Inspiration!

Me (with bucket) and my brother (without bucket) on a beach.

Cover of Olive Jeffers "Lost and Found"

Pups is a film inspired by a lot of things. I had the idea for the film very early on in my first year but I didn't have a plot or characters in mind. Only a setting and style. The seaside. My happiest memories as a kid were going to the seaside for holiday. We'd always go to Skegness, Blackpool and other popular British holiday spots. Even though the weather would be dreadful most of the time we'd always make it to the beach, picking up shells and filling our buckets with sand, making terrible accuses for sandcastles. It's just what we did as kids. Jenny embodies the childhood spirit to just keep going to beach no matter what the weather, because it's the sea and it's got cool things there! Soon though the holidays stopped and now they are greyish memories. This film is my attempt at putting those greyish memories back down and remembering happy moments.

Another key inspiration is children's books, most notably one by Oliver Jeffers. "Lost and Found". I was first introduced to the plot from a short film version that played one Christmas. While thinking about Pups, having a rough idea of the story at this point, I remembered it and looked it up finding out it was originally a book. The sweet and simple drawings really helped shaping what I wanted Jenny and Pup to look like. Also the interactions between the characters is sweet and caring. A misunderstanding leads up to a heartwarming moment in the end and I saw that it reflected Jenny's misunderstanding with Pup.

The water coloured backgrounds are something I'd like to reflect in Pups, of course though while still keeping to the colour pallet. It just adds to the sweet and simple nature a Pups.

Concept work from "Psychonauts"  

A combination of things, Lost and Found included, inspired the look of the main characters. Scott C. with his wonderfully simple and noodled arm characters have always been interesting to me. He also uses water colours primarily but when it comes to his concept work in various games he uses pens, which was something I primarily used while doing the concept work in my sketchbook. I even had a chance to meet up with him at a convention and got to show him some of my earlier sketches. He seemed impressed and simply said "Yeah man, pens are hard!" followed by "Aw they are so cuuuute!" and those simple passing words have kept me pumped about the project since. He was even kind enough to draw a picture of Pup. What a nice guy!

Robins Hood Bay

When it comes to the environments of Pup's two places stick out to me, like previously mentioned Skegness but seeing as Pups takes place on a large hill I had to explore a bit further (on Google).

People had recommended locations to me, such as Whitby and Robin Hood Bay. both feature hilly landscapes dotted with homes and a sprawling piers by the sea. This is something I want to incorporate into Jenny's home town. I do know that I want to suggest that the place would be sprawling with life in better weather but now, being the winter, is a like a ghost town.