Barnes and Nobles has influenced me...

I have recently decided to alter my character in terms of his background story. The main character is now a militant artist, relieved from duty and is now a practicing artist. In the background, I will include war memorabilia, including purple heart badges, a tattered war flag, etc. I have decided to rename my piece from "Block" to "The Art of War," inspired by a book I've recently picked up and read by Sun Tzu. I believe this will help me develop sophistication with a character in a short amount of time. My thesis not only relates to how nihilistic we are and how self-accepting we need to be, but in terms of this character, how it may imply a metaphor (purple heart badges in the background) that he is mentally insane, trying to fight his inner demons. Also, the notion that my clip is very short implies that the "art of war" is very immediate, instinctual, and climactic.

P.S - I may make a parody of Sun Tzu's book and include that piece of artwork somewhere in my animation!

 

THESIS UPDATE:

Thesis: Man tends to destroy his creation if it’s not perfect in his eyes…Instead of erasing those mistakes, let those mistakes be visible so that you may learn from it…

Basis of the Story: Man draws something he don’t like, tries to erase it, picture comes to life (in his world) in self defense, and they have a short battle until the artist eventually and inevitably wins.

Questions to Ask:

What sorts of mediums (other than the computer) would be more effective in conveying or enhancing my message?

Do you think the very act of cleaning up your sketches before finishing your animation is direct contrast to your thesis?

How do you think you should interpret the ending?

Who is your audience? Specifically other artists, or people who create in general?

Why do people create and why do people destroy? Is it the mystery of exploring the unknown? Or is it an uncontrollable impulse born within man?

What does it mean if the artist wins?

The battle is metaphorical– as he erases a part of his monster he created, he is slowly destroying the potential of his creation, condemning it to non-existence. The battle metaphor was derived from a film I’ve watched, here is a link:

Aside from my questions log, I have found three animators, each with a specific/ unique technique. The last one at the bottom greatly influenced me to tackle the aspect of creation and nihilism from an artist’s perspective (not necessarily what the Backwater Gospel conveys, but nonetheless it’s awesome!) Harry Partidge has a whimsical aspect to cartooning that I like, and Hisko is working on an animation called Junkyard. I find it interesting that he included actual oil paintings in for his background, meaning he painted over 100+ pictures on canvases. He also combined 3D objects (created from Maya) to juxtapose perfectly with his Oil paintings. The result is pretty fasicinating! Here's a link to it:

http://www.youtube.com/user/HarryPartridge?feature=CA0QwRs%3D

Harry Partridge

http://www.hiskohulsing.com/

Hisko Hulsing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGzghUQRVk8

The Backwater Gospel

Director- Bo  Mathorne

Arthur Gil Larsen

Animation/ Sketches/ Ideas/ Thesis Update:

I have made more progress in my non-capstone oriented 2D animation called, "Eagle, Human, Mouse". I am currently at 28 expected scenes with 24 scenes finished in Flash. Below are some snapshots of (frame-by-frame) new animation works:

 AFTER EFFECTS:

After I complete a scene, I throw the raw SWF file into After Effects for some finishing touches (in terms of visuals) This is what it looks like Pre-After Effects & Post-After Effects:

Here are some more finished visuals using After Effects:

 I have also been gathering a few sound effects, more so thanks to a sound art class I am taking up. Right now, I am using a condenser microphone with phantom power, in order to get specific crisp clean sound effects (moreover for voiceovers). Even though I might decide not to have a voiceover in this specific project, I am considering utilizing human murmurs, scowls, gasps, and other trachea anomalies in my Senior Thesis for more....umph.

SENIOR THESIS UPDATE:

I have changed some of the aspects (and approach) concerning how the story of my 2D animation will go about, but for the most part I am thinking about using 30 FPS (with only a 15 FPS playback to make it easier for me, lol), this way camera pans can look more smooth and effective. I have a pre-written rough draft script that I posted below, detailing what happens in each specific cutscene:
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Edited Script:

Setting: Dark room, lit only by a lamp.

Cutscene 1# Pans down to male artist drawing a "monster" (sideway view)

Cutscene 2# Man is drawing/working on a monster (he finishes it, puts the pencil down).

Cutscene 3# Man is disappointed/ hates his drawing

Cutscene 4# Reaches for eraser

Cutscene 5# Ready to erase (close up), monster pops through paper into 3D life.

Cutscene 6# Knocks over half bitten apple

Cutscene 7# (While apple is rolling) Man steps back and watches his creation take form (shadows and lights cover him, eventually brightening the room with multiple rainbow like colors (from the back of man’s point of view, backing up)

Cutscene 8 Man gets angry. He heads for his blaster.

Cutscene 9 -Takes blaster-

Cutscene 10 Aims blaster at monster (charges)

Cutscene 11 Monster is scared, backs up to the wall as much as he/she can. Throws his spear (which was drawn by the man) at man.

Cutscene 12 Man dodges with a slight cut to his cheek. He gets madder. The charger is 100% charged, and releases blast.

Cutscene 13 Monster is awestruck (Blast travels to his eye –camera movement-)

Cutscene 14 Monster is hit with blue tri-mega beam. Shows one side of his house getting blown to bits (Setting outside is very dark).

Cutscene 15 Smokes blows away to see monster crippled (light is fading). Seconds later, (camera angle is ground level) man steps his foot in “front” of camera)

Cutscene 16 (camera angle- ground up to man’s face, imposing a big stature) to a semi-silhouette figure of the man. He raise gun charges.

Cutscene 17 He blasts it.

------------------possible ending-----------------------

-Setting, alien planet-

Cutscene 18 Monster wakes up from bad dream.

Cutscene 19 Monster pants and looks back at his picture

Cutscene 20 Picture of what he was last working on. Man is etched into the drawing, angry.

Cutscene 21 Monster is sad, but doesn’t make the same mistake. He fleshes out his character (pans out to his alien civilization)

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Overall moral of the story lies that "Humans can be monsters too" today, in an artistic sense that we tend to be nihilistic with mistakes, when we should be embracing those mistakes. It is also self-reflecting as an artist, with slight symbolism (apple knocked over, creation of a "monster") of man's destructive nature & his inability to cope with his mistakes. This certain idea leaves me open to a plethora of ways to handle this particular story. This is part of the reason why I sketch only in pen now (you'll see some posts of my sketches, they are all in ink or prismacolor). I also view these lines as gestural movement working in correlation with the main picture, something I love a lot when sketching and making concept art.

I have quite a few sketches of the 2 characters I will use for my Thesis animation, I have posted only 2 at the bottom... In the meantime, I will just work on more sketches, and after fleshing out my 2 main characters, I will work on clothing (I've only got one piece of clothing) I plan to start on an animatic (which is a still frame of each cutscene) anywhere between week 7 to week 10. By week 10, I want my animatic finished, while working on environmental sketches.

Center for Simulations & Virtual Environment:

In my field of employment, I am interested in also using 3D programs I've experienced at work and use them in a 2D animation for my thesis. I thought it would be interesting to share a blog snippet I've created on August 22nd. It is titled, "Tips for Creating Models in Maya for Use in Unity 3D.

http://ucsim.uc.edu/blog/category/blog/

Photoshop Sneek Peek:

I thought I would post this article in what they may be able to do in the future with originally blurred or low pixel images. Definitely a benefit for artists, specifically photographers...

http://prodesigntools.com/photoshop-sneak-peek-image-deblurring-adobe-max.html

Creative Influences

My creative influence

My favorite artist is Genndy Tartakovsky, most notably for his endeavors in the animation business. He is a Soviet born Jewish-American who earlier got into the career by scripting an animation, which laid basis for Dexter’s Laboratory. His most successful works are Samurai Jack, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, all which are noticeably stylized 2D and relatively flat animations; however, this gives leeway to Tartakovsky’s amazing perspectives, movements, and superior linework. Most of his works are simplistic in terms of detail, which allows Mr. Tartakovsky to animate more fluidly. My artwork strikes a similar style, which is why I have much interest in Genndy. In some of his works, he gives the illusion of animating with doing less work, thanks to his blend of technical techniques and traditional animation techniques. He also keeps a great consistency in all of his art in episodic animations, which is impressive, since most cartoons tend to re-use loops and shorten episodes during the end of an episode or the end of a series. Genndy puts an equal amount of time and effort into his masterpieces.

One of his first notable pieces was an animated series called, “Two Stupid Dogs” which began in the early 90’s when he was still in college. This early example of his work demonstrated his storytelling abilities, which also served as an anchor for his more in-depth work.

            His best work, personally, is Samurai Jack. Samurai Jack is a lone samurai warrior who longs to return to his homeworld, banished by Aku while Aku torments his timeline. This serves as the basis of all of Samurai Jack; he gets close to a portal, and he fails. However, integrated with an amazing storyline, climatic battles, mid-violent realizations, eloquent vectorized artwork and backgrounds, and attaching characters, you begin to share the realities the main character, Jack, is going through. Overall, if you are into cartoons, Samurai Jack is possibly the greatest piece of artwork that Genndy has ever embarked on.

            Dexter’s Laboratory was an animation that spawned in the early 1990s. Genndy’s art style was more organic in this work, as he uses sharper outlining and more pointed bone structure. What I find compelling about this work is the comical relationship between two characters: Dexter, a boy genius, and Dee-Dee, his older-but-not-so-smart sister, who seems to destroy as much as Dexter creates. It is truly an original cartoon that  (I’m pretty sure) influenced other cartoons like Jimmy Neutron.

            Overall, Genndy Tartakovsky is my favorite artist mainly because of his resemblance in style to mine. His simple but effective storyline is what I want to achieve in my animations.

            

SOA animator: Surabh Anand

This graduate is doing a 3D animation that runs for around 7 minutes, and it revolves around a man in India who loses everything, and seeks redemption. I was not only interested in his technical process, but also his storyline. I based the interview questions from the Studio visits, and collected some very nice data:

Saurabh Anand

anandsh@mail.uc.edu

513 293 6251

4415 DAAP

How long did you have a studio for?

1. 1.5 years

Why did you get a studio?

2. I need some personal space where I can explore my ideas 

Where do you work currently?

3. I work part-time at UCIT 

What aspects hinder you from creating your artwork?

4. visualization of my concept,  Technical Problems, and third working alone in my mixture Programs 

Do you network at all?

5. I have contacts with people from Siggraph, Contacts on Facebook and Lankedan, spread my business card to people

What is the worst possible scenario for you right now?

6. Completing my work on time

How do you feel when your work is completed?

7. I feel good after completion, distinct planet with everything moving around me, attachment to nature

Here is his website to his works:

www.pyxisstudioz.com

Technical Process

I thought I'd post a process of how everything sort of works when I animate, so I have posted a picture below: (Click to enlarge)

I am currently working in Flash CS4, an animation program. In the top left corner, I am working with something called a "timeline", where the individual frames (the grey marked with a black dot) reside. It tells us how many frames altogether we are making. The blue frames marked are frames marked with using "tweening". As opposed to frame-by-frame animation, tweening is the process where the computer creates an algorithm to move the piece. It is also shown which piece I am applying it to by the green line shown beneath the rock the mouse is holding. It sounds like a great function, however, it can water down an animation if used poorly. I try my best to use it along with my frame-by-frame animation for loops and possibly any scene that has the same effect as if I was drawing frame-by-frame (background linear movements, etc.)

Researched Books

I have been researching several books that helped me strive as an animator and as an artist. I recommend these books to anyone who want to use digital programs to make art or animation:
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The After Effects Illusionist (by Chad Perkins)

   - This book is great for the program After Effects CS4 (it covers up to) and it sort of covers a bit of everything the program has to offer. This is a great starter book; in fact, I am using this book to help me with ideas for my current animation process. I have already used effects such as tritone from Ch.12 (pg 367) for my previous animation, "The Agency".

Bridgman's Complete Guide to Drawing from Life (George B. Bridgman)
 
    - Bridgman provides a plethora of sketches from every body position, and from all angles. This book, to me, is constructed as a huge diary for readers to get a glimpse of how to accurately portray, position, and proportion every aspect of the human figure. It helps me, and I see improvements when I work in my Life Drawing courses. I greatly recommend this book as it was recommended to me by Deon Nuckols ( who is a director of such projects for Mattel and Disney, and very recently Lionsgates).

The Animator's Survival Kit (by Richard Williams)

    - This book was recommended to be by 2 graduate students who also work on animation. The Animator's survival kit works less on anatomical structure compared to Bridgman's guide, and more on animation techniques that help enforce certain movements (or simply to make those movements stronger). This is practically the bible for animators from what I have heard. Personally, I also think this is a strong source for any animator, for it provides anatomical structures, pictures, references to other animators, and much more.

An Essential Introduction to Maya Character Rigging (by Cheryl Cabrera) and How to Cheat in Maya 2010: Tools and Techniques for the Maya Animator (by Eric Lutha)
 
    - Although I have not went through these books thoroughly, the 3D animators I know proved this book to be resourceful. I recently picked up this book because I was recently hired onto the UCIT department for the Graphic Designer position, in which we must serve clients with 3D models, architectures, animation, etc. My lack of 3D animation (I work on mostly 2D, although I was hired because of my 2D work) might serve as a hindrance to others (despite that we have orientation for about 2 weeks). So, in order to expedite my prowess, these books are currently serving as a reference for my job.

Progress and Snapshots

My current project that I am working on will be 1 minute long, running at 20 FPS (Frames Per Second). I will do all of the linework by March 8th, and continue working on color, sound, and visual effects next quarter. Here are several snapshots of my work so far....

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5

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7

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And here is a test picture of a mouse (incompleted) in color. The back side of the cave 

was done in photoshop. The outer cave needs more shading, however.

9

Artist's Statement

This is a quick sketch concept of a phone that I will include into my 2D Flash Animation. The one I will use as a model will be the slimmer one on the right of the purple phone. This particular cellphone may be built in Maya, a 3D program, animated (simple tossing of a phone, just utilizing a rotation tool) and then exported as multiple 2D files for my 2D Flash program. The main reason for choosing a 3D program over developing it as a 2D model is to stress the significance of the phone, and how it will later play in the animation short story.

Animation Test

For one of my Advanced classes, I was working with integrating 3 different programs. I took a looped animation of a girl shrugging her shoulders, and added snow and a background. I used Adobe Flash for the girl, Adobe After Effects for the Snow, and Background was quickly done in Photoshop. This test animation is for my bigger animation that will be done by the end of the quarter.