Beach life
- At February 15, 2019
- By Adam
- In animation
0
I’ve been working on this short film on and off for AGES now and finally took the time to focus and get it finished. I realised that I was procrastinating, swerving off to follow other shiny ideas and generally doing the artist thing of being afraid to put myself out there, creatively. The fact is, I really enjoy telling stories and animating, it’s just I’ve kind of censored myself over the past decade. I think this is due to a number of reasons, but the commercial side of appearing perfect to fit into the next studio role is one of them. It’s hammered into you as a student and seems to be the dominating factor when producing something that is very personal.
I definitely chose a more commercially viable route when I left university and picked projects. This is not to say I didn’t enjoy the work I found from this kind of pursuit, I did! But if you’re not careful, you forget what it is YOU actually like to draw/make/do. This project was part learning curve and part ‘break the rust off the gears’ and start telling stories again. Although at points I felt like quitting as I didn’t like the story, felt the animation wasn’t up to scratch, designs were rubbish, etc (insert endless list of self depreciating thoughts here!) I reached the finish line and feel GREAT that I stuck with it. Having a film festival submission as a deadline and working with a composer for original music were good tricks that helped keep the momentum and drive the finished touches over the line and this side of the decade 😉 It’s only a short film, but it’s amazing how these things can get put on a back burner for years and yet you always feel ‘busy’.
A little GIF snippet from the film, when all seems to be going swimmingly for one character.
I have to say a massive THANK YOU to my new fiancée (we are engaged as of 3 days ago!) for her continued support and guidance. She often saw clarity when I was considering my life choices and made some BRILLIANT creative calls when I just couldn’t choose. Thank you Josie x
The film will be out very soon! Just a couple of days 🙂
Buzzing Bee Garden
- At February 12, 2019
- By Adam
- In illustration, Sketchbook
- 0
Here’s a fun bit of watercolour sketchbook doodling that became the plan for a 2D animated multi-plane scene. I created an enhanced version for my new course one animating in Toon Boom Harmony, covering 3D space, 2D animation loops, cameras and special effects. I love English summertime and watching a bee hum through the rich garden scene is one of my favourite kind of moments 🙂 So I thought I’d have a go at re-creating something similar in the famed 2D animation software.
The watercolour was REALLY great fun to do…lots of just noodling about with shapes, composition and ideas from memories of my relatives’ gardens last summer. So here it is! I’ll post an update of the animated version when the course is underway at the end of February 😉
And a word on the Toon Boom Trainer courses. The first course for 2019: Animation in Toon Boom Harmony has completely sold out! I’m very happy to see every place filled and excited to train up all this potential bunch of Toon Boomers! There’s so much you can do in the software and it’s improving all the time. An awesome creative evolution is underway!
Black ink sketch with watercolour over the top. Some exaggerated colour choices 😀
Snow storm animation
- At February 03, 2019
- By Adam
- In animation
- 0
Here’s a sample of a snow storm animation I’ve put together in Toon Boom Harmony. I’m using particle effects so it’s all composited in the software. It’s a simple scene and there is A LOT you can do with the node library and effects modules. There’s many I’d like to explore to their full potential…see what they can do! Toon Boom is crying out for a special effects and compositing book or guide (hint hint watch this space). For now, enjoy the snow gif. It’s funny creating these when it is ACTUALLY snowing outside 😛
Fabulous life drawing
- At February 01, 2019
- By Adam
- In Sketchbook
- 0
Last week I attended my local life drawing class held by the good folks at Stretford Arts Collective. I hadn’t been for a while and was ready to skulk it out in the corner, hiding my drawings when Lisa (the lady who runs the class) announced something special. A new model with what can only be described as a fabulous array of outfits and some sassy poses to boot 😉
It definitely helped me get back into the flow of drawing again, although the real triumph was the array of work produced by the other attendees. So much colour and fun on the pages! Take a look below. I do love it when a life class wakes you up to just how interesting people can be when you study them for a bit. Can’t wait for the next class so I can crack out a bit more colour!
New year, new animation course
It’s finally out into the wild…my brand new online course Animation in Toon Boom Harmony 16 is open for sign ups!
Many, many hours of planning, research and preparation have gone into this, so I hope it’s useful to lots of people. It will be run through my online training business, Toon Boom Trainer and takes place over 5 weeks, part time.
It’s packed with all the great features of the previous courses: HD video lessons, easy-to-follow exercises, handy worksheets, 7 day a week support and our one-to-one, live tutorials. And the killer feature? A FREE copy of Toon Boom Harmony Premium for every participant!
Here’s a short video explaining all, filmed and edited by yours truly whilst trying to keep warm in this chilly English winter! If anyone is looking to improve their character animation skills whilst learning this fantastic software package, or even just want to read more (full curriculum on the website), head to toonboomtrainer.com