Back into college mode!

I actually did some work today, hooraah!  I put the line test onto a CD... it took me a whoole painstaking 2 minutes to do, but I feel better for having done something.

Another failed attempt to get in touch with Sam - I think he's allergic to technology.  Either that or his phone is broken/he's gone blind/he's forgotten how to use the internet/his fingers have dropped off/he cant read/he's left his phone on a hot air balloon and it's floating over the desert somewhere... so he cant use his phone.

Did anyone watch The Gruffalo on Christmas Day?  I loved it!!!!  Waaagh I want to watch it again, hope it comes out on DVD or something.

UCAS application is coming along.  I filled in all my qualifications yesterday and wrote a draft for the dreaded personal statement.  Planning to get that finished off by tomorrow ideally.  Bah!  Humbug! 

Roll on 2010 :)

Side traaaacked

Okay, how did it manage to be Thursday already?

Scary things:-

1. I have 14 days to get the Codeine Velvet work submitted.  (and I haven't really made a start.  EEK)
2. It is 8 days until Christmas.
3. I bought a minidisc player off Ebay to make voice recordings with and it is RUBBISH.  I need to complain and send it back.  Grrrr!

I've been too busy working/drawing pointless pictures/sleeping and cooking.  Here are some pretty pictures to balance out the scariness.

My Christmas cards this year :)

 

Chester's Debut

Inspirational Images/videos

I love the colours used in this illustration...and it makes me smile :-)  I love Moleskine sketchbooks.

Preggers. from Model Robot on Vimeo.

This is an animation by Model Robot.

"A subtle animated documentary dealing with the sensitive issue of young mothers in Folkestone. The film focuses on the struggle to get by and do one's best in the face of negativity."

I love the simplicity of the animation style, and the colour scheme used, however I really don't like the illustration style used for the characters faces/bodies. They have big nostrils! It looks as if some of this has been rotoscoped from live action or photographs, which may be why I don't like drawing style. The sounds in this animation are very "real" i.e. waves on a beach, mothers talking, seagulls etc. which helps to get the serious message of the animation across.

The Last (college) Day Before Christmas

Since I last updated I've done Chester's line test.  I tried uploading it to Youtube last night but for some reason it wouldn't work.  I did, however, manage to get the rubbish version uploaded.  Here it is.



The images weren't intended to be used for this... hence the jerkiness.  I'd like to make a smoother version!

Time-management and progress has gone quite well this week.  I've got a lot of the model-making module out of the way.

Here's the list I made on the 7th December.

TO-DO LIST

• Finish proposal and treatment for live brief (one dot zero)
  
• Complete A4 research file for live brief (one dot zero)
• Get some development sketchbook work done for Digital Applications project.... 
• Aaaand sketchbook development for Model-making project!

ALL-DONE LIST

• Make Chester's latex hands
• Sew Chester's shirt
• Create Chester's shoes
• Make Chester's plasticine head

 I'v done lots of practical, need to get a move on with the written/development work.

Skills Development in Relation to Future Careers
-Learned (from an online forum) how to do batch editing on Photoshop (this saves SOOO much time)

-Looked online to find out how to use Adobe Premiere Pro to make animations by importing still images.

Chester is FINISHED!

Hooray!

 

Chester: The Making Of (pt 2)

I've been working on Chester today.  :)  Since his last photo-shoot he's gained a pair of trousers, shoes, a head, eyes, glasses, and some latex hands.

Latex hands. 
I need to apply some paint and dip them again so that they aren't that horrible yellowy latex colour.  Really regretting using the useless thin wire for his fingers now.  Already snapped a few fingers!  :-(

Feet made from polymer clay, trousers made from cotton/lyrca material.

Mmmmm, Sculpey.

The eyes/beads that were too big for Chester's face.  I've kept them incase I want to do a scene where he's on drugs/really angry.  haha.

Weekly

Progress & Time Management




This week I have done loads of catching up.  Time management has been good - I wrote a big to-do list on my whiteboard at the begining of the week and have been rubbing things off as I complete them.
Last weeks goals:-

• Create 2D stuff - car, pensioner and street props -  for group animation.
  
• Find out what exactly Jonny, Dan and I are doing for the live brief.  Possibly just do a different live brief on my own to save hassle??
  
• Finish proposal and treatment for live brief. 
  
• Complete A4 research files for:-
• AD202 *Digital Applications*
  
• AD207 *Live Brief(s)* 
  
•  Write 500 word report on Skillset stuff.  By next Monday morning.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Strengths & Weaknesses
  
  
  
  
  
  

Strengths
Getting stuff done and prioritizing the things which were most urgent.  Managing to stay up a bit later at nights to get things done.

Weaknesses
Still need to do a lot of work before I can be "up to date".  Gah.


Skills Development in Relation to Future Careers
-Learned how to trace line tests into Adobe Flash
-Improved my Photoshop skills when making the props/oap's for the group animation.

Goals & Aims for the week

• Finish proposal and treatment for live brief (one dot zero)
  
• Complete A4 research file for live brief (one dot zero)
• Make Chester's latex hands
• Sew Chester's shirt
• Create Chester's shoes
• Make Chester's plasticine head
• Get some development sketchbook work done for Digital Applications project.... 
• and sketchbook development for Model-making project!

I'm going to have to plan work time over christmas carefully because by the looks of it I'm going to be at work lots.  Eek.

Flergh, it's Friday

I didn't go into college today because I was feeling poorly.  Wasn't expecting to get much done, BUT I have somehow turned into a researching machine and completed...

• "10 examples" digital applications research
• 3 synopsises of briefs

Awh.  Doesn't look like much when I write it on here.  Bah!

I also made a snowflake from an old battered copy of the Lush Times.  Behold!

Plan for the rest of today:-

1. Write proposal and treatment for Codeine Velvet brief
   
2. Look at trends in animation
3. If I have time after all that (!!!) then I'll work on Chester a bit.  He's feeling neglected and still doesn't look anything like a stop motion puppet :(

2D Pensioner!

Meet George, everyone!  I tried to stick as closely as I could to Lynsey's style of working (pale colours, no outlines) and I think it's come out ok.  He's only for the background so i'm not too worried.  I might make a couple of friends for him with different accessories and clothes. 

Some old springs, a lonely sock, 2 versions of the car which will hang from a crane (one clean, one mud-splattered) 

x

Jon Burgerman exhibition @ Elektric Sheep

 Paralysis of Choice

 

I had a wander into Elektric Sheep today to see the exhibition.  Didn't really know what to expect (never been to Elektric Sheep before and haven't seen much of Jon Burgerman's illustration) HOWEVER, it was amaazing!  The little shop was good too.  I did some sneaky Christmas shopping.  Ooh ooh ooh I got stickers too.

These colourful bits were hanging in the window  :)

His drawings aren't always easy to make out at first - you need to look harder and work them out sometimes.  This one in particular!

Oooh a nice red chair...

Covered in illustration!   :D

Inspirational Videos and Images

This is an commercial animation by Kristofer Stromm.  It was designed to encourage people to cycle from A to B.  It particularly caught my eye because of the compositing!  The background looks like it's just been either filmed or taken stills of, and then the 2D animation has been dropped in.  Little blue men in the background look as if they are made from clay, and they move so there's a bit of stop-motion going on too.  When the boy cycles behind the Etch-a-Sketch that's another animation method whacked in there... The clouds are stop motion cotton balls.  I love the effect this has!  It's very cute.  Also, in relation to sound design, the way the music becomes muffled when they get into the car is interesting.  I'd like to incorprate this technique into my own sound design at some point.

My first ever proper Flash animation! Wheeee

My wall, and my brain...

Wall of joy!

Anyway, I thought i'd make a note of stuff that i've DONE so that it might feel like i'm actually getting somewehere.

• Created 2D car (one muddy, one clean)
• Created night sky & skyline and day sky & skyline.
• Line-tested the fox hitting the wall, and the bouncing ball.
• Rendered out my Cinema 4D shadow eSting.
  
• Taken screenshots of Coraline and "Food".
• Printed Chester's "Making Of" images
• Looked at examples of ani techniques and processes for Ad202 research.  (Still on this step...bah i hate research so much)
• Created 2 mood boards for Codeine Velvet live brief.
  

Today's plan!

-Finish off digital applications research *examples  *investigate compositing  *look at trends
-Make 2D pensioner
-Sketch storyboards for Codeine Velvet live brief.

*head pops*

p.s.  A Kit to Thwart Writers Block 

Weekly Update

Progress/Time Management

Har har har.  Progress didn't really happen last week.  I had an orthodontist appointment, was at work quite a lot, and then I was in Dundee, without laptop or college work.  Gah!  Time management... that didn't happen.  Oh dear, last week wasn't very good.  As soon as I was back from Dundee (Sunday) I got up to speed with the group work with Lynsey, Karl and Sam and made the skylines and sky.  I also went through all my paperwork and organized it, and wrote up a to-do list and a production plan for myself.

Strengths & Weaknesses



Strengths:

Getting myself all organized and managing to get a lot done in ONE day.

Weaknesses:

Leaving it all till the last minute, forgetting to take my work with me to Dundee, letting it all get disorganized and not being totally sure of WHAT I was doing.  Staying intouch with Dan and Jonny about the live brief.  I don't have a clue what we're doing!!! It's really frustrating me so i'll have to get sorted out with that a.s.a.p.

Skills Development

I have been playing around with Adobe Flash tutorials online, and learned about motion tweens and shape tweens.  I've also line-tested a couple of hand-drawn animations from my new lightbox.

Goals and Aims for this week (1st week in December!)

• Create 2D stuff - car, pensioner and street props -  for group animation. By Wednesday 2nd.
  
• Find out what exactly Jonny, Dan and I are doing for the live brief.  Possibly just do a different live brief on my own to save hassle?? Tomorrow (Tuesday 1st).
  
• Finish proposal and treatment for live brief.  By Friday 4th.
  
• Complete A4 research files for:-
• AD202 *Digital Applications* By this weekend.
  
• AD207 *Live Brief(s)*  By tomorrow night (Tues 1st)
  
•  Write 500 word report on Skillset stuff.  By next Monday morning.

My brain was hurting so I made a timeline thing :)