Laurais, Punished Locksmith
Created as an assignment to apply 2D skeletal rigging and animation techniques in the Spine program, Laurais is an original character made for a faux MOBA title 'Khaos Spiral'.
Download the developmental slides below, or scroll further to learn more about this project.
Programs used:
- Clip Studio Paint EX (rendering)
- Photoshop (breakdown)
- Spine (Rigging and Animation)
Mood board & Ideation
I first started with a rough idea of type of character I was going for: An initiator class with a focus on 'chaining' and locking down enemies, based on the MOBA setting. This then gave me inspiration for a locksmith themed character, which I began putting together a mood board for a clearer vision of how I wanted this idea to become.
Development: Silhouettes
At this point of the development, I haven’t had a concrete idea for the character’s personality or backstory yet. I ultimately decided to simply continue exploring the locksmith/mechanica concept, including elements like cages, chains, and of course keys.
While I tried not to be overly detailed with the silhouettes, I wanted each one to have its own distinct style, since it provided a means of brainstorming ideas for the character's story.
Development: Exploration
To explore the possibilities, I not only added linework over the sketches, but also ‘merged’ ideas and took inspiration from even the ones that didn’t quite fit the cut. I tried to remind myself not to commit too hard to a design yet no matter how solid it was seeming to get.
At this point, a clearer idea of the character’s story was beginning to form, and helped direct my design choices going forward
Development: Key Art Render and Character Sheet
The character - Laurais, as she was named now - profile is finally defined in full, and leads into the development of what would be her final key art. Final testing done was done on her hairstyle just to give a more definitive ‘look’ to the character, and a rough pose thumbnail was then done on top. This all then brings us to the final rendering and parts breakdown for rigging and animation in Spine.
Final Animation
During the rendering itself, I took a more meticulous method of breaking down these individual elements as I go, with the final aim of animating them in mind. With more than 35 layers, this did make it much more tedious, but the effort paid off at the end with each component neatly organized for rigging and animation when imported into Spine.
Laurais was my first attempt at this method of 2D animation in Spine. I am proud of the final result, and I know that being able to complete this will allow me to apply a similar technique and level of care in future work with Spine.
