With my research done, I now have the basis of my project; shadows and their ability to move around and change shape. I researched myths about the sun and moon, and while I ended up going with shadows thematically instead of them, the myths I read about did give me some ideas on how to portray things that aren’t actually living beings; each myth considered the qualities of the sun and moon and their relationship to each other, and built characteristics and personalities for them based on that. For example in the Mayan myth, the portrayal was more comical, with the moon always chasing the sun out of jealousy/anger, while in the Japanese myth, the sun avoided the moon due to a betrayal of her trust. I started to consider the qualities of shadows, so that I could build a character based on them;

• Shadows only show up in the light, and are 2D.
• Shadows can change shape and size, appearing a bit different from the thing casting the shadow.
• Shadows always follow the light.
• Shadows can’t exist on their own without something casting the shadow.
• Shadows can’t escape the light.

Considering all of these things, along with looking at personified shadows from my moodboard, there were two ways i thought of portraying a shadow; as a lonely being desiring more than it has, or a mischievous being that takes advantage of it’s ability to change forms. I also considered the shadow’s relationship with the light; does it chase the light, wanting to be visible to humans, or does it avoid the light, valuing it’s privacy? I came up with two character concepts for two different types of shadows, and went from there.

On the left, I designed a more comical shadow; a playful one that would take advantage of his abilities and be complacent with his position as a shadow. I used an art style more reminiscent of western cartoons to give him a somewhat juvenile, playful look, and I posed him in a way that made him look confident and happy. On the right I came up with a concept for a shadow who felt more empty, a lonely being that wants more than what he has. I gave him more of a blank expression, so that he looked melancholy and a little sad. I also posed him in a more neutral position, to display that he doesn’t really have an identity or a personality of his own.

To choose between these two shadow portrayals, I considered some things; which of these would be easier to animate? which would allow for a more flexible and interesting loop? which do i personally like better?

In the end, I decided to go with the one on the left. I think the concept of a mischievous shadow is a lot more entertaining, and would allow for a fun loop. I also think I’d be able to draw more drastic movements and distortions of the shadow in a more cartoony style. As a side note I also want the shadow to exist on it’s own, with nothing in particular casting it onto the wall/ the surface it’s on.

Now that I had some basics for what would happen in my loop, I needed to come up with the actual story/scene that would happen in it. As I said, I prefer things that are less abstract and hint more at an existing story, whether that be a comical one or a more in depth one, so I aim to create something with a clear story. To come up with my story, I wanted to get to know my shadow character a little better, so I wrote a little profile for him to flesh him out, and drew some pictures of him that would display his personality well. I named him Sulli, short for the name ‘Sullivan’ which means ‘dark/black eyed’.

I made Sulli a personality; a lazy little shadow who avoids light so that he can act as he wants to. This gave me a basic concept for a loop; Sulli trying to escape from a light, but being followed around by it and growing irritated eventually. I drew out a storyboard of a loop that could work with this idea;

I like this storyboard as it manages to stay short and as a loop, while communicating sulli’s personality to the viewer through his movements, facial expressions and actions. One thing I noticed after finishing this storyboard is that there isn’t much movement or much of a background; one thing I find cool about shadows it their ability to travel along surfaces, so I’ll re-draft this storyboard to make Sulli move around a little more. For a background, I’ll come up with a basic wall, ceiling and floor design that Sulli can be casted onto. I like the way Sulli interacts with the viewer here, and that’s an element I’ll definitely keep; it’s as if you yourself are casting the light onto Sulli, and he’s trying to escape from your attention. Another thing I think could be cool is if the light interacts with him differently; when he turns into a monster it could appear bigger because the shadow is further away from the ‘source’, and the light could shake a bit, making it look like the monster scared you.

I have the basics for my loop now, but i want to look at some other things, such as videos and images, that will provide me with some inspiration for other things; how long will you see each of Sulli’s forms? how will I incorporate sound into my loop? there’s still some things I’m not sure about, so I want to look into them so that I’m ready to start animating as soon as possible.