In Other News...

I'm trying to adopt a cat! My cat of 15 years passed away back in August and now that I'm settled in CA its time to get a new one. My #1 choice is a gorgeous maine coon called Helen of Troy. She's one of the most beautiful cats I've ever seen. I dont remember how the adoption process goes since I was eight when we got my previous cat. Hopefully it wont take a long time. I faxed an adoption application to her shelter this morning and am going to see her in person on Friday. I can't wait!



Oh, there wont be any gesture drawings tomorrow. Two of the animation supervisors are taking us animation apprentices out to Fuddruckers for lunch! =D

New AnimationMentor Site

Hey guys,
It looks like the new AnimationMentor website is up and running. Guess what? I'm on their Alumni page! That's so cool! It's truly an honor to be featured on the AM site, especially beside some many of the people I looked up to as a student. AnimationMentor is awesome! =D

http://www.animationmentor.com/community/alumni.html

Today's Gestures

Hey guys,

I tried to focus on angles and rhythm during today's drawing session. I think I'm getting better but I'm still not where I want to be yet. I read two of David Coleman's awesome books at work and really like his comments about how drawing from life is like weight lifting. I'm definitely going to buy at least one of his books for inspiration and to study. I also need to get volume two of Drawn to Life.

I'm also working on a Rabbit pencil test at home during the evenings. I have a longer scene in mind, but first I'm going to start out with a walk cycle. I figure that'll be a good thing to start with and if I like it, I'll use it in my longer test. I'm really excited about it though. My mentor has experience in 2d as well and worked on Jane from Tarzan among others. I'm sure he'll have lots of amazing Disney wisdom for me.

Gestures

I'm going to try to go to the life drawing sessions at work regularly. They're a great way to get away from the computer and I really want to get better. I dont feel like my life drawing abilities are up to par and I need to fix that.

The Results

Hey guys,
We got the results of our review at work today, and all of us are staying!!!!!!!!! After March 26th, I will move up from a trainee to an official animation apprentice. The first step to becoming a Disney animator is complete. Now I need to get to work on step two, doing my best to stay once Tangled is finished. =D

I wish today was Friday, so I could celebrate by playing FFXIII for hours but that shall have to wait. For now I'll have to settle for buying some M&Ms from the vending machine.

Most Exciting Month Ever

March of 2010 is the most exciting month ever. This is the month where lots of awesome things are released. There's:
Princess and the Frog on dvd
How to Train Your Dragon
Alice in Wonderland
Final Fantasy XIII
God of War

All of those things are a must see/buy. March is also exciting because it is the month of my final review. It's next week actually, and all of us are nervous. My mentor says I shouldn't worry, but that's easier said than done. There are quite a few reasons why logically we should be kept but nothing is guaranteed. I have enjoyed my time at Disney immensely and REALLY hope to stay. I want to be like the guys there who've been Disney animators for 11+ years. Unfortunately, I don't have any 2d animation to show but I will be including life drawings with my 3d animation. Hopefully my mentor will mention that I can animate in 2d as well and hopefully that skill will make me more of an asset to the studio. There's a lot of hoping involved, lol. I'm not sure when we'll get the results and I'm trying hard not to be on pins and needles until then.