Gesture Drawing Class

So, I'm taking Mark McDonnell's Gesture Drawing class at the American Animation Institute. We're already half way through the class and I thought I should post some samples since it's been some time since I posted anything. :)

It's a good class. I feel like I'm learning a good deal and hope to take it again depending on my work schedule and such. These samples are from three different class meetings. The first ones are from the beginning of class and the last four are from yesterday's class.

Homework 02

Here's the second week's homework assignment. We had to further develop the character and do some sketches showing the character's personality. I switched characters in order to work on the monster from my thesis film. Just in case the assignments continue to work with the one character I'd rather further develop this guy and maybe find a good story I'd want to animate.

He's a monster that lives alone and isolated in an empty crypt at the local cemetery. He doesn't venture beyond the cemetery gates and relies on mail order TV and the internet for all his needs. He has all items shipped to the crypt next door addressed to it's deceased occupant in order to not risk interaction with the delivery driver. Like most monsters he's a night owl. He spends his nights either knitting sweaters and other items for himself or watching infomercials. It's during one infomercials that he discovers a great book, The Dummies Guide to Making Sock Puppets. He sees that as a perfect solution to create some friends for himself.

What does he want: To create some friends without leaving his safety zone of the crypt.
What does he need: To gain the courage to leave his safety zone and rejoin the world.
How can we relate to him: I think most people have at some point felt alone and isolated from the world.

Taking a new class

So I'm taking the Story Development for Animation class at Concept Design Academy. It just started last week. We talked a lot about character the first class and our homework was to come up with a character, do a drawing and post it to the class blog with a description of the character and what they want. Since I haven't posted to this blog in awhile I figured my homework was a good excuse to post again. So here's what I did.

Patrick. A finch that has it all. Money, power, a smashing bow tie plus he's a crooner. The ladies swoon with his singing. However, he has grown tired of his life. Bored with the ease of it all. He wants something new. Something fun. Something unlike anything he has experienced.

He decides to embrace his love of Star Trek and not hide his fascination with Spock.

I was thinking of a different character but I was at home and my finches were meeping at me, and inspiration struck. I went with it. I'm looking forward to class tomorrow. Depending on the homework I might post again next week.

How to Make a Sock Puppet

Well I have an idea for my thesis film. I just have to find the time to create it. So in honor of having an idea here's some samples of designs for the sock monster and some zombie/monster socks.

I leave it up to you to figure out a story just based on that. :)

Exploring Character

So I was experimenting with the cavegirl design from earlier and thought hey, why not try to make her more of a neanderthal in terms of the skull shape. And see if it's possible to do so without turning the design ugly. Not sure about it yet.

I worked on the old tourist some more and came up with this guy.



















I'm liking him so far.

Let the explorations continue.

Tourist

Two posts in one day. Go me!

Just wanted to post my first shot at the old perverted tourist. He's not perverted yet, unless he's just pretending to read the paper and is staring at the bikini clad college girls on the beach. But he's old. I still need to explore the character but I just drew this and was actually kind of happy with it. That doesn't happen often so I thought I'd share.

Yes I left the hands very gestural on purpose. I need more hand studies. :)

Cavegirl

So hello blog. Long time since I've been here. I forgot to post most of my gesture drawing class drawings. Oops.

Well I was wanting to take some of my sketches from that class and delve into some character design. So here's a post.

This was the original gesture from class.

This was a first attempt to work on the face and then I added some of the body however, I'm having proportion or anatomical issues with the body. But my concentration was on the face. With the hair she reminds me of a pissed off Ariel.

Then I started to explore and added a cartoon tiny caveman to be her companion.

I think I like this face better.

She reminds me of a teenager.

And just to get away from the typical tiny waist woman character.

So there's some rough characters. Next up old perverted tourist man. :)