Illustration: Sketchbook and Finished Projects

Here's a happy little glowing bunny I painted with acrylics for an exercise in my Illustration class. My color theme was analogous, and why'd I chose a jackrabbit? ...so he can become a Jackelope. All in good time.

Today, I made lots of scans I've been putting off. Here's a big update for things in my Illustration class that I have been working on: the bi-weekely sketchbook assignments.

Also, here's the first two watercolor/colored pencil assignments (1 exterior, 1 exterior) from this class. The critiques went very well, and I definitely learned a lot. If I ever have time, I would love to re-vist these digitally and take all of the advice my professor and my classmates gave me.

A "Deep Jungle" and a "Dragon's Lair" based off of prompts that were given in class.

My line-art and value study for the jungle can be found here.

And here's the line-art and value study that I made for the dragon piece:

Day #18: Polaris

Animation II: Quick Character Design

Here's a quick character I am creating for my next animation assignment. We have the option of either using one of four pre-set characters, as well as the option of making up our own. The goal of the assignment is to have the character pick up a box and a fridge, showing believable weight.

Also, I have sworn off doing any coyote/doggy characters for awhile. I was thinking of doing a reptile but... in the midst of my thought process, I am thinking "why pick up a fridge?" "to steal a fridge" "what type of thing steals?" and, voila - a raccoon. In a ski mask.

Inspiration/Reference and my doodlework/initial idea sketches. More to come!

Animation II: Effects and Weight Process

Here are some updated passes of my effects animation assignment. When I have time, I'd like to go though and do one more cleaned up color pass.

Also, today we turned in a quick project about falling objects, weight, and gravity. The assignment entailed simply dropping a bowling ball, a feather, a water balloon, and an egg at the same time, and got us ready to transition into our next project which focuses on believable weight. This is my first pass which is subject to future change and clean-up.

In-Class Gesture Study/Warm-Up

Day #17: Easton Town Center

Day #16: Modern Dance Class #2

Day #15: Columbus Zoo #2

Homework #6: Animal Characters

Illustration Final: Space Bears

Fairy-Tale Mash-Up sketch: http://sarahmaeschmidt.blogspot.com/2012/10/fairy-tale-mashup.html

First, I took the drawing I made into Photoshop and blocked out the basic shapes I needed with the magic wand. I took those shapes into Illustrator where I live traced them and cleaned them up with the pen tool. I took these new shapes and created new layers of shadows and highlights with the knife tool (my favorite tool ever). After I was done, I took the clean vector graphic into Photoshop and created a background using a combination of layers and layers of paint as well as miscellaneous stock photography that I had photographed and saved to my hard drive. Voila! Space Bear!

Amative Lyric Video

For the past month, I have been working on this motion-graphics video for the local band, Amative. This is the second lyric video I've ever made, and I look forward to many more! I will be open for commissions as soon as winter break hits, but until then, I am going to be focusing on school and helping a friend with their senior thesis.

I did all of the movement of the type in Adobe Flash, then I exported a PNG sequence. After that, I brought the PNG sequence into after effects and created a MOV file, which I took into Final Cut Pro - where I added the old-tv-looking effects.

Be sure to check these guys out - celebrate your local music scene!

http://www.facebook.com/Amativeband

Day #14: Ballet Class #2

Animation II - VORP! First/Rough Pass

Effects Animation: Background Design

A background I comped out on Photoshop. I may tweak it before the end, but now it's time to animate!

Homework #5: Dancing Dancers

Day #13: Columbus Zoo

Something I Call Personality

Here's the "midterm" we were assigned to create for Theories of Personality class, one of the most fun LA classes I've ever taken (but to be honest, let's admit it... I am a sucker for most of my LA classes, and think they are all the bomb diggity).

The assignment was to rework a very poorly done diagram/graphic that was in our textbook.
I made mine about chickens. Because chickens are fun! And also, a lot like human beings. Right?

Been busy, but here's a quick update of things I need to get a-posting:

- Sketchbook, sketchbook, sketchbook. Forever.
- The infamous Ratcliffe project from Animation II.

- My two watercolored illustration finals. I need to scan them.

- My illustration-class sketchbook homework - three done so far, and one for next Monday.

And this week shall bring me to post:

- A completed lyric video for a local band I've been working on for the past month!

- The first pass of my special effects animation assignment.

- An underpainting/study of an animal.

And who is going to feel super-professional after this week? Me? Why?

- I will have a completed CV this Friday! Hooray!

Animation II: Effects Notes and Idea

The next project in Animation II is special effects animation... I'm excited. Here's my sloppy in-class notes/scribbles, followed by my idea for the project. I wanted to run with the unused idea of Little Ms. Muffet that I came up with for my Illustration class (http://sarahmaeschmidt.blogspot.com/2012/10/fairy-tale-mashup.html)

Day #12: Student Choice/Various

Existentialism (Theories of Personality Presentation)

Existentialism "You" from ben joyner on Vimeo.

Existentialism is a 20th-Century philosophy about the way we find ourselves existing in the world.

A person finds self-meaning through free will, choice, and personal responsibility.

Authenticity is key - being true to one's self, spirit, and character.

Concerned with what IS, not what should be.

Concerned with the questions that Science or systematic philosophy cannot answer.

Existential philosophy logic says a person does not need laws, ethnic rules, or traditions in order to be responsible.

"Everything I do is my responsibility, and free will lets me do whatever I want - but I should consider that others have that right, too."

Wealth and pleasure do not make a life "good".

Social values are too controlling of the individual.

Imposing social norms destroys individuality, dehumanizing people into being the way those in power would like them to be.

 A person's judgement is the factor of what is to believes by a person. Fate is a creation of humanity; human interaction causes fate.

Religious philosopher, Kierkegaard, began the idea of "Existentialism" as a reaction against the systematic philosphies (i.e., Kant) in the late 1800s.
Ideas resurfaced for good when people were upset about the Great Depression and WWII. Philosophers in the 70's and into today argue that it is a nice way to think and reason.

Existentialism is an attractive train of thought because the freedom to truly choose one's preferred morals and lifestyle is key.
One could be a religious moralist, agnostic, an atheist - anything.
No universal agreement on how "philosophy" "politics" or "religion" - it's personal to the individual!

Existentialism pops up in many walks of entertainment, such as movies - Donnie Darko, Little Miss Sunshine, Fight Club, etc. And songs - Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen.
Life may not be perfect, but it has meaning, and the Existentialist is on a continual journey for true self and true personal meaning in the life they find themselves in.

BE!

A fun video with lots of cultural references https://vimeo.com/35259798

Existentialists explaining their beliefs https://vimeo.com/42983427