Trying

Hey guys,

Here's a look at my Netherwing wip painting. I still dont really know what I'm doing...



I think I should stick to animating, lol.

Pride of the Netherwing

Here's a quick sketch that I drew while waiting for my website files to upload to my host.

Netherwing drakes are copyrighted to Blizzard.

Up and Running

Hey guys,

After lots of long hours, challenges, and problem solving, I've finally finished my new portfolio website. It's up and running at the same url: www.jocelyncofer.com. Enjoy!

Now I can get back to animating! =D

Not Today

After spending the afternoon/early evening talking to one of my friends about my website, I've come to the conclusion that it wont be finished by the end of the day. The prof. has us creating an image based site and it's causing several problems for me. He wants us to slice and create roll overs in Fireworks and then link our pages together in Dreamweaver. I dont have Fireworks, so once I leave SCAD I'd have to redo all of my pages in Dreamweaver to make even the slightest change. Another huge issue is the fact that I'd have to completely reslice and re-link my animation page every time I want to post a new shot.

My friend is helping me redo my website using html and image slices to get the look that I want as well as the ability to edit things easily. I'm not sure when it will be done but I know it'll be before Tuesday.

Coming Soon

Hey guys,

I'm working on finishing up my new website for portfolio class. I'm aiming to have it up and running by the end of the day. I'll make another post once its up. I'm keeping the same www.jocelyncofer.com url, but my site will actually look nice, lol.

Even More Blocking

Hey guys,

I'm still working on my blocking and am expecting to be for a while. I'm still adding the new things my prof. suggested on Monday. Once all of that's in there, I'll do a blocking plus pass on both shots. The drunk guy hasn't been animated coming up in the beginning of shot two, so please excuse his temporary crappiness lol.

More Blocking

After struggling to come up with a performance that I like for the non drunk guy, my prof. helped me out and provided me with inspiration. I've gone from wandering around in the fog of animation uncertainty to having a clear vision of my shot. Now I am confident about what I am doing and will be able to work much faster. I hope to have a completely blocked scene by this time next week. It's amazing how good knowing what you want to animate makes one feel. Before this afternoon, I'd been feeling terrible for the past two weeks. I didn't know what I wanted from the non drunk guy and wasn't connecting with his character. I felt like a crappy animator and wondered how anyone would see fit to hire me. Now I'm 200% better and am confident about how my scene will turn out. I feel like I can animate anything as long as I can see it clearly in my mind. If I don't have a clear vision of my scene, I'm bound to struggle.

Thanks Prof. Webber for helping me find my way with this scene!

Rough Blocking

Hey everyone,

Here's a rough blocking pass for my new shot. Rather than going ahead and adding more breakdowns, I'm going to leave this shot as it is for now. The second shot of the scene hasn't been blocked yet and I don't want to spend all of my time on this shot and not get anything done on the second one. Once shot 2 has been blocked in roughly, I'll return to this shot and continue working on it.

Sorry

Hey guys,

Sorry about the lack of posts. I've been busy working on my flat book and new website. I'm also blocking out my new animation. It's been a really rough week though. One of my aunts died on Tuesday from a stroke and today I found out my 17 year old cat has cancer. I've also been really worried about whether or not I'll hear something good from Dreamworks, so needless to say it's been a rough week. I especially don't feel like working now that I know my cat will need to be put to sleep, but deadlines need to be met regardless...

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

Today's Blocking

Hey everyone,

Here's an update on my shot. I'm still trying to get the blocking done before my meeting with my prof. tomorrow. I think I'm going to make it. I only have one more large section to do and then I'll be working on more detail oriented things. I think I've gotten better with the over animating, but I'm still not 100% sure of myself.

WIP Blocking and Sample Lighting

Hey everyone,

Here's my blocking pass so far for my new shot. I'm still not sure if I'm over animating. This is my first really subtle shot, so I'm pretty unsure of myself. I'm not sure about the eye darts in the beginning. I think there are too many of them. He's supposed to be thinking something along the lines of "I dont know...I dont know" and feeling pretty lost. In phrase 1 ("You know, everyone's just out for himself") he's supposed to be troubled/concerned. My prof. suggested having his brows a little angry and intense here and then softening them up as the shot progresses. In phrase 2 ("It was like that everywhere I went") the main emotion is disbelief and the finally hopelessness at the end.

Oh, the 3d blocking is different from the 2d version now. My prof. gave me some awesome feedback today which caused the scene to vary somewhat from the original 2d idea.



I also did a quick test render for my prof. We have a specific mood in mind for the scene and this is what I imagined it would look like. My prof. used the spot lighting in Alice in Wonderland as an example. I went with that idea and made the background really dark while spot lighting the character. Obviously the lighting still needs a lot of work. I have no idea why there are ugly dark shadows under Norman's brows. I think I know how to fix the glowing floor though.



Oh, I heard back about using Bishop on my business card. It's a no go just as I thought it would be since the card is for a SCAD assignment. It's not a problem though because I dont want to use Bishop anymore anyway. Yesterday I came up with a 2d design that I like much better and feel like is more creative than a simple 3d pose. =D

Subtle Dialogue 2d Blocking

Hey guys,

I just finished my really rough 2d blocking for my new subtle dialogue assignment. I have a really hard time animating small, subtle movements in 2d (which I attribute to lack of drawing ability) so everything is broader than it will be in the 3d version. I also work broader in 3d and then tone everything down once I see the that the motion is working. My mentors have always said it's much easier to go to far and tone it down than to not go far enough and have to push things.

Possible Buisness Card Pose

Hey everyone,

Our first assignment in Animation Portfolio class is to create a business card. Here's a pose I came up with for Bishop that I might use on my card. I wanted something silly and fun, lol. Hopefully AM will let me use this since I think Bishop is WAY more appealing than Norman.

Preview

Hey guys,

I'm starting a new 3d dialogue shot! I'm not very excited about using Norman since I really miss Bishop, but I don't have a choice since this is a SCAD assignment. (AM forbids their students/alumni to use their rigs for another schools work) I am thrilled about returning to 3d though. I can't wait to get started!

Here's a screen shot of the staging I'll be using. If anyone has any critiques on the staging or the layout please let me know! Later I'll put a cross and the title on the Bible. I'm not 100% how I'll do it, so I figured that would be one of the things I work on after the animation's finished. This is also the first time I've tweaked Norman's appearance. I'm not completely happy with it, but it'll have to do for now.

Going on Vacation

Hey guys,

I just wanted to let everyone know that I wont be here for a little while. Tomorrow I'm leaving to go on a cruise for my spring break and wont be back until March 24th. I'll see you guys then!

I Cant Paint Rocks

I'm working on this painting for Mythology class and I think it's pretty clear that I dont know what I'm doing...



This is nowhere near finished. I'd like to make the rocks fit with the rest of the painting better but I don't know how to get them to do so. I also need to paint her hair, some mist rolling out of the cave and the ground. I'd like to get some moonlight on the rocks and the pig. Lol, I have a lot to do.

Cat Flap's Finished!

Almost There

I hope this will be done by the end of the day tomorrow. My friend won't have much time to color the last scene before Wednesday (when the film's due). I really wish I was faster. =(

Pixar Presentation

Pixar's presentation tonight was fantastic!!!!!! Becki Tower is a great speaker and she was really inspiring to listen to. She told us all about her time in Pixar's internship program and showed some examples of the work she did. Lol, it sucks because now I want to animate but I have to go to bed now. One thing that really stood out to me was the simplicity of all of her scenes. Each one was very simple a very clear. I think simplicity is definitely something that I struggle with.

Becki also uses an emotional chart/graph for each of her scenes. I'd never heard of this before and am eager to try it out. All you do is create a simple line graph to show the highs and lows of your character's feelings throughout the scene. She brought up a great point when she mentioned loosing the initial essence of the scene after you've been polishing for days. I imagine having that chart will be very helpful. I'm going to make sure I try that for my next scene. Now I really cant wait to finish my senior project. I can't wait to get back to 3d again.

Ok, I really need to go to bed. I'll talk to you guys later. Wish me luck! =D

On Friday, I Have an Interview With...

I'm super excited and can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!! =D

The End is Near

Hey guys,

Here's another Cat Flap update. My goal is to have the animation done before the end of the weekend, hopefully Saturday at the latest. I'm unsure of myself since I've never animated a 2d character moving with a camera (that's how the door goes up).

I'm also unsure about the length of my credits. They feel too long, but my prof. said the cards should be held with one second per word. At the same time, he also said the credits should be 10% of the length of the film. I'm not sure how I can achieve both of those standards. I'm going to show it in class today and get his feedback on them.

In Mythology Class

I drew this....



Moonkin are very fun to draw.

Drawing for Fun

Hey guys,

I realized I had not drawn anything for fun in ages. Before going to bed last night, I decided to try my hand at drawing a night elf moonkin from World of Warcraft. I think it came out pretty nice, I wish I had drawn it in the corner of the page though. I think I did that because I wasn't expecting it to look very good. I'd love to paint it, but I dont have time right now.



Anyway, I love the design of ally moonkin. I'm not a druid myself though, nor am I an ally. I'm actually an orc warlock. I'm thinking of starting a night elf druid though because their moonkin are awesome!

Cat Flap Update

It's almost there!

Excitement

Hey guys,

Pixar's coming to SCAD next week to look at reels! I'm turning in my materials for them today. Hopefully I'll hear something back. I spoke with one of my animation profs. and told him the input I got from R&H about the shot order of my reel. We sat down and reordered everything and cut out a couple of shots. The version can be found on my website. For some reason it kept playing in slow motion and suddenly went from 45 seconds to 1:12 when I uploaded it here.

Jocelyn Cofer 2008 Demo Reel

Cat Flap Update

Scene 03 is having some masking issues, but overall it's coming along. I changed the ending based off of comments I received in my last post. Thanks a bunch for the feedback guys! I hope it's reading clearly now. =D

I cut the ending short since I ran out of ideas on how Priscilla can struggle. I asked my prof. in class today and he suggested simply cutting the time. I was thinking of adding a voice at the end saying "Mmmmoooooooommm, the stupid cat's stuck in the garage door again -_-". Do you guys think I need that? It was in my original plan for the film but I never got a chance to record someone saying it.

Prep Work

Hey guys,

I did some prep work for the painting I'll be creating for my world mythology project. It will be illustrating the Celtic goddess Cerridwen as a "white sow that eats the dead". That was part of her description in our textbook and I figured that would be interesting to try to depict, especially with my limited painting knowledge/skill/experience.

To prepare, I did a few sketches of some pigs and a painting test. For the latter I used tried the technique covered in this tutorial: Color Dynamics Tutorial. Granted, my sphere doesn't look anything like the final product of her tutorial. I did a blending pass over her technique and am pretty happy with the results (except for the reflected light). I've never blended "properly" before, as previously my blending was done with the smudge tool. This was a fun little test and I feel like I learned a bit from it.

Cat Flap Update

Hey guys,

Here's another Cat Flap update. I'm working on fixing a few issues with scene 05 and then it'll be ready for clean up and color. I'm aiming to have that done by the end of the day tomorrow, because I really need to start working on the last scene. It's imperative that I get my part of this project done by this time next week at the latest. I have a painting to do for my Mythology class and I wont be able to spend a lot of time on it if this animation isn't done.

A concern has been raised about clarity in scene 05. My friend saw an ealier version of the scene and said it was unclear that the cat was listening to the car approaching and why she was suddenly happy. She signed off before I got a chance to show her this version, so I'm not sure if those issues are still present. Does anyone feel like scene 05 (or any part for that matter) is unclear?

Interview Time

It's interview time! Today I have an interview with recruiters from Rhythm & Hues for their apprenticeship program. Wish me luck! =D

Conclusion

Hey guys,

I think I've decided what the hardest thing about 2d animation is: keeping your character on model. As I toil away at my senior project, I've found that keeping my own character on model is a constant struggle. I really enjoy 2d but I wish I knew how to over come this problem. I'm not sure if it's a lack of proper draftsmanship or not understanding the character's construction. I don't really have any problems drawing her body, but Priscilla's face is always difficult. I feel like she looks like a different character in every drawing.

I really miss 3d right now, lol. I think I'm going to shuffle my independent study assignments around so I'll have a 3d assignment before my 2d scene. In the meantime, I'm still really bummed about the Blue Sky thing. I keep thinking about how I'm missing out on a chance to animate one of the things I've always wanted to animate: dinosaurs. I tell myself that there's sure to be another film with dinosaurs in the future and that I might end up working on it, but it doesn't really help. I think I'd feel better if I weren't sitting here working on my senior project. I can't wait to work on something different.

Fresh From the Theater

Hey everyone,

If you haven't done so already, go see Coraline!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D

Cat Flap Update

Hey guys,

Here's an update on Cat Flap. My midterm review went well, but I feel like I need to work faster. We essentially have four more weeks left for production....

More Interest

Awesome, I just got a call from Tippet Studios a few minutes ago! They received my work via AM career services and wanted to check my availability. They saw my resume stating I'd be finished at SCAD in the spring and said to contact them in early May. I told my father the good news and he made a great suggestion. He said to find out if it would be possible for me to take Senior Portfolio online so I can take the class while working in the industry. He agreed that it's ridiculous to keep having to turn down offers, when the whole point of going to school is to prepare you for a job.

I emailed the department chair a few moments ago to plead my case. If it wouldn't be possible to take portfolio online I also asked if I could present my reel and possibly get credit for the class. The purpose of the class is to create a portfolio that will appeal to studios, so wouldn't it be a waste of time if I'm already getting offers with my reel? I figured getting industry experience beats recreating a reel with the same work any day. I also told him I hoped it doesn't sound like I'm a slacker or like I dont want to do the work because that's not the case at all. I just don't want to have to keep turning down great opportunities.

Am I doing the right thing by inquiring about this?

If At First You Dont Succeed

Hey everyone,

Rhythm&Hues is coming to SCAD soon to look for animators and lighters for their apprenticeship program. I'm going to submit my reel again and this time I'll actually be eligible for the program since I'm graduating in the spring, lol. It seemed like they responded pretty quickly last time, so hopefully I'll get similar results. Wish me luck!

Good News and Bad News

Hey guys,

I have some good news and some bad news. The good news is, I got a phone call from...



I was really excited as HR told me about their temp animator position and couldn't wait to go. Then HR said the position was from now until March. I asked them about their website saying the studio needed people in July and they said that must have been an old post. To make a disappointing story short, I had to turn down the temp animator position since once again I'm still in school.

Luckily, HR said not to worry about it and to give them a call closer to June. They were really nice about it and said they'll see if there's anything open for me when I call.

Cat Flap Update

Hey guys,
Scene 03 is now ready for color! To make things even better, I actually like the animation this time, lol. I also changed the rough colors for the outside scene so they work better with Priscilla's pink. My senior II prof said there was a jump cut between scene four and five, so I added a short close up between the two to break things up. I like how it flows into the rest of scene five, but the transition between scene four and the close up needs some work.

Pickin' em Up!

Wow, it looks like Blue Sky's going to be full of AM students/alumni again for Ice Age 3. During Horton there were at least 15 AM animators working at Blue Sky, we'll see how many they'll have this time. So far Blue Sky's picked up 6 alumni in one week! AnimationMentor is taking over! =D

Cat Flap Update

Hey guys,

Here's an update on Cat Flap. I don't like how dark the lines became once leveled in Photoshop in scene 01. I'll have to go over my tie downs with a black pencil before I scan the final frames to help reduce that. I also really need to come up with a nice title card and a background for my credits. I'd like to paint a picture for both but right now all I have time for is working on finishing the animation so it can be sent off to color.

I'm currently working on tie downs and inbetweens for scene 03, so please excuse the sudden jump to blocking towards the end. I've already made a nice list of things to fix in the animation before approving it as final.

So It Begins

My reel arrived at Blue Sky today and will arrive at Disney and Sony tomorrow. Now the wait for a possible response begins. I'm hoping to hear from Blue Sky since their time of need works brilliantly with when I'll be finished with school. Being a temp animator there will be a fantastic way to start my journey into the professional world of animation.

It's funny though, I've been sending reels out for four years now but the wait is still the hardest part. It'll probably take a few months for any of the studios to get back to me (if at all), yet it's really hard not to count the days gone by and eagerly wonder if today will be the day.

This Afternoon...

I'll be sending reels to Disney, Pixar, Blue Sky and Sony. I sent my reel to Dreamworks for their Outreach program last month so there's no need to send them another one until the spring. I added a note on my resume stating when I'll be available for work. I also emailed one of my friends/contacts at Disney to find out when they'll be looking for animators for Rapunzel. Pixar and Sony's websites say they're both looking for animators but there isnt any starting information. I'm guessing they're looking for people now, and am not really expecting to hear back from them as the result. Blue Sky however, is looking for temp animators to start in July. So far they look the most promissing since I know I'll be available when they'll need people. I'm prefer California over New York (it's too cold) but Blue Sky is still high on my list of dream studios. =D

Out Into the World

Hey guys,

Here's an update on scene 01 of Cat Flap. Once I adjust the timing on the leg at the end, that'll be the end of changes to the animation and I'll focus on tiedowns for all of the inbetweens. I'm hoping to have all of that done by the end of Wed at the very latest.




I've also been chatting with my classmates on the AM forums about when I should start sending out reels for a job. I was worried about not being available immediately, but multiple people have suggested starting now. I think I'll add a side note on my resume that says I'll be available starting in June just to be sure.

Since this is my first batch of reels to be sent for an actual job position (rather than an internship), I'm only going to send it to a few studios. My current reel is in no way the final and I know I'll have a much better one in the spring. That's when I'll send it out all over the place, but for now I just want to test the waters and apply to the dream studios who've been sending me rejection letters, lol. I'm not expecting to hear back from them, but I'll give it a try. In the spring I would hope to get a response though from my true job hunting reel.

Cat Flap Update

Hey guys,

Here's another Cat Flap update. I'm a bit behind schedule thanks to a number of things (getting a new id sticker, running around trying to find my Mythology textbook and some drafting tape, inbetweens not working, not knowing how to use the batch scanner, etc.) but I've learned a good number of things from working on scene 01.

I learned not to try to make large changes to what's already there, nailing your timing charts before trying to inbetween (lol), keeping rough inbetweens rough despite the tiedown keys around them. I've also noticed that my characters tend to have small noses, which makes tracking them and maintaining their volumes quite difficult. Unfortunately, I think it's too late to try to adjust Priscilla's design. The main thing I've learned (though I still have trouble with it) is letting some things go. I dont have time to tweak the heck out of everything so I need to accept some things the way they are. As the result, I dont think any of the scenes in my film will end up being demo reel worthy since I wont have time to polish them. Once the film's finished, I might actually like it though, and may tack it onto the end of my reel just because.

Disney Fur Study

Hey guys,

I was dissatisfied with the blocking for Priscilla's fur in scene one of Cat Flap so I decided to try to teach myself how to animate fur convincingly. I think I had the overall concept but drawing the fur with proper variation was eluding me. I looked at the soccer scene from Bed Knobs and Broom Sticks and paid special attention to the lion's hair. This is essentially what I got out of it.

Just How Many...

Animators are needed in a feature studio? It seems like 95% of my friends and people I know at AM now work in a feature animation studio. I'm sure they're also hiring from other schools as well. I'm somewhat worried that there wont be free spot left when it's my turn in the spring. Most of me thinks that's absurd and that there will always be a need for more animators, but a small part wonders sometimes. I just hope there's a workstation at one of my dream studios waiting with my name on it, lol.

Maybe?

Hey guys,

Here's a rough sketch of Priscilla from Cat Flap that I threw together for color guide purposes. Originally I imagined her as a sparkly whiteish blue, but it felt inconsistent with her character. So far pink has been her best color, even though pink is one of my least favorite colors. I told my friend to feel free to change her colors if she feels like she has a combo that fits better. Plus she'll be coloring my film, so I wanted to make it as fun and free for her as possible.

In Need of Help

I could really use some help right about now. I spent the day trying to figure out how to animate my cat going up with the garage door. I have the door on a separate layer and simply translated it up in flipbook. That was easy enough, but the problem is animating the cat with the door. I have her performance all thumbed out, but I have no idea what the timing is. Because of that, I don't know what height she will be with the door during the different parts of her performance.

I know when a character has to move with a panning background he/she is usually animated in place. My problem is I need the cat to physically move up with the door. I'm not sure if animating her in place and then translating her up (like I did with the door) will work. I imagine it would work for the part where she frantically tries to pull herself through the flap, and when her body overlaps from being pulled off the ground at the end. But I'm not sure if it'll work for the part where she antics and launches herself out at the floor in an attempt to anchor herself, since she'll have to stretch a little as well as get dragged back in space as she goes up.

Does anyone have any ideas on what would be the best way to get this shot worked out? I spent the day trying to guess where she would be on different frames and the result is quite bad. =(

I Miss 3d...

I really can't wait for my senior project to be over. I still don't think it's very good and I can't wait to get back to animating fun, short acting clips. I also miss working in 3d, lol. This happens every time I work in one medium for a long time. This is also another reason why Disney would be such an awesome place for me to end up. I'd be able to bounce back and forth from 2d to 3d productions upon their completion. =D

Almost There!

Hey guys,

Here's a Cat Flap update. I only have one more "scene" to do and the rough animation will be done for the most part. Once I animate the garage going up and the cat with it, I'll have Sunday to make any changes and tweaks that are needed for each scene. I'll also work on getting some movement into the second scene. So far so good though. I still cant believe I've done all of this in two weeks.




If my winter break hadn't been filled with so may problems (>_<) I might have been able to tie everything down before the winter quarters starts. That's a large might though, since I still feel like I can't draw beyond scribbles with a tablet.

Reworking My Website

Hey guys,

I'm going to adjust my portfolio website. I'm going to get rid of the list of updates and just replace is with my demo reel. That way my reel will be the first thing visitors see. I'd also like to make my website more compact and appealing but I don't have time to do all of that at this point. In the spring I'll be taking Animation Portfolio and a website is one of the projects in the class. I'll work on redesigning my website then.

Halfway There!

I can't believe I have rough animation for half of my film already. I really hope this pace continues!
Truly knowing who your character is really allows you to work fast! Lol, it took me the entire winter break to get to know my character and now I'm finally able to animate quickly and (hopefully) with character. =D

Another Quick Layout

Rough layout for today's scene. I've decided to go with my new idea for the orange bits in my previous post. I think adding the element of character will be worth the time spent redoing that middle section.



Now that I've used tires and a pipe with wires as framing devices, I'll have to go back and add them to the scene one layout for continuity.

Progression Reel Update

I've added some new scenes to my senior project progression reel to see how everything looks together. I'm really uncertain about the tvp scenes (the orange ones). A couple of weeks ago I rethumbnailed most of my project and the orange scenes were done before that. They dont have any character to them and just look like a cat trying to pull itself out of the door. The bit I thumbnailed to replace this has more character to it. I'm not sure how long it will be though. I do know the new idea condenses those three shots into one, which is good. I'm just not sure if I should try to animate the new idea or if I should just leave what I have for now and move on. It sucks though because I dont like the orange scenes anymore.

Plus, SCAD doesn't have tvp so I'd have to lug my computer back and forth to Monty to work on those scenes, whereas the black scenes were done in my new version of Flipbook. I know they were talking about replacing Flipbook with ToonBoom last quarter but hopefully that hasn't happened yet.

Wow

Could it be? Animation that I actually like that I produced with a tablet?!?!?!?!? What's this, an entire scene roughed out in one day?!?!?!?? This is unheard of!!!!!!! Lol, after an entire winter "vacation" of struggle and strife, I've finally got a scene for my senior project that I actually like. I don't know what happened but I hope it continues so I can get the rest of the film done! =D

Big Update

Hey guys,

I think Bolt's been out long enough for it to be ok for me to post this. Here's the walk cycle I did while I was at Disney.




I also have access to my scanner again! Here's part one of all the drawings I've done over the break. There will be much more to come in the near future.

Scene 04 Rough

Here's a really rough version of scene 04 from Cat Flap. I've found that one problem that I keep falling into with doing this digitally is adding more and more drawings before I time everything out. More often than not, this results in soft, squishy animation. I've tried to get rid of that here, but I still don't think the pull has as much force behind it as it could. At the same time, I don't want this to be her hardest pull since, she isn't expending all of her effort yet. That will happen once the garage door starts going up. Then she'll be trying as hard as physically possible to escape from the cat flap.

As usual, all comments and crits are greatly appreciated! I hate working on this alone at home since there's a huge lack of feedback. I miss my professor and mentors. =(

A Struggle...

That is what trying to animate my senior project digitally has been so far. I feel like I don't have nearly as much control drawing wise using a tablet. I've drawn thumbnails of exactly what I want in my sketchbook in a mater of minutes, while I spend hours trying to redraw the same thing in Mirage. It's really aggravating since I know what I want, I just cant seem to draw it unless I'm using the good old paper and pencil. I've asked for a cintiq for Christmas since I figured it would help me significantly, but it doesn't look like that will happen. I would really like to just animate traditionally, but I don't have a way to capture my work to see how things are going.

I'm really having a hard time with this. I'm hoping it'll get better if I keep trying to push forward. It's really upsetting though. I feel like I would be much farther along by now if I were animating traditionally or in 3d, but neither of those are options now. =(

Outside Layout

Hey guys,

Here's a look at the outside the garage door layout for my senior project. I really like the version with noise since it gets rid of the preistine digital feel of the image. I want everything to be kept rough and loose since that's how I always draw and feel like it represents me as the result. Originally, I wanted to color everything with colored pencils but I think the image with noise maintains the rough look without the time consuming colored pencil process. What do you guys think?

Normal:

With Noise:

The version with noise also reminds me of 101 Dalmations for some reason...

Challenging

Hey guys,

Here's the rough animation that I did today. I was having a pretty frustrating time with this. I'm still reacquainting myself with drawing/animating via a tablet since I've been working traditionally for over a year now. I still greatly prefer it to digital 2d but right now I don't have a choice since I'm no longer at SCAD. Not having to capture my work before being able to watch it speeds things up significantly though.

Anyway, on to my main issue of the day. I have pages of sketches and thumbnails in my sketchbook but I'm still unsure of whether or not my scene is being done properly. I need the cat to step through the cat flap and take a few steps before being stopped by his fat. The problem is, I have no idea how many steps he can/should take before getting stopped. I also feel like the overshoot for that part can be pushed but each time I redraw it, it ends up being too much. I'll continue trying to work this issue out. In the meantime, any comments, crits, and or ideas on solving this problem are greatly appreciated!

Quick Update

Here's one of the rough layouts for my new senior project idea, Cat Flap. I think I'll clean it up during senior II (which is clean-up and color) and move forward into thumbnailing my scene, since I don't have much time.

In A Hurry

Here's a kuzco update. This is due on Monday, so I highly doubt it'll be nearly as finished as piglet. I think I'll try to polish up the Tibo scene the most since I like his acting. Right now Kuzco needs a lot of work. I think he rotates his torso too much when he says "yeah" but I'm not sure if I'll have time to change it.

It's Done!

There are still a few tweaks that I would like to make, but I really need to move on. I'm really happy with the scene regardless though. =D

98% There

It's almost done! I just have to fix his ears on "toilet", add a blink after "hey" and finish inbetweening "at the" and "store". I'm really happy that I continued to work on this even though it was due weeks ago. I'll be resubmitting Piglet on Monday with a 200% improvement over the original. Once I'm finished, I'll upload a small progression of the scene from start to finish. I looked at a couple of older versions of this and was surprised at how far the scene has come. Piglet will definitely be on my demo reel.

Yesterday's Life Drawings

Working Out the Kinks

I'd like to say I'll have this finished by the end of the day tomorrow, but I highly doubt that would be true. I have to go to the open model session as well as run a bunch of errands relating to graduation. I don't know if I'll have very much time to work on this, but I'll do my best to try as I'd like to be finished within the next day or so. It's turning out to be a nice scene and I'd like to put it on my demo reel. To do that I'll have to make sure it's as perfect as possible though.

Almost There

Hey guys,

Here's a piglet update. I'm working on his eyebrows now, trying to make the changes in his expression read better. I think the brows can come down faster before he starts to say "where". I also need to animate/fix his ears and decide what I'm going to do about "at the" and "store". It seem like "at the" works when the dialogue is played, but when the sound is off it looks like that section should be toned down. I'm still trying to work out my spacing on the transition from toilet to store. I'm not sure how I feel about it at the moment.




Here's a quick look at my next assignment. I dont have very much yet, but hopefully its enough to give people an idea of what I want. I'm trying to be really rough this time around. Last week, my prof. said you should be able to get a rough pass of a scene done in an afternoon. I'd like to have a really nice rough version of this scene by Monday. That way I'll be able to spend the rest of the time working on drawing the characters on model.




Right now I'm really leaning towards animating my senior project really rough digitally and then printing out the frames and drawing them on model traditionally. This should allow me to actually animate my film at home without having to worry about how I'm going to capture my scene every so often. My goal is to return to SCAD in the winter with at least some of my film on model. I've decided to go for a rough colored pencil look for the final film, so I wont need a bunch of clean lines. Once everything's on model, I'll go over each frame with colored pencil to finish it off. At least, that's the plan. Time constraints my force me to just paint bucket everything in Photoshop. Then again, that would require clean, smooth linework...

I guess I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

Revamped Rough Animatic

Hey guys,

I've been thinking about my senior project and I've decided that I'm not sold on my Morning Stretch idea. I like the concept of a cat getting stuck on a garage door, but I don't think Morning Stretch was the best execution. In anthropology class I thought, what if a cat gets stuck going through the garage door? That way we can see his face rather than his back the entire time. I threw together a rough animatic and I like the new version 100% more than Morning Stretch.

My only problem is, I wanted the cat to respond to the fact that the garage door is about to open before it actually does. That way he'll already be struggling to escape as it starts to life him. My other problem is the fact that the garage door sound starts a bit before the cat actually starts to go up. Once I figure out what tips the cat off on what's about to happen, I imagine I'll be able to just move the garage door sound back to when he starts to lift from the ground.

Does anyone have any ideas of what the cat can respond to that will cause him to struggle desperately in preparation for the door to open?