Not My Style

Alyssa Zelman

MDIA 1020

March 30th, 2014

Section 3

Not My Style

For this project I decided to use Timmy Turner from The Fairly Odd Parents. Butch Hartman was the creator, so i'll refer to The Fairly Odd Parents style as his. Hartman's style is characterized by thick, angular outlines and geometric character designs. His characters are almost always outlined in black, their eyes are round as the standard with derivations for special characters, his mouths tend to extend as far up as the middle of the eye for certain expressions, and, at least in The Fairly Odd Parents, unless shoes are being emphasized as part of character design, there is no boundary between shoes and pants. Characters from The Fairly Odd Parents have four fingered hands, however this is not a rule for all his cartoons as evidenced by Danny Phantom. I messed up on Timmy's eyes, as they aren't supposed to be outlined in black. His colors are a bit off, because I did not have the proper markers at my disposal.

For the second drawing, I tried to emanate director and animator Tim Burton. He is known for gaunt, spooky characters. If they have eyes, they are often bulging and definitely have dark circles under them, making every character look a bit mad and sleep deprived. Although his characters have a wide range of body types, he seems to be best known for tall, wiry characters with skinny/slender limbs and heads with pointed chins. Most of his artwork is done with pen and watercolor, and I was lucky enough to have water colors to use. His penmanship is messy and loose, and his colors flow outside the lines. His characters are pale, and as brightly colored as they can be, they are almost always desaturated.

For the third style I tried my hand at a variation of my own cartoony style. I prefer to work in colored pencils. My drawings have colored outlines, large shiny eyes, and hair that gets it texture from its lines rather than its shading. Timmy Turner is characterized by his buck teeth, slightly angular face, cowlick hair, thick eyebrows, and pink baseball cap. I think i've made him recognizable but distinctly mine in style.

Expression Yourself

Alyssa Zelman

March 27, 2014

MDIA 1020

Section 3

Expression Yourself

For this project I chose to work with Twilight Sparkle of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. 

The top left expression is one of irritation. Beyond simple annoyance, Twilight is in a mood where every little noise makes her want to groan. She's just plain not in the mood. She squints, sensitive to light. This is how I feel when I get a migraine. 

The top right is simple, something has caught Twilight's attention. Her ears twitch towards the direction of the sound like a real pony's would. Her eyes dart to a blank space so she can try to think of what the sound might be.

The second row on the left is skepticism and slight annoyance, as if she's thinking "really?"The furrowed brow adds to the confusion.

The second row to the right is excitement and eagerness. Perhaps she just said what she thinks is a great  idea to her friend and it awaiting a response. Big goofy grin, eyes staring right into the "camera".

The third row on the left is guilt. She's not looking into anybody's eyes.

The third row to the right is a mix of surprise and fear, as if something is flying at her face. Her pupils are small and her eyes are wide. Her mouth indicates yelling.

The bottom row to the left is embarrassment and shock, as if she's just seen something she'd rather not. Her nose is scrunched up with a hint of disgust. 

The bottom row to the right is amusement. Her smile is sly, so perhaps she's trying to hide her amusement.

The picture in the top left corner of the second image is anger and determination. This is the face she might make at an enemy, whether they are an actually threatening character or just aggravating. Gritted teeth add tension.

The bottom right corner is a face of concern or sympathy, as if she's listening to a friend talk about their worries. Small frown, furrowed brow, eyes focusing on the friend.

Think You Know My Avatar?

Alyssa Zelman

March 20, 2014

MDIA 1020

Section 3

Avatar made from http://www.dolldivine.com/sweet-lolita-mega-dress-up.php

Violet Plumsbelle is 15 years old. She has studied for five years so far to become a knight in the guild of the SugarPlum Girls, to which her grandmother belonged before her. She's the quiet type, and not great with words, but is fiercely protective of her companions and won't hesitate when it comes to defending their honor. With her cute character design, awesome fighting skills, and fierce determination, she could appeal to a wide variety of age groups, though her game is recommended for people 12 and up due to cartoon violence and some frightening villains. She would be liked for being a good example of how femininity does not equal weakness, that you can be cute and a badass all at once. As the game progresses, we are treated to Violet and SweetPea's friendship growing stronger with not-so-subtle hints that the two have crushes on one another. The characters would be programmed to hold hands, cling to one another when they are frightened, and kiss one other on the cheek and forehead if the player leaves them idle for long enough. Though these features would not be essential to gameplay, they help draw the reader into the story and empathize with the characters (not to mention help LGBT*+ players feel safe and welcomed by the game). Violet is motivated by her desire to prove herself as a warrior and by her love for SweetPea. She is willing to traverse dangerous landscapes and risk her life fighting enemies in order to achieve this.

One day when she is spending time with her friend, Lady Sweetpea, Sweetpea's baby dragon familiar is snatched up by a group of greedy dark wizards who teleport to the other side of the country. Violet vows to get the dragon back, and so the two undertake a great journey together to recover him. Violet defends her delicate friend against the enemies that come her way while Sweetpea uses her rudimentary magic to guide them across parts of the environment (think powers like generating light in a cave,  unlocking magic doors). Their game would involve fighting stages, puzzle stages in which the girls must help one another to get to difficult areas, and sandbox levels which allow the player to enjoy the environment. The setting would be a sugary sweet adorable landscape, like in Kirby or Adventure Time that the player would quickly discover is much more dangerous than it appears.

 Violet has a few options when it comes to SweetPea. She can command her to Stay Put, in which case SweetPea will stay in one spot until Violet comes back to her or calls her over. Violet can also tell her to Follow or Come With Me in which case Violet and SweetPea will grab hands and walk/run together. If the player forgets where they left SweetPea, Violet can shout Where Are You and Sweet will use her powers to shoot a flare. Violet can also shoot a flair, in which case SweetPea will come to wherever Violet is. Although Sweet Pea can manage on her own, Violet often must clear a path in order for Sweet Pea to be able to reach her. The gameplay is somewhat similiar to ICO but SweetPea is a little more capable than Yorda. She cannot go any farther than Violet.