Shine Project
This project is part 2 of the Ambition Project (see the Behance page for that project). This term, it was really time to shine and use the feedback I got from the DDM teacher to create something big.
Personal Goals
For me, it was of course very important to prove that I am good enough for Digital Design & Motion. The Ambition Project wasn't good enough, so this time I really had to make something unique. My feedback on the Ambition Project was that I need to capture the process better, and create something original. So that was exactly my plan.
Brainstorm
Time to figure out what exactly I was going to make. I looked back at the list of ideas for my Ambition Project, and I brainstormed with a classmate to come up with even more ideas. Eventually we came with the idea of making Concept Art, because that is always original.
When I looked at the list we made, I came to the conclusion that we could combine most of the ideas with the 'myth or legend' idea. So I made a plan: create an entirely new myth or legend and design everything for that. So that means creating a story, a character, maybe even a background of the place where an important event happened etc.
It was important for me to keep the bar low for myself, so creating the story and a character were my priority. If I had any time left, I could come up with extra's.
Feedback
When I asked my teacher what she thought about my ideas and plan, she said it was a very good plan, because I could really put my own style into this. It's gonna be a completely original concept, which is what the DDM teacher told me I needed to practice. She also thought it was good of me to keep the bar low. I always tend to make big plans and put loads of time in the project, even after school hours, but I need to slow down a little bit, for the sake of my own mental health, and realise that I can also hand in less, but still very good art.
Research
The first thing I did, was write down some myth/legend ideas, looking at the list I made earlier.
I then did some more research on myths and legends, and see what didn't really exist yet.
The conclusion from my research was that there wasn't really a myth or legend about statues of heroes in mountains. I tried out this idea first, but after asking a DDM teacher for feedback, I decided to go with a shapeshifter legend. A classmate helped me and wrote stories for both ideas, and I made moodboards.
I made some sketches for both, but I wasn't happy with them. So I decided to change my plan one last time, and went for a witch legend. I started out by making another moodboard.
With the help of the moodboard, I made one big word web about witches to find out what makes a witch, what would be the personality of mine and what it would look like. And using that word web, I made 7 different combinations, creating a certain type of witch using power, looks, mood and form.
I asked 2 classmates for feedback to see which concepts they thought were most interesting. One said either the 4th or 6th one, and the other one made his own combination. He was also kind enough to create a small storyline for it, so I saved that just in case I needed extra inspiration (picture 1 below). And so, I ended up with 3 final concepts.
I made moodboards for all 3 concepts to get an idea of what their visual vibe would look like.
After looking at all 3 moodboards, I came up with my own idea. I used the classmate's story to create my own type of witch. I used this theme to create another moodboard, but this one is specifically for the witch's clothes, so I could start sketching.
I also already made a little moodboard to get inspired for the witch's little animal buddy.
Sketches
And so I started off by sketching a lot of outfit and accessoires ideas.
I made a moodboard filled with different poses, and then started sketching a couple of them.
I used these poses to draw 6 different outfits on them, to figure out which pose fits best with the type of witch I'm going for. I made notes for each pose & outfit with what I liked & didn't like.
I picked out the best pose, and then finalised the dress. I'm using this same technique of writing down good & bad notes, so that I can keep on improving my designs until I'm 100% happy with them.
I did the same for the hat & shoes.
Choosing a hairstyle was very important to me, because I think that really shows the witch's personality. So I made a moodboard for a little bit of extra inspiration, and then sketched out some hairstyles until I found the perfect one.
After I picked out the perfect hairstyle, which really showed her wise character, I drew her face.
Finalising the Illustration
I drew the lineart of the hair and drew her hands, and then the lineart was complete.
Then it was time to figure out the color palette for this witch. I tried out 4 different color palettes, making notes on what I liked & didn't like. In the meanwhile, I also posted these 4 options to Instagram, and let others decide on what they liked best. Their votes were pretty much equally divided; all color palettes got 4 votes, the yellow one got 5.
While people were voting, I used the classmate's story to write a complete storyline for this witch.
After asking feedback to 4 more classmates about the color options, I decided to go for the color blue. I personally liked the lighter blue better, so that would be for her casual clothes. But while writing the story, I came with the idea to give her a transformation. When reading back in my research & brainstorming, I read that I wanted to give her a cloak. So I'm going to use that dark blue color for the cloak after she transformed.
I added some shadows, highlights and details to the final drawing, and then it was done. I decided to not give her an animal buddy, because there was no space for that in the story.
Feedback
I asked a few classmates for feedback before handing everything in.
In the first week of the project, I also asked 2 DDM teachers for feedback and tips on how to get started on this project and how to make a character.
End Result
Evaluation & Feedback
My first personal goal was to prove that I am good enough for DDM, I think I succeeded at that. Later on, I also realised I need to make smaller but still good plans, and be less of a perfectionist. I also need to be less harsh on myself and my process, and just keep working on it until I'm happy with the end result. I think that definitely worked out alright. I'm quite happy with the end result, and the process of the past 10 weeks. The good & bad notes method worked really well, so I'm definitely going to keep using that for future projects.
My teacher was also very happy with what I managed to do this term, I got an Excellent. "Super good to see in your processdocument which steps you took, especially the steps dealing with your perfectionism. The taking notes tip worked really well, writing down exactly what you don't like and then changing that until you're happy with it is exactly what works well for you. You stop yourself from judging yourself negatively which keeps you motivated and calm. Also works well with your systematic way of working. And a great end result. You've grown a lot this term and you'll grow even more next term."
