Storyboarding

 Storyboarding 001

Recently, I've downloaded some assets to animate some characters from a cartoon show whose primary audience is aimed at little girls. The title of the show is "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic." I'm not a "Bronie." The show is very well animated and the character designs are pretty cute. Although, this post and any post with this info in it might seem so. I've been looking for a way to create some professional Flash animation for sometime now. Recently, I found Fla files I had downloaded from Cold Hard Flash dot Com. There are some files from Animax and Renegade Animation. Both are animation studios in the LA aea. Also, I found a Pdf file I had legally downloaded from a book publisher's site. (I will not mention the site as its been deemed unsafe to view.) I have now in my possession the keys to creating professional Flash animation.

This week, I've been working on a Storyboard template for use in Flash based on a storyboard I downloaded from Scribd.com. The title of the storyboard is: "El Tigre #52 No Belt, No Boots, No Brero" I've been trying to find the entire episode on Youtube but, to no avail. There's more functionality I need to create for this storyboard before its completely done. Seriously, I don't think it will be completely done anytime soon. There's still some things I can do to speed up the storyboarding process by creating more graphic symbols commonly used in storyboarding.

At some point in the future I might post the storyboard file here on my blog. I don't know. Maybe. Also, have an Animatic file. Unfortunately, I haven't been playing around with it as much as I have the storyboard file.

However, I may post the links to where I found everything else. If so, I'll post them just below this paragraph. Right now, there's some Grilled Cheese sandwiches callin' my name. :)

Macross 84: Ai Oboete Imasu Ka?

Earlier this year, I wanted to commemorate my favorite anime: Super Dimensional Fortress Macross or, as it is affectionately better known to American fans: Macross 84: Do You Remember Love? I still desire is to create a calender with art I create based on this film. Unfortunately, this year is winding down. I still intend to do this and create art based on the 2012 Flashback music video of Lynn Minmei. (She's so beautiful 30.) Once finished, I may post it all here as low-rez files.

As Promised. It Took A While But Its Here.

These are pretty recent sketches of my art. They're not my best but, they are indicative of my style of drawing.  Last night, I met someone who has inspired me to become a much better artist. Sadly, she's not been very confident in her abilities as a comic artist. In my opinion, she good enough to work in the comic book and animation industries. Unfortunately, I had the same issue of not being confident enough in my own creative endeavors that I was too afraid to step out and get my work noticed by animation studios. Not anymore. :)

I'm working on a portfolio and, it should be finished my late December or early January.

At some point I'll post some fully finished realistic art on this blog again.

Live 2D is a software to bridge the gap between 2D and 3D animation.

Late last night as I was surfing the sea of information on the world wide web I found a post on Drawn.ca. The post is a very interesting in that it shows a program that gives an artist the ability to draw a 2D character and manipulate it in 3D space. From an artistic standpoint this has far reaching implications. Live 2D is a software to bridge the gap between 2D and 3D animation. I'm very excited about this. :)
Re posted from: http://blog.drawn.ca/post/32413438578/korunia-chimamire-no-bara-rekkii

Live2D 
Japanese software technology turns 2D drawing into interactive 3D content for use with touchscreen devices - via DigInfo (video embedded below):

 

Live2D, developed by Cybernoids, is the world’s first drawing technology to enable 3D rendering of 2D images. This technology supports a variety of portable consoles and smartphones, and Live2D is already being utilized for games that take advantage of the unique characteristics of hand drawn artwork.

“In 3D, the unique attractions of 2D art like Osamu Tezuka’s can’t be rendered properly. But with Live2D, we’ve worked to enable smooth 3D motion using entirely the original 2D drawings. So, this system makes the graphics appear exactly as the creator intended.”

“When the face turns sideways, you can show perfectly how the eyelashes and eyes move. You can also use the tools to work more easily and efficiently. This can be done in all kinds of ways, with all kinds of emphasis, depending on what the creator wants to do. This technology is an extension of drawing, so it works best if the creator has a good artistic sense.”

More at DigInfo here

The Art Post Is Finally Here!

Sorry for not posting the sword and sorcery or sci-fi type stuff I was thinking about posting before going out today. I should have sat down and drew it before leaving. Unfortunately, I've not been feeling very artsy lately. My work flow is as follows: I sketch something in Flash MX or Flash 8 Pro. After the initial sketch is at a polished enough point to go to color then I import it into Photoshop 7. LOL! Yeah, I know. It's an old program but, it gets the job done. From there I can use custom brushes and cool colors to create my masterpieces. There's some mistakes in this drawing but, I'll fix them later. Just wanted to post something so you'd see what I can do with Flash and Wacom tablet. I'll post some updates to this post later this week if time permits. :) Also, there was no photo reference used during the few minutes it took to draw this.

I Had Planned To Post Something By Now But...

Sorry for not posting new art by now. I spent time with a friend I haven't had the opportunity until now to hang out with. Yeah, friends are great to have. In order to have them its a good idea to spend time with them. So, I've got to freshen up and get started on something quick. I have an idea of what I'd like to work on. The subject will be either sword and sorcery or sci-fi. I'm kinda nerdy at heart. So, those are the two genres I like most. I'm digressing. (The main point of this post is:) The art should be done by sometime tonight.
Please, check back then. :)

WeLoveFine.com's Adventure Time T-Shirt Design Contest

I didn't post my design in time so, here it is. The initial sketch.

And, here's the "rushed" finished version.

In a week or so, I'll post a more polished version. :)

My First T-Shirt Design

Who knew my first T-Shirt design would be of cast of cartoon characters I know next to nothing about. Bobby Chiu did an excellent painting of some of the characters from the show for a vlog post on his Youtube account. Check out the video entitled "Artist Tips: Game of Life and Painting Adventure Time" Also, here's the account: https://www.youtube.com/user/digitalbobert After seeing the first episode of Adventure Time on Youtube a few mornings ago I became interested in this series. And, more recently read a little bit of a post on FloobyNooby.blogspot.com about a comic several comic artists have drawn. The title of the post is: Faith Erin Hicks' Marceline And The Scream Queens!  Here's the link: http://floobynooby.blogspot.com/2012/08/faith-erin-hicks-marceline-and-scream.html Jen Wang also did some work on this title so, I'm pretty excited about reading it. Getting back to the reason why I'm posting. I found out about a contest I would like to win. It's a t-shirt design contest involving Adventure Time characters. And, the grand prize is $2500! Needless to say, I'm so on it. I think I'll fire up Inkscape, Photoshop, & Flash for this one. Here's the info you need to know to get in on this. http://www.welovefine.com/contest/23-adventure-time-design-contest

On another note. I still plan on posting some art soon. Maybe I'll post some videos of my process on Youtube. I thought about doing that this week but, I've learned some time saving tips on how to digitally ink using Flash that I have to practice first.

And, I haven't forgotten my friend who I've NOT written in a while. I think about you a lot and, I'll contact you soon. :)

Art Books & Art Instruction

 The following links are what I've gleaned from the internet over the years of searching websites and blogs to find art instruction to supplement my meager art training. If you want more then you'll need to surf on your own. Everything you need to get started is here at your fingertips to learn what you need to know. All of this stuff is free except for the Online Art Academy videos. So, have a look and see what you'd like to learn. It is totally up to you whether or not you'll use these resources. "I can only show you the door but, you must walk through it." ~Morpheus to Neo from the MATRIX.

I met Alberto Ruiz about six years ago at the San Diego Comic Con in '06. He has a blog called The Process Junkie. And, on Thurs., Sept., 27, 2007 he posted some links to really cool art books that I have since downloaded. Also, I 'm a big fan of his art.

Check out the list at the following address:
http://processjunkie.blogspot.com/2007/09/best-figure-drawing-books-ever.html

I don't remember how I found out about Toronto based artist Bobby Chiu but, I'm glad to have found his work and more importantly his Youtube Channel. He gives back to the artist community by helping other artists get their feet in the door. He's very inspirational.

Here's his link.
http://www.youtube.com/user/digitalbobert

Then there's the artist at idrawgilrls.com who's art is phenominal.

Check out his Youtube Channel and website.
http://www.youtube.com/user/idrawgirls
http://idrawgirls.com/

A UK based magazine which specializes in Sci-Fi and Fantasy art instruction geared to people who use digital media. The Youtube page has hours of video tutorials.

http://www.youtube.com/user/imaginefx

I met someone a few months ago who told me about a designer named Feng Zhu. His work is exquisite. He doesn't refer to himself as an artist but, designer. He explains the difference in one of his videos. Check out his Youtube Channel and you'll see for yourself how great his work is and why he regards himself as a designer and not an artist.

Follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/user/FZDSCHOOL

CG WORKSHOPS is another Youtube channel that needs to be in this list of links. My main man Ronnie Del Carmen was interviewed about how he storyboards cartoons for television and theatrical animated movies.

(I can't find the link to this one so, I'll update this later.)

Mathw teaches  at SVA. The School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, New York. His students art great artists. Maybe, I should have gone to that school. Anyway, checkout his Youtube Channel for inspiration and his website for solid instruction.

http://www.youtube.com/user/matthew39arch
http://www.drawing-tutorials-online.com/

The artist who teaches this instruction sounds a bit dry in my opinion but, he knows his stuff and I would like to get my hands on his entire library of teaching.

http://www.onlineartacademy.com/

This list was compiled by me for a relative of mine who I hope will use these resources to the best of her ability. There is of course more. Just check back for some updates to this post. :)

HERE'S AN UPDATE TO THIS POST. Updated Monday, June 25, 2012, 6:35am.

These two updates should be what you need as far as animation information.

I've found the link I was thinking about last night but, couldn't remember the name of until now. ChongToons.com is the website and it has a plethora of information on character animation and beginning story development. This is the same stuff that I have. And, it's free. Enjoy. :)

http://web.me.com/chong621/ChongToons/ChongToons_Blog!/ChongToons_Blog!.html

Flooby Nooby is blog that I enjoy reading. Here's some 'Download Goodies' I know you'll like.

 http://floobynooby.blogspot.com/

http://floobynooby.blogspot.com/2011/07/download-goodies.html



http://floobynooby.blogspot.com/2011/10/download-goodies-part-2.html
http://floobynooby.blogspot.com/2012/06/download-goodies-part-3.html

And, if you need life drawing on the fly here's a couple of sites for you. These are both artistic websites.

http://www.posespace.com/
 http://www.posemaniacs.com/

You now have access to all these resources I have access to. 

My Recent Viewing of Prometheus

I've recently had the pleasure of seeing Prometheus. Ridley Scott's latest film. I must say its a great film and an excellent addition into the ALIEN franchise. Don't worry, I will not give away any secrets about the movie but, it is worth watching the first movie before viewing this one. I wish Jean 'Moebius' Giraud had worked on this one as well but, unfortunately he passed away a few months back. The concept art in this movie is still impressive nonetheless. Chris Foss was not on board for this one as well. Although, you could still see H. R. Giger's influence in the movie. If you're familiar with the first ALIEN movie you'll no doubt remember the hyper sleep chambers among other things. If you want to see this film I recommend seeing in 3D. You will not be disappointed.

I've Just Added A New Link In Links Area

Benerator Art Machine is a great blog to visit. Not saying you shouldn't stay here and look at my art but, this guy is a very good artist as well. The blog says his name is Ben Nunez and he's a fellow Colors! DS user who enjoys painting robots. I haven't posted anything there in a long while because I can't figure out what to paint. When I do I'll post something nice.

On another note, I'm about to study Lou Romano's artwork among several others. He worked on Disney/Pixar's "Up." For examples of his work check out his Youtube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/lar72 and his blogspot address is listed there as well. He's a pre-vis artist and very good at establishing atmosphere in his paintings.

Nostalgia of Cartoons from the Past.

Nostalgia of cartoons from the past. This past Christmas I had the pleasure of receiving a DVD collection of a cartoon series I've not seen since my teen years. And, I've been more than a little nostalgic for sometime now. So, as an homage to my teenie bopper years I've decided to create some art based on some of my favorite cartoon characters starting with "Lum" from Urusei Yatsura. That's "Those Obnoxious Aliens" for those of you who don't know. Without further adieu here's some sketches I've done in Flash 8 Pro. Enjoy! :)

For some unknown reason I can't upload any image files to this blog right now. Maybe later I'll have the ability to do so. I had to use a work around.

I'll post more art of this character later.

An Old Sketch But I Wanted To Post Something Today

A friend of mine wants me to create a painting of Dora the Explorer for her daughter. Here's an initial sketch I did from a coloring book. I've been looking for concept art and character turn a rounds of Diego, Dora and, her pet monkey but, only found character art and a coloring book I bought for this project. Fortunately, the final product will be all analog and not digital; using color pencils and acrylics. It's been way too long since I've used them. So, in the near future I plan to start back painting with them and watercolors. My interest in using non digital painting methods have been peeked again because of some the beautiful watercolor and gauche paintings I've seen exhibited on other blogs. Sometime this year, I'd like to spend maybe a week to paint on location somewhere I've never been before. That would be a very welcome vacation away from my everyday life. :)

I may ink this image in Flash. Nichelodeon owns the copyright to these characters. If not, I'll do the research and post the correct copyright.

Moonshine : Artists after dark from alexis wanneroy on Vimeo.

Sometimes, I would like to get away from the computer and be creative and get dirty with it in a clean way.