Running in the rain

So here is one of the illustrations from the picture book I'm working on. I'm quite happy with this one. More to come!

Springboard: a storyboarding software

A long time ago I promised to tell y'all about Springboard, a small but powerful storyboarding software I'm using. I love this software, and here is why.

• Basic drawing tools: the drawing tools are good enough for getting the point across, but they're too simple for beautifully executed artwork. This makes it easier for me to stay focused on storytelling.
• Zoom: you can zoom in and out. It's great to be able to take a step back and "watch the film", then go in again and draw. These screenshots show my 'story pass' for "catch!".

• Export/Import: When I was happy with my story pass, I did a 'drawing pass' - exported the panels, re-drew them in a different program, and imported them back in. You can even do this automatically, using an "external editing" feature.
• Presentation: Once the stuff is ready, Springboard offers an amazing variety of presentation outputs - you can pretty much arrange the panels into every storyboard format known to man. You can export them to HTML, as I've done in my previous post. The presentation can include text (there's a text box for each panel), timing (you can time it inside Springboard, play it, and even export it as AVI), headers, footers, filename, date - you name it.
  
• It's CHEAP!

The program does have some flaws, especially concerning stability. However, (a) I'm using an old version, so they might have fixed some bugs, and (b) the problems are absolutely minor compared to the software's amazing advantages.

Check it out! The trial version is fully operational except for printing (at least, that's the way it was when I first tried it).

Catch!

A while back, I tried to come up with a 4-legged animation exercise - and somehow ended up with this silly 1 minute short. Maybe I'll even animate it some day, who knows :0)

Click the picture to see the complete storyboard.

YouTube analysis #2: Final answer

Poor guy...note to self: get a good night's sleep before my next gameshow appearance.

What I find so interesting here, is the switch from self confidence, almost to the point of being cocky, to complete embarrassment and humility. BUT even though the change happens in a single moment, the reaction is gradual and goes through several different beats.

First Beat (1:00) - he realizes something is wrong. This is also gradual - you can actually see realization dawning on him, in slow motion (I'm guessing the transition would have been a bit quicker, had he not been so tired)Second beat: he stares at the monitor, dumbfounded. There's a very subtle transition here - starting with a vague shadow of his former confident smile, then no no smile at all, and finally - a first trace of an embarrassed smile. It's interesting that the change is so subtle that I can hardly see any movement at all - and yet, the change of expression is very clear.

Look carefully at the corner of his mouth throughout this beat. This is what texture is all about: layering very slight variations on top of a very strong pose or transition. It's a great way of making your animation feel rich, without loosing clarity.

Third beat: the embarrassed smile is his brave attempt to hide his frustration and shame.

Conclusion:
I like thinking of emotional changes in terms of weight and inertia (something we animators know about). Just like a moving object takes time to change direction (AKA motion arc), so mood and attitude take time to change. I think this clip shows a great example of such an "emotional arc".

Unspam your blog

Well, I tried to be optimistic and trust the goodness of human kind, but spamming got the best of me. Lately I've had to delete a spam comment almost every day (that's double spam - my Email AND the blog!). So, as much as I wanted to avoid it, I've had to add the standard Blogger password protection thingy. I hope it won't discourage anyone from commenting.

Which is a good place to say again, that I love getting your feedback! Comments are a big part of what motivates me to keep the blog alive. So talk to me - I'm listening :)

Sketch Crawl #1

Led by the fearless J.P. Vine, we stormed the old Tel Aviv harbor, armed to the teeth with sketchbooks, pens and pencils. These are the less lousy drawing I came up with. Does photoshopation add anything, or does it take away? You be the judge.

Hospital

Unfortunate circumstances have brought me to spend some hours in the hospital.

I hate hospitals. They stress me out. The neon lighting, the bland colors, the constant humming, the still quietness with the occasional cough. I saw a doctor; for the life of me, I can't understand how anyone would be willing to go through years of hard training, only to end up spending most of his waking hours in such a bleak environment. Yes, I know they're helping people and all. Perhaps I'm just not enough of an altruist.

You know what I really missed in there? Something to focus on, some points of interest for the eye to rest upon. It's all so damn repetitive! A small colorful picture here and there, an occasional plant, perhaps a cheerful decoration hanging from the ceiling – why not? It's not expensive, and I think it can do so much for the wellbeing of both patients and staff.

Or maybe I don't understand anything.

Animation thumbnails

Dr. Pane

Absent minded doodling can bring out some strange stuff out of one's brain. Here's something I did during dailies at Crew972.

Looking for style

More design pondering for the children book I'm illustrating.

Art and process: William Whitaker

Behold the art of William Whitaker. Very romantic stuff, very classic, beautifully executed. As a bonus - it's not very often that you see a non-digital artist taking the time to show his process. This guy does. Look under demonstration.

Pablo Lobato's caricatures

Look the these jazzy caricatures from Pablo Lobato.

Bad Obama caricature

So it doesn't look like him at all, but I like the drawing. It was nice to touch a real pencil again. Wacom is great, but it's just not the same.

Cameron Fielding's animation process

Hello boys and girls,

I've already shared this post in my "Google Reader Shared Items" page, however I think it's such a valuable resource, I decided to share it more "aggressively".

In his blog "Flip", Cameron Fielding shared not only a cool reel of his animation for "Turok" (a computer game), but also an amazingly detailed account of his process for making it. It's a long and demanding read (at least when English is not your native language), but it's SO worth the effort. If you're interested in getting the hang of making clear, appealing, effective action-packed animation, take the time and READ IT. Twice.

Straight Ahead #1

Inspired by Rune Brandt Bennicke, here is some straight ahead animation. It's so easy to get lost in all the rules and restrictions and perfectionism of animation, till you forget what it's really all about. This kind of things brings the fun back! I recommend.

3 Mamas

I'm currently illustrating a children book - a very interesting adventure for me. I'll post more details, including some of the working process, when the time comes. In the meanwhile, here are 3 sketches trying to capture "mom". The writer wanted her to be very beautiful; I wanted her to feel "real", not too perfect. So I was trying to walk this fine line of attractiveness without perfection. None of these really hit the mark - but between them, they give me a pretty solid direction.
As always, comments are more than welcome.

Car quick sketch

Something I sketched as a test for a test for an illustration. I think I might have stolen the small wheels idea from my good friend JP Vine. Turns out he stole a lady from Gary Larson, so he can't complain :-P

YouTube analysis: "You get away from here!"

This is one of the most animated live-action clips I've ever seen. The timing is simply perfect!

A few things I've noticed:

1. Much of the charm here comes from the contrast between the busy, wild 7 seconds of the beginning, and the remaining 5 seconds of quiet aftermath.
   
2. The dog detaches and leaves not at once, but gradually. It reminds me that the principle of arcs is much broader than we usually give it credit for: things tend to change direction over time, not in a single moment.
3. Another gradient is his posture. He's hunched down for the first 6 seconds or so, then straightens in three beats:
   00:06 - slightly straighter, the dog is further now
   00:07 - almost fully upright, but his back is still arched forward - he's still inside the situation
   00:10 - fully upright, spine arch reversed, he's out of the situation.
4. His arm up when he says "you go" is clearly an act of pride and victory.
   
5. For the first 10 seconds, the only thing in the world is that dog. This we see through change: when he feels the crisis to be over, he looks at the photographer - the rest of the world is relevant again

I'm sure there's more - feel free add your own observations.

Kudos for Shuki Gamliel, who sent me the link.

Finito

The head is finally finished, and it's time to move on. I made a little turntable version, too. Big thank you to Oleg Kuklin, my teacher. I wonder what my next project should be. Something more expressive, I think.

Quick sketch: a cute girl

It's about time I started uploading some drawings again. Here's a recent one.

Out of the cocoon

SO....the cast head is all but done, and I'm very excited and pleased. Still have some cleanup to do - a couple of hours of work, and my first real cast sculpture will be ready. It's going to be SO great to have it in my living room.

Sculpture update

Haven't been here in a while (busy busy busy...really). Did you miss me?

Here are some work process photos. First, I added a nice clay base to the thing. Then we prepared some cast and started splashing it onto the clay. It has this cool effect:



In the end you get this cast cocoon, in which hides the clay head. It's a very strange feeling, having your work buried in like that. It took 5 hours of hard physical work to bury it!



Today we opened the cast, removed the clay, and poured cast into the mold. These pictures were taken while we were removing clay:




Next time, we remove the mold, and the session after that we'll cleanup and make some correction on the cast statue itself. And then, hopefully, it will be over. I have to say, I'm looking forward to finishing this, and starting something new.

Finished clay stage

Well! My first clay sculpture is finally finished. I still need to transfer it to cast and all, of course, but the clay stage is done. It's not perfect, but perfectness is not an option on your first attempt.

...so nice to be old, you get so much more relaxed about not being perfect:)

So far so good

So today was lesson 7, and it's suddenly starting to look like something that could, in theory, have a slight chance of not being a total disaster.

Sculpting demo

Absolutely brilliant.

Sculpting scene

Bit creepy, ain't it? Nice photo taken by my teacher Oleg. This is where it's at so far (around the end of session 5). Proportion and basic facial features are more or less there. Now starts the REAL work....
Will upload a turnaround in a week or so.

Photo Analysis 1

Following something Alex Orrelle was talking about in the studio, I'm recently trying to notice interesting pictures and analyze what's interesting (to me) about them. Well, here's one:


So what's interesting about it? I did a few sketches trying to simplify and exaggerate, almost as if I was caricaturing the photo. I think what made me stare at it in the first place, was the sudden streak of strong warm yellow within all the blueness.


In this black and white, high contrast version (thank you Photoshop), something else comes up: the attractiveness of the small, relatively bright tree, in the midst of his big dark peers. Being an "oddity" in the context of this picture, it stands out and becomes a natural focal point for the picture.


[Disclaimer: I'm not a great painter to say the least, and I don't intend to teach anybody anything. These are just some illustrated thoughts, sort of a visual analysis for my own enjoyment.]

Sculpting frenzy!

Well, I'm not posting here as much as I would have liked, but what the hey. Doing my best.
After dreaming it from plenty of years, I've finally taken sculpting lessons. So far it's a huge pleasure, worth any penny and every moment invested. The head above is the model for my very first sculpting mission. I've started by sculpting the underlying skull. Below is the result after two lessons (about 6 hours). Judging from my teacher's response, I think it must be fairly quick for a first try.


And me:

I'll keep y'all posted as the thing comes along.

Joseph Christian Leyendecker

Here are a bunch of great illustrations by Joseph Christian Leyendecker. Enjoy!

Yet another Team Fortress 2 video

Hair

A few doodles from a meeting at work, loosely based on a fellow animator. For some reason, he didn't seem to like me having fun with his face. Go figure :)

Team Fortress 2 trailers and teasers

Well, here's something I haven't done before in this blog: embedded teasers. However, I think the artistic value of this stuff is so great, that it absolutely justifies stepping out of character. So, here as some teasers for a multiplayer game called Team Fortress 2, and I think you'll agree that the character design could have easily made a Pixar feature film

Meet the Heavy: The heavy weapons character introducing himself. Excellent performance!


The Teaser:


Illustrative Rendering Featurette: A short presentation touching on artistic decisions and tech solutions.


And finally, a trailer showing some in-game footage:


Well, isn't that juicy? Can't wait to play already!

Bertrand Russell Doodle

I was working on a character concept for something, and I remembered the philosopher/mathematician Bertrand Russell, thinking he might make a good reference. Here's a quick doodle I did based on his features (which, by the way, didn't work for my character at all).

To be honest

I have to admit: when browsing through my art blog feeds, I usually look at the pictures, briefly go through the the text, and proceed to the next blog. A post from Emma's "Art, plz" blog made me stop and read carefully. It's really, really well written. It has a touch humor, a touch of personality, and a ton of wisdom. And good sketches to go with it, too! No wonder she works for Pixar. Have a look. Then come back, I want to add something.

[No no, don't continue - read her post first!]

So. Drawing honest is absolutely where the gold is. That's a great notion. Problem is, most of us consume mind-food in the same way we consume body-food: if it's not tasty, we're not going to eat it, no matter how good the nutrition value is. You can be honest till you're blue in the face, and it won't do anybody any good if it's not well put together.

That, folks, is the catch22 of good artwork: if you focus on good form you lose the honesty, if you don't – you lose your audience. How do you get honest, then?

I think, by taking the long road. You spend some years climbing up the mountain of craftsmanship, working hard to conquer form. Then you spend some more years climbing down again - down to reality, down to where your audience lives, down to content. It takes time and effort to learn how to use the craft as a consultant, not a tyrant. Once you can do that, then – and ONLY then – you can, and should, draw honest.

Ecologists

This was done for a forum drawing challenge under the title "Mom! Dad! Look what I found!". I took a big breath and plunged into some experimental painting. I have to say, I sort of like the result.

Strangely enough, my conscious brain had no say in choosing the subject... My hand just kept doodling silly dinosaurs, and after a few attempts to regain control, I just decided to play along and do something with dinosaurs.

Yet another silly comic strip

My business card trio

I designed these business cards with the idea that people would be able to choose the one they like. So far it's not working too well, everyone seem to want all three of them :)

It's interesting that, when I ask people which one they would have preferred, they don't have to think about it much - one of them is always much better than the rest. But it's not always the same one; in fact, the distribution between the 3 cards is quite even. I like that.

My Google Reader shared items page

Google Reader is an amazing tool for keeping track of your favorite blogs (and any other internet content that supports RSS). Among other goodies, it also allows you to create your own "shared items" web page, to which you can very easily (a single click) add interesting items. What you're practically doing is creating your very own "web magazine", sort of a mozaic blog made of bits and pieces you find interesting.

Long story short, HERE is my google reader share page (I'm also adding it to the links list on the right). You can find there a link to the RSS feed, to help you follow.

Enjoy!

Angry dude

Did that as a caricature for something, but I won't tell you what it means. Make of it what you will. And if you come up with something interesting, write us a comment, won't you?

Policeman

This one started out as a fun little morning doodle, but I think I got rid of most of the fun now. Some of it is still there though, and I haven't been posting anything lately, so here it is. Comments and whatnots are, as usual, very welcome.

I decided his name is George, if that's ok with everyone.

Old and Gray

Don't worry, I'm quite cheerful these days. I bought a new, wide format A5 Wacom - and you're watching the very first doodle I made with it. Things are slowly falling into place now, and soon I'll be updating regularly again.

She Donkey, or: the beauty of ugly drawings

Some months ago my Dad was complaining to me about a cartoon he was trying to draw, which was giving him a hard time. The drawing involved a guy riding a lady-donkey, who obviously had the hots for him (don't look at me, it's his idea!).

I offered to help, and he agreed. So I took a bunch of papers and started doodling, just idly exploring some possibilities. Dad was puzzled; as an amateur cartoonist, he was sure his professional son is going to be able to just draw the thing right off the bat - which was what he was trying to do the whole time.

In my mind, however, being a pro means more than having more knowledge or better tools. It also (perhaps chiefly) means better problem-solving strategies. It's the ability to recognize how complex a problem really is, and finding ways of breaking it down so it can be dealt with one step at a time.

That drawing Dad was trying to make requires designing two characters, communicating the donkey's feelings (and the guy's reaction), all that while dealing with the weight and pose problems that come from one character sitting on top of the other. Add staging, donkey anatomy, composition, and the usual challenges of drawing, and it becomes clear that trying to do all that in one step, is really asking for trouble.

He got the idea pretty quickly. We sketched together for a while; below is a collection of some of the butt-ugly drawings we made. The hopefully nice she-donkey design at the top of the post, is based on these careless doodles. By allowing ourselves to explore without fear of ugliness, we were able to explore a lot of ideas before making a commitment.

A sign of life

As was expected, the move to Israel is causing some blogging stagnation; being homeless, usually internetless and also having lost my Wacom pen, makes things a tiny bit difficult. But not to worry; the blog is on my mind and I plan to get busy updating it the moment I settle a bit, which should be in about 2 weeks or so.

In the mean while, just to show I mean business, I'm preparing a post with some scanned stuff and a few thoughts. Coming right up.

Yet another attempt at a self caricature

This is me. I think. Maybe. Dunno. Is it? I probably look a bit younger in real life, but after years of failed attempts, I'll settle for a recognizable older me.

Haven't been very active lately on my little online sketchbook here, but this is not because I've been lazy or unproductive. I'm actually working on some really interesting things these days, only these are not yet ready to show off.

I'm doodling all the time at work, and some of it is pretty funny. maybe I'll get some of it scanned and posted soon.

Idle doodles [1]

Just draw, is all I say. Don't make it a sacred thing that needs to be solemnly scheduled and prepared. Keep a pen and a bunch of papers at hand, so that you can doodle around whenever your hands are free. You'll find that cool drawings have a tendency to happen on the back of a coffee-stained paper napkin. Don't worry about it, it's just part of the crazy way the universe was built.

Above - a strange doodling session, that lasted the whole day: Every time the computer was rendering an animation preview, I did one or two of those. As for what it means, your guess is as good as mine.