On Model
And now for a Kickstarter update! :)
Two of the perks we're offering are our Backer Blog and a production artbook. The production artbook is essentially a condensed, downloadable version of the blog and it will contain the production art we're using to create this short. And we're going to show you one of the many excellent pieces our lead animator, Avian Anderson has been working on.
Avian came to us shortly after submission deadlines with an animatic of Miss Officer, including a recording of the lines for voice actors. She wanted to know if it was enough. Zof and I were completely knocked on our butts because she nailed Miss Officer's look, acting, and personality, added her own touches to the scenario including a background and a brief appearance by Mr. Truffles based off only a few drawings. Was it enough? She's our lead animator for a reason and we love her to bits.
For those interested in pursuing a career in animation, many of the positions are in TV and even in film, you usually need to show you can draw on model. This means that for everything you've heard about plagiarism (which you should never do), you'll need to learn how to draw the characters and style and other people's work exactly like how they were designed by someone else These production papers usually don't leave the studio for confidentiality reasons, but we wanted to show our process and how Avian figured out how to do a turnaround of Miss Officer from Ami's original designs.
These is a brief breakdown of what a model sheet looks like. You usually get a front, side, 3/4 and rear angle of the character, usually with examples of them in action, how to draw this part of their body, how not to draw it, what their personality is like and not like, and these are your guides for keeping the character on point. When you apply for an animation, layout, or storyboard job, you usually get a test to show you know how to do the work and you can stay on model. The better grasp you have of the characters, the less work the director has to do, the less likely you have to do retakes, and the more likely the episode gets delivered on time and on budget.
For an excellent resource on model sheets and how important it is to stick to it, you should check out The Simpsons Handbook: Secret Tips From the Pros, which is a how to draw book by the actual animation artists on The Simpsons and you get to see how much detail goes into these cartoons. If you want to see what happens when you don't stay on model, check out the special features of The Simpsons season 1 DVD, and watch the unaired episode with the commentary on. Despite how Mr. Brooks feels, I think it's an excellent experimental take on The Simpsons, but I respect why it was important for them to clean up the look. :)
In the mean time, thank you Avian for your brilliant model sheet! Stay tuned for more art updates!
-Kate (producer)