Week 1: Walk cycle progress

I think it's time for clean-up and to start the finesse treatment and adding a little secondary animation, perhaps take the zombie unflinching look of death off of her face.  There are still things I'm agonizing over though I've been told to move on for my own sanity and so others can view it and give me feedback so that I can grow.
So here is where I have gotten to, please note the speed of which her hand comes up to rest on her hip, I smoothed out the glitchy type feeling but now it feels rushed.  Still a bit iffy about her shifting her weight.  But I'll have to move on and then come back to the whole thing with fresh eyes in a week or so after working on something else.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Official Teaser Trailer RELEASED

very very bloody excited about this, it looks amazing!
I have friends who are very lucky to be working on this and I am completely jealous of course.  One of the best things I ever did was work on something I was already a fan of (the last 2 Harry Potter films), it's the greatest feeling.  Hopefully I'll get to work on more things I love but until then I'm still happy just being a fan of good work :)

Week 1: Stopping a walk cycle

Here is where I've gotten up to with my walk cycle, using the great Bonnie rig by Josh Sobel.
I'm kind of OK with the walk for now, but what I really wanted to do was make her stop and pose.  I've never thought about this process before and it's pretty tricky.  We as living creatures do not simply stop like a robot might.  We have to hold ourselves and re-shift our weight for balance and comfort (unless you're standing at attention).

As you can see, I'm not done with the arms.  And her stopping and posing is still really shifty, so I am going to try and make this more subtle today.

Good luck me....

Week 1: Remembering how to draw..

I used to draw every single day.  I didn't even think of it as practice or work, I was serious about drawing for comic books one day (before I realised I could make my drawings move of course).  Needless to say I was pretty chuffed at my skill back then, there weren't many in my class at primary school, secondary school or even 6th form who could draw very well.....so my ego grew - how stupid was I?

I made it to Uni, did a year diploma in Art foundation (media pathway) and then onto a 3yr animation course.  My 'skill' was put into perspective.  I wasn't the worst, but it wasn't as easy for me to shine, I had talented competition all around me.  So I guess I slowly shied away from drawing everyday, the drive to do it fading.   That's not even the end of it, wait until you reach a VFX house, maybe peruse some of your colleague's websites, and allow your jaw to drop.

So I am not the best anymore, far......FAR.....from it (as you can see with these quick phone snaps of some drawings (I'll scan them in properly at a later date), but at least I am inspired again.  If you ever feel a lack in motivation for painting or drawing, just walk into an art shop - I swear the smell of fresh brushes and oil paint made me pause.

So, without further ado and in keeping with my new 'show your mistakes' motto, here are 2 drawings I've done recently, and find below my own observations....

This is some sort of Samurai themed gal, it started off well proportion-wise, but in the end I find her pose kind of stiff and boring.  I used free flowing floopy lines for her hair and couldn't apply that to her body, too many rigid lines.

At least this little homage to Rogue from X-men is a little more exciting to look at.  Kind of went for a mid-air cross legged pose whilst removing her glove - very dangerous if you're near her.  But I couldn't get her arm at the back correct, the angle and shape seem very wrong.  Will have to look at poses like that more often and do some studies.

I have a bit of time off....

So, I am inbetween matchmove/rotoAnimation contracts again!  I am going to try and get some new animation out there (I think it's been about 5yrs since I've been brave enough to post anything - or simply because I got so wrapped up in being in VFX I neglected personal work).

This is the scary part now.  I went into one discipline, wanted to get really great at it before I moved on but have now lost touch with animating - especially my favourite, cartoony animating! 
It almost feels like I am fresh out of uni again, forgetting that I've been in the industry for 5yrs and have a nice number of films under my belt.  All that means nothing if you haven't kept up with your own personal development!   So I am doing the humbling act of going back to basics.  I need to get the 12 principles of animation down, but not only make a simple reel reflecting all of the 12 examples, oh no, there's too much competition out there now.  There are great online short courses spewing animators out left, right and centre.   If I had the means, I would simply take time off and do a few refresher courses.  Since this is something I have to save for, in the mean time I am left to my own devices.  Although I am lucky enough to have a great network of contacts since I have been around 4 VFX facilities now - never lose touch with your contacts, an occasional 'hey, how's it going?' can work wonders in the long run, and you may be able to repay the favour one day.

Now the even trickier part, I've never not had a job (even typing 'unemployed' makes me cringe).  My body is screaming at me to eat and play computer all day, catch up on series and there's also a mysterious urge to do DIY....
To keep myself in line, I have acquired the assistance of some animator friends to not only give feedback, but to also tell me off if I am slacking (some of us need a drill sergeant to get stuff done, I don't do well with people who try to butter me up).  I'm quite lucky in that respect, they care enough to tear themselves away from their own work to raise me up and keep me moving (metaphorically of course).   So, I'm going to write a journal of sorts of progression.  I've already started a new walk cycle so cannot show off any sort of early days blocking, but I will show progress from now.

One thing I have to get over is showing work, even if it's bad.  When I was still learning it was drilled into me to never show work until it's perfect.  After a few years of growing since then, I've realised (in my eyes at least), it will never be perfect.  It will be rough, mistakes will be made - even stupid ones.  When you reach the animation or film industry there will be people there to point out your mistakes all day long so get used to it, it's how you grow.  Why haven't I been able to apply this theory to my animation work?.... probably because I love animation, and it's scary as hell for someone to point out 'hey that pose could do with a little more weight' when it's like your baby.

Anywho, let's start with week 1.....

It's been aaaaaaaaages/ Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2!

I've been a bit poo at this blog thing since winter hit.  No, I haven't been hibernating - but I have been jumping around VFX companies, and as such have commited all my attention to them and making good impressions and what not.
Actually have a stack of cool posts I wanted to make based on more animation news findings.  But let's start with this one....

USA Today released lovely artwork for "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2", looks like we'll be seeing a whole load of funny half animal/half food creatures, which can make for some fun story ideas.

Enjoy!

The UK's first VFX Festival!

Escape Studios are hosting the UK's first VFX Festival from 10 to 13 October in London!

"I think we're seeing a cultural shift -- for instance, George Osborne announced that the latest Tom Cruise film will generate 500 jobs. I don't think even a few years ago we would have seen a chancellor announce a new film, but it's now seen as an important part of the economy."

~ Ed Vaizey, Minister for culture, communications and creative industries

Some really exciting news and well deserved attention for the VFX workforce in London's Soho.  

Follow these links for more information and articles:

 http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-10/02/vfx-festival-preview

 http://www.thevfxfestival.com/