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On one hand it feels like it’s been such a long time since I started AM and on the other hand it is truly flying by. More or less it must be the effect of the left and right side of my brain being stimulated simultaneously. So far this has been one of the most enjoyable experiences that I have had as far as learning is concerned. Albeit, it helps that I’m ecstatic about what I’m doing and AM seemingly works very hard to make it enjoyable as well as challenging at the same time.
Anyway before I go off on some type of joyous AM rant which is not hard to do. I just wanted to acknowledge that week 3 is officially in the books! Last week we were tasked with the assignment of animating a bouncing ball that emulated a basketball. I can honestly say with a positive smirk that I probably know more about a bouncing ball then I ever did before and there is still tons more to learn from it.
What was really interesting for me is that I’ve done bouncing balls in the past in animation. Although, in my earlier attempts I had never fully went in-depth as to why things were happening or what was really taking place. As long as something was moving I was happy and excited (reflecting and laughing now). Not to mention, this is really the first time that I’ve conciously acknowledged a few of the “principles of animation” as addressed in the manner of which it has been this past week. Don’t get me wrong, I had always been “aware” of the principles of animation but I never truly studied them the way I’m studying them now. Good stuff, it really is and I’m sure going forward it will show in my upcoming work.
After I receive my e-critique from my mentor this week and I get a chance to apply any revisions if necessary. I’ll go ahead and upload my assignment from last week. Also, I’ll upload my revised Stu pose based on the pose in my last post. The posing of Stu in itself is another topic all together and maybe I’ll revisit that down the road.
Proper staging and the how a characters silhouette reads is just one of the many things that are being ingrained into my mind. It is something when you step back and think about all of the things that animators “have to know” when working on a shot. And when you think you’ve written down the last thing on the list you hear “Oh and don’t forget these other ten things too! and…and…”. As far as I’m concerned, when you can actually call your self a professional animator that is really saying something.
As I prepare for this weeks assignment, my fascination with AM and my passion for animation continues to grow even stronger as the big picture slowly starts to unfold. My appreciation of animators past and present is something that will always be as my eyes are continuing to be finely tuned.
Check back later this week for some visual updates.
Quick update…
Below is my final submission for week 2 over at AM. The model is the “famous” STU character. All I can say is that the rig for this guy is just awesome and a joy to work with. As the classes progress the rigs get more intricate and tons of options added. Looking forward to the next iterations.
I’ve also tagged another quick sketch as promised. Down the road I’m going to look back at these and cringe 
oh well… Right now, I’m just going through old pics, magazines and art-books drawing whatever strikes a cord with a little twist of my own to them. Once I feel like I’ve warmed up, I’ll get back to creating some original stylized stuff as usual. For now though, I’m just trying to remind my self that I can still draw some what.
Yes, I know…the rust is something fierce
It’s times like these that I like to rummage through my old materials and drawing books for quick inspiration. These facial sketches took all of about 30 minutes to do and it looks like it as well. But hey…that’s why I have to keep drawing everyday or at least try to.
For now, I’m going to stick with the facial theme until I feel like im ready to move on to stylized body work. Usually my pencils will catch fire after about a week or two (God knows I hope so.) What would be cool is to see where my skills are after six months. Truthfully, it has been eon’s literally since I’ve drawn consistently for a period of three months or more. I must truly break that trend.
So here’s to keeping my promise of the first of two sketch sessions by the weekend.
We are slowly building up to full speed with these assignments, optimal keyword being slowly. I literally spent 3 hours or more in one sitting just adjusting the STU rig to nail down one pose. Don’t get me wrong, I’m pretty comfortable with working with rigs and such but the emphasis is on just this one frame. It really makes a difference when your trying to sell that pose, make sure it reads and wonder if your actually pushing it to the “extreme”. AM really stresses pushing your poses to the extreme and then slowly start to scale it back. Thank goodness this was a considerably small assignment compared to what lies ahead because if it took 3 hours to nail down this latest pose, how long will it take to animate several? hahaha.
About the assignment.
This week we were required to do some quick sketches of people out and about then pick one of those sketches to pose STU with. Of course, I followed the instructions and posted some really quick matchstick men sketches which for the most part I felt satisfied the requirement. The sketches I posted captured the action, sense of weight, etc, well at least I thought so. Looking around campus it was easy to tell who is working full time, part-time and not at all. Some of the students posted some really nice poses and drawings with tons of poses. Some of the posted sketches from other students weren’t quick sketches at all, kinda looked like comic book drawings. Seems to me like a little carbon flexing was taking place this week But hey, that is just an example of the friendly and unspoken competition that is brewing in class one. Personally, I love it and for now, I’m going to continue to focus on what is relevant while keying in on the main emphasis of the given week. Then out of nowhere every now and again I’ll flex some some big guns, you can count on that :)
So far, there is no shortage of inspiration as people are doing things that make you go “wow” or “yeah, I need to push that hard too!”. Talk about an inspiring environment. AM is that and a lot more especially if your channeling the right attitude.
And no, I haven’t forget about my weekly sketches I blogged about. Maybe I’ll upload two new sketches to make up for last week. I’m sure I can crank something out by the weekend.
Well, the first week of Animation Mentor is basically done. Officially the weeks end on Sunday @ 12pm PST. But in my case, I’ve satisfied all of my requirements for week one already. Those requirements were getting familiar with the on-line campus and let me tell you… it’s huge. Really, it’s huge. There is so much information and things to do and see it’s just incredible. The interactivity alone is second to none. I hate that it is only going to be for 18 months.
Anyway, I got a chance to download the first character rig “STU” which for a so called introductory rig is really awesome, easy to use and professional. I’m actually looking forward to the more advanced rigs as the course progresses.
One of the other things that I had to complete was a video journal and talk a little about myself etc etc. So while I was getting ready to start that part of the assignment my youngest son came down stairs. Let me tell you, being that I am sort of clown myself, I realize that my behavior has truly affected my kids LOL. So I had the web cam running on record….and umm….hahahaha enjoy.
Next week I should finally be able to start posting some “animation” related material.
If I actually tried to express what Animation Mentor is like with words, I honestly would not being doing the experience thus far justice and it’s only been a day. But, let’s just say, you got to be there to understand
My mentor for Class One is Brett Coderre whose credits include Ratatouille, Mater and the Ghostlight, Cars, Jack-Jack Attack, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo, Exploring the Reef, Monsters Inc, Toy Story 2 & A Bug’s life. Needless to say, Brett has had his share of fun and I’m sure I’ll be learning a lot from this guy…wow. Couldn’t be happier to have a mentor with his credits starting out of the blocks.
Aside from all of that, I am in the process right now of learning the ends and out of the on-line campus, meeting fellow classmates and going over my course syllabus. So pretty soon there should be animations to show and I’ll probably post a sketch or two each week. Let the fun begin.
