CDA Visual Development for Animation

Instructor – James Finch and Justin Cram

Syllabus for Summer 2020

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Objectives: This class covers the fundamentals of background design for visual
development and explore the creative process to develop the concept. The goal is to
design environments and props that will be brought to final look. Students will work on
creating a series of backgrounds to fit the conceptual thinking for moments to be used
in your portfolio.

students will be:

- introduced to cinematic staging for background design.

- how to activate the creative thinking process for research and reference.

- try various styles to compare design.

- thumbnail to final design for the industry’s expectations.

- Provided an opportunity to showcase classwork on the blog and create new portfolio work.

Training Goals: To look at specific reference of environments that can be sketched and
designed for generating ideas and angles to create backgrounds. A four C approach.

1. Concept- ideas to paint

2. Contrast- graphic vs natural for appeal

3. Compose- arranging elements for story and composition

4. Color- exploring light and color of the world

Themed Project:
 A summertime story in the spirit of Lilo and Stitch

*Spin* your storyline/moments can take place somewhere in the south pacific in the
age of travel around the 1930s-60s or easier tourism Hawaii. The animated film can be
a representation with the beautiful landscapes of the islands as a backdrop that can be
developed into ideal moments for portfolio samples. Characters are optional but
important for scale and moment pieces unless you decide to concentrate on
Backgrounds and landscapes only. However, if you are interested in moments than make
sure you are NOT drawing exactly from the movie Lilo and Stitch. Think more like
sisters in Hawaii working in town but living by the beach or in the country who adopt a
dog trying to get back to it’s original owner and Lilo has to keep running after or find
the dog in odd and strange places, like on a ship, hotel or plane or on the other side of
the island near military instillations. So if you wanted to have fun with character and
caricature types I think you can. I would look at old photos of early Hawaii to inspire
the simplicity of the towns vs the country. I would write down moments in the film that
interest you. A portion of the film deals with aliens but just think of them as dog
catchers or tourist. You can also reference Bolt if your story line starts to feel like that
and also choosing low camera angles to give us a dogs perspective. How ever photo
references should accompany all design choices including character and costumes.

10-Week Program

Assignments
- Research and development: Hunt and gather reference.

- Keynote on syllabus

- demo: blk/white Thumbnails, set ups, quick sketch thinking.

- Homework: Gather reference pictures of jungles, mountains, plants, clouds and

trees indigenous to Hawaii, as well as community village and hotel architecture.
Arrange in a way to use for sketching and designing. Get started sketching
elements of interest like documenting from life. Sketch 3 to 5 pages of elements
you have never drawn before. Watch movies like Lilo and Stitch or Moana and you
tube videos of the islands. Period vintage footage of pearl Harbor before the areal
attack.
- Landscape sketching. Explore the Landscape in Thumbnails. Think 2”x 4”…
cinematic screen.

- Environments of organic shapes. A composition class. Direct the eye with

elements. Light and values.

- Use reference to support your artwork. Post to blog.

- Demo: three stage value studies. rough to fine.

- Homework: 12 thumbnails of landscapes in Hawaii based off reference. In 3 values.

- Cloud and Mountain painting. Natural vs Stylized

- Designing shapes with appeal movement

- with dramatic color. Sunrise to sunset

- Demo: Painting with atmosphere and shadow pattern

- Homework: 12 thumbnails in color. Enlarge thumbnail of one mountain and cloud

for final study. Add character for scale.

Choosing camera angles for rough construction of the layouts for 4 final moments

- Environments: construct grids of locations for final design. Environments should

have clearly different camera angles: wide shot, 3/4 medium, down and up shot.
Use characters for scale and position of their moment. Work out poses!

- Demo 3 stages of draw over to push style.

- Homework- layout with grid -one interior and one exterior that will be final
composition. Then repeat for other ideas.

Architecture and artificial light and lighting at night.

- Thumbnail film shots from live action .( optional)

- Environment: explore lighting in film - Theatrical for Dramatic effect.

- Thumbnail film studies for lighting and shadows patterns

- Present in week 6. extra: Blk and white shadow patterns in architecture from life.

- Demo

- Homework- theatrical light film study in grays and black and white. 12
 - Color Key moments for options.

- Day vs Night- What is the light doing.

- Warm vs Cool- What are the color of light relationships fro CG. Create drama and
Blow out the light.

- Demo

- Homework - create a day vs night color keys for all 4 moments.

: Environments- How to finalize design.

- when and where to apply texture for look and appeal. Playing with Depth of field

- demo

- Homework- work on moments apply textures

Prop page- How to prepare prop elements for modeling specific.

- exterior and interior elements

- critique of week 7
- demo

- Homework: complete prop elements and create informative pages

Character painting- render techniques. form and detail.

- critiques of week 8

- demo
- Homework- finalize characters and pose for portfolio.
Show final designs

- critiques
- slid show

Things to Consider:
Research

- watch the movies about hawaii. Moana, Lilo and Stitch. To help write down with
descriptive visual words to spark ideas for a story moment. Focus your ideas on
characters in an environment. Artist to research for stylization are Miguel Covarrubias,
Gauguin, Jacques Boullaire and Cornelia Macintyre Folry and the great Herb Kane.

Locations

- Hawaii history, mythological elements.

- Research landscapes like mountain ranges, trees, town villages, clouds, and the
ocean reefs.

Consider when sketching

- story/ time of day / use perspective grids in sketch

situations

- A scene can have

• perspective or scope
• drama or heart