Nigel_inhouse:

Any comments would be great. still trying to figure out a palette that works, and experimenting with painter...

oh yes, and the flyer for the BFA gallery show is done as well.

shadow play

Experimented with some little frog ideations..

I want my story to be about a shadow play performer who uses only his hands to create beautiful silhouettes. He rides a giant frog that holds a shadow play theatre on its back. They rest at docks to perform enchanting plays for people. They can also rest in the middle of bodies of water, and perform for sailors.

here are some in house drawings my performer, his theatre, and his beast of burden.. crits and comments welcome!!

jehan

Lauren's Characters

Hey Dela. I was sorry to hear about your loss. I'm posting some Flash-style drawings and expression/gesture sketches of my characters (the camel and the puppet master). I did these in this vector style because I thought it could work as a good base for creating enrique's style (an underpainting of sorts). I like them just as vector drawings, too :-). I am working on a sketch with all the elements (the cart, camel, puppet master, and that nasty goat), which I will post soon. I hope you approve of these! --Lauren

Kelly: InHouse

Hey Dela! Here are my in house drawings.One the Twins I'm not sure if I am happy with it or not. I can't pin point it so any suggestions on what you think I could push more please let me know. On the Cart I took what you said and made sure that the door could be seen clearly since it is a main story element. On the elephant I was trying to push the shapes more and making her a bit quirky. I am still debating whether I like the small ears vs. larger ones.Any comments and suggestions from anyone would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Shadow Puppet: In House

Hi Dela,
Here are my explorations for the week. I haven't settled on the look of the character or cart and still think that the designs in the beast, character, and cart can be pushed even further. I have just been exploring and trying to push the shapes. I am having fun with the design process right now and don't want to settle just yet. I like the design of the rhino but I still think it can be pushed overall like in the head designs I worked on. I am still going to do some designs on the komodo dragon and see where that takes me. I haven't decided on which cart or character to develop further and I am still going to continue exploring those designs as well. Any suggestions would be great from all. Thanks

Beast Of Burden

hey dela,

here are some ideations for the beast of burden along with a more developed version of what I'd like him to look like. Any comments would be great, I would like to go for more of a skinny animal than a big buff one.

Janet: Puppeteer Project

Hi Dela,
Here is my development work for this week. The props and characters are designed to be fun and kid-friendly. I went for a youthful, lanky, puppeteer to have a character who can easily empathize with children and tried to incorporate what we discussed in class. Any comments to help improve these would be great.

Saro: Camel & Cart in-house

Here is a quick value study of the cart.

Dela,

Here is my camel in-house, I tried to push the shapes on him as much as I can. Let me know if this is working well, any comments are appreciated. Thanks

JP: Puppeteer Ox In House

Here is the in-house drawing for the two headed ox. I tried to push the design, and I wanted to get some personality into each of the heads. All suggestions welcome!


Thanks!

pants variations

Hey guys,

im having alot of trouble deciding which pants variation to go with. Maybe i can take a quick vote from you guys. thanks!

Saturday's Class

We won't be having class this weekend. I'll be in Michigan attending services for my Grandmother, she passed away last week.

I would suggest showing up and critiquing each others work, I think you are all at a level to give professional feedback. Please post your InHouses on the blog so I can see them.

Thanks

rough character in house.

hey guys,

just refined my character a little. let me know what you think. I want to see if it is visually appealing, and where you think i could push it more. Does it look to be in the style? thanks.

nigel

Demon Puppet

Hey Dela.

After walking into Nino's class and talking to Gary, I thought elaborating on Nino's project would give me a nice piece to show EA, since they are less whimsicle in their style of games. I just wanted to show them something different from everything in my profolio so I whipped this out real quick. Some how when i was drawing him, I could not get the shadow puppet idea out of my head, and he turned out to actually be a puppet. I know its not a part of our class, so maybe you could give a just a few comments on it when you have time (after others with class related work). thanks

nigel

JP: Puppeteer Ideations

Dela,

Here are some more ideations based on the comments you gave in class. I tried to push the shape of the oxen in a more Enrique way, and I explored some new ideas on the multi-armed puppeteer. It seems the bell idea has been done on the ox, so I will come up with something else. The yoke should be a pretty good element to break up the shape too. I still sort of like the old puppeteer, so I put that in there for contrast with the new ones. I also like the dwarf. Please let me know what ideas resonate with you, what's working, and any other suggestions you might have.

Thanks!

Interviews

I just wanted to wish everyone who has an interview coming up the best!

I know the first interview can get anyone a little nervous ( I know I was), but you all have been creating some very strong work both in the approach and story telling as well as the visual astetics. Please feel free to list me as a reference, just let me know if you do. If for some reason you have any last minute questions, please feel free to email me or give me a call.

shadow puppet characters: in house

Hey Dela,

here are some more refined character ideations.




This is the character I choose. im not sure which version of the face looks better. He has brass rings everywhere to make sound effects. collects garbage as a cheap way to make the puppets. wears a mask on the back of his head and plays the drum as he enters the city he is going to perform in.

Kelly: Cart Ideations

Hi Dela! I did more cart ideation based off the feedback you gave me in class on Saturday it was very helpful. I really tried pushing the shapes more. I think I am leaning towards the first one in the top row maybe combining elements from a couple of others that I like. If anyone has any comments or suggestions please let me know. Thanks!

Saro: Shadow Puppet ideations

Dela,
here are my ideations on the shadow puppet master that I've spoken about to you in the e mail, I would appreciate it if you could give me some feedback before I go into in-house level. Thanks Dela.
Hi guys,
Unfortunately I couldn't make it to class this Saturday, so if anybody could give me some feedback on these, that would be very helpful, thank you.

Student Work.

Some of you may have seen this. If you haven't take a look at what students over seas are getting into. The style is great as well as the action and storyboarding that went into it. I think animation over here will lean more in this direction in a few years. It's HOT!

Nigel, Lauren, Kelly, Tony, Amie, Sarita be sure to take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avyWjn1uV5I

Class

For tomorrow's class be sure to bring in supplies to work with! Spread the word to anyone that might not read this.

Bui: Final Animatic

Final pass. What do you guys think?

And is the music annoying?

And thanks for that Sigg Jones link, Dela. I want to move to France and work for them, now.

Rufus maquette.

Jeff gave me some great feedback. Im thinking of leaving the sculpting alone, and maybe painting it in photoshop to see how that process goes.

Jack and the beanstalk revisions:

Hey Dela,

Hope all is well. I revised some of the suggestions you guys gave me for the giant. I think over all, his ideas were working, but i needed to widen his shoulders more, and have a little more interest within the patterns os grass and dirt on him. I hope this conveys the idea. I used a variation of mixed medium for this one, since it was something that jeff really pushed on saturday. I will refine jack once i get more time. Thanks.

Ok, final design for Jack is in too. The branch is to foreshadow that he is going to take something from the giant. The cowbell, and rope to tie the pants also help with more story telling. Thanks for the quick sketch of his costume. It really gave me a shape i liked, and developed further. His sleeves and his hair also resemble a beanstalk, but in a much more subtle way. Any feed back would be great. Thanks!

JP: Sculpt Turnaround

Hey Dela,

Here are some photos of my maquette. Jeff gave a really great crit on Saturday. He talked about clarifying the forms into shapes that will read at large and small scale and considering how the forms fit into eachother and "work" in terms of how they would be made in something like Maya or even as a costume. He said I captured the mood of the concept drawing, but I could design the shapes better. He also said that I should probably set this aside and think of it as my first sculpt, but to move on soon to new, better sculptures using the comments from Saturday.

It was an inspiring class, and in the end I enjoyed the project, doll heads and all. I am sure you and Jeff will probably have similar crits, but if you have any other comments, please let me know.

Thanks!

Tonys Animatic

Hey Dela,

I was looking forward to see you this Saturday so I could show you how far I have gotten along with my story.

I haven't finished the ending yet...the reason Theodore and Felix look up is because since they killed the monk, they have accidentally unleashed the monster that was trapped inside his body. The monster is a tall dude... I am still designing the actual demon. Any crits would be great.

But since you aren't coming in, I will post it here. I just wanted to say thanks for all the crits so far. I know I have been frustrating you...but trust me, I been frustrating myself even more. So thanks for allowing me to explore these characters. And thanks for the inspiration from this project, it will be a great peice for my reel.

Saturday's Class

Along with your maquettes be sure to also bring in you drawings of the character you did, the concept piece and the drawings for the maquette.

Thanks.

Super Star

For this weeks class we will be having a guest teacher, the man who taught me a lot of what I know, Jeff Sangalli. As many of you know Jeff has an amazing wealth of experience and knowledge in this field, from live action feature films, to animated features, video games, and everything in between. For myself, I am still daily learning from him.

Jeff will be coming in to teach as well as giving crits on your sculpts and giving you the next assignment. Unfortunately I have to be out of town to attend to some family business, so if you get a chance to post your sculpts on the blog I would love to see how they have come out.

Please show him the same respect and professionalism you have always shown me.

Thanks!

jack & the beanstalk

Hey dela,

I had some time to elaborate more on the jack and the bean stalk idea we were working on in class.

For jack, I really wanted him to be tall and lanky. I want him to resemble a bean stalk like shape, so when he climbs up it would really be fun for the animator as he swings arround and fits into different cracks within the plant. Almost as if he was made for the beanstalk. His hair also resembles a leaf, and similar to ariels in little mermaid, its a big shape in the front - so when ever we see him from an angle, it automatically creates asymetry. I am having some difficulty with his costuming and some proportions, so help on that, or anything else would be great.

For the giant, since he steals, I tried different ways hat he could disguise himself. For my final solution, i thought he could lay down and become a part of the landscape as he sneaks up on his targets. the head could silohuette as the moon, arms and legs as trees, and his body as grass. He also has fences and bridges that he has stolen before on his body to help his disguise. Any help would be great.

If any other classmats have comments or suggestions, that would be great too. Thanks!

OH yes, and color is something i cant decide on. Do you have any other artist to recommend for inspiration or color palette?

nigel

Janet: Maquette

Hi Dela,

I'd like to work on this pose of Andreas for the maquette. I also added an addition to my headquarters piece showing the backstage of the theatre based on your previous comments about theatre reference. Any comments on how to improve it would be great. This is a really rough sketch, so I can make any changes you might have.

Thanks for your help, Dela!

Lauren - Color Comps

Hey Dela. Here are some color comps of my moment piece painting. I've decided to go more in a "Triplets of Bellville" style, since I think it willl suit the feel I want better than this work...I'm planning on redoing this piece in pen and ink and watercolor, so give it more warmth and life. I will post the revisions soon. --Lauren

Nigel: maquette progress

Hello everyone,

I did a little write up as to how i did my maquette so far. Since cameron went over the armature wire, im not going to get too into it. This is just how I did it. There are many alternative ways, so feel free to do it how ever you want.

step 1: draw out a diagram of your pose, and also a neutral pose of your character. On the neutral pose, you can plan out your armature wire and the proportions to bend it into. I left mine to be 9.5 inches, so it would fit into my little oven.



step 2: You really can skip this step, but I normally do it since it helps me figure out forms in 3d since my character does not have realistic proportions. I did a quick clay sketch of the face and how it would connect to the body. I did this with oil based clay, which is alot harder, easy to mold, but cannot be baked.



step 3: i built the armature wire using 3/16's soft aluminum wire. You can find it at arron brothers right next to all the sculpey supplies. I filled in the loose things with plumbers epoxy. Then i posed out the figure, and filled in the big spaces with tin foil. This way, you can use less clay. (dont fill it with anything though, only things you can bake.) I then wrapped it with a smaller wire, to make sure that the clay has more to hold onto when i apply it to the metal:




step 4: I filled in the form with some clay to get the basic shapes down. Make sure to make it smaller, since you are going to be putting clay on top. This is just the basic under shape of my character:



step 5: Once you got that, use a tool and cross hatch the clay. it fine for it to be messy. this also lets the clay you are going to put on top something to hold to.



step 6: I baked the figure at 200 degrees, for about 35 mins. This doesnt bake it all the way, just hardens it a bit. took it out of the oven, let it sit for about 10 mins to cool. then took a towel to wipe off any little bit on top that were loose. Now im going to put clay on top of that for my sculpture. it helps to have something solid underneath, since the sculpey is really soft:



Hope this helps everyone out. I can post my next steps once i get to it. And i will bring my pasta maker to bfa friday, for those who want to mix the color of their clay. I believe amie is first in line for that, so whenever she is done. Goodluck everyone.

EDIT:

step 7: start adding clay to the baked shape to define some form. use silohuettes of the character, because the blocking in part is essential to make your character look like your character. almost think of it as modeling in maya...








step 8: I baked some eyeballs and a tooth in white sculpey. 200 degrees for arround 45 mins. I had more than one set of eyeballs cause i wasnt sure which size worked better.




step 9: choose the right size eyeball and just push it a little into the clay to put it on.



step10: I put the tooth in, and filled in the form of the eyelids and cheeks very roughly.





step 11: added a scarf and ears, and refined a little proportions. also added a rough placement for the walking kane. i havent done the hands because i was not sure how to attach it on yet. Maybe one piece with the kane, maybe seperate.



thats what i have so far and should get most of you started. any questions, dont hesitate to ask. Im not very good at this, but just wanted to share what i learned from cameron. for those who know all this already, sorry!

nigel

JP: Maquette Sketch

Dela,

Here is the posing for a maquette of Madame Valentine based on the character sketch and a side view. The hand is off in the sketch so I also posted up the painting because it has more information. I went to Cameron's class to see what he would say about an armature and I got a lot of great information there, so if the drawings are working for you, please let me know and I will start on the sculpt. I think the doll's heads are going to be a pain, but I think if I can find a way to streamline the heads, it will be worth it. Cameron also said if there is an opportunity to use other materials like wire, glass eyes, or rope, that can add visual interest, so I might consider thin wire for the thread on the dress.

Thanks!

Nigel: maquette

Hey Dela.

I plan to do this pose for rufus. Eventually, I want to put mimi with him in a small environment and have another moment piece. nothing fancy, just a shelf and some books on the ground. But for now, im going to focus on rufus and really get into detail. Please let me know if this pose will work, and i will start bending the armature wire.

Jens: Maquette

Hey Dela I was hoping to model the character Cecile, showing her deeply concentrating on sound while extending her bow to feel through the air. Any advice on how to handle the character especially her hair, would be awesome.

Spaldo Maquette Pose

Hey Dela, I decided to go with my Russian toymaker. I think there is more opportunity for some nice broad shapes like in the shape and size of his body. If you have any suggestions let me know, I took some time to get his backpack drawn, which has side pockets for paper scrolls that he puts inside his music box. If you have tips on how to handle the lanterns, let me know. Thanks!

Maquette Character

hey Dela,

I chose to do Bertrand because of his big size and the coffin that he carries. The pose I want to do is pretty straight forward, I want to be able to show as much of both the character and coffin as possible. Tell me if there's a need to tighten these drawings up, I kept them rough since I figure we'd be working from our earlier finished drawings for detail. The drawings match up as far as scale goes, I traced them. Tell me if there's anything you feel should be changed or improved, and thanks for giving us Saturday off!

Kelly's Maquette

Hi Dela! First thanks for the break this Saturday. I would like to do Alexandrea as my maquette. I would like to change her pose to that of the quick thumbnail I have because I felt that the pose that I have her in now wouldn’t be all that interesting. Instead, what I was thinking if you couldn’t tell is having her reach for a butterfly that is above one of the ponds that I have in my headquarters. She would still be holding onto her doll. With the pond I would like to have some of the plant life that I had in my inhouse such as the ivy and lily pads. I was thinking that yes, she is afraid of ghosts, but when she sees them as butterflies she isn’t and is more intrigued and fascinated with them.

Also I am doing Willoughby Fitzwilliam in the maquette class that is why I didn’t choose him for this project. Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Lauren's Speedpaints

Saro: Maquette Character

Dela,
Here is my character (Constance) that I want to use for the maquette. I want to change the pose though, let me know if this is O.K. Thanks for the day off Dela, that's nice of you. I will definitely thank Cameron for the offer to help us.

Reeser - Maquette Characters

Hey Dela. I would love to do this character for my maquette. Let me know if it passes :-). --Lauren

Jaime's Maquette: Character Design

Hi Dela, this is the character design I would like to use for my maquette. I am still interested in modeling my character in 3D using Maya but I think this is a good opportunity to make a maquette. The examples you and Scott showed this past Saturday made me want to get started right away. Let me know if this character design has the Dela seal of approval. Thank you for the recharge :)

Recharge!

Ladies and Gents you have all been doing a great job. I want you all to take this Saturday off, no class. Go hug a loved one, check out a movie, run through a sprinkler, sleep, as long as it's not at school. The maquette will be due in two weeks, see you then.

Camerons Class

Saro thanks for posting that, and please thank Cameron for the invitation. I would strongly recommend everyone attending this.

Cameron's class...

Hey guys,
Cameron Chun asked me to post this on the blog for people who are interested in going to his class this Wednesday at 3:30. He is going to go over some stuff such as tools and how to make the armatures for the maquettes.

Maquette How To

Here are links to some good maquette tutorials. Some of these have mulitple steps so be sure to scroll down. For this assignment we are doing full body maquettes not busts. If you have any questions please get in touch with me throught the blog.

Remember to post the character you are doing on the blog for approval.

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?p=599966
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=71836
http://www.schellstudio.com/sculpture.htm
http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=18287&page=1&pp=60
http://www.richardmacdonald.com/

JP: Revised Paints

Dela,

Here is another pass at the painted piece. I tried to get in more light into the dark area you pointed out while still trying to keep it subtle. I'd love to hear your feedback on the revision if you find time this week.

Thanks!