Shadowy subject
I was at the studios until 4:35 am yesterday... and I didn't get to sleep until 12 noon.
herroyalflyness commented that I always seem to be working late... while this is true, it is not a requirement of the studios I work for. In this case, I'd decided to stay at the studios in order to avoid returning the following morning... a plan which proved futile.
My task sounded simple; Create an animated shadow mat for Huckleberry Hound (10 drawings).
This shadow mat would later be slipped under Huck in a live-action background for the Zoo Atlanta spot they've been working on.
Creating the shadow mat not only meant matching the angle of natural sunlight but also repeating Huck's movements in 2D...
It was almost too much for me... I just couldn't wrap my mind around it all..
I triangulated... quadrated even... I mapped the perspectives and filled sheets full of lines...
I found an antique Huckleberry Hound plushie on one of the animator's desks and used him as a model...
I stood in the hall and tried to use my own shadow as a reference...
I took long breaks, watched any of the many TVs, and dished out therapy to friends on the phone...
I walked around the campus and pulled my hair...I dozed in the red chairs surrounded by Foster's characters...
All the while my internal critic reminded me that any of the other animators could have doodled it out in five minutes with a pencil clenched between their butt cheeks.
None of it helped.
In the end everything I sketched resembled a bag of potatoes, a puddle or Lovecraftian beastie...
At 3 am I decided that drastic measures would have to be taken if I was going to complete the shadows by 10...
On a sheet of animation paper I quickly sketched a spiral time line and laid out a plan of action.
3:30 - 4:00: pack up supplies and head home
4:00 - 5:00: Sculpt a shoddy macquette of Huckleberry Hound to match the animated pose.
5:00 - 5:30: Tweak sculpt, bake sculpt. Arrange lighting, photograph and sketch.
6:00 - 9:00: Animate shadow mat.
9:30 - 10:30: Shower, pack up supplies and return to the studios.
10:30 - to eternity: be hailed as a hero for creating the most memorable shadow mats ever! (insert Muwahahah)
Of course that schedule didn't fit into reality.
I got home around 5:30.
The the French Revolution interrupted my sculpting...
I tuned in to TCM instead of my standard Cartoon Network, Sci-fi or Discovery Channels...Those classic movie bastards were playing Marie Antoinette (1938) starring the beautiful Norma Shearer - my newest star crush. I'd assumed I could handle a historical drama skewed by Hoolywood. I was so wrong... the plot revolved around how damnably unfortunate Marie's life was...focusing in on her star-crossed romance with some Swedish rock star named Count Axel (Tyrone Power)... Much of the dialogue could be applied directly to my brief reunion with Peaseblossom...
So while Huckleberry Hound was baking in the oven, I was in the living room, cursing the French through bitter tears for beheading Norma Shearer ...
those froggy bastards.
Huckleberry Hound
The hastily cobbled macquette and his shadow...
Around 7 am the scene was set, I took the pics, uploaded them to spiralriding's PC and started sketching...
an hour later I was packing the shadows up for delivery... simple as that...
and I was irritably pleased to note that several of my pre-sculpt sketches were very close to the final drawings.
It's doubtful that they're the "most memorable shadow mats ever" but the compositor was pleased.
Before heading home, I wandered over to visit irana at the front desk...we had a few good laughs and I left her to her soup.
Now I'm off until next Wednesday...
-----------------------
I woke up around 6 pm yesterday.
At 8 pm one_woman_army was performing with Julie Loyd and Blake Guthrie Eddie's Attic. I made there with time to spare and pulled up a seat next to herroyalflyness and chambleeboy.
I don't think OWA realizes how much I like hearing her perform...
(and she totally used my personal back-handed compliment disclaimer! "I mean that in the best possible way!")
herroyalflyness commented that I always seem to be working late... while this is true, it is not a requirement of the studios I work for. In this case, I'd decided to stay at the studios in order to avoid returning the following morning... a plan which proved futile.
My task sounded simple; Create an animated shadow mat for Huckleberry Hound (10 drawings).
This shadow mat would later be slipped under Huck in a live-action background for the Zoo Atlanta spot they've been working on.
Creating the shadow mat not only meant matching the angle of natural sunlight but also repeating Huck's movements in 2D...
It was almost too much for me... I just couldn't wrap my mind around it all..
I triangulated... quadrated even... I mapped the perspectives and filled sheets full of lines...
I found an antique Huckleberry Hound plushie on one of the animator's desks and used him as a model...
I stood in the hall and tried to use my own shadow as a reference...
I took long breaks, watched any of the many TVs, and dished out therapy to friends on the phone...
I walked around the campus and pulled my hair...I dozed in the red chairs surrounded by Foster's characters...
All the while my internal critic reminded me that any of the other animators could have doodled it out in five minutes with a pencil clenched between their butt cheeks.
None of it helped.
In the end everything I sketched resembled a bag of potatoes, a puddle or Lovecraftian beastie...
At 3 am I decided that drastic measures would have to be taken if I was going to complete the shadows by 10...
On a sheet of animation paper I quickly sketched a spiral time line and laid out a plan of action.
3:30 - 4:00: pack up supplies and head home
4:00 - 5:00: Sculpt a shoddy macquette of Huckleberry Hound to match the animated pose.
5:00 - 5:30: Tweak sculpt, bake sculpt. Arrange lighting, photograph and sketch.
6:00 - 9:00: Animate shadow mat.
9:30 - 10:30: Shower, pack up supplies and return to the studios.
10:30 - to eternity: be hailed as a hero for creating the most memorable shadow mats ever! (insert Muwahahah)
Of course that schedule didn't fit into reality.
I got home around 5:30.
The the French Revolution interrupted my sculpting...
I tuned in to TCM instead of my standard Cartoon Network, Sci-fi or Discovery Channels...Those classic movie bastards were playing Marie Antoinette (1938) starring the beautiful Norma Shearer - my newest star crush. I'd assumed I could handle a historical drama skewed by Hoolywood. I was so wrong... the plot revolved around how damnably unfortunate Marie's life was...focusing in on her star-crossed romance with some Swedish rock star named Count Axel (Tyrone Power)... Much of the dialogue could be applied directly to my brief reunion with Peaseblossom...
So while Huckleberry Hound was baking in the oven, I was in the living room, cursing the French through bitter tears for beheading Norma Shearer ...
those froggy bastards.
Huckleberry Hound
The hastily cobbled macquette and his shadow...
Around 7 am the scene was set, I took the pics, uploaded them to spiralriding's PC and started sketching...
an hour later I was packing the shadows up for delivery... simple as that...
and I was irritably pleased to note that several of my pre-sculpt sketches were very close to the final drawings.
It's doubtful that they're the "most memorable shadow mats ever" but the compositor was pleased.
Before heading home, I wandered over to visit irana at the front desk...we had a few good laughs and I left her to her soup.
Now I'm off until next Wednesday...
-----------------------
I woke up around 6 pm yesterday.
At 8 pm one_woman_army was performing with Julie Loyd and Blake Guthrie Eddie's Attic. I made there with time to spare and pulled up a seat next to herroyalflyness and chambleeboy.
I don't think OWA realizes how much I like hearing her perform...
(and she totally used my personal back-handed compliment disclaimer! "I mean that in the best possible way!")