We were presented with several acting prompts and characters to choose from. My initial idea was to use the character Potata by Fiona Chen; a potato that looks like a tomato. Using the lockers as props, I took a video reference of me sliding through the lockers and bumping my head back and forth to show the character trying to stay awake.
However, after creating the animation with the character, it looked way too simple and way too similar to the walking cycle exercise.
I decided to change the acting and the character, settling on a character named George by Paul J. Nicholson. I then blocked out the character by creating rough shapes for the initial animation without any facial or body details.
This time, instead of walking and moving around I made the character stay in one spot, bobbing its head up and down where it escalates to slapping itself in the struggle to stay awake.
After determining the keyframes, I tried to animate and add in-betweens
I then further played with the timing and added follow-through in the hair. This animation exercise made me realise the importance of understanding follow-through and how it makes the animation feel more alive. I would like to deepen my understanding in follow-through during the spring break so I can create more depth and bring my characters alive in my future animations.