Frog n Snail models

This image is for Hollywood Chewing Gum and the reason i've included this is because I am going to make a plasticine frog model. This image helps me to visualize what my model will hopefully look like and help me to understand what the basic structure of a frog is. I like the bite mark imprint in this image as it looks like chewing gum which has been chewed. The gum company and Gery Lebecq make the message clear because of the bold heading and the picture of the gum next to the frog.




This is another model done by Gery Lebecq and it is really important for the design of my model as it shows what the basic shape and structure the snail has got. This snail reminds me of the ones on Aardman's t.v. show 'Creature Comforts'.

Plasticine Artists- Gery Lebecq

Gery Lebeque is from Lille, France and creates humorous clay models which he makes on his own and then photographs them. His work ranges from advertisements to humour/comedy.His advertisement work is for French companys such as Renault and the Koobuy.



This image is of a clay/plasticine model of a giraffe playing golf! This image is for a company called Koobuy which sells shopping. I think this image is well thought out as it shows that you can buy golfing equipment there and also it may be trying to communicate that golfing is a leisure activity and so is shopping. I like the colours used such as the traditional pink for the golfing t-shirt and the nice greens and blues for the sky and grass which helps to add to the realism of the image. I really like the detail in the image as well as it makes the image look even more real (even though giraffes don't play golf!). For example the golfing cap helps this effect and so does the giraffes body posture- the golfing swing.



This is one of the posters for the Renault Kangoo car. It shows the Kangoo car which has got its brakes on waiting for a tortoise and a rabbit to cross a zebra crossing. The way I could tell the car had its brakes on is because the front suspension was down and the back end of the car was quite high.



This image is another Renault Kangoo advert which shows a cyclist biking up a hill which has the Kangoo parked at the top of it. I like the mud effect on the cyclists back as it makes it look as though the mud has flicked up from the wheels of the bike.

Plasticine How-to

The song I have chosen is Frogs n Snails by The Lovers. In one of my design ideas I have thought about making plasticine snails to represent the French snails that they eat. I know how to make the basic snail shape but then I wanted to know how to make it more realistic and detailed so I started to research plasticine model making.



This video is how to make a slug and then turn it into a stop motion animation. I think this is useful as it shows how to create the basic slug or snail body and then all I need to do then is create the shell.

Also, in another design idea I've got, I am thinking of making a plasticine French model which has a piece of mime clothing- (black and white striped shirt) and a french painter style hat.
I then researched into the design process of how to make human plasticine figures and found this, which is from the same website as the video above.

This shows me how to make the basic structure of the human by using simple techniques and processes.

Plasticine Research

As most of my design ideas for Mark's project involve plasticine, I thought I would research into it more. I have a keen interest in claymation and enjoy watching animation shorts or films such as Wallace and Gromit and Morph. There is just something about the industry that really inspires me and gets me thinking of how they create their work and where they get their ideas from.

I have been looking on youtube at different plasticine animations and found these:









When creating the models, Aardman use different materials and techniques. The most important part of the creation of these models and animations are the initial ideas. They first create mindmaps of a specific theme or idea they have and then create thumbnail sketches and then storyboards.
After the initial design process they then start creating the models. The most important material when creating the models is plasticine. They sometimes create polystyrene blocks which they then cover with plasticine to create larger models. Another material Aardman use is animation wire which helps support the model and helps to give it flexibility and movement. In my next post I will have a couple of videos of how to make plasticine models.

Eiffel 65- 'Blue' Semiotics

Semiotics:

Denotation: A description of what your seeing.

Connotation: All of the associations that go with it.




The denotations of the single cover for 'Blue' by Eiffel 65:

An overall blue colour in the image with a blue and white font saying the artist and song name. I also see 3 faces of the band/group members. There are blue tints on the 3 men's hair and around their faces, and also dark blue effects on the 'B' and the 'E'. Also they are young men.

The connotations:

Sympathy with the two men on either ends facial expressions, a space theme/ feel as the blue reminds me of a mysterious position like maybe being on the moon. Poses- from the 3 men's positions. A club feel to the 'blueness' of the image.

Nick Park- Animation and Storyboarding

http://www.animationartconservation.com/wallace_gromit.html

This is an interview with Nick Park. He talks about storyboarding and how he keeps editing them and constantly generating ideas. This is what I will need to do when thinking about my images.