Head Turn
This was our first proper assignment related to character design and expression.
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The task was to start with your character facing one way then look the other way, preferably for a specific reason. I sketched out several alternative ideas in my sketchbook before settling on using one of my old comic strip characters.
The penguin here, 'Fly', is a character I have been drawing most of my life, but never animated to this extent, which was a true thrill for me to see.
Using the idea of a snowball whizzing by allowed me to have Fly react to something from an initial neutral expression, then turn to face the direction from which it came. I enjoyed putting the pieces together and testing the timing, where I found it wasn't essential to animate every frame. The flow of animation and illusion of life worked best when I could hang on a moment a little longer, giving the sense of genuine reaction time.
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One moment I didn't initially plan for is the twist around of the head. That's something that just occurred to me when I saw the underwhelming first version of a cursory look to the right. I'm beginning to understand how much animation allows for exaggeration and benefits from brief bursts of it.
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I wanted to punctuate the very short shot with a final impact, which is clearly the snowball hitting. Additionally though, I like the slow drip of snow from Fly's face to emphasise his stillness. Corny as it may be, I'm glad I found a place for a classic custard pie take.
For more penguins and polar bears, here's a link to my comic strip characters' page on Instagram:
