CARROTS ARE
NOT
RABBITS

The story was inspired by my illustration design theme of fantasy worlds. I created a pair of young friends who share an adventure together. They explore the fantasy world and set one of the characters as a non-human, i.e. fantasy creature. Using this as a conceptual basis, I conceived the story of the first encounter between a human girl and a fantasy creature.



STORY


The story is about a girl living alone in the forest who accidentally discovers a strange creature. She is shocked when she is accidentally attacked by the monster's fruit and enters a magical world.






CHARACTER DESIGN

   In the pre-design, a variety of factors are considered comprehensively to ensure that the overall need for visual effects is harmonized. First of all, the character design should be closely integrated with the scene, which is not only reflected in the consistency of the style, but also need to pay attention to the characters and the scene between, for example, in the conceptualization of the character modeling, it is necessary to think about their posture in a particular scene, expression, and the degree of fit with the surrounding environment.
   In addition, the scheme also reaches a crucial role in the design, both to achieve a harmonious tonal unity, but also to avoid the colors are too similar, resulting in the inability to distinguish between the characters and the background. This regulated contrast facilitates the highlighting of the visual focus, so that the viewer’s attention is concentrated on the key elements without losing the sense of hierarchy and space in the picture due to the interference of colors.

   In order to ensure that the movements of the characters in the animation were smooth and coordinated with the background colors, a total of five different versions of the little girl’s image were designed, each with different color combinations and detail treatments.

   Also, in order to increase the power of the plant character, two sets of unique facial features were skillfully designed to express the anthropomorphic life of the plant.



Character Design - “rabbits”
Character Design







The final version of the character design features bobbed curls and a bright dress color scheme with gardening gloves. Front, head, and back angles are depicted so as to establish a coherent and consistent view of the character from all viewpoints.






Cute plant characters with heads that mimic the color scheme of the soil. The leaf-shaped objects on their heads are said to be their ears, and they have rabbit-like round tails behind them.





ENVIRONMENT DESIGN
   

   
    The first method involves a more detailed rendering in which specific objects within the hut are colored and shaded. This adds depth and realism to key elements.
   The second approach is to simplify the visual language by reducing objects to line drawings and capturing only their outlines. This minimalist style gives a more abstract, stylized feel, emphasizing the structure and form of the object without the distraction of color or texture.

    
 

 
    In order to highlight the contrasting effect of the characters between reality and fantasy, the scene design sets the real world background in a uniform color tone. The color tone in reality is inclined to be single and soft, creating a sense of serenity and calmness, highlighting the characters.
In contrast, the fantasy world uses a deep color tone. This color contrast not only highlights the illusion of the world of fantasy, but also makes the character’s profile stand out when he enters the fantasy world, as if he instantly breaks free from the stuffy reality and enters an unknown dreamy place.


STORYBOARD

storyboard version 01

Here’s the first version of the story’s subplot, which presents a fairly complex plot design.



storyboard version 02

This is the final version of the storyboard. After repeated suggestions and adjustments, the overall content of the story has been refined and the storyline has been cut down to make the narrative more concise.
   In this version of the storyboard, the arrangement of shots is more precise, the plot is smooth, and the characters’ movements and emotions are more condensed and richly layered!



ANIMATION
clip 01
clip 02
clip 03
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