Hamburger Abduction
When I first conceived this piece, I wanted to experiment with character modeling and animation while blending 2D and 3D elements to create something fun and colorful for social media. I think this piece really reflects a style I enjoy working in: colorful, quirky characters with a touch of weirdness (like the UFO) and above all, a sense of playfulness.
I didn't want to overcomplicate the 3D aspect of the animation, so I only modeled what would be visible in frame for the render. As shown in the behind-the-scenes images, I modeled just the head, arm, and hamburger for animation. With those elements rendered on alpha, I imported the EXRs into After Effects for compositing.
To keep the scene light and approachable, I drew the background in Adobe Fresco using a mini drawing tablet. I found a kitchen reference on Pinterest and used it as my guide. With the backdrop complete, I only needed to animate the UFO.
Using box modeling techniques, I modeled the character's head and neck, then applied a bone structure to the neck to enable natural deformation and range of movement. Next, I modeled the hand, arm, and plate with the burger, ensuring the plate was parented to the hand so everything moved in sync during the opening animation. I used point-level animation to deform the mouth from a happy smile into distressed bemusement. For the eyebrows, I modeled them with a spline and animated the spline to change the character's expression.
I was very pleased with the end result. I learned valuable techniques for blending 2D and 3D animation, created an engaging portfolio piece, and received positive feedback on social media.