Final Creative Project - Lewis Green
Research
Primary Research - Sketches
Sketching is the beginning of my 'Primary Research'. Primary research is research that I do myself, this can include a bunch of examples such as creating a kahoot quiz and creating a survey to gather information and data I might require later on in the project. Sketches in a sketchbook as well as digital on Photoshop also count as primary research. It's too early on in the project to be sketching on Photoshop so I made sure that with most ideas I want to include in my project either gets drawn or written down in my sketchbook. Looking at the sketches above, you're probably confused as to why I have specifically taken the time to draw a lion. I've mentioned previously already that my theme is Marvel so superheroes are going to be my inspiration. The lion is part of the new superhero I am creating. This lion will indeed have powers, he will have the ability to ignite his mane into a blue flame. I do find my concept hard to get down on paper but sketching helps me take my ideas one step at a time and improve my skills on drawing the basics like animals and facial features which I will be using for the superhero. As far as detail like names, I did like the name 'The White Lion' for my lion. All will be confirmed later on in development.
Secondary Research - Video Tutorials
Secondary research is now beginning and I am starting it off by watching tutorials on YouTube that I think can really help me for the final outcome of my FCP. 'Secondary Research' is research that is already there for me, I have not made this I am simply using it to help develop ideas and learn skills. YouTube tutorials are a great example along with website information pages, newspapers and leaflets. I can also add images that I find helpful and useful towards the FCP outcome. Getting back to the research above, I managed to find a video specifically for something that I struggle with, drawing a character that is put into a pose. This video is something that I needed to watch and take notes on, the youtuber 'Jazza' who I am now subscribed to because of this video, talks about forming the body and creating a face step by step and how they would look from different perspectives. Since I am creating a superhero, I find it extremely important that I capture the pose perfectly along with facial expressions, another tutorial I will need to watch next. Watching this video has really helped me in terms of how I want my character to look, stand and come across to people that look at him. When you look at the characters in Marvel comics you automatically think they're powerful and can do serious damage in a battle and that is what I want for my FCP outcome.
Secondary Research - Marvel Comics
Marvel began in the year of 1939, almost 100 years ago to where we are now in 2021. In 1961, the first Marvel superhero comic was launched, titled 'The Fantastic Four'. The creators behind these names were Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, three legends in our modern day world that we thank for giving us the Marvel content we receive today as without their brilliant ideas we wouldn't have 'Avengers' or 'X-Men', the list of superheroes is infinity. Most of the Marvel superheroes operate in the same universe and are originally located in New York. 'FUN FACT' Marvel additionally published several licenses from other companies including another huge fanbase we know and love as 'Star Wars'.
'Spider-Man' was Marvel's first successful comic book because the young hero suffered with problems that the reader could relate to, mostly to teenagers. I think creating a hero your audience can relate to is a great way to start a business because not only are you invested on the looks and personality of this hero but you're also invested emotionally and you begin to grow an attachment to the character hence why we have 'favourites'. Marvel often presented flawed superheroes too like freaks and misfits, stating that not everyone is good-looking and athletic like your everyday superman from the DC universe. Marvel gives us characters like 'The Hulk' and 'The Thing' to show us that it doesn't matter what you look like as long as you are fighting on the right side with the heroes and not joined amongst other villains who are known to be flawed.
Marvel earned a great deal of money selling their comic books around the 1980's as more children started taking an interest. This started Marvel to introduce future superheroes that were from the year 2099 as well as collectible trading cards contained a superhero and their origin. As Marvel made more money, their company expanded and grew into something bigger. It wouldn't be long until Marvel games started being produced and sold in the 1990's as well as some comics beginning to be adapted into movies like the vampire hunter 'Blade' and the iconic mutants we know as the 'X-Men'. Knowing about the history of Marvel fascinates me because I wonder if the creators ever imagined their comics to be a massive part of people's lives in this day and age.
Secondary Research - X-Men Comics 'Havoc'
Alexander Summers, A.K.A 'Havoc' is a well known superhero in the Marvel comics associated with the 'X-Men'. Havoc was created by Arnold Drake and Don Heck, they gave Havoc the ability to shoot plasma beams from the centre of his chest. His associations with other heroes are his younger brother who we know and love as 'Cyclops' and his love interest from previous comics, Magneto's daughter 'Polaris'.
I take inspiration from Havoc specifically because of his power and the fact that he is still able to look human and blend in with everyone else who is human. The character I created for my FCP inherits Havoc's powerful blast, I didn't want to copy his entire persona though because I wanted my character to stand out and be unique, I didn't want any comparison to Havoc. This led to me giving my character the ability to also walk through walls and the ability to fly, two powers that Havoc cannot do. Not only am I giving my character more powers but he also is known to have his signature sidekick that is always by his side, 'The White lion'. A loyal warrior that has blue glowing eyes along with super strength and speed. I want my FCP idea to be as clear as possible, a poster of both my heroes side by side ready to take on the next fight against evil that dares to face them.
Secondary Research - His Dark Materials
His Dark Materials is a trilogy of fantasy novels written by Philip Pullman. The first novel was written in 1995 titled 'Northern Lights'. America titled it differently, referring to it as 'The Golden Compass' hence as to why there was a movie called 'The Golden Compass'. Two years later, the second novel was published and this one was titled 'The Subtle Knife' and then three years later, Pullman finished the trilogy with 'The Amber Spyglass'. This book followed two children as they go on an adventure throughout parallel universes.
Although 'His Dark Materials' was marketed for young adult fiction, Pullman wrote with no target audience in mind. If you're interested in witches and polar bears that wear armour, these books are for you. This trilogy also tackles the concept from physics, philosophy and theology. A downfall to this trilogy is from all the negative comments and reviews it got about religion.
Here we have the adaptations of the 'His Dark Materials' novels. The Golden Compass being a movie that released in 2007, 7 years after the trilogy ended and the series that released back in 2019 titled 'His Dark Materials'. I have chosen His Dark Materials as inspiration because my FCP outcome is about a superhero and his Lion. Animals play a great part in His Dark Materials, they are known as dæmons. Every human and witch has once in this universe as they manifest themselves into their pet, in some universes though, they appear to be invisible. Dæmons frequently interact with each other in ways that mirror the behaviour of their humans, such as fighting one another when their humans are fighting.
Why have I chosen to talk about His Dark Materials? I want my relationship between my hero and his lion to be remarkable. I want the viewer to look at my poster and believe that they are each others companion and that they are going to defend and fight for each other until their last breath. Look at The Golden Compass poster for example, look at how the polar bear is sort of protecting the little girl. Look at the pose he is in and notice how he is sort of letting out a roar to show bravery and loyalty. With my poster, I want to capture the same energy. Perhaps my lion could be roaring in a majestic pose that shows his heroism, something that represents that they are both equal and are getting the spotlight.
Secondary Research - Marvel Movie Posters
Posters are the things that sell your project the most, that and trailers but I am not creating an animation. Right now, I am on the stage in my production of creating my poster and bringing everything together onto one file on Illustrator. This includes the characters, the title, the background and the pretend company logo I created for myself. My theme is Marvel for this project if you couldn't already tell so I have taken it upon myself to research poster designs and layouts so that I correctly create mine in a Marvel way. I've already attempted putting a poster together which you can find on my practical skills page.
First of all, let's analyse these posters, looking at the colours of the background and the characters that Marvel have decided to use to attract viewers. Notice how they put their best characters in the centre because over 50% of the fandom favouritise the original six, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye. Notice how on both Ragnarok and Infinity War, they both include their villains for that movie and they are above the heroes, giving us a speculation that they overpower our heroes and are not going to be easy to take down. Captain Marvel doesn't do that, I'm sure there is another poster I could have chosen, that's why I decided to go with this one as this was the closest to my idea of a poster. One character and one simple background. There is no need to over-complicate things and Captain Marvel as a movie was to introduce a new character to the universe, a solo movie dedicated to one person as Ragnarok and Infinity War were crossovers between characters from different movies.
My idea of a poster is to highlight both my heroes and sell them to the audience as best as I can. I want them in the centre and I want them to look as badass and brave as the heroes on Marvel posters look. Marvel is a big thing in my life which is why I chose it as a theme and getting this poster correct and accurate as possible with my own heroes is a challenge that I hope to succeed in, making sure everything is finalised for when it's time to present.
Secondary Research - Facial Features
Facial features are my weakness when it comes to character design, I know a lot of skills and techniques such as the cross method to pinpoint the eyes, nose and mouth but when it comes to physically drawing them onto a face, I find it very difficult and it is an area I need practice on the most.
Here are some examples of facial features, specifically in the Marvel comic book style, I've noticed how the lips are thin and the eyes are small. I could save myself a lot of hassle and give my character a mask but I feel like I need to challenge myself and show my skills. Hair is my favourite thing to draw, different styles, long and short. Sometimes I just draw a face and add the hair but leave the facial features. This time however, I'm going to push myself outside my comfort zone.