Photoshop animation : (1)

Had my first proper dip into animation on Photoshop today and I have to say , its more straight forward than I expected , especially with Video timeline animation ( apart from the countless shortcut commands that is all too familiar). Although to be honest, I'm far from getting the hang of it , as seen from above , the animation is still a bit jagged as I've haven learned the proper smoothing techniques yet and also key framing was still a bit tricky to play around. But hey , look at that badass dragon !

On the side note here's an old animation I did in GIF format using a similar program to Photoshop called paint tool SAI

It was a much more basic software than Photoshop and specialised in painting mostly so I'm quite please that I managed to put that out , literally just drawing frame by frame with VERY limited onion skinning to guide me, god bless brain and Gifmaker online !

JAPAN ANIMATOR EXPO Intros :

By intros, I mean the short bit of opening animation that comes before actual presentations, featuring a 2D , doodled animation of the character above , who seems to be the face of the expo. Of course all the work that were featured in the expo were brilliant , there's just something very unique and interesting about the intros that had me completely drawn in. In a sense , that's probably because its a representation of animation at its purest form : simplistic hand-drawn moving images , without sound and sometime , without colours, which in my mind ( and I'm sure many other animators's as well ) , are the most pleasurable and most exciting things to do. 

The other thing about having no sound its that, you have to work extra hard, to create emotions for the character , and its even harder to do it with such an abstract character like the one above , but I thought that they have done it beautifully , with very tiny little subtle movement like the changing of the shape of the eyes or the change in pose the standing pose , without having to rely on the cliche anime/manga "emoticons" (such as a cross for anger and blue lines for sad/sickness). This reminds me much of what Miyazaki did with his characters , relying on subtle movements to bring a sense of life , of realism and humanity into the character.

One more thing is , despite being done in a doodle-like art style, its done effectively and very neatly , which create a clean animation that had very interesting style rather than a half-finished one, its a style that I'm very interested in and planning to use in the upcoming project , so taking note on this an awesome way to gain knowledge. Moreover , to be a bit more specific , I loved the used of rapidly changing lines to indicate a fast movement and also, the way they animate smoke its very cool , making giant solid blocks that remains for a long time instead of light shadings or slightly transparent ( which is what I used to do ), which really create a sense of density, volume and scale 

Character design review (1) : Vermilia Winchester

This was an old character I designed in a contest for a game called Valiant Hearts:

The main theme behind this character was a blend of Western cowboy and Victorian steampunk , with a bit of a fantasy flair thrown into it. More specifically , various part of Vermilia are influenced by different characters designs from mainstream media , most notably , the gun boots from Bayonetta and Alucard from the anime Hellsing 

  

Bayonetta and Alucard

Visual-wise , I think its a very aesthetically pleasing design with a good balance of colours and contrast that makes the character pops ! It delivers the fantasy/industrial style very well and with good details.I especially like the designs of the rifles, which has a very good but not over-done amount of details. In terms of practicality, the boots would be too clunky to be functional , with too many sharp angles pointing in different directions, sometime in very odd , and seemingly "painful" directions. However , since it is a fantasy design, with heavy anime influence , practicality usually takes a backseat , wether its for better or worse.  

Technique-wise , this was done digitally so the quality of the picture itself was very good . It had a very heavy anime style , especially on the face , which I'm pleased with since it is my preferred style. However, looking back at it now , its an anatomical disaster, especially around the arms and waist , which are way too thin .Therefore,  that would be a thing to change if I ever decide to re-do the character. All in all, with the skill level I had at that time , It was a good effort and it did gather a decent amount of support for the final vote. But unfortunately , It didn't quite able to make it pass the competition. But I'm very pleased with it indeed 

Kirkgate expedition

As a response the Brief 2 of Visual language : Environmental stories ,we had to choose 2 environments to study from , one interior and one exterior . For the former , I've decided to choose Kirkgate market. The market itself has a very impressive exterior , almost grand in some aspect ,such as the architecture of the rooftops and dome structures that would be fitting on a palace or museum. But for me, the interior is what draws me in the most

fanciest market ever !

Having the reputation of being Europe's largest indoor market , you kind of expected the sheer scale of the market's interior. Intricate and wonderful designs spread out along the walls near the roof and on the support beams. The style of architecture is very much Victorian-like ,having that blend between elegances and classics from the designs on the wall with the industrial tone of the metal columns and guardrails, which reminded me a lot of York train station.

  

However , what interested me the most, and probably the reason why I chose the market was the fact that, even though it is indoor, you feel like your walking in a regular outside market. Many little thing contribute to this, such as the stalls being these different large structures, the walk ways being very similar to regulars streets outside (which combined with the stalls makes you feeling you're walking through a small shopping corner of city block) the large skylight that lets in alot of sunlight, ....It truly gives of the feeling of a vibrant , diverse and alive "market" , and not like the cold , clean and organised ways of supermarkets and department stores. So, to sum it up, its like a bridge between interior and exterior , and that is very interesting indeed !

As for the drawing itself , I'm planning to do some rough and quick sketches with pencils  at the market itself and then inking them at home. It is a market so I expect LOTS of people , but right now I'm more focused on the structures and layout so , probably I'll add people later if the situation calls for it 

                                       

* quick note : the pain and aches of standing for 5 hours in the market were quickly relieved thanks the presence of delicious Vietnamese sandwiches courtesy of Banh&Mee at the food area . Also , AMAZING prices for products at the market. Beautiful and practical , the true essence of Kirkgate.

Who am I? why am I here? What do I want to learn?

"This is like the interview all over agin" - Me, 2016

Why you chose to study on this programme?

.Well to start out , I did have a specific interest in mind before going into animation , that is I'm very much interested in creating stories, concept arts and character designs. Up until now , I have done a variety of fan arts for the characters that I like, mixing them with other characters or putting them in a different environment , which often turned into creating new looks, armours, clothing,....for them, that's when I really started recognising my interest in design and it was really the thing that got me into not only animation but art in general

. On a more logical note,the animation course covers a wide range of skills that can be applied in many other fields beside animating it self ( storyboarding, visual effects, advertising,...) . Hence it will allow me to be more flexible with career choices in the future, which would be excellent to say the least

. Also, the course takes advantage of a wider range of industry-standard softwares and hardwares than other course, hence I can start familiarising with them sooner. Especially the essentials like Photoshop and Maya

. On the side note,my personal interest in anime and other types of animation inspired me to aim to take part in such kind of production

. Moreover, Animating in general is one the most team-oriented forms of work, so it would allow me to experience the kind of environment that I'd would one day be in and improve my social and critical skills, it would also open me more to other forms of practices that I had not known before

  

some of my digital designs

During my time here:

. First off , I'd like to learn every details of basic 2D Animation, since, based on my substantial experiences in digital art, would be my main area of focus.

. However , with the rise of Pixar and CGI in gaming, I'd like to start getting use 3D animation as well , since it would expand my career potential significantly.

.But more than anything, I'd like to learns the step behind the creative process that comes before the production like storyboarding , concept arts , characters,...as it is the are I'm most confident and most interested in

.As a bonus , I'd like to gather more knowledge on other forms of animation such as stop-motion.

.And finally , learning to work in a group ,be able to organise my work and managing deadlines are all important skill sets that I'd like to improve more.

What skills do you think are your strengths?

. My most notable skill would probably drawing skill itself , both traditionally and digitally , as I've been doing art for a very long time.

. I specifically specialised in digital art, so I have a basic understanding of the different tools that are involved in it, ( especially in lighting) which would help alot in my studies.

.Learning from the environment I was raised in, I see myself as extremely organised and I always try to be as efficient as possible.

. My ability to advertise myself to some extent is also a good skill set, as I've over the time gain a substantial audience for my digital artwork on social media.

. My real world experiences doing commissions and group projects can also help my professional skills as I develop my work

          

digital and traditional portraits

What things that you want to improve? 

. First off , I'd really like to improve my Photoshop skill, as at the moment , years of using Paint tool SAI have rendered me disoriented when it comes to the much wider and more powerful CS6.

.Another good skill to improve is my traditional animation and drawing skill , going back to pencils and pen.

. My team working skill , although not bad , can always be improve, which come with the benefits of making new people.

. My organisation and time management is a major skill that I'd like to improve, as I have noticed my artworks take up way too much time.

.And the final thing would be my analytical and critical skills, as I need to start getting more used to reading materials outside of class.

What ways you will evaluate your progress?

. There's a funny thing that I learned when doing digital art, that is to never compare your work to others, as people have different styles and artistic views. But in an environment like animation, where there is a standardised, albeit not enforced, system of working, I think its not a bad thing to evaluate yourself by comparing the work that you do to other animators, especially working animators in the industries as they can give you insights on what the new trends and techniques that you yourself can apply the classroom. However , it does not mean you as student have to reach their level early on.

. On the other hand , comparing the stuff you're doing right now to what you did past is a good way to see the improvements that you have made.

. Let other students and teachers critic your work, and also critic their work following the guide lines that have been presented during the storyboard crit, as discussion and exchange of knowledge can lead to improvements

.Test your skills through your own means , for example , try to do a speedpaint to see how has your time management skill improved, or do a larger , longer animation if you feel that you animating skill has improved  

.Breaking up a big goal into many little tasks throughout the day and see how fast , and how good you can do them 

                                               

speedpaint I did in 2 hours , which would have taken me way longer 5 months ago