Experimenting with Animation

Experimentation with animation in Toonboom Animation Studio 4.0. This piece of animation is more similar to the "Boris the Ball" animation that was posted earlier, than the cannonball animation that is posted shortly afterwards. This animation shows more bounciness, which helps to characterise this as a rubber ball, as opposed to a cannonball. This effect was gained simply by adding more Squash & Stretch, which is an important principle in animation. Appropriate “Timing” and “Slow in & Slow out” was also used to distinguish this ball from the cannonball example.

Boris the Ball starring in: The Hill

This originated with me playing around on Toonboom Studio 4.0 for roughly twenty minutes, and getting really invested in the animation that I was working on. I had originally intended for more material to be included within the animation, but had to change the ending and cut it down. This was due to a difficulty I was having with the timeline in Toonboom and it was really frustrating me and, worse still, refused to go away. Ah well, c'est la vie!

Character Design: Boris the Ball

A brief design for a character that I soon hope to animate, named Boris the Ball. These were created in Toonboom Studio 4.0.

I instantly took a liking to Boris when I came up with him, and he reminds me of characters such as Voltorb and Electrode from Pokemon.

Boris is just a ball, who rolls around, trying to get through life as much as he can. However, obstacles such as towering hills prove to be a natural enemy for Boris...

Character Design: Vox Arturo

Age: Nineteen years old
Height: 5"11
Build: Vox has a powerful build, owed to the fact that he is constantly training. Vox is fully aware that he must continue to push himself and break past the limitations of an average human being, if he is to have any chance of becoming the greatest warrior who ever lived.

Family: Vox cannot remember his biological parents as they abandoned him when he was only a small baby. He was raised by a humble fisherman named Retello Arturo, who discovered the boy lying on a log in the Getteso Forest. He had been branded on the back of his neck with a peculiar insignia, which Retello did not recognise. Besides from his adoptive father, Vox has no other family that he knows of.

Likes: As was previously mentioned, Vox enjoys training and exercising to his very limitation. In addition to this, Vox also enjoys reading and travelling around the Oblivion Plateau. The demons that dwell within the caves of the Plateau provide Vox with exceptional battle experience, the likes of which he could never experience from training alone.

Dislikes: Seeing as he was brought up around fishing, Vox has developed a strong resentment towards anything that is fish-related. In addition to his, Vox isn’t very keen on femailes as he simply doesn’t understand their appeal.

Attitude (in a phrase): "I must win this battle, the future of the kingdom depends on it."

Quotes: "Don’t you realise that there’s more to this life than fishing, father?”; "God, I really hate fish."; "I want to become the most powerful warrior there is for nothing more than to protect those that I love.”

Character: Vox grew up never knowing his real parents due to the fact that they were killed before he can even remember. He was discovered lying on the grass by Retello Arturo in Getteso Forest. In truth, Vox has descended from a line of royalty from the Var’iel race and is, in actual fact, a prince of the realm.

His mother and father were killed during the invasion of their kingdom by the Arcada Empire. His uncle Bathien, who was a descendant of the Wolverian race, rescued Vox from certain death at the hands of the invading forces. He placed him in Getteso Forest, knowing that he would be discovered by Retello in a short space of time. Massive differences in the cultures of the Wolverians and the Var’iel meant that the boy would never have been accepted in the Fenrir Mountains and may possibly have been killed by the tribe leader, Arcanite.

At any rate, Vox was raised by Retello, believing him to be his biological father and believing that his mother had drowned when he was very young. But now, having turned nineteen, Vox’s father has revealed to him the truth about his origins. In addition to this, he told Vox that the symbol he has been marked with his entire life is actually a symbol of the Var’iel race. With this new knowledge, Vox has set out on a vast quest to help discover himself and to find where he really belongs.Vox grew up never knowing his real parents due to the fact that they were killed before he can even remember. He was discovered lying on the grass by Retello Arturo in Getteso Forest. In truth, Vox has descended from a line of royalty from the Var’iel race and is, in actual fact, a prince of the realm.

His mother and father were killed during the invasion of their kingdom by the Arcada Empire. His uncle Bathien, who was a descendant of the Wolverian race, rescued Vox from certain death at the hands of the invading forces. He placed him in Getteso Forest, knowing that he would be discovered by Retello in a short space of time. Massive differences in the cultures of the Wolverians and the Var’iel meant that the boy would never have been accepted in the Fenrir Mountains and may possibly have been killed by the tribe leader, Arcanite.

At any rate, Vox was raised by Retello, believing him to be his biological father and believing that his mother had drowned when he was very young. But now, having turned nineteen, Vox’s father has revealed to him the truth about his origins. In addition to this, he told Vox that the symbol he has been marked with his entire life is actually a symbol of the Var’iel race. With this new knowledge, Vox has set out on a vast quest to help discover himself and to find where he really belongs.

Character Design: General Alfred Ziegfried

Also Known As: General of the Vargosian Army
Age: Twenty-six years old
Height: 6"3
Build: Ziegfried is a fairly well-build, athletic and healthy young warrior, which is seemingly a necessity given that he is considered to be the most powerful warrior in the world of Viedania. He is a combatant of great strength, though his true skills lie with his blade, the "Ramis.” Ziegfried trains strenuously on the Andon Plains, which lie outside Zeppelin City, for three hours each and every morning.

Family: Ziegfried was raised under the watchful eye of King Slyvius, reigning monarch of the Vargosian Kingdom. Originally, Ziegfried lived in the city of Perce with his mother and father, until it was raided by the Vargosian Army when he was just a baby. His parents were killed in the attack and he was taken in by Slyvius, who could sense there was something special about the lad. Ziegfried was raised to believe that his biological parents had been murdered in an invasion by the opposing Kingdom of Sabin.

Likes: Due to the harsh upbringing that he endured as a child, Ziegfried has grown into a cold and unemotional young man who takes pleasure in killing mercilessly and lives for the sheer ecstasy that he experiences during battle.

Dislikes: Due to the lies he has been fed by King Slyvius, Ziegfried has a great hatred for the people of the Sabin Kingdom.

Attitude (in a phrase): "I will not allow you to live.”

Quotes: "So be it, you shall receive no mercy."; "You will not stand in the way of destiny."

Character: Ziegfried is widely considered to be the most powerful and certainly most accomplished swordsman in the world of Viedania. When he was only a young boy, Ziegfried was continuously pushed by his adoptive father, King Slyvius, to train and to practice his sword skills. Eventually, Ziegfried developed into a merciless killer and the exhausting training became almost a form of pleasure and release. He was appointed the General of the Vargosian Army at the youthful age of fifteen, demonstrating just how powerful the boy had already become.

Thus far, Ziegfried has been unable to find any warrior who can rival his abilities and all challengers he has faced have ultimately been slain. Ziegfried played a large part in the invasion and subsequent destruction of the Summoner Islands, where he and his forces had been ordered to retrieve the Artemis Crystal from the Visante (High Summoners) Palace. However, this apparent “betrayal of the world” has not been well received by the Sabin Kingdom and a war to end all wars looks certain to arise.

Character Design: Ursus Arctos

Age: Nine years old
Height: 6"8
Build: Ursus is reasonably well-built owed greatly to the fact that he is descended from the Ultian race, renowned for their powerful bodies and formidable battle skills.

Family: Ursus, and his two brothers were raised by their mother in the caves of the Malisa region. Ursus left home at the age of four to travel the world, desperate to live up to the image of his deceased father, Shea-Kai, a famed legend among the Ultians. Additionally, Ursus deems his partner and long-time comrade, Tyron Rezev, a brother to him.

Likes: Ursus is vegetarian which is in stark contrast to the rest of his clan. Despite being teased frequently, he enjoys eating fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains. Additionally, Ursus enjoys playing his pan flute, which helps to keep him relaxed at times when his severely bad temper begins to flare.

Dislikes: Ursus loathes unnecessary fighting, which proves unfortunate given that his journey is plagued by harassing and evil characters. Whenever Ursus exposes his reluctance to fight, his possible assailants view this as a sign of weakness and press harder for a fight. Ursus is, in actual fact, a fairly accomplished fighter but believes in resolving petty conflicts through discussion, as opposed to a fight to the death.

Attitude (in a phrase): “I will become a great warrior, just like my father.”

Quotes: "I‘m certain we can talk this over, man to…bear.”; "If we proceed, there will be no stopping me… Are you sure this is what you want?”

Character: Ursus was raised by his mother, Collaris, in the caves of the Malisa region, just outside Telmil City. His father, Shea-Kai, was a legend among his race, but he died in battle before Ursus was born. Growing up, Ursus heard many exciting tales about his father, and felt a burning desire to become a great warrior too. Throughout the years, Ursus maintained a healthy way of life and kept fit, often wandering far from their home into the Achara mountain range.

His adventurous nature could not be contained for very long and by the age of four, the age of maturity in Ultians, he had left home. Early in his travels, Ursus met up with Tyron Rezev, a puckish character who soon became Ursus’ best friend. Tyron introduced Ursus to his clan, named Abbadon Clan, of which he was the leader and which consisted of his friends and relatives. Ursus has now been travelling with Abaddon Clan for five years, and has risen towards the top of the hierarchy, being viewed as a “second-in-command.”

However, their generally peaceful and fun existence looks to be coming to an end, as the humans of their world, Yisedia, have begun waging war and claiming new territories. Abaddon Clan must now join in the desperate struggle, not only to live in peace, but to save Yisedia from the destructive and unrelenting force of the humans.

2D Computer Animation 2009 Final Animation