Rigging with 3D Technology

Here's where things start to become more complicated. I just took a 3D Animation class and, I gotta say, it really opened my eyes on how complex animation can really get. There were so many gizmos and gadgets on our modeling program that it made my head spin. There are many modeling programs that deal with 3D. The program I learned with was Maya. Maya is a fantastic modeling program that a lot of professionals use to design characters and animate characters. Animation industries such as DreamWorks and Disney uses Autodesk Maya to create their movies. Pixar just recently created a program called RenderMan that they now only use, and I hear that it's a lot better than Maya. But, you know, all of these industries are coming up with a ton of new technology to be added to these programs that makes their movies look all that realistic.
Rigging is a major aspect in those programs. Rigging is what makes the characters move. It only exists in 3D animation or flash animation done on computers. It's hard to explain its elements without visually showing how it works, but it's basically building a skeleton around the 3D character model and attaching controls to its joints and limbs. If you think about it, it'd be a lot similar to manipulating a puppet. The strings are connected to elbows, knees, hands, feet, shoulders, hips, and the head. From there you can control the puppet by moving each string in a way as to where the puppet is moving in a certain way. Rigging a character is adding those controls so that it'll be easier to move the character around. Creating rigs is a very difficult thing to do in animation, but there are people who do it and it makes the animation flow so much smoother. I've worked with a rigged character and it was really fun to play around with, but it's very time consuming to get the character working smoothly. This type of advanced technology has really come a long way in the animation industry and it very clearly shows with today's movies.
Zootopia has quickly become one of my all time favorite Disney movies. I'm not sugar coating it, I've seen this movie five times in theaters. I simply could not get enough of it. The animation is so beautiful and the story line is fantastic. Disney came up with a new program to make animal fur looked realistic on screen and they did an amazing job with it. I'm making it a goal to try and work with Rich Moore in the future because he's managed to help produce two of my favorite Disney movies; Wreck-It Ralph and Zootopia. I'm shooting for TV animation, but I wouldn't mind ending up working on movies either. If you haven't seen this movie yet then I'd definitely advice seeing it because it's freaking awesome. If you have seen it, who's your favorite character? I don't really have one, but Nick and Judy are adorable.
Coming up, sketchbooks and internships!

From Our World to Theirs

 

So when I said I'd be back soon, I meant that I'd be back eventually. Eventually starts now...many months later. I apologize. I'm still working things out with my life. Moving on! Just thought I'd start with a little fun one here by talking about mixing animation with live action. If there's anything more in the world I would love to do, it'd be to star in a movie like the image above, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and had to have an animated character interact with me. That would be the dream for me. Until then, however, I'll just stick behind a desk and draw.

I was surprised to see how many movies had a mixture of live action and animation. The movie I posted was the only one I only thought of considering it was a large part of my childhood, but there are so many more! And not all of them have both animation and live action interacting with each other. The Pagemaster is only a fourth live action and the rest is animated. Mary Poppins has non animated people interacting with two dimensional characters as well as Space Jam. There's hundreds of movies that have CGI animation in it like movies that may have talking animals (Narnia series), but I'm just going to focus on those that have actual cartoon characters in them.

It's freaking amazing how much effort is put into making something like this...and so incredibly interesting. If you ever watch the documentary they did for Who Framed Roger Rabbit, then you'd have a pretty clear idea. The actors for the film are fed lines from people off screen (since the cartoon characters aren't really there) and they have to physically act out the scene as if there was someone there. If that character were physically interacting with the actor/actress, then that actor/actress has to pretend it's really happening to them. Talk about acting dedication. For real objects that were being handled from those cartoon figures, the crew would need to think of ways to get the object to move on its own as if it were really being used. They would use a mixture of puppeteers and mechanical robots to help get that movement.

I think Who Framed Roger Rabbit is my favorite live action/animated feature because of how real it looks and the story behind it. It's interesting to know that everything was hand drawn for this movie and the animators would pencil in the characters on top of each key frame of the movie one by one. My hand is already cramping from the sound of that. Then they'd send in the pencil work to the painters who would color in the characters and then they would go through lighting, shading, and shooting each frame with these elements. You can't really beat the spark that traditional animation has, and I'd like to know if there will be any future movies like Roger Rabbit that'll be demonstrating the beauty of that kind of animation.

I would love to work on something that deals with both animation and live action. I've only drawn cartoons in photographs and that's as close as I can get for now. Still, it's so magical to know that we can broaden our imagination to show that the real world and the cartoon world can coincide with one another. I'd live it every day, and I'm hoping to show everyone what it'd be like to live in the shoes of a cartoon character.

I'll talk about rigging next as well as a movie review for one of my favorite Disney movies! (It's a surprise).



Freelancing at Conventions

I've only been to two conventions that dealt with animation and they were simply amazing. I volunteered at both so I could actually get some experience without having to pay so much. I first volunteered at Wondercon last spring and it lasted two days. Those two days were spent gawking at the interior of the convention center in Anaheim and clicking a button to count how many people went into a room. My favorite part was seeing everyone cosplaying characters. I would often see a lot of reoccurring characters like the Gravity Falls characters, Star Wars, Marvel/DC characters, etc. It was like a smaller Comic Con. (One day I shall volunteer there *shakes fist*). I even attended a few panels, but not the ones I really wanted to go to unfortunately.
I volunteered just last month at CTNX, which is a networking convention for animators and illustrators. I loved Wondercon, but CTNX was by far my favorite. No cosplayers but a lot of business cards were handed out to me as I explored the hundreds of tables set up for every individual artist. I made a few friends who also volunteered with me and I even got to see a few panels I wanted to see. A lot of the panels consisted of different animated industries like DreamWorks and Nickelodeon. How I heard about Nickelodeon's new show, Harvey Beaks, was through one of their panels. My favorite panel that I attended was on my last day and it was one I really wanted to go to. Remember when I talked about Daron Nefcy in my last post? Well, her and some people who worked on Star vs. the Forces of Evil were doing a panel. I felt ecstatic when they showed us an entire episode animatic for their upcoming season 2. So, conventions of these kinds are really popular and fun to go to if you're a fan of animation, films, or art in general. I'm hoping to volunteer again for Wondercon next year.
Most of everyone promoting their art at CTNX were freelance illustrators or artists, which means that they work independently from a company like Disney or Cartoon Network. I love freelance artists, they can do what I can't; work alone. The image above is directed to one of my favorite YouTube freelance animators, Egoraptor. He does some really hilarious stuff and his animation is actually really good. Another animator I watch is Harry Partridge, who's animation is something I really admire. He did some online lessons and they really helped me out. These freelance artists know how to promote themselves through either online media like YouTube or they go to conventions where they hand out their business cards while selling their artwork. I've got like a whole stack of cards where I'll be checking out their art.
Knowing how to promote yourself is so important in the animation business. It's about getting your foot in the door that's important. Knowing how to be social and friendly is something that every person looks for. Also, having self-confidence is just as important. I've learned the hard way that lowering your self-esteem and comparing yourself to other's artwork is not the way to go. It'll only bite you in the ass later on so have fun and just do what you love!
Next topic is something I haven't figured out yet but it will be coming soon! :)

Rosie the Riveter Picked Up A Pencil

Why, yes, I am a woman. Just figured I'd get that out of the way for those who were curious. It's strange. I never thought about gender in animation because the animators and artists were all hidden behind cartoon characters. People never think about who drew what when watching a show or film; they simply enjoy the characters as they are, which is what it really is all about. I began hearing about gender in animation a few years ago when I started out.
The group of women pictured above all work on the animated show on Disney XD called Star vs. the Forces of Evil. The woman in the center is the creator, Daron Nefcy. When I first heard about the show and saw the name of the creator, I thought it was a guy because of the name. To my surprise, it turned out to be her! She's a very whimsical painter and I really enjoy her style. I'm mentioning her because she is one of the first women to create an animated television show. Rebecca Sugar is another creator for the show Steven Universe and she created her show before Daron so I have a lot of respect for her as well. I always get really excited when I find a show that's been created by a female because it just means that there's hope for me to be in their position one day.
Let's face it. Animation has always been a boys club. The majority of animators in the early to mid twentieth century were male. Unfortunately women back then weren't viewed ideally as creative or talented and there weren't a lot of women who wanted to go into animation. Walt Disney did have some women artists working on his films. They usually did background art or painting some of the characters, but none of them really did the actual animating part of it. I'm glad to see that women are becoming more involved with it and gaining recognition for their talent.
Still, the factor of inequality remains in the business. It's not just animation, too, but entertainment in general. There are still some men out there who classify women as inferior and don't think they belong in the entertainment business. It's ridiculous. I'm not an extremist when it comes to feminist rights, but sexism needs to stop altogether because it makes things way more difficult than it needs to be. Thankfully, more women are being hired in the animation industry and I heard that a lot of industries are taking in women because there just isn't enough.
I'm hoping to become a storyboard artist for TV animation, but I recently heard that not a lot of women are going into storyboarding because it's an intimidating field to go into and a lot are more comfortable with illustrating for concept or backgrounds and working with color. This is something I don't want to do. I want to work with characters and being able to visualize the set up in my head to later put it down on paper seems more enjoyable. Now they're starting to hire more women storyboard artists so I'm pretty glad for that.
Women weren't very much involved with animation back then or recognized. Now the tables are turning and women are displaying their joy and talent with animation. Props for those girls out there who are rising up and using their visions to create amazing shows and movies. You go, girls! Next topic: Expos and free lance!

Issue No. 1

Yeah, bet I was gunna pick an image that everyone could relate to like Marvel, huh? No. No, this was planned since the beginning. This is the one I'm going to start with because I am currently loving every second this show puts out. One Punch Man started as a web comic and then moved to what you see here, an incredible manga series that you can also read online. They just started animating the series in October and it's freaking amazing. By this point I'm pretty much promoting it. My sister hates anime so I can't convince everyone to watch it. It is hilarious and beautifully animated so check it out sometime, especially if you're looking for another anime to watch. I usually don't watch anime and even I find it to be totally kickass.
Back to the actual discussion at hand. I was never a comic collector but I do know of some comics that were converted into an animated show and vice versa. The first comics I ever got into were by an artist named Jhonen Vasquez and was titled Johnny the Homicidal Maniac. Sounds innocent enough, no? It really isn't. I got into them after I began watching Invader Zim and since they are both the same creator I really wanted to check them out. The comics are interesting. Crude and dark, but I was a pretty dark person back in high school so I indulged in them. Comics that obtain a lot of attention from its viewers are likely to undergo a decision whether it should be animated.
Marvel and DC comics have actually gone in both directions for live action and animation. Many of the characters that animation focused on are really popular figures like Batman and Robin. The only show I ever really got into that focused on these comics was Teen Titans and I really only recognized Robin. They do a really awesome job, though, at bringing these drawings to life. I really enjoyed that show and it was fun getting in touch with all the characters, Beast Boy being my favorite.
There's a lot of manga that became anime later on. I know for a fact Sailor Moon was one of them and, of course, One Punch Man being another, but there's a whole lot more. I'm not a huge anime lover, but I really like the style and would probably watch more if I wasn't focused on other shows at the moment. I'm not sure if there's been anime that has later turned into manga, but there could be. Speaking of which, I do happen to know a few shows that have been converted into a comic.
I'm gunna go ahead and bring up Jhonen Vasquez again and say that after Invader Zim was canceled in 2002, a lot of fans went nuts and wouldn't stop bugging the guy. Frustrated that he wasn't able to blow up people's heads with his mind, he decided to make the comic thirteen years later. I'll say this right now, it's exactly as I hoped it would be. I've been ordering issues non stop since it came out over the summer. If you guys are a fan of the show, I definitely recommend the comic. Pure comedy gold right there. It also makes up for that empty hole since the cancelation of the show.
Rick and Morty also began working on a comic, though the creators aren't involved with it. I get those issues as well, but I believe it's a comic for fun and while its fans will be waiting for the next season to come out in who knows how long, it's a nice comic to read in the meantime. Some of these comics have short story arcs and then there are some that don't. I personally love the ones with a story arc because then I become excited for the next issue to come out.
Comics have really had a big influence over animation, that's for sure. A lot of artists who work in animation either have worked on comic books before or have created their own comics. I tried out comics once in high school, but it didn't stick for long. I may go back into it, though, when I have enough free time. For now, unfortunately, I really have got to study for finals. Later in today's thrilling adventure: Women in Animation!

Film and TV Animation Industries

Sure, I could have easily chosen a movie that was later made into a cartoon series, but my loyalties lie with animated shows being made into a movie. Most of the movies who later turn into animated TV shows like a lot of DreamWorks' movies don't really appeal to me all that much. The way they computer animate them end up looking very cheap and the storylines don't interest me. Still, that doesn't mean I respect them any less. They gotta work hard to get that money rolling in. Aha. Anyway, I decided to let The Simpsons shine seeing as though they are the longest running animated show currently and their movie was freaking hilarious.
Again, I'm not posting to say which is better, TV or film animation, for I love both equally. I will talk a bit about the different industries producing these pictures and their progressions...and maybe start gushing about some of these shows and movies. I'll start with the film industries.
There are so many industries that do animated movies out there that I'm not even sure if I can name them all. So I'll just start with the ones on the top of my head. Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, Sony Pictures, Blue Sky, Warner Bros., Ghibli Studios, Fox... and that's all I can think of at the moment. The top three are ones that I'm more familiar with and have seen the most of (maybe also Ghibli Studios). All of these industries have made a lot of progress in animation and, as they say, practice makes perfect. Out of all of them, however, I'd say that Pixar and DreamWorks are the top studios who have made the most change. Disney has, too, of course, but I want to focus on the computer animated industries first.
I used to be terrified of the movie Antz when I first saw it, and when I gained the courage to watch it again a few years ago, I was shocked by how different the animation was compared to their newer movies. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't all too appealing to the eye. Their traditionally animated movies were fantastic, The Road to El Dorado and The Prince of Egypt. Yet, you could tell that computer animation was not their forte. Now they're a wiz at it and it's because they continue to make more films. Pixar is another story. I always found their style very beautiful since Toy Story and even so their detail has gotten a lot better. Brave is a great example of this. Their storylines continue to leave me in awe with each movie.
TV animation is something that I really want to go into. I would love to work with movies as well, but my main focus is to get a job in TV animation. The only reason is because I would want to be in a team that helps develop a story that lasts many seasons. It'd be kind of like working on an extended movie. Here's the main companies I can think of: Nickelodeon, Disney (XD), Cartoon Network, TBS, Fox, Comedy Central, and Adult Swim. I've always been going through phases where I have a 'small' obsession over a show until another catches my interest. Call me childish but I really only watch cartoon shows now no matter if it's for adults or not.
Nickelodeon was my go to as a kid with SpongeBob Squarepants, Hey Arnold!, Rugrats, CatDog, Invader Zim, Danny Phantom, you name it. I don't watch shows on there anymore because their shows aren't really to my interest, but I did recently become interested in a new show they have on there called Harvey Beaks. There's just way too many shows on Cartoon Network I got into, but I also don't watch their new shows for the same reason. What's funny is I never got into Disney shows other than Kim Possible as a kid and I still don't, but Disney XD came out with a lot of really amazing shows like Gravity Falls (which used to be on Disney), Star vs. the Forces of Evil, and Wander Over Yonder. Disney has struck it big with their audience for the past few years and it continues to grow. I'm not surprised, Disney always gets back on their feet.
I love both movies and TV and every single one of them has had their ups and downs, but that's a big part of working in animation. There's gunna be good and bad movies/shows, but the experience makes it worth it in the end. Next topic: Comics and animation!

From 2D to 3D

I grew up with both traditional and computer animation. I don't prefer one or the other. They are both beautiful in their own ways. They have different qualities that I find endearing and though I do wish that they still made traditionally animated movies, I respect the fact that they are continuing with computer animation. I'm not gunna make this a 'which one is better' post. I'm just gunna talk about what characteristics they possess and why they are both equally appealing.
The picture I posted above is one of my favorite Disney shorts ever. I'm sure a lot of you remember this. It came out with the movie Frozen and I found it to be a masterpiece. I was totally captivated by it (even more so than the movie) and was determined more than ever to continue majoring in animation. The short is called Get A Horse! and it has the perfect blend of both 2D and 3D animation. I used to love watching the black and white Mickey Mouse shorts as a kid and watching this got me really excited. I just loved how they were able to blend both types of animation together into a phenomenal piece of work.
I could rave more on this short, but time is a bit against me at the moment. The animation industry began switching from traditional animation to computer when Pixar began their company. DreamWorks had begun to make their own 3D animated movies not too long after Toy Story released. This form of animation was revolutionary to a lot of industries and it wasn't long until more attention was given to its dimensionality than 2D. While computer animation is wicked cool, traditional, in my opinion, has a beauty to it that cannot be replicated through 3D. Hand drawn animation has a more personal feel to it than computer.
Computer animation has gotten a lot better throughout the years though. Pixar's films can be just as beautiful to look at as Disney's. I remember my dad telling me that the first time he saw Toy Story he hated it for how it looked. He wasn't at all used to this 3D effect it had and being a computer guy himself, he was baffled by it. Still, it was something to be admired and turned out to be a huge success in the end. While it may seem that computer animation takes less effort to make than a traditionally animated film, the fact is that both take an enormous amount of effort to make in different ways.
Traditional has to deal with singular drawings of thousands of frames by artists and 3D has to deal with the dimensionalities of the characters in the animation. This means modeling and how to make it actually look three-dimensional. It's not easy. I haven't even started on that yet and I'm already intimidated. Both styles have a charm to them that speak clearly and know how to capture their audience well. They're both successful styles.
I know a lot of artists who prefer one or the other but, really, I'm just glad that we have both to appreciate in the long run. Yes, traditional animation is not as reoccurring now as it was before, but that doesn't mean it's dead forever. Artists and animators out there still contribute to animating traditionally and all animators out there need to know how to animate traditionally before moving onto 3D. Okay, next subject then is: TV shows vs movies!