Central St Martins Final Project

So here I am having completed my first two terms in the Post-graduate Diploma course in 3D Character Animation at Central St Martins, entering my third and final term and tasked with doing a final project inspired by a painting at the National Gallery.

One of the guidelines for the project is that it must be character-based, not abstract. This means that while any painting owned by the National Gallery could be chosen, the relationship between the painting and the animation need not be direct. Having chosen a still-life, the relationship between the painting and my animation is one of inspiration and interpretation.

After many visits to the National Gallery, I've finally chosen one painting, "A Cup of Water and a Rose on a Silver Plate" by Francisco de Zurbarán. I chose this painting because I found it to be beautiful and something I would be happy to hang in my own home. What inspired me about this painting was the relationship between the rose and the water; the rose is beautiful, exquisite and eye-catching, yet she cannot exist without the water.

I explored the idea that my character was the vibrant, exciting and entertaining partner in it srelationship with me, her animator, but I eventually rejected this as too difficult to explain to the audience without feeling like a clumsy mechanic.

With that idea in the bin, I reconstructed my story based around a more physical dependence (and one tied more to a literal interpretation of the painting), and a thirsty prima-donna showgirl was born.