These were mostly created in the autumn and early winter of 2012. I'll compile what I have to say about them since this is a bit rusty in my mind.
THE KEEPER
The main character of the story. He needed to look tired and a bit unhealthy. He's generally a sad personality and quite lonely, living alone in his lighthouse. This one didn't give me too much trouble to create, his traits were well fleshed out before I painted him so it all fit into place nicely. I had a clear intention to paint his textures in Photoshop so I made the decision to keep some painterly strokes. They add some kind of noise that matches the intended mood of the story well.
THE WHALE
This one gave me more trouble to create. Initially, the look of the short was mostly, purely Celtic inspired. However, I found myself leaning towards an oriental feel early enough in the pre-production. Yet, I stuck with this guy for a pretty long while.
The longer I looked at it, the less it fit in the film. In the meantime, I had created a mural that depicted the whales of that universe. They held a strong oriental touch to them and the idea of incorporating that in the whale design seemed more and more attractive everyday.
I finally decided to go with it and create a whale beast that did not exist in our world. This was the result, a whale mixed with components of a catfish, a goldfish and a dragon. I also added more fantastical elements to him to stay true the painted creatures.
THE ENVIRONMENT AND PROPS
The setting of the story is essentially a lighthouse in the sky. There is no ocean, only air. I had a lot of fun building this and placing elements that would fit in that kind of lifestyle.
And here are some "murdered babies" of mine. Unfortunately they didn't make it to production, simply because they didn't fit anymore but I still felt like sharing.
And that's that for the bit of this part. I truly had a great time designing the visuals elements of our film and I wish I could have put more time into it but we have to more forward! C:
-Naomi Savoie
