Entry # 104

done.

Entry #103

New background done...

Now to begin with Wesley the wisdom tooth.

Entry #102

New background, that makes a total of 12.

Going to digitally paint today, then more animation.

PS; Voices for Wesley, Paris and lemon aid girl are done recorded and diced and sliced into individual wav files.

Entry #101

Change of music... at the beginning, the music began to irritate and seemed to not quite fit the production, opinion wise the new track does justice to the production...

Hear take a listen...

Old tune first.
New tune second. - 1:00 in

Entry #100

pearl plush toy

Got that Fabric yesterday... already began to sow, what to fill it with beans or teddy bear stuffing?

Entry #99

Hardrive was handed in at the office thank goodness!!!

So chilled out now!

Now back to work.
Today I will overlook my running comp with sound, and iron out what doesn't work with it...
I know for a fact I am needing that new background and to move the background characters around.
And no need to draw them on there sides as the shots I have don't really require that, also time is ticking I have to make a few dicissions here and there to get this production done!

Anways back to it!

Entry #98

Pearl you little beauty!

Animating Pearl today so much fun a challenge but fun!

Hope to have it as a png sequence of  Pearl for the first scene.

Tomorrow what shall I do?

Finish off running comp (just need to render) then put it all back together.
And save voice overs as wav files and break them up in to vowels.
that should keep me busy tomorrow.
And after class to the city (if I am not dying from the flu) I will go to purchase fabric for Pearl the plush toy (Clegs, has meters of felt and it's not nasty cheap thin stuff you buy like in the craft stores that come in rectangles its quality!), ah time I know how I will get time for this plush toy just carry the fabric, scissors, thread and a sowing needle with me constantly and when ever there is a twiddle your thumbs moment sow I shall.

What should I focus on in the next two weeks;
Animating only! (I say)
and press kit on the side as well as showreel (which is close be being complete).
Sowing when there is a twiddle your thumbs moment!


Pearl taking his first steps... ah how this project in ways has become my baby.

Hard drive is missing, which has voice acting on it, not good times.


Despite the hardrive loss, I will have to wait until tomorrow to see if a good samaritan has handed it in at holmesglen, if not, back to the drawing board more work to be done and more money to be spent, that I don't have.

Entry #97

So setting up characters in toon boom and what happens I unplug my computer!

Small confined spaces, and cables don't mix! I just moved my computer chair not realizing the power cord from the power adapter was wrapped around the wheel.

Lucky everything saved!

I was Bob Mckeeing all over the place though!

Here is Pearl ready to be put into symbols (from from view) then he will I will place the IK tool in his arms and legs, brilliant!

So what have I learned today; do not be lazy and duplicate Left arm and make it into the right.

Here is just a little test front view when Pearl walks out the door.

Entry #96

Breakthrough!

With fast tracking the animation move over toon boom studio... animate pro 2 is just the best!
Forward kinematics is the go!

Basically in a nut shell, I'm a weak drawer, and doing traditional then cleaning up is going to take a long time and with me not being fluent and well any good at traditional and not really having time on my side, a simple way will do the production justice... you can also set up a IK in toon boom animate pro, gah why did I not do this in the beginning? (if only it wasn't my first time doing 2D)
Maybe because I am on my Mac constantly and not my PC but times have changed! You see I have toon boom animate on my PC and studio on Mac, now time on PC will be much much higher as I need to animate like there is no tomorrow from now on!

So having to do most the animation at home now, class time will be dedicated to comping the animations I have finished off at home and editing etc, and animating those background characters that are in after effects which I could of and should of done in toon boom animate.
Having ten characters is extreme, only 2 more to do and it will be down hill from there to the finish line.
Then lip sync which I have sourced tutorials for! another win!

Image below pearls arm!



PS; Today was in lin craft and BAM ideas came flowing like a waterfall!
You see still got the press kit in the back of my mind (always) and I found a few items that are going to help greatly with the presentation of the shebang. (shebang a 1920's term meaning; the whole thing)

Also I have post cards on the way 50 of them! But after sending off the image to be printed I remembered I started a website for pearl but oh I still don't have the domain, of course pearl of wisdom.com is taken, there where some I liked but yet again the free one is okay I just have to have webs in front of the .com... not the end of world.
With all the other things I have to do on top of my animation I bet lots of people are going to say 'gee you look tired' which is a nice way of saying you look like crap.
Anyways, back to it!

Entry #95

Final scenes (but  still ONE more another shot for 03_sc which hope to have before the holidays so I can match the animation with the background)

Also I have started to place the sound with the scenes so I will have a running comp with sound.
Am also tweaking little things like camera's in scenes and beginning with after effects animated elements.
The opening scene is near completion, may need some help with camera's in after effects.
AND I am worried that duplication in after effects will stuff my production up I must make sure everything is separate and has it's own comp!  I know this is where I went wrong with 01_sc, mistakes oh how they take up time you would rather be using more efficiently!

 same scene as 02_sc... getting re used, here Pearl will be a little alco!

 Lemon aid girl, (a little pig)

Note; I have counted ten characters... now where did I put that straitjacket!?
And I need 1 liter of pva (for press kit)

Entry #94

New Poster...
Finalizing the design for press kit, and I did a breif budget and if everything was to be printed profesionally dvd's, posters, showreel dvds, mugs, tote bag, badges, stickers, key rings, post cards still images and a plush toy. All that would roughly cost $268 and 70cents!
I knew I should of started that cake stall along time ago!

Entry #94

Press kit on the mind!
Wednesday always with promotions, ah how I must finalize the design!
In the next two weeks lock it in, no returns, bulletproof! Plus vistaprint is having a sale!...

Drew this in class, (bad scan, must of been using a H or 2H, should be using a 2B)
Was just jotting/drawing down what I had in mind...

PS; Have a webpage now a swell... BUT don't have the domain yet, (funds are low) one day soon maybe I will buy the domain? Perhaps!

http://www.pearlofwisdomfilm.webs.com/
(Under construction, hope it will be done within 3-4 weeks well getting to a stage where it is a fully functioning jam packed with info webpage!)

Must animate now... bye bye

Entry #93

So the pixel problem resolved in 01_sc...

Ended up drawing the flower in toon boom @ 1920by1080 and not in photoshop.
Had a discussion with Jack about how to go about a few things aka; lip sync, and the flowers Pearl caries with him, whether to animate or parent.
Decided to go with toon boom for the lip sync and the flowers.
Why? More control and freedom but a lot more animation.
It won't have such a flat look... would like to steer away from flatness make the main characters pop a bit, who knows maybe that is my 'style' but soon we will see...


Now just need to tweak camera's again for 01_sc. Ah after effects it's a love and hate relationship.

Entry #92

Seems like the backgrounds are forever being fixing up! (fixing 01_sc... AGAIN)... just when I think AH beautiful it's done...
Problem after problem... mistakes grass has red bleed in it etc...pixels, wrong ratio.
*NOTE; If I had done 2D last year some of these mistakes and lack of 'knowing what to flipping do' would be ironed out, figuring stuff as you go along sucks, but hey that's how you learn, but wish I already knew.*

Can't wait until it's bulletproof, and NO MORE of these imperfections that are certainly going to be VERY noticeable on the big screen!

Back to it!... waco

Entry #91

Note make sure every thing is at;

Entry #90

It's been a while...

The following comps are finalized, check it;

got to keep at it!

Entry #89

03_sc background characters all comped in ready for animation.

Entry #88

So here is a test from the first scene... establishment shot needing to be longer perhaps a 3sec shot of the house and birds chirping then followed by a fade in with the music.

Needing to slow down the fly in just a tad and add in more shake to the camera (it's meant to be a bee flying towards the flower) Bee SFX also need to be included layed over the top of the 'theme song'

The flower looks bad must fix also including the titles, I wanted shakey 'Pearl of wisdom' but this just looks well bad :( I would love to re do it.
ps; music isn't synced proper, coz well you see I dislike syncing sound in after effects, it be well crap. (personal preference)

Just David and Margret-ed (the movie show) my own work, pointing out all this is great.
Wish I could get it right the first time but that's just madness, live and learn!

Entry #87

The title...

Today for the second time since I got my DVI cable it is working the way it should with the right aspect ratio. I usually shrug and let it be when doesn't work because I think 'hey better than worrking off a 13" screen' I connect it to my PC monitor so I can work off a bigger screen (21.5') and still have a 19" to work from my PC multitasking, it's grand.

If it works like this from now on it will make working among after effects and toon boom that little bit better. it's nice to have bigger screens to work from especially with time-lines that have up to 30 elements or more. (03_sc is crazy like that, colour coding and the bigger work area will help heaps)

Opening titles; One concern with the zoom into the flower is a bit pixelated, I had it set on 300dpi and well you get that, had trouble with the camera in after effects aswell and parenting and adding a wiggle, don't get me started, but with trying to do things you learn.
For my first 2D production, hey I'm doing alright, going to give myself a pat on the back.

So right now with pearl working on 01_sc and 03_sc AND  02_sc have been worked on.
02_sc animated the bus and the bus doors.
04_sc - 010_sc are next... but really what I need to be doing is pencil tests for the main characters;
Pearl, Wesley and Paris (wait Paris is done, except her mouth and behind shot)
Have began Pearl exiting door in 01_sc.
Still so much to be done.

Entry #86

Whats this? Another Character!?... Yes it is! I don't know if he has a name but I call him Mullet.

Note; Colour coding characters, the background & other elements in scenes Reeeaaaalllllyyyy helps!
(And listening to Frank Sinatra whilst working away.)

Entry #85

Composite characters into scenes and this, look at this! 

Ridiculous!

Got to improve my eye for detail!
Lucky I didn't go on a tangent and animate... must wear glasses at all times from now on!


fixed it... and now it is comped in... yessss!
Elephants applying make up! Ha!

But having trouble parenting!? Hmmm I will save first, take a note and deal with that later aiming to have characters comped in, puppet tooled and ready for

A-N-I-M-A-T-I-O-N... well puppet tooling!?

I was just thinking if I was to toon boom these 'background' characters like Pearl, Wesley and Paris... it would be a stretch to get this production done, after effects you time saver you!

Entry #84

POW (pearl of wisdom) progress...

Whats going on in the world of Pearl? Well the final complete backgrounds are being comped into After Effects... still, yes this has taken longer than expected due to finding little things that need adjusting whilst they where being comped.
I had to fix them up in Photoshop then re import them, all the background are now permanent!
Like a tattoo or something! Yeah a tattoo!
They must be %100 perfection! Finished and finalized in the comp!

I have began to animated the first scene and titles...

AND still needing to go to the editing/sound suite to source that bee buzzing sfx! OR I could be creative and DIY with a zoom... I'll see what I can find in the sound booth shall I?
I must continue to work and follow through with what I say I am going to do.
To do lists are a must! or my little journal of whats getting done and needs to get done. and notes on programs etc...

(Journal of what needs to be done, notes etc)
I try to write in it as much as I can but some days I don't...