Update

here is the almost final. What about the spliny-ness of the end there, after the hand slaps down, that move to the left, second to last pose?



The hands probably need a little love, but, if you watch it once, and watch the eyes, things are working pretty well.

I added in a few smear frames here and there, (4 to be exact) and I am liking 2 of them, in the air for one, and not so much the last.

Allright. One more go on some simplyfying the gibberish bit again this week, then on to new stuff ... maybe even some recent drawings will be posted ... oooooohhhhhh ...

Blanket_v002

And here is what they wanted for the blanket shot. My how things change, lol.

Help Please

How do I take these to the next level?

I'm making some very slow progress trying to polish them, but I feel I'm missing the mark trying to improve these, more then I am actually improving them.

What doesn't work for you guys? And why? How would you suggest fixing it? What works? And why?

I think I need to step back from these for a bit, start some new shots, or get some hands-on tips from some pros. What'd I'd give to be able to walk over the cubicle of a veteran and have him lay down how to make this sing.

Still needs a face pass and a polish pass, but I"m liking how some of this is turning out. Still a lot that could have been clearer. lots of hands all jumbled together.

Work

Of course, they needed the blanket animated. Couldn't draw it cause the shading needs to match the cg back grounds, and we don't have a sim dept. Gotta have the character getting out of bed, then getting the blanket to drift down and make itself.

This is actually pretty fun, which for preschool TV, is a super plus. And its taking 1/10 the time I thought it would. Joints, lattices, and some vert animation. It has promise, and I might even have enough time to make it look half decent.

Thats my "stand-in" texture till we get some pastel goodness that matches the rest of the preschool show, so until then ... HAIL SATAN! ('s bed sheets).

can't show more of the scene for legal reasons.




And here is where the problems are Ladies and Gentlemen. Smooth out the bumps, still feeling like its bouncing off walls on the way down to me, and not sure about the more exagerated followthrough on the bottom of the blanket this time round, get some fresh eyes on it tomorrow.

Update, What the hell ...

As you can tell this is about 1/3, 1/2 way through first pass splining. I'm trying to get things pretty finalized when I'm smoothing out. Take 30-60 frames at a time from blocking, and starting at the root, work my way out. Extra love for the head.

From this, parts are not WAY too off when splining out, but I'd sure like to get them closer first time. I need to understand better what I'm going to get from my blocking, in terms a smooth, and how that set up effects smoothing out. Keeping the tension in the long pull is going to be a bitch I know it. And the end expressions are corny as all hell. What ever. Gotta try doing something other then humor and adolescent angst/rage some time.

And keeping on schedule as far as splining out. Clocking in at 35-40 hrs for the first 110 frames smoothing out. They need a face/polish pass, but aiming for 60-100 frames, final animation, per 60 hours, not doing too bad.




I reached the point where I was starting to loose objectivity, and not sure my changes were making it better. The mouth can be simplified, but I need to research that, as I'm fresh out of ideas. Also, I suspect the face needs another polish pass, and the resting hand, needs some love, but, I'm pretty much at the end of my current abilities with this one, and need an expert eye for any more improvements. Help please.



Audio fixed. Stupid youtube couldn't process it correctly.

pahLehLeh_v019

Dialogue update. Making progress on all fronts. Also keeping decently in line with the schedule (100 frames per 60 hours worked). Splinning is so far ahead of schedule, on both tests. That is sweet!

Been learning a lot, and feel like my eye is getting much sharper. How ever, that also means I am not satisfied with anything for more then a few seconds, and the masters, seem to be getting farther away, not closer.

Oh, and PLAN!!!!! I've made this mistake with blocking, and see it profusely on 11 second club, in where, they have 4 "poses" for a 10 second piece of dialogue. I quote "poses," because moving the torso, does not count as a pose. You need STORY TELLING images. This needs to be a whole body pose, facial included, that COMMUNICATES an emotion, or idea, clearly, to the audience. The pose needs to be dynamic, interesting, weighty, balanced, all the principles of what makes a good image.

Then, once those few are figured out, start thinking about how they relate to each other, how one might move between them, then, just start in betweening them. Once you break it down enough, to where the story is told, with a little texture of timing and spacing, THEN, and ONLY then, is your shot "blocked." If what we are calling "blocking," does not communicate ANY ideas, its not blocking, and there is no way in hell we are going to have "happy accidents," and just stumble upon genius when we start splining things out. You'll have to think about it, and KNOW it, eventually, before you can animate it. Good animation, is proof that some one KNOWS something about life.

But there in lies the biggest hurdle. You need something to say, that more then one other human, will give to hoots about. Yes, if your poses are all balanced, and beautiful, and communicate clearly, the thoughts and feelings of the character, your off to a great start. But then the line that separates the artist, from the technical master, is drawn. The artist says something meaningful. The work becomes more powerful, each time it is experienced. The technical master how ever, looses its luster half way through the first viewing/listen, ect. You can't teach some one WHAT to say. Only the words, for HOW to say it. Here is hoping I can say something meaningful eventually.



A special thanks to Lou, for some great tips on refining this. Just few frame difference on the face stuff on the hit, and some larger "off model" suggestions that are really helping out. I need to sleep on it, take another look, tweak, send out for crits, polish, and call it done for now. CLOSE!

Hand Tweak

"Final," chimp test.

Finished this guy up a few months back, and was feeling too good about myself before I got another awesome critique and notes from Mr. Andrew Coats. A little over whelming, and made me completely doubt myself, so I went back to my cave and commenced trying to make sense of it all. (these are the best times, as long as you don't give up, because you really have to figure out how to get up, and walk, when you think you were already)

Mostly bringing the ideas I have in there, together seamlessly. Like the first move on wait. Get a realy "w" mouth shape in there, and bring things together so its not, here is the pose, then an eyebrow move, then some mouth, now down with the head to the left, ect.

One day... Untill then, keep on trying things out.

Blocking updates

Here is some, hopefully, entertaining context before the dialogue bit.

The new blocking is about 150 frames, and took 10-12 hours. Which, if the quota is 100 frames a week, one would need to get it blocked in on monday, so, I'm getting closer. Plus, I have no direction, and making everything up as I go along, which I don't really know if its harder or not. Went through about 4-6 ideas/variations on the theme before I got it down to this. Which re-inforces what I've learned before. From initial inspiration its at least 5 idea revisions to clearify what I'm trying to communicate, before I start seeing what I want to see.



TripSlap update below. Spread out the hits, definitely liking that better, not happy with the last two poses though. Still off timing and spacing wise mocing into the second to last pose, and the last move, still seems, kitsche, or cliche, or, just bad acting to me. Not Olie yet.

Hurry!

All right, a few preliminary crits are in for the tests below. They are great, and I have to agree with what is being said so far. The good and the bad.

There is hope for the two character bit, the slap needs some work, which I am doing, and people seem to like it. I like it, all around.

The dialogue piece is getting a less favorable response, on the grounds of "what the hell am I watching?" I'm sticking to it, because I like the audio, and, non sequitur, fits with some of my sensibilities. This test is fun, and thats what I need right now. HOW EVER. It does need some context. As in, some emotion change/thought, before/after the bit, to give believable justification to his out burst. Which I think is a compelty valid request.

I shall rant about how sick I am of doing long tests, and my failed efforts to do some under 100 frames. But its very frustrating! (and the spell-check for this blog keeps underlining "sequitur," even though its spelled right)

Blocking Updates

The two character bit has been evolving since I wanted to play around with how a character with the proportions of the Blue guy, might move. Just been making it up as I went along. Which is quite fun, and there are a lot of bits that I like in it, but its not as well staged, organized, or clear, as a piece thats well planned from the beginning, with a purpose, and good idea of who the characters are, and how the shot might be part of a larger story.



This dialogue piece is self explanatory. Both of these, I'm feeling i've done about as much as I can with them, with out wasting time, before I start splining. I'll add in some chair stuff, still in blocking, before I go to splines.




And if you got crits, lemme have em.

Fun times.

The approved

Here is the pencil test of the shot I've been working on for a while now. Many ideas tried, and versions experimented with, to the frame. Its for the film my Professor back in colege is making. Its ridiculous in what it tackles in craftsmanship, beautiful, and really a work of art. I'm honored I was trusted enough to contribute to it. This will later be cleaned up onto frosted cell, colored with colored pencil, then shot on a bolex.

I'm trying to get some of the versions we went through up on my training log, but blogger is being uncooperative.

update

Here is an update with another 8 hours or so. Lip synch is getting better, hands still need a lot of polish. Tear it apart please.

ANIMATION!

here are some tests I've been doing after finishing my film. (I am contemplating a musical score, so once I settle on that, I"ll have something up on youtube as soon as I am really, totally, done ... fur cerial) Its really hard to get anything of worth done outside of work. I managed to get the film done, but thats cause I bout lost my mind doing it, and did lose the ol'lady. And only took 2-3 months longer then I thought. Hooray, image buffer errors!

Warm up and crash back into the world of character animatino in 3D. this was really rough for a few weeks. like not exercising for a year, then going to the gym with a buddy whos a total gym rat.



here are two versions of hand placement, and starts on the ending. Needs love on "ethical," and both of their eyes through out, specially the sitting guy as the stading one is talking. But made a little progress. The good feelings are allready fading as it is starting to elicit shudders from viewing. But thats a good thing. All past work should appear poor, except after 20-30 years, there can be 1-3 bits that you actually "got."

Sleep

WTF! welp, so much for enough sleep. I've actually made a point to get enough the past week. try and get a littl more ballance for the past 5 months crazyness and last months extra crazyness, and in turn, get nothing done, and spend all my time on trains.

Looks like the only way to be successful and productive is to be miserable and sleep deprived.

Never to bed and early to rise.

We'll see how this works out.

Flying

For the past two days.

And here are some screen shots from my current dialogue test in progress .