more studies

knowing where to push the face and body has been an ongoing process for me and it will probably continue for a while. I found that drawing has helped me more and more in CG animation. The biggest thing I have found to be helpful is pushing all areas of the body to make a powerful impact. It is really fun to go way beyond with extreme poses and it is challenging to find the right balance sometimes; especially when dealing with realistic looking characters. Finding landmarks has been around since animation started. Using areas of the face and body that can be distorted and taken back to their original position is a great tool. Anyway, I was just drawing a bunch of stuff thinking about what I need to work on tomorrow in my shot and this is one of the few things I sketched. I am actually animating Rapunzel at the moment so this was just a test since I cant really show any of my pre pro stuff from the movie.

...???.insearch of the Golden Animation Reel.. (not really)???...

I have been reading and hearing a lot of conversations about studios, layoffs, projects, and so many negative things about the animation industry that my head hurts. All the conversations led to someone asking me why my reel was not posted on my blog so that studios could access it easily. I don't like thinking about reel too much, especially while I am trying to animate. Everyone thinks of their work differently and how it makes an impact on them personally. At the end of the day, we all have to find jobs and provide a good life for our families. Their are a lot of people I look up to; animators and artists a like. Most of the influential creatives have always tried to make a personal achievement within their work. Trying to perfect a brush stroke, sculpting the human form with precision, understanding anatomy through drawing, or just pushing the next level of your acting.

So it is just my opinion that focusing on what will look good on my reel will distract me from pushing my work. I like to say to myself..."focus on the subtext of your shot, the performance, make sure the mechanics are working, and think of interesting ways of handling your characters.... and guess what will happen...."

Your reel will take care of itself

"...Kick The Ball..."

I have been trying to work really hard at the office and the days are flying by. I was on Facebook and I have to say it was pretty cool to meet up with people you haven't seen in years. As time passed I began to not speak to those people as much and they spoke less to me. It is just what it is... you grow apart from people and create lives as adults. Its cool to link up every once in a while to touch base. My career has taken me far away from where I grew up and only so many people stayed close to me. With that being said, Facebook has become another distraction for me personally. The constant glance at the site only to see someone has gained 100 crops in Farmville..? WTF is Farmville or am I just becoming old. It was fun while it lasted. I have to focus more than ever in 2010 because my family needs it.

...day 44 @ Disney...

Today was the 44th day at Disney... no there is no significance to the number or day. I just was curious about how long I had been there and to be honest it feels like I have been there for years. Everyone is open and the team is pushing together. I have been working away on my shots that are due this week; polishing and refining stuff. Even though the picture looks like I am going crazy...it is probably more like the stare of go hard or go home. I made this sketch between playblasts. I will do another sketch on day 88 or maybe sooner.

key frame: #2

this is probably going to take me forever just because the amount of work I have to do in the studio and my thoughts are really focused on that... but I want to create this 2D piece as well so I am using whatever little time I get (between work and family) to create it. This is the second key pose out of the 6 I have made so far. I am exploring acting choices that will fit with the dialogue I recorded. I remember reading up a few animators that I look up to and one of the things that holds true is the amount of time spent finding those poses that will make the character come to life. I will keep trying to push and hopefully this thing will come out moving... I will try my best for believability.

...New Year...new stories...new ideas...new animation...

well I guess this is an idea that is carrying over from the end of last year, but it is still new. The character designs and head model sheets I created for the cartoon version of myself are for an intro. (link the the head sheet: HEAD-SHEET) Between working at the studio and writing, I have been trying to hash out what the intro should look like. I got a flash and something came to me a few days ago. I roughed out a few versions but I think this was the one I am leaning more towards. This is just some rough thumbnails of how I see the character coming into the frame and starting. It should be a really short 2D animation but I want it to look as professional as I can get it. This is good for my nephew to see and hopefully he can use this in the future.


I think it should come out ok, but I am really going to have to squeeze it in since I am going to be working a lot of hours. Sunday nights look like my best bet for trying to get this idea finished...

...digging up the past on New Years eve...

I was going through old sketchbooks and notepads. Besides a bunch of stories and character designs I found something I had no idea how to create at the time. My first job in the 3D animation world was at a start up game studio. I was thrown into the lead animator roll after a few weeks and it was a true learning experience. I had no clue how to create an animation pipeline that would be effective for getting us from the beginning of the game to the end. The pipeline had to show the back and forth between the different departments and not just what the animators output. I wanted to post this because it is kind of a release to see that I could do this. I really appreciate John Sicat (EA Creative Director now!) for giving me the chance to prove myself. We have been good friends since then. You can do anything I guess when the pressure is on you to perform. Like Al Pacino said in Devils Advocate, "...pressure changes everything....some people focus..others fold"

stay focused in the new year!

...new Rapunzel image released...

This image was posted by disneypixar.fr. and has the two main characters facing off. I am sure there will be many more to come.

take a break from drawing and draw?

researching some stuff for work and drawing some ideas..but I took a break and kept drawing. I used to love the Looney Tunes stuff that was drawn in the real world even though it looked odd. For some reason I was amazed by it and still at that point I didnt know I could do animation for a living (very young age). I found some fantastic stuff and I think it is really going to help out for next year. I will probably stop in the office tomorrow and work out some things that have been popping into my head over the weekend. I also had time to help my wife out with a logo for her math education blog.

If you have kids and need a good way to get them excited about math, my wife is creating an area that will give exposure to great ways of learning math. It incorporates real life situations, videos, and information that can help them excel in class. I will give an update when it goes live. Here is a sneak peek at what the logo looks like so far.

HI-HO....HI-HO its off to... (lack of posts)

Aww Man homie... I have not been posting much stuff here or the Pencil Test Depot, but I did put 2 new pencil tests up go take a peek at PencilTestDepot. I showed my first shots for production today. 6 shots for the movie within the same sequence. I blocked out all six and wanted to show them before the holiday break. I didnt want to come back and have to wait for the directors to see...or just sit on the ideas that long period. I was able to show and got some good notes that I can hit the ground running when we get back. This wasnt the first animation I showed. The first bit of work I did was with the main villain of the movie. That test got sent off to simulation so that we could see everything working as a whole. I cant wait to see what it looks like.

Anyway... feels like going to the office everyday with the "Bruce Leroy" glow! Excited to be at work and eager to keep pushing forward to help make the production be something we all can be proud of.

Animation: A Labor of Love

Animation has always been a big part of my life. I used to sit in front of the TV at a young age and watch anything that was animated, even episodes of My Little Pony. I just loved cartoons at a young age. When my mother couldnt get us toys she would give me a stack of paper and pencils. Being a teacher, my mother had more than enough of both. My grandmothers house was just another place that fueled my head with ideas. Now that I am working as an animator, I think back to all those days. The moments of trying stuff, mimicking other artists, and just being curious. Animation is hard work and it is work that I love. I try so hard to be better, more creative, strong mentally, innovative, and so many other things to be good as I can be. Staying humble and remembering the struggle is what keeps me going day after day. I remember eating crap and staying up until the sun showed up for a new day and how that was a regular way of living. For me, animation is hard. I try so hard to get the ideas and character out of my mind and on to the screen, I am literally drained by the end of the day. I try hard because I want my mother and brother to be proud of me. I want my grandmothers to smile down on me and be happy their grandson is still trying. Trying to be someone they can be proud of.

JB

...Santa and Hannukah Harry are on the way...

The holidays are creeping up and I have been grinding at work pretty hard. Going in early and trying to push. I hope everyone gets to have a good holiday this year. I drew another yearly HOBO SANTA. I have a few of these I draw during the holiday season... something about the holidays and hobos... This is not the happiest mixture but I always find it interesting. I am in the middle of coloring this one... fingers crossed for the outcome.


***Disney Update: I have been working on a something to hopefully help define one of the characters for the movie. Its not set in stone but I have been getting some really positive feedback and I look forward to really trying some powerful acting.

...another test key...

I had a few more keys that I have been playing around with and it was funny because I made this face on Friday at work. I created this one before I started so it made me laugh to see it when I got home. I am playing with poses to see if they will fit the dialogue I recorded... this is a slightly different process than I do in 3D. Well ...the main difference is I get to play around a bit more. haha.. no time to play too much during production, but I AM staying focused and not drifting too far from the idea.


...on another note... I had another great day at work and I am really enjoying what I am working on. The characters are really in the style and appeal of Disney so I am definitely striving to push push push! More to come ..keep grindin'!

...first day at Disney...and new character stuff

So today was my first day at Disney and I was pretty 'geeked up'. You are already siked about it but once you walk through the doors its an even better feeling than you expected. Met with some old friends and spoke with Glen K. My friend and I walked around the studio and he introduced me to some of the team. I have to say that the projects look amazing and the artists are at the top of their game. Walking into an "animation" studio with so much history...a history that I have soaked up for a long time really hit me hard. I am eager and excited... a bit more than excited. My office door is open!


On another note... more art for JBToon and one of the last Key Frames from a test I am starting.

JSBToon: SECOND PASS. Head Poses

After playing with the shapes and placement of things, I think I got a good workable head. The rough drawings really felt good when trying to discover the best turning shapes. This was always one of my favorite things with 2D animation; creating the model sheets. It can be tough trying to figure out how the character turns, but the discoveries are worth it. There may be more evolution when the animation is started and I sure it will be for the best.

...going back to Cali..Cali... Cali...

the day I was leaving to come back to California I did a sketch of my wife and I. She says I never draw us so...NO.. I dont like drawing myself. Just is a coincidence this month I guess. I made the cartoon version and played around a bit more. Kind of like our Cali post card. Dont be surprised if this gets used for parties or some other kind of invitation (insert address here). You see I left some space... ok.. back to drawing model sheets. oh! and I just realized that the shirt I am wearing is damn near the same color as the logo dude..uck