figures

Mind the gap Process

Here's a step by step

Blocking

Now with the sword

Same, with auto tangents (letting the computer automatically inerpolate between frames)

Refining, cleaning up the curves 

Nearly "done" 

That's all for now folks.

Mind the Gap planning

Some process work.

 Character Analysis

 Animation Ideas

More idea exploring

 First pass at planning the animation

 Really didn't know where to go with this, so after some class input and help from my instuctor I did a 2d animation pass in flash with the new, more concrete idea

First (real) 3d animation and then some other stuff

This is some of the process gone through for the animation. Bits of Idea, staging, character and video reference analysis. The real meat of the planning was a quick walk I animated (pose test) traditionally. I have to find those pages and scan them....Also not shown is the actual video reference.

This is the first stage of the animation. Basically a pose test blocking out only the major keys of the walk (contact, down, passing position and up). Felt like I had a good sense of weight, arcs, timing, overlap/ follow-through and all that in this phase....

This is after some changes have been made. Refining some poses, adding breakdowns I was still working mostly in step tangents here... Then I went to auto- tangents to start diving into the curve editor. What a mess

Guh. What the fuck!? It was hard for me to work past this point. Really, I hated this thing. So much broken, I had a hard time to know where to start in fixing it. Beyond just getting it technically to work it was decided that the bit of acting (with the hand) was unnecessary/ distracting/ poorly executed and it would be best to eliminate it. Among a small handful of other fixes. The mechanics were there. That is really nice. In all the struggling with the animation, at least I wasn't fumbling with the animating itself, just the acting.

and here is the final(ish) version. At least, the final one for class. This can probably be taken to a real finish, polished up and put in my portfolio... perhaps. What I was really struggling with in this whole process was some seriously screwed up poses. Working in step tangents I felt like I was able to just work from pose to pose with relative ease. Turns out there is some posing etiquette that needs to be adhered to to keep the computer interpolation from going bonkers.

What do I want to fix? Those arms are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too stiff. I need to get them thangs more dangly. The timing/ spacing overall needs to be cleaned up. The general feel is there, but there's not much texture (on top of some popping going on). That trip needs to be refined, as well as make the object he is tripping on more obvious.

All in all I learned a ton. Next animation is Mind the Gap. Fun fun fun.


Here's some drawings from other stuff:

 Open figure drawing. Need to do this more.

 Cafe sketching. Starting to feel this a bit more.

I am teaching a thing!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151234163271388&set=a.10151053009656388.485475.21787386387&type=1&ref=nf



And boy do I feel incredibly outclassed by some of the other presenters (Andreas Deja, Ryan Woodward. Not to mention some of my freaking teachers!). It's an incredible opportunity, great exposure.... Now I just wish I had a damned portfolio and some business cards. Shit.

Ryan Woodward's art: http://ryanwoodwardart.com/

Andreas Deja: http://andreasdeja.blogspot.com/
I am stoked to go to this guys talk, it's going to be awesome.

Instructors;
Alecia Rossano: http://aleciarossanosculptress.blogspot.com/
Peter Moerhle: http://happybrush.blogspot.com/
Suzanne Kaufman: http://www.suzannekaufman.com/

SKETCH DUMP (school edition)

Junior year go! 

 Some thumbnail focusing on balance. These were for my intro to 3d animation class

 Observational sketching

 More observation!

 For my Backgrounds and layouts class: One point interior

 2-point exterior. These are really just for the teacher to see

how bad we are at perspective.

 Tree! For the BG class

 Trees! Same class

 Tree again! Still BG's

 Environmental sketches for Storyboards

Same as above.

I am taking a reduced class-load this year, switching over to the ever-despicable "5-year" plan. There are a couple of motivating factors behind this. Mainly I want to be able to maintain my workout program, and having finally gotten back into Taekwondo this is very important to me.  Furthermore: I have some serious confidence issues that I am trying to work on. This does not prevent me from being outrageously busy.

It's close. The feeling that I get when I am doing TKD, I can almost reach that with drawing. It's a feeling of hyper-focus, almost zen-like. Everything in the world and life but that very moment ceases to be, leaving no anxiety, fear, apprehension... Nothing to really hold me back. Of course I get frustrated when I screw up, especially right now during this period of getting back in shape. But that feeling is fleeting, It flashes by and is gone in an instant. That is what I have been striving to achieve in these past two years at DigiPen, and it is close. 

Fear... That is what has been my biggest enemy. Fear of what? Failing? I know I am just a student (will I ever be anything but?), all of this is practice. Every mark on every page is just another step up on this never-ending climb. Once a drawing starts that fear resides, not entirely, but with every new drawing it does a little more. It's the start that kills me. Sitting down and staring at blank paper or computer screen, ideas buzzing about with all the other noise in my head... Even when drawing from observation, especially when drawing environments. All that visual information becomes noise, it's difficult for me to pare it down to it's most essential shapes and forms. That's what practice is for, right? Learning how to to filter through that clutter and grab a hold of the essential?

Is it an unfamiliarity with the process? I do get bogged down by each step. Too reluctant to move forward with confidence, too impatient to not skip steps along the way. How frustrating that is.

It's not all so bad, though. Some switches are being flipped on, others off, in my head. The Way is being more and more well lit for every walk I take through it.

Kick combo pose test (and some figure drawing)

Oh look! More animation! Did in flash, not nearly done.

You know what's terrible? I have 7 years of taekwondo under my belt (7 years in my adult life, mind you, not some long-gone time from elementary and junior high) and for whatever stupid reason I had to redraw the poses for these kicks about a billion flipping times each. I guess that's what happens when you don't do any real prep work for the animation.


Waitwaitwait. What the hell am I doing updating this blog so frequently? I don't draw this much in my free time... do I? Something is going on here, I'll get to the bottom of it! But for now,  naked people!

These were from photo's on the internet. I know, I know, a travesty! Drawing from photographs! On a computer! How dare I?