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Interim Presentation

Critical lense research

Escapism & character design in video games

Appeal of Collectibles

Character making in Roblox experimentation

Reflections

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Trying Blender (3D design software)

Self Assessment Group Tutorial

Anatomy idea experimentation

Roblox character making game experimentation

Reflections

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CPP Workshop (Visually articulating research and statements)

Group Tutorial

Character design influence/inspiration research

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Research Workshops

Brain Storming Project Ideas

Initial Research

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CPP Workshop (Research Focused)

Drawing Experimentation

Artist/inspiration and applying critical lense research

Feminist critical lense

Reflections

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CPP Workshop (Position and Critical Lense Focused)

Learning Nomad (3D Design Software)

Artist/inspiration and applying critical lense research

Sexualisation of women critical lense

Atonomy drawing experimentation

Reflections

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CPP Workshop (Research Focused)

Thinking about positionality

Researching critical lenses

Sexualisation of women in media

Focus on fictional characters

First try at 3D design

Experimentation + drawing practice

Reflections

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CPP Workshop (Translating research into practice)

Content Hack CPP Workshop (Connecting artists/art/topics to critical lenses)

Reflection/Goals/Project Check in

Character making experimentation

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Group tutorial

Visiting collectible store

Drawing experimentation

Reflections

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Interim Presentation Planning

Adobe Illustrator Workshop

3D Sculpting research & experimentation

3D Colouring research & experimentation

Reflections

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I tried Blender, to expand my 3D Design knowledge in other programmes. I did a lot of research through online forums and YouTube courses. I found this extremely difficult. All together I spent 5 hours researching and experimenting on Blender. I managed to create a head, and thats as far as I could get as I ran into many problems through out the process, and then I fixed them, and right after they were fixed my Blender crashed.

I could see myself potentially using Blender. I am a lot more comfortable with the programme now and can find my away around it in general. I was surprised that it wasn't as difficult using a keyboard and mouse to sculpt as I thought it would be. I find Blender to be a lot more complicated as it has a lot more tools than Nomad, which are not useful to me so navigating through that was tough. Overall the amount of problems I ran into and finding solutions for them was extremely frustrating and time consuming. For what I am trying to create for now Nomad seems like a more viable option.

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CPP Films/Publications

Video Game Character Customization Interface Research

Outcome Experimentation & Planning

Outlined Critical Position & Goal

Reflections

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Creation process of my outcome.

Complete Outcome

Reflections

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CPP Poster workshop & exhibit.

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CPP Workshop 1: Mapping our research solar systems.

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CPP Workshop 1: Mapping our research solar systems.

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I did this workshop last year so I am very familiar with the library's research tools but nevertheless it was a good reminder and it's refreshing to look at different research methods other than google because I tend to forget about them.

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I chose to research Arnold Tsang because I've always been inspired by the character design in Overwatch, so I wanted to find out more about the artist. Finding his other art and work for other video games has inspired me a lot.

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This workshop was really helpful. It gave me many ideas on where to take my project or start as my idea is still very broad. It was also fun to think of 'out of the box' ways of researching your topic, because I would've never thought of this for myself, and it can open up new doors/perspectives/ideas. It was also nice doing this as a group as I got to hear what my peers are doing which made me feel more confident with where we are taking these projects.

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I chose to research Soto Sosa because I've always been really inspired by her work. She also started venturing into making her characters 3D which is what I'm trying to learn to do to my characters too.

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I chose to research Keely Poi Majewski because her 3D alien-like characters have always been inspiring my art. She is one of the artists that also makes me want to learn digital 3D design, and I think her dramatic illustrations are perfect works to study character design because of the way she illustrates their bold personalities.

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I thought it would be fun to try and recreate a video game character. I chose Mercy from Overwatch. This was really fun and I got to get creative. I just wanted to start drawing and experimenting.

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I drew this girl trying to experiment with different brushes, and anatomy. I want to create human-like-characters, but with more fantasy features.

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This workshop was fun, and I got to experiment with materials I don't usually experiment with.

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As I was in the library, I saw these boxes for figurines created by UAL Camberwell students. I couldn't find any information on them besides the names of the people who made them but I took some pictures, I thought this project was really cool. It was interesting to see how they portray that character and it's personality on each of the boxes.

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CPP Workshop 2: Micro-Macro, structuring a research enquiry. 

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CPP Workshop 2: Micro-Macro, structuring a research enquiry. 

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Nomad is a software for 3D sculpting and design. I decided to give myself a go at it without watching any tutorials or learning about it first as I find it easier to first familiarise myself with what I see. I found it fun to experiment with different tools, and created a face. I never scultped anything before digitally or physically so it was a challenge. I even tried colouring my face on Nomad but I found it a bit limiting. I figured out how to export the file onto ProCreate, by exporting it as an OBJ file, which is a file holding a 3 dimensional object. And then I familiarised myself with 3D colouring on ProCreate using the face I created in Nomad. I used layers and I changed the lighting. This was really fun and I feel less in the dark when it comes to these programmes. I have a lot of learning still to do. I will further my knowledge by watching Nomad tutorials, ProCreate tutorials, learning about 3D design, and more experimenting.

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This tutorial was really helpful as I felt a little lost. It gave me many possible directions and ideas that can help expand my project.

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This is a long-in depth collection of my notes on sexualising women in media. I researched different ways in which fictional characters get sexualised, the motives behind sexualisation, as well as the effects of this sexualisation. Through this research I also explored different viewpoints on this topic, and weighed the pros and the cons.

I also went more in depth into Anime/Manga and Video Games as I am interested in exploring these types of fictional characters myself.

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I felt like my drawing skills have been rusty when it comes to proportions, also finding drawing hands challenging, so using my tutor's suggestion to try life drawing, I practiced for a few hours and even though it was quite frustrating at first it was great practice. I was able to draw a person quicker by the end of the few hours, and I am a little more confident in drawing hands.

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CPP Workshop 4: Putting Research into Practice

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CPP Workshop 4: Putting Research into Practice

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CPP Follow-up Task, Research in Translation:

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CPP Follow-up Task, Research in Translation:

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'Research in Translation' Follow-up Task

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I found this workshop extremely helpful. It made me draw new connections between artists, topics, and viewpoints that I could consider. It also helped me better understand my view on sexualisation of female characters.

I also don't use chat GPT at all so it was interesting using AI to help draw connections and give ideas. I actually found it as a really helpful tool.

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After using Chat GPT in the workshop, I decided to go home and have a more in depth look at the analysis Chat GPT wrote for me as I found some ideas noteworthy.

What I took note of:

I need to do more practice on designing and storytelling through a focus on the character's backstory. Think about ways to portray aspects of the character's backstory through my design.

I need to think about what message the audience is receiving through my designs. For example, what persepective on sexualisation of women is portrayed within my illustrations.

I can find ways to challenge stereotypes through my illustrations.

Think about what medium I choose and which is most suitable for what I'm trying to convey.

While practicing and researching 3D design I need to think about anatomical accuracy, texture, and expression, and not loosing qualities that I value.

I need to think about finding balance between fantasy and relatable aspects.

Certain elements of 3D design can work well with fantasy and building unique characters.

I can think about applying my designs outside of this project and how I would have to adapt to that.

I can use surrealism as a tool to convey my position on a critical lens.

Need to focus on storytelling through facial expressions.

Embracing the duality of strength and vulnerability is celebrated within feminist discourse.

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I watched a crash course youtube video by Dave Reed about Nomad. I learnt a lot about tools, lighting, environment, painting, layers, remeshing. It was very complicated and took a long time but I created this little monster while being guided by Dave.

I feel a lot more condfident with using Nomad now. I want to develop more 2D designs and then try and recreate them in Nomad now that I have some skills. I also might try other 3D design programmes such as Blender.

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Following the crash course I watched, I put the skills I learnt into practice and tried to sculpt a 3D female character from my imagination. I found a lot of things easy as well as came across some challenges which was great because now I know what I need to further research.

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Indiana is an artist I wanted to note in this project as I find his photography really inspiring. He depicts women in very sexualised ways, however there is something about it that makes the women seem powerful. A lot of the women are depicted with weapons. Sometimes he features men in his photos along side women creating scenes such as women beating up the man, or men lusting over the woman. In all the photos where men are featured it seems like they are an accessory to the women, which stereotypically it is the other way around. Although Indiana himself is a man, I find his photography is captured through the female gaze. It seems very raw and relatable in some aspects, as it shows the "ugly" and violent experiences of being a woman, with a twist of power.

I also wanted to note him in my research as I need to consider clothing, and posing. The typical poses you get from life drawing references of women usually seem timid or elegant. I'm trying to illustrate my characters in more powerful, interesting and thought provoking poses which Indiana has a great way of capturing.

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Drawing Experimentation with Atonomy and Facial Expressions

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Drawing Experimentation with Atonomy and Facial Expressions

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This was really helpful as I got to practice my drawing skills. It was fun to customize the girls I was drawing and depict them however I'd like. It also helped me think about what I want my characters to be saying through their face. Eyebrows, eyeshape, pupils, lips all create a story of their own which was fun experimenting with.

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Experimentation with Atonomy and Facial Expressions

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Based on her character traits I chose to make her pose in an assertive way but still modest as she is wise and solemn. The colour choice also was more toned down and serious, such as deep navy and khaki. I tried to incorporate fictional aspects so I was thinking her setting is more dystopian, and I illustrated that through the use of more tactical clothing such as straps, boots, goggles, arms sleeve, fingerless gloves, pouch on her thigh, and bullets on her belt. Through her face I wanted to illustrate her wariness, as she doesn't trust people. I did this through making her eyebrows more crossed and her looking to her side. Her body position is also drawn in a way where she is aware and prepared for anything to happen. I thought a simple hair cut would fit her as she is more concerned about tacticallity rather than beauty. I added a hooded top as well to convey her mysterious nature, even though she doesn't have it on.

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For this character I tried to illustrate a more bubbly younger girl. The bright colours create a cheerful effect, and I added shapes such as stars, hearts, charms, bows, and a gummy bear handbag to relfect her cheerful, playful and optimistic character traits. I chose a more playful pose to reflect her personality. It also conveys a little bit of that inattentiveness, as she seems energised and dynamic, and could easily get distracted. I chose her clothes carefully, choosing a lot of girly layered items with a lot of accessories and long nails to try and emphasize that she cares about her looks. She could be subconsciously using clothes and her playfulness as a distraction, to get people to ignore problems, as part of her optimistic and inattentive trait. Maybe loosing her sister made her ignorant to any problems that face her.

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CPP Workshop 5: Group Tutorial about Form of Illustration

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CPP Workshop 5: Group Tutorial about Form of Illustration

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Notes:

Possible customisation game outcome

Potentially research dolls / moments in history

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I made a visit to the Pop Mart store in Oxford St as figurines are a big part of character design especially that I am investigating it in the 3D form. In addition, I take a lot of inspiration from all types of figurines especially SkullPanda figurines. I found all the different types of figurines really interesting and how the designers chose to represent them and their themes on the boxes they are packaged in. The main theme I saw in the figurines sold at the Pop Mart store is their endearing, childlike, "cute" designs. I'm really inspired by the anatomy of such figurines and something I would like to apply to my 3D designs.

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Research:

Background/UI of dress up game research.

IMVU game

Add:

Talk about why I am interested in this topic. Show inspirations.

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I decided to do some sketches of some of my favourite figurines I saw at Pop Mart. As I mentioned before I really like the anatomy in a lot of these figurines so it was great practice for me to examine them and draw them. I think these are also perfect to spend some time on for my project as these figurines are really expressive, and depict a lot of personality and individuality which is important in character design and something I'm trying to practice.

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Here I give background on some of the things that inspired my passion for character design and influenced my work, ranging from dolls to video games.

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Inspired by the SkullPanda figurines, I created a 3D character design. I thought it would be good to use a reference as I am still learning. I started off by using different shapes, and created a base. Using all the knowledge I learnt from the crash course that I watched, and the things I learnt through my own experimentation, I created this doll. Through making this I got more comfortable with this software and I learnt more through making mistakes and fixing problems when they arose.

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ProCreate 3D Colouring Research/Experimentation 

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ProCreate 3D Colouring Research/Experimentation 

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This is my first proper go at colouring 3D in ProCreate. Through different forums like Reddit, and Youtube tutorials I learnt a lot and was able to problem solve. I am very happy with how this looks. I was really excited to be able to colour it glossy as I always wanted to do that to my designs. I feel a lot more confident with using the 3D part of the ProCreate app.

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I found this presentation a little challenging in a good way as I was asked a lot of questions I don't yet know the answer to. It was really helpful though to show and speak about my project with a bigger group of people as I got a lot of new ideas and had conversations that got me thinking more about what is my ctricical position.

Notes:

Need to think about what is my character for?

Explore why people spend such a long time on character design in games.

Explore why people love collectibles.

Explore escapism/expressionism through characters/digital spaces.

Dive deeper into my critical position.

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I decided to research OAT Studios as there is no information anywhere online about the clothing brand 'La Paix'. I assume this is because it is brand new or still in the making.

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Critical Practice Film & Publication Session Notes

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Critical Practice Film & Publication Session Notes

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Reflection:

This session made me think about some useful points I should consider:

Who is interpreting my work and how does it impact the interpretation?

Am I being sensitive with the way my work is perceived/could be perceived?

Balancing satire and earnestness

Checking your own privilege

Are you sharing your opinion or other people’s opinion through your illustrations?

Communicating things clearly without needing a personal archive to understand? (methods?)

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Critical Practice Film & Publication Session

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Style, Aesthetics, & Streetwear Research

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Style, Aesthetics, & Streetwear Research

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Escapism & Character Design in Video Games Research

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Escapism & Character Design in Video Games Research

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Further Research on Collectibles and their Appeal

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Further Research on Collectibles and their Appeal

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I played Dress to Impresss on Roblox, which is a bigger/more detailed version of a minigame that was featured in MovieStarPlanet which I grew up playing. You get a theme and have 5 minutess to create an outfit based on that theme. You can get very creative with clothing hacks/patterns/layering and custom make up. Creating these characters was great to get my creativity going as I felt stuck, and I actually took some inspiration from these characters in my designs.

I haven't played this game in a very long time so you can see my improvement in the creativity in my outfits from last week.

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I am considering creating my project based around video game character customization so I researched examples of interfaces to get ideas of what I could possibly feature in mine if I was to make one.

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CPP Plan Reflection & Applying Progression

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This was really fun to create something a bit different, without a plan and more relaxed. I like how my poster turned out and that I didn't have to think much about creating something from scratch instead putting what I already got together to make something nice.

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Making this doll was really fun but time consuming. I challenged myself a lot with creating a lot more complex shapes than what I’ve done before. It was really cool to see a design I drew turn into a 3D object.

I wish I could’ve presented the doll alone, however I wanted to make the connection between my critical topic and the design more apparent. I did this by adding context through putting it in an environment: a video game character customisation interface. Creating this was also challenging as I never done something like this before.

My outcome message is more abstract and up for interpretation. My goal was to make people think about how they interpret video game characters’ appearances and their relationship with the choices they make within their appearances by communicating my own experience. I quite like the approach I took. The change to put it in this format rather than have the doll presented alone was quite last minute after a group tutorial so if I had more time I would like to make it interactive and actually have the audience participate in choosing a character themselves. I think that way would also fit my critical position better.

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Feedback from Oat Studio on my Rough Designs

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Feedback from Oat Studio on my Rough Designs

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I had a lot of fun responding to this brief. It was a bit of a challenge as I am not personally drawn to streetwear but I am very happy with how my designs came out. Particularly the dog one. I think I took a very creative approach by taking inspiration from a scene from the movie and flipping it to make it represent the brand's message.

It was really fun and useful to engage in a real world brief with purpose for a change. I think it made me want to put more effort in.