Ratthew Back to home

2D graphics class project

Ratthew

Built one shape at a time.

A character study made in C++ with X11. I began with simple ellipses, then worked through the proportions, facial features, and curves until the shapes came together.

Follow the drawing process
Language
C++
Display
X11 graphics
Focus
2D shape construction
Finished Ratthew render: a black character with tall ears, large eyes, and a round muzzle on a white canvas.
The final pass uses curved outlines and extra samples to smooth the edges.

Drawing process

From an ellipse to a character.

Each pass added a little more structure. The screenshots follow the work from a first outline to a smoother final silhouette.

  1. A single upright ellipse outline drawn on a white canvas.

    Start with an outline

    I started with an ellipse outline.

  2. The ellipse filled solid black, establishing a basic shape.

    Fill the form

    Filling it gave me a basic shape to build with.

  3. A large filled oval for the head with two outlined ovals positioned as ears.

    Lay out the head

    A few ellipses set the first head-and-ears proportions.

  4. An early full character made from separate head, body, arm, and leg shapes.

    Build the silhouette

    Stretched and rotated ellipses formed the body and limbs, though some pieces still felt separate.

  5. A more complete black character with large white eyes and a white muzzle.

    Refine the face

    Adjusting the proportions, eyes, and muzzle made the character more recognizable.

  6. A browser view of a plush character reference beside the open Ratthew_Render X11 window.

    Keep the reference close

    A browser view of the character reference sits beside the open Ratthew_Render X11 window.

  7. A full character render with whiskers and more pointed eye details.

    Test more primitives

    Lines, capsules, rounded rectangles, triangles, and pointed eye shapes added detail, but this pass felt less successful.

  8. The final Ratthew character with a smoother rounded head, body, arms, and legs.

    Smooth the contours

    Curved outlines and extra samples gave the edges a smoother finish.

Graphics concepts

Simple shapes, carefully adjusted.

The project grew through small decisions about how each form should sit beside the next.

  • Stretch and rotate

    Reuse ellipses at different proportions to block in the head, body, arms, and legs.

  • Layer the details

    Build the face from simple shapes, then compare how the eyes and muzzle affect recognition.

  • Refine the curves

    Try several outline styles and add samples to make the final edges look smoother.