Over the last couple of weeks I have been tormenting myself about my drawing skills. I've been going to life drawing sessions and keep shocking myself at how bad I am at them. I've been learning so much theory about doing it that I expect myself to be better than I actually am.
As a result I have done very little in the way of drawing. I think all I have done is a few quick sketches in a coffee shop at the weekends. I haven't touched the storyboard for my Christmas film.
It's got to the point where I really questioned for the first time whether I have the potential to follow my dream of being a traditional animator. I can animate reasonably well I think, but I'm just not good enough at drawing. I have considered postponing the Christmas film until next year in order to concentrate solely on drawing practice. Not sure what to do. It even got to the point this week where I thought about stopping my blog writing (hence the reason for no posts in a while). My thinking was that it is another thing to distract me when I should be practicing.
On the other hand, my blog has been one of the few things keeping me going with my dreams. It has provided me with great feedback and has allowed me to make contact with like-minded people.
So I think for now the blog will continue, hopefully with more regular posts!
Right, onto something productive. In terms of 3D animation, I think I have been making some good progress over the last couple of weeks. At work, I am working on my fourth cutscene for one of the games currently in development at Traveller's Tales. Sadly, I STILL can't say what it is! This cutscene, I believe, is my best yet, which I'm happy about. Incidentally, I noticed that someone has put all the Lego Batman cutscenes on YouTube, so I am going to ask at work if I can put them on here, so I can finally show what I did (and explain what I'd do differently now).
Also, I am hoping to have another go at an 11 Second Club competition when it starts tomorrow. I did start planning one a few months back, but never got round to animating it. To be honest I spent too long on things that don't matter like designing a set. This time I will concentrate on the animation alone.
However last night I got bitten by the animation bug and felt the urge to do something. I felt like doing a 3D animation, and didn't want to have to wait for the 11 Second Club. So I rooted through my DVD collection to find a suitable audio clip. I decided on this one from City Slickers:
I spent yesterday evening blocking out some "golden poses" and putting in some breakdowns. I've only got through about half of the clip so far, but I feel like I'm doing pretty well.
Although it's only a blockout, I think it's already much better than my last attempt at animating a movie sound clip. That clip, alongwith my Uncle Buck one got me my current job at Traveller's Tales. Not quite sure why!
Us usual, I'd really appreciate any feedback from anyone kind enough to leave it, particularly while I'm in a vulnerable state animation-wise....although don't let that put you off being critical!
Saturday, 31 January 2009
Thursday, 22 January 2009
Is Nothing Sacred?!
Oh dear God, no.....If you want to keep your lunch down, don't read this about a planned live action/CG Tom & Jerry film.
What's even worse than the concept is the storyline. Tom and Jerry get lost in Chicago and have to....wait for it...."reluctantly work together" to make it home.
This stinks of...well it just stinks. Much like my over use of "....."
What's even worse than the concept is the storyline. Tom and Jerry get lost in Chicago and have to....wait for it...."reluctantly work together" to make it home.
This stinks of...well it just stinks. Much like my over use of "....."
Thursday, 15 January 2009
Re-Living
I'm off sick from work at the moment, but I've been cheered up by the fact that I have finally found a life drawing class after months of searching! I've been told again and again that I should concentrate on drawing from live models (most recently by the great Richard Williams), so I've been desperate to get cracking. This class only runs for the next six weeks, but they are hoping to make it a more permanent thing on account of the amount of bookings they have had. I hope they do! It starts on Tuesday evening, so expect to see my progress from then on.
On another subject, I thought I'd point out a new stop-motion film being released next month. Somehow I had not heard of it until someone at work mentioned it, so I figured maybe there are others out there who have not. It's called "Coraline" and is directed by Henry Selick, of "Nightmare Before Christmas" fame.
I'm a big fan of stop motion, and am always baffled by how the animators keep track of what's going on, particularly when they have to deal with multiple characters. I'm actually thinking about having a go at it myself, having just ordered some of the materials I need to make an armature. I won't be doing any films in the medium anytime soon, but instead intend to just do some typical exercises like lifts and pushes, just to see if I can do it. There are quite a few stop-motion animators at work, so I have lots of people to ask about the process!
Anyway, I'm excited by the look of this film. I wish more stop motion films were being made, just as I wish there were more hand-drawn ones. This one looks quite promising at least!
On another subject, I thought I'd point out a new stop-motion film being released next month. Somehow I had not heard of it until someone at work mentioned it, so I figured maybe there are others out there who have not. It's called "Coraline" and is directed by Henry Selick, of "Nightmare Before Christmas" fame.
I'm a big fan of stop motion, and am always baffled by how the animators keep track of what's going on, particularly when they have to deal with multiple characters. I'm actually thinking about having a go at it myself, having just ordered some of the materials I need to make an armature. I won't be doing any films in the medium anytime soon, but instead intend to just do some typical exercises like lifts and pushes, just to see if I can do it. There are quite a few stop-motion animators at work, so I have lots of people to ask about the process!
Anyway, I'm excited by the look of this film. I wish more stop motion films were being made, just as I wish there were more hand-drawn ones. This one looks quite promising at least!Tuesday, 13 January 2009
Heading In the Right Direction
Ok, after spending a day looking at my last Père Fouettard design, I've decided that it is now final. Unless something particularly stikes me as wrong, I will be leaving it as it is. Here's a couple more drawings of him:
Pretty, isn't he? Well he's no use to me as just a head, so the next step is to give him a body. I perhaps should have done this at the same time as the head...but never mind! After a few rubbishy attempts, I came up with this:
I surprised myself with this as I was thinking he'd be more of a skinny character along the lines of The Grinch. I think this does fit the character more though. I envisage him tiptoeing through the snow, with his big stomach bouncing around. Here are a couple of poses:
The first is a bit crappy, but I kinda like the second one.
So that's Père Fouettard pretty much ready, with the exception of some colour, so that means I just have to settle on a body for my other character, Louis.
Pretty, isn't he? Well he's no use to me as just a head, so the next step is to give him a body. I perhaps should have done this at the same time as the head...but never mind! After a few rubbishy attempts, I came up with this:
I surprised myself with this as I was thinking he'd be more of a skinny character along the lines of The Grinch. I think this does fit the character more though. I envisage him tiptoeing through the snow, with his big stomach bouncing around. Here are a couple of poses:
The first is a bit crappy, but I kinda like the second one.So that's Père Fouettard pretty much ready, with the exception of some colour, so that means I just have to settle on a body for my other character, Louis.
And It's Bad, Bad Leroy.....er.....Père Fouettard
Just a quick post here to show off a new concept drawing of Père Fouettard for my Christmas film. I was concerned that my last effort wasn't nasty looking enough, so I redrew him, changing a few features. This is the result:
Monday, 12 January 2009
Don't Try to Make a Drawing....Just Draw!
I don't often show the quick sketches I do from time to time these days. It has always been a thing I have struggled with more than any other type of drawing. You may racall I made the observation a while ago that a better drawing seems to come from letting go and not worrying about the end product. I tend to get so concerned with producing a nice drawing that I stop enjoying the process. Of course there is little point in me drawing in the first place if I don't enjoy it.
At the weekend I was in a coffee shop again, doing some quick sketches. Somehow I got into the "worry-free" mindset straight away, causing me to enjoy what I was doing far more than I usually do. The result was a couple of pages of sketches that I was far more pleased with. They aren't the best drawings in the world of course, but enjoyment went into them for once so they mean far more to me.
At the weekend I was in a coffee shop again, doing some quick sketches. Somehow I got into the "worry-free" mindset straight away, causing me to enjoy what I was doing far more than I usually do. The result was a couple of pages of sketches that I was far more pleased with. They aren't the best drawings in the world of course, but enjoyment went into them for once so they mean far more to me.
Sunday, 11 January 2009
Booked
I thought I'd share my thoughts on a couple of animation books I got my hands on recently. I love animation art books and find them a constant source of inspiration. I'd love to get hold of some really old ones, but they are just so damned expensive!
Anyway, for Christmas my girlfriend Sian bought me the "Walt Disney Animation Archive: Story" book.
It looks to be the first in a series of gorgeous books detailing different parts of making an animated film. This particular one is on the storyboarding process and is filled with page after page of beautiful sketches, most of which I have never seen before. Here's a couple of randomly picked examples (apologies for making them look a bit crappy by using a camera instead of scanning):
The book is particularly useful to me at the moment as I have started storyboarding my first short film. My drawings look frankly dreadful compared to these, but I'm blaming the software I've been using to draw them with, rather than my own lack of talent (which is the usual culprit!).
Yesterday I also treated myself to "The Art of Ratatouille", which is another book I have wanted to get for ages.
I'm a big fan of really rough and loose drawings, which this book has plenty of. I was debating on getting "The Art of Wall-E" instead, but the style of images was vastly different. As you might expect, that book contains largely geometric pictures, many with a cut-out look to them. I'd like to get the book eventually, but Ratatouille won out this time. Here are some examples from it:
I've only just realised that all the pictures I picked to show are rather similar in style. Not representative of the whole book, I should add.
This final picture is my favourite from the book:
It was drawn by the extremely talented and sadly departed Dan Lee.
So I would higly recommend these books for any animation art enthusiasts. They are simply beautiful! I've got a couple more books too, but I think I'll save them for another post. I particularly want to talk about "Dream Worlds" by Hans Bacher.
Anyway, for Christmas my girlfriend Sian bought me the "Walt Disney Animation Archive: Story" book.
It looks to be the first in a series of gorgeous books detailing different parts of making an animated film. This particular one is on the storyboarding process and is filled with page after page of beautiful sketches, most of which I have never seen before. Here's a couple of randomly picked examples (apologies for making them look a bit crappy by using a camera instead of scanning):
The book is particularly useful to me at the moment as I have started storyboarding my first short film. My drawings look frankly dreadful compared to these, but I'm blaming the software I've been using to draw them with, rather than my own lack of talent (which is the usual culprit!).Yesterday I also treated myself to "The Art of Ratatouille", which is another book I have wanted to get for ages.
I'm a big fan of really rough and loose drawings, which this book has plenty of. I was debating on getting "The Art of Wall-E" instead, but the style of images was vastly different. As you might expect, that book contains largely geometric pictures, many with a cut-out look to them. I'd like to get the book eventually, but Ratatouille won out this time. Here are some examples from it:
I've only just realised that all the pictures I picked to show are rather similar in style. Not representative of the whole book, I should add.This final picture is my favourite from the book:
It was drawn by the extremely talented and sadly departed Dan Lee.So I would higly recommend these books for any animation art enthusiasts. They are simply beautiful! I've got a couple more books too, but I think I'll save them for another post. I particularly want to talk about "Dream Worlds" by Hans Bacher.
Wednesday, 7 January 2009
Talk to the Face 'Cause the Hand Ain't There Yet
Ok, another update on my Christmas film...I'm still trying to work out what the characters will look like. In terms of faces, I have them pretty much as I want them now, but I'm struggling with the bodies. Here are some quick drawings of Père Fouettard that I did today. First, I sorted out the head:
Then I tried to fit a body to it:
Not quite satisfied with it, I tried doing some tiny doodles to try out some variations:
I'm still not there yet!
Then I tried to fit a body to it:
Not quite satisfied with it, I tried doing some tiny doodles to try out some variations:
I'm still not there yet!
Monday, 5 January 2009
All In the Name
I recently did a couple of 'caricatures' for a couple of people. I'm pretty rubbish at doing them, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. I say 'caricatures' because I don't know whether I really define them as such. In neither picture have I exaggerated features to a huge extent. I think I'll just call them cartoons. The first is of the venerable (is that the right word, or am I making him sound ancient?!) writer/broadcaster Brian Sibley:
and the second is of the great animator, Richard Williams:
I'll leave it to you to decide how successful I was at capturing them!
and the second is of the great animator, Richard Williams:
I'll leave it to you to decide how successful I was at capturing them!
Friday, 2 January 2009
A Treasure Trove
I recently stumbled across a fantastic French blog exhibiting lots of artwork from all the Disney movies, rather sensibly called "The Art of Disney Animation". There is an english version, but it seems to get updated less regularly than the French one. There is some beautiful artwork that I haven't seen before including Snow White:
and Lady and the Tramp:
and Mulan:
and 101 Dalmatians:
as well as some I have seen before, but are just as great to look at again, like this one from the upcoming Princess and the Frog:
So go and have a look at some of this fantastic artwork. I'm sure it's even better if you can read French to a better extent than me!
and Lady and the Tramp:
and Mulan:
and 101 Dalmatians:
as well as some I have seen before, but are just as great to look at again, like this one from the upcoming Princess and the Frog:
So go and have a look at some of this fantastic artwork. I'm sure it's even better if you can read French to a better extent than me!
Thursday, 1 January 2009
Resolute
I haven't got any pictures to show today, but I thought that while it's still January 1st, I had better officically state my New Year's resolutions!
My first is the rather traditional resolution to live more healthily, which entails eating better and getting off my arse to do some exercise. Doing the opposite has been mostly enjoyable, but has left me zapped of all energy to do anything constructive.
So that first resolution should help me with my second, which is to finish my first animated short by next Christmas. More precisely, I'm setting myself an exact date of November 30th 2009. For me, Christmastime begins at the start of December, so I'd like to be able to start winding down then. I'd also like to get some people's opinions before I disappear for the holidays!
Finally, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS! My little blog might not be the most fascinating to read out there, but I really appreciate everyone who has stopped by, and especially those who have contributed with the odd comment along the way. This blog has kept me going with my dreams of becomming an animator, and I'm still following that path largely thanks to the kind words and constructive criticism of you lot. I hope 2009 brings great things to you all!
My first is the rather traditional resolution to live more healthily, which entails eating better and getting off my arse to do some exercise. Doing the opposite has been mostly enjoyable, but has left me zapped of all energy to do anything constructive.
So that first resolution should help me with my second, which is to finish my first animated short by next Christmas. More precisely, I'm setting myself an exact date of November 30th 2009. For me, Christmastime begins at the start of December, so I'd like to be able to start winding down then. I'd also like to get some people's opinions before I disappear for the holidays!
Finally, HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL MY READERS! My little blog might not be the most fascinating to read out there, but I really appreciate everyone who has stopped by, and especially those who have contributed with the odd comment along the way. This blog has kept me going with my dreams of becomming an animator, and I'm still following that path largely thanks to the kind words and constructive criticism of you lot. I hope 2009 brings great things to you all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)