Time Flies!

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Chris Biewer

Whoa it’s been almost a month since I have been on here, writing updates and sharing the current state of my project Cosmic Rage.

It’s been a very exciting time and there has been a ton of things going on since I last blogged. I don’t like taking long breaks from the blog but there was just a lot of life event going on and Cosmic Rage was put on hold for a bit to get things sorted out. So let’s back track a bit and get all of our bases covered!

I was at Anime Fargo last month and really enjoyed the con. I had a great time talking with new people and seeing some familiar faces. I have been to Anime Fargo each of the last 3 years, which is how long the con has been running. It is always a good time to chat and catch up with people there. I met some awesome people in the Pokemon party room that were kind enough to share info about the local nests. In between events I was able to get to a nearby park that was actually a Bulbasaur nest!

After Anime Fargo, I spent the time finishing up packing for the move before I left to go on a family vacation. When I am on vacation, I really like to unplug so I try not to use social media since I am typically online for over half the day anyways. It’s a nice time to relax and enjoy nature. I did my first (and only so far) inktober piece on vacation as well. I was inspired by the ocean and the nearby Pokemon gyms so I drew up a Lapras.

Once we were back from vacation, it was time for the move. We spent all weekend moving things from our apartment to our new house. Plus, we had to remove our community garden too. Talk about a relaxing weekend right? Yesterday the internet was hooked up so I could get back online after work and get updates posted and get back into the swing of things.

So what is on deck for the upcoming week? Well, my e-book revisions are in. So I need to sit down this weekend and get those knocked out. Ideally I would like to get the book into the store over the weekend too. But I am not 100% sure how that process works since this is my first e-book. The other task at hand, I need to get my desk put back into place and get it ready to go. Things are moved into rooms, now it is just a matter of unpacking and putting things in order.

I am ready to get back into Episode 2!

Production Update 146: Preparations for AnimeFargo

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Chris Biewer

Apologies for the late production update, came down with a bad cold and crashed last night after returning home. Been away from my place for 4 days so it was nice to get back and get a full night sleep. So what’s going on with Cosmic Rage this week?

I received some audio tracks for a couple scenes that have been going through some revisions, those 2 scenes are wrapped up. On top of that, two more scenes have been passed along for audio production. Here is a shot from one of the scenes that was passed on.

I have also been making final preparations for AnimeFargo. I received a last minute notice that I have been added to the Artist Alley and have been prepping prints to sell and also finalizing some new things to sell, including a unique print that is only available via raffle.

One of my favorite things to do at conventions now is to bring another screen along so attendees can watch me animate and work. I will be working on a couple of short scenes that I anticipate getting wrapped up over the weekend at the con.

Looking forward to being back in Fargo!

Production Update 94

Posted on June 2, 2014 by Chris Biewer

It’s good to be back blogging. I took some time off over Memorial day and unplugged for a bit and enjoyed the nice weather. Over the past couple of weeks I have been working on a variety of things. As of today I finished up my javascript lessons on the coding front, which was something that I wanted to do since the start of the year. I am really looking forward to dabbling more into it and seeing what kinds of things I can work on and create.

iBooks Author was another program I was working in. I started piecing together the story and getting it ready for AnimeFargo later this fall. I also felt it was important to get into a useable format to show other people to get some feedback on it as well. I stumbled across a few quirks to the program that I thought were a little bizarre but found a way around them. Most notably, the inability to rearrange pages once you create them or the inability to add a page between two already existing pages. I had success with being able to move around sections, so that allows me the flexibility that I need now.

Currently, I have all of the scenes sent in for audio and since I am going on a mini vacation later this month, I decided that I would spend the next 10 days or so working on some shots that require 3D renders. The plan behind this, is that I can let everything render while I do a bit of hiking. I am closing in on finishing up the first of three shots I want to have done.

Finally, I also started working on my artwork that I will be displaying at AnimeFargo in the artist alley. There are several pieces I have planned out and began some preliminary work on them. Speaking of AnimeFargo, I am also awaiting news if my panels will be approved as well.

On a random side note, I also got my garden planted and was awarded a little sunburn as a battle scar. It has been a very exciting summer so far and looking forward to sharing more with you!

Production Update 90

Posted on April 28, 2014 by Chris Biewer

It has been a couple weeks since I posted to the site. I took some time off to wrap up a quick turnaround freelance project and then I spent some time with family that traveled to South Dakota to visit and also started to show my girlfriend around the city since she recently moved across the country to South Dakota this past week as well. So all in all a pretty exciting last couple weeks.

In the previous post I mentioned that I applied for an artist alley table at a convention. Well, I heard back and I have been accepted 😉 you can check out the new page to the site, Con Appearances, for more information, but later this fall I will be making my artist alley debut at AnimeFargo. I am really excited for the opportunity to talk to other artists and share my artwork and get feedback from fans.

As for production this last week, I wrapped up a new shot. Check it out below.

I also imported more artwork into the animation program I use, After Effects, so there are a few other shots that have been lightly started.

As for this week’s agenda, I want to get several more shots done. Towards next weekend, I would like to start 3D modeling another environment. I also have a few side projects I want to get done this week as well, such as recording another animation tutorial for my other website and also our first animation group meet up in Sioux Falls is Thursday! Very exciting week ahead of me.