Drawings of Saix

These are some drawings of Saix.

Source: http://www.endlessrage.net/moonMAN/images/kh2-xiii-saix.jpg

Source: http://kh13.com/forum/uploads/gallery/category_2/gallery_32553_2_98921.jpg

Source: http://img15.deviantart.net/e169/i/2013/166/f/5/axel_and_saix_by_mr_teapot-d69590y.jpg

Source: http://pre01.deviantart.net/841a/th/pre/i/2013/041/1/a/saix_wip_by_imaginejl842-d5qnjes.jpg


This is my Pinterest page with drawings of Saix: https://uk.pinterest.com/themistoklisl/themistoklis-lekakis-facial-modelling-and-animatio/




Comments about the drawings

I believe that I should use the last drawing as a reference in the front view, and the third one in the side view. However, they do not seem very similar, but I have also the first one which could be used as a reference for the side view as well. The second one has a great detail on the hair, because it is very well structured with the use of tones.
In my opinion, the research of drawings of Saix is successful, because it includes various styles of the character, mostly without any expression. This would be helpful for the modelling of the face in the beginning. Additionally, the research is also very effective, because the last one could be used as a front reference and the third one as a side reference, thanks to the clarity of the respective poses. Plus, the research is still successful, as three drawings in the Pinterest page could be used, one as a front and two as side references.
The model is not going to be "hyper" or "photo" "realistic" because its scope is not to seem "real" (Miller E. 2008, p.18).

References

Miller E. 2008 Hyper-Realistic Creature Creation. 2nd edition. Autodesk, inc. USA

Information about Saix

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkulWp6OXyA

This is Saix, a character from the Kingdom Hearts games series.
Even though he looks like a human, he is a Nobody. According to the games, the loss of someone's heart results to the creation of a dark creature called a Heartless. These creatures attack people who have hearts to steal them from them, and try to invade the heart of every World and thus, destroying them. If the character of the person who became a Heartless is strong enough, another creature is being created called a Nobody.
A Nobody is a creature who has not a heart, but it has soul, logic and a body. According to the instruction booklet of Kingdom Hearts 2, they are "between light and dark". He is a member of Organization 13, a team constisted of Nobodies who aim for the creation of a Kingdom Hearts, a place where the freed from the Heartless hearts go. They believe that with this way, they will gain a heart for themselves.The scope of Saix is the same.
As a person, he is very remote, serious, quiet, cold (PlayscopeDS, 2014) and he does not show his feelings while speaking, regularly.
However, he is very strong, having the element of the "Moon" and fighting with a "weapon" called "Claymore" (PlayscopeDS, 2014).
His past is not very clear. While he had a heart he was Isa, and had a friend called Lea. These two people, seemed to want to be students of Ansem the Wise, a man who investigates the hearts. However, they were thrown out of the man's castle. It is unknown if they managed to do what they wanted to.
His friend became also a Nobody and a member of Organization 13, with the name Axel.
Despite the fact that Saix is a loyal member, he wants to "find" "clues" "about" the "true agenda" of his leader (Everglow, 2013). Additionally, he does not seem to like Axel's new friends.

Sources: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6t2xMSBvloo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkulWp6OXyA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2q-9TjLH6c&t=187s 

Three character research

My name is Themistoklis Lekakis and I study BA Computer Animation in the University of Bradford. This blog is about the Facial Modelling and Animation module.

I am presenting the three characters I had in my mind while trying to select one to model and animate.

Saix

 Source:
http://pre02.deviantart.net/1600/th/pre/i/2012/209/3/d/saix_kingdom_hearts_by_rhymeblack-d58wcq0.jpg

This character is Saix from the Kingdom Hearts game series.

Zuko

 Source:
https://tropeanddagger.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/zuko.jpg

This character is Zuko from the television animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender

"Ed" (Wikipedia)

 Source:


http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/brandyandmrwhiskers/images/7/7b/5461-2-34.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20140815082545

The character on the left is Ed from the television animated series Brandy and Mr. Whiskers.

Selection of the character

I believe that the best of these characters to choose is Saix. He is an interesting character as a personality, while being a creature with no heart and not showing his feelings. It would be interesting to animate him, however, depending on the sound, he will act accordingly. As a form, he has the long, blue hair which made him unique. According to my tutor "anime" are difficult to animate because of the simplicity of the "mouth" movement. However, this character is animated very effectively in the game while speaking.
The same problem could occur to Zuko, according to my tutor. He is not an "anime" and his mouth animation is successful. He is an interesting character because his personality constractured very well. He is a prince who tries to regain his honor. Additionally, the burn on his eye makes him very distinctive.
The mouth of Ed will be difficult to animate, according to my tutor, due to the difficulty of forming some "phonemes". The character is a hilarious, but also very is quiet and logical.
In my opinion, I will select to model and animate Saix. He is a character who rarely demonstrates his feelings. This character is a dark creature with many parts of his past hidden. Physically, he has the X on his face and the blue, long hair as the special elements on him. He could fit with a sound very close to his personality, but also, it will be very difficult to make him talk about something brilliant and happy, as the animation will follow.

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandy_%26_Mr._Whiskers