End of Days

Nothing Gold Can Stay

But We Should Cherish It Nonetheless

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Well, here we are folks.

We've come so far and now I feel as if I stand on the pinnacle, the edge of a very high cliff

A cliff I will soon leap from, but to go forward we must not forget to look back

When I joined e-Communication, it was a leap of faith. Faith in the hope of learning and developing, of meeting people with whom I could share what I love, of finally finding what it was that I was wanting to find for so long: a purpose. Perhaps it sounds cheesy, phrased like that, but it's true. Most of these hopes have accumulated in this final year.

Being here has shown me the true meaning of dedication, the truth behind persistence. Animation as an art form is rarely seen as a hobbyists' fare for it so dramatically absorbs the time and focus of the animator. So many people look at an animated movie, show, or even a short animated GIF and think 'that's not so great, even I could do that!' but they do not understand. Even now I may not understand what it is that I know, and find myself thinking that things will be 'easy' or 'simple' when neither is close to the truth. Discovering what goes into those animations: the hours, the heart, the thought, forces you to appreciate the art at a deeper level than before. You can see under the face value of a feature animated film and have a sense of the scale of what was needed to make it, and no longer wonder why end credits roll for so very long.

When I began here I was quite naive and was one of those who thought it would be simple as it looks, and was hit with a well-deserved reality pie-to-the-face. But rather than, like some, find it disgraceful and painful to face and turn my back on the art and think I'm above it, I take that pie and find it to be so unusually delicious.

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So...

What did I learn?

E-communication taught me...

...Technologically, how to use industry-standard software to help take my ideas, from a small yellow bird to an alien robot, and weave into them the illusion of life.

...How to be a leader. I was made to learn, by having to perform, certain leadership methods and challenges. Last year, for example, I helped lead a group to create our stop-motion short: A Beary Bad Day. Not only was it hard to get everyone on the same page, but I found that, to be a leader, one must sacrifice parts of their own desires to keep the group placated.

...How to collaborate with others. In the same project mentioned earlier, I found in some situations, the skills that make a good leader and an effective collaborator are not all that different form each other.

...Communication skills. As in the name of the program itself, e-Communication provides significant experience in communicating with not only your peers, but with mentors and sometimes, even yourself!

...How to manage projects, and by extension, how to manage myself. Many times I have set up a goal for myself had had to leave out parts of projects to compensate for time or ability. With my animation Case File: Luke, I had to remove some of the animation that would have shown his personality for the sake of time. These time management skills will aid me in managing the rest of my life as well.

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So,

Who am I now? Because of this experience?

I am Greta. The student who loves to animate. The student who is trying to learn an art more difficult that ever thought.

I am the student who excels at concept. The student that finds meaning in creating what before didn't exist and giving things live, movement, background, form. The student who prides themselves so much on this that too much time is spent thinking and not enough on making.

The student who finds fault in her ability to plan, organize, and set goals within reason. The student who needs to reconcile her hopes with her need to practice and her dreams.

What have I become? I have gone from the girl who worked little but still made the grade to the girl who works hard on her craft with no concern for her grade. I have taken my self-doubt and my fears of insufficiency and meta-morphed them into a butterfly of determination and drive.

I will be the one who takes the lessons learned, lessons of time, of talent, of planning and of effort and will utilize them no matter what changes may arise in my vision for the future.

All in all, I think the past four years have been nothing short of wonderful in this program, and I hope to one day come back and visit, to encourage aspiring artists like myself to never give up.

Semester Reveiew

Progress Achieved

Rugger Approaches Completion

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Who's This dashing Amphibian?

If you recall my earlier post about my semester project, you'll perhaps recognize the handsome gentleman pictured above. For the first time in a while, I have most nearly completed a project in the amount of time I predicted. (By most nearly I mean there is a scene I have not finished but soon It will be done and this post will be updated) When I get the finishing touches done after winter break, I will have the final product that I intend to submit to eMagine this spring!

I encountered many challenges while finishing this project, but not nearly as many as I encountered in my various 3D projects. Since, when I last left you off, I had created a movie file to help me time my frames, most of the work since then has been drawing the frames and organizing them into workable layers (no need to re-render a background when you can just have the characters move, similar to older 2D levels of animation).

Additionally, I had to make a few sacrifices to the intended product to make the animation more possible. For example, I no longer have Rugger gesture for his drink in the second scene, due to time restrictions. Also, the no longer has freckles on his shoulders, to eliminate possible headaches in the second scene as he pulls himself up on the counter. Shading, as well, has been scrapped so that I can get something view-able rendered in time. It's a bit more than I wanted to sacrifice, but I came into this project simply wanting to get something done, and I did that! I am quite proud of myself for getting this far, and no longer have to wonder if I'll have nothing to show for my years of eComm.

You ready? Take a look below to see for yourself what this final project looks like!

Let's Look At:

Motion Capture Article Review

Acting or Animation?

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As I was browsing the articles on Animation Arena, I came across a topic that caught my eye: motion capture. More and more movies nowadays are using motion capture to help animate digital characters. From the blue aliens in Avatar to Smaug in The Hobbit, an increased number of characters are made to move to the faces and bodies of the actors that voice them. One side effect of this, however, seems to be the question on whether the main work in on that of the actor or the animator.

The article didn't give a definite answer to this, due to the general lack of one, but it seems that it cannot be defined as either. Without the actor, the character doesn't have the same nuanced performance. Without the animator, the movie would be limited to the special effects incorporated into live action. Motion capture is likely in pinnacle of the symbiosis of acting and animation that exists today.

Beyond it's intense monetary and time-saving benefits, I feel that Motion capture as a medium will only grow in use as the computers we use only increase in computing speed and power to handle what it can offer.

What do you think?

Let's Look At:

Collegiate Animation

What School Is Right for Me Or You?

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Today's blog is going to focus on a subject that is becoming more and more relevant to myself and many of my classmates as our final year of high school comes to a close: college choice. I have found one article on Animation Arena that helps address this topic.

There are so many colleges in this country that the task of finding the one that best fits you can be a daunting task. For those looking into careers in animation, there are key components that make the search a little quicker. As the linked article claims, there are four main things that students can look for in a school:

1. Does the program teach all aspects of animation? 

Whether it's a specialty art school or a program within a state school, the author of the article, Annie Gray, stresses the importance of having a generalized idea of the entire process of animation. From basic drawing skills to art history, she strongly advocates for all animation students to learn these skills and all others. What's more, she finds it common for most animation programs to not even teach animation the first year, not for gen-eds, but for classes like perspective and figure drawing.

Now, while these are good and notable points, I personally contest the need for all animators to be able to draw with exceptional skill to get into the industry. This is mostly accredited to the vast increase in computer animation. Learning all the animation principles? I find that valuable. Needing to become an expert on figure drawing? Maybe not. In my case, I'd rather have more animation and less "art history". 

2. How much experience do the professors have?

On this pint Annie Gray explains that truly good professors have not just the technical skills but the industry experience and connections that give their students a head start in the reality of the field. On this I agree strongly that it's a sure benefit to any student to have such a professor.

3. Where is it located?

Not all fields are location-sensitive, but animation definitely is. The author explains in this section that finding a school closer to the major studios (namely, in sunny, expensive, California) greatly increases your chances of getting hired as "there is a great chance that those animation studios recruit their talent from those local schools." This is not to say that to be an aspiring animator you must go to a California school. There are several good schools, as the author also explains, in Chicago or Florida that can teach just as well, but may need slightly more work on the connections end of things.

4. Is there a good alumni network?

This aspect of schools may be often overlooked, but can be invaluable to an aspiring animator. Gray writes that may college graduates in animation report finding jobs through their professors or classmates, so being able to have reliable contacts from old students who've made it into the industry.

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These are four, but certainly not all the things a student should look into when selecting a school for animation. Personally, some that I use as indicators are range of majors (in case you change your mind), and student-teacher ratio (which can be good or bad depending on the class or student).

Senior Year First Project Hops Into Action!

Going For Gold!

One Frog, One Goal

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For our senior year of high school, the scenario is very similar to that of junior year, but with greater expectations. Due to the time-consuming nature of 3D animation, this year, in order to get the the 'animating' part of animation faster, I am attempting a hand drawn animation.

The Frog

If you got past the groan-inducing pun you may have noticed in the title of this post, you may have inferred that the subject of my animation was a frog. This frog is not just any frog, however: this frog is a gun-slinging rough-and-tumble cowboy frog. Our unnamed hero is destined, in this particular animation, to enter a bar of unspecified nomenclature and order a questionably fresh glass of water. It's rather straightforward in nature, but will take considerable effort nonetheless, due to my lack of practice in the realm of 2D movement.

The natural first step to any animation is creating a storyboard. To the left is one of the first scenes from the storyboard I made for this animation, showing him entering the bar. On the right, a later one showing a pose he will take when ordering his drink. It's very important to plan out an animation as in-depth as possible to avoid having to redo parts later on in the process. It also helps plan out camera shots.

While there may not be an actual camera involved in 2D animation nowadays, it is still important to structure each scene dramatically for the greater communicated effect. Since I had not taken part in the video section of the program I am in, this has proven to be an oddly difficult thing for me to puzzle out. For example, the storyboard where he opens the door has a decent camera angle, but doesn't emphasize much about him. On the other hand:

This shot is similar, but uses the looming shadow to make him seem relatively diminutive compared to everybody else, inducing a sense of comedy at the beginning, despite a dramatic set up.
Timing is essential to comedy, so to time it out, I've taken a variety of key poses and put them together in after effects to get a feel for ho the animation will flow upon completion. Timing feels more objective than it should be, but I know that, with practice, I can become very aware of how to create a natural flow of events.


Below is one example of a times out scene. It is extremely rough, but it serves enough to give me a feel for where the frames will need to be.

My goal now is to finish all the rough scenes, then go over them with cleaner lines digitally and, if time allows, to add color to this. I find color just as important as timing in communicating mood, so optimally I will be able achieve a relatively nice-looking animation by the end of second quarter.

Wish me luck!

Year's End Reflection

It's Been A Good Year

Let's Look Back

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Junior year is notorious for being one of struggle and strife, but it can also be one of learning and exploration. From Petri to Ampich-Anne, I have had many chances to look into and develop many new, more complex skills than I had the chance to last year whilst focusing on design and animation. From the trials and tribulations of this bird to the new realm of stop-motion I have been able to learn many things about modeling, project planning, scope, team management, rigging, and much more.

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From the very start of this year we had something to do. One project I did not post directly about was a fish. (from the concept art on the left) The goal of this project was to teach us all better modeling techniques, weight painting, and some ways to animate something. It was the springboard for all the modeling and rigging know-how I was to learn throughout the rest of the year. Only now do I truly understand how vital it was that we did this particular project at the beginning of the year.

Looking back upon this fish, I can directly see how it links to what I have been able to accomplish this year. Having to draft the fish initially taught me the advantages and necessity of having an image to go off of. I have repeated this technique with both Petri and Ampich-Anne, as seen in their respective posts Here and Here. Next, we learned vital modeling skills which I have taken to heart with every other 3D project since. We learned a little about UV texturing (probably the least developed skill of mine) and a lot about rigging (Which was then reiterated for me with, yet again, Petri). Each of these skills was learned more though trial and error than direct instruction. Nothing teaches you to plan ahead like having to redo the same steps ten times over due to a lack of forethought. Technically, I feel far more confident in modeling ad rigging than I did before. I feel familiar enough with Maya now as so that I can envision exactly how I intend to pul life out each and every pre-generated shape. (Maybe next year I should practice straying from those...)

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A dramatic scene from this year's group project

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Beyond those technical skills, this year has given me more vital practice in working with others. All but the stop motion project this year were my solitary ideas and solitary efforts. For me, working with those of differing skills and mindsets is a whole other ballpark of difficulty. Not to say I am introverted to the point where it hides my working: I'm not. Rather, I walk a fine line between wanting everything to go my way and wanting to sit back and watch things unfold. I generally lean towards the fist kind, however, when I have not worked with all the people involved before (and even then my trust only goes so far until I have seen them preform). I feel that this project was the most successful diplomatically for me, as I followed the mantra "If you think you can do it better than the person, you are assigning them to the wrong job". After the cooperative creative process, I was semi-burdened with the task of assigning jobs to people. Many were first picks for certain tasks like set building and model moving, but I often found it difficult to entrust some of the smaller things to others, even if it meant a mountain of extra work for myself. This is something I surely need to work on.

This industry is an industry of people, and it is nearly impossible to go into it without expecting to have to compromise and work with new people along the way. I must find and embrace my strength soon, so I can refine it and combine it with the strengths of others to make a truly skillful work. Last year was a jack of all trades, but really skillful at nothing in particular beyond concept art. That is still something I feel I excel at more than most, and I want to use the skills I have and will gain to be able to both create concepts that can be feasibly executed in these programs and to be able to execute them myself in the way I envision them.

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Looking back at all I have done, I don't think I would honestly change anything. Every project messed up, every minute wasted, showed me countless ways that I could improve myself and my project workflow. I was not as productive as I could have been mid-year, but I learned from that, in hindsight, how I could manage my time better. If I had to change something, it would be watching more tutorials before diving into something new. Maybe, if I did that, I wouldn't have to redo as much.

All thing considered, I feel this has been my most beneficial year in e-Communication to date. I have had the rare chance to explore a field that I am interested in pursuing as a career this early in my life. To me, it's best to dip your foot into the ocean of possible careers as soon as possible, as to minimize time wasted pursuing something that you turn out to hate. Maybe that causes me to put too much pressure on my early decisions, but I suppose we'll see how that directs me in the future.

I hope to keep up my posts a little more this summer, but in the meantime, this will be my school-end farewell!

Ampich-Anne: Character Modeling

Waiting, She's Waiting,

(Waiting for the frame to render...)

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Meet Ampich-Anne: a friendly girl with a robot body! Well, not actually. The real concept is a bodiless alien that can inhabit machinery, but that is not too important right now! What is important is my attempt to create her! After dealing with Petri for so long, I wanted to use my rigging and modeling knowledge on something new!


I knew that rigging a mechanical character would be much easier than doing another organic model, so I wanted to keep the specs of my project smaller so I could be able to rig and model it within the rest of the mostly gone school year.


On the left I have one of my pictures of my character, but I knew I couldn't keep to it very well: The webbing would have been nearly impossible to do with my skill set and time, there were a lot of extraneous bits on the legs I knew I would leave behind, and the shoulder and thigh joints were to unrealistic. (With that arrangement she wouldn't be able to lift her arms up straight, and I had no idea how to manage the drawn hip setup) So, I went to work simplifying the design and making it smoother. Given that I drew her a little different each time, I didn't have many qualms changing the little indiscreet details for the sake of this model.

When I started, my major alterations were to the upper arms and thighs (I added a luminescent glass texture to them) and a small skirt-shaped piece that concealed the rough end of the segmented torso. I was very proud of how the body and face and hands came out, I took many, many, gratuitous screenshots of it. There was one GLARING problem, however (and no, it was not the eyes): the shoulders (again). You see, I didn't notice the problem I had mentioned earlier regarding the arm mobility until the point when I tried to move the arms. I ended up having to redo them completely and replaced the shoulder shown above with a more doughnut-shaped one.

At this point perhaps you may be wondering why I'm showing you all of this. Is it just a model? Am I going to animate it? Am I just showing off? The answer to all of these is "maybe, we'll see". but in all honesty, this project is a kind of final thesis for me, I think. It has taken all the small lessons I learned about Maya and combined them to make this (relatively) usable character. While I have not animated it, I certainly have posed it. I think My main goal with this character was honestly light practice and modeling (both in the creating and posing sense) practice. Below are a few examples of lighting (left) and posing (right) experimentation.

Coincidentally, I worked on this project around the same time that my teacher assigned us the topic of "time". Being in animation, it should be exceedingly easy to display time in a non-alarm-clock fashion. I, however, wanted to try to show time in a still image. I wanted to show her waiting. Not being in an organic body, She could feasibly wait in one area for extremely long periods of time. My idea was to take two identical images with differing textures and fuse them into each other as if they were a before and after statement.

Here is the result! I made it go from a more lush field to a sandy wasteland, signaling a deterioration of the climate, or maybe just a season change. I have her looking to the right as if she is looking towards the future, longing. If I were to fix it, I know I would increase the shadow resolution (to avoid that blocky-ness) and maybe make the grass and sand fade into each other more instead of just harshly dividing at Ampich-Anne. It contrasts a bit too much with the gradient sky.

But anyway, I thank anyone who has been sticking around and checking on my work over the last few years, heres my final, desired result of my shiny texture rendering. I hope you enjoy the intricate reactions as much as I do!