Anatomy and Character Sculpture - Project 1

25/4/2025 - 11/6/2025 / Week 1 - Week 8

Tay Yue Chern / 0373215

Anatomy and Character Sculpture / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University

Project 1 - Stylised Character Blockout

TABLE OF CONTENT



3. FINAL


INSTRUCTIONS



We are to utilise our character design to create a stylised character block-out where we have to demonstrate anatomy studies applied in our digital sculpting. Characters can be human, any form of biped creatures or hybrid, or quadrupeds. Sculpture should capture as the listed components below:
  • Proportion 
  • Character identity and believability (key features)
  • Theme 
  • Readable silhouette
  • Identical Landmarks
  • Initiated Style 
  • Muscle Flow
Note: the character needs to be identical to the concept proposed and details that is sufficient to address appealing structure and form. This will then continued to Project 2 for further development. Further references can be obtained at files/class materials folder.

PROCESS WORK

1. Character Design

Fig 1.1 Character Design Exploration (Week 1 - Week 5, 23/4/2025 - 21/5/2025)

I came up with several character design ideas and initially chose the clown character in Week 4. However, its abstract features, such as jointed limbs and a spring-loaded waist, didn’t align well with the learning objectives of this module. As a result, I decided to go with the tribal chief character on the right instead.

Fig 1.2 Finalised Character Design (Week 6, 28/5/2025)

2. Character Blockout

Fig 1.3 Initial Blockout First Attempt (Week 3, 7/5/2025)

During Week 1, we focused on exploring basic anatomy and postures. By Week 3, I completed my first attempt at the character blockout. Mr Kannan pointed out that the torso was slightly too short and the legs were too long. After making the necessary adjustments, I moved on to head sculpting as suggested by Mr Kannan.

Fig 1.4 Head Sculpture Progress (Week 4, 14/5/2025)

Fig 1.5 Character Blockout - Face/Head (Week 4, 14/5/2025)

For the head sculpt, Mr Kannan commented that the ears needed to be positioned slightly further back, and the end of the jawline should be more defined. I made the suggested refinements and recreated the overall blockout the following week.

Fig 1.6 Screen Grab of Second Attempt on the Blockout (Week 5, 21/5/2025)

Fig 1.7 Character Blockout (Week 5, 21/5/2025)

Mr Kannan suggested adjusting the legs into a slight 'A' shape, which would help the pose appear more stable and balanced. He also pointed out that the character's proportions were too wide overall, especially around the shoulders. After that session, I realised I had accidentally saved my work in 2.5D. I tried several methods to recover the 3D model, but none of them worked. Thankfully, I managed to recover the head sculpt from the quick save, but I had to redo the entire body blockout—which was definitely a painful process.

Fig 1.8 Character Blockout Third Attempt (Week 5, 21/5/2025)

In this version, the arm posture was too close to the torso, it should have followed a wider 'A' pose. I refined this after Week 7 based on that observation.

Fig 1.9 Character Blockout (Week 6, 28/5/2025)

Fig 1.10 Character Blockout (Week 7, 4/6/2025)
 
During Week 7, Mr Kannan pointed out that the arms were positioned too close to the torso, and the legs were slightly too thick. I took his feedback into account and refined both areas accordingly.

Fig 1.11 Finalised Character Blockout (Week 7, 4/6/2025)

Fig 1.12 Finalised Character Blockout with hair (Week 7, 4/6/2025)

PROJECT 1 COMPILATION


Fig 2.1 Project 1 - Stylised Character Blockout (PDF)

REFLECTION

This was the most experimental phase for me. I started with several ideas—one of them was a clown with a spring-loaded waist and jointed limbs. Fun in theory, but I quickly realised that it didn’t really fit the learning goals, especially when it came to anatomy. So I shifted to the tribal chief, which gave me more room to explore anatomy while still having a strong identity.

One of the biggest struggles was when I accidentally saved the sculpt in 2.5D and lost most of the body. That moment honestly sucked, but it also taught me to save more carefully, and surprisingly, I rebuilt it better the second time. I also slowly got used to evaluating proportions more critically, especially the torso and leg lengths, and I gained more confidence in adjusting the silhouette to feel balanced and grounded.

This part of the project felt like laying the foundation—not just for the sculpt, but also for how I think through anatomy more structurally.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Advanced Typography: Task 4 Final Compilation & Presentation

Image
25/9/2024 - 17/12/2024 / Week 1 - Week 14 Tay Yue Chern / 0373215 Advanced Typography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University Task 4: Final Compilation & Reflection LINKS TO BLOG Task 1: Exercises Task 2: Key Artwork & Collateral Task 3: Type Exploration & Application TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INSTRUCTIONS 2. TASK 1: EXERCISES     - EXERCISE 1: TYPOGRAPHIC SYSTEM     - EXERCISE 2: TYPE & PLAY 3. TASK 2: KEY ARTWORK & COLLATERAL     - 2A: KEY ARTWORK     - 2B: COLLATERAL 4. TASK 3: TYPE EXPLORATION & APPLICATION 5. REFLECTION 1. INSTRUCTIONS Back to top 2. TASK 1: EXERCISES Exercise 1 - Typographic Systems ...
Read more

Advanced Typography: Task 3 Type Exploration & Application

Image
13/11/2024 - 17/12/2024 / Week 8 - Week 13 Tay Yue Chern / 0373215 Advanced Typography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University Task 3: Type Exploration & Application TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. LECTURES 2. INSTRUCTIONS 3. PROCESS WORK     - LETTERS DESIGN     - NUMBERS AND SYMBOLS     - FONTLAB     - FONT PRESENTATION     - FONT APPLICATION     - TASK 3 FINAL OUTCOME 4. FEEDBACK 5. REFLECTIONS 6. FURTHER READING 1. LECTURES   All lectures completed in Task 1: Exercises & Task 2: Keyartwork & Collateral . 2. INSTRUCTIONS Back to top ...
Read more

Advanced Typography: Task 1 Exercises

Image
25/9/2024 - 16/10/2024 / Week 1 - Week 4 Tay Yue Chern / 0373215 Advanced Typography / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylor's University Task 1: Exercises TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. LECTURES 2. INSTRUCTIONS 3. PROCESS WORK     - EXERCISE 1: TYPOGRAPHIC SYSTEM     - EXERCISE 2: TYPE & PLAY 4. FEEDBACK 5. REFLECTIONS 6. FURTHER READING 1. LECTURES   Lecture 1: Typographic Systems Lecture 2: Typographic Composition Lecture 3: Context and Creativity Lecture 4: Designing Type Lecture 1 / Typographic Systems 8 major variations: 1. Axial - All elements are organised to the left or right of a single axis. Fig 1.1.1 Axial system (source: type 365) 2. Radial - All elements are extended from a point of focus. Fig 1.1.2 Radial system (source: type 365) 3. Dilatational - All elements expand from a central point in a circular fashion. Fig 1.1.3 Dilatational system (source: type 365) 4. Random - E...
Read more