The first month at work full-time has been pretty busy and stressful (only because it was new) so not much time to do character design. However, here is the finished Water Kid. The first version shows the character drinking from a bottle, but the client asked me to change it as they are a plumbed in water company and discourage bottled water. Lesson there - maybe run a written description past the client first? I was planning to send a sketch, but decided against, as they look a bit messy and I don't think clients can imagine the final version. This is the 2nd version, with a glass. I liked the bottle so it was tricky to get the same simple feel with the glass. Ended up over working it and then starting over in a simpler way. For the characters representing emotions, (client Phil Reed who works with troubled kids in schools) I have worked up the happy and the jealous characters. Jealous needs more work. Happy: I think I'll drop the patterned fill as it looks more like fabric than a t-shirt. I like the symbol on the front of the shirt though. Can be eyes or something like a star, flower, even an exclamation mark... anything that helps convey the emotion, feeling or thought the character should express. Finally, I worked up in Illustrator some of the Camera Man designs. I think they look better than they did as sketches! I like the bottom three which look kind of 50s. I'll make a final version combining those three. Haven't heard from the client so not sure if he likes them. Since none of these clients are paying, I'm not too worried about chasing but will try and contact him. Water Kid client loved the character and called it 'amazing' : ) so that was nice.
Comments:
Hi Frankie, sorry I didn't come to life drawing the other week, I fully meant to but ended the day feeling pretty crappy, felt even worse on the way home and took the next day off work.
Some really nice stuff going on here. I REALLY like the water drinker. Really nice stuff. The only thing I'd say is maybe have a wide open mouth rather than puckered lips but that's just me.
I think the t-shirts could be something really good with a little work. Happy is great, jealousy just doesn't feel like a natural pose yet.
There's some really good things going on with the camera man, and I like the perspective on the bottom three. It's just a little difficult to tell immediately it's a camera.
I think your hitting the needs of Logo design pretty much on the nose though, simple iconography, very nice stuff. # posted by Bentos : 4:29 PM, July 11, 2007
Thanks for the comments on the new look. I have no cpacity to judge my own stuff, it's not that I think everything I do is fantastic, it's that I genuinely have no idea if it's anygood or not. So it's good to have some positive feedback.
I'll try to make the next Meetup but I've got quite a bit on at the mo, trying to make a concerted effort to pay off my credit card bill, and rugby training starts up soon too!
BTW I DID do a Rugby project at work! I'll post something soon. # posted by Bentos : 11:13 AM, July 12, 2007
Alot of things get on my nerves for a moment but then I think just let it go, let it go! Like people who stand in front of magazine racks blocking the way and they're not even looking at the magazines, they're on the phone. Yeah anyone who stands around in shops on the phone.
