Timing, timing, timing.

 

I blocked out something fairly elaborate for this and when started to look at the body in terms of timing realised there was just too much going on and too little time. I’ve started to strip this back but think I could get rid of a lot more: I like the head rub but think maybe just that by itself would be enough, or the chin rub by itself. Maybe he could fold his arms and emote through the shoulders and head instead?

It feels a bit too “computery” - like there’s not enough sharp staccato movement. Those splines sure do look sexy and smooth but perhaps I could tighten some of the curves up -*ahem* finishing the lip sync DVD (instead of stopping half way to play) would probably be a good move too.

Like caterpillars fightin'

For a third attempt at animating this should probably have been more walk cycles, run cycles, jumping, or focusing on movement. It should have been, but I’ve wanted to learn to animate speech for the longest time and jumped ahead. It’s still being blocked out but with clamped splines on the facial controls to get a better idea of where things were lining up.

As always there’s a long way to go - many years of practice ahead, but it feels so good to be doing this it’s hard not to get a bit excited.

In related news I’ve signed up for Keith Lango’s Video Tutorial Service, at only €13.50 a month it seems like a very small amount to pay to gain access to his knowledge and experience.

Snashafrassin'

The downside of sitting at a machine by yourself is it’s often inconvenient to get informed feedback, if you’re lucky a patient partner may say something looks wrong which can be a big help, but often can’t tell you why.

There are options of course - the CGSociety critique forums can be magnificent sources of feedback, and if you study with an online course you often have mentor and classmate feedback to spur you on. The hard part is knowing when to ask for help.

This is where I’m at with jumping guy below: while I was happy with the key poses - they had good lines and expressive action, the breakdowns felt a little weaker. I think the problem is partly the spacing; it feels too compressed and he’s moving too lightly for a character his size. There are also some issues around foreshadowing movement, his core should be telegraphing what his arms and legs are doing which isn’t always happening

The point is I’m stuck, and have burned so many hours tweaking that all I want to do is put this down and move onto something which doesn’t involve this guy jumping around. I should have asked for help earlier, whilst I’ve learned a lot by doing it wrong and trying to fix it there’s a huge amount of frustration knowing that it’s not right.

So that’s it for jumping guy, next up - voice! I’m all excited again.

Amazon Begone

It’s been a full week, but while I’ve been busy with work I’ve also uncovered a wee bit of treasure.

The *best* thing about this week has been discovering a little thing called The Animation Podcast. It’s run by a guy called Clay Kaytis who’s a supervising animator at Disney, and it’s all interviews. Deliciously long and detailed interviews with animators - how they started, why they started, and how pretty much everyone is filled with self-doubt despite their talent. For a newbie such as myself it’s mana from the gods.

So Clay has links to books on Amazon, and filled with zest for more learnin’ I may have bought one or two. Or four. They offending articles currently lumbering across the ocean are:

Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes, Volume 1: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures
Drawn to Life: 20 Golden Years of Disney Master Classes, Volume 2: The Walt Stanchfield Lectures
The Animator’s Survival Kit
Character Animation Crash Course!

In my defense I got the above for what two would have cost had they been purchased here. Sort of.

Moving right along the jump thing is displayed below. The breakdowns still need to be completed and there’s still a lot of detail that needs to go into it, but it’s progressing and frankly I’m pleased with the progress given the time available and my level of experience.

.

In other news the 2008 Student Showcase over at Animationmentor.com is *really* good, sadly unless I could break the 18 months of classes up leaving gaps in between the budget won’t cover a further $1,300 AUD a month in expenses.

Work / Life Balance

It’s been a hectic week and a bit so I’ve found it hard to make time to learn, however components for the Windows box have begun to be aquired and while things have slowed they haven’t stopped.

Movement is important.

Mudbox was released for Mac this week which is a wonderful thing. Get it if you have the machine to run it.