Moodboard

I have created a moodboard, looking specifically at animated characters as I find that it's their expression and exaggeration I want to achieve when it comes to my character. At the minute I have mainly chosen characters that show their anger and how it is portrayed through their faces and the rest of their bodies.

I have found that large mouths with a number of teeth are always a prominent thing as this adds to the 'scare factor' it makes the character more sinister as there is and added layer of danger. The way the body moves is also something that is very important as if it was just their face it wouldn't look natural. By moving the body, if done correctly it can add to their anger as it could show power and force through their movements. They want to be moved in a dynamic way, the line of action must be powerful.

Colour change adds to the overall mood and atmosphere, with Hades and Dracula they both can be quite angry, however their full force isn't shown all the time, so when it does show a visual queue is put in place - colour change. Red is for anger so we as an audience make that connection between the facial expressions and the colour change on screen.

When you look more into facial expressions you notice that the most prominent feature is the eyes. The eyes are the main focal point in any character as we are always drawn to that place first. Eyes need to show emotion, they need to tell you that emotion straight away, it shouldn't be conflicting or else there would be confusion and the overall expression would not look right. Eyes get bigger when angry and pupils are reduced in size, almost as if they are pinpointing the subject at which their anger is about. When it comes to my character I will make sure that the eyes will have enough control on them to create something believable and exaggerated.

The next thing I'm planning on doing is looking more at real life reference e.g. animal behaviour and how it can change when protecting territory or stalking prey. I will also look at any other attributes that could be incorporated into my design. From the top of my head right now, I might look at cockatiels and how they put their head feathers up when interested. Some animals have similar things to this but to warn off predators or others of their species when defending territory. I think it could be easily added into my design at it is something that will emphasise the overall look and add more emotion to my character.