For this project I have been asked to use fruit and veg as a starting point to then develop into characters. The aim is that I experiment with a range of digital art, different materials, certain techniques and processes to generate a pair of exciting characters to be made into life sized cut outs. I am careful to what art I produce to my audience and designers. I will keep my designs simple if its for children and push boundaries for an older audience and humanise my characters possibly adding comedy.

I will start my character designs by looking and drawing fruit or veg, I will correct and develop my thoughts through a series of creative media exploration. This project is designed to encourage me to think creatively and to push boundaries and work outside my comfort bubble within character designing.  My boundaries are pencil so id like to push myself out my comfort zone to marker or ink or even water colours if possible.

-Evaluation

I expect myself to record and evaluate my work on paper so I can keep track of my work to see what I have changed throughout the time I worked as I document my work its easy to change my documents and change of work in pencil than it is in pen but I also intend to record my work on my phone as that could be an easy way to update my work.  I will document my thought process and how I have made decisions so that I can continue to develop and progress.  I will also ask my tutor for feedback and take on board advice as a way of challenging myself and my use of media and processes.  

-Proposed research sources & bibliography

This part provides me a chance to record my initial research sources, both primary and secondary, that I intend to use. My sources of research should be as large as possible and could include libraries, galleries, books, magazines, films, websites, social media, broadcast and archive materials. The bibliography should be continuously updated as the project continues

Unique design

A unique design can vary to a distinctive look or original creations that are unlike any other existing piece, somehow reflecting the sense of creativity. A specific designer's personal vision and a distinct approach to a problem or even a concept to the character or even taking an original piece and adjusting it into a piece that’s completely new.

Expressive features

Expressive features are basic elements that are used to communicate feelings, emotions, ideas, or even just basic intentions that are seen in common human behaviour like facial expressions and body language, artistic works like colour, music tempo, writing style or even just digital interfaces. These features allow for communication beyond literal meaning, conveying moods or evoking responses from a viewer or listener.

Strong silhouette

A strong silhouette is recognizable and even an impactful outline of a subject, essential in art, design, and photography for instant recognition, conveying personality, and simplifying complex forms without relying on intricate details. It features a balanced, stable and clear shape that is easily readable, even in black and white... allowing viewers to understand the subject's form, personality, and role immediately.

Constant style

A constant style refers to some sort of consistent characteristics, habits, or even just elements that remain unchanged and reliably present over time, often in a personal or programming context. For example, in personal style, it's wearing the same types of clothing or even just accessories.

personality in design

In design, personality refers to the human qualities, traits, and emotions that a product, brand, or character embodies, allowing it to connect with an audience on a deeper, more relatable level. It goes beyond simple aesthetics to define how something looks, feels, and acts, creating a distinct identity that fosters emotional connections and builds loyalty with users.

colour scheme

A colour scheme is a planned combination of colours, often derived from the colour wheel, used together in a design or artwork to create a specific mood, feeling, or visual appeal. Common types of colour schemes include monochromatic, which uses varying shades of a single colour; analogous, using colours next to each other on the wheel; and complementary, which uses colours opposite each other for high contrast. 

back story / motivation

A character's backstory is their history and formative experiences, while motivation is the driving force behind their actions in the present story. Backstory provides the "why" for a character's goals and behaviours, creating a logical connection between past events and present motivations, thus adding depth, realism, and emotional resonance to the character and the overall narrative

proportions and anatomy

Anatomy refers to the study of the structure of the human body, while proportions are the mathematical relationships and ratios between different parts of the body. In art and design, understanding both anatomy and proportions is essential for creating realistic and accurate depictions of the human form, allowing artists to capture harmonious and believable figures by applying established "head-to-body" ratios and understanding fundamental body structures.

dynamic poses

Dynamic poses represent a figure in motion, showing energy, action, and fluidity, rather than a static, still position. These poses capture a moment of movement, such as running, jumping, or dancing, making artwork more engaging and expressive by giving the viewer a sense of anticipation for the next movement.

Sunglasses can really shape how we see a character! They hide the eyes, making someone mysterious or like they're hiding something. They can also give off confidence, like you see with cops in movies. Plus, the type of sunglasses—aviators versus something designer—can hint at a character's style or even their wealth. Basically, they're a quick way to add personality.

Umbrellas

An umbrella visually shapes a character, showing their personality through its size, which indicates caution or fragility, and its design, which reflects traditional or playful traits. Using an umbrella when it's not raining suggests withdrawal, while using it as a weapon shows resourcefulness. Its quality implies affluence or hardship. Filmmakers use these elements to add character depth.

Gloves/Hats

Gloves show formality with dress gloves, practicality with work gloves, and mystery if always worn. Their material hints at style and status, like leather for ruggedness or silk for wealth. Hats signal authority (crowns), conceal identity (wide brims), express personality (flamboyant styles), and indicate roles (chef's hat). They also offer practicality like warmth.

roller skates and ice skates

Roller skates can visually communicate playfulness and nostalgia, portraying a fun-loving, youthful character, or symbolize freedom and independence, highlighting an adventurous spirit. They might also suggest rebellion, challenging norms, or, through skilled use, project confidence and grace. Ice skates, on the other hand, often convey elegance, suggesting a poised and refined character. They can also represent discipline and hard work, vulnerability and risk-taking, or a penchant for solitude and introspection. Furthermore, ice skating can be associated with performance, indicating someone who enjoys the spotlight.

-Read the brief.

-Understand the theme - fruit and vegetables.

-Understand the outcome - character design.

-Understand the timeframe - 9 weeks.

-Understand the audience - can be decided within design work.

Research:

-Helps understand specifics of the product.

-helps clarify the clients needs.

-It helps gather information.

-Brain storming.

-helps refine your final design.

Artist research:

-Gives you inspiration

-it helps you gather new material and design ideas.

-Helps with the creative process.

-Prevents art block.

Design:

-problem solving

-designs solution's

-testing

-you can create proto types

- it helps from idea to concept

Design development:

-Apart of the assembly process

-Can visually explain processes

-explain concepts

-Development phase

-idea thinking

Experimentation:

-Helps you explore your ideas

-helps you work out techniques

-helps you with creative process

-gives you the conceptual framework

-challenging the norms

Make the final piece:

-refining

-Culmination of your research

-document the process

-avoid last minute major changes

-focus on detail and polish

Evaluate:

-evaluate your work

-what did you learn

-reflection feeds back into future experimentation

- artistic growth

- did it meet your intentions

To address my chosen audience, which is a class of children, to appeal to any gender with non specific features with no stereotypical gender colours. But have used this to depict an all round character for everyone to enjoy. I wanted to incorporate relatable examples, and encourage participation through questions and discussions. I would also use visual aids and multimedia elements to keep them engaged. This approach helps in making the content more accessible and interesting for them.

When addressing an audience, it's essential to consider their age, background knowledge, interests, and expectations. Additionally, you must think about the purpose of the communication, the setting, and the potential biases of the audience. These considerations help in tailoring the message to resonate effectively with the audience.

My strongest character was the apples but after time I moved onto cherries for my final design, I moved onto cherries as i found it added more detail to my final character and it would be a more fun idea to give a character two heads. To give the look that could talk to each other while just sharing one body.

I thought this would be playful idea for my audience of primary school children in the age group 4-10 years old. It meets the needs to encourage conversation and teaches young children to appreciate differences , diversity in an inclusive environment where everyone can feel valued and equal.

I began this project by researching different fruits and vegetables, paying special attention to their shapes and textural details which provided me with a strong foundation for my creative character design. I found the process particularly easy as having strong research and detailed studies of fruit and vegetables, so it was easy to generate and further my ideas. On reflection at the initial stage, I should’ve researched furthermore in-depth into facial expressions to give me a lot more choices in my creativity and refinement. At the initial stages my intention was to create a childish character piece of work for my audience, I experimented with different variety of fruits and vegetables. I used different methods and media but always intended to develop my design for a young audience. This method has successfully communicated my visual concept for my final creative piece.  

On reflection my time management was awful, I was late on half my written work for my final analysis, my motivational factors and the pressure to meet deadlines was increasing the difficulty in focusing on my time on each section and added a lot of pressure to myself. When I started designing, I added visual language to communicate along with my ideas which was key to making my designs and effective and accessible to all. My main success was character developing cherries into cartoonish characters as a plan for my final piece. I spent some time on developing and refining my cherry characters especially the innovative idea of creating a two-cherry figure. This approach demonstrates an ability to push an initial concept into a more engaging and distinctive design. Looking back on my work I could've done better with experimenting furthering my exploration of different media. One of my main problems was annotating my work and with practice I hope to achieve a more detailed study to communicate this better. 

I’ve learned to manage time more effectively during this project and to use structured planning and to introduce more intense research-based work at the beginning. I presented my final piece on paper with bold colourful pencil crayons; this was hand drawn but then moved onto digital to refine my presentation. I was very happy with the outcome and would not change a thing to cause any more problems. This is very appealing to my audience and i am happy with the final concept. I enjoyed the project but the thought of drawing anymore fruit or vegetables would drive me crazy.