Working with TCG allowed me to learn new skills and develop my eye for design through a three-dimensional lens. One of the key skills I taught myself while working with the TCG team is to create characters and puppets in illustrator and set up the files to be animation ready. One of the main animation styles TCG has started to create is character animation. So, it was vital that as the lead designer, I knew how to create these files and was able to collaborate with other motion designers. Character animation became a key style that our team needed to become accustomed to, as it’s one of the more human and organic forms of animated pictures. Character animation brings a character to life with personality, emotion and a story and a journey that people can connect with. However, our team and external clients wanted to have a professional and more "serious" approach.
After a lot of hard work and practice, I realised it is possible to invest in character design that embodies the personality of our brand in a professional, yet entertaining manner. We also integrated alongside the company's marketing and communications initiatives. I started m character animation journey through a brief that my team suggested. At first, I was intimidated by the challenge of learning and creating characters for an existing project, however, this motivated me to learn the craft through and through and apply what I've learned to a real project. For this project, I was tasked to create a safety induction animation with a set of 5-7 characters and fully realised visuals to work alongside them.
The first set of avatars
With my limited knowledge of animation, I started my journey of learning how to create character animations by researching its fundamentals and the file structure to be distributed and used by external parties. Creating a character is a process in itself, requiring the use of the full design cycle. When adding an interactive element to a design, in this case, a puppet. We require to apply a completely new process that s thorough and detailed, as mistakes would be more noticeable than a static image.
When I started creating the characters for this project, I used a male and female puppet template that only had the first two layers of the puppet, which I started building and customising. The client initially wanted a fun and more comic approach, by having characters such as a construction worker, chef and cowboy, to suggest diversity and a playful tone. However, after analysing the first draft, m team agreed to have the characters look like the employees in the company, with the company accent colours.
The second set of avatars
I simplified the outlines for the second set of characters and represented different individuals. I also experimented with dimension, by adding a shadow overlay on the left side and showing the dynamic poses of each character, to get a better idea of how they will look. The overall feedback was positive, and the encourage me to create more diverse characters that would wear office attire in the given location (Texas, USA).
The third set of avatars
For this set I was admin to create as many characters as possible, that fit all of the client's descriptions. At this point, I was still creating the static versions of the puppets, as I will prepare them for character animation with the finalised set. I created these characters with the company colours and the people who work there in mind. At this point, everything seemed to work, however, the client had a change of heart and asked to revamp the characters and make them more 3D, human and engaging. At this point, II had to apply everything that I learned at that point and start new. My approach for the new set is to make the characters approachable and realistic. So I spent time researching characters and then used the references the client liked and worked from there.
The final set of avatars
This final set of characters took a high amount of effort and time to perfect. The key descriptor is for them to be diverse and humane. I used the references the client liked and built each character from there. Adding details to make each of them stand out as individuals. I also had the chance to experiment with each one, from the names to the colours, features and accessories. All the hard work paid off and everyone was extremely happy with the given set. At this point, I had to prepare each character for animation. This extremely challenging process put my drawing and organizational skills to the test.
Preparing the avatars for character animation
Illustrating a character is one thing, but making that character move realistically is another form of art. I had to break each character into layers to make the illustrator files. Every part of the character that will move independently must be on a separate layer. So, for the Characters I designed, below, layers include the face, body, each arm and leg with subsegments (different hand gestures, mouth movements and eyelid movements). Each layer had to be properly tagged and positioned at the exact spot, for all of the elements to work concisely. After many back and forths, I finally found my groove and was able to organise the files to be sent to the animator. Overall this was one of the most challenging projects I have worked on yet, however, was all worth the learning process and patience.