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When Good Enough Isn't Good Enough: Pursuing Excellence
The fox on the man's head.If you have read my previous posts, you will see that I have shown some examples of improving my own work. In the animation business, as in many others, one cannot always do...
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Problem 3: The Fox On the Man's Head (Part 1)
First, you will need to understand the story at this point.The Story: The man has arrived home to present 3 things to his wife. He has already given her the goose and a bag of grain. But he has...
View ArticleProblem 3: The Fox On the Man's Head (Part 2)
As stated, the first thing I want to do here is to change the "take" to something more subtle, and rather more amused than alarmed. Here was my first try at the revision:Better than before, but it...
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Problem 3: The Fox On the Man's Head (Part 3)
[First, an apology to my readers for the long time between posts. The fact that I was busy with other things does not mean anything when you feel that the blog you are reading has gone dead. I intend...
View ArticleProblem 3: The Fox On the Man's Head (Part 4)
Shakin' It OutBefore doing the rest of the tail, which after all is a follow-through item, I needed to finish all necessary work on the body, lest the tail end up wagging the fox.The two unresolved...
View ArticleProblem 3: The Fox On the Man's Head (Part 5)
The Breakout of the ShakeoutBefore we get back to the tail, I thought you might like a close look at the drawings involved in the fox shaking himself out after being matted down beneath the man's hat....
View ArticleProblem 3: The Fox On the Man's Head (Part 6)
Head To Tail: : Putting It All TogetherBecause I have up to four layers here in the pencil test, I took the time to clean up all the drawings in black pencil so you will get the clearest possible view....
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Rare Animation Books: Animation in Twelve Hard Lessons
The cover of the book, its title drawn in so ornate a style that one can hardly read it.Animation in Twelve Hard Lessons was first published in 1972 by the author's own company, Robert P. Heath...
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Drawings Into Digital: Part 1--Scanning
Paper To Digital: Getting StartedHaving cleaned up all drawings for this scene in black pencil, next I scanned them into the computer for "ink and paint", the old expression for getting the drawings...
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Drawings Into Digital: Part 2--Inking
The scanned drawings are imported as batches into the timeline, all the drawings of each level to a new layer. The timing will be worked out later. In my case, I have already worked out the timing in...
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Drawings into Digital: Part 3--Closing the Gaps
As pointed out in Part 2, my use of a broken line inking style requires an extra operation using the Stroke tool to close the gaps in each paint area; otherwise, because the gaps are too large for...
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Drawings into Digital: Part 4--Painting
Once you get your gaps closed (see Part 3), the painting is easy. One thing you want to be sure to do right, though, is manage your palettes. Coloring anything that you might want to color again,...
View ArticleProblem 3: The Fox On the Man's Head (Part 7)
The Finished SceneIt would have been perhaps just as appropriate to label this post Drawings Into Digital: Part 4--The Finished Scene, but for any of you who have been with me in parts 1 through 6 of...
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Problem Four: Forty Seconds In Two Weeks (Part 1)
The ConceptEarly in December, I got word from my associate and sometimes partner Don Wallace that he had had a request for a Christmas holiday ecard to be custom made. The client did not know much...
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Problem Four: Forty Seconds In Two Weeks (Part 2)
The StoryboardHere is the whole storyboard, panel by panel:TThis storyboard was accepted enthusiastically by the client, with only two changes requested: they wanted to start with an exterior shot of...
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Scanner Trouble
Mountain Lion Can Be Dangerous!I am a long-time Mac user, and I felt I had gone too long without upgrading my operating system. Last month I was still on plain Leopard, which was three upgrades...
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Problem Four: Forty Seconds In Two Weeks (Part 3)
Storyboard to Production ArtWith the storyboard approved, I was anxious and able to get to work on the actual production artwork. First I created detailed "tight" pencil drawings of all the...
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Problem Four: Forty Seconds In Two Weeks (Part 4)
After inking the scanned drawings, I blocked in the color with flat fills in a monochromatic palette, then began working up the final colors in both flat and gradient fills. Here is an early version...
View ArticleProblem Five: Bringing the Fox Down (Part 1)
This new animation problem is a fascinating one for me; I hope that you will find it interesting as well.Once again, my director (me) has called me, the animator, into his office to discuss a scene I...
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Problem Five: Bringing the Fox Down (Part 2)
Approving the TimingSoon I was back with most of the drawings roughed in, and the Director and I looked at this second pencil test.Scene 13_2"Oh, this is coming along!" the Director says. "The timing...
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