Creative opportunities

I'm supposed to write about a time where networking's given me a creative opportunity, but the main problem with that is I haven't actually had work opportunities yet, so I'm really gonna have to stretch the meaning in this.

Anyway, my example is that a friend of mine who went to a convention told me about a contest where the winners would get some awesome prizes and have their work displayed in an exhibition. Unfortunately, I found out a couple of days ago that I didn't make the top 10, but I still get some goodies for entering ^^ Doesn't really seem like an opportunity, but without being in contact with my friend, I wouldn't have had the chance to submit an entry for it. And I learnt more about making comics from it and I'm ready to take on the next contest head on!

The deadline for the next contest in question is next Friday, and it involves making a piece of art for Street Fighter IV. It's a hugely popular franchise and the submissions chosen get their work printed on the inside cover, so win it and hopefully you'll at least get someone noticing ya :D

Toy train render

I finally finished recreating the toy train in 3DS Max, then we had the choice of either making a mini 3D envorinment for it or using a photo. I went for making it in 3D, 'cause I didn't want to use images off the net.





I chose to create a simple floor or a kid's room, where they've been playing with their toys, constantly having their attention drawn away to other things. They all end up piled together, but then the kid is called away, probably for dinner, leaving the toys lying on the floor.

Looking at objects

I went around uni and other places for the past week, collecting images and quick videos of different objects. Here's info on some of the stuff I found.


Chair in our main lecture room
Feels soft, but the material is rough
Makes a muffled thudding sound when hit


Floor in uni
Hard and smooth
Sometimes squeaks when you skid on it


Telephone post
Covered in staples, making it very rough to touch
-Chipped away by countless posters and advertisements being stapled to it then ripped away, rain slowly began to rot away the outer parts of the post, making it splintered. However, it's thickness means it's still useable, so stays waiting for more posters to be once again stapled to it-


A fallen leaf
Light, easy to get blown away in the wind
Crunchy to step on when it's dry, also smooth


A metal pipe
Rough and rusty
Dull metallic noise when hit
-Maybe part of a structure that was no longer needed, it was taken apart and the scraps were taken by different people and it was just placed there randomly, never gaining any attention and just sitting among the leaves to rust, it's purpose gone-

It was a really long pipe, too. I got a video panning along it.


I'll take more photos and videos of objects when I see them. I've got a lor of scenery pics for reference that I might post too.

Ball bounce....or not

Is it me or is it getting harder and harder to find somewhere to upload SWF files? :/ If anyone knows anywhere, let me know, 'cause swfup.com doesn't work anymore.

Also, the resizing document trick wouldn't work, so I put it in a movie clip, so naturally I can't even export it as anything else. Joy *rolls eyes* Wouldn't have looked too great anyway, 'cause Flash is having a go at me and keeps turning some of the frames red. Who knew programmes could have rebellious stages?

I didn't get around to making the hammer and ball loop, 'cause I spent most of my time this weekend recovering from 'first week back' syndome and working on a 3D train for next Thursday. It was a real struggle in class but I'm handling it pretty well now ^^

I'm going to a gamemaker workshop and hanging 'round the city square next Friday 'cause Game City's on again :D I missed the last one and regretted it, so here's hoping there's funness to be had.

Networking

"The essential point of networking is human contact. Business has killed networking by making it something for the career orientated."

I don't think business has killed networking due to sites like FaceBook and MySpace. They're businesses specifically created for people to network, making it easier to come into contact with various different people. Even if you don't talk face to face on these sites, you're still communicating.

Coloured for Life

My sister just showed me this. Not only is it beautifully animated, the message about broadening your horizons and using methods and colours you'd never have thought of can really create the most amazing results. To me, nothing's more inspiring than nature :3 I just wish there was somewhere I could go to where I could just site and draw what's around me.

NC: Drew Struzen Tribute

I found this while checking the my fave websites this morning.

It's gotta be one of the most inpsiring things I've heard in a long time. The fact that one man can create such dynamic pieces of artwork that really made a movie worth seeing without action trailers is absolutely amazing. I had no idea it was the same man who painted them all, but it saddens me to think a lot of people don't want to use his work just 'cause it's easier and quicker to use PhotoShop. The trouble with that is it loses the soul of the movie in the process, in my opinion.

That last quote he said really moved me, and it's easy to tell how much he loves his craft by how he describes the feelings of painting. That's why his works are so dynamic and inspiring.

I'm definately looking up more of his work now, and it's definately made me think about how I present my art, and maybe because of it I'll try traditional techniques more than once in a while :3

Time for another year

Well, second year starts tomorrow and I barely feel like I've done anything this holiday, like practise on 3DS Max or work on varying styles. Whoops ^^;

I thought I'd list some of the stuff I have done this summer tho', just so it doesn't feel like I wasted it. Well, I've been working on my own manga, Tainted Souls, spent a month working on a contest entry for the UK/Japanese Embassy manga competition, I've posted various different artworks on my deviantART account, including one in my other style (finally).

Mah spoon is too big!

When you draw or animate traditionally, it's easy to forget that the paper itself can be used for more than just drawing on. So when you see it used as an actual form of animation itself alongside the drawings, like at the end of this short film, you can't help but be impressed. The frame by frame and constantly moving lineart adds a lot of motion to an otherwise static scene and the simplicity and bizarreness make it worth watching.