Working Towards A Final Design

For these sketches I wanted to make the Snark look sad and pathetic looking, because it could be a lonely creature as it is cant be seen. For inspiration I looked at Blood hounds and the way there skin droops around there face to make the face look believable and see how the skin folds over the face. 

Next step is to figure out what the tail is which has been bugging me, and get a turn-a-round sketched up asap!

Head Development Sketches

Body Structure and Shape

Going back to the Build-A-Snark creatures I picked out one that was the most interesting to work from as a starting point. Using the light box I started to sketch over the original shape mapping out possible body shapes, however after talking to Alan I went back to the shapes within the drawing to map out points for bones and limbs and try to figure out some kind of detail. 

Minor Project Interim Crit Presentation

Minor Project: Character Design - Snark

Maya Texture Tests

To bring the Build-A-Snark aesthetics back into my work I did a texture test in Maya using the same scanned images I used for the Snark kit. I used the default lizard from Mudbox to be my test model already mapped and arranged the scans by over lapping the images creating the same semi transparent look. Seeing the results of this test are really reassuring for me to see, it totally reflects the Snark images well,  like the scanned images have jumped of the page and assembled to create this creature in the same way people created the 2D Snarks.     

Tree Snark

Snark/Bird Heads

Silhouettes and Drawings from Build-A-Snarks

All Build-A-Snark's

Concept from Silhouette

I have taken one of the silhouettes and tried fleshing it out in Photoshop but this first attempt has turned out pretty weird because the shapes were hard to turn into recognizable arms. Especially the right arm which has turned into a fleshy alien claw. I'm going to try working with a few more silhouettes to see what other designs can be created.

Snark Silhouettes

Build-A-Snark's as Silhouettes

More Snarks...

Thank you everyone once again who participated in Build-A-Snark today. Im gonna take a selection from those that I have gathered so far and begin creating silhouettes to start working from.

















Operation Build-A-Snark Is GO!!!

The Build-A-Snark kit is ready! I asked a few people today to read the poem extracts I gave them 3 minutes to assemble some images to show what they think the Snark looks like. The responses to poem are already looking great! Its fascinating to see how unique everyone's Snark looks. Over the weekend I am going to ask a few friends from work to give the activity a go to get more people involved. I will also be about Monday and Tuesday in the university for any more volunteers :). 

Thank you everyone who took part today, and I'm looking forward to seeing more Snarks!!!  

   

Sam Tremain

Build-A-Snark Image Selection

To make the Snark kit I am going to use Zoological illustrations I have scanned from a book of natural history illustrations I found in the library and ones that I found on the Internet. I have printed them out some acetate and cut them up so you cant really tell what each image is. Then operation build a Snark is GO!    

Build-A-Snark Kit

Instead of approaching my designs by creating silhouettes from shapes of animals and sketching up creatures myself Phil suggested a more exciting way to create the Snark... make a 'Build-a-Snark' kit. The idea of the kit is to get people to arrange a selection of shapes, illustrations, photographs of animals to make a representation of what they think the Snark looks like, after they have read selected extracts from the poem. I feel this way I should be able to get a more interesting representation of the Snark because I am not limited by my own perception of the creature. The method also works in favor of the absence of description that nobody knows what it actual form is therefore they can only imagine what they think it looks like and it changes from person to person. The idea works in a similar way to a Boggart in Harry Potter which turns into what the person fears the most and has not single form.

Below is the extracts that I have chosen from the poems to start the Build-A-Snark kit... Next step gathering images.  Build a Snark Poem

Influence Maps

After reading though the poem I got the impression that the Snark is a master of disguise therefore I started looking at how animals have adapted to disguise themselves from predators or prey. I also found it interesting how one animal can make itself look like another as the poem states a Snark could be a Boojum:

“ ‘But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,

 If your Snark be a Boojum! For then

You will softly and suddenly vanish away,

 And never be met with again!’

Catapillar - Snake (Bends its head backwards)

Spider - Ant (Hides two of its legs)

Butterfly - Owl (Patterns on wings)

Also plants that look like animals and vice versa could be a disguise.

 Personality Influence Map