acting shot ideas
This week we get our first character with a face (Bishop). Oh boy…we’ll see how this goes! Hehe. I pulled five clips I would enjoy animating. Just need one
Jumping vs. Bouncing
It’s good to understand the physics of how something would bounce in animation, but it’s also important to understand the difference between jumping and bouncing. Motion-wise they seem quite similar, but there are little variations that make differ. The jump-like feel is going to give the ball life and personality ~ it sells that the [...]
Student Showcase 2012
The new student showcase is up! A lot of talent from the acting and creatures classes. http://www.animationmentor.com/campaign/showcase-2012/
Live at the Heart of Daydreams
On my trip back home to Colorado, my dad gave me a book he was reading to improve his creative writing, The Art and Craft of Storytelling by Nancy Lamb. There are several great excerpts and takeaways that translate into creativity in any field, not just literature. In one of my favorite sections, she suggested [...]
Changing Facial Expressions
You ever notice how simply changing the facial expression of a character in a certain pose can completely change the meaning of the pose? Think about this – take this image for example: Baloo’s face is concerned, and his body language says it too — He’s leaning in, and his hands are lightly placed on [...]
Tips to better a sendentary lifestyle
Sometimes what we have to get done causes us to be bound to our seats, lose sleep, and…well…stress. So check this out ~ this is a great read for artists or anyone with a sedentary lifestyle/job. A Life Less Sedentary: CG Artist Health by Sam Conlogue
a healthy body leads to a healthy, imagination mind
Art cannot simply be scheduled into our lives. We need to be in a certain state for it to be possible. I always do my best to keep this in mind: Maslow’s hierarchy of needs~ Imagination lives on one of the higher tiers. Once you are relaxed enough to where you can comfortably “zone out” [...]
Body Mechanics Studies
The following tips are good for anyone currently working on body mechanics in animation: For Class 2 (Psychology of Body Mechanics): The following is an excerpt from Animation Mentor’s blog by Wayne Gilbert: “When doing a body mechanics shot, your attention must be focused on the body and how it moves — don’t spend a [...]
Bored Angel blocking passes
v2 (turned off the hair): v1:
Ideas of how to approach your sketching
Some sketchbook tid bits from Mark McDonnell