First Q&A and more gesture drawings

I had my first Q&A today with mentor Anthony Wong! I've been watching the videos up til now, but haven't downloaded and familiarized myself with the rig yet. That will have to be for this weekend.

As luck would have it, I ran into some major technical problems as the Q&A started up. Video was working fine, but no audio! D: After 30 minutes of troubleshooting and taking up valuable time, I realized that all Flash audio on my laptop had died. Even Youtube. When I realized that, I managed to get a hold of another computer and finish the Q&A that way. It was extremely sad, though, and I'm just glad I didn't miss the entire thing, or (from what I could see in the video) anything that will be a game-changer.

The lesson, dear reader: Flash sucks. I need a new laptop. Stat.

Anyway, it was awesome and I'm going to make up for this shaky first impression! I got a new sketchbook today and some water-soluble pencils that'll add an extra dimension to my stuff. :)

Here's some more gesture drawings I did tonight. The other ones I was going to post got eaten by my computer when it refused to come out of hibernation and had to be rebooted.

This lesson, dear reader: Men are hard to draw. I spent 2-5 minutes on each one. By Inglip, I need more practice.

First day!

The Animation Mentor site just went live! I was getting a bit worried as it was just a blank page for a while, but I assume the huge influx of new students is always tough to handle.

My mentor is Anthony Wong, of Disney and Pixar fame. I am so excited! I'm watching through the intro videos now, and though it's a lot to take in, the prospect of getting familiar with the system and the forums is highly delicious. :3

In fact, I feel a bit foolish about how eager I was for Pottermore instead of this. Animation Mentor is so much more awesome! (That being said, I'm totally a Ravenclaw, with Hufflepuff leanings.)

I did more gesture drawing last night, trying my hand at dudes only, and I'll post those later tonight. I am so excited. :D

Gesture Drawing!

I used Pixelovely's gesture drawing tool today for a full hour and it was amazing! I did 15 minutes of 30 second humans, 15 minutes of 30 second animals (mammals only), and a 30 minute "class" that starts off quick but gives more time for the drawings towards the end.

My hand is sore and I realize just how out of practice I am. Also, I discovered I don't know how to draw dudes. What's up with that? I just need to study David Kawena's art more... Same goes for horses. I got those more than any other animal, and I was never the type to draw unicorns on everything as a kid. An hour later, I realize I need to make their bodies more bean-shaped. Something to think about for next time.

Less Than One Week!

One week until Animation Mentor starts and I am super pumped! I have gotten so busy with work and Chico State Game Studios, I have hardly had time to animate. This will be a welcome kick in the pants to get back to work. :D


The site is closed as they're between terms, and I am a little nervous. My laptop frame went kaput last night, and I don't have a webcam for my desktop. There are metal bits that should be moving and inside, but that are static and outside the plastic on the laptop right now. I have decided I will no longer move it around. That'll prolong its life until I can get a new one (ChristmasChristmasChristmas). 


I've started following other AM student blogs and it all looks amazing. I can't wait to get started! My life will be crazy, but it's going to be worth it.


Also, despite only being 20, I get a rental car today! I feel so fancy. Almost makes getting rear-ended worth it. My neck is sprained, but it's getting better, and I'll have to get a new Pokeball bumper sticker (I might be able to salvage my Flying Spaghetti Monster emblem, too). The repair guys are going to have fun when they get the trunk open. Flour, sugar, and oats everywhere!


Six days. :3