High-res Pixar Video

Finished uploading the DVD ready version of the pixar interviews. For those of you that like to archive your animation notes and DVDs like me, you can download it here:

Pixar - High Res (720x576 - 360MB, MPEG)

Call for Quotes

I've added a couple more sections on the right, I've also been updating the design of the site. That's something I think I'll be continually doing, I like to keep things fresh. Anyway, if you want to find out about me or what I'm reading check out the "About" and "Books..." sections. I have a few more sections to come, but I have too much animating to do! :)

Also I'm looking for as many good animation quotes as I can find. I have a quite a bit already, from the various books I have that I've destroyed with highlighter pens (bwahahaa), but I could always use more. So let me know your favorite animation quote of wisdom! Once I get enough I'll make the quote header above generate a random one for some fresh wisdom for my visitors...all two of you! :)

Pixar Interviews / Docter Short

I accidently deleted the last post, so here it is again. I've been getting a lot of traffic for sharing this video so I know that's the only reason you're all here! Anyway, here's the rundown again.

Found an old video in my animation folder containing interviews with Ralph Eggleston talking about Pixar and For the Birds, Jan Pinkava talking about Geri's Game, and right at the end there's a great Pete Docter short from his days at Cal Arts entitled, "Winter". Enjoy!

Pixar Interviews


Check back in a few days, since this video is so popular, I'm uploading the high-res version, which is almost 400 megs. So in case any of you wanna hold onto it, stay tuned, the highres version is perfect for burning to DVD!

Scythe Envy

After studying the Stanchfield notes over and over, I think it's obvious I'd start a rampage to find more inspiration for my new hobby: gesture sketching. I just can't wait until I don't suck, like this guy. Check out The Iron Scythe for some inspirational pen sketching eye candy. I gotta hit up the zoo!

Unfinished Work

I thought I'd post some of my recent unfinished work. This piece was a weight study. I have mixed feelings about this, but everyone I know says it looks pretty good, so I figured I'd post it up here. It still needs a lot of work (smoothing out), but I got sick of working on it so maybe I'll finish it up fully when I finish my lip sync. I'd like to add some more character to it...

Stand Up (H.264)

Stanch is the man!

About a month ago I finally got around to downloading the Walt Stanchfield animation notes from Animationmeat.com (Thanks guys!), but it wasn't until the last few days (minus a few small glimpses here and there) that I was able to fully read them. Now from those small glimpes and glances I was able to recognize the value of the notes and so had them binded at my local Staples. Boy am I glad I did! This stuff is genious!! Just as good and recommended as Illusion of Life and Animator's Survival Kit as far as this young animator is concerned. I've fully studied, highlighted and post-it-noted the whole thing and I must admit, I'm quite enlightened. Go and get them now, and don't put them down until you are done! To convince you further, I've chosen some gems from the text to wet your literal appetites:

"I repeatedly harp on feeling the pose rather than merely looking at it. By looking at it only, you have to keep looking at it repeatedly as you copy the parts. In feeling the pose and I mean actually picturing in your mind, yourseld as doing, the pose. If you have to, stand up, put down your drawing board and assume the pose. Feel which muscles pull or contract to get which stetch or squash. Feel where the weight falls, what is entailed to keep your balance. Feel the psychological attitude it imparts, i.e. if the head is drooped, does it evoke a sad or disappointed feeling; if the head is held high, do you feel proud or haughty or reverent-or what? So with the whole body, impose some kind of attitude on it. Then you have that pose locked into your mind and can summon it up at will by simply seeing it in your mnind and assuming that attitude. As a matter of fact you can see it from any vantage point-you could even do some mental levitation and look down on it from above"



"Sometimes the changes of angles of cheek against flock, or hand against cheek are so subtle they are felt rather than seen, if you are just looking they are seductive-if you are drawing, they suddenly become almost invisible-difficult to see and capture. That's why sometimes you have draw not what you see but what you know is there or what you feel is there."

There are tons more creative gems like those within the rest of the text.

....

Also check out this blog from a bunch of Sony and Dreamworks animators. It's called, "Insert Name Here". I can't believe I haven't been reading it all this time, I guess it sort of got overshadowed by Spline Doctors. Anyway, thanks to Cartoon Brew for the heads up.

New Run Cycle!

Finally got around to reworking the run cyle. Now it's got a bit more personality to it. I know it ain't perfect but I'm done with it now. Time to move on to the long awaited lipsync.

I've added a couple wicked sites to my daily routine. Thanks to Spline Doctors for pointing them out, they're pretty cool!

Story Boredom
Hand Drawn Nomad