Counting Sheep

The theme for this illustrated animation was a Dream. I cycled through an array of ideas before landing on counting sheep. I wanted the illustration to feel uneasy. The feeling of wanting to sleep but being unable to do so. I experimented with angles and different ways of portraying the inability to fall asleep. Many of the initial concepts centered around monsters and sleep paralysis but evolved into the less intrusive act of counting sheep.

Design Process

My process began with deciding the perspective with which I would portray the girl. I ultimately chose the birdseye view. I then had to choose how I would draw the sheep. It had to be simple enough to be able to illustrate moving frames but not too simple where the viewer could not decipher what animal it was.

I chose a more muted neutral palette and experimented with lighting arrangements to communicate her sleeping in the dark.