Astronaut Alfie and Bamoon

1) Initial character ideas.

Above are a few sketches of what I imagined my

astronaut to look like. I took inspiration from existing

characters such as Dora The Explorer and Buzz

Lightyear to create a character appealing to children

between the ages of 3 to 6.

I intended to draw the character as friendly and

optimistic, being careful as not to make him look

sinister (as some real life astronauts can do).

These drawings are basically to get an idea of his

proportions. I wanted to keep his head large, to

emphasis the helmet but also because a toddler's

head is larger than the body anyway. I feel as though

keeping the proportions of Alfie as cartoonish can

make him look friendlier and more appealing as a

toy or plaything.

I wanted to push the character further by giving him

a sidekick in which he can form a dynamic and

relationship with. After much speculation this

sidekick became "Bamoon", his trusty space guide.

Although the balloon would obviously burst in

outer space, I' am remaining fictitious with the things

that could occur with Alfie and Bamoon's space

adventures.

Alfie is dependant on Bamoon for simple advice

and guidance, but Bamoon is dependant on Alfie

for company and friendship. Thus they make

each other ideal travelling companions on their

intergalactic endeavours.

If I intend to take animating this character

further outside of Comm Tech, I'd like to

introduce Astronaut Alfie and Bamoon to other

additional characters on their journeys to planets.

2) The armature.

By using the knowledge of making an

armature that I gained at the Animate!

Leeds workshop I've constructed a

simple wire skeleton based around the

above drawings of my character

"Astronaut Alfie" and his balloon

sidekick "Bamoon".

There were slight issues I experienced

when making this armature, for example

the wire was harder to bend than I'd

previously considered and the length

of the character's limbs were difficult

to get equal. 

Other than these faults

I' am happy with the armature and plan

to complete the next stage of padding

and shaping "Astronaut Alfie" in to a

shape similar to my plans.

3) Padding and plasticine.

As you can see my character's now taken

shape. I taped many of his limbs with

masking tape, leaving the joints open (which

I'd learnt from the Animate! Leeds workshop

two weeks ago).

I've tried my best at this stage to perfect the

shape of his body and head. I've struggled

to sustain the same proportions as seen on

my initial drawings, but I' am not overly

concerned about this at the moment.

A few issues I've confronted with this third

stage is getting the body to head balance

just right so that Archie stands upright, whilst

keeping both legs straight.

For his "Bamoon" (balloon) sidekick, I plan

to use either polystyrene or foam as a light-

weight substitute.

My next stage is to smoothen the

character's shape, so from hear I can

introduce details such as the astronaut's visor/

face, possible headset (if necessary), painted

features and minimised badges.

4) Character amendments, details and painting.

I've made a few amendments before I've started

painting my character. These have included:

• Reshaping and smoothening the body

• Carving in to the head to form the illusion of

          a helmet.

• Adding a microphone head-piece (because 

          his mouth isn't visible).

• I also tested the idea of having a back-pack

          (but I found this was far too heavy on the

          character's back and looked a tad silly. I

          also found it was difficult to fix to his back.

• Application of facial features (eyes and nose).

Once I had made these changes, I embarked on

painting Alfie, choosing specific colours that reflect

the notion of space travel, happiness, and brightness

that would appeal to children of the age I' am going

to aim the character towards (being ages 3-6 years).

Some issues that I've encountered is the annoying

fact that my acrylic paint often chooses to look

"washed out" or faded when painting. This will just

mean adding more colours to the character. I' am

hoping that once he's all finished he'll have a

professional shine and look good in camera and in

stop-motion.

5) Finished painting.

I' am really pleased with how my character's

turned out and can't wait to add some more

finishing touches (Bamoon, for instance, 

needs creating, but this shouldn't take too 

long).

I plan to make his floaty sidekick from a 

relatively weightless material such as foam or

polystyrene to keep it from weighing down 

the thin wire.