Character Sketching and CEED-2014 Solutions: Krati Pandya

Hey everyone!

I attempted CEED 2014 part B  

(both parts of the question, just for practice) , alongside animation (character design). I hope this helps you. Also, both of these are up for review. Thanks :)

Attempted CEED 2014 part-B design question on dustbin design.

QUESTION

Free hand sketch attempt

Riya Gupta - Solutions to CEED/NID Animation questions

Hello again aspirants!!

As I told you earlier I will be back with my solutions to animation questions. I would like to start with CEED 2015 animation part. First, read out the whole question followed by-

Question 5c:  Optional (Animation Design)

An animation film for 5 to 12 year old children is in pre-production stage. The film is based on the relationship between a kid (girl/boy) and his/her puppy. This is a shot breakdown of a sequence from the film.

Shot 1. A 10 year old kid (girl/boy) and his puppy are playing with a ball in a field.

Shot 2. Suddenly s/he notices a huge eagle swooping down on the puppy.

Shot 3. The eagle reaches out with its talons (claws), grabs the puppy and flies off.

Shot 4. The kid sees the puppy carried away.

Shot 5. The kid picks up the ball and throws it at the eagle

Shot 6. The ball hits the eagle, and he drops the puppy.

Shot 7. The girl/boy is reunited with the puppy, hugs him.

Part 1

Illustrate (Create a Storyboard of) the above shots as a series of picture frames. You can use more than one frame per shot if you want. Approximate shape of the frame is shown below. You can choose to make the drawing and then draw the frame on top of it to compose your shot or you can create the frame and then draw inside.     

Part 2

Draw shot 3 (the eagle reaching out, about to grab the puppy) in detail in a style which is one of the following.  Line drawing is sufficient. Detailed rendering and shading can be done if needed.

a. Realistic  b. Stylised

In part 1, pay attention to communication of the narrative through sequential pictures and shot composition. 

In part 2, pay attention to illustration skills, composition and perspective (if realistic style chosen) or Illustration style (if stylized chosen.)

As you can see that there are number of shots given above, if you come across any question without the shots listed separately, you can think of your own . Try to highlight the actions as much as you can.

My Solution sketches:

As you can see that through simple frames I have completed the question. Due to less number of frames, I didn't used the technique of resizing them( as I told in my previous post) However, you can wish to do so. See the perspective I have used in each shot. You can see that I have used the bird's eye view in the third frame.
 In the second part of the question, it is asked either for the realistic shot or the stylized one. For the realistic one, use colours, add shading, or use detail concepts.On the other hand, use interesting perspective shots for the stylized one.

Go through it and practice with the rest of the questions

Riya Gupta-Animation Design

Hello CEED and NID aspirants!

In this post,i will tell you the basic key points to remember before starting with the animation question. Friends, you might have heard the following anomalies regarding an animation question:

• Time taking
• Too lengthy
• Too much detailing needed

The main challenge which make the students skip the animation question is time management.Friends,if you follow these effective points which i have explained below,you will complete the question and in a very attractive manner too !

An animation question includes various sub tasks to perform like:

• MAKING FRAMES
• CREATING THE MAIN CHARACTERS
• BACKGROUND
• EXCLAMATORY CAPTIONS
• ADDING PERSPECTIVE
• COLORING(IF TIME LEFT)

let me clear you these points separately,

1. Making frames

While making the frames don't go with very small sized frames untill and unless you are asked to make 8-10+ frames.Small frames tend to make your story too messy as you will make the main characters small and comparatively the background .Also while erasing the work inside the frame will tend to rub the frame also.
Tip:Don't go with the boring equal sized frames .You can make the frames of smaller and bigger size ,arrange them attractively.this will give your answer "Stand out of others".

Take a look at the example below-

So,its better to make ideal sized frames.neither too small, nor too big.

2. Creating the main characters (such that they stand out of the whole)

While creating your main character,don't go with too much detailing.Students waste their time making some very unnecessary minute details like the character fanciful clothes,accessories,too much expressions,shading,etc.

You only need to concentrate on the action told in the question.

3. Background

The biggest mistake students do is detailing the background.Yes! this is what eating your precious time.Students just make the background as fanciful as they can.but the fact is,it diverts the observer from the main character!

take a look at the image below:

The focus should be on the main character ,but the background is too much detailed such that the observer will get easily confused.

The correct background making should be like this :

I think now you clearly got what i was trying to explain.:)

4. Exclamatory captions 

The captions always completes your storyboard.it grabs the attention of the observer and if your sketch is not to that level also,trust me ,it compensates it ! 

look at the storyboard below,the captions like "swoosh","whamm" are clearly grabbing our attention and making it a real storyboard !

5. Adding perspective

Adding perspective is a very important thing to remember,as it makes the storyboard to look real and attention grabbing.you can make bird's eye view or insect's eye view.These views are commonly used while storyboarding by professionals.

Take a look at both the views:

BIRD'S EYE VIEW

INSECT'S EYE VIEW

6. Coloring(if time left)

Your pencil is enough for a storyboard,but if you get a couple of minutes more,you can color your main character or whole storyboard depending upon the time remaining.You can also use monochromatic coloring to the secondary characters/background to focus the main character.

Note: 

Some students are comfortable with a pen rather than a pencil,if you are one of them,use pen in the exam.there is no restriction with the stationary you use.Keep in mind of the pens you use ,use a good quality of pens that doesn't stain.

Friends,start with the previous year questions and try to complete them in the time fold given. Practice daily with these questions, read comic strips which come across various newspapers/magazines,learn from web resources,etc. At last you will see the difference in you ,trust me!you can even complete the question before time!

In the next post, i will be showing you my solution to animation questions. till then,keep practicing !