It's time to make something that looks more like an animatronic. I decided to use an existing design so that I would need to work within its limitations, such as figure and size, simulating a realistic scenario of when a client requests a commission of a specific design. To do this, I took my artbooks and started looking for something that looks challenging and fun to make but seems manageable in the short amount of time I have.
The design I chose is from the game Alice Madness returns directed by American McGee and developed by SpicyHorse 1.
Alice Madness Returns
American McGee's Alice is a twisted take on Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. Madness Returns is a story about a 19-year-old girl named Alice Liddell, who struggles with traumatic memories from her childhood when a horrific fire took her family. While struggling with her demons, Alice slips into her fantasy world, Wonderland. After her release from confinement to Rutledge Asylum, Alice still seeks refuge in Wonderland only to find it more dangerous than ever 2.
Figure 1. The Art of Alice cover illustration by Joy Ang
The Art of Alice
In the art book, The Art of Alice, American McGee writes how the song "Trip like I do" from Crystal Method, combined with the sound of a crashing sea, rock cliffs, and reckless driving, inspired the core vision of the game. He explains how the word "wonder", from that same song, triggered visions of a dark and lustrous world, one in which something had "cracked" (McGee, 2011, p. 6). He and his team managed to bring this vision of his to life, or better said, to the screen. The art made by many talented artists, found in the game and artbook, portrays the dark deep thoughts and feelings of Alice's past and present struggles.
The artbook is a great place to find gruesome creatures, creatures perfect for turning into an animatronic. The most important criteria I scanned for is that the creature's main aspect is centered around an eye, not only because I have been prototyping with one before but also since the eye is important to convey emotion. With just the eye movement, I should be able to create an interesting animatronic. The creature should look great with just basic eye movement but has room to add more functionality in future iterations.
Figure 2. Teapot canon by Nako
As I was browsing through the book (McGee, 2011b, p. 55), my eye was caught by the teapot cannon, an in-game weapon. At first, I thought the cylindrical shape in the middle of the teapot was an eye, but it seemed to be a clock upon closer inspection. Imagine my disappointment. But I wasn't out of luck.
Figure 3. Mad Hatter's Domain
May I present the iPod... Oh no, wait, eye-pot. The single-eyed teapot designed by Sun GuoLiang is an enemy found and fought in-game.
Personally, I like the evil and dangerous look of the teapot in combination with just the eye and eyelids. It should be possible to convey a lot of emotion by animating just that. I also think this design allows for more future iterations and will challenge my modeling, printing, and painting techniques.
List of Figures
Ang, J. (2011, May). Alice madness returns [Illustratie]. In The Art of Alice Madness Returns (1st ed., p. 174).
Nako. (2011, May). Teapot cannon [Illustratie]. In The Art of Alice Madness Returns (1st ed., p. 55).
Phoenix-zhuzh, XNAlara+, oOCroftyOo, & oODemonBoyOo. (2012, March 22). Mad Hatter’s Domain [Illustratie]. Deviantart. https://www.deviantart.com/phoenix-zhuzh/art/Mad-Hatter-s-Domain-291688094
List of References
Alice: Madness Returns | Alice Wiki | Fandom. (n.d.). Alice Wiki. Retrieved 12 February 2021, from https://alice.fandom.com/wiki/Alice:_Madness_Returns
Electronic Arts. (2018, February 8). Alice Video Games - Official EA Site. Electronic Arts Inc. https://www.ea.com/en-gb/games/alice
McGee, A. (2011a). Introduction. In The Art of Alice: Madness Returns (1st ed., pp. 6–7). Dark Horse Comics.
McGee, A. (2011b). Weapons. In The Art of Alice: Madness Returns (1st ed., pp. 54–55). Dark Horse Comics.
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