A guy called Sol

Just a little something from this morning. Im currently enjoying big arms.

And a quick colour idea panel.

This is Thomas

Hi Thomas.

A boat boy

A boy in a boat. Part of a personal project im working on at home. 

All the best :)

Sketch-Dump and hands

Heeey. So this week I have done a lot of training. The travelling kind that is. Getting from one place to another. Its been a busy old time because of it. Especially on the way back. Apparently thunder and lighting is good enough reason to cancel every train this side of London for a good two hours. But hey ho, what better time to sit and kill a few hours drawing people ambling about. Here's a few of those very sketches . . . (apart from the ones at the top, they're just studies from a newspaper).

And in the mean time here's some more hands. You might recognise the style. I have been reading a lot of Bridgeman lately. Absolute genius of life drawing. These are however my own hands and not artist copies. (For one thing they're not good enough)

Also if you haven't seen it already. See the new Pixar Brave trailer. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYg0VgPy6Uk

I don't think I have been that turned on by a movie trailer since the Lilo and Stitch series.

Featuring Aladdin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCUDS-Q67Mg

The little Mermaid

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtNEL4WgS_c&feature=related

Beauty and the Beast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twZJu9vb1z8&feature=related

And the lion king

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVlaE99t8TM&feature=related

Lulworth cove, Hands and Disney!

Hi, so, i haven't posted in quite a while have I. Alas uni is over more or less for the summer. And i hate photographing my work. Much prefer the university scanners. I just cant get the colours right on my own. 

But hey ho, ill have to make do for a bit. Here's a quick watercolour I did whilst at Lulworth cove yesterday. Its not very good tbh. But I have not really had a go at observational painting before until I went to Annecy a couple of weeks ago. Since then the idea has captivated me. SO latest effort!! 

As for the Hands and Disney part of this post. Here we go. I have to admit since getting back from Annecy i haven't done as many, but it is still there. I think its not something I need to do every day any more. Just something I can practice every couple of days or so. These particular examples are hands done in a very caricature style. 

As for the Disney piccy. Its a piece of art done by a guy called Amano something or other. I really loved the line quality of it, very fine. Its also in its original form a watercolour. This is something i want to start playing with soon. The original is here. 

http://www.gamedepiction.com/media2/kh-sora-big.jpg

and here's mine

Anyhows. I'm currently working on an 11 second club challenge, that for once I think I might actually finish!! Ill post it up as soon as its done so you can see what you think. This summer for me is gonna be full of animation so keep on coming back and seeing if there's anything new. Ill try n post a new one every week.

All the best

Graeme

Annecy Festival!

Wow, so I just got back from Annecy animation festival last week. Already i want to go back. I am that eager I have decided to try and learn French. xD So, if you can speak French, please let me know, I need the help! Merci.

It was amazing. I think my favourite part (apart from all of it) was possibly the Disney talks. Especially the talk with Paul Briggs about story. 

(For those of you who don't know, Paul Briggs is a story supervisor at Disney at the moment working as a lead story guy for their next big feature.) 

Oh and possibly getting to see the newest Pixar short. Its called La luna. A very cute story about three generations of people that keep the moon shining brightly. I got a poster for it, woop!! Umm, also just relaxing by the lake was pretty nice. It was a stunning location to say the least and I think I could have quite happily have stayed there all day just sketching and relaxing amongst friends. 

Anyhow, here's a quickety update regarding some of those aforementioned sketches I did there. Some are okay, others leave a lot to be desired, but hey ho. 

AHHHH DRUNKEN DRAWINGS!!!

Who could these be??

A watercolour I did of lake Annecy. Was uber relaxing.

And just so you didn't think I had forgotten. More DISNEY AND HANDS!!

Anyhow, that's all from me for now. 

All the best

Graeme

Disney & Hands part 5

So this may be my last post for the next week or so. Hey ho, I am not gonna be complaining as I will be off to Annecy in France instead. Really excited about it. Massive massive animation festival . . . and also a chance to maybe chill out for a bit too. Particularly looking forward to having a midnight swim in the lake!

Anyhow, here's my Disney and hands progress. Been doing this for 12 days so far. It feels like a lot longer. But even now, looking back at the first couple of days I feel as though I have learnt a lot. My drawing of hands has become more informed, muscles exist where they didn't in my drawings before. Also more assured. Less as though i was fumbling around and not really knowing what I was doing. Hopefully this should really help with my animating. Just in the range of emotions and gestures that I can hopefully add to my bag of tricks. We will have to see. 

(Sergio Pablos)

(Glen Keane)

Something made me laugh lots and lots today . . . but I cant remember what. Ill get back to you on that one!! I Should go now anyhow, I can hear mike in the kitchen making a soup biscuit and I need to stop him.

All the best

Graeme 

Disney & Hands part 4

So been a long weekend this week. Literally. And sigh* was working every single one of them. It could have been worse I guess. My mood was lifted momentarily when a raggedy homeless guy came into the shop and declared at, (rather than too,) the customers that they where 'supposed to be in the music industry'. After which he spat on the floor and stomped out. All because dogs aren't allowed in the shopping centre. (What does being in the music industry have to do with dogs??)


That three days of being in the music industry did not stop me however, from doing my Disney drawings and my Hands!!

This weekend i have focussed a small amount more not on just animation frames but character designs and concept works as well. In particular youll notice a lot of children from Toy Story 3. I have always struggled with designing appealing young characters. In doing these however i have learnt a lot about where i was going wrong. Proportions etc. 

(Bruce Smith)

(Chris Sanders, Storyboard)

(Tom Gately, Character Design)

(Brush Pen, Really good challenge. Gave me a chance to evaluate my progress without having an eraser to lean on as a crutch)

(Daniel Arriaga, Character Design)

Disney & Hands Part 3

Day  . . . 6 I think. Tomorrow I think I may try something different. Maybe brush pen! That'll be a nightmare. No chance to repair. I have to live with the marks I make. I have to live life on the edge. I have to push the envelope of my comfort. I have to rock the boat of my preconceptions...

Here's last nights anyhow :)

(Glen Keane)

Once again being annoyingly complex in his drawing.

All the best 

Graeme

Disney & Hands part 2

HEEEY!

MORE HANDS AND DISNEY
YAAAAAAY!!!

(Milt Kahl)

(Glen Keane)

Was looking at this Glen Keane drawing and watching treasure planet at the same time. I noticed that not only can I not draw this character on model. Neither could many of the other animators. Oh you Glen Keane. Your too good!! 

All the best

Graeme

Disney and Hands

So, this summer, in brief. I want to get better. Be a better animator and all round artist. And so with that in mind I have started doing these random odd tasks here there and everywhere. Drawing my hands in 6 different positions each night. And copying as exactly as possible a frame of animation from someone I admire as an animator. I guess by copying there work I get an insight into their thought process as they have drawn that frame. For example Andreas Deja has a really strong line of action in his work I have discovered. Frank Thomas however seemed instead to trust to intuition. Either that or he's a genius  . . . Probs the latter. 

Today is day 3 of this and so far it has been going okay.  . . . ish. I think style is something I can work my way up too eventually. For the moment however, I just wanna focus on getting it right technically, and then economy of line.

Day 3

(Frank Thomas)

Day 2

(Andreas Deja)

Day 1

(Ollie Johnston)

Will be posting some more up here soon. Along with some of my film work hopefully, some 11 second clubs and even a few more side projects. 

All the best anyhow,

Graeme

p.s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHHcM6aHPnE
Geesus I cannot wait!!

Condor story

So today, I have been tied down and whipped into submission. Unfortunately (as much as i would love to pitch a numerous amount of films next year) have been told that I have to choose which idea i am going to take forward, today!! 

As such I can finally reveal a couple of concepts for one of the stories that I will not be taking further for the time being. The story is about disparity between two peoples. And how a lack of understanding between people can lead to a recognition of difference rather than similarity  . . . eventually leading to animosity. 

The two main characters are a Sherpa and a Bird of fire. The very last Bird of fire in existence. Set near the Tibetan plateau during the 50's when the second world war had opened up technology to even the most rural places in the world.

These are just a couple of character designs for the Sherpa. Based on research into the tradition of Sherpas that lead tourists around the Himalayas.

This second bunch of images include a couple of character concepts and a vague design for the location of the Sherpas village. The research again being based on the traditional values of Buddhist architecture in Tibet. 

I'm sad to have to be saying goodbye to this idea. And many other ideas that haven't even seen the light of day yet. But I am also very pleased to have now, a specific story and short film idea that I can begin to visualize and build over the summer.

Good luck to all the other second years who will undoubtedly be doing the same as me. I cannot wait till pitch week! Its gonna be an exciting time.

All the best

Graeme