A concept work of the cityscape from the first sequence. I wanted it to remain simple, readable, whilst still being forlorn and almost colourless. The fogging effect created with a special brush gave the city a look of heavy smog which works pretty well.
The hospital scene saw me able to experiment with shading and toning in a way I was unable to in the cityscape. The colour set is still blue grey, dull, almost lifeless, in order for the important parts to stand out. (That being the stark black and white of the man and his equipment.)
Inside Edgar's studio, the colour set starkly changes. I used warm, bright colours, as well as a brighter purple for the areas of shadow which contrasts pretty nicely. His studio is a busy place, where he stores all kinds of bits and pieces in his crooked shelves and drawers.
A character sheet for some of the crows, the three who we focus on in sequence 4. Each was designed to have his own personality and appearance. I also sketched out some crows in flight, as the flight will likely be the most challenging to animate.
A simple line up of some of the crows on telephone wires, experimenting with different shapes and styles to convey personality.
Some clearer illustrations of various bits and pieces in Edgars studio. We wanted it to appear crowded and full of collected nick-nacks from years past.
Some options for the heart jars. The one one the bottom far left is the one we will most likely be using. It has an appealing round shape, and is simple to draw. The taller jars would look too cumbersome, and the more complicated lids and handles would prove too challenging and distracting when animated. However, the jar lid would probably be removed in the final movie, simply because crows cannot use screw tops!
