LMU Animators

Draw over!

2011-12-02T13:25:00.000-08:00

Hey all! Thought I'd share a little draw-over I did on a pic from 2008, just after I graduated. I might still take one more pass at it, but I'm pretty happy with how it looks right now.

-JJ

My 220 Animation (boards)

2011-09-25T02:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a sneak peak into my animation this semester. I got my team and my story, this weekend is just about finishing that storyboard/animatic and doing the final edits before we get down to the dirty work.

I'm in charge of boarding the beginning scenes so this is part of that beginning sequence before the good stuff starts to happen....

I don't want to say what the story is (at least not yet) but I'm pretty excited about it and can't wait to see the final result. My team will most definitely ROCK this assignment!

2d animated dinosaur project

2011-09-15T13:05:00.001-07:00

hi lmu animation kids (or whoever still checks this blog [web-drifting blog ghosts?]),

My name is Brian Engh and I'm a dude who went to LMU and now I work as a freelance artist/animator. I am currently working with a paleontologist and some other LMU animation alums and former staff on putting together a small spec documentary about reconstructing dinosaurs through animation that will be pitched to several major networks that offer science related programming (Nat Geo, Discovery, Science Channel, PBS etc). The documentary will culminate in a short animated scene depicting a moment in the life of a prehistoric animal, in this case a dinosaur from portugal named Miragaia. You can check out our first pass storyboard, some dinosaur sketches and our mission statement on our production blog here:

Dinosaurs Reanimated Production Blog

As the project develops we will be updating the blog with relevant materials. As we get some animation on the page we will most certainly need help with cleanup, coloring and basic compositing, so anyone who's interested in getting some hands on experience with an interesting traditional 2d/false 3d/after effects hybrid workflow, or anyone who thinks it would be fun help clean up a bunch of dinosaur drawings should read our mission statement and check out the storyboard on our blog and get in touch with me. historian(at)dontmesswithdinosaurs(dot)com

I hope you're all having fun making cartoon movies in college!!!

Tablet Practice

2011-08-05T12:15:00.001-07:00

I haven't posted here in a century so I thought now was better than ever especially since I just got my first Wacom tablet a month ago...

And this is the result of summer cartoon watching....and two seasons of Batman Beyond :)

But there's also photoshop and non-fanart tablet practice. I realize there's something about me and drawing kids. I think I just feel more comfortable drawing them in crazy things like tube socks and weird expressions. Or they're easier......I'll go with the former.

Also with this new purchase I'll finally be able to start that art blog, so I'll be doing that on blogger as well.
Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Kael

2011-06-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

So this is one of my homework assignments for Rad Sechrist's story class at CDA.

My character's name is Kael but he doesn't remember who he is because of an enchanted mask that accidentally got stuck on his face. All he knows is that he was some sort of assassin. The girl in the shot, Angelie, is a wannabe wizard who ends up tagging along with him. I'm thinking maybe she was the one who accidentally got the mask stuck on his face. I dunno. Still a WIP of course. Hope you like. :D

PS. This blog is getting no love! People should post more!

Superman, Turn Around Please

2011-05-29T20:17:00.001-07:00

Poor LMU nimators blog, I've totally forgotten about you! Seems like im not the only one either, as this place is starting to look like JJs personal playground (not that I mind, good job man!)

Anyway, this is a superman turn around I just finished (no shit, right?). I'm really starting to enjoy turning characters and I think I'll be doing some more real soon. Like, right now.

Batmans!

2011-05-23T23:34:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! Here's a collage of various Batman doodles I did in February and March. I'm sure there's a bunch more that I havent scanned yet!

-JJ

The Long Holidays "Through Two Lenses"

2011-05-21T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

I recently did an album cover for the amazing band "The Long Holidays," my long-time friend Jim Holmquist's band.

http://thelongholidays.bandcamp.com/

Give 'em a listen!

-JJ

Monster mash!

2011-05-15T01:17:00.000-07:00

This started as a doodle, but then I decided it sucked so I actually broke out the anatomy book and really worked the design. The result is, I think, pretty awesome!

This guy is from "Katana Gunslinger" issue 01. The basic concept is that a dude is infected by some alien organism that gives him super strength and causes him to lose all his skin (hey, I didn't write it...). I figured it'd look rad if it caused bone mutations, too.

In case you never saw the comics I drew for my friend, this is the original version of this monster. I think the newer drawing is a little cooler.

Just a little...

-JJ

And Yet another "finished" Thesis.

2011-05-14T01:38:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone,

I finally get to join the majority of y'all as alumni! Hope everyone is doing well in the big scary world. Thought to post up my finished thesis film on my personal blog, and well it's not fun to post on just one site--I obviously need to barf it on the internet. Though apparently sam and spencer beat me to the punch, on well. Try to enjoy it anyway!

Here's the youtube link! ..Click it!!!

or ya know just push play below :D

One Art One Love

Thanks for watching guys. Truly appreciate it.

Teresa

Some screen shots from my (finally) completed thesis!

2011-05-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to the whole thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hR4iTVD2niM

My senior thesis film

2011-05-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

Heres my finished thesis film!

password is: thesis205

practical effects

2011-04-12T21:59:00.000-07:00

i like them.

DontMessWithDinosaurs.com

Hey Guys

2011-03-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

Rough Thesis Animation <---CLICK THAT

Hey I got a big old chunk of roughs from my thesis (actually some has been cleaned up) Any who...I just was wondering for some feed back since things are going well and have time and I could fix potential problems. Feed back critics whatever. Let me know what you think!

how birds happened

2011-03-06T22:25:00.000-08:00

this isn't done. the creature on the far left is getting replaced with a closer relative of early dinosaurs.

hope you all are making awesome films.

Number 21

2011-02-16T22:17:00.001-08:00

There just arent enough hours in the day. Must do more. In the mean time, this is number 21. She rides monobikes in the Venetian League AA Circuit.

BLOG

Superboy Smash!

2011-02-12T03:32:00.000-08:00

I've never been any good with action shots but I figured I'd give it a try tonight. It's half inspired by Young Justice (the show, stuff I've seen at WB, superheroes in general, etc) as well as Jay's drawing on DeviantART: "Superman Punching Ground"

I wanted to post my Black Canary drawing too but my external's being stupid and won't show up. >:|

Any hoo... I could really use some tips on how to make this better and other action shots in the future!!

UPDATE!!!

2011-02-08T11:21:00.000-08:00

I think I need to try and contact peter and get him to post to this blog himself.

My First Full Animation : aka my 120

2011-02-03T00:49:00.000-08:00

So here is the source of my idea for my 120 animation. It's my character Toni doing what she does best, telling a story for her little brother (and possibly some stuffed animals) to enjoy. I'm thinking about doing a combination of cells and paper for this one, but I have to solidify the actual 30 second sequence first to make sure that I will or wont (as well as empty out part of my savings to buy cells, anyone know where I can get a sizable number of cells for cheaper than 75 cents a pop?).

Also, ignore the ghost that appeared due to scanning diffi(laziness)culties

Howdy

2011-02-02T00:08:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

Over the next few days I'll be doing a huge dump onto my blog. I pretty much havent updated for the past 2 weeks since I've been getting used to my limited free time, but I think I'm back on track!

-JJ

Sketch Fun

2011-01-31T20:53:00.000-08:00

I dont just draw quick shit nearly often enough.

BLOG

More thesis progress

2011-01-31T00:31:00.000-08:00

Been a while since i put anything from my thesis on here, so figured Id jsut show a few screenshots.

Inside the main characters old apartment: Hes been imprisoned for years and escapes to find the world he once knew completely torn apart. These pictures show the version of his apartment as he remembers it, and then a picture of its current ruined state.

Heres a screen from the opening prison scene that the main character is escaping from.

This is my soldier character now fully textured.

Critiques and any thoughts are welcome.

Thanks!

- Spencer

look! a t. rex!

2011-01-25T17:23:00.000-08:00

they probably didn't have feathers - there are a few small skin impressions of t. rex scales. that said, their ancestors had feathers so its entirely possible that t. rex had feathers on parts of its body for display. It is also possible that baby tyrannosaurs had a downy covering to keep their little bodies warm (little bodies have a harder time keeping a consistent temperature).

do you want another (better) t. rex?!?! try clicking on this one! its like magic! two dinosaurs for only one click!

A Girl and Her Robot

2011-01-25T00:22:00.001-08:00

I think this is the first thing that I have done entirely digitally. I dont really like using an intuous, but until i get my cintiq it will have to do.

The girl was inspired by my purple haired girlfriend. The robot was inspired by Akira Toriyama. and robots.

BLOG

Thesis Still. Hot Damn!

2011-01-20T01:50:00.001-08:00

Hey Guys,

I've never posted on the LMU Animators blog, but I wanted some feedback.

This is an almost finished still from my thesis (Courtesy of Haley Foster, Hannah Olson, Sam Lewis, and myself).

It's nightime and I tried to get moonlight into the scene along with his fan lamp.

Thoughts?

Thanks,

Teresa Leong

Zoo Sketches

2011-01-17T18:08:00.000-08:00

Kim and I went to the LA zoo on the weekend before classes started. Here are the results.

Peter Brandt is an LMU animator from a few years back

2011-01-17T17:25:00.000-08:00

There's a lot of ninja talk goin' on, so I thought I'd contribute this to the discussion. This is a short film that an LMU graduate from a few years before me is working on in his spare time:

The animator's name is Peter Brandt. You should all go check out his youtube channel here: http://www.youtube.com/pdbrandt

I think his work is pretty inspiring. Not only is his animation really well done, but his action sequences are meticulously detailed, and well conceived. From what I can tell he gets good ideas and then elaborates on them to such a degree that his work brings to mind the mantra of John Hammond from Jurassic Park, "We spare no expense!"

Peter Brandt spares no expense.

Cowboys and Girls

2011-01-17T15:23:00.000-08:00

I really dont know why I put these things together. The other day I got to do some life drawing of a cowboy. He was a good model, and it was a lot of fun. All of these are three minute poses. (Except the bonus dinosaur, he took ten seconds. I timed it.)

This morning I warmed up by drawing some cute girls. They took about 15 minutes each. Always a good way to get started. Anyway, when I was done, I felt like putting them together.

BLOG!

weirdo

2011-01-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

StarShine

2011-01-12T18:05:00.000-08:00

I have had a character floating around in my head for a while named StarShine. She doesnt have a story, kinda just more a bout a look. Anyway, here she is at 3 different points in life. I think the two youngest are a bit tooooo similar, but I had fun anyway.

Also, JJ has somewhat inspired me and I will be making a point of posting to my blog every day this year. I wont put them all on here, that would be annoying, but if you'd like to follow along, my blog is http://tokemyoak.blogspot.com/

Katana Gunslinger

2011-01-12T00:08:00.000-08:00

Hey all!
I drew this today and I'm pretty happy with how it came out! It's of the main character, Grey, from that comic I drew called "Katana Gunslinger."

-JJ

Sketchy Sunday 11

2011-01-09T23:57:00.001-08:00

Old 2010 Christmas doodle request that was supposed to be finished but instead got abandoned. I thought I'd finish it this weekend but never got around to actually completing it and then the Laker game distracted me.

Super Fighting Robot!

2011-01-09T17:55:00.001-08:00

I actually colored one of my pieces! Holy crap that never happens!

I wanted to do a fun drawing of Mega Man's classic jump pose. All in all, probably 2-3 hours of work in this?

-JJ

People Watching in Santa Monica

2011-01-09T00:54:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!
I went people watching with my friends Christie, Jen, and Rafael and it was a BLAST! Here's a "best of" from my pages today.

Check the blogs of Christie, Jen and Rafael, cause they'll hopefully be posting their work from today and you've gotta see it. They're all super skilled! We're going to go drawing again next weekend. Anyone interested?

-JJ

Black Sheep by Metric

2011-01-07T04:24:00.000-08:00

I was bored earlier today so I listened to the Scott Pilgrim soundtrack. Should be clear which song I got inspired by. :P

It's still a work in progress, but I figured I hadn't posted anything for a while so here ya go.

Batmaang!!!

2011-01-07T00:16:00.001-08:00

-JJ

concept

2011-01-06T10:31:00.001-08:00

5 hours work on this.

mexican devil monster!

2011-01-05T21:47:00.000-08:00

drew this for Jose today. he's planning on bringing the devil to life.

it's for a scene based on this:

'El Diablo en La Iglesia' by José David Alfaro Siqueros.

So, too metal? Not metal enough?

Sketchy Sunday 10

2011-01-02T23:44:00.000-08:00

This is half of something for a buddy on DA.

doodles

2011-01-02T15:07:00.001-08:00

doodley doo

New Year's Resolution: 2,011 in 2011

2011-01-01T23:43:00.000-08:00

So, I'll start this by saying that by many standards I'm a pretty good artist. Compared to a lot of my f r i e n d s, though, I suck. So, I came up with a New Year's Resolution that should help fix that.

In 2011 I will do 2,011 pages of drawing, and I'll be keeping myself honest on my blog!

'HOLY SHIT, THAT'S A LOT," you may say. That's what I said, that's what my girlfriend said. It's really not though. If I do 6 pages each day, I'll be more than fine. The one "catch" is that half of the 2,011 pages must be studies. The idea is that not only will I force myself to draw more often, but I'll force myself to study and learn from the masters.

Anyway, here are the rules I've set forth:

1. I must do at least 1,005 pages of drawings from my head or from real life.

2. I must do at least 1,006 pages of studies.

3. Since I do a lot of storyboards for my portfolio, those count. They will be added to the 2,011 once the board is finished.

1 page of 3 panels = 1 page of the 2,011

So follow along on my blog, and I encourage you all to take on a 2,011 in 2011 challenge!

Oh, one last note. Since the studies are not my own work, I wont be posting each individual page of them. I dont want ANY confusion as to what's my work and what's not, and I dont want anybody thinking that I'm taking credit for the master's work. Instead I'll probably post a photo of all the pages and list who I was looking at that particular day.

Anyway, here are my first 6 pages. I went people watching in Santa Monica today.

So this fellow was interesting. He was Middle Eastern, and he had one leg and a three legged dog. He also does not like being drawn. See how the paper is dirty and wrinkled? That's from when he yelled at me and tore the page out of my sketch book!

Rule 4. of 2,011 in 2011: be more sly.

These aren't from Santa Monica. I was watching "Magnum Force" with my dad. Clint Eastwood's a badass. Oh, and those are Tharks at the bottom.

Anyhoo, I'll try to update my blog with this daily, but I might not be able to. I WILL be keeping up on the pages, and I WILL post everything, if not every day.

999/1,005 drawings left
1,006/1,006 studies left

-JJ

PS: Anybody have suggestions on who to do master copies from?

So I got lazy and didn't color it yet, so....

2011-01-01T21:46:00.000-08:00

Decided to go with the "safe option" for now a throw up the version with the reworked lineart. Still working out the colors. I'm leaning towards and bright orange and yellow and a deep blue and purple, like a fire during nighttime. For now, I've opted be to get some feedback on the piece at this level before moving on.

I took much of JJ's suggestions about "wrapping" the lines. It's not my usual method for conveying form, but I figured it was a method worth exploring.

Here is "Migornic Lineart V2"!

The most useful site I've ever seen for the artist

2010-12-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

I personally have not signed up for this site, but I can vouch for its use.

http://www.conceptart.org/

If you doubt, I will direct you here

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=41

(Critiques by excellent artists the world over...mostly)

here

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/showthread.php?t=152626

(The best art books that anyone can find use for)

here

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=42

(Comprehensive, massive, FREE tutorial section)

here

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=12

(Jobs.)

and here

http://www.conceptart.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=15

(Things I learned through experience that could've been learned for free)

I found these sections extremely informative. This site has a lot of depth. If nothing else, check the stickies from the sketchbook and art school section (ESPECIALLY THE E-BOOKS). If you're a braver soul, go ahead and register and get critiqued into perfection.

just gonna throw this up here for reference

2010-12-28T16:33:00.000-08:00

Drawing from the imagination by Glenn Vilppu

Draw-Over for Sketch

2010-12-28T13:09:00.000-08:00

This is a really badass design! I love the cyborg monster idea you have going here, and I think I know what's really hurting the 3-dimensionality of the piece, and it's NOT a lack of color and shading.

All of my teachers say, "If a drawing isnt solid to start with, no amount of rendering will save it." So throwing color and rendering on top wont fix your problems!

I think the need to draw through and around is your biggest problem in terms of dimensionality.

If I recall, you tend to draw just contours, right? You dont really use any under-structure? There is a lot of value to drawing an under-structure. If you draw solid shapes first then your line work can wrap around those solid volumes. That's what's missing from your piece and what is flattening it out. Lines are just lines; they don't define volumes.

Let's look at the eyeballs. Right now, you just have lines. I can tell what you're going for, but the lines dont actually describe the volume of the eye because they are not wrapping around a volume. I drew some eyeballs next to your to show what I mean, and to show how drawing around a volume can make them really solid.

Now let's look at the point where the arms connect to the eye tentacles. What you've drawn does not describe anything with volume because we dont see the arm wrapping around and behind the tentacles; the arms is on the same plane as the tentacles and it's certainly never behind it.

I've drawing some ellipses with a lip, defining the arm hole that those tentacles are sliding into. That lip indicates to the viewer "this arm is both in front and behind the tentacles, because they are sliding INTO it."

Same thing with the connection point between the chest armor and the midsection. The armor is on top of the mid section, but it certainly does not wrap around it. Maybe it's not supposed to, but the drawing would be a lot more solid and it would have a lot more depth and dimension if it did.

Again, I drew an ellipse with a lip to define the hole that the midsection fits into.

There are a few areas where you did a great job using overlaps to show exactly that. The shoulder armor definitely feels like it rests on top of the arms. That's because we see the lines wrapping around the arm; the lines are both in front and move behind it. The tentacle segments on the right side of the drawing have good, descriptive overlap.

To top it off, a nice fine detail that will push your perspective is the use of line weight. You have an eye-tentacle coming toward camera, so I thickened up the lines on it. See how it pops a little more? This is kind of like atmospheric perspective, but for lines. The closer the object, the thicker the line should be (relative to the lines behind it). Do this throughout the drawing and it will look really badass.

I hope this makes sense and is helpful. These are all ideas that I never heard at LMU. I personally struggle with these ideas now, and I'm CONSTANTLY called out at CDA when my work lacks them.

What do you think guys? Anybody disagree or have anything to add?

-JJ

Honorary Member Clause

2010-12-27T19:20:00.000-08:00

I asked Matt if I could start posting here. One part to keep in contact with everybody and also to keep my skills sharp.

I present you with the "Migornic"! So named because I slipped on saying organic while thinking of "mechanic". Critique however you please.

I will do a more colored, rendered and cleaned version next time, as it lacks dimensionality in my opinion.

Sketchy Sunday 8 Colored

2010-12-26T21:13:00.001-08:00

I wish I had time to draw some new stuff out, but it's the holidays and I only have enough time to post the colored version of that old WIP. So in the words of Engh "Stay postin".

old doodlies

2010-12-26T13:47:00.000-08:00

it's sunday and i'm 2000 miles from my scanner, so you get some artifacts.

stay postin'.

DontMessWithDinosaurs.com

He knows if you've been bad or good...

2010-12-25T04:05:00.000-08:00

...so you'd better be good, punk.

Merry Christmas!

-JJ

i missed cuz i suck

2010-12-24T14:50:00.000-08:00

So after proclaiming that sketchy sunday must never die, i missed a couple. i know, im lame, but ive been super busy, work work work work work. but yeah i know, everyone is.

anyway this is sailor moon. i did her on a bag that im gonna shove some jewelry into and give to my sister. (shhhhhh, its for christmas). like all little girls in the nineties, myself included, she loved sailor moon.

Trailer!

2010-12-21T22:59:00.001-08:00

Hey guys!

Because I haven't plastered this over the internet enough... here's my thesis trailer!

Enjoy!

The Many Great Adventures Trailer from Lis Savic on Vimeo.

Any feedback would be more than welcome, since I'm trying to make this film the absolute best that it can be!

-Lis

Sketchy Sunday 9

2010-12-19T23:53:00.000-08:00

Wanted to do something different slightly, but old habits kept kicking in. I guess that's todays them doing stuff different. Maybe I'll finish this one day and fix her weird eyes.

Immunity, an iPhone game!

2010-12-19T22:00:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody, Keith Henry here. My brother, a friend and I just got finished making an iPhone game! I did pretty much all the visual art except a few buttons. We submitted it to Apple today. It will have to go through the usual approval process before it will be available for sale. It'll cost $1.99.

Immunity is a game about the body's immune systems inside your small intestines. It's bright happy-ish graphics, so there's nothing particularly gross, even though it's in the intestines.

We have a demo up on our website so feel free to check it out! Lonely Dodo site

To play it you will need to install something called "Unity Web Player." It should provide you with a link to download the player if you try to play the demo.

The Demo includes the first 10 levels and for now it includes the survival mode which has several game play elements in it that are explained in the full story mode.

Sketchy Sunday and another idea...

2010-12-19T18:55:00.001-08:00

Hey guys, here's the first page from my new sketchbook.

I'm really trying to push my graphic-style work. Feedback would be great! I think I've got a handle on simplifying the designs, but I'm not quite sure how to push it more...

Also, I had this idea. I know there are a few aspiring storyboard artists out in blog-land, and we all need portfolio samples. I was thinking we could have something each week where we'd pick a theme then do a 1-2 min board on that theme. It'd get us some good, short samples with a wide variety.

This week I'm going to try for a graphic style board with kids. I'll post an animatic next Sunday!

In Mountains

2010-12-14T11:16:00.001-08:00

I shot some stuff over the thanksgiving weekend for an upcoming music video.

The bulk of the story will be told with animated heiroglyphic-like blood paintings, moving across the surface of snowy boulders and trees and the ground. Here's an example of a blood on snow texture that will be mapped to the animation and then layered over a background plate (boulder with branches in front of it)...

The rest will just be pretty scenery and me wandering around with a vague sense of purpose.

Keep up the great posting!

I got inspired 8D

2010-12-14T06:50:00.000-08:00

Photoshop has the coolest brushes, btw.

Took me about an hour to do. I still want to fix it later, such as make the canvas larger to give the guy a little breathing room and then I want to add a little figure in it. :)

And yes, I know. Get back to work. No need to say it in the comments. :/

btw... apparently the colors match the blog's colors. xD

SKETCHY SUNDAY MUST NEVER DIE!!!!!!!

2010-12-14T01:15:00.001-08:00

I think the title says it all. NEVER DIE. EVER. sorry i missed one though

did anyone else see tangled? holy shit i love that movie.

Sketchy Sunday 8

2010-12-12T23:58:00.000-08:00

Well it started off as a sketch and now it's a work in progress, so hold off on the critiques. I think we can retire Sketchy Sunday now. We got updates from different artist. What do you guys say yay or nay?

Photographs

2010-12-12T00:06:00.000-08:00

Hey animation friends!

I've posted this around the internets already, but I just want to let you all know that our (Brendan and Kiki's) thesis film is screening for the first time this coming Wednesday, Dec 15, in Mayer Theater (in the Comm Arts building) at the Fall Animation screening. We'd love to have you all there, since a lot of you were part of it in one way or another.

There will also be some really awesome films by the sophomore class!

Anyway, hope to see you guys there! :D

Nothing can stop him from eating... not even an Atomic BOMB....

2010-12-11T23:29:00.001-08:00

And yes, I know.... "GET BACK TO WORK!"

15 minute doodle

2010-12-11T06:27:00.000-08:00

BAM...

Ok, back to boarding.

JJ's Tanks

2010-12-09T17:27:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,
Here's some more work from my VisCom class. The first two pages are drawings from a really cool tank museum, while the second two pages are of my re-design.

The first two pages here are from Planes of Fame, a bitchin airplane museum out in Chino. I'm hitting it up again over winter break, if anyone's interested in tagging along. The second two are my redesign.

Let me know what you think!

-JJ

Sauroposeidon was a really big dinosaur.

2010-12-08T04:34:00.000-08:00

This is one of the dino illustrations I did over the summer. I finally got around to getting it up on my website. If you click on it you will be taken to where you can see it bigger and read about the ideas and science behind it!

What's this?? Speculative but entirely plausible inflatable display structures?!? Wow! NEat!

Jayboard Designs

2010-12-06T20:18:00.001-08:00

Well, I needed something to put up on this blog, so I decided to share a couple character sheets I'm using for my final Jay board.

Fresh-meat...errr..art!

2010-12-06T00:25:00.000-08:00

Newcomer to the LMU animators
and avoiding homework as I post this, of course
Sadly I am posting fan-art but they are some of the few pieces I am proud of

OK! Uploading these images was not as fun as I expected, but hopefully I'll be allowed to stay long enough to learn the basics.
I hope to do something in this style in future projects I may have
also, <3 Neil Gaiman
even if the Sandman sometimes makes me sick to my stomach....

Lynn

2010-12-05T22:08:00.000-08:00

Brendan and I have been working on a new story, probably for a comic we want to draw together. This is Lynn, one of the main characters.

I also wish I had her helmet!

More Thesis Work

2010-12-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

Here is some more stuff from my thesis film.

Just did a test render of a hallway scene so here is that (the motionless norman is just a stand in. The final film will be shot with a live action actor for my main character)

youtube clip

Here are some character model sheets!

(robot is in the final stages of being rigged. Just trying to work out a few complicated problems. And the soldier is on stand by for being textured and have detail added in Zbrush)

Here are jsut a few screenshots of other sets im working on

Apartment: I need to finish tearing some more wallpaper, and modeling and texturing for a few more pieces of furniture

City Street: I need to finish modeling and texturing buildings to line the street, and the current BG is just a temp bg, something I found off google.

Feel free to leave any comments!!
As always you can also check out my own blog im keeping here

discovering monstorz!

2010-12-03T22:58:00.000-08:00

i went through a bunch of old papers and found some monsters that would've otherwise gone forgotten. This guy is my favourite:

i call him crust-shell. i'm pretty sure he is really big (like 60 feet tall) and eats trees. he is also very strong and his tail has spikes, which are very important. when i invent more time i will make him come to life. his eyes let you know he is very very old. probably 14 thousand.

you should make yourself a favourite monster and put it on the blog too. they sure are great.

sketch lady and cameo apearence

2010-12-01T22:12:00.000-08:00

Had some time to draw over Thanksgiving...nice to draw in the sketchbook instead of digitally. My good friend Matt B always draws ladies looking over their shoulders, so I wanted to try a similar pose.

Also, speaking of Matt....here is my cameo appearance (as promised) in his upcoming super shiney new project!
Hope you guys like it :)

Watch out Poozers

2010-11-30T15:28:00.001-08:00

I've been binging on "Green Lantern" comics this week...

Sketchy Sunday 7

2010-11-28T23:00:00.001-08:00

We've done a lot of ridiculous stuff on this project, and this shot is one of them. Also someone will make a cameo in the background of this shot.

Katana Gunslinger

2010-11-28T18:17:00.001-08:00

Hey guys!

So this was a doodle that turned into an actual picture. It's of the main character from a comic I drew about a year ago. I'm thinking about putting a title in that white dead-area on the right.

Anyway, I'm glad to see this place a little more alive!

-JJ

More doodle breaks

2010-11-27T16:53:00.000-08:00

Still chugging along to finish that darn musical storyboard. >__<

Color and Carachters for my thesis!

2010-11-24T22:34:00.000-08:00

My thesis is an alternately Japanese and Salvador Dali inspired short, so my characters and assets are a bit strange to say the least. But they are all modeled and colored at this point, and now its time to build and light my sets. Also rigging... but I try not to think about that. Here are a few random screen shots. Enjoy!

Billium: one of of multiple fur-ball aliens

Charlie: my main character, a large monster lost in a strange world

A flower on the alien planet (where the fur-balls live)

A large tree on the alien planet

A five story pagoda building from the alien planet

Comments are greatly appreciated!

~Sam

girly dress drawing

2010-11-23T01:39:00.001-08:00

Brendan and I are almost done with our thesis!! Here's a drawing I did while waiting for some shots to render.

sketchy sunday is always a funday

2010-11-22T23:33:00.001-08:00

This woman is admittedly kinda odd. I got a bit erratic on the hair reflections and the line work is kinda a mess. Big lips too. botox or something?

SURPRISE DOOODLES!!

2010-11-22T21:32:00.000-08:00

I dunno if any of you have this experience, but I feel like my best doodles happen when I'm not even trying or paying attention. this monster guy happened while somebody was talking to me on the phone about something I can't remember.

also, here's a random party doodle from a couple months back:

The big monster floats at the top of the space-swamp and grabs the wiggly swimmy things with his big spike mittens. He then eats them with his squishy tentacle mouth parts.

Bright Lights, Bigger City

2010-11-22T16:33:00.001-08:00

I missed a Sketchy Sunday post, and this screenshot that you're looking at is why. ZW and I are collaborating again on a little animated short.

Just a painting doodle

2010-11-21T21:47:00.001-08:00

Hey,

so... Matt's sitting next to me right now and got me to post this. YAY for posts on the blog!

Still working on it (when I get bored of Storyboard Pro) so when it's done I'll post the finished version.

I miss painting in Photoshop. D:

oh... and here's another thing that's totally random and way more colorful. :P Summer stuff... fun times.

Sketchy sunday : Yellow Lantern

2010-11-15T16:23:00.001-08:00

I do like sketchin on sundays. Agree with Matt though, gotta get some more childrens in here.

Anyway, this is a yellow lantern. You can tell by the half assed yellow lantern emblem on his arm.

Sketchy Sunday 6

2010-11-14T23:12:00.000-08:00

We really do need fresh blood on this blog, so far Class of 09 and 08 have been the only ones showing this site some love. Don't give me that I'm busy with school bullshit, because we have all been there and done that. Rule 76: No excuses, play like a champion.

Thesis Progress

2010-11-14T01:16:00.001-08:00

Hey guys! my first post on here, but brian suggested I put up some of my thesis work so I can share it with everyone.

I recently finished my animatic which can be seen here

The story is centered around a chase scene with a character whose been in prison for some time and has now escaped to discover the apocalyptic state that the world has now fallen into.

Its all gonna be in 3d except for the main character, who i will shoot with a live action actor on a green screen.

I also put up a short test clip of some animation for my robot character here

Feel free to leave comments and critiques on anything. Ive also been updating my own blog http://spencerfilmblog.blogspot.com/ through out the semester, which has alot more stuff

Thanks!

-Spencer

pink highlighter, blue roller ball

2010-11-13T15:15:00.000-08:00

i accidentally only had pink highlighter and blue roller ball to doodle with. i really like it though...

i painted in the background tinting in phozoshomp. I think i will be exploring this style more...

DontMessWithDinosaurs.com

Sketchy sunday update

2010-11-10T16:13:00.001-08:00

a few days ago i posted a drawing of this guy. jj was awesome enough to give me some pretty thorough tips on an arm i had kinda slapped onto him, and I incorporated much of his advice into my further study of the character. i went with a more neutral pose with this one so that i could really bang out the shapes nice and super gooood. unfortunately, i think i developed something of a leaning problem in this drawing, but it doesnt warrant trying to fix this one i dont think; just time to further develop the character.

super thanks x 10 to JJ. I really appreciate the advice and insight into my drawing and think that this blog will be most successful if used as a forum to get input from everyone involving our own artistic development.

finally done

2010-11-10T13:26:00.000-08:00

i hope you'll share this with everybody even though halloween is over. mainly because i put way too much work into it, but also because fuck christmas. seriously halloween is way better and christmas has fully invaded all the way to september. its time to fight back.

oh, also, I've been sketching too, but i haven't gotten around to scanning anything because i've been so focused on getting this halloween video done. anyway, i'll post some doodlies soon too.

oh, and watch it in HD. Way better.

Sketchy Sundayy 5? Im trusting you matt...

2010-11-08T18:32:00.001-08:00

This guy is, well, guy.

Sketchy Sunday 5

2010-11-07T23:51:00.000-08:00

Just in time.

JJ's VisCom work

2010-11-07T15:29:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!

So I'm taking this class called VisCom 1. It's an Art Center class, but CDA is offering it because they're AWESOME and the teacher at Art Center is buddies with the head of CDA.

Anyway, this jist of this class is to teach you how to break things down to the simplest shapes. We go on field trips and draw on location using only pens and markers, learning how to simplify what we see and how to accurately draw it on the first try. After each field trip we do a re-design, putting our own spin on the topic for the day.

Anyhoo, I wanted to share my re-designs with you guys!

First we went to the Arboretum and drew plants, so here's my re-design and the pitch:

The Vinar Morticus is a deadly plant that grows upside down from tree branches, waiting for its prey. When the unfortunate creature comes along, the articulate vines grab hold with their fierce talon-like spikes and hoist the victim up toward the mouth.

Next up we drew insects:

This is the Urethus worm. It infiltrates the colony of a tunneling insect (ants, termites, etc) to lay its eggs. Once it dies, a fluid leaks out of the body that rapidly expands when it comes into contact with air. The resulting foam fills the tunnels and traps the inhabitants. Upon hatching, the larva feasts on the trapped insects.

After that we hit up the zoo, but I took a bit of liberty with the re-design aspect:

The Yoshi is a distant evolutionary cousin to the Koopa, but while the Koopa developed a hard shell, the Yoshi evolved tough scales along the back. In later years, the inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom learned that this not only offers the Yoshi extra protection (along with the ridge of spikes), but also creates a natural saddle for riders.

The truly unique characteristic of this species is its reproductive cycle. The Yoshi is asexual, and each Yoshi can lay a single egg in the life of its body. The Yoshi transfers its consciousness to that egg, and the body dies as soon as it lays the egg. What results is the Yoshi's personality and knowledge being reborn in the baby Yoshi that hatches.

This week we went to Travel Town, so I'll be doing a train re-design this week.

Anyhoo, I hope you dig it!

-JJ

PS: The Yoshi design is based on my Halloween costume. It's a crappy video, but check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPZWjZDDGIo

Sunday sketch on a Saturday?

2010-11-06T12:15:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, this is a rough color sketch of a drawing I am working on. I hope to have it done for tomorrow, but I probably wont be able to finish cause I am gonna be busy today. There are a few things here and there I want to change, but overall its pretty close to what its gonna look like.

happy halloween

2010-11-04T00:38:00.000-07:00

I couldn't finish it all in time for Halloween because the song I wrote is almost five minutes long and there was no way my computer was going to magically render that much after effects 3d in a day. So anyway, I put up what was done completely by Halloween and I'll be putting up the full version sometime in the next couple days.

Here's a screen grab of how the cathedral is looking. The color scheme/lighting will be a bit different in the final version, but the basic layout is the same. The camera moves are all rendered, but I'm still working on filling it up with ghosts.

DontMessWithDinosaurs.com

i want to go to a rave.

2010-11-04T00:26:00.000-07:00

i want to go to a rave. sketchy sunday. wednesday.

Sketchy Sunday 4

2010-10-31T19:29:00.001-07:00

My bad, I forgot to post one last week. Happy Halloween.

Small crit for Sam

2010-10-27T09:12:00.001-07:00

Sam, your stuff looks tight! That modeling is super solid. Great detailing, too. You should watch out for even spacing, though. It's generally considered a design flaw. Here's where it was most obvious to me.

The basic idea is that if your spacing is even, the eye has a harder time moving across the form, since each "even segment" seems to be of equal importance. So, what I've done is adjust the ring spacing so they lead the eye up the pole to the symbol up top.

So what is your story? Keep up the good work, and I can't wait to see more!

Thesis-y things!

2010-10-25T15:55:00.000-07:00

I've been modeling and texturing for months now... and yet I feel like i've gotten nowhere... But here is some of what I have so far. What do ya'll think?

sketchy sunday.....on sunday!? finally made it!

2010-10-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

for last weeks sketch i posted a portrait of my character, tactless cactus, so this week i thought id do a full body shot. he has been steadily evolving as my friend and i are starting to gain some momentum in the creation of the comic, and i should be gettin to work on some pages soon. blank t-shirt for now, but i will have stuff on it soon enough. yummy stuff. and probably not so yummy stuff too.

sketchy music video

2010-10-20T01:07:00.000-07:00

i'm trying to find time to make this into a music video before halloween. Will Hyler might be involved, so I made a sketch to show him what I had in mind.

sketchy sunday on.....tuesday? gettin better.

2010-10-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

this is a portrait of a chracter from a comic i am working on with a friend of mine. his name is tactless cactus, and he isnt pleased to meet you.

Sketchy Sunday 3

2010-10-17T23:52:00.000-07:00

Who's going to be Psylocke for Halloween?

Some Sunday Sketches

2010-10-17T14:28:00.000-07:00

This was really fun to make...

2010-10-15T02:52:00.000-07:00

...i hope it isn't horrible to watch haha.

oh wait, never mind. i wanted it to be assaultive.

This was a really fun collaboration where we got together to make stuff but then we went away to finish making stuff. That way we each made separate complete stuff but starting with the same original stuff. I hope that isn't unclear. watch Will's explanation. It's better.

oh also i want to shout out Jeremy here. On a whim I emailed him and said, 'do you want to draw pictures for this like you did for Die Antwoort' and he did! but i didn't use them. strangely, the reason i didnt use them is because they are too damn good. so good in fact I'm going to figure out a way to pay Jeremy to animate crazy stompin characters for a future music video. i dont know what exactly, yet, but i swear on the blood of robert muldoon from Jurassic Park that it will be made manifest.

Awesome to see all of you keeping it mad sketchy. I LOVE logging on here and seeing new stuff up all the time. WIN!

B!