Anthropomorphism - Frogs

This week we practiced our proportion again, this time creating anthropomorphic frogs. By using an animal as a base, we were able to stretch and play with the proportions in order to give the character an identity straight on the paper, rather than relying on a pre-made brief.

I chose to go with tree frogs and poison dart frogs, due to their vibrant colour schemes. The proportions of the tree frog were the basis of my idea; a lanky, tribal type character. I also took some Killer Kroc and TMNT artwork in order to give myself some ideas for the proportions.

I chose the colour schemes I liked the most, made some silhouettes, and had a go at painting them.

The frog in the upper left mainly served as a test for the whole assignment - a test of shading and, specifically the wet shine of a frogs skin. After doing these four, I chose the orange and blue pattern due to its eye catching nature.

I drew a vague design for a boatman in pencil, and set to work.

First, I created a mask and added in the basic lighting and shading I wanted. I chose a back lit style, as I haven't tried that yet.

Next, I did the bounce lighting and the shine of the skin.

In stages 3 and 4, I added the colours and patterns, and added the oar.

Stage 5 was adding details to make him stand out - his eye, tattoos, a bracelet, and a loincloth.

And finally, a background and foreground.

Overall I am very happy with my final piece; I feel that the proportions work well for the most part (the frogs left bicep does NOT look right) and that the creature does not pop out from the background. However, I feel that the background needs some work, and I'd like to find a way to get the tattoos opaque but still stand out.