5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
Discussion, inspiration, notes and links for online AAU students
The use of Silhouettes in Concept Design
Silhouette thumbnails are among the most helpful and productive methods of design when
it's necessary to produce a large quantity of variations of concepts within a short period of
time. It's not a method used by all concept artist and it's certainly not a necessity to design
a creature or a character purely based off of a silhouette shape. That doesn't go to say that
all designers don't subconsciously focus on shapes and designs that make a strong impact
on the viewer. We often refer to a silhouette as a black outlined shape, much like a shadow.
This doesn't always need to be the case, as a simple line sketch or simple shades of value
can still provide the same effect and are just as efficient.
Whether consciously or subconsciously we are always designing through the use of
interesting dominate shapes that work well together. One of the best ways to go about this is
through the basic silhouette.
(Note: Artwork below is by Feng Zhu) Feng's work can be found at
http://www.fengzhudesign.com/
w ith Google Friend Connect
Followers (1480) More
Already a member? Sign in
Follow
"Mike's sketchbook, Planet toPlanet, is fresh, innovative,
and inventive. It is liberallyfilled with exotic locations andcharacters, and his creatures,drawn in an abundance offorms, poses, and points ofview, sparkle with life andimagination. - TerrylWhitlatch".Click to Order
2011(22)
Compartir Informar sobre mal uso Siguiente blog Crear un blog Acce
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
Typically the use of this type of design is a pre-production phase of concept art that is
generally only seen by the artist or art director if working on set or in-house. A lot of times
when freelancing this stage of design isn't shown to an art director and is merely a quick
process of finding solutions and multiple designs for the artist eyes only. The silhouette
doesn't need to be as clean or clear as the ones seen below in order to achieve the same
desired effect. We might often find more chaotic and textured shapes easier to identify with
and productive in letting loose and having fun.
(Note: Designs by Ben Mauro, copyright Sony Pictures Animation) Ben's work can be found
at The Art of Ben Mauro
It allows a designer to produce striking iconic shapes that will stand out among multiple
characters or creatures. The purpose of finding a strong and interesting silhouette is so that
it becomes easily recognizable from a distance to the person playing a video game or
watching a movie for example.
You can see more of Ben's work here: http://benmauro.blogspot.com/
(Note: Designs by Ben Mauro, copyright Sony Pictures Animation)
May(1)
April(3)
March(11)
An interview withJerad S.Marantz - PartOne
Proper Use ofReference and
AnatomyregardingCrea...
An Interview withGregBroadmore -Part Two
Proper Use ofReference and
Anatomy:Creature Desi...
An Interview withWouter Tulp
An Interview withGregBroadmore -Part one
Wallace Tripp
An Interview withTerryl Whitlatch- Part Two
The use ofSilhouettes inConcept Design
An Interview with
Terryl Whitlatch- Part One
J.C. Leyendecker
February(7)
2010(41)
Academy of Art AnimationNotes
Anthony Palumbo
ArtOrder
ASIFA-Hollywood AnimationArchive
Boneville
Carlos Luzzi
Cartoon Brew
Character Design
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
Silhouettes can be used in multiple methods of design from the abstract to the symmetrical
and beyond. Whether you have it in mind to design a specific type of creature/character or
something more abstract, you can begin the silhouette process by pasting down large black
shapes on a 3/4 point of view or by mirroring shapes to be used in terms of a front, back or
top down view. One of the best things about this quick design method is you don't need to
focus on hands, feet, fingers, eyes and all the little intricacies that take up time. As seen
below in some examples, you can produce broken shapes and ghost line effects while you
let your mind fill in the gaps. You can worry later and work out the missing elements once
you have chosen a strong dominate shape.
Chris Sanders
Fantasy Genesis
Flipbooks and Stuff
Gurney Journey
Harald Siepermann
Herrera's Blog in the Box
Imaginism Studios Blog
Indistinguisable from magic
Inspector Cleuzo
Jakob H. Jensen
John Howe
Justin Gerard
Le Blog-JB Monge
lines and colors
Living Lines Library
Michael Sporn Animation
Middleton's Sketchbook
Mike Corriero
Muddy Colors
On Animation
Paint and Brush
Paul Briggs
Peter De Seve
Recent Paintings andSketches by David Palumbo
Shane Prigmore
Stephen Silver
Temple of the Seven GoldenCamels
The Art Department
The Art of Brittney Lee
The Art of Caricature withJason Seiler
The Paperwalker Journal
Toby Shelton: Stuff I Did
Tulptorials
Uli Meyer
Vixie Arts
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
The mirroring of such shapes is the quickest and simplest solution to producing a huge array
of variants in your original design. These symmetrical shapes as mentioned can be perceived
from a front, top or back view to be used as a reference point and then produced at a more 3-
dimensional angle at a later point in time.
Note: The image above shows the final concept design in detail along with the chosen
silhouette thumbnail. Artwork by Mike Corriero. The image below was a rough 3/4 sketch
designed based on the thumbnails beneath it.
Wouter Tulp
Anatomy (12Animal Studies
(4) Animals (7)
CharacterDesign (27) CharacteDesign Inspirations(5)
ConceptArt(7)
Creature Design
(14) Digital Art(4)
FigureDrawing (5)
handreference (4)
How-to(4)illustration (7)
Interview (4)
Mike Corriero (4
Reference (8)
Sketchbook inspirations (5
Jennifer G. Oliver
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
It's important to recognize that your design needs to provide a striking impact on the viewer
from multiple angles, so although a silhouette shape may appear strong and iconic from the
front or side view, you need to continue to play around with multiple angles to really come up
with something memorable and recognizable no matter where the camera's POV(point ofview) appears.
Orthograph sheets or "turn around" design sheets such as the image above and below show
the designs from multiple angles IE; front, back, side (Ortho's or turn around design sheets
are used by the modeler to produce the CG model)
Mike Corriero
Disney's"Tangled"Character DesignDevelopment.
Once "Rapunzel"
then "Rapunzel Unbraided",and now "Tangled", Disney's50th animated Feature film, sefor release November 28th,has gone ...
Model Sheets101-Part 1
As my studentsare hard at workon their final
projects- final line turnaroundmodel sheet and anexpression model sheet- I
thought that now...
Nico Marlet
French borncharacterdesigner NicholasMarlet may have
only recently gotten a lot ofnotice for his unique andappealing character designs...
An Interview withJean-BaptisteMonge, Part 1
I met the amazing
Jean-BaptisteMonge as an online friendmore than a year ago. I wasalready quite familiar with hisbeautifully rendered ...
Hand Reference,Part One
"They talk withtheir hands"; it'strue, hands say
so much! And drawing clear,well formed hands can add anenormous amount of e...
Proper Use ofReference and
Anatomy:Creature Design Part One
Reference, Research &Studies are Key Elements toUnderstanding and Improvingyour sense of Creature DesignThe use of references andresear...
Model Sheets101-Part 2
We continue with
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
(Note: Artwork below is by Feng Zhu)
As a matter of importance, you should be capable of recognizing one design from the next in
the same manner of picking out any existing animal on earth in a profile line up by a mere
silhouette. Most of the world's population is capable of recognizing an animal by a simple
outlined shape, so it's important to try and incorporate this same iconic principle within your
conceptual creatures and characters.
(Note: Artwork below is by Feng Zhu)
our overview ofmodel sheets as
my students head into the lastfew days on their final projectsPart one can be found here...
The use ofSilhouettes inConcept Design
Silhouettethumbnails are
among the most helpful andproductive methods of designwhen it's necessary to producea large quantity of variati...
A study in
anthropomorphism: Disney's"Robin Hood"
Anthropomorphism is definedas the attribution of humancharacteristics to animals or
non-living things, phenomena,material states and obje...
Claire Wendling'sCats
"Wendling,Wendling! That'sall I hear! And for
good reason; look at her draw!"- Peter de Sve Born in1967, this celebrated Frenchart...
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
Inanimate objects as well as living animals and other imagery can be used to begin this
phase in design. You never know where the most interesting of shapes will take form, so
play around with all the tools and tricks of the trade that are at your disposal. The use of
photography and icons can often help kick start the beginning of a unique and original design
that the vast majority of the public can relate to. As per example, you might take the shape
of an animal's skull - reduce it to a black silhouette and begin the process of using that
shape as the body for an original creature design.This method of design can also be applied
to structures, weapons, vehicles, robots, spaceships etc.
(Note: Artwork below is by Feng Zhu)
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
When producing designs at this stage of development, it helps to line them up or scatter
them all out on the same page at a thumbnail scale. At this point, you're looking for a shape
and a design that you can relate to and something that has the most potential for a unique
idea. Often some of the more simple shapes become some of the more easily recognized.
This is the case of using dominate and iconic shapes that blend well together. Proportion of
shapes play a major role in this stage of silhouette design, so although it's not always
important to know what's what during this phase you may want to keep it in mind for the nextstep.
(Note: Artwork is from "The Skillful Huntsman" Copyright 2011 Design Studio Press& Scott
Robertson- artwork by Mike Yamada.)
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
(Note: Artwork is by Khang Le)
(I also recommend checking out another book by Design Studio Press called "Alien Race")
"Body proportion variations: Within a silhouette the basic elements from the abdomen,
upper torso, head, arms and legs can easily determine the size, height and general
appearance of a character. Everything from the width of the chest to the size of the forearm
compared to the size and length of the bicep are ways to distinguish from one concept to the
next when involving human or humanoid designs. It's those little differences of the dominate
shapes and appendages that can help identify one concept from the next concerning designs
with similar body structures.
(Note: Artwork below is from "The Sk illful Huntsman" Copyright 2011 Design Studio Press &
Scott Robertson - artwork 'left' is by Felix Yoon- artwork 'right' is by Khang Le)
(Note: Artwork below is from "The Sk illful Huntsman" Copyright 2011 Design Studio Press &
Scott Robertson - artwork is by Khang Le)
(Note: Artwork below is by Mik e Corriero)
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
(Note: Final Product based off of a quick thumbnail, chosen to be one of the stronger
designs in silhouette)
After choosing the best silhouette for the job at hand, you can take that shape and lower the
opacity to begin the process of sketching a rough base of anatomy within the shapes. It's
fine to modify a few things here and there at this point, but the ultimate goal is to make
sense of the shapes in such a way as to retain that striking iconic silhouette you began with.
This can be done in two ways. You can either lower the opacity of the silhouette and begin
sketching in the form of line work, or you can keep the silhouette as is and begin blocking in
forms of lighter values.
(Note: Artwork below is from "The Sk illful Huntsman" Copyright 2011 Design Studio Press &
Scott Robertson - artwork by Mike Yamada.)
(Note: Artwork below is from "The Sk illful Huntsman" Copyright 2011 Design Studio Press &
Scott Robertson - artwork by Khang Le)
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
(Note: Artwork below is by Mik e Corriero)
When you begin to work out the details of the design and anatomy within the silhouette in
the method of values and form, this opens up a lot of options for variations of where you can
push the anatomy hidden within. You may even want to make some minor adjustments to
the outline of the silhouette for some additional distinction.
I hope you find these examples and the information helpful and give this method of design a
try for yourselves. It may help you open up to new ways of thinking and alternate methods in
generating ideas. As is always the case, remember to use reference when necessary. Once
I finished the "Landmine Crustacean" rough silhouette I referred to a photo of a crab's claw
instead of guessing how it's constructed. Photo reference and research is always important
no matter what the job or project involves. - Mike Corriero
Guest b logger Mik e Corrierois a character, creature, and conceptual designer and
illustrator living in New Jersey. Since graduating from Pratt Institute in 2003, Mike's client list
has included Breakaway Games, Fantasy Flight Games, Allied Studios, Kingsisle
Entertainment, Radical entertainment/ Vivendi Universal Games, Liquid Development, Zynga
Inc, Challenge Games, Paizo Publishing and Hasbro Inc, among others. Mike's book
"PLANET to PLANET creatures and strange w orlds" includes hundreds of his sketches
of creatures, robots, alien life forms and their environments. I recommend it for students
focusing on visual development for games, or anyone who loves creature design. - J. G. O.
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
Posted by Mike Corriero at 2:59 PM
Labels: Ben Mauro, Character Design, Concept Art, Creature Design, Felix Yoon, Feng Zhu,
Khang Le, Mike Corriero, Mike Yamada, Proportions, Scott Robertson, Silhouettes
Esta pgina web
disponible
Es posible que la p
http://rcm.amazon.c
t=JenniferG.Oliver&
=bpl&asins=097266
0000&IS2=1<1=_bl
azon&lc1=0000FF&&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr
temporalmente inactiv
ha a trasladado defin
4 comments:
That one dudesaid...
Im a litt le frustrated, upset, disappointed..Im majoring in Viz dev, and in my 4years at AAU, i have never come across this site. All of my concept design
teachers, failed to introduce this blog to me and my peers. I've got 2 classes left
before i graduate. I would say, this would have been very incredibly helpful
throughout my AAU studies. Theres always time for later, but unfortunately my
portfolio is DUE NOW! With that said, this is such a brilliant site, thank you for
all your hard work. Everything here is super inspirational, and im looking forward
to really bite deep into it all. Thanks.
March 11, 2011 2:46 PM
Mike Corrierosaid...
It appears the blog has only been up (since the first post) for a little over 5
months.So although I can completely understand the frustration as I myself am a an
artist and I had attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NYC graduating in 2003. I
hadn't even known about any art forums (because I don't think they existed just
yet) nor did I know about art blogs like this (again because they didn't exist).
I think the point I'm getting at is that students these days, whether attending a
college, an atelier, or taking online courses have a multitude of information and
ways to research, learn, study, ask questions, network and interact with artist in
ways that weren't even available 8-9 years ago. I'm not saying I wouldn't attend
college, but I think I'd be more well informed as to which colleges were a better
choice for an entertainment design career (as far as I knew, there weren't
many..and Pratt didn't offer any in 2003). So it's up to the students as much as it
is the teachers to provide that extra little push; be it for motivation, research,
information, inspiration etc. As mentioned, I can only tell from the sidebar but it
seems this blog has only started September of 2010.
It's frustrating when you feel you missed out on something you feel teachers
were obligated to provide but you're going to continue learning after school and
after you become successful as an artist and you'll still continue to learn well
after you're incapable of drawing..it never stops. So keep following the blog and
in some ways, it's as if you'll continue classes. There are also more than a
handful of art forums out there and multiple blogs, websites etc.. all filled with
free info.
March 11, 2011 4:22 PM
Jennifer G. Oliversaid...
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i
5/26/2018 Academy of Art Character and Creature Design Notes_ the Use of Silhouettes in Co...
http:///reader/full/academy-of-art-character-and-creature-design-notes-the-use-o
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Comment as: Select profile...
Post Comment Preview
Guys, the internet didn't exist when I attended college. :P but I'm glad that you
like the blog!
March 12, 2011 1:29 AM
Duccccsaid...
8-9 year , everything's change
April 29, 2011 11:38 PM
Post a Comment
Awesome Inc. template. Powered by Blogger.
23/05/2011 Academy of Art Character and Creature
blogspot.com//use-of-silhouettes-i