Character Design of The Moshpit

 The designs of the characters are based on my girlfriend and me, and I wanted to keep them true to our personalities and styles. We both love black clothing, so I made sure to reflect that. A standout challenge was animating my girlfriend’s see-through long-sleeve shirt. I changed the opacity to 50% every time she appeared on screen to maintain realism and highlight the detail of the fabric. This required unique animations, whether it was on ones, twos, or threes, depending on the scene’s complexity.

As for my own design, I drew from a pair of vintage NBA pants that my girlfriend and I constantly argue over. They belonged to my late grandmother and hold a lot of sentimental value. While the pants aren’t fully shown due to animation restrictions, their influence is present. Both characters wear muddy boots that mirror the dark, gritty vibe of the festival. I went through three pairs of shoes at the Louder Than Life festival, and I wanted the muddy boots to evoke that same raw, festival energy. Jewelry was something I heavily considered but ultimately scrapped. I didn’t want to complicate the designs too much, especially given the challenges of animating details like my dreadlocks and my girlfriend’s flowing skirt.

There was also a very conveniently placed spider logo I considered adding to my black shirt, potentially linking it with my character’s webbing and symbiote tendrils. However, I opted to scrap this idea due to ethicality reasons and potential trademark issues, as well as concerns about intellectual property infringement. It was an idea that could have tied in perfectly, but the risks were too great.