It was important that watercolours were used on every texture seen. At least, I wanted to paint every texture using watercolours. Of course, this was digital watercolour painting, where I’d create a custom brush in photoshop to replicate the aesthetic of watercolour. It has a softer feel to it rather than just a block of colour. Eventually I had to compensate on the chairs and Addie, which I was fine with making the chairs one solid colour. However I’d have prefered to paint each individual mesh-face of Addie. But I was already really frustrated with modeling and her hair.
Watercolours, to me had this kind, soft feel to it that welcomed an audience member into the world. Yes, the film is meant to be a bit alienating and disorienting, however I also wanted a comforting atmosphere.
There were certain things I did that weren’t watercolour. The lettering of The Crawford sign was a pastel replication, as were the grain of the wood textures. However i was able to keep most everything else in the watercolour aesthetic. Even the ground was watercolour-painted, although it looked very digital when I layered it on at first. I did a bit of UV manipulating to make it look right, and it still looks stretched in the first shot.
I think I spent about two class periods painting textures for the Crawford. I think it was worth it, as it looks more lush and immersive than had I just blanket-painted the entire set. That was the mistake I made with the last animation I made (that will never be released to the public, but you can see snippets on Sandusky Studios’s demo reel.
Pre-Production
Production / Post
Ethan Fox 