The Archetype Project.

Our new project in Subject is creating characters. I’m pretty excited about this.

 

Our first assignment was to look at Jung and the concept of Archetypes. Then how they have been used in both animation and art history. That done we were given a list of 12 archetypes

1.The Innocent.

2.The Orphan.

3.The Hero.

4.The Caregiver.

5.The Explorer.

6.The Rebel.

7.The Lover.

8.The Creator.

9.The Jester.

10.The Sage.

11.The Magician.

12.The Ruler.

and a series of exercises on how we might think about them and how we might use them in our animations.

Here is what I did with the given exercises.

 

 

12 Archetypes. What are their goals and what do they fear? 

A simple enough question. I tried to give answers that were universal. That would apply across all iterations. Including if the iteration of the archetype was good or evil.

 

1.The Innocent. Has no real goals. Life seems perfect, or at least sufficient. His goal is to return to normal once on his quest. He fears losing his loved ones.

2.The Orphan. Wants something better. A life they might not believe in but dream about. They will fight for that dream or to keep others from feeling their own pain. They fear being trapped and helpless.

3.The Hero. Fights for a higher ideal. Something he believes is worth more than his own life, and for love. The hero fears his own weaknesses and his darkside.

4.The Caregiver. Lives for others. Knowing others are happy and safe. Even if they are a put though trouble. The Caregiver fears others suffering and pain.

5.The Explorer. Wants to see far off lands and discover lost treasures. To be free and to see all that is new and unknown. The Explorer fears for those on his Journal with him. That he want be able to save his friends

6.The Rebel. Wants to escape from or break the world he’s come from. No matter who is hurt. He fears Loosing his individuality and forgetting why he is rebelling.

7.The Lover. Wants to conquer the world. To know the world and live life to it’s fullest. The Lover fear a cage. To be ground down until life is joyless.

8.The Creator. Wants to push boundaries. To make something of value even if it kills them. Wants to give something to others. The Creator fears using their power for evil. Whether intentionally or by accident.

9.The Jester. Wants to make other laugh. But also to be daring. To jab and poke at the world and to make it rethink itself. The Jester fears others getting too close. Of feeling others pain.

10.The Sage. Also has no goals. He or she has made peace with the world. The sage will act when they are needed. The Sage fears failure. Not of doing the wrong thing. But of just not having the power to help and seeing everyone he loves die.

11.The Magician. Wants to know everything. Wants to understand the secrets of the universe. He sees knowledge as its own good. The Magician fears loss of control. Whether through others burning his books or his own mind deteriorating

12.The Ruler. Wants want he deems good to be done. Whether he is selfish or selfless he or she wants to see the what they deem right put into action. The Ruler fears those who threaten what they rule. Those who have no concern for their will at all.

 

We also had to imagine what shapes we might use to make a character of each archetype. We were given three shapes to chose from, Circle, Square, and Triangle. And had to pick primary, secondary and tertiary roles for them. Though we didn’t need to use all three in each one. Here are the shape selections I felt were most appropriate.

 

That done we had to do the same thing for colours. Say which ones suited which archetypes in an order of three. Here’s what I felt was right (This took me a surprisingly long time)

 

And finally We had to assign materials and textures to them. This really doesn’t make sense to me. As far as I understand It’s about what we might associate to be on or around them, or maybe what signifies their personality. I decided to let instinct guide me and here’s what I got.

1.The Innocent. Cotton, Cloth, Soap

2.The Orphan. Flannel, Leather, Tarmac

3.The Hero. Steel, Fire, Fur

4.The Caregiver. Linen, Wood, Candle Wax

5.The Explorer. Grass, Salt Water, Sand

6.The Rebel. Glass, Stone, Paint

7.The Lover. Velvet, Lotion, Leaves

8.The Creator. Sawdust, Wool, Stone

9.The Jester. Cloth, Tin, Paper

10.The Sage. Sackcloth, Tobacco, Moss

11.The Magician. Wood, Tar, Damp

12.The Ruler. Gold, Iron, Earth

 

 

And that was the Archetypes project. I’ll be honest. I don’t understand what the point of this was. But I did it. I hope it didn’t waste too much time. I put my all into this.