For our first modelling session/attempt at making the characters our of plasticine for our animation, Hayley and I decided to try and make the sheep. I tried to keep an open mind for this session, knowing that it would take me a few tries before I got the hang of being able to mould properly. However, from this session I was able to watch Hayley, and mimic her techniques so that I could learn new skills in sculpting, as well as experiment and learn on my own.
To begin with, Hayley and I agreed that we would both try and make an individual 'test' sheep from the designs that I had created, and then either pick one, or combine the two to form a sheep that is based off both of our visions. I was quite nervous because I didn't want to let Hayley down, especially as this is a new process to me, so it ended up taking me a while to mould my character.
I started with the head, and tried to follow the oval-like shape of the 2D design, and then attempted to get creative with the 'fluff' for the hair. I thought about perhaps using actual cotton wool for more texture, but since for this current moment we didn't have any, I just rolled up several small balls of plasticine to gain a rounded aesthetic, for hair. I quite liked the look of this, so I then extended on this idea, except on a larger scale, and did the same for the body. I think it looks okay, but not as effective, and I preferred the look of the sheep's head alone, than with the body. I added some eyes which Hayley liked and I was finished with my first test.
This is the scale of the sheep to my hand (which is larger than your average hand), and I think it looks fine for a first attempt. I was able to get a feel for moulding, and what to expect when making the characters. I found the process quite finicky and hard, but once you start to see the character come together, it makes it worth while. Mike and Annabeth brought up the concern of how big/small the characters will be in proportion to each other, however Hayley constructed the storyboard in such a way that the different animals are in different scenes, and therefore we agreed to make the size of the characters in relation to how much they move. For example, with the sheep, mostly their mouths will be moving, therefore they are not required to be as big as, for example the Farmer who we have planned to have arms and hands move also. They also suggested that we add a neck to the models, so that if we want some slight head movements, this will make the process easier and less work for us. Also perhaps buying some eye beads, and use vaseline to manipulate them, will perhaps be much less of a hassle than moving each ball of plasticine individually.
After comparing models with Hayley, I really loved how hers turned out (top left image), a lot more than mine. She used similar processes to me, moulding small plasticine balls, however she blended them into each other to create a more rough textured look, which looked much more realistic and appealing compared to mine. She also made her sheep a fraction bigger than mine, which allowed it to look more hefty and practical. Because of this, I decided to use her sheep as the main example of the other four, and create the other three based on that one, but doing it myself. I am still glad that I tried out my own version, because it allowed me to make a few mistakes, but not feel too bad about it.
Because I had experienced moulding one sheep, it allowed me to feel slightly more confident to mould another. I did a few things differently, for instance I used a bit more plasticine, and I added a neck. I also used my jumper to make an even further wooly texture, especially since my designs were very textured to begin with.
And this meant we had completed two successful sheep. As you can see, the further developed two are slightly larger than my first one to begin with, but I think that was a case of trial and error. I think the two look very similar and after a few more alterations to the eyes, I would be happy to animate with them.
Hayley also made the newt that I designed and I love it! Other than moulding the other animals, we just have to do some tests on mouths and timings and then think about the set and our pre-production stage will progress onto the actual production stage. I am looking forward to this because Hayley is so talented at stop motion, and I think I can learn a lot from her. I was worried that I would be letting Hayley down but she is extremely patient and is still looking forward to teaching me the processes so I am also excited for this module now as well.
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