BDM127, BDM124, Animation Reviews, 31 July

"Technological Threat" animation short 1988 Academy Award nominee

Overworked dog watches as his fellow workers are fired by the boss and replaced by robots.  In turn, he gets rid of the now robot boss and his competitor.  Great character design for the robot who is a series of geometric shapes that bounces in on a ball.  The characters have black outlines and solid colours.  They separate easily from the background which is full of ornate lines and brushy pastel colours. 

Jay Ward's "Crusader Rabbit" (1949)

 This is one of the first animated series for tv.  Interestingly, it's a series of filmed stills with some minimal movement.  It reminded me of the animatics we made for storyboarding last semester.  If I never get the hang of animating, I can always stick with moving the camera around on my drawings, right?  On a side note, Texas' general paranoia about being under threat of invasion is not unfounded when Crusader Rabbit goes to fight the state over their unfair treatment of his kin the jack rabbits.  The narrator says Crusader isn't afraid of the men "because they just sing a lot, but (he is) worried about their horses."

"Humorous Phases Of Funny Faces" (1906)

 Stop motion animation of faces on a chalkboard.  A succession of drawings are photographed and then strung together to create movement.  I greatly admired the drawing of the tophat; it's sharp. 

 

BMA 243, clock research, unusal hands, numbers, found objects, 31 July

found object clock

found object clock

found object numbers

unusual hands

half shape, interesting cuts

things for numbers

unusual configuration

What kind of unusual hands, numbers or shapes can I use in the design of this clock?  Am I allowed to add found objects?

BMA243, clock research, Eric Freitas, 31 July

steampunkyretrofuturismos.blogspot.com

thesteampunkhome.blogspot.com

We generally know where the points of the clock are, and many clocks don't have the numbers on them.  These clocks are interesting because they use words (six, three) stylistically to create the look of a melted, or destroyed object.  The 12, 5 and 7 of the top clock create decorative interest.  These elements may not be practical in the finished clock which needs to be cut out of foam core with a jigsaw.  They may need to be add on elements, instead, out of another material.

 Eric Freitas blog

BMA243, Illustration, Steampunk automata research, 31 July

Frankenstein skull from the book "Steampunk: The Art of Victorian Futurism" by Jay Strongman (2011)

tskuebler.com

http://shewalkssoftly.com/2011/06/14/ryan-matthew-exploded-skulls/

ebay.com

BMA243, Illustration, Leonardo Da Vinci and automata research, 30 July

Leonardo da Vinci: Anatomical Drawings from the Royal Library, Windsor Castle

Keele, Kenneth D., and Jane Roberts (1983)

from Leonard Da Vinci Anatomical Drawings

BMA243, Illustration, Leonardo Da Vinci and automata research, 30 July

15th 16th c Italian drawings

Leonardo metropolitan museum

Renaissance anatomy book

on a side note, Albrecht Durer, you sexy beast.  Look at those lines!  More of this at the metropolitan museum of art

Online resources to remember, 30 July

Antique Pattern Library

Books full of old lettering styles under Calligraphy.  I had hoped for a thousand pages of fabric patterns, but it's patterns to make stuff.  There could be something interesting in there, though.

Metropolitan Museum of Art
Online collection of their works plus links to books and catalogues.

BDM127, 2D, Graffiti girl standing concept art, 30 July

Done in Photoshop so I could cut apart the squatting version.  I will now take her into Harmony and remake her for proper rigging.  In the animation, she will always face front.  I will keep her movements fairly basic to emphasize that she's "stuck" to the side of the building and moves in a 2D plane, unlike Monkey, who can move through the world in 3 dimensions.

BDM103, Professional Practices, Crowdfunding and Merchandising, 18 July

crowdfunding free culture
If I understand this correctly, there's something called Creative Commons, and people load content up for others to use for their own purposes.  The user has to give credit to the original artist and they're free to move the idea along as they see fit.  I'm all for USING the CC, but then you're supposed to "give back" by posting something of your own for other people to riff on.  And that's where I suddenly get the cold sweats.  I must be thinking about ideas capitalistically rather than communally.  

merchandising and fan art
If I've got the story right, one guy in an episode of cult sci-fi classic "Firefly" had on a very ugly hat (see below).  The show was cancelled abruptly leaving legions of bereft nerds with nowhere to go for solace/knitwear.  The Doctor Who people already had a major stake in scarves, so they had their grandmas make them a copy of the hat. Then some of them started selling them to each other on etsy, ebay and at conventions.  Then the people that used to broadcast the show noticed how popular this show they'd cancelled was and decided to capitalize on it by licensing the ugly hat.  Now the nerd's Grandmas are getting cease and desist orders!  Is this fair when there were no legal options for them to get the merchandise in the first place?  Is it not a bit snotty to come in and ruin the party when they already dissed their fans by cancelling the show?  Could there BE an uglier orange hat?  Yes, and I own it but it does not have a cool pom pom on top.

BMA243, Illustration, SIT 'n' Spit, 22 July

 One hour, software of choice, theme: Green Seas

The algae in the fish bowl has gotten out of control and mutated, leading to a belligerent goldfish menacing the crew of the tiny decorative pirate ship in the bowl.

I tried to use Corel Paint primarily, but under the gun, I couldn't remember the shortcuts or how to set up canvases, so I switched in and out of Photoshop as needed.  The canvas could use some cropping so the there isn't as much "dead" space over the ship.  The trick will be cropping it so you can still see it's a goldfish bowl.

 That's better... tightening the dimensions of the canvas brings the eye into the scene.

BMA243, Illustration, SIT 'n' Spit, 29 July

The Challenger

One hour, in class.  That kid could actually use some freckles on his arms and legs...
I use the Wacom tablet in this class because I'm not officially enrolled in it and the Cintiqs go to those who are.  I can see the difference in my drawing style between the tablet and the Cintiq after this exercise.  I think that having my hand and stylus separated from the drawing surface makes my style much faster, looser and sketchier.  OR I only had an hour and had to get down to it.  The one hour format is a good deadline to enforce.  I have to get to it and get it done.

To Do list for weekend of 30 July to 2 August

Due Dates
Monday
animation history:
Timeline of animation history due at beginning of class.  Make in Powerpoint and have no less than 20 events. Done!!! No more, no more.  Have to do other things.

Stop motion
get group going.  We need a script, storyboard, concept art, materials list for Monday.

Tuesday
Professional Practices (Business and Legal)
define and discuss list of copyright agencies provided in class.  Post on blog for "turn in" and discussion Tuesday.
done and on blog waiting to be published. 

2D animation mock up completed.  Start changing out backgrounds in Harmony? Concept art for Monkey standing on his own in Harmony, standing master of Graffiti Girl for rigging, done. Set up proposal components (layout, words and graphics)


Wednesday
Drawing:
two hours worth of sketching in notebook.  8 pages of comic and cover art proposals due!!!! Look over muscles worksheets and keep memorizing bones of the body.

Illustration:
Bio-mechanoid in the style of Da Vinci due.  NO cut and paste, draw it or paint it all.  Research ideas and blog.  Snakes and Ladders game research done and clock concept research due
Brushes and paper are in SIT stock,

BMA243 Snakes and Ladders project, research, 29 July

Pin up girls for snakes, in a vintage tattoo style? Entire board tattooed on a skin? Or Circus Snake Lady.  What's the ladder counterpart to either of these two images?  keywords- Freakshow, tattoo, Chinese acrobats who make a ladder out of their bodies?  Interesting board shapes...  Also, clock!  Must do research for the clock.  

board style inspiration

Is this a permissible variant on the board game shape?

 


Homework:  In Y drive, week 3, look at paper and brushes (from temp drive?) , due next week, create bio mechanoid humanoid figure in the style of Leonardo DaVinci, see examples on power point.  try to mimic brushes, paper, style, cross hatches, do it in A4 portrait.  Can be full figure, or parts.  Put some writing in there, too.  (Remember!  Da Vinci often wrote backwards.  Put that in there)