Final Year

Wassup Lonnyville peeps, I have begun my final year of my degree which means posting will be quite thin on the ground for the next few months.  If it turns out I post quite often, I've either turned into a lean mean creative machine, or I'm not working hard enough on my final film and dissertation. (Let's hope it's the former!)

Peace out

I was reading an article from the Animation Mentor newsletter, about their 8th graduation ceremony and BBQ, and felt this from Lee Unkrich was poignant (emphasis added):

' "I am really, really proud of Toy Story 3, but it was by far the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. And it's perhaps the hardest thing I'll ever do. Don't be afraid of the impossible," Lee said. "Don't be afraid to fail. You will fail again and again. But those failures will make your work strong and you a better person."

He also said to put your personal experiences in your work as it will take it to a new level.

"The most important piece of advice I can leave with you today to is infuse your work with life," Lee said. "Put as much real life into your work as possible. Things you've experienced, things that have moved you, affected you, changed you.

"We are all wandering through our lives experiencing different things. But we're all sharing a common human experience. Find ways to touch base with that in your work and you'll affect not just a few people but a lot of people." '

[Graduation Rocks with Pixar's Lee Unkrich. Plus, BBQ Fun! by Eunice Park, Animation Mentor Newsletter, Aug 2010]

Recommence les squiggles

Back in the saddle again.  A few hours after finishing the girl and the pool, I got withdrawal.  So here's to another week of squiggles!

Summer Theme #2 FINITO

It's done!  Finally!  Just finished it this morning - only 8 days past the deadline! - and while I could continue working on it, I'm happy to leave it where it is (and I'm too lazy to spend anymore time on it haha - 18 hours, I counted).  I've learnt a ton of useful stuff while making it though, which is also a bonus!

Unfortunately, it's quite a low quality jpeg to save on space, but hope you like it anyways!  :3

"I'll be back with the drinks"

 I think I'll be taking a little break from any intense art creation - my brain can't take anymore!

Summer Theme #2

I'm lagging behind a little on my second summer submission;  I've been working on it pretty solidly, but my body is telling me to take a break (oh, hello RSI)!  I might manage to finish tonight, before the official BA Summer Theme deadline, but in case I don't, here's a taste of what's to come!  Now, where's the martinis?

Summer Theme #1

Here's part one of my Summer theme for the BA forum theme!  I think it's pretty much done, and I'm pleased with it.  It was fun pulling together my influences, figuring out how best to use halftone on it, and trying out a limited colour palette and finding colours that worked together!

About halfway through my other Summer piece (the one mentioned in my previous post), and will post that up when I'm done; theme ends in 4 days!  Better shimmy!

Work ...in the works

I've got my piece going for the summer theme on BA, and I'm soooo excited about it; I'm learning so many things I wouldn't have otherwise learnt.  That's what the summer is for.  As well as maxing and relaxing.  Obviously.

I'm tempted to put up a WIP cuz it looks so darn good, but I think I'll save it for the finished article!

Wise Words

From Walt Stanchfield, on animation, in his book Drawn to Life (2009),

"Draw ideas, not things;

action, not poses;

gestures, not anatomical structures."

And from the wonderful Bob Ross (said with a winning smile),

"We don't make mistakes, we have happy accidents."

Doesn't Bob always make you feel so much better?

Picking up the Gauntlet

It's good to finally have some coloured and finished work on here! A friend challenged me to a draw off - a blue dragon who's afraid of heights, and a really really small pig with a big apple. Here's one half of the challenge! I'll be keeping an eye out for Adam's offering!

Birthday Beach Times!

It was my birthday yesterday! Happy birthday to me. Met up with my homegirls and chilled out on the beach and ate sweeties disguised as pizzas! That fat woman, top left, was so funny to watch; she just sat there with both arms in that position with her toes sticking out of the waves, looking about in a vaguely nonchalant staccato, taking it all in.

Squiggle no. 10

Like Mambo no.5, only different.

Inspired by Jill Scott and the girl groups of the 60's and 70's

Annecy Squiggles!

Found these in my sketchbook, from a night at the pub in Annecy!
[clockwise from top left: Gemma, James, me, Adam]

England vs. Slovenia

Thankfully, England won, otherwise I think Adam would have had a brain haemorrhage.

New stuff!

Ahhh don'tcha just love new stuff? I trundled into town today for a wander, and treated myself to some new markers and pencils! Can't wait to be using them on something other than paper :3

Uni Posca chalk markers
Papermate Chinagraph pencils

Les Squiggles

Since hearing Teddy Newton talk about his squiggles, and having watched him draw one, it got me thinking that it's such a simple creative thing to do, just to keep the creative juices flowing. So I challenged myself to do a squiggle a day! Here are my efforts so far!

I kept it up for a week, and then missed a couple days, so I'm now doing one whenever I can (or when I remember). It's great though; they take, like, 10 minutes and are superfun!! Draw a squiggle, ask someone else for two random elements -- an object and something like a character -- (or choose them yourself) and start drawing! They're also fun in groups -- one person draws the squiggle, two other people names two random things, and another person draws it. Do one now. Right now.

Teddy Newton

Well well well... As I mentioned in the previous post, there were several big names at Annecy this year, one of whom was... Teddy Newton! YAYER.

While at Annecy, he gave a presentation on his new short, Day and Night. The short is brilliant; short and sweet, to be precise. Without giving too much away, it deals with two characters, Day and Night, who encounter each other and explore their differences. Watching it in 3D is awesome too. The short made really good use of depth of field, and the black, thick like velvet, acts like a curtain with a cut out through which to view to different states of Day and Night, putting the situations, the colours and the extra depth centre stage; Teddy described it as "looking through a keyhole" and seeing one world represented in two states simultaneously.


While talking about his concept work for the short, Teddy mentioned how he would draw a squiggle on a page and then make something out of it. The examples he showed us of some of his squiggles were just fantastic; proper little illustrations in themselves, but from very humble beginnnings. Simple, but totally rewarding. This got me thinking.

A little later that week, a friend told me Teddy was signing in the Bonlieu, so I went down and joined the queue. When I got to the front of the line, Teddy was signing Day and Night posters, each with a little Day and Night shaking hands or smiling, or whatever. I also asked him if he wouldn't mind making something from my squiggle I'd drawn while in the queue? His face lit up and he was like, "sure, yeah!" He asked for two different elements, so I said ice cream (there's a lot of that in Annecy) and... a bus driver. Random. And he set about making a little drawing out of this totally random squiggle. It was awesome, just watching him work out where he'd draw the different elements, what kind of a story was forming as he drew, and just his excitement over something so simple, even after having been signing for over an hour! So Teddy, if you're reading this, thank you so much! It's so awesome.

"He's trying to balance the ice cream and eat it while driving his bus!"

Annecy Animation Festival

It's been nearly a week since I got back from Annecy's Animation Festival, and, OH MY GOSH, it was awesome!! The hotel we stayed in was great, right in the middle of town and so close to the Bonlieu, where they have the majority of the screenings, and they had some big names there this year. The town itself is gorgeous, so to be watching some pretty superb animation and being surrounded by Annecy's beauty, while hanging out with a bunch of mates... a tough combination to beat!


Trying to decide what we were going to watch each day was a bit of a mission to begin with. It being my first time at Annecy, opening up the agenda and seeing a bajillion films, all of which I wanted to see, was pretty overwhelming. But by the end of the week, after the queuing and the sunshine and the surroundings, the food and the company, you slip into the way of things, and figure that, anything you get to see is one thing more than you would have seen (and you can probably find the stuff on youtube, anyways). You kind of go with the flow, and see where the mood takes you. It's a nice way to go.

Next time I go though, I'd like to spend more time at the Imperial Palace. There were more workshops and presentations over there, whereas the agenda for the Bonlieu was all screenings. While it's good to be watching new things, 'filling the well' as they say, I find listening to people talking more in depth about a project they've worked on, their methods and processes, learning from the pros, is more interesting and beneficial to me than only watching films. When you watch a film, be it long or short, you're only left with the finished article, you don't get to see and explore the path it took to get there.

Also, I'm thinking we need to open a Chez Barnabe over here. One of the best ideas on the planet - a whole shop full of different dishes, and you help yourself, and pay for the tub you fill up, then go sit out in le parc, next to le lac d'annecy, with some friends, and eat and chat and laugh til dusk. Followed by a screening of a feature film on the massive screen (also in the park). Nice.

Over the next few days, I'll post up some of my notes and photos, and the doodles I got from a few pros while we were there. Ahhh yeeeahh.

When's the next one???

It's Raining Sunshiiiiiine

Aaahh I watched Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs the other dayy. I love it, so good! But you know what I especially love? The ending credits. Oh yeah. They're so happy and full of sunshine and joy and rainbows and love.

<--- That's me, with the rainbows of love and rain of sunshine and cakes of happiness. I think this is what my perky place looks like.

And here's the vid...

Drink and Draw

A little more from another drink and draw, complete with notes to self...

Musings

Finished the brown paper piece I began a little while ago! Looking hot.
Tip of the day: chocolate and Star Wars V is good for the creative juices.

Drink and Draw

Doodles from another drink and draw, and a slightly bizarre super-monkey-hyper-combo-awesome-scene, my attempt at working hard at ideas for a job. Yes, his arm is pretty broken, and sewn on.

EDIT: just realised the woman with the long hair and the stars looks like Yvonne Strahovski (Sarah in Chuck)

Musings

I'd been feeling the need to play with my inks again; usually when I have work to do, I try to ignore these wishes and instead promise to fulfill them when I have a day off (when I never feel like doing these creative things!). I'd been taking an extended break from essay writing, having been struggling with it, and figured, instead of sitting there wanting to do something creative but feeling I shouldn't cuz I ought to be writing, by the time I'd reasoned it out, I could have done something. Don't think twice; just do it. The mantra I use for work seems to fit art too: anything you do [that is remotely creative when you want to create] is better than having done nothing at all. Keeps the creative juices stirred and ready for something else later; helps it become second nature!

I'll be revisiting her later. More depth and some sweet highlights.

This is why I rebooked my room

Drink of Choice: Redbush Tea

Gosh it still feels early and I ought to be storyboarding.

With a little nod to Gary :)
And, yes, that is a Max shortcut.