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Max Town: a hand-drawn animation in three acts

By Karenya LinCreated20173 acts, 10 images

AnimationHand DrawnConcept Art

About Max Town

Max Town is my 2017 hand-drawn animation exercise: a child in a bird-skull mask, living in a village lit by matchsticks. Three color-pass acts plus painted scenes and pencil concept sketches make up this little world — a leaning school tower, creatures dozing under the boardwalk, and a mirror that talks back unkindly.

The three acts

Act one, color pass.

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Act two, color pass.

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Act three, color pass.

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Scenes and sketches

Overhead digital painting of pale hands holding a brush over a white bird-skull mask with a curved golden beak, resting on a dark red cloth — Painting the mask: the film's central prop, brushed with gold.

Animation still of a classroom: a masked pupil paints at a desk among shadowy students while a pale teacher stands behind a pyramid-shaped lectern with a face — Classroom of shadows: the masked pupil keeps painting.

Digital painting of pink horned creatures dozing in arched hollows of a brick wall under a wooden boardwalk, with tables and a lantern behind a fence above — Creatures dozing under the boardwalk.

Night village scene in digital paint: angular orange houses, a red road, blue teardrop lamps, and a small hooded figure with a glowing yellow beak mask — The night village, with the beaked figure passing through.

A small girl in a plum hooded cloak and pale bird-skull mask faces a standing mirror where a dark silhouette and hurtful words appear — Mirror of insults: what the mirror says back.

Cropped animation still showing a figure's black boots and red skirt hem in a doorway of a brick wall, standing on a wooden boardwalk — At the doorway.

Pencil concept sketch of a village street with matchstick-flame lampposts, cobblestones, and a small plague-doctor bird figure — Concept sketch: the matchstick street.

Sketch of a leaning tower school with a School signpost, an EXIT sign, a lit match as a street lamp, and a small figure below — Concept sketch: the school tower, lit by a match.

Photographed rough pencil sketch of a classroom scene with a stern teacher figure and student silhouettes — Early classroom thumbnail, straight from the sketchbook.

Sketchbook page of furniture concepts: a curved vanity table with round mirror, a shelved dresser, a stool, and a chair — Prop sketches: furniture for the sets.