EXPERIMENTS • PROTOTYPES

WEEK 5

Experiments in style and medium of the first row of the symbiotic mandala (Goldstripe gecko, Tui, Flax Weevil & Flax plant/flower).

Medium and style on the goldstripe gecko and Tui.

Small-scale mock of the first ring – a previewing on what all the elements could look like.

Observations and notes on ideas generated after first small-scale iteration.

Reflecting: The aim is to complete as much and as many of the rings and mandala before the start of term 4, to dedicate that time on refining and exploring presentation options and how I might approach animation of the mandala.

MOTION • ANIMATION

An example of how I might experiment & approach motion for the animals and plants in the mandala:

Having a 1-2 elements of each animal animated frame-by-frame with the overall animations being loopable (e.g. tail flipping up and down or beaks opening and closing) with other elements animated with tweening. For example, having bodies bob up and down with blinking eyes by tweening as the rings of the mandala rotate slowly.

Small-scale exploration of the basic animation for the animals on the rings.

COLOUR SWATCHES

Using Adobe Color to create colour swatches based on reference images used for research to inform the colour palette of each ring.

3D ANIMATION

SPARK AR/INTERACTIVITY

3D PRINTING

Speaking with Katie, Tatiana and Nivia lead to the potential to take the initial idea of the symbiotic mandala as an animated loop further into an interactive or tangible experience. Using software like Spark AR or Unity to separate each ring as a layer could be a way to explore parallax effects and how this could work was an experience. 3D modelling and printing the mandala or pieces from it, and exploring digital to physical interactivity and how this would look and function. Below is a basic outline made during the discussion of alternatives:

3D Modelling // Printing

Looking into 3D modeling and printing of some of the assets of the mandala as part of experiments and exploring physical with digital interaction. Considering the tone of the mandala, and the addressing of the environment, sourcing sustainable materials to create 3D printed models is important, as not to contradict the intent behind Symbiosis as a concept.

Blender tutorials to kickstart on the basics of modelling.

WEEK 7
FORMATIVE
FEEDBACK

Central idea of the project needs to be clear

• Which animals and plants are together, and why?
• Different approaches show direction (through experimentation)
• Do not complicate – rather have the result well constructed

This point forward is about strategic decisions

* Focus on getting the drawing part done
* Be clear on your target audience → current iteration is cute, which could be aimed at kids?

* Be explicit with your target audience – 30 images exercise may help with this?
* Nail the style down and let the concept lead the illustrations

SUMMARY: Refine illustration style, let content inform this and think about the animation/motion aspect after.