Creating a 90’s Cartoon Spin-off in 3D: Ayo, Gerald
Reggie Perry Jr pushes his own skills by creating a 3D spinoff of a 90’s cartoon series. Enjoy Gerald going about his day to day things. Reggie includes a full process video AND a scene breakdown.
The year is 1998, and Gerald is now in middle school. He’s just returned from a summer break spent visiting his cousins in Georgia, where he was introduced to a new sound—Atlanta bass music. Gerald instantly became a fan, especially of the So So Def Bass All Stars compilation, and carried that inspiration home.
For his birthday, Gerald’s parents gifted him a drum machine. Fueled by his love of the music he discovered in Georgia, he started learning to make beats, spending hours honing his skills and developing his own style in preparation for the school’s upcoming back-to-school talent show.
When the big night arrives, Gerald steps onto the stage and electrifies the auditorium—his performance is so good that even Helga is impressed. He wins first place and, still riding high on that success, heads to the neighborhood baseball field for the weekly game. True to form, Gerald knocks out the game-winning home run.
After a full day of triumphs, Gerald, worn out, stops by the local convenience store to grab something to drink…and that’s where our story begins…
Full process Breakdown Video
Real Time Baseball Scene Breakdown, 2 Hours+
In this video, I break down the full process of reimagining these classic 90’s cartoon character for my interpretation of what 3D spin-off of Hey Arnold! would look like, called ‘Ayo, Gerald!’ where Arnold’s best friend Gerald Johanssen is the star of the show.
The concept for this “trailer” takes place a few years after the time of the original show when Gerald and Arnold are in middle school. Throughout the video Gerald goes on different adventures, from winning the back-to-school talent show, skateboarding around town and hitting the game winning home run.
For the process I started by experimenting with hand-drawn textures to create my own spin on Arnold and Gerald in a 3D world.
You’ll see each scene, including Gerald skateboarding, heading to the store, hanging out with Arnold, making music in his room, and performing at a talent show.
I’ll walk you through the steps I use:
Blender for modeling, lighting and rendering
iClone for animation
Substance Painter for Texturing
Ableton Live for music and sounds
After Effects for editing everything together
STILLS
