Session 2 assignment completed...finally!

I just finished my session 2 assignment people! I uploaded it to my student workspace for fellow students and campus mentors to look over and give feedback and critiques so that I can tweak an fine-tune it before turning it in to my mentor as my final assignment.

It took awhile to pick out a pose for this assignment. As you can see throughout my blog, I've been doing a lot of relaxing poses for Stu. For this assignment I really wanted to do something that conveyed a sense of action and hopefully it came through. It's supposed to be Stu playing air guitar with a broom. =)

Here's the pose I chose for my assignment, feel free to give any kind of feedback or critique! =)



Here's another test pose I did earlier thise week where I tried to convey an emotion through a pose. As alway, feel free to critique it to bits! ;)

Animation Realization!

I know I've only been at this animation deal for a week. Yes, I know that is barely enough time to learn anything, but I came upon a realization while scrolling through my blog no less and learning from the feedback I've received. I've come to realize that I am not 100% happy with the previous poses I've done. There are many things that I could tweak, fix, redo, etc.

Lurking in the shadows is the fact that this realization is two-fold. I've also realized that I can not possibly keep tweaking and fixing everything I've ever done. What would be best would be to fix what I can, when I can, and to apply what I learn to my future work.

I've always wondered why animators always talked about fixing this or tweaking that when it looked perfectly fine in so-so game or movie. Now I understand and I see the light. Animators do not stop learning. ;)

Second QA Session!

Just got back from our second QA session and it was awesome as always! Brent gave us an overview of the principles of animation. A bunch of our classmates also contributed to the discussion as well! I'm telling you, our class freaking rocks! The community at AM just rocks in general! Where else are you going to find such a supportive and enthusiastic educational community? It's definitely an awesome learning experience for anyone attending AM.

Bret also shared thumbnails from Victor Navone, who is another awesome mentor at AM. Here are a couple of screen captures I was able to get:



Here are some sketches she brought in as well:



I definitely had a blast and look foward to the next QA. Until that time, I better get going on that assignment! ;)

AM Hangout update and Variety Interview.

I posted some pictures up for a possible AM Hangout at our complex in the AM Student Forums. It seems that sometime in mid-late October would be the best time to hold it. Hopefully I find out in the next few days so I can set an exact date for this deal. It's gonna be awesome to meet fellow AM'ers and possible people interested in AM! Here are the pictures where we might hold it:





Check this awesome bit of news. The Variety has an interview with AnimationMentor.com up on its site. How freakin' cool is that? it goes over what it's about, how it started, etc. Check it out here.

Test posts for session 2.

I've taken a few sketches of people sitting down in public places and created a few test poses out of them. I haven't decided if I'll submit one of these for the assignment this week. I'm not even sure if we're allowed to use props or not. I heard some students were able to, but it depends on your mentor. So I'll wait until the QA and ask Bret if its okay with her if we can use props on our shots.

I still have a few days until I need to turn in the assignment, so I'll probably look through my sketchbook and see if I can find another pose I'd like to try. So it's still up in the air with these. When I decide on a pose, I'll notify all you loyal readers which one I choose and I'll submit it to the AM forums for critique over there.

Here are the test poses below. I know they aren't the most exciting ever(must've been a slow day at the park that day huh?), so I apologize for that in advance! Again please feel free to tear them apart and let me know what's wrong with them. Any help is greatly appreciated! =)

Yikes! I missed a day!

I missed a day on my blog! Please forgive me oh-faithful blog readers, if you're out there! Though I do have an excuse, a semi-good one too. Nothing of note happened yesterday, save one thing.

We were able to continue on to session 2 earlier than I expected so that was a nice surprise. So I ended up watching all the videos yesterday and learned a bit. It was really an overview of the principles of animation which are very important to any type of animator. I'm really glad they are exposing them to us so early on in the course. You gotta have a foundation tobuild on before you do anything else and from the look of the class so far, the foundation is what we're going to get this term. That is so freakin' awesome I tell yah! =)

Wasted opportunity.

I just got back from a wedding and I'm ashamed to say that I didn't bring my sketchbook with me. All those wonderful poses and actions, gone! Though I did make extra effort to observe all I can. I have now vowed to take my sketchbook everywhere I go. Never will I leave this place without it! ;)

On happier note, Chad Moore (one of my classmates) recommended a book for me in regards to our sketching assignment as well as planning in animation. It's called Simplified Drawing for Planning Animation. It looks like it could be a great help to me, so I'll definitely check it out. Thanks again Chad if you're reading this! Also thanks to Anthea for the tip on freezing movies, TV, etc. when seeing an interesting pose or expression as a way to get in extra sketching time!

Sketching went...not so good

Well after a couple of hours of sketching I decided to head on home. I have come to the conclusion that my drawing skills leave much to be desired. No surprise there, I just gotta keep at it until I get better at it.

I think a problem I might be having is exactly what do I sketch? Do I sketch people moving or in an interesting still pose or both? Problem with moving people is that it's hard to sketch a still pose while they are moving. Hard yet to capture a pose that makes their movement unique like the sway of the hips, how they swing their legs, etc. Maybe I'm asking too much too soon? I have no idea but I'm going to keep plugging away at it, no doubt about that.

I did have an idea though while I was out in that public jungle, observation is key everybody says. So I started watching people and trying to observe them closely. I tried to discern why this guy's walk was different from the other guy that passed me, etc. A few times I was able to pinpoint it, others not so much but I attribute that to the fact that I'm new at this whole observing gig. So with practice comes improvement. I took these things and filed them away as best I could in that lil ol' filing cabinet in the head. You now what, I think it works because even now I can recall certain things I saw about people's movements, stances, etc.

Don't you worry, I'll post my sketches up for all to see (try not to mock them k?). As soon as I submit my assignment I'll put my work up here.

For now here is a test pose I did with Stu when I got home tonight, same pose different views. Please rip them apart and don't be afraid to tell me what's wrong with them and why. Remember, "Silence is Acceptance", so please don't be silent! ;)

Today is the day people!

Today is the day, the day to............SKETCH! :)
I got a handy sketchpad and pencil ready to go when I get home after work today. I have no idea where to go, but it's definitely going to be somewhere public. It's a Friday too so a bunch of people should be out. It should make for some very interesting observations.

I'm still deciding if I should post my sketches up here or not. So you'll just have to check back and see.... ;)

Also there might be a chance that since most of the AM class I'm in is from California that we'll try to setup a time to get togethe and hangout. Now that would be awesome, so hopefully it pulls through.

Need to start observing and sketching.

However you look at it, I can not draw at all. It's like I have drawer's block instead of writer's block. I have this image in my head and it gets lost in translation down toward my arm somewhere. Stick figures is the best I can do with a little bit of perspective. Sad to say, but its true.

Regardless I need to start practicing sketching. I need to practice getting actions and ideas on paper clearly in preparation for all my upcoming classes and for my future in animation. No matter how dismal, disappointing, or pitiful my drawing ability is, I am going to stick with it and try to draw everyday. Hopefully I get better at it over time. Hey, I can't possibly get any worse! ;)

So tomorrow I plan on going out to a public place and start observing and sketching. Wish me luck! :)

First session is almost over.

The first session is just about over which was basically getting to meet your classmates and get to know a little bit more about them and your mentor. Everybody in class is so enthusiastic, it's a great feeling to be in a class that is so eager to learn about the art of animation.

Next week is our first real assignment where we have to do something about sketching and posing Stu or something along those lines. Can't wait to get started! I hope people won't mind my bad drawing ability which extends just to basic stick figure drawing. Which brings me to a topic Bret talked about during our first QA. She said that you shouldn't have to worry about how good you can draw, as long as you can communicate your ideas across. It was awesome to hear that, at first I thought it would be a hindrance to learning animation. I'll still practice to draw but I'll focus more on translating actions and ideas clearly rather than on drawing realistically.

First QA session!

The first QA session was so freakin' awesome! Our mentor, Bret Parker, is so great! I know we're in good hands with her as our mentor. She's worked at Pixar for 10 years and I believe she said she has worked on every Pixar film since A Bug's Life. Bret also did the voice for the babysitter as well as animated her in The Incredibles. She also learned all her animation skills while working at Pixar.

My classmates are the greatest! They range from students all the way to working industry professionals. The amount of combined experience is just mind-boggling! I am honored to have these people in the same class as me.

One thing I regret is how I was during our QA. It probably looked like I was being really silly, talkative, distractive, etc. I get like that when I'm excited and nervous. I wish for my fellow classmates to know that I am really serious about these classes we're taking. I am there 200% and plan on giving it my all. I will also do my best to critique your work. Considering my limited experience in animation I hope they will still be of some use to you.

*whew* Now I feel better. ;)

Playing with Stu

Just downloaded Stu today. Absolutely great rig, especially for a student like myself. I've never played around with a rig or a character for that matter before. 'Twas much fun! :)

Below is a test of Stu in a relaxed pose that I whipped up in a bit. I know it needs mucho improvement, just wanted test out the rig and see what fun can be had with it. If you got something to critique it do it now or forever hold your peace! Just kiddin', feel free to rip it apart and let me know what's wrong with it. Feedback is key for improvement, so have at it!

Whoops almost time for the QA session with my mentor. See you folks in a a bit!

AM Hangout

There was an AM BBQ up in Northern California and there is talk about getting a 2nd one together. NYC had there own BBQ too. How about Southern California? Where's the love for So Cali?

I'll see what we can do about putting an AM Hangout together for So Cali. It would be cool to get one going. We'll see how it goes. I'll post more info here as it becomes available.

Switching it up a bit

To clear up any confusion I switched up the links to my fellow AM'ers student blogs. Class 1 now has people that are in the same class I am in. Class 2 are people in their second term and Class 3 are in....can you guess it? Yup that's right, it's for people in their 3rd class.

Sorry for the confusion with the way I had it before!

First QA with mentor is today!

Today is the day people! My first QA session with my mentor, Brett Parker. I have no idea what to expect, but I'm really excited to meet the rest of my class! It's gonna be so freakin' awesome! I think all we're going to do today is have a lil greet and meet session. We have to tell our mentor why we chose to become animators, how did we come about it, etc. I hope I don't end up sounding like a total fool when the time comes... ;)

I'll let you know how it goes!

Observe, observe, and observe!

After a quick post at the AM forums there are a few things you can do to help the "weirdness" factor while observing people:

• Wear really, really dark glasses
• Get a shirt explaining your actions (I'm observing you)
• Just get over it and do it already (beware of girls with giant men)
• Be sure to have an exit strategy handy when things get hairy.

Good to know! :)

Observe?

In the first lecture they talk about key points regarding pursuing animation. One of those key points is observation. Animation is about life, hell it is life. You are giving life to a non-living object. One of the most important tools an animator can use is the power of observation.

How does one observe without looking like a little.....wierd? I mean I know what it meants to an animator to observe and I try to practice and do it every chance I get. But how do you get around to doing it without people looking back at you as you stare at every part of their body to get that sense of position, scale, rotation, etc.?

I think I'll post this in the AM forums as well and see if I can't get some answers there.

Making everybody feel welcome

The nature of my current job lends itself to pockets of free-time. So in one of these pockets I'm going to go and leave comments on my classmates (people under Brett Parker this term) so they feel welcome to AM! Cool heh? Be right back, going to spread some AM lovin'!

*Whew* Just finished sending warm, fuzzy-feeling comments to my fellow students in the Brett Parker crew. Hopefully they won't think I'm weird, I already have enough people doing thinking that of me... ;)

Oh yeah my mentor this term is Brett Parker who is an awesome Pixar animator who also did the voice for Kari the babysitter in The Incredibles! How awesome is that?!

First day completed

Before I go on about the global QA - let me impart a piece of wisdom upon you all. The LoveSac is the hardest piece of furniture I've ever assembled. The thing comes vacuum sealed so tight it's ridiculous. It comes in a duffel bag that appears light and easy to carry...until you attempt lift it and tweak your spine forever. Consider yourself warned....

The global QA was pretty awesome. It was with Bobby "BOOM" Beck and Carlos Baena, both awe-inspiring animators with tons of experience. There was a bit of lag, but what do you expect with over a hundred students logged into the same session from all over the world.

They were very cool and answered as many questions as they could. They also shared a lot of information regarding our mentors, how the school functions, etc. Very cool indeed of them to take time out of their busy day to answer any questions we had about the school.

Time to hit the sack, I got work in a few hours. I'll be sure to put up more tomorrow. Thanks for reading me! I know it isn't the most exciting or well-written blog in the world, but it'll get better...I promise.

First Day at AnimationMentor.com

The first day of school is today! I've been waiting for this day for quite a while now. First time I heard about this school was on CGTalk quite awhile ago. I never thought I'd be able to take classes there and pursue my dream of working in animation. Now I can't believe I'm actually attending this awesome school!

This blog will chronicle my journey through animation. I haven't animated any characters before so this is going to be an interesting ride. I plan on updating this blog regularly, so I hope all of you enjoy reading about the trials and tribulations of an animator in progress with life thrown in the mix for good measure and balance.

For those that don't know what AnimationMentor is - read on:

It's an online based school that specializes in Character Animation. It takes you from the very fundamentals of animation and takes you all the way up to advanced character animation. It's not just for 3D animation either. You can do you assignments in 2D, stop-motion, etc.

Each term you are assigned to a mentor who basically mentors you throughout that term. You upload your assignment, then mentors and fellow students review your work and give suggestions and remarks on how to improve. These mentors are all working professionals in the industry. You're talking about people from ILM, Pixar, Sony Imageworks, Weta, etc.

The community at this school is amazing. Everybody and everything possible is set up to help the student succeed. Fellow students are constantly encouraging, critiquing each other's work. There are student gatherings where you can meet your classmates face-to-face. In other words, the community can't be beat.

If you are interested and want to read more go here - AnimationMentor.com