Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Dana and Beans's Amazing Journey, 5

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This business again. I do other things, I swear. I just need to get off my huge fat butt and scan them in.

I tried a few different things this time, with gouache and a different kind of watercolor paint. I'm not sure if I like the results, but I learned that I don't really like gouache!

Friday, March 21, 2008

Dana and Beans's Amazing Journey, 4

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This is what I do instead of working on an eight page paper.

Continuing the grapple with scanning watercolors. A lot of information was lost on the third panel, which makes me sad because I really liked it. *sadface*

Kupo

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Moogles are so darn cute. I think the Ivalice versions are my favorite, because they're basically tiny tiny furry engineers and there's nothing that isn't lovable about that.

I don't think I even have to say that I don't own them or Final Fantasy, but hey!

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Dice Fight



This is actually kind of an oldie, but I'm still fond of it.

I should note, the music isn't mine, it's by a Japanese electronica group called Capsule and their music is extremely awesome. They're on iTunes!

Dana and Beans's Amazing Journey, 3

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The next bit!

I'm trying something different in each installment. I'm not sure if I like the panels with or without the black ink border.

Beans, you jerk.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Walk Cycles



I'm learning how to use Aftereffects for things other than just compiling video clips. Walk cycles! Mind, this is supposed to be a -looping- animation, but since youtube doesn't seem to have a looping view option, you just get two seconds. :( If you're curious why I didn't just cut and paste the frames to stretch it out, it's because I used a thing called the Puppet tool. It takes your flat 2D image and sort of makes it a mesh, which allows for deformations like the bending of the feet there, or the swaying of the trunk. Now I'm sure there must be a way, but I have no clue right now if I can copy and paste puppet tool keyframes, because I can't even select them in the timeline...

The puppet tool can be a bugger, which is why I didn't make new frames. I'm told there's a way to anchor the feet to a specific place in the picture plane, which would've been a huge help, because without that the feet dip too far down or the toes twist backwards and do all kinds of silly business. Lots to learn.

He's also sliding a bit, isn't he? My teacher told me I can stop that by making the background stop moving whenever he puts his foot down. When I tried that, it looked really jerky and unnatural, so I just tried slowing it down a bit instead. I think I need to do a little more though, because he's still got a little of a gliding walk.

I do like the way his trunk sways though! How cute.

I'm not sure what he is. I made him up for a sound-syncing exercise for Intro to Animation class, years ago, and he sort of cropped up now and then in my sketchbooks. Then for this walk cycle assignment I said, well, I like long sticklegs, so he's perfect!

I call him a trunkbird.


Edit: ... I just realized that I could take the Quicktime movie into Aftereffects and just paste a bunch of them together to make it longer. Quicktime also adds an extra frame to the end which throws off the sound looping. Anyone know why it would do that?

Sunday, March 9, 2008

Dana and Beans's Amazing Journey, 1 and 2

This is actually something very silly I started in class one day. I started snickering uncontrollably as I was working on it, and decided to slap some color on it and make up a weird story. ... Except then I got curious about what would happen after they flew off, so I did another.

I was also running on about three hours of sleep, so that proooobably had something to do with it.

Anyway, I'm not sure where they're going or if they'll ever find happiness and unboredom, but here's the first two parts of their so-called Amazing Journey. (Click to view, huge images.) I should also note, the mysterious owner of the cookie planet is not my character, but a friend's. She's over there in the links list, under 'lyra'!

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...MAN, watercolors are hard to scan!

Friday, March 7, 2008

Test post!

I am writing complete gibberish, pay no attention to it at all whatsoever tra la la la la mudspots in the spaghetti sauce, top hats are keen! Who wants jelly?

Mister Peppersauce, I have your order of fifty left socks with holes in the heels.

Hooray! For me for you and for your cottontail too!