Mirror's Edge Concept

This is one of the characters in Mirror's Edge who helps you out in the end of game... can't remember his name though. It's been along time since I played it.

If you look closely at you will be able to pick out some of the brush strokes that make up the complex tonal work. Most of the obvious brush strokes are on the clothing.

Final Concept

I've got back into painting again which is one of the things that I wanted to do on this project. I've been inspired by alot of the Mirrors Edge Concept art and Resistance 2 concept and lighting. The aspects that I liked about the Mirrors Edge art work is that the brush strokes are very loose and free when you look closely at their paintings but as soon as you move further away it looks more realistic. I enjoy drawing with alot of energy and freedom so I thought that I could adopt some of the Mirrors Edge technique.

I didn't want to draw with lines for my concept because I didn't feel that it suited the character. I feel that by having no out lines will make the character look more subtle and softer than bold and brash heavy outlines. I have been looking into Digital Painting for along time but nether attempted to learn it properly because.... well it Hard as Hell!

For this piece of work I just used Photoshop and a Wacom Tablet. I've become very comfortable with using a tablet now that I can't use Photoshop with out. It definatly helped.

Jump 1

Walk Cycle1

I'm going to try another one. So far I like it but I need to speed the arms up.

Animating Now! (Just Done a Jump Cycle)

Thanks to the success of the rigging and weight painting (Not as bad as people claim it to be) the animating has become a lot easier.  I am supprised at how flexible my Rig is.  This has given me the free needed to animate this walk cycle that I'm going to do.  I'm so happy that i have chosen to do the Character Design Project and take on the Rigging head on.  I'm more confident than I have ever been on Maya now and I feel that I'm starting to develop range of skills.  I will keep practicing my rigging as I think it's a useful skill and opens up opportunities to animate your own character.  

It has been along time since I last did an animation in Maya, so I turned to the Richard Williams book for reference.  I have animated  jump cycle and will post it up shortly (just need to put the tiffs in to AfterEffects).  I have been using the line graph in Maya so that i can control the slow and slow outs and do my some Rig justice.    

Rigging Finished (Very Flexible)

Pinch in the Arm

The skin and the bone were not weighted together at first when I binded the skin.  I over came this by weighting the elbow joint to the skin and then painting the weights around it.