ATRG Update

Halfway through the backgroudn now, just have Georgian/Colonial to Modern day left to do. Still not hundred percent how I plan to finish it, but as long as I get the bulk of it done I'm happy.

I'm drawing a lot of it on the iPad using procreate and just transferring it over via dropbox to Photoshop, its so much easier to draw I find and then I can just tweak it and make it fit when I need to.

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

Daily sketch Le Chef

So my other half is doing a patisserie course this year, and every Tuesday keeps bringing home lots of fattening goodies, then we eat them while watching The Great British Bake Off. Well I was a little inspired to draw my very of a chef.

Here is the outline, and then I did a coloured version on my iPad using the Procreate app.

Only annoying thing about my daily sketch is his stupid squinty eye! I've forgotten how to draw them, will keep at it though! I like it apart from that I think, I like my little random daily sketches thing I've got going on though.

Daily Sketch: Beethoven

Just practicing my drawing skills, practice makes perfect. Anyway thought I'd have a go at a caricature and chose to do the famous Beethoven. Did not realise how big his forehead and hair was till I studied his pictures. Anyway here's my version of him done on iPad using Procreate and a Alupen.

not bad for a first time go, anyway I might add more detail later, just kept it simple with block colours and basic shadows. His hair could do with being a bit more fly away and messy though I reckon, anyway daily sketch done!

 

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!

 

Styles and Logos

Have another meeting this evening, just to update on progress and make sure im heading in the right direction.

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

 

 

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!

 

Quick test Renders

Just some quick renders I thought I'd share with, just showing my progress, I'm planning to change the wooden beams to a darker wood, and the table should be finished by tomorrow morning, along with the chairs and then onto the fireplace. The fire place is going to be the hardest thing, might have to rethink that one, make it more oven like rather then so natural.

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

HAH MAYA

I'm winning!! So I began to modellling my pirate scene in 3ds Max, (cheating I know). Anyway Andy came over and soon put me back on the right track and told me how important it was to use Maya. Well the quick chat did the trick and from just being able to create a sphere and box, to now having learnt how to use the 'create polygon tool', 'extrude', 'interactive split tool', and 'Bend' tools succesfully in just under a few hours. HAH! oh and not forgetting the importance of deleting construction history. Anyway really pleased myself as there are no tutorials online about how to make a palm tree, I figured it out myself, best achievement of the day. Well anyway going to carry on with the trunk of the tree now.

FINALLY

Well Hagatha is finally back in 3ds Max, taken weeks to figure out what was happening with the seams, anyway, after a lot of trial and plenty of error, this is officially the best outcome of all my hard work. There are elements of course I'd like to improve but for animation and progression purposes I am happy with this. It does do something weird when rendered though, but I think that is mainly to do with materials. I can sort that later. I no longer have the patience to faff around. I just want to move forward!

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'.

I DID I DID see a putty cat

Still practicing my drawing skills and photoshop. It's simple stuff like this that builds a portfoilio. Especially as I know exactly how I'm going to digitalise my sketchbooks properly for the real portfolio I'd hand to potential employers as a concept artist. If I keep doing stuff like this by the end of the summer I'll have quite a collection. Anyway this is me and emma as Cats, I took the the previouse images I drew and changed us into cats.

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.

Showreel Menus

So here are the Title menus I have made for my Showreel DVD, I'm quite impressed with myself as I learnt Adobe Encore quite quickly, thank goodness!  Anyway I will be shortly sharing my actual showreel with u shortly, just though I would add my menus. I like how I've incorporated my work onto the pages in a non too evasive way, they're there subtly in the glass baubles. Again another thing I taught myself. I am getting there, I have almost begun to conquere 3ds max. After this I will also add the turntable video of Hagatha in Mudbox.

 Above is the main page, simple stylistic, straight to the point. And below is my extras page which has the full length film 'The Chess player' and also a slideshow of my sketches, as I feel that is very important to show if I'm slowly heading into the direction of concept artist.

I have also included a contact page, for further info. Being in Digital Multimedia I thought it was very important to use just digital forms of contact. Eventually I will change the Hotmail account into a web address, but for the time being it will do.

Tweaking and Playing

So I've re done the UVW Map to Hagatha, along with re doing her model in Mudbox. It was very flat and bland and I couldn't figure out why, but after a few discussions I realised that I hadn't been using my original design as a reference but just doing it from memory. Anyway by doing this it looked flat and dull, so I've gone back into Mudbox and started from scratch. So here is the difference now from the original image:

Original above, Below the Tweaked.

She is getting some real shape now in her torso, the "shelf" is more obvious and so is her stomache and bulge. The tweaking has just begun, this may put me back a little bit but there is no point in doing things in half measures.

Pflow Test

I created this yesterday while learning about particle flow, with the effects of wind and drag too. This was created from a tutorial by Chandan Kumar. It was really helpful. I still need to play around a lot more, but I have realised that it is the wind that really determines the whole thing. Anyway this weekend I'll be drawing, keeping on top of and improving my skills. Will upload the sketches I do as soon as I can promise.

Morning Play

Just been playing around with a tutorial by Andrew Kramer, it taught me about subtle ligthing and shadows.Still in the playing stage of the producion logo. Mini projects keep me learning new things. Especially the shadows I can use within a scene. Anyway I might do another. Will keep you updated