Character Concept Design
with Johnny Fraser-Allen
Description
In this lecture and demonstration, Johnny Fraser-Allen shares his techniques for designing a character based on a client or director's brief. To make the brief interesting and relevant, Johnny works with special effects industry leader and multi Oscar winner Sir Richard Taylor of the Weta Workshop to develop a character that can be developed into a real costume for a burlesque styled charity fundraiser that Weta hosts for the Neonatal Trust. The tutorial goes through the process of building up groups and layers of costume as well as character and creature elements with the express purpose of quickly delivering variety to the client in the early formative stages. Upon receiving feedback from Richard Taylor, Johnny then integrates the design changes to deliver a final approved character design. Watch Johnny create unique pirate designs in Adobe Photoshop using a combination of techniques including photo elements and digital painting. Beginning with a photograph of himself, Johnny quickly explores possible design directions while emphasizing the core character and demands of the costume. Viewers will learn effective techniques for quick development that allow for multiple iterations and the easy integration of client feedback.
Duration: 3h 18m
Format: HD 1920x1080
Johnny Fraser-Allen
Senior Concept Designer & Sculptor at Weta Workshop
Johnny Fraser-Allen is a senior conceptual designer and sculptor with over two decades of experience at the award-winning Weta Workshop. He has designed characters and creatures for films including The Hobbit Trilogy, The BFG, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, and The Adventures of Tintin.
With the support of Weta’s facilities and creators Richard Taylor and Tania Rogers, Johnny spent over eight years building the immersive world of The Gloaming Trilogy, illustrated through more than 40 sculptures, 50 illustrations, and 100 watercolor paintings, now touring globally in The Gloaming exhibition. He is also working on the sculpture-based book project The Wandering Woods and has illustrated the children’s books The Preschool Pirates and The Squickerwonkers, written by Evangeline Lilly and published through Titan Books.
