Senior Year Full Swing

"Oh hey, don't mind me, just calmly figuring out how to make everything work out!"

Today is Sunday, and tomorrow will be the 3rd week of the semester. Everything is picking up pace really quickly - I am trying to hammer out thesis animation, I am finishing/doing clean-up animation on the Rad Fortress cartoon I've been working on with Tara, and I started a new internship downtown (thankfully, a 40 minute walk is actually very good for my physical and mental health).

The good thing is, I have been taking 18 credits nearly every semester up until this one - now that I'm at 12, I feel pretty good than I would otherwise at managing my time. I also am taking a finance class to hep myself stay in-line (as well as Philosophy of Visual Art followed by Criticism of Literature and Art - prepare yourselves for well-versed, promise-to-not-be-yuppie Sarah).

As I posted two weeks ago, I have a class which helps me keep on my feet about my thesis. The class has us proposing "gap projects" while taking time to contribute to a bigger, collaborative project (which I will be making quick designs for this coming week). Lots of members of the class are opting to aim almost all focused time to their gap project - I am admittedly slightly concerned with how much time I can spend on things other than my thesis, as well, but will be doing my best in the meantime. Here's what I had to make to turn in for class (proof that I'm not sitting on my butt):

I have recently gotten some serious feedback of the weight of my thesis project. The piece will be three minutes long - something that is considered "a lot of animation" - my feelings after some serious thought this weekend might call for a future blog post all in itself. Yes, three minutes is "a lot of animation", but that in no way means it's impossible. Animation is a very valid form of art, and to me, it's worth the investment of time and commitment. Having witnessed great shorts by the dozen from channels like FOX ADHD and Rug Burn - not to mention completing my own short this summer and collaborating with/supporting friends over the past seven months - I feel a better understanding of what I feel like I can accomplish.

That being said, this semester will take a lot of focus. A lot of aliens. And a lot of coffee.
Also, here's some a glimpse of what my sketchbook looks like right about now.

"Yes I spell things like chupacabra wrong"

Space Puppy - Class Project Proposal

Birthday Aliens

Here's to cartoon aliens helping me enjoy the last of my last winter break from school.

Another week, another blog post. A lot has happened within the past week - I had a 22nd birthday, I survived an icy/arctic blast of weather (a pipe even exploded on my street, flooding it with water, which was a sight to see), and the animation computer labs at school finally opened. Tomorrow morning I have my last Orientation session with CCAD, and Monday I start my last semester. A-times, they are a-changin'.

The labs opening meant that I got to create this animatic for my thesis project (see below). I realize that the way I created this animatic seems pretty backwards overall - I made the drawings in Storyboard Pro. Finals kicked in, and I never caught the time to time out the frames. My personal computer has one step behind of the school's version (Storyboard Pro 10), so I could not open my file over break. Just before Christmas, I timed out small screen-caps of my frames in Flash. When the labs opened, I swapped newly exported images. The result is this animatic as well as files ready for me to work in. The moral of the story: work with what you have!

The blog where I am posting updates on the project isn't just for me to post in, but also for those who are helping me out. Right now, the team also consists of my background artist/friend, Kevin Deasey. I couldn't be more excited about working with him. Stop by his great blog!

Here's some more links I'll share this week:
1. The latest from Chris Oatley's Art Cast is extra up my alley: http://chrisoatley.com/wouter-tulp
2. Here's a website my friend Don sent me on my birthday: http://procatinator.com
3. Pianos make me cry. Lions (plus Hyenas!) and a guy who hugs them to raise awareness of their lives, plus pianos around 13:00? Not saying that I cried, but this Go-Pro creation is great: http://thehigherlearning.com/2014/01/05/wow-the-man-who-hugs-wild-lions-brought-a-go-pro-this-time-video/

 

New Year Sketch Partytime

Really excited about this new year as a whole. 2014 is the year I graduate college, pack up all of my things, and head out into that strange place they've been talking about in the movies, also known as "the real world." In the meantime, it's only January. And here are some drawings I've been throwing onto my tumblr over the past few days.

Some Happy New Year Drawings:

Marker fun. Abstracted self portrait on the left, feelings on the right.

Space Puppies and Kitties. Practicing being able to draw these guys as fast as possible!
Animating this stuff starts on Monday.

I will be making lots of obnoxious aliens leading up to the short film being finished.