Character Renderings

Thanks to Jake Albers' help I have been able to streamline a digital method for creating a paper-like look for the main character. Here are two tests using different paper textures - one much more subtle than the other. (A description of the process is below)


Character Texture Test 1 from Michael Spilsbury on Vimeo.


Character Texture Test 2 from Michael Spilsbury on Vimeo.

The Process:
Create the pencil outlines:
-Export the Flash animated character outlines as a PNG sequence with alpha
-Import to Photoshop and trace the outlines with a pencil-like brush using a tablet (admittedly, a pain in the ass)
-Export a new PNG sequence (with alpha) of the newly traced character outlines

Create the paper texture:
-Export from Flash a PNG sequence (with alpha) of the character's solid shape - the cutout shape of his entire body without any outlines or details
-Import the sequence to After Effects and place the paper texture on the layer below
-Choose the 'Stencil Alpha' blending option for the PNG sequence
-Use 'The Wiggler' effect on the paper texture to make it randomly jitter

Composite the two:
-In After Effects composite the PNG sequence of the outlines with the character's moving paper-texture

Scene 17 - Stretching The Limits

Here is the first rough animation of when the main character decides to jump on another man out of frustration in order to scale the cliff. In an attempt to push the animation further I tried to stretch the characters more than was comfortable, though I feel the results work well. Similarly, I focused heavily on strong anticipation in order to ensure easily understood movements.


Rough Animation - Scene 17 from Michael Spilsbury on Vimeo.