Monday, January 01, 2018

Project Poltergiests.

Every time I access this blogspot, I take note of my digression or progression ---  and how much I used to dedicate (or not) to keep this stream alive.  Many years of progress are at a temporary standstill as I embark further into the ambiguous fog of my professional future.

Another year has come and gone.  And I have to do a lot of reflecting on this New Year's Eve...

I call this thread "Project Poltegeists", because I remain haunted by my elongated list of things I want to achieve with myself.  Each entry into each new year-- this one being 2018-- I examine the list again and try to create a strategy for success.

I know one year I was wanting to create more background work versus character art in my illustrations.  I still need to develop this skill more and each drawing I've done since includes a character or characters within a scene now, but I feel I've definitely harnessed my style, which makes this particular goal a success to me!  I try not to be too hard on myself with these, because I have no real life reference....  they still seem to make some kind of impact to me though in the state they are in just as they are.... because of the story and emotion in them.   So, success enough to me!

I wasn't able to get much personal work done, because I'm pretty deep in production with the "Death of a Snowman" short, which is moving along very slowly but very professionally, I feel.  I did manage to finally complete a sequential scene, however, to an illustration that I had developed a while back that branches off of the original "Cranky Crispy Kringle":

"DRAWING CANDY CANES" (New)
"CRANKY CRISPY KRINGLE" (2014)
(I have another idea for the third, too-- for next year or anther maybe!)

Which brings me to yet another aspiration that struck the other day...  I have been deriving a way to make 'more' happen using this strategy I am about to write about... using a method similar to a backwards planning theory...

Majority of my time these past few years has been spent trying to manage debt on low income wages.  Despite the travesty, I am grateful to have found a lasting day job while I strive to keep working at land the dream job!  My biggest challenge is finding the time to stay 'in the game' with other professionals as they accelerate their work portfolios and demo reels ....   It's been a constant dedication of almost all the time I have free from the daily grind of the day job.  I've found some workarounds, though, lately-- that have really excited me.

Find the job with static time and get the phone and the apps that offer quick on-the-go solutions.  I did. And I am thankfully getting quite comfortable with both the applications and the workflow integration.  I am ecstatic about the future with this technology!

I draw in my tiny little sketchbook whenever I get a break, when I'm finished or satisfied with the pencil drawing, I take a phone snapshot, import it into my program of choice, and do whatever cleanup I can.  There are some limited functionalities, such as the inabilities to cloning textures and lasso and paste and such-- but for the most part?  It's grade 'A' in my opinion.  I'm so grateful for it.  When I get home from work, I immediately make the adjustments I need with the functions in the main program, and then I reimport for the next day on down time at work.

I finally made the transition after a little inspirational push I got when I volunteered to read a short script, written by Lisa Jones, based off of the origin of Peanut Butter and Jelly.  While I was reading the script, I decided to try my hand at a fun concept that I couldn't get out of my head.  I felt adding color was necessary to make the characters more enticing, so a sucked it up and give it a stab in the Autodesk Sketchbook app that was sitting wasting away on my phone.  I've had it for a few years actually, but always just felt intimidated because my stylus wasn't pressure sensitive and the back-and-forth adjustments to the size and the opacity of the brush were too cumbersome to a relaxing workflow.  But when I opened up the app after some time not using it??   The updates just floored me.  So, a large thank you to the mobile developers out there for making 'on-the-go' life easier.  It was so much more simplified, intuitive, and user friendly!  I couldn't believe it.  Something just clicked and I felt immediately hooked!

And here's what came out of it!  It needs a second pass still, but this is  my first mobile paint job:

DIGITAL PAINTING

My goal is to start cleaning up all of my traditional illustrations and to begin digitally painting them all--- The ultimate goal being to make a self-published book with my collection of work!  I've wanted to do this for years... and I'm going to do it on my mobile phone.

I'm currently in the process of cleaning up this Illustration I've been working on with this back and forth method.  I'm still drawing in details while I do it, too, and then compositing them in later!  It's been a great workflow for me-- and even more so once I start developing my digital painting style some more!  So excited over here!!

"PRIVILEGED PEKINGESE"
 
(Don't mind the sketchbook ... it's super, super old and in really sad form)
 
The other poltergeist that haunts me is putting myself on social media in a way that is more interesting and intimate.  I don't really know how to connect with people sometimes, but to share what I love with them and sometimes makes stupid silly jokes.  I'm going to give a fair try to try to fight that fear social isolation online with my peers...  not to be afraid that I might not have any followers although I'm following a million people.  I'm not going to let that dismal stupid upfront and in-your-face number be a reflection of the quality of my work or the quality of me as a person...  I'm going to share whatever I can, art related and non art related-- just to try to exist on the social media platform more.  My hope is that whoever I am through the computer will bring people in naturally.  But, really, who cares?  I'm pretty confident about my skills and my talent level, although I am aware there is obviously more advanced talents also out there.  I'm still going to try to turn more heads and get more acknowledgement for my work, though, while continue to make as much polished and appealing artwork as possible!

Life drawing is still not necessarily my niche, but I still work on one life drawing while I progress on a fictional illustration.  I flip back and forth between the two to keep fresh and challenged.  This one, in particular, gave me a ton of trouble and needs to be reworked digitally, but here it is as is in my sketchbook:
LIFE DRAWING

Not my best life drawing... but a life drawing!  I'm already onto my next, which is my brother and his family!  I'm hoping that because they are familiar subjects and I have a ton of reference of them that the results will be fairly accurate.

As far as the "Death of a Snowman" project, I'm full speed ahead into rigging.  I need one more day on the main characters blend shapes and her eyebrows than I'm onto the facial rigging and the final body rig of the Snowman!

I am putting a snippet of the girl lip synching to dialogue this week!  So, please check back next week!  Here is the rigging reel so far, though:

RIGGING REEL

I wish I had some photographs to share of the ornaments--- perhaps I will see them in the real life form soon.  I heard they were pretty cute!  But for now-- this was the digital concept for one of them: 

ORNAMENT TEMPLATE

The other ornament that was more mass produced is a modified (cheaper) version with Charlotte, the lead girl, holding a placard with the title.  We are planning on setting up a store in which both can be purchased.  If anyone is interested in buying one, please feel free to comment below!

I also took a night off to make a clay sculpture of the Snowman by hand using Sculpey, and had at one point considered hand making ornaments, too!  That was a lot of fun, but he's currently sitting in my fridge right now... cooling off  (hah) ......waiting for more finishing attention.


The magnets were also kind of cute, but still need some texture and lighting work.  I'm just considering it a phase 2 look development, since a lot of the work was done in post:
 
 
We may try to do another fundraiser again at some point in which we will offer the same prizes, and hopefully some more unique prizes!  And I am hoping to set up the front cover image soon, too.  So, lots of new stuff with "Death of a Snowman" will be surfacing soon!  I hope you will all keep eye on out and share the work with your friends, family, and peers!
 
Anyways, that about sums up 2017 for me.  One more hour left here in Los Angeles until the clock strikes midnight and my coach turns into a 2018 pumpkin.  :-)
 
I got a jump on updating my website for the new year and I joined ArtStation and other social media avenues with hopes to share all the latest this 2018.... 

 
With 2017 now passed, I had the opportunity to work on my first fully animated CG Feature doing facial animation for a really fun company.  It was a real blessing and I remember I looked forward to going to work every day, working with my crew, and creating awesome stuff together!  I hope to find that sense of fulfillment in 2018.
 
While I love to create either way-- it really does feel nice to have a 'place'. 
 
That place might help scare Project Poltergeists away for a while.... or keep them at bay for a small while whilst I get my financial life back in order.  Maybe I can go back to school again for my Master's one day....  That's another thing I've really wanted to do these last couple of years.
 
All of these stored up thoughts and projects sit on my shoulders year after year.  There's just so much more I want to achieve in my life and I still feel as ambitious as a child playing a video game.  I'm hooked on the 'win'.  'One day, One year', I keep telling myself.  There's a ton of things I need to 'win', too. 
 
Like getting back to writing my book and decorating it with the scenic illustrations that I envision.....
I think about that book all the time.  And all of my own personal 'wins'.  Maybe this year I can confront at least ONE of these Project Poltergeists for good! 
 
Happy New Years to you all.  I will try to write again to the blog soon...  just like I used to beforehand.  I promise to keep it updated, but if I go M.I.A for a while please be reassured that I most certainly at working hard on the craft, taking control of all the Poltergeists lurking in my thoughts, and continuing to reach for the stars!
 

No comments:

Post a Comment