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Composition | 21 May 2025 - 8 June 2025 [Week 5 - Week 7]
MODULE BRIEF
Fig 1.1 Module Brief (Week 1, 23/04/2025)
PROCESS
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MOODBOARD
RATIONALE : For this project, I put together a moodboard to guide the tone and inspiration behind my character designs. I wanted them to feel magical, friendly, and storybook-like, so I pulled references from fantasy films like Harry Potter and The Hobbit, focusing on things like wizard robes, candle-lit castles, and enchanted forests. Animated characters from Monsters Inc.and Moomins also influenced my approach — I liked how their simple but expressive designs used soft, rounded shapes to show personality.
Nature played a big role too; I included owls, mossy forests, and woodland creatures to imagine the kind of peaceful, enchanted world my characters would live in. The colour palette came together naturally as I worked — earthy browns, greens, creams, and hints of red to keep things warm but still magical. Overall, the moodboard kept me grounded throughout the design process and helped me stay consistent with the storybook feel I was going for.
For this task, we were allowed to either create a new character or continue with the characters we designed in Task 1 [SEE HERE]. I decided to continue to expand my previous assignment and so I used the same moodboard for both tasks. Fig 2.1.1 Moodboard
RATIONALE : For this assignment, I designed magical forest creatures inspired by a mix of cinematic fantasy (The Hobbit, Harry Potter) and animated films like Monsters Inc.. I wanted to blend the grounded, medieval-fantasy feel of The Hobbit with the whimsical magic of Harry Potter, while using the soft, expressive shapes typical of animation.
Similar to Task 1, we were allowed to use ChatGPT to generate our sketches. This time my prompt included the backstory and images of my characters to generate a better design fit for this task. The first outcome was nice but it was harder for me to follow so I sent another prompt for ChatGPT to turn it into line art.
Fig 2.2.1 ChatGPT Outcome
Below are the outcome of this task. I decided three different backgrounds for each character. Then afterwards, I ended up picking Croakley as I liked that background design the best.
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REFLECTION
Working on Task 2 felt smoother compared to Task 1 because I already had a base direction from my previous designs. Carrying over the same moodboard made it easier to stay consistent with the magical, storybook-like atmosphere I wanted. This time, the focus on composition pushed me to think more about how the background and character interact — not just designing a creature, but imagining the whole environment it lives in.
One of the most enjoyable parts was experimenting with different backgrounds. Creating three variations gave me space to explore mood and colour, but also helped me realise how much the setting changes the overall vibe of the character. Croakley’s background stood out because it felt the most balanced and aligned with the earthy palette I’d been aiming for since the start.
I also learned a lot about translating rough prompts into usable line art. Using ChatGPT for the first sketch was helpful for quick ideas, but I had to refine and simplify it to make it something I could actually follow when illustrating. That process reminded me to not rely too heavily on AI outputs — they’re a good starting point, but my own adjustments make it feel personal.
If I were to revisit this, I’d like to spend more time refining the backgrounds so they look less separate from the character and more like one complete card. I think I could push the textures and details further while still keeping it simple and friendly. Overall, though, this task helped me feel more confident in building a small “world” for my characters rather than just designing them in isolation.
