video Ref: http://youtu.be/fxpN2XrYDLM

These characters are very slinky in their moment which instantly gives them a sneaky look. They have a pointed chin and large ears. Their colouring continues the black and white theme which was noticed in previous research. Their eyes are large and brightly coloured, this is something I hope to achieve with Foxy's eyes.

Cinderella

Video Ref: http://youtu.be/7YKIVyDmewA

Lucifer is different to the previous two characters. He is a big cat, almost giving the impression he is spoilt. there is nothing delicate or slinky about him, he looks brash and bold. With this cat he has his claws on show and whips his big fluffy tail back and forth. Again, his eyes are bright and pointy giving him an evil look. Although he is not black and white he still follows the dark theme.

Garfield

Video Ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wo7QtcyhVrI

The character Nermal from Garfield is a cute little kitten with an evil side. This almost makes the perfect character as you can't help but think she is cute even though you know deep down she is pure evil. the character is grey which is again a common factor among evil character. I like the fact that she has a personality which does not suit her looks which is something I could possible apply to my character.

Character Development

After considering my options with some of the characters I had sketched, I decided to develop the cat character further. Below is a bio for this character.

Boning and Skinning

Today we learnt how to bone and skin our basic body from last week. to do this I opened the body from last week in 3DS Max and under helpers selected CAT objects. I selected the body, went to object properties and selected the see-through option so that I could see the bones when adjusting them to the body. I then selected CAT Parents and created a rig at the base of my body. After this I added my pelvis and positoned it within the body, adjusting the width and length to fit inside. The pelvis bone is used as the hub to then go on and create the legs of my body. A colarbone was added to be able to adjust the legs accurately.

I then went on to move the legs about so that they fit within the mesh with as little excess showing as possible.

After this I selected the pelvic hub again and added a spine. I adjusted the length so that it ran to the shoulders. This allowed me to then go on and add my arms. the arms were the trickiest part as I had to adjust the length and move each section to allow it to fit within the mesh. This took the most time.

By selecting the spine hub I was able to continue the spine upwards to create the head of the body and fit it to the mesh. I did this by shortening the length of the spine which gave the body a neck and the lengthening the second spine hub.

I then went on to skin the character by selecting the body and choosing skin under the modifier list. Within this modifier I added the all of the bones that I had set up from the list. I had to make sure to add only the CAT objects to allow the skinning to work. after completing this I was able to move the bones and the body would move with them.

Using Colours

The use of colours with characters is very common. With the research I have done it is clear to see that the difference in the characters is enhanced with the colours of their clothes, eyes, skin etc. As with the research board I had created all the characters had a distinct link with dull colours with only a few that went against this rule.

Colours are often used with a semiotic meaning, for instance the colour red implies danger or a warning. this is something that is common knowledge throughout society and something that a child would be aware of too. Traffic lights use the colour red to STOP the traffic or pedestrian from crossing. This is drilled into everyone at a young age.

Another colour which implies a darkness is black. As with Darth Vader, his full clothing was black implying that his character is evil.

Sketches Based Upon the Research Board

Above are a few sketches for possibe characters. Using the features that I found most common within the 'evil' characters on my research board. The Thieving Penguin was an idea I had thought of based on the television series Frozen Planet where one penguin would steal rocks from another penguin behind his back in a very sneaky way. The Grumpy Old Man is probably a character that the target audience could relate to. Speaking from experience, there was always a grumpy elderly person who would ruin games that my friends and I would play outside. the same goes with the Scary Teacher, as a child there were many of these around. As I have previously animated a human character I feel it would be more interesting to use a an animal as the physical form for my character.

Further sketches:

Basic Body

The basic body was created from a box with 3 sections for the length, width and height this was then turned into an editable poly. The top row of the box would act like the shoulders so these were pulled out to allow the arms to be at a right angle. the box was then made longer to form the body. The bottom right vertex were moved in to give the angled pelvis.

I then went on to form the head by selecting the middle polygon and using the extrude and bevel tools to shape the head to the body size. i applied the same techniques to create the arms and legs.

From the above image you can see that the leg was quite spread out. I moved the leg in by selecting the vertex and moving them down.

I then used the mirror tool to create a full body image.

Research Board

After researching the types of cartoons and films that children aged 7-11 enjoy watching I created my research board. I chose the "baddies" from those cartoons and films and came across a few similarities. Below are a few things I picked out from some of the characters above.

Voldermort and Bellatrix-Lestrange

• Both characters are from the film Harry Potter
• They both have the grey, dull skin which is a common factor with evil characters.
• They both have long pointy fingers/nails like claws.
• Dark circles appear around both of their eyes.

Mr Burns - The Simpsons

• Pointed Features (nose)
• Beady Eyes
• Long Body and Hunched Back (Volture)
• Powerful (Lots of Money)

Umbridge

• This character is also from Harry Potter.
• Her skin is still quite dull.
• She has an obsession with the colour pink.
• Her expression is stern looking.

Darth Vader

• All in black.
• Gives a dark presence.
• Face mask has grilled section like gritted teeth.