Saturday, November 07, 2009
From Storyboard To Layout
Kaspar sits up quickly, wide awake and excited.
This is the first couple steps I would expect a layout artist to take when translating my storyboard poses to layout. First-to understand what the character is doing and feeling, and second to analyze how to construct that sensibly and fix any mistakes in the rough.
For example, in the layout, I fixed the nose.
I, like most people did tone down the pose a bit, but that's because I was spending brainpower slowly analyzing everything.
What I normally do, is after I analyze a drawing and make something stiff, I will draw it again looser. Then judge it to see if it is as strong or stronger than the storyboard statement.
This was a tricky one below.
Kaspar is rooting through the sock drawer. He is being sneaky and doesn't want to get caught, so he looks over his shoulder to see if he is waking up the Rangers.
Again, I toned down some of the proportions (face to body) but I also fixed some scribbly parts. I made the feet more solid.
By flattening them at the bottom, and bulging them at the top. Remember this tip!
I have puposely left out details, like fur and stuff because it confuses everyone.
I wanna see everybody get this far:
Make the emotional story statement.
Solid construction.
Fix obvious mistakes.
Maintain angular curves (don't make all the curves even or parallel)
Make sense? Ask questions if you are not sure.
Your best friend
Johnny
This is the first couple steps I would expect a layout artist to take when translating my storyboard poses to layout. First-to understand what the character is doing and feeling, and second to analyze how to construct that sensibly and fix any mistakes in the rough.
For example, in the layout, I fixed the nose.
I, like most people did tone down the pose a bit, but that's because I was spending brainpower slowly analyzing everything.
What I normally do, is after I analyze a drawing and make something stiff, I will draw it again looser. Then judge it to see if it is as strong or stronger than the storyboard statement.
This was a tricky one below.Kaspar is rooting through the sock drawer. He is being sneaky and doesn't want to get caught, so he looks over his shoulder to see if he is waking up the Rangers.
Again, I toned down some of the proportions (face to body) but I also fixed some scribbly parts. I made the feet more solid.
By flattening them at the bottom, and bulging them at the top. Remember this tip!
I have puposely left out details, like fur and stuff because it confuses everyone.
I wanna see everybody get this far:
Make the emotional story statement.
Solid construction.
Fix obvious mistakes.
Maintain angular curves (don't make all the curves even or parallel)
Make sense? Ask questions if you are not sure.
Your best friend
Johnny
Later
Taking a scribbly storyboard doodle and drawing it layout size and making it have construction while maintaining the attitude and guts of the rough...step by step
Friday, November 06, 2009
The correct way for animators to hold a chainsaw
My friend Spaz (Steve Wiliams) - the man behind the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park - is helping me to see how you really hold a chainsaw because it is hard to draw such a tricky grip and he's sick of us animators being made fun of for being girly-men. A real man should be able to draw a chainsaw grip - while watching Popeye cartoons.
ok, John. this is the correct way to hold a saw. Pay some Goddamn attention for once, will ya? 
either right handed or left handed. 
and you don't need eye or ear protection.
it's boring and you can't hear
the blade turning. when you go to cut wood, attack it with your foot holding it down like you're holding down a hippy. 
this saw is a Husqvarna 362 and is bad ass. the Swedes made good saws and good clogs. 
their hockey players are pretty good too, but nothing like Canadian players. Swedes won't fight either.
Spaz
that gun is my great grandfathers. i smuggled it across the US/Canada border a few years ago. i built the fire place too. these rocks are from the creek. no one knows how to do this anymore , especially Cal arts animators who think they're tough
ok, John. this is the correct way to hold a saw. Pay some Goddamn attention for once, will ya? 
either right handed or left handed. 
and you don't need eye or ear protection.
it's boring and you can't hear
the blade turning. when you go to cut wood, attack it with your foot holding it down like you're holding down a hippy. 
this saw is a Husqvarna 362 and is bad ass. the Swedes made good saws and good clogs. 
their hockey players are pretty good too, but nothing like Canadian players. Swedes won't fight either.Spaz
Spaz on Chain Saw Sculpture
i see one of your contributors spoke of "chain saws for sculpture". this is possible , but in my mind not fag art , like ice sculpting. look at this beautiful mantle of oak i carved with this saw. Canadiana and won't melt. then you can hang all your deceased dog collars from it. at Christmas it's the most authentic hearth on the block .. with hanging stockings. 
that gun is my great grandfathers. i smuggled it across the US/Canada border a few years ago. i built the fire place too. these rocks are from the creek. no one knows how to do this anymore , especially Cal arts animators who think they're tough
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Cartoonists, Lumberjacks and Middle Meddlers
What a modern day lumberjack would be like. But let's go back in time, shall we?Now George Liquor has a natural talent for cutting down trees.
In fact, some say he was born with a chainsaw in his mouth. 
He has been chopping down trees every day since he was a wee lad. And boy, was his Ol' Man proud.
He has even won the medal of freedom for his great contribution to the depletion of our essential resources.And in free moments, when he finds himself without a chainsaw in his hands, he studies the history and techniques of the great lumberjack heroes that inspired him.
So should we let him get to the job God put him on this earth for and let him take down a couple of His precious rainforests in a day or 2? 
No sir, this is the 21st Century and we don't do things that way anymore. 
We are much more scientific now. 
We still wanna take down the rainforests, but we need to do it with the aid of inexperienced experts who can do it sloppily in a much longer period and at 50 times the cost.
No pinkies that wrote these instructions have ever been tainted by the roughness of bark.
Those who can't do surely must make the rules, because after all, they are not prejudiced by old-school practical experience. 
They obtain their immense knowledge in the abstract, through market research.
Well no one can say ol' George ain't the sporting type.
He's willing to give the new cumbersome ways a shot.
My gosh, what a mess we have to clean up! But that's how we do things in our modern world.
Moral of the story:Today we spread the decisions. It's only fair to all the people who do not have the blessings of a natural ability at something.
Corporate Flaccid Saw
If animation producers ran the chainsaw business, this is the tool they would give you.
Next:The whole lowdown
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