ANOTHER PROJECT, ANOTHER TIMESHEET.

So progress is currently underway on the fleshing out of one of my characters in 3D. I decided to go with Maya this time around-- as I'm rusty after almost a year away from the program and wanted to get acquainted with the it once again.

I have always favored building a model over most of the other features encompasses 3D software. Even this task has been neglected for a very long while due. I've had the itch and it felt good to scratch at it today. All of the techniques I was taught in college were washing back on me as I navigated through an all but familiar interface.

One of my favorite features of Maya is the ability to customize a shelf through the script editor, which Max offers as well through Macroscript. That was my first step-- followed by some hotkey assignments. My main goal is to get back to Maya but get back to Maya working even FASTER than before.

With the Project, my favorite Shelf Button so far has been a custom layout orthographic split with a tearoff perspective panel for my 2nd Monitor. My favorite hotkey: Hide UI elements. I'm only in the preliminaries so these two shortcuts are simple but pretty effective for me.

My technique is slowly coming back to me, although I am trying a different approach than I have in the past. I started bare minimal with 4 sided boxes:




I'm really trying to be more conscious of my polycount. Only carving in geometry where I NEED to create more detail. I'm trying to keep the polycount as low as possible in Maya before bringing it into Zbrush. Not because my computer can't handle it, but because I don't want to over complicate the model should I need to animate it later on.

I look it at as the less vertices to weight skins, the better... And skinning has to be one of my LEAST favorite tasks.

I'm always tracking my progess with a Timesheet. I got this idea from Kim Lee, owner of Worlds Away Productions and a friend and confidant of mine who I worked with in the past. He always stressed that it's was good to try to be conscious of how long you spend on a model. It gives a good competitive goal too. I always like to try beat my last record, even if the model is more complicated. That's just my nature.

I've kept my timesheet to four columns:

1). DATE
2). TIME SPENT
3). POLYCOUNT
4). DESCRIPTIONS AND/OR PROBLEMS

As far as modeling technique, I'm excited to say that this week I will be flying out to Los Angeles for a day later on this week to join in at the Zbrush User Group where I will watch my old instructor (and mentor) present his incredible talents to a mass amount of wide-eyed digital sculpting fans, along with two other very talent artists.

Danny Williams, founder of lunchcrunch.org and a phenomenal 3D modeler/sculpter, had generously taught his students his tricks of the trade at the School of Visual Arts back a few years ago. I luckily was fortunate enough to be part of that. I can proudly say that I had learned some crucial "rules" that I still execute to this day. Without his classes and a bookful of notes, I'm not sure if I would have the same love for 3D modeling or the same inner faith that I continue to hold for 3D modeling as I do currently.

Anatomy-- is the same needed nod. You've heard this time and time again, I'm sure. I'm not expert on anatomny by far (Wish I was), but by my desk-side a large anatomical reference of the human male that I ordered a while back from http://www.anatomicalfigures.com. This is one of the best purchases I've ever made. My browser, too, has been open all day making sure I have access to the proper reference(s) needed.

The character I'm modeling?

Well, that's for another day.... Maybe you can guess as I proceed along?

Keep it fun right?

Anyways, I'm hoping to the "maya" portion of "it" completed before I head out of town for my Zbrsuh crash course. I will post the character's designs as soon as the model starts taking a recognizable shape (perhaps my next post). For now, here's a semi-obvious tease:



The current stats of the timesheet (which I will post at the end of this project) stands at 1972 polys and about 5.5 hours of life investment.

The Zbrush meeting is leaving me SUPER excited about the next few days! It is the perfect ammunition to drop me back into Zbrush for Chapter 6 of Eric Keller's Introducing Zbrush book. Next Chapter: Advanced Digital Sculpting.

That's one thing about my job at the airlines that I will miss when I finally get the courage and appropriate skillsets to leave... The priveledge of traveling the distance for such a worthwhile and unbeatable opportunity.

Back On the Webfront.

Not my favorite type of gig, but a gig none-the-less. And a task that seems to filter itself in my general direction on quite a few occasions now. So, I made an arrangement with myself to make my life on the web-front easier.

I created a questionnaire. One that avoids being too time intensive to fill out and is precise in obtaining the information needed to recreate the clients vision. Most importantly, it curbs me from working blindly. I will soon attach it to my web design section and add in a few links and images where you will be able to see some of the sites I've worked on and/or completed.

Here is the homepage of the site I am currently working on:




(This is being created while I build up one of my characters in Maya and get him ready for sculpting for Chapter 6 of Eric Keller's "Introducing Zbrush")

My feeling on this type of art called 'web design'. Complete Love-Hate.
I love the layout part in Photoshop. And the coding end of it is comfortingly repetitive sometimes. But other than that...

To me, web design has always been the type of work that seldom feels like an artistic journey, and always settles as technical and organizational. The layout in photoshop is the best part, but unfortunately, the quickest part.

And the quips of what works with what nowadays, and what format and resolution size, and what plugins are downloaded on personal computers, what browsers. What fonts are installed and what colors correlated with the World Wide Web. Fixed or Fluid Layouts. It's all just so nit-picky. Bitchy, really.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to have the work. And even more happy to lend a hand to a few friends in need of launching businesses and such. But when it all boils down to it, my honest opinion of web design:

To me, it's more web development. Or Lisa-as-a-web-designer-development...

Web design is one of the least advanced visual artforms out there because it's too conservative to be freeing-- which is what makes art "art" to some of us artists out there sometimes. Now I'm sure many would argue, but on the level of rules: One must jump through many, many different sized hoops to get their site working on ALL sized-and-shaped browsers. And even still, features such as that PNG format hadn't figured out transparency until what year again? Has it yet? I don't know. But transparency (such a popular tool in many other computer art related programs) shouldn't even be an issue. To work around the transparency issues is brilliance? No. It just feels like it's a few steps behind being artsy to me.

Now with Mac and PC mobile devices? Reformating. Finding that prefect script and readjusting it to work for your website-on-the-road = Total Techy Time In. Hours of research maybe. I'll do it. *Grunt*. If only to learn it and learn that I probably never want to do it again.

I like to attempt to hone in my inner geek, yes. And I can do it well sometimes, but web design once the design part is over with... I'm completely washed up to shore. And cranky even.

Now this is non-specific to any of my clients and/or friends, but a general cry of anguish. Content?! Please fill in ALL the blank areas, because I don't know what to do with them. hehe. Really. I'll draw smiley faces all over the place. What is there to convey in words? It is difficult, but I'm just the artist here.

This is where my lovely questionnaire surfaces and thankfully has been a saving grace this time around. But in the past making up content is no fun.

The current wesbite near to complete is a site for a friend of mine, who I'm sure knows how much I loathe web design. And if not, he knows now. It's called Walk Safely Chasing Dreams. He's reaching out to all people trying to pursue what they love most and to not give up on achieveing it. Go for it. But do so carefully. And if your anything like me -- do so with lots of graceful complaining.




If you want to check out the site, give you're input, or spread some motivation around, or even buy a t-shirt, send my friend an email. The custom contact form works although the Products Page is still underway.




I'm no marketer, but motivation of dreams and inspiration is always a powerful feeling to spread around. I don't know what inspires me sometimes, but I keep on plugging away at my artwork for some reason-- even this blog. Inspiration stays with me somehow and when it fades something always brings that inspiration back... and its in my nature to inspire others and keep inspiring... even if I complain.

So do me the favor, check it out and enjoy:

DAVID JOHNSON'S
WALK SAFELY CHASING DREAMS

Please be mindful most sublinks aren't working yet. But I will post again once when the site is fully up and running and all inforamtion and social links are provided.

Thanks (as always) for stomaching through my (web design) rants.

Computers: Keep On Updating Yourself!

It's not the computer that you need to find tune and fresh install, it's YOU. Speaking for myself, if I can't keep updated on my computer software interests of choice -- I don't deserve to work as a professional computer artist.

It is true even with traditional mediums. If I hit a road block, I make sure I pratice my hand-eye coordination by copydrawing or attempting a portrait until my own inspirations strike.

And they have....
It all started with a contest the Deviant Art was hosting. They were looking for a worldwide attempt at creating the cutest original monster. While brainstorming I thought of three great "stories". I've been trying to think like Bobbby Chui ever since seeing his seminar even if my work is far lacking in luster than his.

The contest: I knew I wouldn't have enough time and I didn't want to be swayed by the money by producing quick crap. I also predicted that I wouldn't have enough people to vote for me. So, I archived these ideas-- and they've been festering in me.

I sketched the first one out the other day. (I won't post it yet because it's incomplete at the moment). The tone conveyed from my mind-to-page so far has transformed from a light and childish vision to semi-dark and semi-depressing bit of chicken-scratch. I'm just thankful I'm loosening up with my sketches. I'm getting better at my gesture drawings, too. :) I will try to produce a few different versions. Although, I prefer the feeling that surfaced in the original. Ironic.

But back to case in hand. I was freshly inspired. And my hand drawings have prospered as such.

Computer roadblocks, though? Well, I finally myself re-learning Maya today and it's frustrating to say the least. The most difficult was the set-up (Although I remember that importing image planes was never truly fun). And now that I am started and hashing out the basics of one of my characters with some box modeling-- it's coming alllll coming back to me.

Still, I safeguard myself by taking notes. Hot-Keys essentially are the saving graces of each indivdiual program. YOU CAN'T GET MAD AT YOURSELF or THE MOUSE or THE COMPUTER, if you know your hot keys and know them well.

The truth is-- I can't choose one program, I won't let go of one program to another. I'm fair. I'm open. I'm a universal computer software girl and I have a true love for art and working with a variety of tools.

Am I a tool? Only if the program or computer controls me.
And that, my friends, is exactly the reason enough to keep updated.