Category Archives: WIP

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I’ve forgotten how to animate.

The last time I seriously did, was about a few months ago, a basic ball drop in an attempt to refresh my skills. So why did I add animation as part of my project? I’m a sucker for gifs. Getting back in the swing of things as been a challenge; as a result, I’ve decided to go with more expressive gifs than the standard full body, anime like snap shot that I pictured initially. I want to showcase Haru’s personality through her face and gestures. It’s not complete but it is a start. Like I said it’s been a while.

Another point I’d like to explore is the app subscription model. The app I’m using to animate is Animation Desk. I like it a lot so far; it’s easy to understand and simulates hand animation the way I’d like in a digital format. The only issue is that it’s a subscription based privilege. While the free version gets the job done, I am struggling with whether or not I should subscribe for about $10/ 1 month. As a creative, I hate subscription based tools; I’d rather pay out right. So that’s where I am with that.

Developing characters

So part of this semester’s project is to develop a cast of characters set in their own world. The bigger picture for my narrative resembles an imaginary feature length movie but my characters will appear in different scenes, wrapped in a trailer for said movie. In order to make this as cool as possible, I researched traditional methods of character and world creation. After getting a basic idea of what sort of character they are building, concept artists start off with simple sketches and designs. One of my favorite animation studios Studio Ghibli (Ugh, yes I know, yet another Ghibli wannabe but let me live, alright?) experiments with color in their character designs. They also dress their characters in different outfits, to get an idea of that character’s personality. I decided to try the same with the 3 main characters in my story.

Diamond, also known as Legendary Diamond Mouth. She is the protagonist of the story.

Cynthia, Cyn for short.

She is the deuteragonist of the story.

And finally, Marqo the tritagonist.

As you can see, I started out with more detailed designs in the initial stages of development. But I thought more about the exaggerated world I wanted to present. I wanted to focus on their heads without the restraints of necks. I thought it would also add a fantastical and humorous element

I rather like how the designs turned out and it was fun seeing how the style developed through out the process.

 

WIP #1: Gifs

This week I made my first ever gifs. Being my first attempt, they are a little low quality. But that’s okay; doing this help me put some the principles I’m learning into practice. The principle that seems the hardest to grasp for me is “inbetweening, the shots between key poses. At first glance it seems like a basic grasp on physics is needed, which is probably true, but after actually drawing it out, I find that “tweening” is more about common sense then physics. Another big factor is spacing.

The first gif seems like a juvenile excuse to show of my drawing and coloring skills (which it is) but I gauging where I stand in displaying weight and solidness in flat 2D drawings. While I think I might’ve failed at it (ie. my drawings look flat), I think adding 1 or 2 inbetweens would add a little more depth, and in turn would look more 3D.

One of my story’s main characters. I’ll be putting up character sheets soon.

The next gif is my very first walk cycle — ever. I broke protocol. Everyone starts with the ball drop — and I probably need to. But due to circumstances, I didn’t have the time so I jumped right in. You know that means? It means it’s all wrong and I need to do it again. And I will. At first glance I can see all my mistakes. At a second, deeper glance, I see all my mistakes. Despite all that, I’m pleased with myself. I mean, walk cycles are scary. And hard. I pity the fools (like me) who pshaw at the walk cycle; “I mean, I walk everyday! How hard can it be?”

How naive.

I won’t bore you with the logistics, but know this: walk cycles are important. There are millions of different walks but every walk has it’s 4 main poses:

the contact

the down

the passing

and the up

And then, of course, the reverse, or the other leg. One walk cycle has 12 poses + 1 last contact, otherwise known as the “Rest” but the Rest can be anything from sitting down to falling over.

A good walk cycle, no matter what kind of walk it is, makes a good character. It’s the first step to actually building a plausible character — cartoony or realistic. So I know, when I master the walk (and run), everything else should be, you know, a piece of cake.

Theoretically, speaking of course.

First walk cycle ever! I tried adding a little personality. I definitely need to add more inbetweens between the down and passing poses.

 

 

 

Photo Real Modeling #WIP

For the last couple of weeks, we’ve moved on to the semester’s second project, the Photo real project. The objective here is to model a set of objects so that once it renders, it will be indistinguishable from an actual photograph. Here are some of the objects I am working on.

8440477-blank-jar-with-capscreen-shot-2016-10-18-at-2-02-05-pm

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#WIP Mondrianimation

Currently, I am working on the first project of the semester, the Mondrianimation. It is based on the famous  Piet Mondrian, Dutch painter of the earlier twentieth century who pioneered the De Stijl movement. His Compositions works are well recognized. Here is the reference picture that I’m using to model:

mondrian_composition_1921

The goal of this project is to bring one of those paintings to life using modeling and animation tools in Maya.

This is a preview of the work I’ve completed so far.

screenshot-1594

This is just a screenshot of the modeling I’ve completed so far. I think I’ve found my work flow, so hopefully it will be complete in a timely manner.