Just an update for my Log fly through assignment. Extra lighting has now been added. It consists of a huge spot light over head that stays just in front of the camera. This has created a sense of depth by pushing the background into a lighter haze associated with distance. This was key to getting the look I wanted. Thanks Maya 'foggy spot light' and thanks Rachel for pointing that out. That is a function that I will utilise a lot as I love atmospheric lighting. Must also remember that it can be done in post as the lighting slows down render time but have to say it is convenient to do it all in Maya with quick render check etc. The bump was also softened on the trees which also helped to provide more realism.

Full render has now been done but will also do another as will need to soften the shadowing created by the extra lighting.

A point light was also installed inside the log (thankfully we found the texturing in my dodgy filling system) and this also will need to be softened for another final render.

All in all I'm pretty happy with the out come. Going to have to seriously keep the swat up on Maya, hopefully Ill get some time over the break to keep the hand in.

Have nearly completed the 'fly through' assignment. Had to create a CG environment that the viewer  travels through. Mine is of a rocky bush scene that we float through to the inside of a big old log.

Am pleased that I made the environment mostly comprised of mossed over rocks as it allowed for the exclusion of having to many trees and foliage,- a time consuming process in Maya. The more minimal leaf detail I think worked too as being lush and vibrant green against the rocky background, they tend to stand out as attractive elements.

As with the Dragonfly assignment, more lighting effects are still required but am making good progress for me.

Was a great exercise for me as I think Im finally starting to get my head around applying textures.

Still a long way to go as far as any real decent production value but this was an excellent exercise for me as getting the hang of Maya is key to having good progression next year.

Photoshop is still by far my favorite program to use because its intuitive and I like creating art work but I can more and more see how good it will be to get proficient in Maya as well.

Nearly the end of the year. Two more CG assignments and one exam to go.

Have done first render of the Dragonfly. Pretty happy with the way it looks at this stage. No doubt an improved knowledge of Maya would enhance but am happy with progress so far.

Still have to ad lighting lighting effects etc. Have given the bug a slightly stylised look. The green markings are more florescent rather than real and the bug its self would need a lot more detailing to make it appear fully realistic, as was achieved in Vodafone Mayfly commercial.

                               
                                Vodafone, (2006). BBH London.
                                      Retrieved from: www.brandjazz.typepad.com

The Mayfly looks completely realistic accept for the human characteristics in its acting. Would be nice to achieve that level of production value but if I can finish this year with a reasonable understanding of the basics of Maya, Ill be happy. If going into the third year I can build a creature or prop, texture it, ad some lighting and camera moves, Ill at least have something to build on next year. The CG stuff hasn't come to naturally to me (as my tutor will testify! lol). Maya's infinite drop down menus, ahhhhh!, but I will persevere!.

 

Was good to do some research on comics for the research paper. Found information and art for Wally Woods "Superduperman", a spoof he did for Mad magazine in 1953. Hilarious and well drawn.

Wood,W. (1953). Superduperman. Mad Magazine.

         Retrieved from: http//wwwstendek777.worppress.com

      Fantastic anatomy and inking tied in with good humor. Basically Clark Kent is depicted as an extremely pathetic wretched nerd (see lower right), still trying to win the affections of Lois Lane by (in this case) beating up Captain Marvel. He succeeds in destroying Marvel but Lois is still unimpressed and even rejects him while he is dressed as Superman.

     Funny and well drawn,- two aspects that I look for in a comic. Particularly like the treatment the artist used to depict the tight "spandex" over the mussels of Superduperman.  Nice stuff! 

     Interesting to contrast it with a more recent version of Superman by John Romita.

   Romita, J. (2014,August). Superman#32 Comicbook.com.
         Retrieved from: http://www.comicbook.com

      I like the comparison of these two images, one has Superman punching out an old man, the other a huge robotic ape. Romita's finnish is beautifully detailed with a high production value but I think Wood's version has better anatomy and more confidant naturalistic inking. Romita has all the qualities of dynamic posing that is found in Marvel comics and the like, but I still prefer Wood's work not only for the confidence of the drawing, but also for the simple fact that Im more attracted to humorous comics as opposed to action hero, and Superduperman was a nice meshing of both.

     Was interesting also to see the extremes in comic or Graphic novel content. The next two images are at either end of the polls in storyline and imagery.

  Klein, T. (2014). Follow the leader. Comicvine.

       Retrieved from: http: //www.comicvine.com

 

Remi, G (Herge). (1943). The adventures of Tintin. Red backhams treasure. Comicvine.

      Retrieved from: http: //www.comicvine.com

      One has sick looking gimp enquiring if someone can help him put back together a kitty cats severed head (funny cause its just TOO sick), while the other has Tintin cruising around in his wee shark submarine. 

      

     Will have to keep this in mind should I seriously persue my own comic. Do you write and draw for a specific audience or for yourself?. Process or product?.

     Have mostly enjoyed the process of producing the comic for tech. Brutal assignment in some ways (have been up at tech till closing a number of nights), but hugely rewarding and has definitely extended my drawing and digital coloring.

     These images are going to Armageddon so will be great to get some feed back having and them in the public eye.

     Have almost completed the comic too so will be good to now focus more on the CG Maya, Nuke, After affects programs for the compositing and environment assignments. Will update these in next blog.

  

     

    

Mission!,  just spent most of saturday up at tech again working on the comic. Has taken approx 14 to 16 hours to colour a one of the monster pages. Will have to speed that up but I think I might have figured a few things out, so should hopefully be a little easier from here on in. I removed the horn and changed some weapon detail. Might still need some tweaking but all and all I think Im on the right track.

Will also put up a couple of environment artworks that we had to do for one of the assignments.

Was a great exercise, lots of Photoshop, some Vue, a little Maya, and some photo bashing. Definitely like working with Photoshop the most. Its user friendly, intuitive, and can give a pretty close painterly look if required.

Started to colour the comic for our drawing class at SIT over the last week. Am trying to incorporate two styles, one of the more traditional block colour found in the older comics such as Asterix or Tintin. The other is a more painterly style that has been adopted by the more recent action hero comics accept that I would like to keep it a little looser to emulate a more story board approach. Both these styles will be used and the comic will in effect be a comic within a comic. The first style will be used to describe a humorous look into the day of a hospital orderly and the second will be used to show a comic that the orderly himself is working on in his spare time.

Have got a way to go yet but progress is being made. Was going to incorporate a lot of photo bashing with the lower monster action component but I think Ill rely more on painting it in Photoshop, (I prefer the slightly loose brush look).

Went to Gore over the weekend where they are screening the New Zealand International Film Festival. The film we went to see was a Japanese animated film called The Tale of The Princess Kaguya. Directed by Takahata Isao, it was beautifully animated in a water colored, hand drawn style.

As Robbie Collin said in The Telegraph,  "Takahata's film looks like an ancient scroll-painting come to life: its characters, sketched in charcoal, crackle with energy, while loose, vivid ink-strokes become dappled sunlight, bursting blossoms and falling snow. A character fleeing a palace becomes nothing much more than a flutter of red fabric, surrounded by an expressionistic whirl of snowy hillsides and tangled trees... This is a rich an astonishing swansong for Takahata, whose love of mischief and tender, expressionistic style have been essential steering forces at Studio Ghibli"

I love art work that isn't afraid to be loose. Need to keep this in mind, especially when conceptualizing. Some thing so nice about what the hand produces. STAY LOOSE! The first part of the process is the best part, - take some of these elements into the final product.