California! + Sketches

From what I can tell, it appears that the last time I updated my blog was almost three months ago (yikes)! This lack of updates is no excuse--I really do feel bad, since I had planned on using this blog as a way of tracking my progress. But bettter late than never to post a few things--and while they aren't projects (...yet), I thought I'd update with what I've been up to as of late.

The first semester of my sophomore year ended quite well! I have a lot of good memories, and I hope that I'll have just as many in the semester to come. Of course, I did end the semester with a bang; from December 9th to the 15th, I went to Disneyland in California...DISNEYLAND, KIDS!!!

But Disneyland wasn't my only highlight! I also went and visited two studios while I was in good Ol' Cali--Dreamworks Animation Studios in Glendale, and Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank.

The first studio that I went to was Dreamworks; this one in particular was special, since the person who gave me a tour was Liron Topaz, a Ringling alum who graduated in 2009. I contacted him for information on a project for History of Animation in April, and I've kept in contact with him since. I had only talked to him through email, so the tour at Dreamworks was the first time I met him in person. It was really great being able to talk to him about his work and Ringling (the guy really knows his stuff!); he's a really cool, inspiring individual!

He also recommended me this really cool newsletter, Frame By Frame Animation (FBFA). Originally, it was a newsletter that was posted only in Israeli, but lately Liron and a few other of its contributors have been coming out with articles in English, too. FBFA will be posting quite a few cool things on animation--everything from layout, design, etc. They've already posted this great interview with Joe Bowers and an article on favoring in animation. Definitely take the time to check it out!

The second studio I visited was Disney; this one was special, too, since I was visiting my friend Matt Sullivan, a Ringling alum who graduated last year (he was a Layout Trainee when I visited the studio, but recently he passed his final review!). He was kind enough to show me and my mom around the Disney complex, and even introduced us to another awesome Ringling alum, Mike Klim (one of the two Michaels' who worked on the Ringling short, Dilla). All in all, the tour was amazing, and Matt is definitely one of the coolest guys I know. I wish him the best of of luck in his future endeavors.

Now while I am inclined to discuss more about the studio tours themselves (what I saw, my thoughts on the facilities, etc.), I'd rather talk about those experiences in future posts. Why? Well, if I talked about them now, then this blog post would go on forever, because I could talk about it for ages...ages! In order to keep these blog posts manageable to read, I'll save that info for later.

But for now, here's some sketches!

Abstract Doodle

Sketches of The Dreamworks Campus

Car Interior 

Self-Portrait (when I've barely had any sleep)

 Billy Goat Gruff (Bros. Concept)

Belated Christmas Sketch (If I had to caption this,  I'd say, "Merry Christmas, Everyone! Hope The Krampus Didn't Get You!" or something like that).

 Mother Nature

Simple Poly Designs (More on this later)

Figures From My History Class

Zombie Shark

More Doodles/Figures

Update + Jamie Hewlett

Hey Everyone!

Oh man, has it really been over a month now since I've posted? Sheesh, and I said I'd try to update this as much as I could. But hey, that doesn't mean I've not been working--in fact, I don't think I've stopped working, and the fact that I'm writing this post probably means that it's either the morning and I'm eating my oatmeal, or it's the afternoon and I've just finished lunch.

But hey, who wants to hear about the sandwich I just ate a few minutes ago...I think ought to talk about  what classes I have enjoyed instead. Lately, I've taken a liking to my Concept/ Development 1 class. I'm currently working on an animatic based off of Aesop's fable, The Monkey and The Dolphin. It's been challenging, but it's also been a lotta fun. I'd post some work, but to be honest I'm just going to wait until the animatic is completed--the amount of concept and design sketches I have is crazy. I had to redraw/re-design my monkey and dolphin roughly 5 times (each time, doing about 5 sketches, excepting the part where I tackled the monkey and dolphin for the first time). But you'll see all that soon when the animatic is completed two weeks from now, when I post it to the blog along with other concept work.

Lastly, there have been a few nights where I've had to stay up late trying to finish my homework. While working on it though, I found myself every night listening to this same interview as a way to keep me awake and to lift my spirits. It's an interview with Jamie Hewlett, as part of Alfred Dunhill's interview series. I absolutely loved hearing his story about his life and work, and found it amazing when he talked about his creative process. Of course, though, I still think that his comment on the ego in the first few seconds of the interview is probably my favorite part.

Make the time to watch this (if you haven't already); you won't regret it.

Boar Walk Cycle

Hey guys!

Nothing too fancy to post, but here's a rough version of my exaggerated boar walk cycle. I'll post my regular one once I get a good copy of it.

Regrettably it isn't looped, so feel free to mash the play button as many times as needed in order to get the effect.

Monkey Silhouettes- First Batch

Silhouettes for a future project. I'll take about it more in a future post.

If anyone's familiar with the this assignment though, feel free to critique. :P

Back to School/ Boar Designs

Hey there, everyone!

It's been quite a while since I've posted--I was just so busy moving in and getting packed for school I didn't take the time to make a proper post. But hey, school's started again, which means one thing--MORE POSTS!

Or at least, that's what I hope. A lot of my friend's art improved greatly because they kept up with a blog through their year, so I'm hoping it will be the same case with me.

Anyway, enough talk--how 'bout some art?

Below are some Boar Designs I've been working on for my Quadruped Walk Cycle for Traditional Animation II. Crits are welcome, especially since I feel like these designs could be pushed further. If anyone has any thoughts, let me know.

Bonus points if you spot the derpy design from the normal ones!

Ciao for now!

Monster Cowboy

Sketch Dump I

Whoa! I haven't posted in what seems like...forever! But what can I say--I've been busy lately. I just got back from the lake trip with my awesome cousins and their families. It's only been a few days since the trip, but tomorrow my step-brother's getting married, and then I'm going to see Train in concert on the 7th.

Holy Moley, at least this summer's finishing up with a bang. But onto more cooler things, like some artwork y'all!

Dancing Monster

Crazy Dolphin: Rough Sketch

Sketch Something Word: "Fisherman"

 Sketch Something Word/Phrase: "Ghostly Boxer"

Monkey Design (Funny story with this one; I had my cousin's two year old place his feet on a piece of paper, and then I drew around his feet so that he would stand still for a few minutes. It was really fun for him, and at one point he would move his feet when I wasn't done tracing yet. I then took one of those foot drawings, and drew a monkey for him, since monkeys are his favorite animal).

Monster Designs

 

Tree Studies from Norris Lake