I want to pay tribute to how music assists me with my artistic process. I chose my top three favorite songs during this semester and turned them into characters. I have made original characters since I was a child, so it was second nature to create them. Each character’s design reflects the song’s lyrics, meaning, and feeling. Music has been a big part of my life, it boosts my creativity and I always imagine myself in specific scenes that match the vibe. It was fun to create each character and see them come to life for this project! The project was planned for a 15 week timeline. I had to research what songs to pick first since I currently have over 2k songs on my Spotify. I knew I wanted each song to be different genres to showcase the diversity of my music taste and the personality of each character design.
https://soundcloud.com/tj_beastboy/big-dogs-on-big-screens?in=tj_beastboy/sets/coldblooded-bonecrusher&si=0df2db8525384da79bedc5466d6bf091&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
character ref sheet
11 x 17 poster
The first song is Big Dogs Big Screens, it boosts my confidence each time I listen to it. I wanted to translate that into the first design of the character sheet. His stance is confident and the fashion is on par with the genre. Coincidentally the color palette matches the album cover. Next I wanted to manifest the same feelings in the poster, showing more of the character’s personality, the song itself, and a quote from the lyrics. I chose to draw a shadow of a wolf which symbolizes the hidden aggressive nature the character has if they are provoked.
https://soundcloud.com/thebrilliantgreen/je-taime-je-taime-1?si=7fcc35d011874a96bb4f81b937190454&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
character ref sheet
11 x 17 poster
Je t’aime je t’aime is a Japanese pop song about falling in love and the feelings of infatuation. When I listen to it I feel happy and the song reminds me of the color pink. For this character, I wanted her outfit to look like she’s going on a date. She looks cute, hopeful, and ready to fall in love in her character sheet. For the poster, I wanted her pose to look like she’s confessing her love to someone. The pink lyrics saying "愛してるわ” which means I love you in Japanese indicates this.
https://soundcloud.com/darksidedarci/darci-wont?si=fdb7779bc6f84c7db4b7cb6e216fc79a&utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing
character ref sheet
11 x 17 poster
The last song Won’t by Darci is R&B and electronic song that I choose to listen to when I need to chill. The song portrays a sense of emotional detachment and avoidance, symbolized by the repeated refusal to pick up the phone. I wanted to incorporate that in this character’s personality with her hair covering a part of her face. Her worried expression and her clothes covering 90% of her body convey the meaning of the song. The first part of the lyrics seen in the poster, symbolize the struggle between desire and self-preservation. Overall the song portrays a sense of emotional detachment and avoidance, symbolized by the repeated refusal to pick up the phone. I relate to the artist of what he’s singing, there are times when I have wanted to disappear, but I still have multiple attachments of duty and relationships that I cannot abandon altogether.