Finished Proof of Concept, but....

So I did my proof of concept:
Click to view the finished proof

But then I discovered ToonBoom. I fell in love with the program and have decided to use it to do my film. So it looks like I'll be doing a new proof of concept. On the bright side, I used ToonBoom for 2 hours and got more done than I could have in 7 hours traditionally.

Researchin' like a fiend.

I've been doing a lot of research on London around 1895 so the film will be at least semi-accurate. I still have a lot more research to do, but here's a little taste of what I've found thus far.

Style Work

I have a tendency to work backwards, so in this image I actually started with the loose silly version of Raleigh and worked clockwise.

Ultimately I streamlined the design on the left and THIS is what Raleigh will look like.

Ideation Sketches: Raleigh

I should have posted this a week ago, but anyway, here are some ideation sketches of Raleigh. I was really just trying to nail down his look. I was having a hard time with an adult raccoon-man head structure, so I started with a head turnaround of him as a child and worked from there. If  you followed clockwise from the sketch of young Raleigh kneeling, you can see my process. My first attempt at the older Raleigh turnaround after that looked way too old and stern, so I moved on and found a happy middle ground. Now that I'm happy with his head, I have to figure out the rest of him. Back to the drawing board!

I think my self-criticism is showing. Oh well...c'est la vie!

Hard at work

I've been working on boards and nailing down the design for Raleigh lately. I modified his design to make him more raccoon-like and I've decided to give him a tail. This should give me a wider range of expression and contrast between him as a child and as an adult. I'm almost done with the head turnarounds as well. I'll have some sketches posted by the end of this week.

It starts...

Ladies and Gentlemen, the new semester has begun and thus my thesis project. "Pieces" (working title) will soon be in full swing and I will post updates here as they are made.

For those of you who don't know, this is a very personal project for me. In a way, I am Raleigh. I wrote this story as a result of my own loss in hopes of bringing comfort to myself and others who have experienced similar pain. I want others to know that it is possible to pick up the broken pieces and let go, while I prove it to myself. The purpose of making Raleigh male and well, not human, is so I can maintain an emotional detachment from him. This way I can show my emotions through him without feeling as though I'm dissecting my own soul. It took me a long time to come to grips with my loss and it never really goes away, but I have found some solace and I hope that this short film will help me to carry on.

Wish me luck.