Test Renders

These are some test renders I did for one of my scenes of my animation in Maya:

Animation: Target Group

My target group that I intend to approach with my animation will be educated young adults from the age of 14 and older. Basically it will be for people who have a previous knowledge on the subject that I'm presenting with my animation. (Cell Cycle - Cell division)

Cell Designs

These are some cells I designed and rendered in Maya. 

-I personally like number 2 because it sticks with the style I want to use. 

Unit 6: Influences

I'm posting some videos I have posted before as they express my style that I will use on my animation.

I like the minimalism approach and the simplicity of things.

Another animation that inspires me and gives me concept ideas about the places and the sets of my animation is the kid's animation: "Magic School Bus".

Magic School Bus is a television series based on a book series. It's an adventure animation intended for kids. While they go into adventures with the "magic" bus mainly inside the body it's very interesting because you can see places that can be used on your animation and gives you the idea of how body tunnels, and places inside the body are. 

*I managed to find some episodes on YouTube and I took some screenshots.

Unit 6: Concept Art

This is some concept art for one of my scenes.

-Had some difficulties because I haven't used Photoshop for a while and concept art is not my strength.

Unit 6: Script Draft.1

For my animation I will use the script I have already done and been corrected by Dr. Klappa.
-There might be some changes with the scenes and also my animation won't have a voice over.

Unit 6: Script Draft.1

Unit 6: Commission

My blog will still be updating for Unit 6: Commission.

Unit 5: Final Animation

Unit 5: Resubmission

*All my other drawings and sketches can be seen in previous posts as long with my script and my influence maps.

* All the sounds in the video has been downloaded from the website: freesound.org

* I will put the video file on my submission disk.

CD Case

A friend suggested me because of his project to be creative with the CD case of  project. So he gave me some cartons that he has been using for his project and I tried to be creative. I'm not 100%  that is suitable and professional but I will give it a try. I haven't got the time to scan it, I'm just posting this before submitting it.

Unit 5: Maya Submission

Biped Rigging Part 1: Legs

The images below show the completion of the tutorial:

* I couldn't continue to part 2 because there was something wrong with the grid and the joints weren't put were they supposed to be.

Rigging 1: Leg Piston

Below there are images that show the completion of the tutorial:

Rigging 1: Basic Eyes

Something went wrong with this tutorial but I'm posting up to the point I did.

Animator Profile - Winsor McCay

Winsor McCay was an American cartoonist and animator. He is well known for his short animation work. He pioneered in animation and especially with “Gertie the Dinosaur”, “The Sinking of Lusitania” and “Little Nemo in Slumberland”.

Figure 1: Winsor McCay.

Winsor McCay was born in Michigan in 1871. From his young age Winsor was interested in drawing. His father was a real estate agent and encouraged him to become a businessman. During his life he did many jobs. ”He got paid for showing his observational skills in public, making sketches, large-sized posters and billboards for freaky traveling circuses and dime museums.” (Keller, Unknown) He also did comic strips for newspapers and vaudeville acts.

Figure 2: Winsor McCay during a vaudeville act.

Before moving to New York Winsor worked due to economic difficulties as cartoonist/reporter for the Cincinnati Commercial Tribune. There he learned and tuned his talent as a draftsman. Winsor McCay used the alias Silas instead of his name in his comic strips. In 1905 Winsor McCay began producing “Little Nemo in Slumberland”. “Little Nemo in Slumberland”. has been considered by many people as Winsor’s McCay’s  masterpiece and has been made a musical in Broadway. Winsor McCay used amazing effects in “Little Nemo in Slumberland”. “And that gorgeous drawing... if you want acres of palaces, or house-sized monsters, or funhouse-mirror distortions, McCay's your man. And he has tricks that few have deployed since, such as printing the main lines of the drawing in blue or red for special effects”. (Bob, 1996)

Figure 3: "Little Nemo in Slumberland" poster.

The setup of the comic strip was about the dream of a little boy called Nemo. Even the fact it was comic strip for little children  it was far from a simple children's fantasy, it was often dark, surreal, threatening, and even violent.  McCay’s popularity increased and after eight years of making comic strips for newspapers left and went to New York to work for William Randolph Hearst. As he was working for Hearst he experimented with the idea of using animated pictures for his vaudeville acts. After some years and some attempts in 1914 he created “Gertie the Dinosaur”. McCay rather than showing the film he interacted with Gertie.

Figure 4: Picture from "Gertie the Dinosaur".

“Gertie the Dinosaur” became very popular. It was an instant success and it was McCay’s first animated cartoon that wasn't based on a comic strip. “The 1914 “Gertie the Dinosaur” can still charm with its gentle humor and McCay’s wonderfully sincere depiction of the oversized yet playful creature.” (Hall, 2004)  McCay was working heavily on animated films. Resulting in 1918 the "The Sinking Of The Lusitania".

Figure 5: Picture from "The Sinking Of The Lusitania".

It features a short 12-minute explanation of the sinking of the RMS Lusitania after it was struck by two torpedoes. “In The Sinking of the Lusitania, McCay continues to ground his animation within a realist framework, but in this case he wants to efface the superreal aspects of the medium as much as possible”. (North, 2009) Winsor McCay died  in 1934 from a heart stroke. Some of his drawings are on the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He pioneered in the industry of animation and his work was an inspiration for other artists.

 Illustration List:

Figure 1: Winsor McCay. [online]

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglKjPcRHB9fWUmEaxtE9l1LjyjDmha7L3z86CzYzjtQToHDqBHW6caPu0QBo7t9FuImbqrzOu0SzjHt6eFh5GQ7Rxu0r2nkzvwlpsE-vup2m85CpgS-1WG539o0Ej4L15E7wZ-N34_YpqS/s1600/McCay1.jpg

(Accessed: 19/6/2012)

Figure 2: Winsor McCay performing a vaudeville act. [online]

http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Tt-tti2zsB8/0.jpg

(Accessed: 19/6/2012)

Figure 3: Little Nemo in Slumberland poster. [online]

http://s3.amazonaws.com/bonanzleimages/afu/images/2487/3767/little_nemo.jpg

(Accessed: 19/6/2012)

Figure 4: Gertie the Dinosaur. [online]

http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~aland/notes/images/lect1yr/gert.gif

(Accessed: 19/6/2012)

Figure 5:Picture from Sinking of the Lusitania. [online]

http://animationreview.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/the-sinking-of-the-lusitania-c2a9-winsor-mccay.jpg

(Accessed: 19/6/2012)

Bibliography

Keller, Ianus. (Unknown). Dreams and Obsessions on Shelf and Screen.

http://forinspirationonly.com/inspiration/rarebit/

(Accessed: 19/6/2012)

Bob, Unknown (1996). Bob’s Comic Review.

http://www.zompist.com/bob8.html

(Accessed: 19/6/2012)

Hall, Phil (2004). WINSOR MCCAY: THE MASTER EDITION (DVD).

http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/6212/

(Accessed: 19/6/2012)

North, Dan (2009). Winsor McCay’s The Sinking of the Lusitania.

https://drnorth.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/winsor-mccays-the-sinking-of-the-lusitania/

(Accessed: 19/6/2012)

Unit 5: Character Designs

Unit 5: Animation sketches,drawings,ideas

These are some sketches and some drawings that I used in my animation and did during my animation.
These shows ideas and sketches from scenes of my animation, also there are things that I didn't use on my animation.

*All these sketches are mine and there hasn't been any tracing or anything else. 

Unit 5: Animation Finished

Unit 5: Script

Final Script

Story: Premise, Logline, Step Outline Updated

This is an updated version of the first one i posted.

Premise, Logline, Step Outline

Unit 5:Final Storyboard and Animatic (without sound)

Below is my final storyboard and my animatic.
*Some changes has been done to the final animation.

Story: Premise, Logline, Step Outline

Story: Premise, Logline, Step Outline

Television - Furniture sketches

This sketches has been made with a pen. 

-A friend saw my drawings - sketches with the pencil (previous post) and suggested me to sketch more free and give myself less time for each object I sketch. Also with the pen I sketch better because I can't erase my mistakes and I'm more focused.

I created many different television designs and also created 2-3 versions of sofa's I drew anything I thought it would have an association with my animation. 

-I used reference images from my influence maps. 

-I got familiar with cubes and with drawing objects. I used methods of observing the lines of each object and then creating the object. Some of these designs will be used in my final animation. 

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

*I have put some letters with numbers on each sketch so anyone can suggest me any of them. 

-All these sketches are mine and there hasn't been any tracing or anything else.