Rough scene setup

It starts....

 

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!

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!

 

Test Renders of Hagatha

So here is a scene render, finally got all the props and the broom character, I don't know wether or not to add a a cat rig to the broom, so I might do that tomorrow. Anyway I can finally start really animating the story out tomorrow. Although it will be the altered shortened version. Anyway below is her walk cycle just a little longer:

I love shes sooo bouncy

A Palm Tree

I know it looks like lego, but this is completely made in Maya. The trunk is just a cylinder with a bend deformer and extruded faces. I'm starting to get used to the Maya interface now, and work is progressing quicker. I think I'm going to try and make everything in Maya, practice makes perfect!

Painting

learning to paint properly in Photoshop, here is the first stage of my concept for the Graphi Novel/film I have in mind. Its called 'Pods'.

2012 Showreel

So here it is, my first ever go at making a showreel, theres a lot that could be improved, but there is plenty there that shows the hardwork. The most important thing is how much I have come along in such a short space of time, and this really shows that. From having nothing for two years to suddenly being able to pull together a 2minute showreel, I wish I could add more into it showing my knowledge of all the programs I know, like after effects and Maya, but this will do for now. It can only get better as my own skills improve, i also think that my next one will be more conceptual based this one is all about what I've learnt my next one will be me not having to rely on that but show all the things I can accomplish. I have added my sketches onto the DVD just not into the Showreel, I have a good idea of what I'm going to do for that too when I get there. One step at a time though.
Anyway as promised here is my baby, can't wait to watch it grow:



Also want to apologise for the flickering I uploaded the wrong version to Vimeo, but u get the jist.

Into Mudbox we Go

Here she is transferred into Mudbox, I've added a few warts, but for tonight I think I'm going to leave it there. Will carry on tomorrow, like spiking the nose and curling the toes more. I will also see if I can mould in hairs, perhaps. Well at least I get to start painting Hagatha tomorrow, all the unwrapping i finally complete, it took forever, she is very detailed!! Anyway I am done for this evening, time to go home and get some food and sleep. Night

Saint Jerome in his Study - Model

I have begun modelling a replica of the painting 'Saint Jerome in his Study' by Antonello da Messina. This is just the doorway, I've built most of it by just extruding and Chamfering sections. Once you get the basics down its quite simple, just a puzzle. The awkward bit was modelling the inner doorway detail towads the top. I havent taken a good enough screen image for it to be really visible though. Anyway, this project I will be slowly getting on with along with all the other ones, hopefully will be another small thing to add to the portfolio.

 

Perfect

Found this online whilst thinking about composition and the style of my piece. It has all the elements that I wanted to include in my still life, although this one is very crisp and clean and I want my to feel more realistic, then a set up. This is still a good reference, and something i will keep referring back too, especially the strawberry jam. I will change the chopping board though, add a few crumbs, a tile bakground and granit surface. Perfect, just texturing the loaf now, here is the basic model I have done in 3ds max:

Getting there bit by bit, just need to find the right texture for it, might have to wait and make a loaf myself once I get back to the uk and take pictures of it. Will keep searching.

Decided to just stick to modelling for the time being and collect my materials all at once, the search was fruitless online so going to compile my own. It will be done, hopefully i'll figure out the uwv unwrapping thing too.

i think i need to re-do the knife still 50/50 on its actual basic model, but so far so good

It's Decemeber

Well I'm on the last stretch of this advert I just have to tweak one little bit of it and add music, then it is finito. I've just uploaded the begininng of the piece, so you can get a feel of where I am heading with it. Alll the other bits of animation are done, I've just got to add a high impact sequence for the name, then I'll have it all done by thursday I think, depending on how long the music takes me to do. The after effects animation bits aren't great and it does need cleaning up, but that only comes with practice and me getting into it. I think though I'll use after effects mainly for title sequences, becuase i really really enjoy doing that, and this project has taught me so much more than when I used it for the Chess animation. All these skills now are just adding up.

I also can't believe it is decemeber, so the next few blogs will be a bit sparse but will be to do with the next project; The Still Life piece. Little bit nervous to begin it as I know it has to be precise as well as materials being spot on as well, plus lighting. It is a composition piece, and you can't hide things going wrong through moving pieces like in animation. Maybe a christmas miracle will happen.

Plus this christmas I will begin designing my two characters in the Silent comedy animation I'll be doing. I've already got the idea. characters and sequences playing out in my head. Just got to start drawing, downside to that is at my parents home they don't have a scanner. So it will be after new year when the sketches will loaded up unless I take pictures, but they never come out any good.

Arena Animation

This is a quick over look of the arena, in the advert I'm going to show them floating up from the floor, gonna be awesome. My advert is I think all about the power and impact of it, its not very subtle.

My Network

There we go, finally finished and figured out, its only a basic overview of my network, I think had I added anymore it would have gotten too complex and this is just a representation, not too in depth. It gives you a good understanding of where my networks lie and how spread out it is, I can push it further, if needed too.
This excercise really helped give me an understanding that if I explored this concept of networking, it would be very beneficial to me.
Well halfway through the essay i have been reserching and understanding, and even trying to learn ways of expanding my network further. Using things like conferences, art exhibitions, and just interviewing people who genuinely inspire me. I don't want to contact companies just for an assignment, I want to do it in a way that is useful to me and my network. Just going around begging for a job is not how I plan to do this. I might want to become a free lance artist which seems to be the normal route in this industry, so therefore interviewing people who have successfully been doing this for a while, will be so very very useful. The more knowledge I have about this the stronger the outcome i feel.

The beginning section of my music

For the past few days I have been working on creating a little sound track to accompany my robot animation. I think it gives the futuristic feel, although it may be a little too creepy. I've tweaked it a little since but just wanted to keep updated. I think I like it, not sure yet. I also have a new found respect for musicians who can successfully make their own music, very hard. Been at this for ages on a good programme LMMS. So glad I have it.

Lets Play

Here it is, animation combined with the opening!! I'm so happy, theres one flaw in it, but maybe it adds to it I dont know. Anyway I like it, it took a lot of faffing around and again 2.5hrs to render, but its starting to take shape. I'm starting to think about a sound track to go with it, and not forgetting sound effects, like the cracking of the knuckles. I really want my hands to have a Human personality its just trapped in Robot hands.

Hmmm... Chess Pieces beginning

This is just a progress render of my pieces, they still have a lot of tweaking left to do. Basic shapes are there but I am not happy with them yet, maybe material will help and more detail. Although they are supposed to be just Metal representations of the chess pieces rather than the standard ones. I'm also building them from scratch as I feel everyone is probably just copying a online tutorial, and I'd like my animation to stand out a little more. Anyway also to add... the chess computer has now been built it just needs detail like buttons, the black rectangle is when the words such as "Check In 10" will appear.