After taking into consideration the last model making session Hayley and I had, I bought some cheap plasticine to have another go at making the bird characters, just to see if I actually could do it, considering all the steps and tricks Hayley taught me. I was treating this as a test model, but if it turned out well, then I would have been happy to incorporate it into the animation, if Hayley liked it also.
To begin with, I took some red plasticine (using the colour palette from my designs), and I began to mould the front of the lady bird. I also took into consideration the fact that Hayley had drawn the birds in the storyboard front on, sitting on a branch of a tree, therefore instead of worrying about the whole body and how to get that to be the correct weight for a branch, I decided to just mould the body as if it was face on. This would be a lot easier for me, not only to mould, but also to animate as well! I then used a ten pence coin, as a 5p/1p was far too small, and used this as a guideline in making the chest for the bird. I actually made this chest piece too thick, so I later went back and took the texture off the top of it, and then flattened it some more, because there was actually too much depth and shadow once the model was photographed. This was something I had to think about, because even if the model looked good in real life, it is what is being captured on camera that is most important.
Since my initial designs had patterns/textured on them, I chose to roll up small cylinders over top of the chest, just to give it some more detail and complexity. For the most part I was experimenting, because I really did not know if I was capable at modelling at all.
Once I had the basic, overall shape, I then began to add some details. Like the lines on the chest, (which looking back at these pictures I will need to line up more perfectly as they seem to have moved slightly off centre), I did this same technique for the hair! I loved how the hair came out and I think if it wasn't there then my character wouldn't look half as interesting! I also chose to add hair because if I am making two characters, one male and female, I didn't really know how to distinguish between them, as they are visually very similar, so I chose this variable to be the hair.
For the eyes, the basic goggly eyes did not look at all appealing for this character. Therefore I still used them, but added some eye lids. To do this I rolled up a small piece of plasticine and then flattened it and rolled it around the top half of the eye, like you would do when you add a roll of icing to a cake! This was very satisfying to come together and for someone who is new to this whole process, I am actually proud with how it looks!
The next day, I decided to make the lady bird's companion. In my designs I had him orange and yellow, but after photographing the female bird next to my green tin, I thought using green plasticine would look much more engaging and exciting, especially for our younger viewers! If I had not been photographing each stage to see how the model looked on camera, I would have probably still made him orange which makes me thankful for taking Mike's advice to see how different the models look in real life and then in a picture.
I used my first model as a reference, especially in terms of size. I really wanted them to look like a couple, instead of just two different species of birds, and I found this really helpful. I followed the same steps, except this time I tried something different with the hair. Last time, I found this really intensified the models appearance, so I knew I had to do something extravagant again or else the model wouldn't look half as good. Therefore I tried to make the male bird have 'curly' hair. This was extremely finicky, but I think it looks much more interesting than if I had just rolled up the plasticine into lines.
I still felt like the hair looked a little flat, therefore I piled up some more of the swirls just to give the character extra height and volume in the hair. I think this really makes a difference, and fits his personality! So when the camera is not as up close, he will still look like her has hair! I also noticed from these pictures that I need to fix the pupils of his eyes as they are definitely not symmetrical.
The next day, I decided to make the lady bird's companion. In my designs I had him orange and yellow, but after photographing the female bird next to my green tin, I thought using green plasticine would look much more engaging and exciting, especially for our younger viewers! If I had not been photographing each stage to see how the model looked on camera, I would have probably still made him orange which makes me thankful for taking Mike's advice to see how different the models look in real life and then in a picture.
I used my first model as a reference, especially in terms of size. I really wanted them to look like a couple, instead of just two different species of birds, and I found this really helpful. I followed the same steps, except this time I tried something different with the hair. Last time, I found this really intensified the models appearance, so I knew I had to do something extravagant again or else the model wouldn't look half as good. Therefore I tried to make the male bird have 'curly' hair. This was extremely finicky, but I think it looks much more interesting than if I had just rolled up the plasticine into lines.
I still felt like the hair looked a little flat, therefore I piled up some more of the swirls just to give the character extra height and volume in the hair. I think this really makes a difference, and fits his personality! So when the camera is not as up close, he will still look like her has hair! I also noticed from these pictures that I need to fix the pupils of his eyes as they are definitely not symmetrical.
And this is the final result! I think he looks alright and looks like a companion of the other model I made. I think once Hayley and I start making the changeable mouths, they will really come to life which I am really excited about!
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