My new 3D kid - she's so cute you'll puke!

Well there she is...i have a whole story and everything that i want to make for a final movie...but ill add that later when more time...

I would really like feedback on how you feel about her, interact etc...

Some other Steam movie links

http://www.renaissance-lefilm.com/accueil.htm



http://www.rustboy.com/

Initial Steam giant concept sketches...uggh...ok...more like robots...oops!

So I was pretty keen to start this concept thing. Thought I'd go for the giants first...but now looking at them...I think they maybe a bit too mechanical...and how would the hunter cut there head and tongue off on most of these dudes? How would a little average hunter dude cut off a head and carry it around from a giant anyway...go figure?

Oh yeah, and did I mention that we've decided to do concept art based on a film? So these are probably too animationy looking I guess aswell...

Just for a bit of personal feed back though, most people who seen these, always said they like the giant in the middle with the big long head sort of sitting forward...hmmm.

The Grimm Groupies

Well well well...Mark shows a more eeevilll side. Thanks god I just missed it!

Apparently the rumour goes that Mark got everyone to choose who they wanted to work with and then he split them up! mwahahhaha...pure genius! Ka and I walked in just as he finished the split...so Ka and I got put together and at a later date we found out we now have 5 more groupies...and the winners are...

• Rahul


• Ka


• Ben


• Curtis


• myself

Unknown to Mark...I love all these people..mwahahha...actually i have never worked with any of them ever before...so maybe Mark has a case? ponder, ponder ;) but i am inspired by Ka's and Rahuls work. To be honest haven't seen much at all of Curtis' or Bens stuff...Curtis said he likes drawing sci fi transporter things...so im hoping i can learn a thing or two from him...as transporter flying thingys are not a strong point...in fact they have no point at all in my drawin body to date!

Well Ben wasn't here on this day...but the rest of us decided that from Rahuls extensive research that we would choose to do concept art for The Skillful Huntsman. Personally I wasn't too fudged on what story we did, they all have similar kind of characters, they're all difficult ot read and understand...but if I had known there was a published book on The Skillful Huntsman I might have persuaded the group to prehaps go with a different story.

I have been instructed by Leon not to look at the book. Apparently, I will want to quite uni forever and drawing too...so already I feel I have no hope. This concept art thing is a whole new kettle of fish for me. But im grabbing the giant by the balls and am ready for it...

We did decided, even to Rahuls disgust I think...hehe...that we might change the theme of the story where its set in a Steam Punk era. This originally funnily enough was brought up by Rahul as I lent him The Adventures of Jasper Marello which is also set in this era. But I think the more research we did and showed Rahul, the more he felt uncomfortable with it and then he thought we should set it in a fantasy theme.

A great part of me felt for Rahul as he had already done quite a number of brilliant concept landscaps and giant sketches which had obvioulsy taken quite a while, however...and as fantastic (and just quietly...as jealous as I was) they were too realistic and to me looked like stuff done before, and we couldn't really do much with that. But we'll have to wait until we can all get together again and discuss this in greater length I guess.

In the mean time here is a sample of some research I did at work last night on steam punk stuff...

Steam punk characteristics that stick out to me

• goggles
• dark colours almost silhouettes in some cases
• Victorian Era influene as far as costume goes
• lots of metal or brass
• exposed cogs for machines or used as decoration
• cold and dark sort of environments

These are really neat...I know initially they looked a bit cyborgish, but the more I looked at them the more medieval they looked, I think there very sophisticated and well thought through designs...I can see them in silhouettes too.

This was something pretty cute I found on Deviantart.com. Just stretching my drawing muscle to transporter thingys...are you proud mum?

This was just really cute. They actually call it steam crow! Its a resin mould painted to look like metal with copper wire legs. Its just beautiful...I want one and Ill call him steamy! But on a serious note...nice design...could do something similar for the dog prehaps?

I just thought this was nice. An example of tonal concept sketch. Nice composition not sure if this design would suit steam punk castly thing though.

Another transporter type thingy...or it could be the kings throne?! He sounds like he would be a little flamboyant like this...

I really like the idea of the floating island thing for the princess castle thing. It lends its self to a bit of fantasy too which I think Rahul would like...we could make it more steam punk, by the actual island floating due to some sort of steam generated floating machine?

Steam Gal - aint she sweet...maybe a bit too cyborgish...but the dude...just below by some artist I think comes pretty close to how we could approach our male characters...maybe not so much I have a stick up my butt cause after all, the mentor dude has been hunting for years so he's probably more feet in teh earth kind of dude...but his apprentice seems a bit more cocky.

hickity hickity ugh hu huh...Giants. cool. Are they man enough?

I absoloutly love the colour palette in this above one. Exactly what I would imagine the world would be like if it was full of steam generated objects. Nice silhouettes for the character and an example to show scale of location and the giant steam flying thing.

Another transporter thingy...just a different sort of design to draw some more inspiration from...ill need lots!

I know these are more sci fi looking things, but I could see that prehaps living objects/animals could have influence these vehicle designs which are quite different but believable...would be interesting to do that for the steam things.

Some cool Concept Art and Animator Websites

Had THE worst shifts at work...they finally sort it out that I can't work Friday and put me on Tuesday or Wednesday nights instead. My second request is I don't work later than 9pm so I can get home do stuff and get up in time for uni in the morning...but nooo...that would be too much. So I offer to do overtime and they slug me with 11pm finishes!!! AGGHHH suncrappity crap crap!

Anyway...now that that little outburst is over...being at work so late on the mid week shifts means not that many idiots call me though so...mmah...and I have a bit of time to browse the net and I found these pretty cool websites...ok well the first one, Rahul graciously emailed me to keep me occupied at work...

Week 8&9: Animatic due & Concept designing

The ANiMATIC

Here are some more screen caps of the animatic that we had as Assignment 1. I was pretty happy with the overall style and feel of the look of the animatic. From the very few people I showed this too, they laughed where i wanted a bit of a laugh, so that was positive. Do I think I recalled all the techniques? Hmmm...I definately think I used varying camera moves and angles. Sometimes I think I left composition alone though and could have thought about that a bit more at the front of my mind. I found I ended up acting out alot of the scenes which was fun, and I was in a zone, my flatmate was scared...haha!

I was happy I got this finished on time and handed in early, I was a bit worried though as Rahul said Mark would have liked to of seen our Animatics to comment on the timing before we submitted them...I didn't get a chance for Mark to look at mine at all due to me coming in early to uni. And missing a class as my grandma was in hospital for a couple of weeks so I was spending anytime not at uni or work at the hospital with her.

Overall though, with the timing...I think in the first scene where Linda and jimmy are driving up to the MPS office that some of that was a bit quick looking back at it now...and my little credit at the end was too...but *shrugs*...hindsights a bitch aint it?!

AND ON TO THE LECTURE...

I was late and actually missed the lecture part of it but read over the notes on the computer Mark was sitting at...was on some colour theory and digital painting and how to select your colour pallette. I was kind of bummed I missed it being digital painting is something I want to learn more about...but then Damien cheered me up saying Mark had the digital tutor movies on the scratch drive so i can upload them and learn to my hearts conent...yay!!!

Then we went onto talking about our next assessment being Concept ARt in a group project. We have to choose a Grimms Fairytale and decide what time period and whether it will be a film or a game.

THE RUN DOWN ON CONCEPT ART

"Concept Art is art created to provide a jumping off point - it's all of an idea, done to spark the thoughts and imaginations of other viewers and artists alike. Many of these pieces were done for card game style guides or video games. Some were taken to finished art, others are the initial sketches, containing the heart and core of the idea in its raw form. It is the purest glimpse I can offer of what exists inside my head."

Rob Alexander

• Start with Tonal and value concepts first


• Only draw in design for characters if its valid i.ee Barbarian with sword where he has to interact with his back to pull it out, you'd draw detail from a behind angle to see how he moves etc.


• Do turnaround of characters only if you want to


• Think about how does the character function and how is it functinal to the narrative? i.e. HellBoys right hand of DOOM...people will want and need to see how that hand might move

- This is functional of the character

- His rosary beads are a function of the narrative

LOCATIONS

• Always put some sort of person in it to help define the scale. After all LOCATION is all about the scale.


• This is important for Giants to have some sort of referencce points.


• Adjust colours or go back to greyscale - otherwise it will look just like a montage of pictures slapped together.


• And work in widescreen or bigger when designing locations.

COLOUR

We discussed the symbology of colours too and what they could represent

RED - passion, power, danger, lust, sexuality and fast!

So, being that I did miss the majority of the lecture where Mark was discussing Colour its theory and symbology, I thought I'd better do a little revision of my own...and you wouldn't believe it...IN one of the new books I bought myself the ART of Robots...they dedicated a chapter to the careful attention the filmmakers paid to colour...this book is so unbelievably awesome for a movie that I don't think got that much attention...so for your viewing pleasure I have included a scan here for you...

This is the gorgeous cover...

And this is the Environment Colour Theory Wheel they referenced the environemnts tooo...duh! But as you can read...Green for example was to be used anywhere that was Eeevilll. There is a couple of accompanying pages which discuss the importance of colour throughout this film for the characters and environments, as colour added power and contributed to a consistent emotional believability.

Week 7: Ummm...What did we do???

Hahah...I just remember trying to stay awake in this class and having to leave early because work stuffed up my roster again...The only notes I took were that when it comes to our Animatic, timing is what is important. Quality of the images of the storyboard isn't important but TIMING is everything.

So I decided to pull out my Richard Williams book to review what he had to say...because I feel this is something I don't have much finess with...who am I kidding...I don't have much finess with anything to do with this animation stuff really...well I don't feel like I do except when it comes to 3D...I feel like I am getting somewhere there, and other animators actually comment on my work I do in there...even if there from 2D!

So here is an update of whats been happening...we're onto texturing and its doing my head in...its a completely different kettle of fish...and we're going to have to digitally paint it...and I think I really suck at this now I've seen some of Damien and Ka's stuff...why are they so damn good at everything! ;)

Ive also been beginning to think of what I should do for our next 3D assignment being another character but high resolution. this character we have to like as we will be using it over the next few semesters for other assessment doing blend shapes and walk cycles etc. I have had this story stirring in my mind for a few months now and came up with this character at work one early Saturday morning...I start at some ridiculous time of 6am...but...I came up with this which is the first thing I've liked in a long time of mine...

And above is my attempt at a unfished colouring of him...yep...my digital painting skills are so lame...just have practice more I guess...:(

I have a feeling Ill be unable to do this character though as I came across a outline for the next assessment and it says on there that characters must be bipeds and have no flowing hair...well this guy wouldn't fall into that. I just really don't want to be spending all this time on a character that I am not going to end up using toward a film or something. I also will have a pelican and a alcoholic fisherman in my story...so was thinking I could maybe do either of those...

Here is a concept sketch of the alcoholic fisherman...

I actually drew this guy last semester as Kyle and I challenged eachother to draw a sexy grandpa...hahah...lol!!! He's a Biped and has no hair...so he would be good for this assignment...I guess Im just hell bent on doing a character Ill actually use for something. Even though in the initial script which Im writing now I have a fisherman in there...he may not stay.

Upon discussing with my animation mate Andrew, he suggested the grandpa one would be a good one to work with for now, and then when I have more experience go for the merkid. But the grandpa is too plain looking...I don't know...I hate making decisions.

A couple of weeks ago Leon bought in a sculpey version of his pig he is modelling for 3D...it was wicked! And I was like...I've got to try that...so I got some and tried Bailey first and then Fudge...I think I actually should have started iwth Fudge and then Bailey as she had a lot more detail, and being htis was my first time using it...it would have been good to have had a bit more experience iwth the material. Overall though Im pretty chuffed with my first attempt...although since this photo (thanks to Leon Johnson by the way who took this for me) Her hand and one of her pig tails have fallen off...so she looks even more scary!

Week 6: i missed it but...been working on storyboarding

I was unwell this week, I think just too much work at work and still trying to do all my uni, so not enough sleep lends to a very sick and dopey Sascha haha.

But I heard we just went through step by step visually a layout by Mark, showing exactly how he would do it step by step. I posted that article last post which sounds like what Mark was trying to explain...but anyhoo update on my storyboarding...Im feeling frustrated, I don't like the shit house drawings of mine. Everything looks flat, doesn't matter how hard I try to concentrate on the techniques of the thirds rule etc and others for composition...mine still look shit...Here are a few I've done thus far...

I think it is I don't like the way my people look...too manequin like or something...what I would give to be able to draw people like Sarah or Rachel...:(

I also didn't like the pencil on its on, so I added copic marker and fineliner for some other details...to give a bit of dimension.

Week 5: Layouts re-loaded

Hmm...this kind of scared me when I heard layouts...I was like, we're not expected to do that now for this Animatic assignment are we? But no alas...it was just a bit of revision from luverly Mark. Revision is good. I actually really enjoyed the layouts, but do remember being confused at the time I did the last lot for our Toon Boom assignment last semeseter...I couldn't understand why there was so many layouts of the same camera move...but today a few of these things again were cleared up for me.

So here we go:

1. Always rough everything out in BLUE it is the creative colour AND always rough out at least 2 fields larger outside of the original field you intend to use.

Draw in actual field guide on first animation page. This is so you have reference later on.

N.B* when laying out characters, make character move from hips pivot point. This creates for a more interesting Character on Screen.

2. Pose 2 Pose - use arrows to show direction from one pose to the next and a bit of written reference in corner of whats happening.

N.B* X-Sheet is done at time of storyboards and/or animatic

3. Coversheet is then marked out

4. Do Key Background *Remember to watch eyeline of characters*

When writing in scene info on coversheet put any re-use in RED ie. B/G A4

Then mark just discussed how to show different camera moves on the layouts for example, camera shakes, pans, zip pans, cut ins etc.

I found a great article from the Animation World Magazine on Layouts for storyboarding. Great read if you wanna check it out click here

Week 4: More Storyboarding and My Animatic

Wow...went to uni and no one had read the script yet, so i looked like a nerd cause I read it at work last night. Thanks Kyle...always giving me shit...lol! I feel as if I have seen this movie before but can't recall what the name of it is...and Mark being the evil lecturer he is...scoff scoff...he won't tell us either!

So, we have to choose one of 2 scenes that Mark highlighted on the script. I have decided to go for scene one as when I re- read it during class I was visualising alot of initial camera moves. I did think that that means i should do the second as it may be a bit more of a challenge, but also i could see by doing the second scene that there would be alot of reuse in it as the father and son just do alot of sitting on the porch looking at staras. I know reusing stuff is an animators friend, but, to me it was gonna be just too much.

So I've started scribbling on my script with my ideas which you can get a view of below....does it do your head in like mine? But have faith I know exactly what Im doing...haha!

In class we also went over some more technicalaties of storyboarding

• 16:9 aspect ratio is for widescreen


• 4:36 is for old TV


• Do Broad Shapes from your shoulder when thumbnailing


• When you want more defintion draw from your elbow


• details come from your wrist


• fine details come from your fingers

MARK can't stress enough how important it is thought to start with all broad shapes from your shoulders!!!

Also handy tip: Use Widescreen post-it notes to change any thumbnails or insert any, there great as they not only stick in place of where you want to fix it up but you can flick like as if you were at an animation table!!! Awesome!

AND IN LIFE DRAWING...

Kay took us to the Botanical Gardens to learn and understand more about thumbnails, composition and tone...and I tell you what, I thought this was pretty neat getting out of the studio. And really relevant to our Animatic...anyone would think Kay and Mark have been talking or something ;') haha

So here is some of what I did on our outing...

Again I was a bit frustrated to begin with as I was comparing alot with those around me...im so messy or my line work is crap or something I don't know...Rahul was trying to tell me alot of what I should do, which just made me feel I was completly hopeless...I know he was meaning well though...and then the penny dropped...Rahul figured I wasn't working quick enough, and therefore I was evaluating things too much for a thumbnail...and wahlaa...then I started doing things that looked better!!! Thanks Rahul!

Onto some more interesting things...Our 3d is really coming along...I did some cow designs for our Zombie cow...

Also....just quietly...MY BOOKS HAVE ARRIVED!!!!!! YAY!!!!!

In the first week of uni I borrowed out some books one being Animation: from pencils to pixels by Tony White. Its a good foundation book on Animation and the industry and how to write your script, characters everything...even comes with a DVD...and its re-inforced some things and more from what we learned in first year. It also goes to the extent on how to approach producers etc with your concepts, scripts or Animation its brilliant.

Cinematic Storytelling also arrived which I have really enjoyed reading thus far, very interesting to visually analyse along with what the author says...it truly is everything Mark said it would be.

I also ordered the Art of Robots and the Art of Cars (below) of Amazon.com. Its amazing how much cheaper they are buying them through this website...Igot both books for the price I would pay for one at Borders or Dymocks!!! Thats including the postage!!!

Both of these books are published by the same company who does all Pixars art of books...and they are absoloutly gorgeous. I have including for your viewing pleasure a coupld of pages from the Art of Cars...only cause they are relevant to storyboarding and thumbnailing...Im so jealous right now and might go slash my wrists cause they are so awesome!

Week 3: Compositions and Practice script

Why is it that I can't draw when given time in class? Just the thought of it makes me freeze up...I look at my work in conjunction with other class members and I just feel my work is so lame and childish looking AND I don't feel I have a succint style of my own. Not like when I look at Kyles or Damiens or Liams characters, you can tell immediatly who did what.

Anyway thats my whinge for the day...Now, down to business.

This week we revisited Composition and its relevance to storyboarding. I happened to work the night before, and to have something to read over my dinner I printed off "Storyboards: The Art of Cinematic Storytelling - Part 1". Reading it alot of the concepts listed throughout I was thinking are just commonsense, but then the next day when I first started my storyboards I was like "ohhh...I see..." I guess, like most people, I too had the idea that "they're just storyboards" As long as you get a sense of what action or who's in the frame thats all that is important. But it was quickly pointed out to me through Marks lecture that storyboarding is equivalent to say the layout and planning you would do for a painting. If you don't do this necessary research and planning then your overall project will either take twice as long to complete because your having to fix things up or figure things out as you go...OR...you just get a half hearted end result. How many times have you watched a movie or seen art work that you see a spark of something in it that you like and you say, if only they'd pushed that farther it would have been so much better...I wander if that is because they didn't do enough develpment planning stages?

Also while reading the notes posted my Mark I recalled the pixar storyboards I had found when researching for our week 1 - Inn homework. They were so beautiful as individual peices, but man if you see them together, they were so dynamic and definately portrayed the story...funny thing was though, that most of the characters had next to no detail and yet you still made it out. My aim is to be able to be that communcative in my drawing and story telling techniques.

Speaking of story telling, Mark also started telling us about a great book we should consider purchasing Cinematic Storytelling. This was like kind of creepy actually, cause that night before I was asking my script writing friend at work if he had any good books or links to film technique etc...and he was like mmm no!!! So when Mark brought this up in the lecture I was like thats it...I'm getting it! So went straight to Folio books, but they didn't have any so will call me next week with order.

More story boarding notes from the lecture...sorry I digress so easily...

Again the ever important 180 degree rule was highlighted..(and you watch...even though I remember how many times we've been told about this, I bet Ill be somebody that forgets it...)

Also when considering composition remember

1. THE RULE OF THIRDS - A great explanation of the uses of thirds in composition can be found here. Its an article I found on the Digital Camera website. I felt a storyboard was a snapshot of what we had in mind we wanted to see and feel in that frame...which is what we concentrate on more obviously when trying to take a decent photo.


2. REPITITION - Things repeating are generally more pleasing to the eye


3. PICTURE FLOW - The relationship of objects to eachother.
   

Ill attempt to show an example of Number 1 and 3 by analysing this photo I took in Melbourne when visiting for 24hours in July 2004.

Even though the seagull is bright white and maybe what the viewer is attracted to first, our eye is quickly drawn to other whites in the picture. So from the seagull our eye is drawn to the sandstone column behind the lady, but we stop on her on the way as she has some white just under hear chin. The chairs create lines and patterns which also direct our eye into the focal point, once again the lady. She is slightly off centre with majority of birds and the pattern of the chair to the left which balances the weight in the photo. So there are thirds in the tones of colour, the patterns found and in the line of direction.

The below photo is an attempt to show an example of Number 2 - Repitition. I am a sucker of repitition or pattern as I have done a whole series of work on using this in conjunction with the fibonnaci sequence. Also the contrast in colours here creates an interest and draws our eye around the frame.



When we were discussing these composition techniques in class I kept remembering my studies from USC and the period of work I did using the Golden Mean and Fibonacci sequence to also create compositions...I think these methods also lend to a more interesting composition.

To see some of my research and notes on my obsession with Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Mean - just have a squiz below:-

These two Mathematical properties are very closely related, in the fact that they divide objects up proportionally, both have their place in nature eg. the breeding of rabbits, the way plants grow, the qualities of the shell spiral and they are both also closely related to art. Artists use these methods to not only create patterns but to also lay out there objects on surface where it is aesthetically pleasing to the viewers eyes.

As you can hopefully see from this really bad image from my art journal, this is an example of the golden mean in action. The image is a copy of French Impressionist George Seurat's Bathers(1859-1891). the red lines are outlining the 3 Golden rectangles used to create the composition.

Here is an example of my art work where I have employed the Fibonnaci sequence to create a pattern

This link has alot of interesting analyis' of the fibonacci theory. The part particulary on film I have included below.

Fibonacci in Films The Russian Sergie Eisenstein directed the classic silent film of 1925 The Battleship Potemkin (a DVD or video version of this 75 minute film is now available, both in PAL format). He divided the film up using golden section points to start important scenes in the film, measuring these by length on the celluloid film. Jonathan Berger of Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics used this as an illustration of Fibonacci numbers in a lecture course.Dénes Nagy, in a fascinating article entitled Golden Section(ism): From mathematics to the theory of art and musicology, Part 1 in Symmetry, Culture and Science, volume 7, number 4, 1996, pages 337-448 talks about whether we can percieve a golden section point in time without being initially aware of the whole time interval. He gives a reference to his own work on golden section perception in video art too (page 418 of the above article).

I think this is so creative and interesting...so not only can you use these techniques to create the picture but when sequencing pictures together aswell, such as film or animation prehaps, you can also employ it!

And then we started the practice thumbnails...here are my crappy crappity crap one...Lets just say, when it comes to the real deal, I can remmeber to practice everything I have talked about in this entry - Pattern, line, flow, rule of thirds and golden mean and fibonacci.