ANIMATION FUNDAMENTALS | PROJECT 1 — PRE-PRODUCTION FOR 2D ANIMATION

Definition: An imaginary line running through a character that 1. describes the direction and motion of the character's body, and 2. is the leading force of the character's motion.
A strong line of action:

Goes through the whole body.
Illustrates the force of the action.
Unifies the pose.
Makes a clear statement.

Figure 1.1-1: Line of Action

Figure 1.1-2: Dynamic Posing

Figure 1.1-3: Push the Poses

Figure 1.1-4: Keep in Mind the Context When Pushing Poses

Figure 1.1-5: Contrast

Silhouette:

Negative space = Empty space around a character.
Things that Contribute to Dynamic Silhouettes:

A variety of negative space between the limbs.
Contrast between large and small negative spaces.

Figure 1.1-6: Negative Space

Figure 1.1-7: Clear Silhouette

Figure 1.1-8: Shape & Joint Overlap

2.0 INSTRUCTIONS

3.0 PROJECT 1A — CHARACTER DESIGN

Instructions:

Character Information (you may take the character information from Film Studies & Cinematography):

Age.
Gender.
Weight.
Attitude.
Personality.

Design Elements:

Shape Language: The character's shape language should convey their personality, e.g. curved shapes → kindness, angular shapes → determination.
Proportion: The character's proportions should be proportionate to their age and gender, emphasising the eyes and facial features to convey emotions and expressions.
Silhouette: The character's silhouette should be distinct and easily recognisable, with a clear and readable design that stands out from the background and other characters.
Line of Action: The character's line of action should convey movement and personality, with dynamic poses that suggest the character's attitude.
Colour: The character's colour scheme should be vibrant, appealing, and convey a certain meaning.

Your character design should:

Reflect the character's personality in the story.
Be visually appealing to the target audience.

Requirements: Your character must have at least two legs.
Submission:

Turnaround sheet (front, side, back, and ¾ view).
Pose sheet (five poses; full body; different emotions and actions).
Facial expressions sheet (five expressions; chest up).

3.1 CHARACTER INFORMATION

The character I’m portraying for this and all future Animation Fundamentals projects is from my Film Studies & Cinematography class — a pigeon shapeshifter called Ophelia. She is an orphan in search of her place of origin.

Character Information

Name: Ophelia Wendell.

Ophelia, a phonetic pun based on her place of origin; "Of Helia".
Wendell, a German name meaning "wanderer" or "seeker".

Age: 20s.
Gender: Female.
Weight: 54 kg.
Attitude: Restless and sleep-deprived due to long periods of travelling.
Personality: Extroverted, friendly, resilient, adaptable, persistent, scatter-brained, and clueless.

3.2 RESEARCH & CHARACTER DESIGN

Figure 3.2-1: Mood Board — Appearance & Character Inspiration, Week 4 (15/10/25)

Figure 3.2-2: Mood Board — Clothing, Week 4 (15/10/25)

Reasons for Creating This Character

I want to travel but don't have the means to do so, so I'm living vicariously through my character.😅
I want to explore a character unsure of her identity. I think it's a relatable experience for many people, especially students.
I find birds very interesting from a character design perspective.

Birds represent freedom; pigeons in particular are symbols for messengers and navigation. It makes sense for a travelling shapeshifter to be based on a pigeon.
Pigeons have a very distinct personality. They're friendly, adaptable, resourceful, and a little scatter-brained — characteristics that would suit a adventurer.

Characters that Inspired Ophelia's Design

Beatrice from The Trail — She is a travelling quest giver and has multiple bird companions.
Snufkin from the Moomin series — He is a nomad who always returns to Moominvalley no matter how far he travels.
Miss Peregrine from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children — She is an orphanage warden and a falcon shapeshifter.

Figure 3.2-3: Silhouette, Initial Character Design & Initial Colour Palette, Week 4 (16/10/25)

Silhouette & Character Design

Inspiration — Loosely inspired by witches and pigeons.

Triangular silhouette and wide-brimmed hat (shapeshifters are often associated with witches and magic).
Messenger bag (based on messenger pigeons).
Loose cloak (looks like wings).

Practicality — I wanted her clothing to reflect someone who is frequently on the road, hence the boots, long coat and bag.
Triangles — To show that she is energetic and excitable.

Colour Palette

Inspiration — Colour palette is based on the common pigeon.
Tone — The initial colour palette (Figure 3.2-3) is cool-toned, which is accurate to an actual pigeon's colouration, however, I changed it to be warm-toned (Figure 3.2-5) to make her feel, well, warmer.

Figure 3.2-4: Art Style Inspiration — Xenolithic by Rachel Salners, Week 4 (16/10/25)

Figure 3.2-5: Character Design — Clothing Variation, Week 4 (18/10/25)
Final Design: Version #4

Figure 3.2-6: Character Design — Colour Distribution, Week 4 (19/10/25)
Final Design: Version #2

I had a lot of fun designing her clothing. While there are many things I would like to add (such as floral patterns, tassels and gaudy trinkets she has collected throughout her travels), it would be impractical for animating, so I tried not to overcomplicate her design.

I kept the main elements of her initial design (i.e. hat, cloak, boots, bag) in her final design, with some minor changes to the accessories.

Removed the wreath of twigs from her hat (cluttered the design + doesn't show much about her character).
Replaced the necklace with a poncho (practical for travelling + brings attention to her face + call-back to the greenish feathers around a pigeon's neck).

Figure 3.2-7: Final Character Design, Week 4 (19/10/25)

3.3 CHARACTER TURNAROUND SHEET

Figure 3.3-1: Character Turnaround Sheet — Sketches, Week 5 (24/10/25)

Figure 3.3-2: Character Turnaround Sheet, Week 5 (24/10/25)

3.4 CHARACTER POSES SHEET

Figure 3.4-1: Character Poses Sheet — Sketches, Week 6 (27/10/25)

Figure 3.4-1: Character Poses Sheet, Week 6 (27/10/25)

Poses are difficult so I used references for all of them. I tried my best to express her energy and restlessness in the poses. Scrapped sketch of a handstand on the right because I couldn't figure out how to draw her dress and coat in that position.💀

3.5 CHARACTER FACIAL EXPRESSIONS SHEET

Figure 3.5-1: Character Facial Expressions Sheet — Sketches, Week 6 (31/10/25)

Figure 3.5-2: Character Facial Expressions Sheet — Additional Information, Week 6 (31/10/25)

Character Design — Head & Face

Wide, expressive eyes — I imagine she shows her emotions primarily through her eyes, which is why I made them very big. I even added lines under her eyes to make them seem even larger, like they're stretching her skin.
Upper lip — I made a stylistic choice to only draw her upper lip to allude to a pigeon beak.
Hairstyle — The sides of her hair curl up to look like wings, whereas the ends are layered to look like feathers. I considered giving her a cowlick (as seen in the "Mischievous" expression) that changes shape according to her expression but ultimately decided not to as the top of her head is already covered by her hat.

3.6 FINAL SUBMISSION

Google Drive

Figure 3.6-1: Project 1A — Character Turnaround Sheet (Final Submission), Week 5 (24/10/25)

Figure 3.6-2: Project 1A — Character Poses Sheet (Final Submission), Week 5 (27/10/25)

Figure 3.6-3: Project 1A — Character Facial Expressions Sheet (Final Submission), Week 5 (31/10/25)

4.0 PROJECT 1B — BACKGROUND DESIGN

Instructions:

Choose a scene from your animation project.
Create a visually interesting and dynamic background design that enhances the story and mood of the animation.
Things to consider:

Perspective.
Placement of background objects and characters.
Colour — The colour palette should complement the mood and theme of the scene.
Lighting.

Requirements:

Size: 1280 × 720.
Format: PNG.
You must be able to integrate your image into Adobe Animate.

4.1 RESEARCH

Figure 4.1-1: The Owl House Layout Design by Sarah Webb, Week 5 (23/10/25)

Figure 4.1-2: Gravity Falls Layout Design by Sean Jimenez, Week 5 (23/10/25)

I'm not too familiar with drawing backgrounds, so I have my work cut out for me. My main frame of reference for this project is the layout design and concept art of various cartoons, particularly The Owl House and Gravity Falls.

What I like about these two cartoons is the rounded/bubbly shape language, which I want to emulate in my own work as I believe it complements my character's personality.

4.2 SKETCHES & WIP

Figure 4.2-1: Sketch (Without Character), Week 6 (29/10/25)

I designed this background with my final project in mind, specifically to accommodate a key action sequence: Ophelia will run towards the cliff's edge, transform into a pigeon, and fly away. Although natural environments are a challenge for me, I think it is important to portray Ophelia in the wilderness. This setting supports the story's theme of self-discovery, as her literal leap into the unknown mirrors her metaphorical journey.

Figure 4.2-2: Updated Sketch, Week 6 (01/11/25)

Based on Mr Kamal's feedback, I added some foreground elements and adjusted the proportions of the tree and the mountains.

Figure 4.2-3: Flat Colours, Week 7 (03/11/25)

I started by blocking out the scene in black and white so that I have a better understanding of the values; only then did I pick out the hues. The line art of the background elements have also been lightened to give the painting the illusion of depth.

4.3 FINAL SUBMISSION

Google Drive

Figure 4.3-1: Project 1B — Background Design (Final Submission), Week 7 (06/11/25)

5.0 FEEDBACK

5.1 WEEK 5

Specific Feedback:

@ Character Expression Sheet: The hat in the Neutral, Annoyed, Wincing, and Curious expressions could have more volume/personality like the Sad expression.
@ Character Poses Sheet: Very dynamic, good.
Good job overall.

5.2 WEEK 6

Figure 5.2-1: Feedback, Week 6 (29/10/25)

Specific Feedback:

Add some foreground elements.
Tree overhand section can be smaller since it's in the background.
Mountain peaks can have a more dynamic shape as it currently looks flat against the cliff.

6.0 REFLECTION

Torturous and fun (my back hurts pls help😀). Drawing is not my strong suit, so I'm glad I had the chance to practice. It's incredibly satisfying to watch a character that has only existed in my head come to life before my eyes. While she doesn't look exactly how I see her, I'm not too bothered because a lot of progress has been made.

9/10 (-1 for the back pain), would recommend.

QUICK LINKS

EXERCISES

PROJECT 1 — PRE-PRODUCTION FOR 2D ANIMATION

PROJECT 2 — WALK ANIMATION & JUMP ANIMATION

FINAL PROJECT — ACTION ANIMATION

Emily Soh Ching-Ling 0359478

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