Author Topic: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel  (Read 12317 times)

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Offline Dameg

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #15 on: February 20, 2009, 11:07:31 AM »
I think it must be a different mall, because it's quite close to Tobias's mother's house, and her house isn't near Rachel and Jake's houses... The city must be enough big for 2 or 3 little mall...
But not sure.
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Offline Hunter

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #16 on: February 20, 2009, 09:52:09 PM »
Kewl material, Hunter! Let's make this the Mall for our comic!
Do you have a visual on the entrance by any chance?! Or I could try making one up!

On topic and out of curiosity: Anyone remember the fleeing-scene at the end of The Diversion, where Tobias and his mum are evading the granny-psycho-Controller in the helicopter???!!!
There is a Mall scene there with description of some Mall...
Anyone think that was THE Mall the Animorphs used to frequent?! It was just a lack of consistency in the Ghostwriter?!

i can't find a pic of the entrance, but would you mind if i gave drawing it a try in 1-point-perspective?

i need to practice it for one of my classes, so i thought, why not do two things with one piece?


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Offline wildweathel

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #17 on: February 20, 2009, 11:03:26 PM »
I'd like to point out that California has a very different architectural style from the Northern Midwest and New England.  Lots of small differences add up: (note: this all comes from Santa Clara county.  Animorphs may be set further south.

  • Snow-free areas have raised retro-reflectors on the surface of the street.  Also present are Botts' Dots, on all snow-free highways.
  • Streets are very broad.  Residential roads are four lanes wide: two parking, two driving and possibly extra room for fire hydrants.  However, these are typically not lined.  Speed limits are often painted on the road surface, in a line across the road repeated once per lane.
  • On lined streets, bicycle lanes are very common.
  • The curb is poured cement, not asphalt or granite (like in NE).  This curb is continuous with the gutter at the side of the road.
  • Older neighborhoods have short, close packed houses.  Houses are close to the road (small front lawn, larger back lawn).  Lots are separated by fences.  Overhead utility poles are behind houses and feeder drops pass low over the back lawns.  I really wish I had a camera with me, cause I was really feeling like I had been dropped into Visitor or Predator today.  I'll see if I can borrow Dad's tomorrow.
I think it would be really helpful to have one of the CA residents walk around and snap lots and lots of photos.
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Offline Hunter

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2009, 11:11:35 PM »
ok... i've decided that my drawing skills are not up to scratch, so i can't draw the front of the mall... that and we don't have a scanner :P

when i get a chance, i'll go to Knox City and take a couple of snapshots...


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Offline Gafrash

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #19 on: February 20, 2009, 11:14:20 PM »
i can't find a pic of the entrance, but would you mind if i gave drawing it a try in 1-point-perspective?

i need to practice it for one of my classes, so i thought, why not do two things with one piece?

Mate, I don't need to mind anything! Get onto it!!! Hehehe!
Get some help from your teacher or something. HAVE A GO, Hunter!!!

I think you could be right, Dameg. It's just odd the way KA had more of a consistency in her writings than the Ghostwritten ones. She had used the Mall as action scenes at other books, it's seems almost peculiar a choice to make up a new random one down the track.

The Animorphs and this Mall must have been VERY near the city. Its dome-top was meant to be directly under the skyscrapers. Though the entrances could extend for whatever length, the pool complex was also said to be under Animorphs' town. I am beginning to think that the cave complex itself may well be bigger than I pictured.

...I think it would be really helpful to have one of the CA residents walk around and snap lots and lots of photos.

Interesting. I am guessing that those specifics you listed could bog us down though.
We don't have an EXACT hit on WHERE the Animorphs lived, only a rough area. So I think the underlying idea is to make the Animorphs town look like any other average American suburbia.

ANYONE who has taken interesting relevant shots, like a sidewalk they imagined the Anis to be walking in, or a house they pictured to be Jake's or Rachel's, a barn, a high school they attended and think could have been the Anis', an uncle that looks like their idea of Chapman or a kid that looks like he could be David model,...
ANYTHING RELEVANT to drawing an Animorphs comic!!!


PLEASE POST!!!

Offline wildweathel

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #20 on: February 20, 2009, 11:16:30 PM »
Well, for what it's worth, the newer developments in the Midwest look like they've been cribbed straight from California.
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Offline Liz

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #21 on: February 21, 2009, 12:06:21 AM »
...I think it would be really helpful to have one of the CA residents walk around and snap lots and lots of photos.

I could do it.  Just let me know what you want pictures of.  :P

Offline wildweathel

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #22 on: February 21, 2009, 12:09:50 AM »
Well, I'm always struck by just the overall feel of walking down the street.  It's hard (probably impossible) to put into words.

If I were doing this, I'd keep a camera with me, step outside, and just start snapping pictures--especially when I think "hey this looks like something the Animorphs would see."  Once you start looking for that, it should probably just jump out at you.
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Offline Hunter

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #23 on: February 21, 2009, 12:42:02 AM »
i can't find a pic of the entrance, but would you mind if i gave drawing it a try in 1-point-perspective?

i need to practice it for one of my classes, so i thought, why not do two things with one piece?

Mate, I don't need to mind anything! Get onto it!!! Hehehe!
Get some help from your teacher or something. HAVE A GO, Hunter!!!

I think you could be right, Dameg. It's just odd the way KA had more of a consistency in her writings than the Ghostwritten ones. She had used the Mall as action scenes at other books, it's seems almost peculiar a choice to make up a new random one down the track.

The Animorphs and this Mall must have been VERY near the city. Its dome-top was meant to be directly under the skyscrapers. Though the entrances could extend for whatever length, the pool complex was also said to be under Animorphs' town. I am beginning to think that the cave complex itself may well be bigger than I pictured.

...I think it would be really helpful to have one of the CA residents walk around and snap lots and lots of photos.

Interesting. I am guessing that those specifics you listed could bog us down though.
We don't have an EXACT hit on WHERE the Animorphs lived, only a rough area. So I think the underlying idea is to make the Animorphs town look like any other average American suburbia.

ANYONE who has taken interesting relevant shots, like a sidewalk they imagined the Anis to be walking in, or a house they pictured to be Jake's or Rachel's, a barn, a high school they attended and think could have been the Anis', an uncle that looks like their idea of Chapman or a kid that looks like he could be David model,...
ANYTHING RELEVANT to drawing an Animorphs comic!!!


PLEASE POST!!!

yea, i'll have a speak with my Vis Com teacher on monday


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Offline Dameg

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #24 on: February 21, 2009, 01:17:10 AM »
The cave complex is very big, and your picture is cool but I always thought it'd the Yeerk Pool at the beginning... 3 years or so before the Animorphs ^^'
In the first book, if I remember well, they say it takes about the half of the city... so more than 1 km by 1 km... can you imagine? When you come inside, you can't even see the end, the other side...
And there are buildings on the floor, so how could it stay like that? I imagined there were colonnades or something to maintain the ground...
I don't know how you can picture that... ^^'
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Offline Hunter

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #25 on: February 21, 2009, 01:44:46 AM »
how i pictured the yeerk pool was like a massive subterranean cave system with a massive upturned bowl for the main yerk pool, but with caves branching off to other areas, such as warehouses, and storage areas


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Offline Dameg

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #26 on: February 21, 2009, 02:21:39 AM »
Yeah, I also supposed there would be a lot of storage areas in mini-caves... But when the Animorphs entered the first time, I think they couldn't see them, and they already saw something huge! and not finished (the bulldozers still working)...
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Offline adamjared

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #27 on: February 21, 2009, 11:15:10 AM »
if you guys want i can ask katherine which city she had used in the books as a reference...

Offline rossabo

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #28 on: February 22, 2009, 03:50:11 AM »
if you guys want i can ask katherine which city she had used in the books as a reference...
That would be so cool if it was actually Santa Cruz! Please do ask her!

Offline Gafrash

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Re: Visual References - Animorphs Graphic Novel
« Reply #29 on: February 22, 2009, 09:28:08 PM »
Yeah, the Yeerk pool would have to be done as this vast dark purple-lit underground place. One can't see the other side. They could fly Bug-Fighters in there!!!
I'm gonna get on to some floor-designs of the cages area that ring around the 100ft pool (though I ALWAYS pictured the actual pool being bigger).
Followed by outer rings of storage sheds, large rectanguar facilities and buildings. By the nearest walls, some tunnels that connect to other sections and some dropshafts and staircases (do you guys think there should be numbers, like coded for the entrances/exits for identifying which secret entrance a Controller is to chose).

if you guys want i can ask katherine which city she had used in the books as a reference...

Really wanna know HOW people have access to KA.
When is she going to pop back in? There are so many questions to ask her and Michael!!


Anyway, on the topic of alien weaponry, when I saw this gun I thought "Shredder":

Still no idea how a dracon beam can look cool without looking like torches and without looking like THIS:
I presume bc the Yeerks reverse-engineer everything they adopt, anything in their design has to look more clunky than the sleek Andalite design.
Though this gun from the 'Doctor Who' series looks kinda like what I have in mind for a Dracon beam. But I imagine this would be really tricky to redesign and recreate. Nghaaaaaaaaaaaarrrr rgh!


Here are some more weapon props for some old 'Buck Rogers' movie.
« Last Edit: February 24, 2009, 02:18:48 AM by Gafrash »