Sprouties are small four-legged creatures that live in gardens, forests and feilds. They have a strong connection with plants, and sprout the flower(s) of their favorite plants from their tail (and sometimes the top of their heads), and work their hardest to keep them healthy and alive. They are timid creatures, their rodent-like size and gentle nature makes them easy prey for small preditors such as foxes and cats. However, they have a surprising defense mechanism; Sprouties contain a powerful magic. A natural preditor that eats a Sproutie becomes infertile, unable to produce offspring that might also evolve a taste for Sprouties. If a creature who is not following an instinct, such as a human, kills a Sproutie, it is said that this person will be swallowed up whole by the Earth herself. The exact meaning of this curse is still unknown.
The Creative Process
I was inspired to create Sprouties while I was in the brainstorming stage for a different animated project. One of the ideas that the team was considering was creating something similar to the Becorns as created by David Bird. Our team decided on a bit of a different route, but I really like the idea of small creatures taking care of plants. Keeping the idea of a stop-motion, plant-helping, critter in mind, I took into account my available skills and materials. I had experiance with sewing, and wire-sculpting, so I decided that plush dog-like creatures with a posable wire skeleton would work well.
Animation Tests
Sprouties Gallery
The First Sproutie Sketch Early Structural Idea Name Brainstorming Character Idea: Monarchy Character Idea: Siblings Skeletal Structure A Sproutie Watering the Plants A Sproutie Finds a Frog
