While I am a fan of this genre, I can't help but notice the lack of female protagonists within it. When thinking of great leads in crime films and shows, names such as Don Vito Corleone, Thomas Shelby and Walter White come to mind. However, when I asked myself the same question yet limited my answers to women only, I couldn't think of any on the spot.
So, knowing I wanted to feature a female protagonist and antagonist, I began researching famous female criminals over the past century. Women such as Kate 'Ma' Barker and Moll Cutpurse were the main influences for my leading lady.
Once I had a basic idea in mind, I put together a mood board researching women's fashion from the 1920s. I noticed the dresses were loose fitting and boxy, and the women were often rather slim with short hair which was considered progressive at the time, as the "tomboy" look contributed to the popularity of rising feminism. I also researched female police officers from the time to see what their attire consisted of.
I began this project by sketching up and refining my t-pose turn around for my protagonist.
I was also advised to change her stance as I was told it's "uncomfortable to stand with your legs together" so I parted the legs slightly however I do not agree with this comment as she is a woman from the 1920s, who is poised and collected, so therefore I feel this positioning better suits her character. In the '20s, women were expected to stand and sit with their legs together (they weren't even allowed to ride a horse unless they were side saddled!) so while I will explore more dynamic poses in my model sheet, I feel the turn-around serves it's purpose here.
Link to Article about how Women were Expected to Stand and Sit
I roughly sketched some creases in the dress that I felt would cling to her body in red, and also made the lines I wanted to capture bolder so I could refine her to look more willowy.
I then posted my first draft to estudio for the rest of the class to see, and also left some comments of my own on others' work so that I could practice my analytical skills and also learn from what other's made of my design.
Some of the feedback I received for my own design included a comment on the "Nice consistency in proportion between angles and overall simple and readable design." They also commented on the style, "Feels very 1920's." which is exactly the period I was aiming for. To improve, they suggested I "may want to consider simplifying some of the more complex shapes, such as the frill around the waist and the necklace" as when it comes to animating this character, these elements may prove challenging.
I then began looking into colour. I tested out four different colour palettes by blocking in the tones on my front facing model and then sent the sheets to my peers to rank the colours used.
My first variation was a dress that consisted of pink/brown shades.
My second featured more teal/grey tones.
My third (and personally least favourite out of the four) was made up of purple/black shades.
Finally, my forth design used more of a navy/grey colour palette.
I decided to work with the first design as this one appealed to me the most, and after conducting a survey this was also the general consensus. The brown/pink shades I felt emulate the dated aesthetic look of the 1920s.
Also while this character's actions would traditionally make them the antagonist, I want her to be a character you root for despite the illegal acts and dangerous activities she conducts, so I think the warmer tones make her more approachable and intriguing to the audience, as opposed to an obvious "villain" colour palette (harsh tones and dark shades for example).
I continued to post my progress on estudio and also left another four comments on other people's work.
I was advised to fix the 3/4 pose's perspective as the arms didn't suit the position. I was also told "the clothing design is very elegant and sophisticated" which is fortunate as this is the kind of character I am trying to portray. I was also advised to be careful with the floral pattern as this may be difficult to animate, but my current idea doesn't require too much movement of the torso so at the moment, I feel I should be able to keep this pattern in. I do however have two designs saved (one with and one without the design) so I can decide when I begin to animate if this will be too difficult.
In my final sheet I changed the shape of the arm in the 3/4 view like I was advised to, and added shading. Some comments I received were that the design "gives the obvious vibe for when this character is supposed to be set in" and if I have time, I should maybe change the angle of her head in the 3/4 pose. Once more, I continued to comment on other people's work.
Link to Protagonist Turn Around
I then sketched, tidied up, and coloured some poses on my character's dynamic pose sheet. I also included a silhouette as well as some facial expressions. I tried to keep some of the poses "in character" but also included some others that were more dynamic as my character is more poised than loud.
My character's name is Frances Edwards. The title of my short film is "The Snitch" and her catch-line is "I can't abide a snitch".
Link to Model Sheet
Alongside my protagonist turn around sheet, I also began sketching the t-pose models of my antagonist.
Similarly to my first sheet, I tested some variations of her uniform however this time, I tested her next to my main character as I felt while the palette needed to work for her alone, it also needed to contrast against my protagonist.
I felt these blue tones were too bright in comparison.
I felt the brown tones made her look as though she was in the army rather than on the police force.
I tested some muted grey shades which I felt matched my protagonist's muted tones however lacked colour.
So in the end, after I had also conducted another survey, I decided to mix the grey and the blue designs by meeting in the middle and creating a muted blue colour palette with gold details.
I did this based on the feedback I received as the most popular colours were tied between the blue and the grey designs.
I then shaded this sheet and submitted it to estudio for feedback. A comment I received was that "she feels quite intimidating" which was the tone I was aiming for with this character. I made the shading quite dark as she will be outside, and I want the streetlamp tones to be yellow which I feel will compliment the blue really nicely. If I have time, I will work on keeping the height of my character consistent.
Link to Antagonist Turn Around
Finally, I began my landscape boards. The animation I am planning at the moment will take place in two contrasting settings: the warm, cosy, indoor setting and the cold, harsh, outside setting. So, I sketched, coloured, and added details to my inside scene first.
Then, I did the same with my outdoor setting, in which I placed my antagonist. My animation will both start and end outside, and I will also flash my credits over this landscape.
Link to Antagonist Landscape Board
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