2009, An Expo Odessy

So me and my girlfriend went to Expo 09 the other weekend, what an awesome weekend it was!!

First off let me say that if you have never been to an anime/comic/media/game expo, DO IT! they are so much fun, long tiring days but heaps of fun. I promise.

SO!

First day we got there we had a little snafu with our tickets so we had to fart arse around with them for a bit. But eventually we got in and started to line up.

Of course you had your obligatory Master Cheif Walk about, he was really good. i couldnt get a picture but he had L.E.D.s around his helmet, look really convincing.

This is my girlfriend, she asked me to take a picture of her from behind, She thought it would look really good (which is does ;p)

The love flowed everywhere, so much love!

This guy was so well done, me thinks he was a professional, probably doing it for a charity of some sort. He is soooo cool!!!

These 2 were really convincing.

WOOT Tau!! WOOT

And more Xenomorphs

This is my girlfriend infront of a D.O.A. Banner, By the way she is cosplaying Rinoa from FF8

about 1,000 people outside at any one time.

WOOT R 2 D 2!!!

Awesome darlect

WOOT Rimmer!!!

NOW! I have a story! (I always have a story) I was in line on day 2 waiting to go in when a squad of Stormtroopers walked past and I got a a cheek picture of them, BUT the Special Operations Trooper (Black one) saw me and walked towards me wagging his finger "Did I say you could take a picture of me? Who gave you permission?" And then a stormtrooper came over seeing what weas up and then they started harrassing me which was fun but very embarrassing

I made the mistake of saying that Vader gave me permission and then more harrassing, whihc was sooo embarrassing but really fun :D I would love to be a walk about like these guys, I think its so cool and fun plus these guys do it professinoally for charities which is really cool.

Storm troopers for the win!!! There were loads!

I had to fly through adn skip lots of descriptions but I had lots of fun and I would earge anyone to go to an expo. Ill update soon.

Additional

I jsut like to say aswell... For who ever reads this.
Heres some music I think yoou should listen to

John Martyn - Spencer The Rover
Victor Wooten - Overjoyed
John Martyn - Small Hours
Edward Elgar - Nimrod (Enigma Veriations)
Dvorak - Symphony No 9 2nd Movement, New World Symphony
Debussy - Claire De Lune
Sigur Ros - Vaka

Bit random I know but I've loved these songs for years and years, some from before i can remember. I just think i should share with who ever wants to know... music like this is dieing out and if we are not careful, itll be gone forever.

Some of my concept art. and other art shtooff

DEES IZ MY ARGGGT. ha, Just to concept pieces I thought i'd upload, the whole concept art portfolio has had to take a bit of a back seat at the moment coz of the comic (yea... thats right... Im a comic art, who wants to touch me) but when i get that under control Ill be back behind the drawing board and conceptualising stuff again... with gusto.

Ive been on teh trawl for more artists to drool over recently and Ive found afew I really like.
There are the old greats I've loved for years, People like: -
Roger Dean
Syd Mead
Michael Mentler
H R Giger
Andrew Jones
(GODS THEY ARE!)

But Ive come across lots of artists that make my face melt in jealousy.. I cant for the life of me remember any of their names... But one thing that it has made me think is that I work almost exclusevly in tradtional media, though i feel strongly about that and i truely beleive that fundamentals are so important... should i make an extra effort to work a lot more in digital? hmm... with my career choice i dont know what to do about it, I find it realy uncomfortable to work in digital, that maybe i dont like the tablet i use or i am never sat right to be working on a tablet, but something about it seems unreal (well obviuosly it is digital but thats not what i mean) it seems to loose, i can never ever get the right feel in anyhting i do... hmmm. Ive been doing alot of studies of old 1950 glamour girl photos, along wiht my normal figure studies. I can acheive a certain look with a pencil and paint which i really like but when i try to fully digitse it, it looses something it looks drab and lifeless, Will the lack of digital skill hinder my career? hmm... Sometimes it makes me doubt my own skill as an artist and i get really down on myself and refuse to draw for days on end which i know IS NOT GOOOOOOD. I see alot of people that i know producing much much better work then me and i just feel so small and crap. how can i compare to them? gah no matter how much i practice. I think i maybe going through a low point, I hope so.

Im still drawing daily, even if its just some quick figure studies and Im always on the look out for new artists... hmm.. maybe i should stop look for artists and concertrate on myself? hmmm... gah!!!

Plus Ive had a message through from uni baout my grades... and Im so terrified about them turning round and saying i need to repeat the 1st year... i honoestly think id cry if that happened. GAH!!!! STREEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

MORE bad news:P well.. its on going, still not got a good enough scanner.. everythign i scan is burned out by the scanner so it just looks like a blank page.. GARGH. Thats another reason why i think i should start using my tablet me... hmmm but i feel i need to become a good painting with tradtional methods before i try and become great on a computer guh...

Anyway Im probably boring you... Ill try and update again soon. PEACE!

Rounding up the year so far.

hmmm were to start... hmmmmmmmmmmm

Well, im sorry its taken so long to reply... but i have a shite memory... wait... what?

Anyway.

Ill start with BAF (Bradford Animation Festival). Hmm well, I think I over estimated the whole thing, I was expecting to see EPIC names from the industry come and grace us with their glory, well there was one guy, i've completely forgotten his name, but he works for TEAM17 so that awesome.. TEAM17 are awesome! Most of the others just weren't loud enough and we were struggling to hear any of them or they were just reading off a sheet of paper like a teacher (you know who you are!). Through all my whining, i did learn a lot.. about the running of the industry and how things tick over when your on your way up the ladder. One talk i REALLY enjoyed was a demonstration of Euphoria, a procedural software for handling basic collision and problem solving for A.I. Morpheus, which was something really really odd, to technical for my to really understand. Over all I say it was a good trip out but I dont think i would go again voluntary like.

Hmm what else.. I know, Ill talk about my uni work (thats why we are here right... RIGHT!?)

First one.

Cut out animation

I don't actually have the video here with me... one of our group still has it.

But basiclly, we were tasked with animation around a minute long animation (I now, lots of animation for Game art course... go figure) using soundfiles we have collected and rehashed into a comical... thing. So me and Adam (the other dewd in my group at the time) jumped into action, admittedly it took me a while to get the sound, i just could find the right stuff... I was being to precious with it no doubt. During this time however we had got the design for everything together, It was cool. We kept it simple becuase there was only 2 of us animating this and we aint that good at animating stuff that isnt drawn so... 2D and all. Anyhoo, i digress. When we had the soundfile done we went about dopesheeting... I sheeting hate doing this stuff, You'd think being a musician Id be able to do this... if anything that hindered me. I kept trying to put everything to a beat... not the best idea. we spent a good week trying to dope shit, i mean dope sheet it... and we got there in the end, We found it quite easy to film though which was nice, just a little bit fiddly, I was using a scalpel so i tricked my finger loads of time.. fun stuff.

There was one draw back however, for some reason when we came to play the animation back, the soundfile would play perfects BUT the video (the actual animation) kept dragging, and became unsynced from the soudfile.. and we re filmed twice... same thing happened so either the aniamtion programme hated us or we messed up. Othere then that it was fun!

Update

Wow, its been a long time since i last updated this (oops!)

So what Have I been up to I hear you cry silently. 

Not much just plodding on with my course work, alot of What i think is pointless animation work, 1 games brief but bizarre things kept happening and i kept loosing my owrk, i even lost my finished storyboard... which angered me slightly.

Our Current brief is a stop motion one, Ive modelled the character and I think ill be helpin with film however i can so that should be cool.

21st of April Brings a Games Expo for uni grads/unemployed desingers and the like. Lots of companies there, lots of cool stuff to see! Should be fun.

On a productive note, Ive started slowly building up a bulk of work for a self publishing, All will become clear soon, Ill maybe upload a synopsis on here or something. But here are some previews of stuff going into it.

(blog spot wont let me upload the pictures so screw it)

3rd Animation

O.K. so this isn't Force Wait an volume, this is my section of a group animation. Animate an inanimate object, I had oil, a pencil draws me then i jump onto a rug/cushion thing.

Done on 1s and 2s to get a dragging when it lefts its "head"

Next is anticipation.

*Oh my god, this video has been uploading for ages now!!! What's the deal!?!?!?!

While Im waiting for this to upload might as well tell ya, I got a 64 on my Essay!! Made me pretty damn happy, never been good at essays so this is Very very cool.

* For the love of all things good, UPLOAD YOU STUPID VIDEO!!

*ZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz

2nd Animation... EVER!

 I really like this... was a bugger to do,

Next... FORCE, WEIGHT AND VOLUME.