exploratory sketches: animation pre pro.

these are sketches and storyboards that i did for a animation that im working on. for those who are interested in getting into ANY type of animation i highly recommend doing some type of pre production sketches and storyboards like these. never too complicated. keep it simple, this is just getting your ideas down on paper. this step is VERY important. most animators, 2D or CG will tell you that they spend about 50% of their time working on these loose, exploratory sketches(if they have the luxury of time). hope you all enjoy.

-OPMC

Bugsy jump test

There comes a time at full sail as an animation student, when you are required to animate a scene with a certain character. animating this scene is a test that every student aspiring to be an animator must do before he or she is "approved" and allowed to pursue a career as a animator.in short, full sail dictates there students will specialize in and what will essentially be in that students demo reel upon graduation. many student have mixed feelings towards the school saying what they "can and cannot do on their OWN reels" . in tern, many students switch degrees because they dont want to have to "deal" with an art test- and thats fine. BUT my attitude towards this "test" it that, if i haven't practiced and sharpened my OWN skills to the point where my work docent reflect this; what is the point in having a desire to be an animator? eehh, just talking out the side of my neck here...

food for thought.

here is my first portion of my Art Test. its a jumping animation. these types of animations are basic in "premise" but fare from simple - every animator knows that. in a scene wuch as this one the animator needs to focus on timing, sense of weight, the arc of the jump, the speed and force in wich the character is jumping, the way the characters arms and legs swing, the overlapping actions of the characters garments, hair, tentacles, or in this case- antenna's; all wile paying attention to the 12 principles of animation. ive tried my best to do all of these things- and here is my result. there are still any flaws, it is not perfect. but that is what makes me a stronger animator, it is the same thing that sets me apart from other students and industry professionals, it is my undying pursuit of perfection. and in that pursuit, i am well aware of my current limitations and artistic blockades. i know the solution to those limitations and blockades; but the solutions are not easy to reach, but over time, i will have them- and in tern, new limitations and blockades will be revealed. and i will be ready to pursue them with even more enthusiasm than before, using calculated, and artistic guerrilla tactics.

dont get me wrong- im not TRYING to be perfect. please try not to misunderstand me; because that is not my goal.

i just enjoy pursuing perfection.

one day you all will enjoy me, enjoying that pursuit.

-OPMC

Mooms thoughts on cage matches.

Hello world.

this is what ive been doing with my free time outside of class. took me a couple weeks to animate simply because i was forced to stop frequently due to mundane class work and mel/python scripting projects. took me a while to figure out how to load audio clips into maya, but a buddy showed me how and once i did, this was my end result.

always more on the way so stay posted.

*audio for this video is a bit off in this post. the original video is synced well. i have no idea why blogger throws it off... :/

-OPMC

I B SKETCHIN...

ive been working alot in this new sketchbook i bought from a art store close to Full Sail. i like this sketchbook more than any other because it has BROWN PAPER!!! im completely digging the "textured" look of my sketches. ive been trying to get to my parents house to scan these babies in for some time now. i finally got the chance tonight and rushed home to throw em up.

hope you all enjoy.

-OPMC

Run with me?

Lately my entire sleep schedule has been completely out of wack.im truly beginning to believe that ive forgotten HOW to go to sleep without being completely exhausted mentally and physically. ive been forced to find new creative ways to fit personal animation projects and studies in my schedule between class work and class projects... its a very hard job. i mean i AM however learning CG modeling, Texturing and compositing in these class but ultimately, animation has my heart; therefore, im find myself even more-so committed to it than ever before.

i cant say ive exactly learned how to make my animation "fit into" my schedule because ive just been staying up every-night to about 5- 6AM to finish class work and animate a bit before i go to sleep for about a hr and a half before i arrive at school at 9.i know its not healthy but for some reason i like it. i like staying up and working until i feel like my soul is leaving my body or until my mind shuts off and pushes itself into a dormant state and lets my intuition take control. because when i do that, every artist knows what happens... you are elevated to a new plight of creativity. its like you become creativity, and you are no longest the artist, animator or writer. you become the art, the animation or the words...and for any artist... that simple aspect of the overwhelming fatigue makes it all worth it.

this animation was done about three weeks ago after i had completed about 5-6 walks. like the walks, it was done around 5 or 6am, and like this animation, im submitting this post at 6:52am while most of you are undoubtedly sleeping or getting ready to wake up... was it necessary to do it this way? no. was it completely worth it? hell yes. i hope you all enjoy.

*moom rig was created by, Ramtin Ahmadi

-OPMC

so this is the reason i haven't been able to update my blog as often as ive been wanting... lots of fun keying frames and finding "that perfect pose". well needless to say this particular animation is nowhere near perfect... however i enjoyed it and am proud to call it my fist "real" 3d animation... so upon completing this months "Fundamentals of Animation class" ive officially decided to animate my ass off in hopes of becoming a better animator... ive tried modeling, shading and lighting and none have seamed to stick with me as much as the art of computer animation has... funny- i love to draw and would love it if i could do it 24/7 nonstop; but for some reason i cant quite get the feel of 2d animation quite yet... i love the medium and have aspirations of learning pursuing it one day but as of now... i cant get pass the "rough" look of the line tests and the pre production of it all... 

anywho here is a robot orb animation!!!  

-OPMC

the red ball

ive started working on  my animating abilities lately... haven't done much because ive been modeling, lighting, compositing drawing storyboards and concepts, etc, etc... lately ive been in this artsy mood ya know? just wanting to stay traditional and draw. ive become somewhat "put off" by the whole "CG thing". but when i started animating-even this simple bouncing, ball my faith in the computer generated world was instantaneously renewed. i animated two of the "bouncing ball"exercises and working on a third... ive been working on using the same ball but applying different masses; thus affecting the balls bounce bounce and its arcs... i can only hope if i practice animating these red balls and learn to perfect techniques it will help make me a master character animator some time down the road. im going to keep posting new animations as i finish them. in addition i will be submitting more rough sketches and storyboards to show the origin of the animations and such. criticism is more than welcome. hope you all enjoy!

-OPMC  

ladies.

i think its funny how females can be so relentlessly evil to the male population at times... ok,ok, well not on a global scale but you get my drift right? i got to thinking earlier today and wondered upon an interesting thought... "maybe if girls could be guys for a day and have to deal with themselves like we have to deal with them they would have a chance at understanding male consciousness and possibly a chance at making this world a better place." and when i say "if girls could be guys" i dont mean "switch body's" or body parts for that matter ;P. i mean completely switch, mind, body, and soul- to the point where they could no longest think like themselves and be able to easily fix the problem because they could understand themselves... when i say "if girls could be guys", i would like to see girls completely in a guys situation, with a guys mentality, and with a guys experiences but of course,at the same time, still BEING a woman. honestly, im not even sure they would be able to function.... NOW PLEASE dont get me wrong; i love women and thing they are the strongest people on earth hands down-but! i dont think a woman could deal with another woman  if they were in a guys body...with  that being said; ladies, before the neck starts to roll and the hand goes on the hip- PLEASE, think of us guys... think of our simplicity, and ask yourself if the situation is really worth all the trouble... 

(sigh)

srry for the rant... 

any-who heres some female sketches... :D

-OPMC 

Hot Off The Press

well looks like ive got my rendered "will draw for food" all done... took me a bit longer than usual because this weekend i ended up getting sick with a cold... or flu... or whatever... that pretty much ruined my plans for drawing all weekend ... :/ but as soon as i got back on my feet i pushed this baby out! haha. man being sick sucks... i think its going around my University rite about now... any-who not much else has been up... i had alotta fun working on this; hope you guys enjoy!!!

-OPMC

WILL DRAW FOR FOOD!

This sketch should be titled "will draw".... haa,because i dont need food as motivation to get my pencil moving. but what the heck? wouldnt it be a hell of alot more interesting if his sign read "will draw for food" instead? just makes the pic look more interesting... this sketch came about in my 2d animation class this morning when we were instructed to animate a character moving into a standing position from a relaxed sitting one... this was one of the more exiting animations because i was able to use the principles of animation on a full character rather than the classic "bouncing ball" or whatnot. nevertheless i quickly became board rendered out one of my basic sketches and got this...still a work in progress but im diggin it. if i have time i think im going to end up coloring this baby and adding some kinda backround... 

well, gotta get back to work!!! hope yalls enjoyed (smiles).

-OPMC

 

Phat n' Jazzy

So i went to this b- boy club last night called the social. i had originally asked my friend about ways to promote my art. he recommended that i check out this spot downtown called "The Social". i was informed that it was mainly a spot for b boys to chill and sometimes hold tournaments. but the best part about this club was that in the back, there was a spot for artists to set up booths and promote/sell their works. "DOPE". told my friend, i had to be there and jumped at the opportunity. 

          i ventured downtown around 11:00 last night and stood at the door of "The Social" next to Tabu nightclub; waiting in anticipation for the couple in front of me to receive the "go ahead" from the husky bouncer once he checked their IDs. the guy opened the door for his lady friend accompanying him...light and sound blasted out simultaneously as if spring-loaded and jerry rigged in junction to the door hinges. i reached in my back pocket and pulled out my wallet. the towering bouncer looked into my eyes, examining my face after periodically glancing at me, then my ID, then me again and murmured, "nah man... this don look nothin like you." i felt that heart-dropping feeling in my chest; "shit" i said to myself, "i knew this crap was gonna catch up with me". my ID was from a couple years ago when i had my long dreads. i always ask myself how long is it going to take before someone is like "nah man... this don look nothin like you".  i cracked my lips and prepared to "explain myself" into the club. the bouncer smiled; "nah, you cool.", put a thick black X on the back of both my hands and gave me my "go ahead" into the club. a joke? i exhaled... couldn’t help but thinking, "he must be a beast at card games." he had a mean poker face.

         when i got in i was immediately stricken by the immense vibe of the place. i felt like i walked into a 70's hip-hop movie. two large b boy circles with ill dancers in both. each person jumping in and out, showing skills. dancers giving props. Chaotic shouts of bystanders giving revelry’s of approval when a dancer pulls an ill move out of his hat. the entire room was alive, static and demanding attention. my first steps through the door was overpowering at first. it honestly took me a sec to capture all that was taking place...truly a sight to behold... a sight that i have never seen before. a sight that i have never thought i would have ever seen...

 

a sight i had to capture.

 

still a WIP, but i had to throw this in the mix and tell its story.... 

 

 

if you live in the Orlando area or if youer stopping by you gotta drop by the social. the b boy event- Phat n' Jazzy; as i understand it, takes place every tuesday night @:

 

225N Magnolia ave

near the courthouse, right next to club Tabu.

 

if you decide to come you wont be disappointed. 

-OPMC  

the kick, push...

I PROMISE im not a poser... for those who know me best know that back in my late middle school years and a bit through high school, instead of drawing i would skate my balls off. hahaha. i dedicated time, blood, sweat and a bit of bone marrow to skateboarding... and deep inside there is a part of me that wants to hop back on my Blind deck and fly off some stairs...so i dont want dudes coming up to me on the street calling me a "poser" and all that- yall can all get the clenched drawing fist! haaa, j/k its all good. 

 but theres a huge issue with me getting back on my board- once you dedicate your life to drawing you become extremely lazy and inactive... hahaha. so now i just draw other people skatboarding!!! yay!

hope you enjoy!

-OPMC