Box Lift Progress/ Last Friday

It seems that I have finally jumped over the wall on this animation. It has been three long days of hard work but I am feeling comfortable with the quality, especially when considering what the last version of this animation looked like. I am glad that I made the decision to revisit this piece because I almost just decided to drop it completely. It is not "done" yet but I felt it necessary to document this monumental progress. Monumental for me- I have been thinking for weeks that my demo reel would never be done, but now I have the momentum. I am also glad that I went with a rig this time that has emotions in the face. On another note, the new local art show "Last Friday" at Living Dead Tattoo has been postponed until further notice.

Labor of Love

Hello bloggers, I have been a busy bee this week. First is the update on my "box lift" animation. It is coming along smoothly I think. I have been working it up section by section to maintain quality. Next is the dreaded blue box. It is hard getting the timing right but up to this point I think I am on track.

Next are a couple of business card ideas I am developing for my marketing package. I am going to make several versions and decide that way because I am a strong believer in the idea that you must get rid of the bad ideas in the head before a good one will rise to the surface. There is sooo much work to get ready for graduation, but it is nice to see a culmination of my education as I go through all the hoops and hurdles.

Aquarium Painting

This is an update on a mural project I am currently working on. This is a digital mock-up I made today to give me a guide while painting. It will eventually be wrapped around a jaccuzi/ pool. We should get started this week so I will post updates on the progress of the traditional painting that will follow!

Portfolio Work & Life Drawing July 24th

Watch out now! I have been a busy bee lately. I decided on a new song for my portfolio. It is by the Afro Cuban Jazz artist named Omar Sosa. The song is called La Tra off the album Mulatos. I decided to make a new intro for my demo reel that is shorter and synced up to the music. I'm liking the colors and the feel so far; however, I am still going to brighten it up a bit and play with some effects a little.

This week I also started a new animation that is a mix between two of my former options for my demo reel that weren't quite working. I hope that the fusion between the two will make something special ;)  I took the rig and personality of my boom box animation and put it into the scene for my box lift animation. I think that with my fresh understanding of animation and a clean canvas will benefit me if I can get it done amongst the other projects I'm working on.

Also this week I was able to make it to the life drawing workshop at AILV for medium length pose day. The model was pretty good and I was in a good place that day so I think I did pretty well and definately got in some good practice.

Life Drawing Session July 17th

Today I had a chance to sit in on the Free Saturday Life Drawing session at AILV. This is perhaps my last quarter and I am trying to squeeze in all the knowledge I can before I leave. David Thomas was in there so I wasn't feeling lonely, and I had someone to sit next to and challenge myself a little with. We were sitting next to the instructor Kevin Anderson and it was nice to see his methods through out the session. I stayed for the full four hours so here are my "select" drawings from today and I think there is one from the last session as well that I included for good measure.

Marker Sketches & New Lip Sync Piece

I did these marker sketches to get some ideas rolling on a potential project I might be working on. This was my first time trying to apply some realistic depth to a underwater scene. It is also my first time in a while just drawing fish which is fun.

The video clip is a new lip sync piece I started working on yesterday for my portfolio. My last one was kind of weak due to an overall lack of fundamental animation knowledge at the time I started it. Each month I make leaps and bounds in my abilities and I think this is a good representation of that. When it is all rendered and cleaned up I think its going to have some good potential in boosting my portfolios pizazz.

The Getty Museum: Los Angeles

This week I took a two day trip to Los Angeles, CA. I was there visiting my mother for the holiday and we decided to go to the Getty Museum. I had been there once before; however, my knowledge of art history was not up to par enough to fully enjoy the experience. This time leaving the Getty I was filled with a sense of awe and inspiration.

To get there you must park down the mountain and take a monorail to the actual complex. The monorail station itself is adorned with sculptures and fountains. At the top of the hill is a series of buildings designed by Richard Meier that are mostly made up of square and round elements made out of stone slabs from a river in Italy. The stone is filled with fossils of leaves, fish, and other organic material deposited into the river over the years. This makes each stone in the building a marvel on its own.

The art is mostly Renaissance to the early 20th century along with some photo journalism exhibits from the 1960's to present. The main exhibit this time is The Art of Gerome which will be there until September. I had not seen much of his art besides some samples my instructor had shown us in class. To see the Art of Gerome up close is a once in a life time experience, and to see almost every major painting of his at once is a great thrill. I was upset there were no pictures aloud in this exhibit but I can understand why. A lot of the art is too old and delicate for flash photography. High flash can drain the color from paintings. There was also a great exhibit featuring antique religious scripts of every major religion. There was a bible there I noticed written in gold ink from as far back as the year 1200 A.D. in perfect condition.

Every piece of art and furniture is of the highest caliber at the Getty Museum and the complex is art itself. For someone trying to get a quick dose of culture this is a sure shot. There is a parking fee of $15 that pays for everyone in the car. The food and beer is reasonably priced and good. I left inspired to not be scared to do larger paintings and with a sense of urgency to push my skills as far as possible. If I am one day to be considered one of the greats I need to put some work in.

http://www.getty.edu/museum/