Revision is the backbone of Success

Hey all, just a quick update. Yesterday I was redoing/revising the key's for the Bear muzzle sync (see previous post). I felt the action I had developed last month needed some work; it jumped around a lot and it was likely going to be difficult to fit the frantic actions within the frame constraints of the dialogue.

So here is the new result. I hope it reads better. Unfortunately, I was hoping to experiment with leg placements and staging, but better to do something realistic over something eccentric.



I have more of a drive to get this finished now. I'll do my best.

Summer Transition

So begins the month of August. Through most of July I have been working on the Dog Sequence I posted keys for on my last entry. The animation is done, and is my longest animation to date. The sequence is about 27 seconds, and not counting the holds involved, spans 240 drawings. WOAH! This one took a lot out of me. But honestly, while the result isn't bad, I can't help but feel it fell short of my expectations. Probably due to comparing it to my better chef sync. tho', to be fair, this was an experiment and I would be lying if I said I didn't learn anything to help improve in the future. Hope you enjoy!

*note* There was a problem with flipbook in making the background elements pan, so I decided to pop them in and out as needed. If I manage to correct this problem, I will re-post this


There are some minor corrections I might make in the future, such as the awkward jump, and the shuffle/drop, but for now I am taking a break from taking a break from animations during August, with the exception of my redo Muzzle Sync which I only plan to work on during spare time (that is, time not spend doing other work). I hope to have it done by September anyway, but for the time being, I just some work-in-progress keys for it.



As a bonus, I also have another muzzle sync I was working on with two characters interaction. Like the other muzzle, I only have some keys done. Considering time constraints, I likely won't be able to work on this over the rest of the summer. If I have time during the school year, I'll do my best to finish it.



To end off, I just have some other drawing from the earlier summer months, mainly to do with the films I'm working on: Character rotation for my 3D Alien, concept page for the chef sync, and some character poses and additional concepts from the film Waiting.


Now that August is here, my goal is to focus on other modes of art that i have before been struggling with, namely layout and digital painting. On top, I want to get into sketching (a practice I oddly enough had never gotten into beyond high school) and some traditional painting just for fun/colour exploration.

I'll update as I go. Look forward to it! :)

Productivity!

Alright! So it's just past the mid-mark of summer, and this year I've actually gotten quite a bit of art done. Having seen demo reels from the recent graduates, I am inspired to complete a top notch demo reel for this year. Doing so requires major advances in animation and drawing ability, which appears to be going well this summer! I have my goal, PIXAR IN TWO YEARS! I am determined to have it work out that way!

As such, I have lined up a bunch group and individual projects over the last couple months to keep me busy. Here is some of what I have managed to do since early May:

First the main attraction. Having been dissatisfied with several of my animations this year, especially the Human and Muzzle sync projects, and seen what quality animations should be like upon grad, I have take it upon myself to redo a few of them. So far, I have finished this one involving a Chef and a line from the film Snatch. This animation I am very satisfied with. Doing it I have learned so much, not just about animating, but also drawing in general. To all my animation friends, I HIGHLY recommend doing mini animations on your spare time!



Following this, I have started keys for three other animation projects to be completed (hopefully) before school starts up. Two of them are Muzzle Syncs, one involving a bear and the other beavers. I have keys shot, but i choose not to post them. instead, enjoy keys from the third! This one is an experiment in squash and stretch, and subtle action. Look familiar? This sequence is an extension of the final character project from last semester. I am fixing and animating it as we speak. I'll post the result over the next couple months.



Next up is a 3D character model I'm working on for a mini group project. This model is my own design, and in it's current stage has just been rigged with basic bones. Having just started learning Maya this past semester, I have the means and feel the need to learn more to get a leg up for 3rd year, and to also get something good for my reel in case Maya frustrations have this model land flat on his one eyed face. One the model is rigged, I'll be doing animations. Assuming the film doesn't get finished, I'll still have at least a facial expression and walk cycle done for all to view. Hope you like it so far!


The following kitchen related designs and story concepts are some of my work from a "film" other members of my class are currently putting together. Without giving away too much, it's about a waiter and his struggle against his natural needs. The story was mainly designed to allow different types of animation and art directions so that we may practice/get work for our upcoming portfolios. I should have some animations and coloured layouts done for this over the next couple months.


That's all for now, I'll likely update one more bulk just before September. Hopefully the quality of my work increases even more within that time!

I hope you enjoyed!

A Look Back

Now that second year is in the bag, it's time to prepare for the intensity of third year. Words cannot express my excitement!

This summer break is all about improvement. I have a large series of projects to work on, on top of two experimental group films. Stay tuned to see more stuff up here over the next four months. I hope to see a drastic improvement on the quality over that time.

I shall leave for now with the template I submitted for this years yearbook, as a reminder of the progress I have made this year.

Last Hurrah... erm, third last.

This is the last selection of work from the end of year two . It's been a great year. Progress has been steady, but enhanced, and I look forward to the beginning of third year. For now, here are my final projects. First is the cleaned up version of my muzzle sync. Only 40 total drawings were cleaned.



These two digital paintings were coupled as my last two paint projects. The first is a render of one of the layout previous, experimentation with testures and lighting, all be it a rushed one. I do plan to touch up this later and animate to it. Same with the second background, which, when touched up, I plan to add my muzzle sync to.


Finally, this is one of 14 TV storyboard templates that were made with the medieval period piece boards from a few months ago.



That's all for this year!

Animals and Anthropomorphs

Here's a quick post of my last character design project of this year. Basically, it's a character sequence designed as if it was key drawing in an animation. To do this project, I actually did animation keys which I later transferred over to two peaces of paper. I plan to fully animate this sequence over the summer break, so stay tuned.



Also, here are some of the drawing I got while at the Toronto Zoo a few weeks back. Certainly better than last year, but them animals still WON'T SIT STILL!

Titanic!

Here's a quick post showing off a digital rendering I did for Nicole Kozak a few weeks back, as we share an interest in the Titanic. As for the piece itself, it is yet another pass at photoshop painting. Most of the deck portions were done using the pen tool, which I figured out is really useful for static rendering. Still working on the photoshop skills.

I'm tired...

So the bulk of the work has been completed for now, which means that this weekend is stress free! WOOOOOO!!! Anyway, here are a couple things. First off, my Muzzle sync animation. I am way more satisfied with this one over the Human sync. I think I'm learning to structure my drawings better and add more gesture (still really messy drawing tho). Action's... s'okay, but could be pushed more.



Next project, you'll see this one cleaned up.

Second is my television beat boards. Because I lack much creativity, I think the story is too basic. None the less, it works fine, I guess, and should lead to some comical stuff come boarding time.


And another didital painting, layout taked from an earlier project. The background was basically rendered only using the pen tool. The painting is alright, but the pen tool is just annoying. Useful, but annnoying.

Medieval Character Design

As a joint project for character design, storyboard and supposedly layout, we were to create characters from a specific historical period which would of course reflect the customs and clothing of the time. I (as it would have come to no surprise to anyone I know) chose the medieval time period. Here are my designs for the Hero, Villain, the "One They Love," and the Comic Relief, along with a little expository blurb to explain the character. These designs will eventually be used in my next storyboard assignment.

I'm trying to refine my designs, and I think I'm improving a great deal. But that's just me, if you have any suggestions, I'll be happy to hear them.

Buddy Cops get a new home.

I bit of layout done using the Walk-Run assignment from last semester. The artwork was done completely digitally, which is not my preference, but it was fast enough to be sure. First is the artwork and cells to plan the panning process, and second is the panning done in after effects.