DAT 403 - Development
Initially, within the development stage, I focused on character designs and wanted to settle on an animation style. I experimented with various animation styles in sketched storyboards, however felt that the 2D traditional drawn animation style was my personal preference due to the simplistic stylised effect, which would also not detract from the message that was trying to be conveyed. I drew the characters in Illustrator and Photoshop, using my personal graphics tablet, and then imported the character designs across to After Effects to collate the images and begin experimenting with the animation tools available.
This development process allowed for me to acknowledge what strengths and weaknesses I had. I feel as though I am able to effectively utilise my graphics tablet to create the artistic style desired for each of my characters, and I also have a good knowledge of the tools available in both Photoshop and Illustrator due to previous extensive use. However, I initially struggled to adjust when using After Effects, as it is a programme that I have very little knowledge of.
To improve my skillset, I began following various youtube tutorials to create simple effects within AE, and then attempted to adapt the work to coincide with my own project. Whilst I found these tutorials to be helpful, I felt as though I needed further in-depth tutorials, which are available to me through Lynda.com. As I move forward with my project, I will continue to utilise the resources readily available to me, and push myself to deliver the best possible outcome in the timeframe given.
