Jason Driskill

Since returning from San Francisco for graduation I’ve had some spare time on my hands to develop more scenery for my animation project.  I finally got a chance to check out Google Sketchup - an amazing 3-dimensional design program that’s incredibly easy to use.

Two marvelous things about using 3-dimensional software to design layouts: 1) I have a model from which I can actively choose different angles and perspectives without having to figure out in my head how certain things should look from certain angles, cutting down on the number of thumbnail sketches, 2) after designing a building/street/room once, I can refer to it countless times afterwards for the sake of continuity without having to try and remember details or scale issues, 3) it allows me to design interiors as well as architectural exteriors, and 4) I have an actualized representation of what’s in my head - how cool is that?? - so I can realize logistical issues while writing future episodes.  Is Chip’s school visible from the town square?  Where is Bridget’s gated community in relationship to Dalton’s shack of a home?

It is not my intention to animate in 3-D because I like the traditional aesthetic of 2-D cell-based animation.  But I can save tons of time by using the model to set up shots for each scene, then use Photoshop to stylize them the way I want while still maintaining accurate forms and perspectives.

 I’ve been having trouble getting the backgrounds and characters to look the way I want.  Part of that trouble comes from not knowing how I want them to look.  I’ve been exploring different comic, cartoon/animation and anime styles lately and it’s overwhelming.  I know I want a style that doesn’t rely on too much detail or precision.  But I don’t want my characters’ physicality to be too exaggerated.  But also not too realistic.  Obviously I’ll figure it out after much more drawing and much more research, but this seems to be where I currently am:

I’m simply not convinced.