Final Piece

Found below is my final piece:

Reflection:

Static View

After looking into colour variations, I chose that maybe it'd be wise to stick with a traditional male Kimono which are typically black and grey. I then created a static side, front and back view.

Character Expressions

I wanted to create a placid character with little or no emotion, as from growing up in with a strict background the boy was closed off from his feelings. I did add a few smiling poses, as I thought it to be a nice touch as after all, he is young and cheeky still.

Facial Expression

I started with quick simply sketches, each only taking around 30 seconds. I didn't feel I'd quite created quite enough expressions at this point, so I sketched a few more from different perspectives with more detail to give me inspiration on how my final character may look. 

I may use one of these for my final piece, although with added work to be done on both the mouth and eyes particularly.

Colour Variations

At this stage I started to look into colours. I did a brief update on Kimono I created during my value studies and was thinking of liquefying the design as during the Edo period Kimonos were usually colourful and presented with formations of shapes and patterns covering them - either this or I will add texture within my final piece.

Here are the results:

At this stage I'm not sure if I'm 100% happy with the Kimono itself, but I was more focused on the colour. I found it troublesome to find colours which worked well together, so after this not so great attempt I was determined to create something better. I started researching on YouTube about colours, and also light and shadow for use within my final piece. The two particular videos I found interesting are linked below:

How to Choose Colours that Work!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=9kQllLy_X4I

Foundations of Light and Shadow - Part 1 - Planes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0q-LZVFZuGE

Value Studies

After debating and reflecting upon my silhouettes I chose the following two to further develop:

I chose to first do two different value studies, one for each image. I didn't want to waste a great deal of time at this early stage of development so all studies are rough and in aid of inspiration. There is reasoning behind both silhouettes and why they've been selected, but this is made further apparent later during the documentation. 

Value Study 1

This value study was based off the first silhouette which was chosen as I believed it closely resembled a Kimono. Even though the image lacks detail, it gives a guideline of a rough outline and proportions.

Value Study 2

Here we have another piece of Kimono styled clothing, although this is something you'd most likely see being worn by either an emperor of empress. 

These value studies are based on outcome 3. If the boy is to one day become an emperor, he must dress accordingly. So, with that in mind I've chosen the more grander clothes of the Edo period. 

Next step - the next step forward is to research and confirm colour variations to use within the finial piece. 

Silhouettes

In total I created 51 silhouettes. My original intention was to take this development further but after recent reflection of my finished pieces I noticed that a few started to look similar and it was becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between certain pieces. I had in mind that instead of creating standard "people" shaped silhouettes I'd focus on shapes themselves - this was due to one reason; creativity. If I was to start with a simple human shaped silhouette, I'd be afraid of getting caught in a vicious mind frame of having a character in mind before development. This would result that all my images would look incredibly similar to one another as I'd be basing my digital drawings around one solid idea in my head. So to avoid such an outcome I practised with various brushes and brush stroke techniques. I didn't want to focus on detail as that's a hurdle which comes with further development - I spent no longer than 20-40 seconds on each silhouette.

With each set of silhouettes I've given a brief explanation of my thought processes.

SET 1

My first set of images were inspired by extravagant clothing of the time, you've the standard straight Kimonos yet with large fancy collars which stand tall and flairs which blow with the wind. All aspects are designed to make the character stand tall and express their wealth through fabric.

SET 2 

Again, with this style I was following my first idea yet using a different brush. I particularly like this style even though it initially sways from tradition it'd definitely produce some unique work. 

SET 3

Seen as my last few sets of images strayed from tradition I thought I'd look more into the "straight edge" appearance, here are the results from this framework.

SET 4

Throughout the duration of the next few image sets I started to focus more on body shapes themselves and different styles which could possibly be achieved. 

SET 5

After I'd taken a look into body shapes I started to think about circumferences and whether the character would be slim or chubby.

SET 6

Happy with my progression at this point I started to relax. I wondered how my character may pose and briefly started to sketch a few standing, seated, and laying positions. 

SET 7

My final set is more randomized. These are purely shaped based and came with great inspiration as I pondered over them. I started thinking more extravagantly and outside of the box, details which may not be shown until later pieces.

Next step - the next step forward will be to select the silhouettes I'm most fond of, after this selection I will begin progressing into value studies of the chosen images.

Character Creation

TRANSPOSE

An important part of development for me was to personally rewrite Christian’s story allowing my creativity to flow freely. I don’t want to waste a great deal of time researching into what seems pointless information during the time period if 90% of it is to go unused (my practical direction). This is why I kept research to a minimum only gathering enough in order to reiterate the story and gain an idea of the period. I cutback the characters within the story keeping only the ones I thought I may use for my final production. The story lacks detail, but follows in a similar style to that of the original. 

STORY

The training season burst into bloom, flocks flooded to see such an event. Hundreds of young noble men gathered for soon these, novice inexperienced men would become professional warriors of battle, Samurais. Soon to become of them many responsibilities await, bound by codes of loyalty and honour to their assigned Daimyo’s.  A young peasant gentleman in the crowd had always pondered such a lifestyle, reality was dull and such a fantasy became an idyllic escape route. He was at the age now where life could move no further, age was affecting him and possibilities had worn thin. In a moment of no hesitation, the peasant jumped into a line of marching men passing him by. He was old and wise enough to understand trespassing would earn him nothing other than a death penalty but with nothing to lose and no hope of salvation he carried on with a march in his step.

Months passed, completely unnoticed. The peasant was trained alongside the other men and soon developed a skill set to make him a worthy Samurai. Training was commencing a close where one night the peasant confined in a soon to be a sworn enemy. His fate was sealed now, with his secret in the open he ran far from camp a wanted man. Days past and at this point he was far from any danger where suddenly he abruptly bumped into an old woman whom seemed rather distressed.

“Dearest lady, what be the matter with you” he ordered.

“I’m terribly troubled; could you spare a moment of aid? Such a strong and noble gentleman surely has the courtesy to help a lady in distress” she murmured.

He agreed, after all he had nothing better to do with his time. She explained her past, how she used to be a servant for the emperor. She told tales of rape and beatings, orders and commands, how she watched civilization turn for the worst and a prophecy of how politics would soon consume the country.

“Such a terrible time indeed” he agreed, as the solider had been away for months he’d become unaware of how the real world was evolving.

She went on to explain how infuriated she was one evening, so infuriated in fact she had planned to run away. Her intention was to steal something from the royal keep before she left in which she could sell to start her new life with. It had to be something they wouldn’t notice, and something which could easily be sold. So one night, she stolen an ancient book and ran during the night. But upon later reading she soon discovered this particular book told tales of the most powerful Samurais and their training techniques. How the weakest of men could be made into almighty warriors, the book was destined to be destroyed as in the wrong hands it could cause wars.

“I only had good intentions” she cried “I stole the book and ran for my life; I knew if I was to be caught I’d be murdered”

“Well of course!” he shouted, “Did anyone see you? Are you mad, stealing from the Emperor?”

Before selling the book to a merchant, she realised with this book she could start an army. She thought what better than money but power.

With this in mind, and being very persuasive she gathered men and women from across towns who agreed with her views. Together they’d all been living underground in an old worn cavern training for the day where they’d raid the city and take over, “with us in control, I’d reshape the world” she stated.

“So what’s this got to do with your sadness?” the man demanded. It turns out she’d ordered an attack, the group was incredibly unprepared and most men and women died in the process with only three surviving. The survivors took the book from her and banished her from returning – if she was to do so they’d kill her. She asked the man to go down into the cavern and retrieve the book to her – in return she’d give him anything she desired, he agreed.

He went down into the cavern and found the two men and one woman who’d survived, but to the ladies deception he was on their side all along. He spoke with them and together they created a plan with this intelligent stranger to take over the city – a more realistic plan. All four returned to the old woman, and one gentleman struck her with a blade instantly slaughtering her as they couldn’t let her get in the way.

The plan was to kidnap the Emperors daughter, an impressionable woman. They’d force her into a marriage – then, when granted access into the royal keep the peasant would murder the Emperor in his sleep leaving him next in line. With this power, they’d take rain of the city. The peasant had to go alone as the three warrior’s faces were recognized within the city, then at night they’d kidnap her. The warriors were extremely talented, agile and quick on their feet. They were so confident in fact they had no issues with this plan at all, they were also confident enough to know the peasant would do exactly as they ordered – otherwise he’d be a dead man.

The peasant took enough gold from the three warriors in order for him to buy some elegant robes and find a suitable place to rest as the next day the warriors would bring him the princess. So as one sun and moon passed he waited very patiently in his chambers for the warriors to bring him his new wife. As the clock struck 6am there was 5 precise knocks on the peasants door, low and behold there the princess stood. The princess who couldn't have cared less about being kidnapped took one look at the man and fell in love. She explained how she despised her farther and was happy to get away, they shared their plan and she agreed to cooperate.

Unfortunately the warriors had been followed; the emperors knights barged through the doors and grabbed both the princess and the man, the three warriors had fled by this point. The man was locked into a cell and had been given the death penalty. He only wished he could get a message to the warriors so they could save him, and that was when opportunity struck. A young boy ran past, a shoemakers boy. The man cried for his attention and the boy ran over, he was used to answering to commands. The man asked for him to fetch the warriors and in return he’d give him gold and fortune – the young boy agreed and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. When he returned, the warriors stood by his side. This was their chance; everyone was gathered in one area waiting for the man to be killed for his treason so they chose this time to attack. The skilled warriors killed knights, men, woman and finally the emperor. All the cities people were so afraid they offered they take the emperors place, they turned this offer down but demanded the man behind bars be the new emperor and the princess to be his wife. They all agreed, the peasant man was now a ruler and the warriors stood by his side.  

REFLECTION 

After rewriting the story I became fixated on the shoemakers boy. The character himself is only mentioned briefly within both mine and Christians story but I believe that's what reached out to me the most - because it's what's unsaid which makes my mind wander. After the story is finished, there are endless possibilities to what may have happened to the boy. These different directions are what influenced me to chose him. Below I've written three different outcomes, the reasoning behind this is so when designing my silhouettes I can follow various different style paths - hopefully that will mean that my silhouettes will differentiate rather than all look similar.

OUTCOME 1

The boy is never repaid for his favour. He returns to poverty and continues to help his father make footwear for the rest of his days.

OUTCOME 2

The new emperor is forever in the boys debt, after all his life was weighed in the boys hands. The emperor brings the boy into his royal keep and trains him as a servant - a far more pleasant lifestyle than making shoes. 

OUTCOME 3

The emperor is ecstatic that his life was saved by the boy. He can see the boy is young and impressionable, fast, agile and keeps to his word. The emperor takes the boy back to the royal keep and trains him to serve by his side, as a protector, and as a friend and one day, maybe even the new emperor.

Next step - now I've a character in mind, different styles to follow, and information which I can reference too I shall start developing my silhouettes. 

Edo Japan Clothing

Realistic speaking, the first half of the project is designed around character creation therefore I only researched into clothing images - this was because I found all other reference images to be irrelevant at this moment in time and unnecessary. Found below are images I believe will be of use:

Whilst researching into clothing I found some interesting articles based around Kimonos. These traditionally robe like outfits were first founded during the Edo period and are still being worn today.

http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/h/a-history-of-the-kimono/

"The kimono developed into a highly expressive means of personal display, an important indicator of the rising affluence and aesthetic sensibility of the chōnin.There were even fashion contests between the wives of the wealthiest merchants, who tried to outdo one another with ever more dazzling displays of splendid costume.Such excesses troubled the shogunate as they threatened to upset the strict social order and sumptuary laws that restricted the kind of fabrics, techniques and colours used by the chōnin were periodically issued." 

These are women of the Edo period wearing various styled Kimonos.

KIMONO REFLECTION 

I'd like my final pieces to be somewhat realistic, despite kimonos designs being relatively straightforward and repetitive it's something which could be incorporated with other fashionable clothing styles of the time. Or I could think of more extravagant styles to be used.

SAMURAI 

If I were to go with a character such as the solider (who'd be a Samurai of the time) there a great deal of different styled armours to chose from as a basic starting point. Above, we've three different warriors all of the same status in varied protective gear. 

Here is another image I found interesting, above once again we have a group of Samurai's but these wearing minimal protective gear.  

SAMURAI REFLECTION

What I found interesting is that there are different types of Samurai's. Typically, when the idea comes to find I imagine extravagant clothing which visualises importance, but after research I found this isn't always the case. 

At this point, I'm not going to do a huge amount of research into clothing as I'm only looking for a rough starting point. When I start my final piece, it will be then were I look into further items such as accessories and hairstyles.

Next step - the next step forward is character creation. I have enough information now to rewrite Christians story, chose a character and start developing that character. 

Edo Culture

CASTLE SYSTEM

http://shogun2.heavengames.com/articles/history/the-caste-system-of-feudal-japan/

During the Edo Period the Tokugawa Shogunate enforced a strict caste system upon Feudal Japanese society. Ruling Japan from 1603 A.D to 1867 A.D, the Tokugawa Shogunate ended when the fifteenth Tokugawa shogun resigned and returned power back to the Emperor. During the Tokugawa Shogunate ultimate power, and status within society, lay with the Shogun. Civil rights and influence diminished the further down one was in the caste system. With the lowest caste lucky if they had any influence or civil rights at all.

The strict caste system could be formed into a tier formation, all together being six levels. You've the highest tier on level one, and the lowest on level six. Below is a brief overview of the system:

Tier 1 - Found top of the caste system is The Emperor (Mikado), a greatly respected figurehead of society despite not ruling Japan.

Tier 2 - The Shogun, also known as the most powerful military lord (Daimyo) who ruled Japan with his Bakufu government.

Tier 3 - Daimyo, the lords or barons who controlled their own region of Japan.

Tier 4 - Samurai, the professional warriors or knights who were bound by a code of loyalty and honour to a Daimyo. They protected his region and land.

Tier 5 - Peasants, peasants are considered to have job roles such as farmers or fishermen. Peasants are the largest social group in traditional Japan. They were legally bound to the person who owned or controlled the land they lived on.

Tier 6 - Chonin, Chonin are considered the lowest of low. Chonin are artists, craftsmen, shoemakers - they participate in job roles which are looked down upon, visualized as disgusting. They deal with dead things, an example would be a shoemaker using leather - to wear the final produce is acceptable, but to deal with the dead itself is highly frowned upon.

REFLECTION

I found this information incredibly fascinating as in Christians story each character whom is introduced has a level of importance in the civilization. From simply reading the story and comparing each character against the caste system it’s easy to identify which tier they fall under.

Next step - after researching into the Edo period, it’s time to gather some images which may later be used in reference.

Edo Japan Period

RESEARCH



The first section of research is an overview if you wish. Later sections of research will look into specific areas such as culture and civilisation.

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/179371/Edo-culture

Edo, the former ancient name of Tokyo. The term Edo means, the mouth of bay. This cultural period of Japanese history corresponds to the Tokugawa period of governance (1603 - 1867).

http://www.grips.ac.jp/teacher/oono/hp/lecture_J/lec02.htm
From the late 12th century through the 17th century, Japan was ruled by samurais (military leaders) but politics remained unstable. Internal wars and power shifts were very frequent, especially during the late 15th century to the end of the 16th century (called Sengoku Jidai, or warring period).

Finally, Ieyasu Tokugawa unified the country after the decisive Battle of Sekigahara (located between Nagoya and Kyoto, visible from Shinkansen) in 1600 and the attacks on Osaka Castle in 1615 where the rival Toyotomi family perished. Ieyasu established a new government in Edo and became the first shogun of the Edo Bakufu in 1603. Edo, a sleepy little town until then, was transformed into a huge political city by aggressive public works including land reclamation, new canals and clean water supply systems. The Tokugawa family ruled the country in the next 264 years (15 shoguns in all). Ieyasu Tokugawa was deified and worshiped in Nikko Toshogu Shrine (even today).

Japan's economic development from the Edo period because pre-conditions for later industrialization and modernization were created internally during this period (moreover, quantitative data for earlier periods are very limited). The following are the pre-conditions that were generated:

1. Political unity and stability
2. Agricultural development in terms of both area and productivity
3. Development of transportation and the existence of nationally unified markets
4. The rise of commerce, finance and the wealthy merchant class
5. The rise of manufacturing (food processing, handicraft, etc.)
6. Industrial promotion by central and local governments (sometimes successful but not always)
7. High level of education

These are the features of the Edo period which are commonly cited by many researchers. The remainder of this lecture discusses them in detail. Note that some of these conditions are not achieved even today in some countries. In fact, developing countries that are equipped with all these conditions are relatively rare.

The Tinderbox by Hans Christian Andersen

SYNOPSIS AND REFLECTION

Found below is my individual interpretation and synopsis for The Tinderbox 

http://hca.gilead.org.il/tinderbx.html

"Whilst venturing towards homeland a terminated solider from battle and conflict crosses paths with a mysterious old aged witch. The witch, a temptress at best offers a proposition to the solider which is snatched with no hesitation. In return, the solider not only increases his wealth considerably, but he obtains disloyally (by slaughtering the witch) a magical tinderbox which possesses the ability to summon ferocious dogs which turn for command. In a twist and turn of events, the solider goes through phases of greed, generosity, obsession, and knocks heavily on deaths door only to cunningly escape to furthermore obtain unrestricted power. Once a solider, now a King."

Upon initial reflection I found even though the storyline could be easily distinguished, lingering underneath lays enormous potential and space for experimentation. It's apparent to me that intertwining Edo Japan into the existing story may provide difficulty so, I decided that I'd rewrite the story during the Edo period. This will result in successfully creating a more realistic character who will have their own background story. If I were to present a character with no emotion or story behind it, it'd simply just be a drawing. But with the relevant writing and research, that character will be transformed into something far more relatable to those who perceive it.

Before conducting my research on Edo Japan itself in order for me to rewrite Christians story, I thought I'd take this last opportunity to deluge into the existing piece by writing a brief description on each character. Excluding the main character (solider, whom is described within the synopsis) below I've highlighted the key facts about each character.

• Witch - the witch is introduced into the story as "frightful", despite this neither her behaviour or persona perceive her as a negative person. There's no indication that she's neither good nor bad.
• Dogs - there are three dogs presented during the story, but for creative purpose these are to be excluded. There are three dogs, one more powerful and ferocious than the others.
• Servant - there's little and very vague details about this character, there is also no indication to whether or not this character is female or male. The servant comes across both curious and suspicious "the servant, who cleaned his boots, thought they certainly were a shabby pair to be worn by such a rich gentleman".
• Towns People - my first reaction was judgemental, after the solider had produced finer clothes suddenly the towns people seemed far more interested in him. They had no desire to communicate with the solider before he indulged in finer items, they did not want involve themselves with another commoner. The towns people visited him, whispering wonders of the town and stories of the princess when the solider became more approachable.
• Princess - not a very frightful woman, a strange man kidnaps her and she thinks nothing of it other than love. Her parents are murdered and she righteously becomes Queen without a hint of remorse - a spiteful and selfish character.  
• King - lazy and laid back, throughout the story duration he gives very little input. It seems the King is used to letting others do the difficult work for him (like capturing the solider), this is until the final decision is to be made where he wields his power.
• Queen - a women who isn't afraid to put her right foot forward, the Queen isn't shy to show off her practical thinking and in result obtains what she desires. A very powerful being.
• Old lady - the old woman is never identified as anything other than "the old woman", yet she seems to hold a high status as she's kept in the royal residence and has granted permission to voice opinion - it seems she does not work in the castle but may be a relative of the King and Queen or perhaps a dear friend. Even though the old lady has many opinions, her practical thinking isn't up to scratch. She seems quite an abrupt character whom acts on instinct- which as the story tells, doesn't always pay off.
• Shoemakers boy - this particular character is brave, he does not fear speaking to strangers as he gladly stops to speak to the solider (someone who at this point is behind bars). For all the boy knows, he could be a vicious criminal. The boy is also accustom to bribe, whether it be he needs the money or he's simply a child who'd gladly accept profit no doubly accepting the bribe shows greed and no hesitation to think of what he may be doing. He asks no questions and is fast and agile.

Next step forward - happy with the knowledge I've gained on Christians story, it's now time to research into the Edo period. I need to have enough information in order to create a character and rewrite Christians story.

Concept Visualisation

BRIEFING

Held today was the induction of two initial briefings in regards to our first project. It was during these briefings where it was made apparent of our responsibilities for the project, Concept Visualisation.

Each assignment will be broken into two halves, the first half of this particular project will be focusing on Character Design as to the second which will be Environments - the final produce of this assignment are to be based around a character selected from Hans Christian Andersen's story "The Tinderbox" followed by a randomly selected time and place (Japans Edo period). So, the outcome of my project will be my own individual interpretation of a character from the story set in the Edo period - how I believe the character would behave and the aesthetics of that character. The final design submission will involve the following;

• A short synopsis (our own interpretation)
• A minimum of 50 character silhouettes
• Character iteration
• Static view model sheets
• Character sheets
• Research portfolio (blog entries)
• Reflective journal (above applies)

Next step forward - my initial reaction after the briefing was to read through The Tinderbox and write a short synopsis. Ideally, whilst writing a synopsis I'll also acquire an understanding of each characters existing traits and gain an idea of how Christian chose to perceive each of them. I'm choosing to prioritize this as ultimately it has the ability to make the character more believable if I carry existing behaviours to mould my final character.