Final Maquette Photos

Learning Report

This report aims to look at the learning that was undertaken during the ANIM1004 module Character and Characterisation. I will move through all stages of the creative process, from the conceptual (generating and selecting ideas, research and analysis) through to the productive (designing and making my maquette, costume and accessories).

Firstly, I decided to create an anthropomorphised character that will reside in the pages of a comic book/graphic novel in a post-apocalyptic environment. Many character ideas emerged from original sketches, including a badger character inspired by arty survival videogame Shelter (2013), although it became apparent through later research that another animal would be better suited to the environment I had in mind. 

Blacksad (Canales & Guarnido, 2010) is the graphic novel that inspired me to produce an anthropomorphic character. All of the characters are anthropomorphic animals whose species reflects their personality, character type and role in the story. Animal stereotypes are often used: for example, nearly all of the policemen are canidae, such as German Shepherds, Bloodhounds, and Foxes, while underworld characters are often reptiles or amphibians. So what animal would my post-apocalyptic wanderer be? A highly intelligent yet much-maligned animal in Western cultures, the rat is widely used in scientific research due to its brainpower. They are also revered for their cunning and resourceful nature, have very good long term memories and are excellent when it comes to adapting to changing situations. Because of these qualities, I decided that a rat would be the perfect animal to design my character on.

I also took inspiration from Joe the Barbarian (Morrison & Murphy, 2011). The protagonist Joe is a teenage boy with Type 1 diabetes and a rat named Jack for a best friend. When his blood sugar drops and he enters a state of hypoglycaemia, he begins to hallucinate. Jack becomes an anthropomorphic manifestation of Joe’s humble pet, serving as a Sherpa in Joe’s journey to the bottom reaches of a fantasised kingdom, fully armed with sword, combat skills, tenacity and bravery. The character of Jack became the main inspiration for the physical proportions of my character — how it would carry itself and it’s posture. I also think the traits of Jack would apply to my character given the scenarios my character would find himself in. 

As one of the last people in his world, I wanted my character to be full of life, very human and emotion-based rather than cold and calculating. Because of this I chose to research the character of Rorschach from the graphic novel Watchmen (Moore & Gibbons, 2005), as he epitomises raw emotion. I studied who he is, the way he holds himself, the way he fights and the clothes he wears to further develop my own character.

Rorschach’s character is extremely complex. He’s a ruthless killer and torturer of those he deems unworthy and sees himself as lone protector of New York. To him, everyone is scum, corrupt and posing; everyone is a walking compromise and only he stands true to his convictions. Yet he isn’t a serial killer or a psychopath, he sees and recognises the pain in others but has no faith in rehabilitation for criminals, leading him to protect those he sees as more innocent by killing the guilty: "...and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout ‘save us!'...and I'll look down and whisper ‘no.'" (Moore & Gibbons. 2005 p. 1). His place in the fiction is to be part of a pair of characters who portray the extremes of human reasoning, and I don’t think he can really be assessed independently. He is diametrically opposed to Dr Manhattan, the naked blue god-man, because of his fiercely emotional viewpoint. Dr Manhattan is representative of the future, of science, of reason and most importantly of the scientists working on nuclear proliferation in the Cold War, which the text is very much about. Dr Manhattan cares for humans only as a beautiful example of complexity and to him everything is maths, each person or action is a calculation to make in order to preserve beauty in the universe. He has no need for medieval notions such as Rorschach posses of justice, loyalty, pride and nationalism. Rorschach represents us as we are and have been, not as we will be, and this is why he must ultimately die at the end of the work. But in an apocalyptic world, where my survivor would be the last remnant of us, I think a man like Rorschach is the sort who’d do us justice.

On a visual note, Rorschach’s appearance was chosen specifically to suit the part in the story he plays. His smart boots, brown duster jacket and 1920s fedora hat make him seem of an older generation than the other characters, and older than he really is, enforcing the notion that he represents humanity’s past. His facial mask was a stroke of genius by artist Dave Gibbons, as the Rorschach Test is a common one administered by psychologists to test a person’s emotional responses, essentially probing their humanity. He also cleverly uses the shifting patterns to give subtle visual clues as to the emotional undertones of certain scenes, at times subtly showing butterfly-, penis- or dog-like shapes for insight.

From Rorschach I forged much of the skeleton of my character. There aren’t very many traces of Rorschach left in the final piece, but this mental model of who Rorschach was, what he would have worn, and how he would have held himself informed my decision on which bits of other characters, who were better suited to the world I was going to put my maquette in, I would choose.

I also looked at other survivalists and post-apocalyptic survivors in film, games, and comics for influences in physical figure, personality and clothing. In film, The Road (2009) was a huge inspiration as it’s a heartbreaking but brilliantly understated take on the post-apocalyptic genre, as beautiful and tender as it is brutal. I used the world that the Man and the Boy live in as the kind of world that my character inhabits, and decisions about exactly what he’d wear were made in light of these living conditions, like for example the goggles, which would help him keep his eyes clear of ash and dust. In turn, the actual design of the goggles came from the slightly steampunk game Fallout 3’s (2008) concept art. The most influential game however, was The Last of Us (2013). The stories’ main character, Joel, wears a backpack that’s slim to his body for movement and sneaking, relatively spacious for storage, and easy to take off for quick access. This was almost entirely the blueprint for the final bag worn by my maquette. Lastly, regarding comics I took the most inspiration from The Walking Dead (Kirkman, Adlard & Moore, 2010) whose lead character Rick Grimes influenced the Rorschach-based personality of the project, as well as being the primary source for the design of my maquette’s jacket. The thick sheep’s wool interior is great for the kind of cold he’d need to ward off, and the strong leather exterior would keep away both the weather and attackers.

When, it came to actually making the maquette, I was faced with challenges as with anything. Firstly, it was difficult to calculate where to drill the holes for the wires, and looking back on this I would’ve drilled them further apart to give my maquette a wider base and much stronger support. I also wish I had kept the wire longer in his one arm so that his weapon had a stronger support. I originally intended for it to be held upright, but the plasticine alone couldn’t hold this position for long periods of time. Secondly, it was difficult to add detail to smaller features such as the hands and the face, so perhaps if doing it again I’d use a wider range of tools. Finally, I’d intended to give my character feathery ears such as that of the Abert squirrel, but I couldn’t get the right texture with plasticine and real feathers wouldn’t hold to the plasticine. If I had time I also would have looked to invest in eyes for my character to give him a more life-like look, but in the end painted plasticine sufficed. 

Overall, this module has been a real eye-opener into the rigorous development behind characters, and I’ve learnt a lot about the process of designing a character. It’s been really useful to see how when developing an idea, looking at other characters/people across different media who are similar to what I’m trying to create can be incredibly useful in developing a unique believable character. Although I generally like the character that I’ve created, as I think the elements work well together, if I had the oppurtunity to I would have like to have added more detail as well as elements that weren’t so directly inspired by other media. 

References:

BETHESDA GAME STUDIOS (2008) Fallout 3. [Disc] Xbox 360. Bethesda Softworks.

Canales, J. C. & Guarnido, J. (2010) Blacksad. Milwaukie: Dark Horse.

Kirkman, R., Adlard, C. & Moore, T. (2010) The Walking Dead Compendium One. Berkeley: Image Comics, Inc.

MIGHT AND DELIGHT. (2013) Shelter. [Digital Download] Mac OS. Stockholm: Might and Delight

Moore, A. & Gibbons, D. (2005) Watchmen. New York: DC Comics. 

Morrison, G. & Murphy, S. (2011) Joe the Barbarian. New York: Vertigo.

NAUGHTY DOG. (2013) The Last of Us. [Disc] Playstation 3. Sony Computer Entertainment.

The Road. (2009) Film. Directed by John Hillcoat. [DVD]. UK: Icon Productions.

Bibliography: 

Bancroft, T. (2006) Creating Characters with Personality. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications Inc.

Burgerman, J. (2013) 20 Character Design Tips. [Online] 19th December 2013. Available from: 

http://www.creativebloq.com/character-design/tips-5132643 [Accessed: 11th May 2014]

Creative Bloq (2013) Top 40 character design tips - Part 1: Animal based characters. [Online] 9th May 2013. Available from: http://www.creativebloq.com/animation/top-40-character-design-tips-part-1-animal-based-characters-5132659 [Accessed: 11th May 2014]

Creative Bloq (2013) Top 40 character design tips - Part 2: Human based characters. [Online] 18th January 2013. Available from: http://www.creativebloq.com/animation/top-40-character-design-tips-part-2-human-based-characters-1132742 [Accessed: 11th May 2014]

Danner, A. & Withrow, S. (2007) Character Design for Graphic Novels. Waltham: Focal Press

Hedgpeth, K. & Missal, S. (2005) Exploring Character Design. Boston: Cengage Learning

Mattesi, M. (2008) Character Design From Life Drawing. Waltham: Focal Press

Maquette Stage Four

After I was happy with the physical shape of my character, I re-shaped the tail, added feet and hands, and started to add clothing and accessories. 

Maquette Stage Three

I decided that my character’s form wasn’t developed enough so have stripped back to the basics again. I’ve added more shape to the head and legs. 

Maquette Stage Two

At this stage I’ve developed the physical form, added details such as ears, and have started to add clothing to my character.

Maquette Stage One

This is one of the first stages of my maquette. I’ve already created a wire frame, bulked out the frame with styrofoam, and then covered this in plasticine. The shape is very basic at this point and I need to develop physical form further. 

Final Pose

This image of Joel from The Last of Us was the main inspiration for the final pose my maquette is in.

Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fashion

As far as I can tell, post-apocalyptic fashion seems to be all about dark/muted tones (such as blacks and greys), leather (and lots of it), layers and heavy-set boots. 

Steampunk Fashion

Steampunk literature has in turn inspired steampunk fashion, resulting in a quirky style of dress that mixes traditional Victorian clothing with futuristic accessories and a bit of rebellious, do-it-yourself flair.

Steampunk fashion has no set guidelines, but tends to synthesize modern styles with influences from the Victorian era. This may include gowns, corsets, petticoats and bustles; suits with waistcoats, coats, top hats and spats; or military-inspired garments. Steampunk-influenced outfits are usually accented with several technological and "period" accessories: timepieces, parasols, flying/driving goggles, and ray guns. Modern accessories like cell phones or music players can be found in steampunk outfits, after being modified to give them the appearance of Victorian-made objects. Post-apocalyptic elements, such as gas masks, ragged clothing and tribal motifs, can also be included.

Fallout 3 Fashion

The Last of Us: Joel's Design and Appearance

Joel's appearance indicates that he is in his late 40s. He has a heavy build, with dark hair and a beard. Unlike his past self, when Sarah was still alive, he had less facial hair, and not as many wrinkles on his face. Compared to Ellie in-game, his height appears to be around 6 feet tall. Joel has many cuts and scars, which can be seen on his face and arms (if the player equips Joel with a t-shirt.)

Joel wears a watch that was a gift from Sarah for his birthday the day before the outbreak; twenty years later, it has broken, likely from two decades of surviving in a post-outbreak world. He keeps the watch in remembrance of Sarah. Joel seems to sigh sadly when Ellie mentions that it is broken in the early chapters of The Last of Us.

Joel also looks down at the watch when Ellie was mentioning how beautiful the view was to Joel as they were about to leave. The ending scene also shows Joel slightly rubbing his watch after he said he "struggled for a long time with survivin'" as he encountered major difficulties in accepting Sarah's death and sympathises with Ellie's survivor's guilt.

Joel also wears a plaid shirt and a leather back-pack that I could possibly incorporate into my character some way.

The Last of Us: Joel's Personality and Traits

Joel has been described as a "violent thug, a brutal killer, and a torturer." He is shown to be able to kill his enemies with noteworthy brutality, earning his infamous reputation to those he encounters. During the aftermath of the epidemic that struck the country, he has resorted to working in black-market dealings and smuggling items or people of interest through quarantine zones or other designated areas. Because of this, he has accumulated valuable knowledge in regards to surviving the post-apocalyptic environment. Ellie notes that Joel has stained his hand with innocent blood when he reveals to her that he has been "on both sides", thus having the knowledge about a hunters' ambush and anticipating it. This dark past likely contributed to his experience as a hardened survivalist.

He also becomes extremely dedicated to Ellie, using any means possible to save her and keep her safe. He tortures several cannibals to find out Ellie's location, and then kills the other prisoner after he has gained information about Ellie's location. Ellie also cares greatly for Joel when she cares for him when he was injured, Just as Joel cared for her and protected her throughout their journey.

However, Joel's other side is also portrayed. Prior to the apocalypse, he worked hard to single-handedly raise his daughter. The outbreak and Sarah's death changed him into an apathetic, ruthless, and estranged man. He wears the watch that Sarah gave him the day before the initial infection broke out as a reminder. Upon meeting Ellie, he originally has a rocky relationship with her. However, Joel later grows to trust her and finds her reliable at most times such as Ellie spotting for Joel or providing support. As time passes, Joel establishes a father-daughter relationship with Ellie, reminding him of his beloved daughter, Sarah.

Whether being selfish, or not wanting to lose another 'daughter' to the whim of another again, he chose to save Ellie and try and start some semblance of a normal life again. It is speculated that his decision to massacre everyone inside the Fireflies facility in Salt Lake City is to cut all loose ends, to ensure that no one will have the knowledge of Ellie and thus no one will go after her in the future. In this sense he is the opposite of Marlene (leader of the Fireflies), who intends to sacrifice Ellie for a chance to save the rest of humanity.

Described as being in his late 40's, Joel knows what the world looked like before it was devastated. Over time, he has begun to become less bound by morality and more driven by doing whatever is necessary to survive. "What he wouldn't do in the past is almost a daily occurrence at this point," Bruce Straley, the game's director, notes.

Joel's character was a big inspiration when imagining my character's personality and traits. 

The Walking Dead: Rick Grimes' Appearance

Rick Grimes is fairly tall and has a slim body. Despite the fact his age has never been specified, it is assumed that he is in his mid to late 30s. He has dark brown wavy hair that begins to grey later on. At first, Rick just keeps facial stubble, which eventually becomes a small beard. Even though his clothes change throughout the show, he is most known for his beige and brown police uniform and brown cowboy hat (which later belongs to Carl). His iconic gun is his Colt Python .357 Magnum.

I’ve decided that my character will be wearing a jacket of some description. Rick Grimes’ jacket seems to be a perfect fit (pardon the pun). It combines the leather jacket similar to that worn by Indiana Jones with a sheepskin collar - resilient material with some added warmth. Shown above in The Walking Dead comic book and TV series. 

The Walking Dead: Rick Grimes Personality and Traits

Rick Grimes is a fictional character in the comic book series The Walking Dead and is portrayed by Andrew Lincoln in the television series of the same name. Created by writer Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore, the character made his debut in The Walking Dead #1 in 2003. The primary protagonist of both series, Grimes is a small town sheriff's deputy who awakens from a coma to find the world overrun with zombies.

“Rick is a much more realistic police officer. I always kind of pictured that Rick Grimes was not a police officer that had sued his gun very often. He was one of this guys that basically just walks by the local malt shop and made sure the kids were getting home on time”, Kirkman has said on the character. 

The series focus on Grimes' attempts to find and protect his wife Lori and son Carl, and his role as the de facto leader of a group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world. In the comic series, he remains the longest living survivor as of October 2013.

Rick Grimes has been described as an everyman character that emphasises moral codes and values. Lincoln summated: "His intentions are good, though his decisions may be bad many times. He's complicated and flawed, which I find fascinating because it makes him human. He sort of erodes over time because of the world he lives in, and there's nothing more satisfying than playing a character that changes irrevocably, so I embrace all of that.”

In both mediums, Grimes adopts a more dark and assertive nature as the story progresses. In the comic, he is faced with dealing against a murderous sociopath that claims the life of two group members, as well as an attempted suicide indirectly provoked by his close and trusted friend. Perhaps the most significant moment, he is eventually put under physical and mental torture by The Governor as a result of vulnerability and mistaken trust, ultimately causing the death of many within the group, including his wife and newborn child. The first hand witnessing of the savageness around him leads him to gradually adapt a more primal mindset, becoming less affected by violence and death (at times brutally murdering/mutilating people). Similarly, his perspective becomes increasingly deluded, as his decreased trust in people and decreased tolerance level leads him to take no issue in risking the life of an innocent. This is specifically shown as Rick struggles when eventually being given the chance to return to normalcy. He is however shown to be very protective of those who have suffered alongside him and most protective of his son, Carl, which leads to him being caring and considerate to them one moment and cold and detached the next.

Uncharted

Uncharted is a series of video games developed by the award-winning company Naught Dog for the PlayStation 3. Each game revolves around the adventures of protagonist Nathan Drake; a modern-day treasure hunter and action pro, as he attempts to unearth various historical mysteries.

The video game series is also very heavily influenced and inspired by Indiana Jones. Nathan Drake also shares many similarities with Jones himself, both visually and personality-wise. The design team felt the sources shared themes of mystery and "what-if scenarios" that romanticised adventure and aimed to include those in Uncharted.

Indiana Jones Costume Design

Costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis noted that the inspiration for the series as well as Indiana Jones' outfit was Charlton Heston's Harry Steele in Secret of the Incas (1954) and called Raiders of the Lost Ark "almost a shot for shot" remake of the Heston film, citing that Indiana Jones was "a kinder, gentler Harry Steele”.

Upon requests by Spielberg and Lucas, the costume designer gave the character a distinctive silhouette through the styling of the hat; after examining many hats, the designers chose a tall-crowned, wide-brimmed fedora. The fedora worn by Indiana Jones is one of the most well known and recognisable fedoras in the world. The hat is as iconic as the character it was created for.

Leather jackets have been used by adventurers since the early 1900s, unless you count cowboys in the American West in the late nineteenth century. However, the leather jacket really came into prominence with aviators in the postwar period following World War I. The barnstormers used leather jackets for warmth and protection in case their biplanes sprang hot oil leaks and the like. Indy’s jacket is inspired by the leather jackets of the 1930s that preceded the advent of the famous A-2 jacket worn by American fighter and bomber pilots in World War II.

Indiana Jones’ khaki pants and shirt, while loosely modelled after U.S. Army wear in the years preceding World War II, are really more of a throwback to the safari wear of the 19th Century. To this day, khaki remains a practical adventure colour for clothing as it repels heat and masks the dust of travel.

The bag is a heavy canvas World War II-era “MkVII” (Mark Seven) British gas mask bag with the original cotton web strap replaced by a leather strap with a metal adjustment buckle, worn under the jacket.

The guns Indiana Jones uses in the course of the film series vary from film to film, and in the case of Raiders, sometimes scene to scene, but every pistol Indiana Jones uses is indicative of the post-World War I era. All of his sidearms are early-1900s military designs and although there are a few choice moments in Raiders of the Lost Ark where he uses a semi-automatic, Indiana Jones is most often identified with the revolver. The use of the revolver hearkens back to the Western heroes and their Colt peacemakers, a genre that helped inspire the Indiana Jones series.

Indiana Jones is undoubtedly one of the most iconic film characters of the 20th century. Known as the whip-cracking archaeologist, the bullwhip is one of his most visible signature items.

The boots were made by Alden, a stock style that had been a favourite of Ford's before the films, despite costumer designer Deborah Nadoolman's plans that Indy wear Redwings.

Rat Character Concept

I really love the small details that have gone into this. The look of the handmade costume and the ready-for-anything stance is what I would like to bring out in my own character. 

Indiana Jones

Steven Spielberg with Harrison Ford and Karen Allen on the set of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Indiana Jones is modeled after the strong-jawed heroes of the matinée serials and pulp magazines that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg enjoyed in their childhoods.

Particularly notable facets of the character include his iconic look (bullwhip, fedora, and leather jacket), sense of humor, deep knowledge of many ancient civilizations and languages, and fear of snakes.

"Indy is a fallible character. He makes mistakes and gets hurt," says Spielberg. "That's the other thing people like: He's a real character, not a character with superpowers. I mean, Indiana Jones is not a perfect hero, and his imperfections, I think, make the audience feel that, with a little more exercise and a little more courage, they could be just like him." For these reasons, I think the character of Indiana Jones is relatable to viewers and I wanted to incorporate these traits into my own character.

Character Analysis of Rorschach from the 1987 Graphic Novel 'Watchmen'

Rorschach’s character is extremely complex. He’s a ruthless killer and torturer of those he deems unworthy and sees himself as lone protector of New York. To him, everyone is scum, corrupt and posing; everyone is a walking compromise and only he stands true to his convictions. Yet he isn’t a serial killer or a psychopath, he sees and recognises the pain in others but has no faith in rehabilitation for criminals, leading him to protect those he sees as more innocent by killing the guilty: "...and all the whores and politicians will look up and shout ‘save us!'...and I'll look down and whisper ‘no.'" (Chapter 1, Page 1, Panel 3). His place in the fiction is to be part of a set of characters that portray the variety of human reasoning, and I don’t think he can really be assessed separately from these others. He is diametrically opposed to Dr Manhattan, the naked blue god-man, because of his fiercely emotional viewpoint. Dr Manhattan is representative of the future, of science, of reason and most importantly of the scientists working on nuclear proliferation in the Cold War, which the text is very much about. Dr Manhattan cares for humans only as a beautiful example of complexity in the universe and to him everything is maths, each person or action is a calculation to make in order to preserve beauty in the universe. He has no need for medieval notions such as Rorschach posses of justice, loyalty, pride and nationalism. Rorschach represents us as we are and have been, not as we will be, and this is why he must ultimately die at the end of the work; he is the men who bought the nukes at the time of writing, who were so fearful of corruption and social rot that they came close to annihilating humanity. He is a damaged man that cannot let go of his horrible childhood memories because his emotions won’t let him, he will not rationalise and forgive himself for what happened to him, which would let him lead a happier life. He clings to a thing like justice despite evidence of its heavy cost on people. A third character, Dan “Nite Owl” Dreiberg, is important here. His part in the trinity is to balance between the two standpoints of vicious humanity and cold hard reason and demonstrate ‘the good life’. Dr Manhattan is alone and seemingly depressed by the end of the book, acknowledging that he cannot live with others that his wife is better off with Dan. Rorschach is crying, frustrated and again alone as he accepts death at the end, having also admitted that Dan is the better man and a good friend. By Watchmen, a balance between a human’s emotional instincts and the mind’s ability to reason is shown as being the only stable sort, as Dan, who struggles to maintain his balance between these two extremes throughout, is the only one emotionally and mentally fulfilled by the work’s end. Thus Dan is the exemplar of how we needed to act in order to survive the Cold War. Rorschach’s character is instrumental in creating this impression by juxtaposition.

On a visual note, Rorschach’s appearance was chosen specifically to suit the part in the story he plays. His smart boots, brown duster jacket and 1920s fedora hat make him seem of an older generation than the other characters, and older than he really is, enforcing the notion that he represents humanity’s past. His facial mask was a stroke of genius by artist Dave Gibbons, as the Rorschach Test is a common one administered by psychologists to test a person’s emotional responses, essentially probing their humanity. He also cleverly uses the shifting patterns to give subtle visual clues as to the emotional undertones of certain scenes, at times subtly showing butterfly-, penis- or dog-like shapes for insight.

The Walking Dead (TV Series)

The Walking Dead is an American post-apocalyptic horror drama television series developed by Frank Darabont. It is based on the comic book series of the same name by Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, and Charlie Adlard. The series stars Andrew Lincoln as sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes, who awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.

As the TV series is based around The Walking Dead comic books, it also features many of the same characters, their traits, personalities and relationships.