Production Update 116 Let’s Get Started!

I hope everyone had a good holiday break, got to spend some time with family and also got all the Christmas goodies you asked for! Personally, I enjoyed some time with some family but we didn’t celebrate Christmas yet, since we are waiting for my sister to travel up here to actually open gifts and such. I did get some good stuff I ordered from RightStuf to tide me over; titles such as Persona 4 and Blast of Tempest. At some point in 2015 I will be able to provide reviews of them. Let’s get down to business though.

I have reached the halfway point of the online animation class I have been taking, it is a 6 week intensive with lots of homework but I can see the course already paying off and I know it will be fine tuned from work and also on the Cosmic Rage project. I did finish up framing the remaining shots for the current scene I am starting. The next step is an animatic, which I aim to get done before next week’s production update. This will depend on the homework assignments through the week and also some travel time, but I feel I should be able to get this completed since I have the compositions laid out and also have the assets pieced together, leaving me with laying some keyframes down this week for timing purposes.

Next time I post it will be 2015!

Production Update 115 Slow and Steady

This week I started working on roughing out a new scene comprised of ten different shots. Currently I am laying out the cameras to get the framing and composition of the shots correct. Admittedly I didn’t get as much as I wanted done this weekend as I intended due to the short online course I am taking. However, the things I am learning in the course will be worth the short term lack of updates. If you want to check out one of the animation assignments from the course, check out the Cosmic Rage Facebook page.

Audio has also been approved for 4 scenes and is all caught up with what I have animated. The goal for the holiday week is to wrap up the framing and composition of the remaining shots and get started piecing things together and getting animation started. With the holiday I won’t be posting up any entries on Thursday this week, so we will see you next week with a new Production Update!

Looking Ahead 2015 and Learning

Earlier this week I mentioned that I have begun applying for panels at some cons in 2015 and that artist alleys may be in the works as well. However, I wanted to talk today about some goals and things I aim to get better at in 2015. One of my long-term goals is to get more into web development and coding. The reason for this is that some day I would like to do animations for web some day. With that in mind, I have enrolled in a 6 week online animation course to brush up on some of the fundamentals and really use it to push myself in those areas. I have been in the course for a week and a half so far. I can tell it is going to be a very well use of my time. These will all be good skills to have as I try to grow Cosmic Rage more in 2015. The other side of the same coin, I am looking to push myself in the 3D world as well in 2015. In this case too, I have been reviewing some course materials and am about half done with them. This too will carry into Cosmic Rage and also help feed my skills as I continue to work in the programs. Overall, a lot of continuing education in animation and some related areas. Animation really is a lifestyle 🙂

So what do I want to learn more about outside of animation and development? Well, I am aiming to get a second community garden and will plant some new vegetables. This year I am thinking of trying eggplant and maybe kale. I have so much more to learn in gardening.

Production Update coming Monday again!

Production Update 114 Preparing for 2015

Production update time is upon us again, let’s get down to business. As you can tell by the title of this post, 2015 is right around the corner and preparations need to be made for the con season! I put in a couple applications for panels at a couple cons so far and have a list of others on my radar. Of course I will keep you all posted on the news of getting into cons and what appearances I will be making. Just wanted to let everyone know, preparations have begun.

The second item of business is the work for the week. I was able to get another scene wrapped up and sent off for audio work. The scene was only 3 shots but it is a good feeling to get it sent off for audio. The previous scenes that were sent for audio work have been sent back and we are working on revisions to the audio.

With another scene wrapped up, I will be starting on a new scene this week. The new scene is comprised of ten shots. This week I am aiming to get a rough animatic done of the scene. That consists of me getting the cameras moved around in the environment and roughing out the timing of each shot.

More updates to come!

Production Update 113

It’s been almost a month since the last production update, I can’t believe it! Here is how things have been going. When we last left off I was taking my sample e-book to a local artist critique. I ran it by some of the artists in attendance, and they liked what I had completed so far. One of the biggest concerns from the group was the combination of 2D and 3D art, which they said was only when I was describing it at a previous critique. After seeing it, they felt it worked well and that the two mediums weren’t too far off from one another to make it a distraction.

If you remember, I also sent off a scene to get audio work done and I was working on two short scenes as well. I have received the first scene back with audio and have sent it back for minor edits. The other two scenes have also been sent in for audio work.

With those three scenes in for audio work, I have started on another scene that consists of  three shots. I was able to get the 3D assets rendered out partly over the Thanksgiving break and also this week and will be compositing the shots this week. It has been a very busy month but pretty productive.

As promised, here is another piece of production art.

18_Police_Rollout

Outside of Cosmic Rage

Hey everyone! It has been a while since I have blogged, but I have been super busy at work and also did some traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday. I wanted to sneak a production update in when I got back home on Monday, but it was late and I needed to catch up on some sleep 🙂

I thought I would take today to write about some of the work I have been doing outside of Cosmic Rage and how some of my learning in other areas is progressing. First off, I have ben continuing to dabble in html and css. It has been going pretty well. I am currently working on a test project and I am very fortunate to have a co-worker take time to explain things and go over my code. It has been a fun process so far and looking forward to learning more in 2015.

Another area I am looking to improve on is my 3D work. You can never know enough, and I am looking at expanding into more areas and increasing my efficiency in other areas. Currently I am going through a series of tutorials and seeing how other people work. I learn so much from watching others animate. Excited to wrap up the series, as I am currently one third of the way through them now.

Outside of the previously mentioned projects, I enrolled in a 6 week course for After Effects. While I consider myself very strong in After Effects, I have recently been revisiting some fundamentals and that is the focus of this course. Once you think you know everything, you don’t leave yourself open to to learning from others. As I stated above, I enjoy watching people work and seeing ways that others use the programs I use. I will be starting the course next week.

I have been trying to break things into 3 or 4 month chunks and doing sprints of learning new things. These will be my main areas of focus over the winter months since it will be too cold to garden 🙁 I will be setting up y current render tonight as well. I will be back Monday with a new production update and also some new art, you deserve it!