A lot of things went into the process of choosing my thesis topic. I wanted to create something in line with what senior animation and design students would be asked to do. I also wanted to make something of my own and combine my writing background and my process as an artist.
Over the summer, I started writing a young adult fiction novel about a post-apocalyptic world taking place in the suburbs. Naturally, as a character designer, I started by working with the characters as people. I wanted to think about what it would be like to grow up in a society so connected to the water but disconnected from our current society. By thinking about what was required by all four characters, I was able to start thinking about their appearance.
From there, I was inspired by the Marvel comic The Runaways and began thinking about my characters in each role.
Summer was the first character I designed. I thought of what my preconceptions of the suburbs were, and small-town politicians. This led me to the photography of Slim Aarons, and I based Summer’s appearance on the women in the photos.
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