From the Sketchbook #2

So back in the Fall I did some storyboards for a 2D Animation class assignment. One of them was this Wild West story that's been "rattling around in my frontal lobe" for years now. So in my current sketchbook I decided to work on the whole Wild West concept a little more. I watched some of the Man With No Name/Dollars Trilogy for inspiration, looked at some old buildings from around where I live, and did some sketches of iconic Western characters.

"I'm thirty years older than you are. I had my back broke once, and my hip twice. And on my worst day I could beat the hell out of you." #TheCowboys

I saw a great sketch of Lee Van Cleef on another blog by artist Oran Parker and I wanted to try the same technique he used. I used Staedtler pens, a Sharpie pen and my trusty Prisma markers. This was the first time I ever did a sketch like that and I was pleased with the results.

These are silhouettes of various Wild West characters. In last semester's Figure Drawing class my professor showed us The Skillful Huntsman, a concept art book by students from California's Art Center College of Design. It documents the creative process of illustrating a classic fairy tale. I liked how they drew silhouettes to work out the overall shape of the characters.

I think an appealing character needs to have an appealing silhouette, so I took a couple of pages to experiment on balance/appeal etc.

Oh and you should watch more King of the Hill.

Even More Lego Progress

I had to go in and manually increase the available RAM on my wimpy laptop just so that it would render.

It's not 100% finished but it's getting there. Booyah.

Lego project - finished with modeling/texturing

Check it ouuuuttt

All the colors are from the official 2010 Lego color palette.

Lego Project Progress

Ready for texturing/lighting.

Fun with legos

Working on a leg-themed project which will be part of my animation portfolio when it's finished. I'm about 90% done with the modeling. Modeling took around 8 hours.

And here's the real-life version:

The trick was to keep all the pieces in "lego" proportions. Next time I sit down and work on this I'll add detail to the modeling to make it look like lego bricks. I may or may not redo the arms.

The Rotoscopers Episode 9 Released!

Howdy folks, my fellow Rotoscopers Morgan and Chelsea recorded a new episode while I was moving down to Texas for the summer. The film in question? The Swan Princess (1994).

If you loved watching The Swan Princess as a kid, or if you were waiting for us to do another sing-along 2D animated film, or if you like Morgan and Chelsea (and who doesn't?), then give it a listen!

Just a disclaimer though: I was absent during the recording of this episode, so the feminine side of our podcast  really comes out in this episode. My co-hosts had a lot of fun recording this, and there's lots of singing and giggling and girl talk. If that's not your style, then don't hate. Just wait for the next episode and I'll be there, proudly representing male animation addicts everywhere.

Listen for free on our website:

THE ROTOSCOPERS EPISODE 9: THE SWAN PRINCESS - SINGING FEST.


You can also subscribe to us for free on iTunes!

From the Sketchbook #1

Character sketches.

Today I went to my old alma mater Navarro High School and did a presentation on animation and my experience as an animation student. The kids were really respectful and there were a few who want to get into game design/animation and I think I helped them know what to expect.

So here are some character sketches I did like a month ago.