Character Design: Starting an animation.

Initial Character Drawings

Initial Doberman Puppy Drawings: 9 Static Positions

 

Initial Alien Drawings: 3 Static Positions

As a big supporter of animal rescue, and Doberman rescue especially, I wanted to do something fun and goofy, but also have a message about the state of unwanted animals. I have always believed there is no such thing as a bad dog, only bad people. There are hundreds of thousands of animals in shelters, in the streets, and in danger of euthanasia. In my mind, every dog deserves a good home. And this animation will make the point that, even though they are different in every way, there are good pet owners out there in the universe willing to give an animal in need a good home. After all, even aliens know, animal rescue is a good thing.

Conceptualization:

The original concept for this animation is; a sad homeless puppy, rejected by her owner, is found and rescued by a the most unlikely of creatures. An alien being.

Production:

Using  reference photos of my own 4 month old female Doberman puppy Rias, I rendered the initial drawings in Adobe Photoshop. I then proceeded to make the drawings more cartoonish for the intended animation. However, after becoming aware of the greater diversity and usability of the tools in Adobe Animation CC (Flash), as well as Animation CC’s default rendering format in vector instead of bitmap, the files were imported into Animation as a jpeg and converted into individual symbols. Using multiple layers and transparency, they were redrawn, inked, and colorized in Animation.

Initial Walk Cycle

3 Walk Cycle Animation Formats:

Background Motion Tween With Motion Symbol

Frame By Frame On Stationary Background

Motion Tween Subject On Stationary Background