The mushroom wanderer

Storyboarding

Finding inspiration

To help me find inspiration, I created a mood board. I knew I wanted to create a fairy-tale and fantasy story. I wanted the setting of my story to be a dark dreary forest where something magical happens to help the main character feel less scared. I tried to imagine what living things might reside in this mysterious area and immediately thought of a poisonous mushroom. Additionally, I incorporated one of my favorite Disney animations, Tangled, and thought about the beautiful shining flower shown throughout the movie.

Character design

My main character, Glum, is designed to be a dwarf, walking mushroom with some human features, including short, stubby arms, legs, and a button nose. She is seen as an anxious and gloomy character, hence the name Glum. I found a graphic image of a red mushroom online, and I used Adobe XD and Photoshop to add characteristics.

Hand-Drawn Draft

The story depicts Glum walking down a dark, spooky forest. After a failed attempt at befriending fellow creatures on the other, lighter side of the forest, Glum feels dejected. While walking back home, she spots a glowing flower and gravitates towards it. As she inspects the flower, she feels awed, and it fills her with determination.

Creating in Blender

Original 3D Model

Sound Design

Audio Composition

I want my music composition to sound whimsical and soft. I used chimes as my main instrument and kept a simple melody. I used the program MPC Beats and Audacity to edit my music. Additionally, I found some tree rustling and wind blowing sound effects to add to the ambiance.