Valdez_Final Artbook

FINAL PROJECT
SUBMISSION
Computer Graphics for Animation
De La Salle College of Saint Benilde

UNDER THE
ROCKWELL
BRIDGE
inspiration
This book is a reimagining of the
Japanese manga Arakawa: Under
the Bridge written and illustrated
by Hikaru Nakamura. The story
follows this bizarre love story of
Kou and Nino. Kou falls from the
bridge and almost drowns in the
river. Nino, fortunately, intervenes
to save him. Riku, who hates
being in debt to others, then
decided to devote his life to Nino.
Then more bizarre adventures
follow.

CONTENTS
STORY PAGE..........................................................3
CHARACTER DESIGN..............................................5
PROP DESIGN........................................................19
ENVIRONMENT.......................................................26
CONCEPT ART.......................................................34
ABOUT ME PAGE....................................................35

Under the Rockwell Bridge
Beautiful dancing plants,
gentle breeze of the wind, and a
warm melancholic atmosphere
after the rain, a three-year old
boy is seen picking flowers in a
garden. He is bringing it to this
small crib as he gently places it
around this small baby with
beautiful golden hair. This
young gentleman is Claud
Emsworth, the son of a wealthy
merchant. The baby with the
golden hair is Aeva Griffith, the
only daughter of Duke James
Charles Griffith III. Claud and
Aeva's fathers are best friends.
When Aeva was born, Duke
James Charles proposed an
arranged marriage for their
children. He believed it was a
great idea to strengthen the
relationship between the two
families. Duke James Charles
would be expanding his
influence and Claud's father's
business ventures will surely be
successful. They both agreed,
Later that evening they partied
and celebrated what could be a
great union for the future.
Two days later when the
Emsworth family arrived home,
they received a letter with
terrible news. Duke Griffith's
mansion was burned to the
ground along with everyone in
it.
However, what people don't
know is that there was one
survivor, Aeva. She was rescued
by an unkown suspect.

Under the Rockwell Bridge
They put her in a basket and
dumped her down a river
stream.
Years later, Claud is now 20
years old. His father grew to rise
in power. And now, they are
considered to be one of the
wealthiest families in the land.
One day, while strolling
around town in his carriage,
they were suddenly ambushed.
Maybe they were gonna kidnap
him, torture him, or extort
money off of him. He was
thinking maybe his father was
somehow involved in some
shady business. Shots were fired
and it became a horse chase.
They had no choice but to
escape them through town
central. They were able to
outrun them up until the
bridge. They were closing in.
Luckily, on this one crazy
miracle, when they passed by
the middle of the bridge, the
pursuers were thrown to the
river by some girl using a fishing
rod. It was only a moment, a
glimpse perhaps, that he was
able to see his savior, a girl with
beautiful golden hair.
Days passed and he went
back to the bridge to thank the
girl. Unfortunately, once he got
there, he got ambushed once
again. He was beaten up and was
thrown down the river. As he
was embracing death, he was
pulled out of the water. It was
the same girl. He asked for her
name. "Hi, my name is Nava!"

CHARACTER DESIGN

CHARACTER 1

NAVA
| nino
Nava is a citizen under the Rockwell
bridge. She believes that she was
once a princess from a faraway
land. One day while fishing on the
bridge, she accidentally hooked
some strangers while trying to cast
the rod. Once she saw what was
happening, she wanted to apologize
to the ones riding in the carriage.
She thinks she ruined a serious
game of tag! Days passed and she
saw the same people again on the
bridge. This time they caught him
and she thinks they won the game
of tag. But, they suddenly threw him
off the bridge! She then rushed to
save him.
In the anime where I got the inspiration
from, her name is Nino, a strange girl living
under a bridge claiming to be from Venus.
She saved Kou from drowning that began
their love story. She is an innocent, kind,
strong, and beautiful Venusian. She is
usually stoic, but is just very aloof and
unpredictable. In my version, she is a
princess royalty from a faraway land, who
somehow ends up here in this river. I made
sure to incorporate the story to my own
setting, which is set during the Victorian
Period.
The poses I have chosen perfectly radiates
here innocent and playful nature.
Village Girl Design
Innocent Maiden Look
Night Dress Design
Chosen design
Nature Girl Design
Character Exploration
Character Design
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
7

8
For Nava's color to work,I just needed something to pair with
blue or remove blue entirely and choose a neutral color. I
want to stay faithful or at least try to uphold the original
designs from the anime, so any other color I believe would
not fit. I love the color brown but lacks personality. I also like
the color black but it gives a more rather ominous tone.
Final Lineart
I think it's important to note that Nava's design must give
off a childish vibe while still maintaining some maturity.
An example would be wearing this large bow on her
back or simply just her constantly taking of her
shoes when she wants to.
Color Studies

final render
NAVA
Your resident kindhearted
princess under the bridge
Character Design
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
9

CHARACTER 2

Claud
| kou
Claud Emsworth is your typical
spoiled rich guy. You could say he
can sometimes act like a punk. Claud
grew up with the silver spoon in his
mouth. However, despite being this
entitled condescending jerk, he is
extremely smart and responsible
with everything he do. One weakness
of his is inability to be in debt to
other people. One day he finds
himself in a terrible situation where
he could have probably died. Nava
saved him from drowning. That is one
debt he cannot simply pay. So what
will he do next? Offer to devote his
life for her savior!
In the anime, Kou is a very talented young man
from a family who owns a business empire where
he is the heir to the company’s President. Their
family mantra “Never put yourself in debt to
anyone” enforces Kou to be strict and
responsible about his lifestyle that he literally
gets an asthma attack when he is in debt to
someone. This turned him into a highly
intellectual, self-righteous, savvy human being
with multiple skills in his arsenal. He fits the
statement “He’s not dumb but he’s a dumbass.
In my version, he is from a family of rich
merchants. He mets Nava through horrible
circumstances. Good thing she saved his life.
Lost Prince Charming Idiot
Cool and Solid Design
Chosen design
Robin Hood Style
Royalty Design
Character Exploration
Character Design
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
11

12
Final Lineart
I’ll try to stay true to the source material because their color choices
actually have meaning in story. Examples: Kou’s red tie in the anime was
an important part of his ensemble as it was like their family heirloom
printed with their family mantra. In my version its just the tie (or cloth)
around the neck and their family pendant.
Silk top and white pants I think looks good but does not really fit the
story I guess? I love the simplicity here with the leather pants and all,
but the red tie is really important so guess not first choice.
Color Studies

final render
CLAUD
Your resident prince-charming
idiot under the bridge
Character Design
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
13

CHARACTER 3

Oakley
| hoshi
Oakley is the most talented
musician under the bridge. He
used to play concerts and go on
tours but unfortunately, he lost
his touch. He tries to get
inspiration from everywhere but
it is under the Rockwell bridge
that he fell like home. He fell in
love with Nava but luck is not on
his side as she actually falls for
someone else, Claud.
In the anime, Hoshi is a former famous
musician who hit rock bottom and now
lives under the bridge. He's always
seen wearing his trademark star mask.
He's also in love with Nino and always
tries to make Kou look stupid in front
of her. Under the bridge, he provides
all the music for events. In my version,
he is a depressed musician rivaling the
skills of Bach, Beethoven, or even
Mozart. He plays electric guitar in the
anime, but in my version he plays the
violin.
Serious pose
Positive and Open Design
Chosen Design
Sly and Laid Back Look
Mysterious Look
Character Exploration
Character Design
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
15

16
For Oakley's design I tried to base it off the clothes from other
musicians from the Victorian Era. There is no particular color palette to
follow for him so I used the main theme colors of the previous
characters: red and blue. Grey with Blue look great but I realized the
colors look a bit more modern for Victorian period so not my choice.
Final Lineart
I love how sophisticated Black and Red looks. I cant resist ]just making
an all black suit of course. Plus the red makes him look filthy rich.
However, this style does not fit the “under the bridge” aesthetic so I
guess not first choice. Middle one surprisingly fits the way I want it.
It looks clean and green makes it look positive.
Color Studies

final render
OAKLEY
Your resident simp musician
under the bridge
Character Design
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
17

PROP DESIGN

Pocket watch
This prop is used by Claud. It is given to him by his
mother. It also has the family crest and logo engraved
into it. Design varies but it usually has that crest or
logo in their.
In the anime, Kou wears an expensive watch so I tried
to find that equivalent in the Victorian period which
is the pocketwatch.
20
Design Sketches

Color choices for the pocket watch are limited
since the materials itself does not have that
much color. I can only choose colors from
materials like Gold, Silver, Tungsten or Iron, and
bronze. Details are added later to fully fit the
description design.
Final Lineart
Color Studies
Prop Design
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
21

22
final render
POCKET
WATCH

cANDLE HOLDER
This prop is used by Nino as a night light. There Is no
electricity under the bridge so it’s perfect as her light
source. Design varies from tall to short, complex and
simple, just the one that generally look expensive.
In the anime, Nino had something similar but it was
mostly just the generic looking candle holder.
Design Sketches
Prop Design
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
23

24
The colors are the same with the other prop
because other color variations would ruin its
aesthetic as a rustic item. The same reason can
also be said with why the colors are simply
gold, silver, or bronze, because there is really
not that much variety of material to base the
color off of. Details were added in the final
rendering.
Final Lineart
Color Studies

final render
CANDLE
HOLDER
Prop Design
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
25

ENVIRONMENTS

The Griffith garden shows where Claud used to
play around with baby Aeva. It is secluded area
surrounded by tall plants. This is where they
usually hangout for leisure.
Griffith Mansion shows shows a large
extravagant interior. Everything should look like
it is built in like the architecture in that era. This
is also where they held the party on agreement
for the arranged marriage.
I want to storyboard on the Town Central
because it when the horse chase starts
becoming more exciting. This continues in the
Rockwell bridge.
There is actually a chapel under the bridge or
just in the general vicinity of the community
there. In the anime, it's lead by an ex-soldieresque
man who wears a nun uniform and refers
to himself as a Sister.
Environment Sketch Thumbnails
Griffith Mansion
Chapel under the Bridge
Town Central
Griffith Garden
Rockwell Bridge
Environment
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
27

28
lineart
TOWN CENTRAL

lineart
ROCKWELL BRIDGE
Environment
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
29

30
Horse chase
happened
This is a storyboard of one scene from a
single angle about the horse chase that
in the story.
1 2 3
SCENE STARTS. Guy comes out from the
corner avoiding bullets.
Carriage appears. Guy ducks down in fear. Carriage still moves forward avoiding
bullets.
4 5 6
Carriage takes a sharp left. Almost hitting
guy.
Carriage shifts to hard on the turn.
Carriage almost falls on its side due to
sharp turn.
7 8 9
Carriage moves forward but driver and
Claud (inside the carriage) looks out to
make sure they lost the pursuers.
Pursuers appear and took some shots.
The chase continues.

Horse chase P2
The
chase continues here on the Rockwell Bridge and
here are the storyboards for how Nava saved the
day. (+Claud first time seeing Nava)
1 2 3
SCENE STARTS. Claud's carriage ran
past Nava and he gets to see her for
the first time. Nava is trying to cast
her rod. Pursuers still follow them.
Pursuers ran past Nava but she
accidentally hooks them and flung
them to the river using her fishing
rod.
Man overboard!
additional sketch
Claud and Nava takes a stroll
on the bridge. It's a romantic
moment so Claud got
nervous. Claud is still trying
to say thank you to Nava.
But she tries to run off while
they hold hands. (or Claud
just guiding her and making
sure she doesn't fall).
"Nava, I just wanna say thank you for that dawait
no don't run! Be careful!"
Environment
UNDER THE ROCKWELL BRIDGE
31

FINAL RENDER
TOWN CENTRAL
i wanted to paint this background in some bright sunny
afternoon setting. This is where the chase generally
happens. Main reason the carriage turn to the left
because of the brightness.

FINAL RENDER
ROCKWELL BRIDGE
i wanted to paint this background in a sunset dusk
setting. This is my favorite scene to render because I
love how the sunset looks in purple and orange. I also
want to make the scenery seem romantic.

concept art
"Let's run towards the sunset"scene.
34

about me
KIM EZRA JOSH G. VALDEZ, 19, is a young
artist from Bacoor, Cavite. He is currently an
AB-Animation frosh at De La Salle College of
Saint Benilde.
He works hard to improve his craft and loves
the grind. He works quickly, but his art style is
usually messy. His goal is to improve
exponentially in terms of skill not only in art
but also in other areas as well. He aspires to
have a career in the creative industry where
he can make a positive difference and make
meaningful connections.