Real New York Characters
An online video game created by students in a Creative Art Works character design program at Hamilton Grange Middle School features a cast of original characters that reflect the diversity of NYC.
It takes all kind of people to build an imaginary universe. Ira is a hero who uses he ink powers to blind villains and to protect the innocent.
Real Characters
New York is famous for its many unique characters, so it’s great to see students in a Creative Art Works after-school character design program at Hamilton Grange Middle School creating characters that reflect the diversity of our city. This program offered a deep dive into the graphic and storytelling skills that make an animated character come to life. Students began by analyzing cartoon characters from animated shows they loved, then progressed to creating their own characters, and finally worked together to create a video game in which all their characters could interact.
A shared love of Steven Universe provided a point of reference for class discussions. Fan art by Alex D.
Source of Inspiration
Early in the program, it became clear that many of the participants had a mutual interest in the animated series Steven Universe on Cartoon Network. The show tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy who lives with the Crystal Gems, magical, humanoids who protect the world from the constant threat of alien invasion. (The show was nominated for five Emmy Awards and five Annie Awards, and won a Peabody Award and a GLAAD Media Award in 2019.) Teaching Artist Alinna Diaz-Porro recognized this shared interest as a teaching opportunity and organized a weekly watch party in which students deconstructed the show. During guided discussions, students would analyze what made their favorite characters so memorable, including body shape, color palette, costumes, strengths and weaknesses, and motivation.
Building a Sense of Community
These watch parties provided a common point of reference for later class exercises, and they also built a sense of community which helped the group work as a team towards the final collaborative project – an original video game that included original characters created by all the participants. This was an ambitious project that required a division of labor. Students worked towards their strengths – some focused on the script, others on character design and animation, and still others on coding the game using Scratch, a free online coding community for young people developed and supported by MIT.
A team effort: Designing an interactive video game required a division of labor as well as a good deal of self-direction. Some students focused on character design, some on the storyline, and still others on coding the game using a free online platform from MIT.
A deep dive into what makes a character unique and memorable. Jessica’s character is defined by her costume, color palette, companion, and environment.
Making use of available technology: Jessica D. created this short animation using FlipaClip, a free Google app that offers a robust animation studio desktop and mobile devices.
This Creative Art Works program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural After-School Adventures (CASA) Initiative in partnership with the City Council and Council Member Mark D. Levine.
Este programa de Creative Art Works es apoyado, en parte, por fondos públicos del Departamento de Asuntos Culturales de la Ciudad de Nueva York y la Iniciativa Cultural After-School Adventures (CASA) en asociación con el Concejo Municipal y el concejal Mark D. Levine.