Rough scene setup

It starts....

 

Daily Sketch: Self portrait

Jeebus... How hard was that!? Never realised how hard self portraits are, spent ages trying to figure out where my eyes were on my own head!! I'm done staring at myself, not the most vain person as it is, can be occasionally but fed up of it today. Anyway realised the more I challenge myself with different facial features and characters the better I become.

 

This one has been quite difficult, I knew My main features like the button nose and huge lips and big eyes, did not know how out of proportion it ll made it though!

Anyway it came together better when I started looking at it as a whole, with the hair and ears neck and shoulders. Also a big challenge was the 3/4 view not done that in ages and ages! I'm really getting into owning an iPad especially to draw with, best alternative I've got to one of those fancy big computer ones, once I've got a job and money then I'll start doing more fancy things

Slight Change

So I've looked at the bearded man so much I don't know how to improve it, I think I'm going to have to give it a break for a whole.

So with that in mind I've started my essay properly, not just the research and quotations for it. Forgot how hard writing was, spent nearly all day just doing the introduction, September I hope is going to be a long month. 4000 words here I come!

 

This is my mood and inspiration board for my essay. I'm going to get it done!

Bearded Man update

So I'm going to call it a night on this drawing, come back to it in the morning with fresh eyes. Not sure what more I should do, but that's why I'm going to leave it a while, refresh my brain. Don't think I'm doing too badly with my first go at a background!

Also client project going really well. Got a logo and design can now just play with colours! Will begin that this week, going to be ready for my September 16th deadline!

 

Background painting

So I am getting there, my first real go with a background and scenery painting, something I always seem to avoid for some reason. Its taken me forever to get just to this point since yesterday!

Hopefully it's starting to get a little more depth to it

 

 

Ok bit naughty but... He's got a BEARD!

Ok I know I've got like a billion and one different projects going on, but this idea struck me and theres nothing else out there like it. I have started my essay, and getting all my research together, to be honest I've got the answer and what I want to study in my final year, but it's how to best word the question, so I get to add all the things I want to study into it. Also my client project is coming on, but uni systems are being updated so I can't use them at the minute so it will have to wait.

Oh my chicken animation has come to a stand still BUT... Yesterday someone contacted me asking if it was possible to use it, a video company wanted to use it in a wedding video they were doing. How good is that?? So later today I'm going to get back on it, especially if someone thinks it good enough just from the 6second walk cycle.

Anyway back to the present this bearded fellow, just started the background, something I still haven't got my head around taking me an entire day to get the courage and begin drawing it. I didn't know how to start it what setting would best suit him, I was thinking indoors but then lighting became an issue. Then I thought about him on water almost meditating like, but that too became a bit too complex. I'm only a little beginner so that I'd start a little easier and do it in a forest setting. So here is the base, I might change the colouring, I'm going to add little light orbs around him, make it more mystical. Just have a play. Hopefully the base is a good enough start for me to get my head around scenery painting.

Practice makes perfect!

 

Oh Bullocks

Took a break from my animation and went for a walk in the country side, then I came across these two HUGE Bulls, Im so glad I brought along my iPad for photos, just so I could share them!

Such impressive creatures, and they were a beautiful colour. It really makes a big difference getting out of the city, I'm really getting into the whole country life thing, it's doing me a world of good. And my mind is soooo peaceful too. I've actually started animating the background of my Chicken cartoon, got a really good piece of inspiration from the Blot game on iPad. Really nice designed game, anyway onwards!

 

Just a screen shot from the game Blot on iPad

Chickens Walk Cycle

So I've begun my first ever hand drawn animation, just in time for the iAnimate competition. It's still a bit rough, but day by day I'm getting better and better, it's steadily being tidied up bit by bit. Considering I had no idea on how a chicken walks (my chickens must be fed up of my staring at them!) and had never successfully made a flip book or hand drawn animation of any kind, I don't think I've done too badly. I'm using the Animation Desk app on my iPad to create it, it's a bit fiddly at times and mid way through they updated the software and changed everything, Just as I was getting used to it! But with the mini set backs I think I'm getting the hang of it. I've only animated 72 frames at the minute, and at 12 frames a second that's only just 6seconds long. I'm planning to start animating the background, and have lots of things happening, like buildings being built, wars, aliens, chaos that kind of thing, life in general. Yet have the chicken causally strolling along, un fazed by the turmoil and chaos around it. It the lays an egg, and the end slogan will be "Life goes on"

That's exactly what happens, life goes on regardless of what occurs, or problems faced, life will always carry on in some way or another. I think it'll be quite interesting to watch, and if I can make the background elements interesting enough, I think it could be quite a good animation.

 

Tell you what, France is doing me a world of good!

 

I ain't no Chicken

Well since I've started blogging again, I've actually drawn something, rather than sat there thinking about it! It was a good idea to start again, and in France I have complete peace of mind. Anyway I've been drawing away on the Procreate app and have come up with these 6 designs:

After asking others opinions, number 3 was clearly out of the running, it was also my least favourite of the bunch, but it was my first attempt at a chicken, as I designed the others I got better and better until I finally finished with number 4 /5, my favourite is number 4 with four and 2 being a close 2nd and 3rd. Although he only reason why others liked number 2 was for the beak so I might transfer that over to number 4. I liked number 5 until someone said it looked too much like a cockerel, which is true, a fat one at that.

I think number four is the one I'm definitely going for, it's a cartoon without being too over the top, but there is still some humour there in the design. It also resembles the Magic flute (my real chicken). I'm going to start animating it today, just the walk cycle see if I can get the hang of their walk.

It won't be in colour in the actual animation, I'm keeping it simple!

Long time Avoiding

So while I've been on holiday, I seem to have lost motivation, or more likely I burnt myself out , especially towards the end of term. I think I needed a good break from it give my mind a bit of a reboot, so I can come back to it refreshed. Although that's not saying I haven't been thinking creatively I think I'm ready to get back on it, ideas and the to do list is getting bigger and bigger each week. So I think i shall begin again. I've set up my iPad so I can blog regularly so no more excuses. I'm using an app called Blogsy, really good interface, just figured out how to upload photos as well which is going to be useful. Plus I can upload videos so all my hand drawn animations which i'll be creating using Animation Desk (awesome app by the way).

I think it's this photo I took of a giant carpenter bee that may have sprung me back into action, along with my mums chickens. I never realised how funny a chickens walk is, so I've begun designing my own chicken and will be animating its walk cycle. Then I'm hoping to make little animations based upon this chicken using Animation Desk. I've got some ideas of how my chicken should look, I'm hoping this little exercise will help understand and appreciate the animation style of Tex Avery. As that is what my enter next years essay and project is on. Although Andy emailed me just to tweak the question a little as I've managed to make it a little difficult for myself, AGAIN!!

Currently I am in France, it's the one place where my mind is completely at ease, I think it's because my mum and dad take control and I don't have to be an adult or responsible for a few weeks. Well that's the conclusion I've come to. Oh these are the chickens that have inspired me, they're Sussex chickens or something I'm not quite sure, anyway here they are. They make the most oddest noise, and when they run I find it hilarious, so hopefully I can figure out how it's legs actually move, as the knee is bent opposite to ours and the balance of things I Think is off.

Once I have figured out the mechanics of the creatures I can then animate it correctly, I've video them, watched them and still can't figure it out. So I think I'm going to have to watch Chicken Run and some YouTube videos just to help grasp how they move. I will be uploading some designs of my chicken today and maybe even a outline walk through too.

We have a chubbier chicken and a more stream line one, I think I'm going to be basing my ideas on the fatter one as she genuinely has more personality and we have nicknamed her the Magic Flute as she never shuts up and makes the most bizarre noise, our chickens don't cluck and they have no fear either, well until you suddenly move and the leap away.

Anyway here she is, hopefully I can d her some justice in my designs as it is all down to her that I've wanted to start animating again. I think my mojo is coming back, my mind is more relaxed, France has taken off the pressure. I'll be here a few more weeks, so hopefully I'll have something worth while.

Also today I'll upload some videos I've taken of them walking around and just doing chicken things, like scratching the floor, pecking at insects and flapping their wings.

Wish me luck on my quest for motivation and getting back on the animation trail.

Posted with Blogsy

The Rhino Warrior

The xperia play

Well Christmas is over just waiting for the new year now. I got a xperia play for Christmas and so have set it up so I can blog on the go. I've also now got the camscanner set up so pictures I draw and things I see of interest I can upload straight away. Now I have no need to rely on the silly Kodak printer that always needs ink to scan! I did start my still life piece but electrics went and the file became corrupted, so starting again today, (will do as Roma told us and save a copy file along with creating auto backups). Will hopefully have something to upload by the end of today. This phone is definitely going to help in my endeavor to to get better as a multimedia practitioner. Will update soon