Jellie Update!

Whew! It's been a busy week. I've completed all but 2 or so shots in the animatic. It's been fun designing the backgrounds and adding some new cuts/reworking old ones from the original thumbnail storyboards. All in all I feels it's coming together quite well. I will return to school on January 7th so I would like to have the entire short completed in animatic form to show my professors and get some feedback during the first few weeks of the quarter. I am also in a collaborative class and I do have to opportunity to pitch the concept as the short the class would work on for the coming 10 weeks. I am however reluctant to share this project. Over the past few weeks I have built upon the original concept making this film quite personal with some metaphors that may or may not be so subtle.

Jellie WIP animatic 02 from efmuok on Vimeo.

Jellie

So I have a new working title for my short film. I am calling it “Jellie”. Updates too. I have a sound designer that will be working on the short. Check out his blog over at Sound of the Hunt. And lastly some animatic work. I have about 80% of the scenes finished with the main character added. I am working on more backgrounds now then I will add in the flying fish and some subway riders/pedestrians.


Jellie WIP animatic 01 from efmuok on Vimeo.

Lastly, the biggest update. Due to MARTA photo policies being ridiculous, the aquarium always being packed and the fact that there are some shots of things that simple don’t exist and/or would be impossible for me to shoot I will be painting all the backgrounds digitally. Sucks but hey I think it’ll be better and closer to the film I see in my head. That being said I now have good photo reference hahaha.

Aquarium Backgrounds and Styleframe

Alright. Finally got off my lazy ass and took the photographs for my aquarium short. Went to the MARTA last night and after getting yelled at by 2 security guards and 1 police officer I got the photos I needed. But NO FILMING! And I wasn't allowed to use my tripod. I'm not exactly sure what the restriction on tripods is for. I mean midday rush hour sure but there was maybe 5 other people on the train with me. It was a pain in the ass to shoot at night w/out a tripod though.

I've been editing, compositing, and color correcting all day but I now have the first few shots completed. The first background has the top of the stairs with an alpha, I will go to the aquarium and grad some photos of the underwater tunnel and the viewing wall the combine. The subway windows also have alpha so I can put images and lights passing by as he travels on the train.

I also grabbed the illustration I did and dropped it into one of the backgrounds to get an idea of how the final animation will be composited together. I've been tweaking the colors as well to get the mood of the film I want. Enjoy.

I am on a deadline for this one...April in the job fair and I need it for my demo reel!

Happy Holidays

American Horror Story Asylum

This weeks topic was Psychotic Quarter. But I sketched a whole symphony. Oh and did I mention its an American Horror Story fan art as well. So I know I barely whip these shitty sketches together each week but this one and am going to finish cause it's been so long since I've done a fan art and I miss it. Stay tuned this week for the final piece.

Aquarium Character Design

Grabbed my sharpie and threw down some silhouettes for the character in my aquarium short.

He is influenced by many things.  He has some eel, also threw in some some jelly fish and octopus/squid. Basically I was him aquatic-ish but to also have the ability to walk upright at the beginning of the short. Also flexibility is important because I want him to really squash and stretch.

When he returns to the water and loses his little suit his arms/legs will become him tentacles and he'll move probably similar to a squid. But this is all up in the air and animation tests will polish this chaos in my head.

Sketchkablam quickie

Done this afternoon in my sketchbook then thrown into photoshop to add a flat color pass. I need to get on this Sketchkablam thing and up my quality haha. Key words were "Autopsy Society" and I drew this little girl who I guess won the science fair and is now the newest member of the Jr Society.

More sketchbook stuff

Haven't posted up life drawing in a few weeks. I was introduced to love castle by a former classmate  and it is GREAT! Basically you set what you want to draw and how long then have at it. That website has been great supplement for time such as now when I am on school break to too stingy to pay $5 for an open model session.

Enjoy this page of hands and a few figures. All 2min or less. Working on my speed/confidence still. Honestly I still do not do figure/observation drawing enough but I'm trying to add it into my scheduled more. Also broke away from my brush pen and used a black Copic.

Also I was browsing a sketchbook and found some sketches that I did to setting on the character I used in my Blagurgitate film. The assignment had us mix two different styles from art history, I mashed Egon Schiele with African masks. The left page is me re-sketching a self portrait of his to better understand how he does that magic. All sketches are with a 50% grey Copic.

Edgar update and new (unfinished) Sketchkablam!

So I’m SLOOOOWLY finishing up all the side project. The video game I have been working on for the past 6months is nearly finished then I’ll have some more time for other projects. That being said I have been chipping away at the Edgar model/rendering. I have him fully modeled, and UV mapped so it’s ready for texture and lighting! Below is a quick ambient occlusion pass.

Also this past Mondays Sketchkablam was Scorpion Procedure. I was originally going to do a human/scorpion trans species post-op guy but when I typed scorpion into Google for reference images I saw this photo.

I just had to draw them flash forward at a reunion tour in the retirement home. Enjoy.

Sketchkamblam!

A friend of mine is starting a weekly sketch blog and I will be one of the contributors . Each week a new theme and this weeks theme was “Torpedo Prisoners”.  I wasn’t sure what it meant…so I Googled it. Turns out a “torpedo is someone new to the gang, or has screwed up in some way, who needs to “earn their bones”‘ and they are sent to perform a hit. Also something about a Nor Cal gang the Nortenos, So I drew a Chola and since it’s around Thanksgiving the bonus task was to include the holiday in some was so I had her performing a hit on a turkey…yes quite literal.

Check out Sketchkablam each Monday for new sketches.

Edgar update

Have a the tentacles in a rough pose :D Thinking this will be fun once it's finished.

New Short?

So my wife took this awesome photo at the aquarium a few weeks ago and it inspired a short film in my mind.

 
Basically it will be about this little jelly fish guy that finds a dying fish on his way home from work. When he picks the fish up it comes back to life and begins to swim through the air. He follows the fish and is ultimately lead back to a giant fish tank and then returns to his natural state. Lol nothing special but should be a fun project. That being said I had been thinking about it some time but did nothing, then last night I could not sleep thinking about what I wanted it to look like. So I got out of bed and threw a quick storyboard together so I wouldn’t forget

I know the sketches are AMAZING!

Edgar the Octopus Burglar

So this past summer I participated in an art show where the artists draw during the event then the work is auctioned off at the end of the night. I finished early and was taking request when my friend Jim suggested I draw an octopus burglar...so I did.

Just a quick doodle I never finished but thought it could be a fun winter modeling project. I have his face all modeled with some slight variations to give him more form and one tentacle that I have rigged and will duplicate then pose. I plan on trying to get a nice rendering for my portfolio as a modeling/lighting example. Here's some screen caps.

Stay tuned :) ciao.

The quarter has ended

It was a long quarter with lots learned but now it's over and I get to semi relax over the break.Here's some more work.

Hop animation test using model and rig from CreativeCrash.com
Project 06 Hop Animation from efmuok on Vimeo.

Final pencil test walk cycle...There's a slight pop on the loop that I will fix but I think she came out great.
Project 07 2D Walk Cycle from efmuok on Vimeo.

Also a 3D walk cycle done using a model and rig from CreativeCrash.com.
Project 08 3D Walk Cycle from efmuok on Vimeo.

Lastly the drawing in motion final.
Drawing In Motion Final Project from efmuok on Vimeo.

Over break I hope to work on my demo reel and replace the 3D walk cycle with my Zoe character.

Final Rotoscope Art Directions

Coming up on the final two weeks of the quarter and We have just two weeks to finish our rotoscope project. Luckily it will be done in groups of two and it only has to be about 5 seconds of animation.

The project is for the introduction to an animated documentary my professor is working on for The Green Book. My partner is working out the storyboard/animatic and I provided the two possible art directions. We, along with the class, chose the first concept with bold black line work. We were given postcards from different era's as backdrops. Ours were Niagara Falls 1930's.

 

 We shoot reference footage on Sunday...wish us luck!

Life Drawing Update

Here are a couple of pages from the week before last.  

After meeting with my professor to review my first 5 weeks worth of sketches I am now trying to transition into a style that captures the pose of the model rather than drawing what I see.

 

I also reduced my time from 2-5min each poses to  30sec-1min forcing myself to simplify/analyze before I put my pen to the page. I do feel that I am moving forward and gaining confidence

Side Step Assignment WIP

Roughing out the side step animation assignment. I need to fix the overlap in some places, especially the hair, then it’s onto the details and clean up. I am pretty happy with how she is coming along so far though, I think this will be a fun little character exercise for my demo reel. My professor suggest I also use this character for my walk cycle. Stay tuned.
Idna SideStep Rough from efmuok on Vimeo.
I also have some life drawing from the past few weeks I need to post once I have time to scan them in. I am finishing up the video game during the next 2 weeks so times tight. It’ll happen though. :)

Muybridge Form 90%

I’ve completed 90% of my concept. I am still working through the bubbles, the sand that gets kicked up, and the transition. Fortunately none of these things are required in the assignment so I am calling it completed (for now. Enjoy

Muybridge Form Rotoscope from efmuok on Vimeo.

The next step is the expand upon the Muybridge skeletal rotoscope with a full form continuation. Below are my three new art directions along with some effects animation I'm working through for the transition.

Currently the splash in on 2's and if I have time I will add more inbetweens. But for now, the project is graded on the cat run cycle NOT the effects so it can wait :D

Whip It.

Just finished projects 4 & 5 this week in my Character Animation Basics. The Flag wave done by pencil and the arm and hammer. This helped us learn drag, overlap, breaking of joints and as always, timing. I feel I am getting the hang of it. Excited to begin on our FIRST character assignment which will be a side step. I will use my character Idna for both the side step and walk cycle. So hopefully by the end of the class I will have a good animated character study.

Arm and Hammer

Project 04 Arm and Hammer from efmuok on Vimeo.
Flag Wave
Project 03 Flag Wave from efmuok on Vimeo.

Muybridge Continued

Finished the roto of the Muybridge photos last week, check it out. Next we do the same cycle but full body not just the skeleton.

Muybridge Skeletal Rotoscope from efmuok on Vimeo.

Zoo Atlanta/Cafe Sketches

Was really busy last week. For my Drawing In Motion class we visited Zoo Atlanta to draw some animals. I had never sketched animals from life but it was so much fun and they seemed to fly off my brush pen. I feel I struggle with people because I know what I "think" they shouldn't look like in my head. But not animals I just draw what I see. Not sure if that makes sense but it does to me.

I wasn't able to make it to figure drawing this week because I was participating in the Generate 24hr design challenge. Check out my teams project here.

Muybridge Cycles

In my rotoscoping class our first assignment is to roto a selected Muybridge cycle. I chose the cat and for class tomorrow we needed to explore 3 different art directions. Check them out.

1. Based on the fantastic short by Ryan Woodward Thought of You.

2. Influenced by the heavenly digital painting style of Chinese mànhuà artist Benjamin. (Zhang Bin)

3. This one isn’t based on any particular artist, maybe some Nicolas Marlet with his squiggly lines? But the concept is for it to pulse like an EKG machine.

So hopefully this is obvious but we start with the skeletal structure, then we do the same cycle with full body, but that too needs to be a separate style from these 3. So stay tuned for those concepts in a week or so.

Animation Basics

Just began my first animation class this quarter. Something I probably should have taken before my Stop Motion class so I knew what the fuck "timing", "anticipation" and  lot more jargon meant but hey we learn right.


Project 1: Bouncing Ball.

Project 01 Bouncing Ball Pencil from efmuok on Vimeo.
The class does each project in 2D then 3D. I feel I went quite heavy on the squash/stretch in the 2D so I dialed it down in the 3D bounce. Enjoy.
Project 01 Bouncing Ball 3D from efmuok on Vimeo. I revisited the bouncing ball. Cleaned it up digitally and re-timed.

Bouncing Ball ReWorked Digital from efmuok on Vimeo.

Open Model Session 1

Participated in my first open model session yesterday morning and got in 2hrs of sketching. I only did the 1 min gestures but I had the chance to draw both male and female forms. Good fun! Oddly enough they both wore their hair in a bun...

I am going to work on gaining confidence back into my line quality. I feel I still spend to much time going back and fourth between the model and my paper. I will be training myself to draw the poses from memory so I can concentrate more of the image in my head rather than referencing the life model.

We are reading Vilppu Drawing Manual which discusses this technique for anyone interested.

Gestures & observation drawing shall no longer me by enemy!

So this is the second week of school but what I consider to be the first official week since week one is usually just an introduction. I am in two classes this quarter that both require separate sketchbook filled with gesture and observational drawings, something I admittedly struggle with. This is a great opportunity to hopefully improve these skills since they are so important to animation. On that note here is the first set from my session today in the cafe on campus.

Rusty and kinda awkward but I hope in 10 weeks vast improvements will be visible! I will be attending the life drawing session on Friday mornings just for extra material and practice each week so stay posted and look for improvement.

Ending the summer with a bang

So over the summer I had a wave of unexpected projects. Below is a small teaser of one I am wrapping up in the next few months. If all goes well the app should come out around October. Once I get the go ahead I can post actual work. I had a great time doing all the animations and menu artwork for this game working with Crystal Fish Entertainment, LLC and Growums.

In other news I just finished up a motion graphic video for PayPal and joined a small team of app developers here in ATL called Gamer Media Partners. For those in the ATL area attending Dragon Con check out the basement for their booth.I will be helping out with artwork for future phone apps.
Now the question of how in the hell am I going to fit my classes in my scheduled. Damn you art school for being so expensive and forcing me to this!

New Contracting Title?

Just working on some new branding for myself. As I take on more animation/motion graphics work I wanted to switch my company look. Here's a few quick concepts. Eventually I would like him animated all lazy like.

New Coloring Style?

A couple of friends and I went on a small drawing session at Little 5 Points this past weekend. Didn't last long since it was ungodly hot, but here are a couple sketches.

I have also been working on developing a new digital coloring style. I've been seeing LOTS of this textural looking going around and thought I'd have a go. I'm very happy with the way it looks and think I will explore it more. Stay tuned!

Hey everyone it's been forever since a post. I have also started a new page for school since my professors want everyone on Wordpress. Here is the link. I have lots going on but I really want to try posting more so I will make an effort to update both pages. I also see I have about 10 new followers which is awesome! Hello and thanks for checking me out and sticking around :D So earlier in the month I was contacted to be one of the 12 artists to participate in Drink & Doodle. Here's the flyer.

If you live in the ATL area please come and check it out the line up of artists is fantastic and I would love to see ya. Ciao.

Zoe "final"

Finished the Zoe character sheet that is due later today. Had to nearly pull an all nighter since I picked up yet ANOTHER last minute motion graphic video that consumed my weekend. This one is awesome though cause the wife designed it :D plus having GE in my portfolio was too good to pass up.

Anyways enjoy the sheet

Other character sheets and Zoe refined

The class was split 6 and 6 between frank and Zoe. He was my "favorite" but I felt that my Zoe would push me more since she is a more "realistic" character which i don't' do very often....

Frank is a volunteer firefighter. With a jacket on loan patched up with duck tape he acts like a hard-ass in front of the other firefighters. But when he gets into the heat he shows his true teddy bear character. Frank is passionate about helping all living things.

Here's the first pitch for Zoe. My professor wanted me to do some variation on her face since he felt it was very pixar-ish. I did about 5 new faces and landed on the second concept you see below. I am happy with her and looking forward to feedback tomorrow :D
Here are the revisions I made on Zoe. Next we move to color...but before then I am going to do some research on her accessories..some goggle and glove design, the little things y'know.

Idna Rough Character Sheet

First Character sheet is done in rough sketch. after we critique in class I will refine then do a color rendering of the chosen character direction. Stay tuned
Idna is a professional organizer specializing in Hoarding. (Guess where that inspiration comes from.) She is a cheeky British woman who will lose her calm demeanor in the blink of an eye only to revert back to her cheerful smile and diligence. She is also a stickler for enforcing strict organization rules based upon size, color, purpose, and even name of your household objects. Although quite temperamental her overall attitude is bright, and positive.

Character Silhouettes

Pick your fav

First project from my advanced character modeling class this quarter. I'm amped for this class even though I am in WAY over my head. Basically the class is as follows.

1. Design character from silhouette drawings, min of 25.(Never done this before and that shit is hard until you wrap your head around it)

2. Refine character in style-sheet.(no prob)

3. Render character in color. (no prob)

4. Model from super sculpy. (Luckily this winter break I experimented :D)

5. Model character in Maya (Never used this program OH NO!!!)

5. Detail in ZBrush (We will be learning yes!)

6. Paint CAD model in Photoshop. (Should be no problem)

7. Final rendering in Maya. (hopefully it's similar to Alias...)

But yes this should be a great portfolio piece so stay tuned I will be posting all my character development as well as sketch book exercises.

The refined character (I had to choose 3)