I will be a Light
creative direction, illustration, cel animation, typography design, original music composition
“When the world feels dark, I will be a light”
This illustration/cel animation was created for a “draw me in your style” prompt by Sidney Caldwell of Houndstooth Design + Supply.
The sentiment & symbolism spoke to me and are a brilliant reminder to practice this every day. Some days are better than others but we can all try our best.. don't forget, there are other stars out there shining light for you too. 💙🦢🌌🌟
See below for more on the process!
See below for more on the process!
Testing the Skies
Original illustration by Sidney Caldwell, Houndstooth Design + Supply
“I need to make this fly!” was my first thought that came up after seeing this prompt.
In order to begin, I needed to find some video references of a flying crane. Studying this allowed me to understand and illustrate how each part of the wing behaves during the flap.
In order to begin, I needed to find some video references of a flying crane. Studying this allowed me to understand and illustrate how each part of the wing behaves during the flap.
Wing Movement Breakdown
Close observation of references was crucial to a successful animation.
Other observations included body lift on down flap, the neck acting as a stabilizer for the head, and subtle secondary motion through the legs and feet.
- Shoulder rotates wing downward with an extended Elbow and Wrist
- Elbow and Wrist stay extended throughout the downward motion
- Wrist and Elbow curve in at furthest downward extension
- Elbow begins to lead the upward motion, Shoulder and Wrist follow
- At midpoint of the upward motion, the Wrist surpasses the Elbow and becomes the highest point of the upward extension
Other observations included body lift on down flap, the neck acting as a stabilizer for the head, and subtle secondary motion through the legs and feet.
Ready for Launch
A lot of experimentation went into this project. I worked out the shapes and timing of the wings, neck, and gold dust by drawing/re-drawing frame by frame in Photoshop. Then, I moved to After Effects to vectorize and to supplement with forward shoulder rotation, body lift, head and tail feathers, and legs and feet.
Character Qualities
Bouyant
Noble
Calm Presence
Quiet Strength
Magic
Optimism
Abundance
Concept and Story
Cloaked in black with a shining gold lining, this Crane embodies both light and darkness. The world is blanketed with the light radiating from their wings as it flies through the night sky. The gold dust it shares overflows from a source beyond itself.
Ho-Oh from Pokémon also served as inspiration
(episode 1, Pokémon - I Choose You!)
Rough Animation Passes
First approach, testing my observations of the wing movement.
Drawing the volume of the wings and neck in motion.
Rough design and typography composition ideas start to emerge.
Early design concept. After the motion of the wings felt good, I added gold dust elements using different stippled brushes in Photoshop. Sidney’s original illustration uses stippling texture and that was the perfect shape for the gold dust raining down from the wings.
Typography Design
I started with a pen and paper to draw the letterforms by hand, sometimes repeatedly to get the right proportions and character. They came out with a bit of a lean and I included some of that in Illustrator during vector clean up.
Original Music Composition, Sound Design
I wanted the audio to feel stately and inspire a sense of wonder, sort of like Neil Degrasse Tyson explaining stuff about the universe. The two-chord progression is layered from tubas, french horns, and violins while bells plink sparkly arpeggios. Another percussive arpeggio gives added movement and speaks to the falling dust. Fun fact, this textured percussion is a heavily processed “twang” sound that resulted from striking a metal water bottle and recorded in my kitchen!
Ableton Timeline & Bells Effects Chain
Midi Arpeggio, Bells from Arturia Analog Lab V, Flanger, EQ, Stereo Autopanning