Exploring Delores II
Jun 08, 2015
So, effectively Step 1, would be defining your character, typically in text as we did in the previous post. This can be as loose or complicated as necessary depending on the character and their place in the story. Once again, keep in mind this is an evolutionary process, and should grow and refine itself over the course of the project (at least this is how we like to work) as you develop from your first outline, through final design and implementation.
It used to be in the good old days when we had a character to design, we'd head off to the library or the newsstand to see what kind of visual reference we could manage to find. Magazines and books were the cornerstone of the materials we used.
When I first worked at Continuity Associates (Neal Adam's studio) we kept a big file cabinet dubbed ‘The Morguefile' where in alphabetical order file folders were painstakingly (by hand) filled with magazine clippings, photocopies and sketches on every subject from Armadillos to Zebras and everything in between. We'd also hit the streets with a sketch pad to draw and take notes of anything in the real world that could be useful.
When we started at Lucasfilm, one of the truly amazing resources was the Main House Library, on site we discovered one of the world's premier visual resource libraries; which completely made sense when you had folks over at ILM needing to figure out how to make convincing replicas of something like a rickshaw from 1940's ShangHAi. That amazing Library complete with spiral staircase and stained glass ceiling dome (somewhat immortalized in Maniac Mansion) was pretty much the go to place for all our visual needs during our time there.
Today, obviously the internet has effectively changed this process forever, although there was something to be said for the visceral experience of going out into the real world to gather visual reference, it was a costly and time consuming experience.
Using google image search I can just type in "women's fashion 1980's". Additionally, how else could I reach out to a group of enthusiastic backers to get all these great thoughts images and links. Please keep in mind that this is a snapshot of all the materials gathered to date, and may not include everyone's comments at the time of this post, however we will continue to review and add anything new to the Delores Database.
Once we have everything assembled, we'll go through and review and prioritize all the descriptions and images, boiling that down to (hopefully) a number of key character traits and visual components we feel best portray Delores- which will lead us to the next logical step to sketch a number of more refined character drawings. This next stage will need to be much more directed, possibly yielding a half dozen examples, that the final version will be refined from.
- Gary
Sometimes I actually get sad, because I fear that my sons will have virtually no sense of wonder, since any question they have can be quickly answered with a few taps on a touch device. Will that harm creativity in the long run, by removing any reasonable amount of time that other alternatives could be considered to the world's problems?
</sentimental tin foil hat depressing line of thought>
I recommend against this.
I understand you point of view, but I feel my daughter to be very lucky since her curiosity could be always satisfied. (almost) Every single question can be answered in a couple of seconds.
I have no fear her sense of wonder to be safe enough. ;)
I wonder what will happen to the concept of personal library in the future when more books are being read digitally and there might not be use for shelves full of books. It's not that magical though to browse one's file directories and click on files when compared to going through stacks of actual physical books, blowing off dust and turning pages that have turned yellow as decades have passed. On the other hand, perhaps both these forms will keep existing as each have their pros and cons.
Glorious music of the day - The Dig OST:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8kBCO8x2JE
I wish there would have been something like this again. There is nothing else like The DIG, generic as some people call it, I wish there had been a sequel. I've enjoyed the book though.
http://imgur.com/zmnP2fZ
I think this short video really captures the essence of "Delores". Enjoy... and "lets get some Comics!"
https://youtu.be/wCF3ywukQYA?t=64
Congratulations on the move Ron. Being in a place you like can mean everything.
And also congratulations on losing all that weight. It's not that you looked bad before, but now you're seriously a downright hunk. :-)
Now comes the tough part of keeping it off. We'll be watching you. ;-)
It seems as though most people are leaning towards either the super geeky or the laid back cool girl. It makes me wonder which one she's eventually going to end up like. Perhaps a mix between both?
Dave, Sandy, Bernard, Razor, Wendy, Jeff, Syd, Michael or the Edisons.
Any insightful or humorous sources that inspired some of those classic characters?
No obligation to all of them of course; just the ones that are most noteworthy.