Week 13 - Studies

This week was a productive week for me. I decided to brush up of some of my skills, get a little more drawing practice in and push things to a new level.

I finally way able to complete Sue Storm. Here is the final completed piece. Its number four of the illustrations I have done this year. Which is the most I have being able to complete. I am hoping to accomplish a new one in the coming weeks. Soon as I find a new super woman to work on. Some ideas are bubbling in this head of mine.

On to the news of studies. Each week I will be spending an hour at the minimum on each of the studies. Now they cover a broad range of things but here are the starts. 

Study 1 - Sketches - as per usual my drawing for the past week. Still not completed and well quite unimpressed with her but still each bit of practice is a good practice. 

Study 2 - Colour/Light study - Now this is my first time doing a study like this and I found that I spent a long time focusing on the little details. So I spent too much time not blocking in the things I should of. So not much actually got completed but it is a start. Next week I have decided to try looking at a new technique which I have actually gone to use in one of my other studies.

Study 3 - life drawing - I found these quite relaxing to do. I haven't done any life drawing for a very long time but using a resource that I found on-line I have decided to start doing life studies. I actually go quite into them and ended up doing pages of them in the block period of the hour. I worked in one minute, two minute and five minute blocks.

ONE MINUTE SESSION

TWO MINUTE SESSION

FIVE MINUTE SESSION

Study 4 -  Animal study - I figured while I am spending a lot of time on people I should also do animals. Just because I love animals and I often find them more fun to draw. So the purpose of this study is to do some sketches and then to do a colour study and to finish of with a skeleton study. I started by doing the colour study and I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed it. Also I went with a different technique than what I did with study 2. I found it so much better and defiantly will be doing it again. Here is the WIP of the colour study.

Study 5 - Is an animation study. I want to do some 3D animation for about an hour block period a week. Just so I can keep my skill set up with that end of things. I decided to go with 3D due to the fact that I am already going to be working on 2D for half of the week any way. So this week I choose my audio and started to roughly sketch out each of the segments. I am kind of interested in doing some of the work on this. I have being looking up about how to create more dynamic shots when it comes to 3D and how it is constructed in film. So it will be interesting to use this knowledge in practice.

Taking 11 seconds of audio I started to story board some initial shots. Here are some of the initial sketches. They are a little rough and illegible but it was more to get the ideas down for me. The next bit will be the fun bit. Playing out all the actions for video reference.

Okay getting away from the studies I have one more thing to show you. With my 3D project I am still working away at the topology on this model. I haven't had a lot of solid time to work on it so far but I figured I will show you what I have for the moment and see weather you can guess what it is.

Okay well that is all I have for this week. Hopefully next week I can update you with some more new work or some completed stuff.

Over and out
Animator Nerd

Week 12 - Drawings, Drawings and Drawings

Now this week has gone by so fast for me. I also am going to be slamming out another day from now one because I wanted a day specific to studies and another day that was going to be free time or an illustration day. This week I did some research into some pictures that I could do some studies of. I have assigned an hour for each of the studies a week and I will see how it will go. I am a little worried I am not assigning enough time but I will have my test out next week and if I feel I might need to assign more time I will figure something out.

I still have two of my days this week left however. I decided because I have nothing on this weekend that I will take the opportunity to have a day of doing what ever I want to work on.  Which means you will be able to see the production of the extra two days next week.

As for the last five days I have being working on quite a few things. On the 3D front I still have to get through the current model. This one has quite a few little bits in it and working on the topology of the main frame of the object has turned into a bit of a nightmare but hopefully I have something to show you next week because I want to finish it off.

This week I have achieved my best drawing so far so I am pretty happy that I have finally got drawing no. nine done. I tried a different technique in the drawing and it seems to really paid off. It required a lot of ruling and using guides. The main downside seems to be that it takes a lot longer for me to produce.I also started working on drawing no. ten. ten out of 104. Gah its going to take me forever but at least I never have a lack of source and fun. I have realised however is that I need more practice with feet. I am getting better at working on hand but feet I seem to not be able to get the perspective or angle right. So its off to practising those at some point too.

I decided to also put collectively put them all together because I forgot to do last months collection I am going to do it up to this month.

All that work and it doesn't look like I have a lot done. Ha ha ha 

Lastly I have the rough sketch done the character that I showed you a few weeks ago. If you couldn't guess then you will defiantly be able to now.  

Its Sue Storm from fantastic four. This one is from the depiction of the first fantastic four movie. The one with Jessica Alba in it. I still need to refine and colour. I am now seeing a huge improvement of my drawing of hands. I actually found the hands easier than the feet. I had to re-draw those 10 time but now I am onto colouring!! Yay the fun part. I am going to work on that sometime this weekend since I have two days to do what I want with. So I can update you with a final version next week. 

That's all I have for you this week but I will have more for you next week. 

Over and Out 

Animator Nerd.

Week 11 - Illustration and studies

So I seem to be working on heap of illustrations right now. This is pretty exciting news for me. So I have created a new one. This one is for one of my best friends for her up and coming birthday. I thought it would be a nice surprise for her and it's only the second drawing I have ever done for a present. The last one being 10 years ago.

Okay so I am still working on sketch no 9. I have made some progressing in this week but was a little occupied with the illustrations I have being working on. I hoping to finish this guy off this week and get onto the next drawing.

Till the next update 

Over and Out 

Animator Nerd

Week 10 - more drawings

Okay so another week has gone by. I really think that I am seeing massive improvements in my work across the board. Especially with characterisation. It has being really hot here in Perth so my computer doesn't want to work with me the meanie. So its being an up and down week for me and my work. It is also why this post is a few days late.

So I din't get as much of my weekly sketches done I am still working on drawing number 9. I have started focusing a lot more with this one making sure that everything lines up and using grid lines. I hope that doing this it will help in making them more proportional and line up with the original sketches.

In 3D I have finally finished the chair. This dam chair that has taken me way too long to do but it is finally finished and ready to be apart of my scene. I now moving onto the next object which I have started but haven't being able to cram any more time on recently.

I have done a little bit more on the style sketches for the next character but this is when my computer was being evil and refusing to work in the heat. So I didn't get as much done as I would of liked to have gotten done. I was hoping to finish it off.

I bet you still can't guess who it is? Ha ha ha 

I also have done a little sketch of one of my pets because he does some of the cutest things. So I wanted to demonstrate just how cute he is. This is the final piece that I accomplished.

I have also done a little image of the development from the initial sketch I did to the final. 

Well That is all I have managed to accomplish in the last week that I can show you because the rest is a secret. Enjoy!!

Over and Out
Animator Nerd

Week 9 - 3D progression and some new drawings.

Okay so now I have gotten back on my production schedule I can update with this weeks worth of work. I have almost finished the chair that I was working on the  last piece that I need to put together is mechanism that is that the bottom and then the back mechanism. Here is what it is looking like so far.

Some new drawings as well. Back to doing my hour a day reference sketch in the past 2 days so here is week 9's work.  

Not as much done as previous weeks however because I didn't put my full hours this week into them. 

Lastly a new style sketch coming soon Here is a small preview of the rough line art. :P 

 Bet you can't guess who this super hero is just from the colours. :P I should finish her by next week so have fun over the next week guessing,

Over and Out
Animator Nerd

Week 7 - A drawing

Okay so this is a little late since week 7 for me was about nearly two weeks ago for me but I have being sick so didn't have time to update my blog. So here it is better late than never. I decided since I was starting to feel pretty sick that week to focus on one piece for the week. So I finished off the drawing I did of cat woman.

The style that I was going for was to do a very simple 2d style and draw back the complicated aspects. I wanted to start simplifying my designs so when I go to the next stage of another project that I can used simplified characters. This is all about practising the style and seeing where I can actually take it. I am planing to do a sheet of character sketches tomorrow to continue my study of the style and see if I can carry it across some more of it. Then I will start the working of a character for my very secret project.

Over and Out
Animator Nerd