JUNGLE BOOK... another look...

A few weeks ago I posted the JUNGLE BOOK background below.

Tonight, I realized after Baloo smashes through the doorway, we get an expanded view not only through the opened doorway, but also a significant pan to the left. (The door is obviously an animated cel overlay.)

Here's the terrific new digitally re-assembled result!

Back with THE JUNGLE BOOK!

I was without internet service for several days, and my laptop imploded. Geez!

So, with my laptop in the shop, and no internet, I had plenty of time to sit with my desktop computer, and digitally re-assemble some background art. I never get tired of Disney's THE JUNGLE BOOK. Here are five "new" B/G pieces.

Finally, today (with a different service provider) I once again have digital internet access. Yay!

Glad to be back!

A wonderful reconstructed pan B/G

So you can savor the details and texture, its left side...

and right side...

and some more...

New List

I was looking at some short films the other day online and wondered why I don't have a short film list here. So now there is one. If anyone has one that is not on the list feel free to leave a comment with the name or link and I will gladly add it on. I ran into this one the other day and thought I would pass it on.

YANKEE GAL

Enjoy

Animation Tutorials and Webinars

It's been about a year since I stumbled onto this site. I first began with some of his tutorials and then was introduced to his webinars. I began watching the way that he animates first in 2D in Flipbook and then brings that into Maya. For me it put alot of the animation principles into perspective in ways that I had not been looking at them before. These tutorials seem to help me realize the complexities of animation and how to break them down so that it is not just what I am focusing on but also to remember why I animate. Why do I spend all of this time consuming my life with all things animation? For the passion! While following Jason Ryan's site it has brought with it... passion. I actually have fun learning new ways to animate and always trying to better my workflow. Of course everyone is going to have their own BUT, if you can learn something new it will only help your animation. So take a look check them out and maybe even try one out.





So enjoy your animating!

Lip Sync Basic Workflow

I came across a video via cgchar that nicely articulates the basics of lip sync work flow for 3D. While I think he over simplifies the finer details a smidge, I definitely think it will get you in the ball park faster.

http://animationsalvation.com/free_tips/

Film Update!

I'm still busy pluggin away slowly on my film, Better off Undead. But I just wanted to put up some frames at various stages of completion. It's a lot of hard work and can get exhausting at times, but it's really exciting to see it start to come together!

That is all for now, more to come soon. Thanks for looking! Now back to work!

**On a side note, I love coming across interviews with certain lumanaries that get you motivated, or inspired. This morning its from Walt Disney:

The answer, according to Disney is: Invent your own job; take such an interest in it that you eat, sleep, dream, walk, talk and live nothing but your work until you succeed. Then you may take on a hobby or two if you feel so inclined.

“All this talk about my making a lot of money is bunk,” declares Disney. “After 10 years of pretty tough sledding, I am now making a moderate profit on my products, but every dime I take in is immediately put back into the business. I’m building for the future. And my goal isn’t millions; it’s better pictures.

“I’m not interested in money, except for what I can do with it to advance my work. The idea of piling up a fortune for the sake of wealth seems silly to me. Work is the real adventure in life. Money is merely a means to make more work possible."

WORD!

Coraline Production Art

My buddy Chris Turnham recently started a blogsite showcasing some of the beautiful work he did on Coraline. Drop by and check it out!

Valuable Critiques

Sometimes it is hard to come by a person who will take the time to give solid feedback on work for various reasons: busy, not around and well busy.

Well I'm not sure if enough people actually visit the critiques on the 11sec Club. At the the end of each month when the winner is declared there is a critique given by an industry animator. I think these are a great source of learning first of all how to crit and also to observe and learn from fellow animator's work. So visit, take a look, cause there are plenty to go around.




Enjoy

Gimbal Lock and You

Gimbal lock, we all know it, we all hate it. It has been my experience that most students, and many professional animators, don't have have a good work flow for dealing with it, myself included when I first starting working. Thankfully one of the animators quickly pulled me aside and fixed that. Keith Lango recently posted a video on gimble lock, and he does a really good job of not only providing solutions, but more importantly articulating the mechanics behind it, why it happens in the first place. I think even if you already know about the euler filter and manual workflow, its worth your time to watch.

Gimbal Lock and You by Keith Lango

BLITZ WOLF (MGM, !94s)

This 1942 cartoon was Tex Avery's second at MGM after leaving Warner Bros. It opens with a send-up of Disney's THREE LITTLE PIGS. Here's is a splendid (digitally recreated) pan background. As usual, I've added right and left halves so you can enjoy a closer look at the details.



This digitally recreated vertical pan has some interesting gags - including the play on the MGM logo at the top and the "sausage swastica" near the bottom. Remember, political correctness was unheard of in the early 40s...

Here is another lavish digitally recreated pan B/G. This time I have broken it into three parts for detail.

JUNGLE BOOK

Here, two new digitally recreated backgrounds from the "I Wanna Be Like You" sequence.

Planning is SOOOO important!

Hey everyone

I stumbled on this post from Carlos Baena's site. It was from one of the shots that he did on The Incredibles. The one where he saves the "jumper" and crashes through the building leading to the supers getting sued. He shows the process of his planning for the shot from thumbnails to video ref. It is a great read and really inspirational.

Check it out:

Tips and Tricks > Planning Case Study: Incredibles





Enjoy!

ALADDIN (1992)

Coraline

Go see it and remind yourself of what made you want to get into animation in the first place.

Congratulations Turnham!

Introducing PETER MOEHRLE!

I am truly delighted to share a sampling of animation background art, provided directly by artist Peter Moehrle! He is a truly masterful animation background artist, with a dazzling style and resume to match. He trained all the background artists on Disney Studio's LILO AND STITCH in the fine art of watercolor backgrounds.

In addition to LILO AND STITCH and MULAN, Peter has worked on a variety of non-Disney projects. He is incredibly talented. His background art is expressive and marked by great nuance, texture and style.

Here is a sampling from Peter's brilliant portfolio:

ROCK AND RULE (1983, from Canadian animation studio Nelvana)






These, from MULAN:






These, from LILO AND STITCH:



More of Peter's art can be seen at:

http://homepage.mac.com/jmoehrle/pmoehrle/animationart/animationart.html

Thank you Peter, for sharing your work with us!