My affinity for character design, collectible toys, and stop motion animation is an aspect stretched from my desire to explore and create strange environments and stories that revolve around bizarre alien creatures. It’s been a while since my first stop-motion animation set design and 3D character development. Usually it starts with some sketches, a script or storyline, and a few random ideas regarding palettes for mood and aesthetics. The characters typically develop quickly while the sets take more time working out the fine details and intricate pieces that will go into the mini-scale scene.
Characters are built either as stand-alone ‘non-mobile’ figures or fitted for bendable armatures for animation and posable options. Building on the framework using super sculpy and refining definition to structure and contrasting forms is the most enjoyable aspect of building out a small character. Using real fabrics and small elements that change with poses really enhances the movements and subtle form changes that occur when taking frames systematically. This alien fella is simply a standing figure that has been worked up with texture, expression, and posed in a position that allows for different item interaction and perspective opportunities through the lens.
He was one of several characters built for a low-budget music video short that included soundscapes from the prog-group Tortoise. There is a diorama-type set that was created for the environment that included a wood stove, burnt out trees growing through a house, mossy tiled floors, torn wall papers, lots of little beetles, and a vault-type safe filled with pill bottles. It was a creepy, distressed indoor scene backdrop that oozed dirty alien home. The set was partially destroyed in a move. The alien, who once held a giant beetle, made it almost unscathed with the acception of a few toes gone missing. I will be creating new characters this winter and working on toy development in the same vain of this past reference piece. More 3D goodness coming soon!
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