Croc and ball

'Croc and ball' is a simple animated-short of an obsessive-compulsive crocodile character who likes to keep his jungle pool in good order. It is partly inspired by a design I saw by Cristian Malagón Garcia and Núria Madrid. In their design, they used geometric 3D objects in very simplified ways whilst incorporating basic line drawing elements. I liked the idea of incorporating 3D and 2D elements into motion design and have explored this kind of mix previously. Instinctively, I thought I'd like to create an animation rather than a static design. So, since I liked Garcia and Madrid's designs and wanted to give them a nod while at the same time use their work as a kick-off I chose a similar feel and treatment. I chose to build and create a similar type of crocodile and for the character to be the basis of the animation, but I also wanted to elevate it slightly with patterns and to simplify its geometry. I love bright pure colours and this palette gave me a feeling of child-like simplicity. These intentional early design decisions were meant to be a kind of homage to where the process started. The whole piece has moved on from that seed moment but it is important to acknowledge it fully. I thought I'd like to explore a style which incorporated a kind of 'flat' 3D style and some vector shapes, all composited in Aftereffects. So I built a scene in Cinema 4D Lite (this meant that I had a very limited toolset available for 3D animation but it would have to suffice since I don't have C4D available to me). I drew the jungle in Illustrator to fit an early render of the scene. These layers I brought into Aftereffects for animating. Lighting and other effects brought the composition together in Aftereffects. It was an invigorating project.