Cast Off, My Darling: Art Foundation Final Major Project

CHARACTER DESIGN FOR CAST OFF, MY DARLING. I WANTED TO CREATE INTERESTING AND LEGIBLE CHARACTER DESIGNS THAT PEOPLE COULD CONNECT TO. I TRIED TO MAKE MY DESIGNS LESS COMPLICATED & ALSO MADE SOME ATTEMPTS AT MAKING MODEL SHEETS.

Three sketches of Euterpe, a young White woman with mousy brown hair and glasses in various states of dress, made to resemble a character model sheet. In the first sketch, she's wearing old-fashioned underwear, and has a chubby body with a long torso and round face. In the second sketch, she's in Eastern European-inspired folk clothing, and the third is the same, except with a large coat over the top. A coloured sketch of Euterpe, a young White woman with mousy brown hair and glasses, wearing Eastern European-inspired folk clothing in blue and white, with a large brown jacket over the top, with a non-coloured sketched view from the back next to it. A moodboard for Euterpe's character design, featuring skirts with embroidered aprons, and Swedish, Ukranian and Romanian folk dress with prominent embroidered patterns. Two full-body sketches of Kimbuala, a young Black person with their hair in bantu knots. In the first sketch they're in their underwear and have a pear-shaped body, and in the second sketch they're wearing baggy trousers and sleeves with wax print patterns on and a waistcoat. There's also a headshot of them showing their face in more detail. A full-body coloured sketch of Kimbuala, a young Black person wearing orange baggy trousers and yellow sleeves with wax print patterns on and a red waistcoat. A moodboard for Kimbuala's character design, focusing on African-inspired fashion, warm colours and outfits with waistcoats. Two full-body sketches of Safiyyah, a young Brown woman with short dark hair, and a muscular, fat body. In the first sketch she's in her underwear, and in the second sketch she's in work clothes with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders and secured by belts. There's also a small bust sketch and sketches breaking down how the shawl works. A full-body coloured sketch of Safiyyah, a young Brown woman with short dark hair, and a muscular, fat body. She's wearing work clothes with a shawl wrapped around her shoulders and secured by belts. A moodboard for Safiyyah's character design, including various designs for capes, cloaks and shawls, and belts and bags.

Final Character Designs

FINAL SUBMITTED CHARACTER DESIGNS, LATER TURNED INTO RISOGRAPH PRINTS (WHICH WILL BE FOR SALE IN MY SHOP!) I WANTED EACH CHARACTER TO REPRESENT AN ASPECT OF THE TRANSITION TO ADULTHOOD, AND HAVE THEIR OWN STRUGGLES WITH EXPECTATIONS AND CHOICES THAT HAVE TO BE MADE.


A full-body digital illustration of a young White woman in traditional Eastern European-inspired folk dress in blue and an oversized brown jacket. Behind her is a arch frame full of blue clouds, with details of stars and flowers on the edge of the frame. In the other half of the image, there's the same frame, full of text explaining her backstory. A full-body digital illustration of a young Black person in warm-coloured baggy clothes with African-inspired wax patterns on and a red waistcoat. Behind them is a frame with three arches full of orange clouds against a blue-grey background, with moons and stars outside the frame. In the other half of the image, there's the same frame, full of text explaining their backstory. A full-body digital illustration of a young Brown woman in dark work clothes with a green shawl with gold celestial-inspired patterns around her neck. Behind her is a triangular-ended frame full of nacreous clouds against a dark background, with shooting star details outside the frame. In the other half of the image, there's the same frame, full of text explaining her backstory.

INK DRAWINGS ON PAPER USING A LIGHTBOX TO PRACTISE FOR COMICS.


A full-body ink drawing of Euterpe sitting down with one leg over the other, looking like a sulking teenager. A full-body ink drawing of Euterpe standing up and shooting a rifle with her hair and skirts flowing around her. A full-body ink drawing of Kimbuala crouching down and leaning forwards, with playing cards in one hand and a butterfly knife in the other. A full-body ink drawing of Kimbuala, in a lunging position, looking behind her and holding a knife at their side. A full-body ink drawing of Safiyyah, hanging off something with one arm and one leg out of frame. A full-body ink drawing of Safiyyah, sitting curled up with her knees to her chest.

Animation

ANIMATION CREATED ON AFTER EFFECTS, AS A PIECE OF CONCEPT ART. I WANTED TO TRY AND CREATE AN ATMOSPHERIC FEEL OF WONDER AROUND THE WORLD OF CAST OFF, MY DARLING.

A long, scrolling background of clouds in the sky, in a gradient from dark purple to blue to pink and yellow. There are star highlight effects scattered around. .

Comics

I WAS NEVER GOING TO BE ABLE TO COMPLETE A WHOLE SEQUENTIAL COMIC IN 7 WEEKS, SO I OPTED TO CREATE ONE OR TWO-PAGE 'VERTICAL SLICE' COMICS, PICKING OUT DIFFERENT MOMENTS TO EXPLORE WITH MY CREATED CHARACTERS. THESE WERE ALL INKED ON PAPER AND DIGITALLY COLOURED.
PROGRESS

A sketchy, loose thumbnail of a comic page. A sketchy, loose thumbnail of a comic page. A comic page drawn on paper, taped to a lightbox, with basic composition and anatomy in red and more detailed sketches in lead over the top. Two comic pages, with panel borders, compositions and anatomy drawn in red pencil, with more detailed sketches in lead over the top. Two fully inked comic pages, with no text. A fully inked comic page, with no text.

THE FINISHED COMICS, WITH COLOUR ADDED DIGITALLY. THEY WERE RISOPRINTED FOR THE FINAL SHOW.

A black and white comic of a mother and a daughter arguing in a raging storm. The mother is expressing to her daughter, Safiyyah, how she's sorry for putting such a burden on her and she trusts her to do the right thing, even when Safiyyah is panicking about what to do. A black and white comic page of Safiyyah venturing into the mechanical underbelly of a ship, while seeing visions of a woman carved out of wood holding a light. She puts her hand on the mechanical heart of the ship. A black and white comic of Euterpe, and her adoptive father. Her father is injured and is trying to communicate with a being that represents itself as a pool of black liquid, but it's rejecting him in sparks and flashes, but eventually the pool quiets. The background behind the panels is full of swirling smoke. A black and white comic page of Euterpe and her adoptive father having a discussion while sharing a hammock together. Her father is saying how he quieted the being, saying that he gave up his immortality to save them both. Euterpe gets freaked out by this, but her father promises he'll protect them both. The background behind the panels is full of swirling smoke. A black and white comic of people with torches entering a dark ship. Kimbuala and the rest of the crew are hiding with weapons drawn, and Kimbuala sneaks out, behind the sail, and catches one of the boarding party in the spotlight.

Final Show

FOR MY FINAL SHOW, I CREATED A SMALL PAINTING ON THE WALL TO FRAME MY WORK AND TIE IT TOGETHER, AS WELL AS MAKING IT STAND OUT. ALL OF MY PIECES WERE RISOGRAPHED, AND I DISPLAYED THE ANIMATION ON A SMALL SCREEN. OVERALL, I THINK IT LOOKS AMAZING!

A painting on a white wall of a shaded blue cloud with pink and yellow highlights. It has some gaps where work will be hung. A display of artwork in a show. There are multiple full-colour and black and white risoprints, as well as a tv screen on a plinth playing an animation, which multiple sketches are displayed on the front side of.

Evaluation

ART FOUNDATION WAS A REALLY PLEASURABLE EXPERIENCE FOR ME, AND I FELT LIKE THIS PROJECT WAS A GREAT CULMINATION OF THE MORE EXPERIMENTAL WORK I DID EARLIER IN THE COURSE, AND MY OWN ILLUSTRATIVE STYLE. I FELT LIKE THIS PROJECT INVOLVED A LOT OF STUFF I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO EXPLORE, INCLUDING SOME STUFF THAT ISN'T INCLUDED HERE! I HOPE YOU ENJOYED IT, AND I HOPE TO MAKE MORE WORK INT THIS UNIVERSE SOMETIME AGAIN.