Another New Film

Working this quarter on my second film we are currently calling it "Red". It is a biographical film about Robert Goddard. The only requirements for the class are the following.

1. An "abstract" biography
2. It must be mixed media
3. Stay withing 1-2 minutes

So you can check out our production blog over at jimcowjaz.blogspot.com. I will try to post work here as well.

I will be lead character animator on the film! It is my first so wish me luck. Below you can see two of my concepts for the environment and the character design of Goddard at multiple ages.

At first we were going to have the character as a paper cut out but we are slowly moving away from it as we develop the look further.

My first concept was a paper sketch of  a cherry tree then a digital painting on top.

Second concept is using photo textures composited together then some Photoshop painting. Another team mate is exploring watercolor skies that are looking pretty sweet.

New "logo" for self branding

Hey long time no post! I've been busy of late but wanted to throw something up on the blog to show I am alive and kicking. Our first assignment for portfolio class was a logo design as part of our self branding. Below you can see my final direction along with the simple animation I will include during the title of my demo reel. I wanted to explore an illustrative story with my "logo" so I have these abstract thoughts sprouting from the box guy's head. Oh and what's the ladder for?  Click here for my resume! using this new style direction.

Done in Flash. Just some fun straight ahead animation :D I will layer what I have cycled to make the animation fuller like the static illustration.

New Collab film

Just finished a few pieces from the new film I am working on in class. I still have some other concepts I'm finishing up tonight/tomorrow but here's one character sheet and a speed painting of the street performing location the help capture the mood. The entire class will be posting to vitamagusfilm.blogspot.com so check it out.

The above character is a woman in her 60's that has been performing as a magician for over 40 years. I wanted an older woman that wasn't what you normally see in animated films; hunched, wrinkled, and eccentric. She should have a sophistication and refinement about her gained through performing her act for decades. A past that was filled with stardom and beauty in which she continues to confidently project.

My key influence was the beautiful 63 year old Jessica Lange. Another is a Canadian street performer by the name of Billy Kidd who along with Janelle Monae inspired the androgynous outfit. This adds an interesting character trait to her unseen history of struggling with not only trying to introduce magic to the world but also to stand out and become accepted. Billy Kidd stated in an interview "It's a boys' club,"... "I have to work harder and do different things." which is one reason for Kidd's androgynous persona.

Lastly the color pallet chosen is an example of how the world could look towards the final few scenes of the film. Bright colors that play with a high contrast complimentary pallet. This method is more about experimenting with hue contrast than value contrast.

After finishing the last environment frame I decided to do a quick concept of the little girl in the street to refine that sloppy painting. This idea of having a child being able to also see the magic everyone else overlooks was brought up in class and I though it was interesting and worth exploring. I wanted her forms to reflect the magician she is impersonating so I tapered her arms and legs to mimic the magician silhouette.

Newest Sketchkablam

So this week I FINALLY got off my ass and completed something more than a shitty sketch! The inspiration was "Smoking Conference" and all I could think about was those sad, sad rooms people cram into at the airport. I decided to go with a retro look since it was the golden age of travel. That and I was just watching Iron Giant. Oh I also wanted it look like a screen captured from a film. Enjoy :D

Another Edgar update/my 100th post!

So I am calling the rendering 80ish% finished. I stepped away for a while to work on Jellie but I picked it back up today and got it to a place I am happy with. I want to rework some of the UV’s around the eye socket so the texture is less noticeably stretched and then I will maybe add some reflected light from the water surface on the sand. Not sure about that one since this is more of a stylistic rendering but I think it will also be a great way for me to experiment with this for Jellie since the tank/room will need lots of effect lighting. Oh! I also need to add some graphics to his loot and then maybe some sand dollars on the floor.

So here’s the process of creating the 80ish% piece

And the, nearly, completed composite

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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!

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