The Storyboard Animatic Project of Learning Pt.2

         So,  after the Storyboard Pro 2 trial ran out, I realized that I could still use the SCAD computers until the end of the quarter.  So I talked to a friend that teaches there and helped me figure out what I needed to know to make a storyboard animatic in After Effects. Before that I redid my thumbnails like so.

         Originally All of the thumbnails were suppose to be at the quality of the first image.  But due to the fact that I only had till the end of the quarter for free access to After Effects, I had to hurry up and get these done.  Upon finishing said thumbnails I went to see my friend in the SCAD building and began the proccess of turning the thumbnails into an animatic.

       This is the video result, also known as run through 1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAdl-Z3sj1c&feature=youtu.be

The Storyboard Animatic Project of Learning Pt. 1

           So, during my class in the summer I was told that if I really needed to learn how to make a storyboard animatic and use Storyboard Pro.  Storyboard Pro happens to be the storyboard program that is standard in the industry.  So I decided that when it came to teaching myself how to make them that I would take my Korra Gangam style idea further and make storyboard a music video version.

           After finishing the drawing, I started to work on teaching myself how to make an animatic, so I downloaded a trial of Storyboard Pro 2.  After playing around with it for a little, I remembered the Gangam Style idea, and using my mouse made these crappy thumbnails to figure out what I wanted to do to figure out the timing of the video and what I wanted to do.

This is a good idea of what they looked like.

           The problem with the Storyboard Pro 2 trial was that you could only do segments of 30 seconds.  So I had save the project in parts. 5 to be exact.  Due to starting a job and needing to study for it. I managed to finish it just before the trial ended.   This is the point when I realized that I could sneak into a SCAD building.

The Overly Problematic Networking Attempt pt.6

       So, after deciding to just go ahead and send the drawings, with a letter of course, I discovered that I could not find a fan mail address for Mike, Bryan, Legend of Korra, or Nickelodeon.  In fact I have been unable to find a mailing address at all.  I don't know if it I am missing something obvious, or it is just that difficult.

       Long story I started this project in September.  As of November 26 at 5:26 p.m. I have these waiting to be mailed as soon as I can find a mailing address.

   

       
         By now Gangam Style has really taken off and the joke has become old.  What I was hoping would be an original Idea has become one out of a million. Also I still haven't been able to mail the damn things off yet. But that is how it goes sometimes.

The Overly Problematic Networking Attempt pt.5

            Now for the problems with coloring it.  When I had planned this project out I was under the assumption that I would be able to get into the SCAD library as an Alumni. Thus I could use the Cintiqs there  while I was still able to log into the computers.  Not so since I am not an Alumni and still need to retake classes.  So after much deliberation I decided to go ahead and color it with a mouse on my computer.  Needless to say it was very frustrating and time consuming.  However, I did it.

         Since then I realized that I could "sneak" into some of the SCAD buildings, sadly that did not occur to me at the time. 

             I printed these off, however the printing quality is not as good as I would like and I have been debating whether to wait to afford to professionally print it.  Giving it has been so long I have decided to just go a head and send it since the joke is so old that is not as good as when I first came up with it.  Sadly,t here are still problems.

The Overly Problematic Networking Attempt pt.4

          So, here is where outside influences start to affect my production.  During the summer I lost all of my inking supplies.  I kept them in a pencil bag for easy storage and portability, also at the time I was living off of the tail end of my loans to finish what I thought was my final class.  So needless to say I only bought what I needed for class, which was a .3 Copic tech pen and some 2 sized microns for story boarding.

          At the time of inking for the Korra fan art, I was living off of my parents while trying to get a job.  However I really did not want to use a mechanical line for this image.  I felt it would look better with a lot of line width, so I went and bought a size 2 Winsor Newton Series 7. That was a bad idea.  I overestimated how much line width I could play with, and that the brush size size is too big for me to get details while maintaining control.  So the inks wound up looking like this.

          

           They needed to be redone.  I also noticed that there was nothing to show the water in the background and some other issues I can't remember at the moment. So I went and redid my pencils.

          Then, since I couldn't afford to buy a new brush, I went ahead and inked them with my tech pen which is what I had hoped to avoid in the first place.

               Next up, the issues with coloring.

The Overly Problematic Networking Attempt pt. 3

Alright, the next thing that I did was I blew up my thumbnails for blue lines and played with them a little in Photoshop, so that they looked like so.

I manipulated this a little in Photoshop so that the movement of the body worked better for the composition.

I kept this one as is because I felt that it worked.

I then took the second image and went to work on turning it into a final penciled image. Here is the tight rough, finalized. 

I then blue lined it and and made a final penciled image at full size on 11 x 17 Bristol.

At this point Gangam style really started to take off and I wanted to get it finished before the joke became old. So looking at how long this was taking me, it had been at a week since I started, I decided to just print to copies of this and send them instead of two separate images.  

Next up Inking, and the frustrations begin.

The Overly Problematic Networking Attempt pt.2

      So as I was saying, I had chosen two images to draw.

This is the first one:

       

           It is meant to be in the bending arena, with the cast of Korra in front and Ghost Adult Anng in the back on top of the raised platform. This is actually my favorite idea because of the playfulness of Anng.  This also fits the layout of the people in the shot I used as reference.  

           This is the second image, and the first one that I started.  Same idea as before except the it is a view of Anng's statue which is in the back dancing like everybody else. I like this one because it was more uniform and quicker to read.  However it also comes across as a little more over the top and less fun.

           Before blowing these and printing a blue line on card stock, I did more practice sketches of Korra characters.  Like so.

There were about five more pages but you get the idea.

I focused on the faces thinking that they would be the hardest for me to get.  Also I had found pretty good reference for the outfits.  That way of thinking was not such a good idea actually.

The Overly Problematic Networking Attempt pt.1

           So at the end of August I had finished what I thought was my last class at Savannah College of Art and Design.  During that time I had the idea to send letters to various directors and creators and try to see if I could create a small discussion by talking shop.  One in a million, but whatever.  I tried it a couple of times and slipped in a storyboarding portfolio.  One got sent back as an unsolicited submission while the other there was no reply.  Then I decided to try it with cute fan art as a "bribe" so to speak.  My first attempt is Legend of Korra creators Mike and Bryan.  Obviously with the title this hasn't been as easy as it seems.

          The concept I came up with was to mix Gangam Style with the Legend of Korra cast in Season 2 clothing.  This was before Gangam Style blew up overseas and was just really popular in South Korea and people who are into Kpop.  I was also assuming that one of the two would have come across or heard about it, since the animation is done in South Korea. But I digress, after finishing class, I started to brainstorm and thumbnailed my idea out.  Like so.

 Also during this I was watching the video and referencing the dancing. This way I could pick and choose the poses that I wanted, and stay true to the research material.

          So while thinking about this, I was trying to decided between two images, both I like but I wasn't sure which would be better.  So I decided to do two, one for Mike, and one for Bryan.  That didn't work out so well. 

Storyboard Secrets - The 7 Hidden Patterns of Successful Storyboards

This is a really good video on storyboarding.  It is really good to watch if you are interested in making some storyboards yourself.

Men's Suit Tutorial

SO here is a link to how to a tutorial on the differences in men's suits.  Including the different cuts and how they effect the wearer visually.  Given the fact that I have been drawing a lot of men's suits for my current project, I find myself wondering where the fucking hell has this been?!!



http://nihilnovisubsole.tumblr.com/post/29472701886

Time Managment

 

            So...about time management.  I know that everybody feels like the little guy up top there, and we all have reason too.  I have no secret, nor am I looking to brag about how hard I work.  I am just going to share some of the things that I am constantly learning and figuring out.

            Everybody has there own approach to managing their time.  Some refuse to do all-nighters, while others do them constantly.  Neither are right or wrong. You grow by challenging yourself, and sometimes that requires you to put in a lot of extra hours.  On the other hand the more tired you are the more prone you are to mistakes.  Lord knows I experience that a lot.  Those that don't manage their time successfully find themselves pulling all-nighters just so that they can make the deadline with average looking work. 
            Recently I just finished a storyboard project for my class and it has definitely been one of those projects that the moment you think you are on top of it, you find out you are dead wrong.  Looking back here are some of the active choices I made that affected how long the project took:

• I did an third run of thumbnails, and took longer than necessary to make sure the were good.
• Read books on visual storytelling that I should have read a long time ago.
• Read through shot reference books when stuck instead of hacking it out. 

          In the end, I feel I made the right choice in these matters.  I have found that taking the time to focus on learning and pushing your limits a much better use of someones time. Also they project would have turned out a lot worse if I hadn't.  That being said here are the other reasons, that I would never use as an excuse:

• ADD.  This never flies in the real world, but it is something I should always take in to consideration.
• Working as an extra for a movie.  Happy to earn money, but sure didn't help me get those thumbnails done.
• Still figuring out a process.  Yeah, try making that excuse to a teacher. 

           Here's how I have been handling my time management in school.  Work as much as possible and work around things like hanging out with friends, trips, etc.  Pull whatever all-nighters I need and avoid home as much as possible.  Not exactly a good example.  Should time allow, I try to make it to the gym or Rugby practice.  The more I focused on schoolwork over the years, the less I went to the gym or tried to see who I could get to head downtown with me.  That has had two effects.  I have gotten better even faster than I had previously, but I now find myself spending time with friends in school buildings and tripos that I go on instead of out getting a beer.
           Is it worth it, yes.  Even though I am nowhere near the shape I used to be in, and I obsess over my health, the growth I have achieved has really made me more confident about my chances of getting a job in the future.

           So however you manage your time, whether by being a workaholic like I strive for or a well-organized worker that gets to sleep at night, just make sure that you do.