Coloring For My Flatbook

Updated Reel

Hey everyone,

Here's my current demo reel. I'll be sending this to the head of outreach tomorrow. Today's interview went very well. I told her I finished a new shot the other day and asked if I should send her an updated reel. She liked the sound of that and will be expecting the reel on Friday. Hopefully the Dreamworks heads of character animation will like my work as much as she did. I've been told they're a tough crowd so I'll really need all the luck I can get!

Interview Time

Hey everyone,

Tomorrow I have an interview with Dreamworks!!!!! I'm super excited about this one! Today I found out they'll be animating on How to Train Your Dragon for a good while which is fantastic! I absolutely love dragons and have been VERY excited about this film ever since I first heard the title before Kung Fu Panda was released. I REALLY hope I get accepted for Dreamworks' Outreach program and that I get put on Dragon. I'd be in heaven if that happens! Hopefully my enthusiasm for the film will come across during the interview. Wish me luck! =D

Final

Hey guys,

Here's the final version of the first assignment for my independent study. I'm not completely happy with it because of the persistent geometry intersections on his fingers. I also think I might be imagining hitches on various places because no one can see them but me. I think the assignment was successful though. I learned a LOT about subtle animation from doing this.

Anyway, I hope you guys like it.

Polishing

Hey guys,

Here's an update on my shot. It's almost done! I just need to finish working on his fingers (the most tedious and annoying part for me). Would anyone happen to know how I can fix his finger intersections without loosing the animation I already have?

Yesterday's Gesture Drawings

Hey everyone,

Here are some three minute gesture drawings that I did yesterday at the model session. After struggling with trying to draw the model as if she were nude I finally gave up and just drew what I saw. Drawing clothed models is still harder for me than drawing nude ones. I don't think I have enough anatomical knowledge to comfortably draw a clothed model yet.

Animation Update

Hey guys,

Here's an update on my norman scene. I'm currently working on the lip-sync and facial animation. "You know" is almost done but "everyone's just out for himself" has just been roughly blocked in. I also want to finesse the brows some more. I'll do that as I work on each sentence of dialogue. After all that's done I'll fix the fingers. So far I'm on schedule for being finished on Tuesday. =D

My 30 Second Reel

Decisions

Hey guys,

I'm seriously considering starting over on my Norman shot. I got some outstanding feedback from one of my AM classmates about animating subtlety that's pointed me in a whole new direction. Things are starting to make sense and those that still don't feel closer none the less. I feel lost and confused but I know its a good thing. Glen Keane said to treasure moments like this because it means you're about to learn something. I had this same feeling when I was working on the original version of my Piglet shot. I decided to start over, struggled with a new concept/technique, and then my new version of the shot turned out 200 times better than the original. I think I've reached that point again now. Unfortunately I can't sit and ponder what's been said because I have to work on stuff for portfolio class. There will definately be a lot of thinking and searching for reference once I'm done though.

Final Cards

Hey guys,

Here's the final design for my business card. I'm thinking of making the cat and the film shiny when its time to get them printed. What do you think?

The Next Level?

Hey guys,

Sorry for the lack of updates on my Norman shot. I'm having some problems with it and am trying to get them fixed before I post it again. I feel like my 3d work has been sitting at the same level for some time now and I'm trying to push it to the next level. Of course, that's easier said than done. I've been trying to analyze Alex Fleisig's shot to use as an example. I love how subtle yet loose his animation is here. I'm really struggling with loosening Norman up. Whenever I add more movement to his spine it always feels like its too much. Yet Helen's torso barely moves except for the few obvious spots where she leans forward, turns to the right and moves up and down. I emailed Alex a few minutes ago about his shot.

Hopefully I'll be able to figure this out soon, as I really want to be rendering this shot and sending it off to Pixar on Wed.

Another Drawing For My Business Card

To make a long story short, my previous business card design was rejected in class on Tuesday so I have to start over. I made this sketch as part of an idea the class helped me come up with. I'll upload the business cards themselves tomorrow. They aren't shaded yet and I only want to post the finished images here.

Business Card Variations

Hey guys,

Here's a revised version of my cards. Hopefully the prof. will like them tomorrow morning.

Blocking Plus

Hey everyone,

Here's my blocking plus so far. I'm really trying to work out my drag/overlap and my ease-in/out now. I'm also fleshing out the motion on the brows and such. My goal is to be refining by Wed. at the latest. Hopefully having really detailed blocking will make the refining pass simpler and faster.

New Design

Hey guys,

My friends and I have come up with a new design for my business card after getting some awesome feedback on Deviantart about my first idea. Here's the process we went through:



And what we're happy with now:



I'm quite happy with the new design. It looks tidy and more mature than my original idea. Plus, the best cat in the world supplied me with this pose. =D

Thanks

Hey guys,

I just wanted to thanks everyone who watched my show today. It was really fun! I wish uStream would create a sound or something whenever a message is left in the chat room though. I'm thinking of having regularly scheduled shows since I essentially animate everyday. Working out a solid schedule my be a challenge though.

I could just add the uStream widget to my sidebar. That'll allow it to always be visible and visitors can glance over to see if there's a broadcast. I'll work on coming up with a time range for you guys to use as a general reference.

Thanks again for watching!

Here's today's blocking update:

Animating Live

Hey guys,

I found this awesome site that allows you to stream your desktop live! Anyone who'd like to watch me animate is more than welcome to do so. =D

Business Card wip

Hey everyone,

Here's an example of the imagery for my business card. I have a bunch of variations on the font but the character and film will be the same. I like the color as well, so that may not change either. When they're printed the film and Twitch will be glossy which should add a nice shine effect to both sides. What do you guys think?

Final Blocking?

Hey guys,

Here's another pass on the blocking for my new shot. My prof and I originally planned on giving him a silent moment before sighing and looking up at the end, but I'm not sure if the shot still needs it. The idea behind it was Norman would thinking about what was said and then silently say "God, what should I do?" or something like that. Do you guys think the shot needs that or if it would be too much?

I'm also concerned about frames 31-45. I loosened him up from the previous version but now I'm not sure if it's too much. What do you guys think?

Wow!

Hey everyone,

Last week, I had an interview with the guys at Vancouver Animation about Cat Flap! I still can't believe that they choose to interview me and am honored by their choice. If you'd like to check it out, the article can be found here : Vancouver Animation Interview