(Untitled ISC logs)

Sketchbook Scans

Some scans from my Moleskine sketchbook.

A friend of mine recommended that I should consider making updates on a more than yearly basis. Not one to ignore good advice at 3:00 AM, I am all too happy to oblige and report on some of the lessons Ive been taking after my escape from the dreaded Blair studies.
Firstly, the Blair book is not bad, just a tad incomplete. Copying the examples was like trying to make a slam dunk in a mascot costume without the trampoline. Fortunately my curiosity had lead me to Mark Chong, a really neet dude who posted a ton of neat drawing lessons. This is the missing link from maggot to turd, making my drawing practice a lot less dramatic. 

Ill post some new scans later from the Moleskine, the most deployed sketchbook of the bunch.

Not tonight Mrs Lampert, not tonight.

I have no will to draw today, or even post old scans. This paper of mine has me spen. AND ITS DUE TONIGHT!

Quiet.

Nothing for a month. Yes teacher, I am drawing my bears, but getting better is takeing me a long time.

Which reminds me of Poetry class today (Yesterday actually, but who looks at time stamps anyways?).

We were talking about learning as part of Dr Jack’s “YourBetterThanYouThinkYouAreMaggotFriend” during the last few minutes we had to burn. He talked about how his wife was so much better than he at poetry, and how she was the best in class. But with determination, he found that he not only caught up, but had grown where he could actually teach what he was doing. He mastered and understood the fundamentals of his work by madly bashing his head (metaphorically)against it, effectively absorbing it through metaphorical osmosis.

So what have I been doing lately? Bashing my head against that bear, that’s what! I will vanquish ye vile bear!

Pics at 11.

The First Lesson

Or as the hippie Anglican vicker at the SF Battle of England memorial service would say, the portion where I let go of everything.

Doing the Exercises during the last week has been and adventure; faulty slow scanners, bad work flow and a horrible case of Wacom lust. Just so you know, I am doing exercises from the School of Cartooning and Misery (SCAM) headed by faculty president and sole professor, John Kricfalusi.

His lessons are tough, tougher than ole’ professor Sleminskey’s comments about the difference betwixt “random” and non sequitur; a 7 part lecture on popular culture and weak vocabulary that was ignited by a flipent coment in english class that ground said lass into the chair she sat in. It is also my best/only chance to ramp up my skills and get into the industry that I have been marveling and dreaming of all my life.

This blog’s purpose is to track my progress, get feedback and obtain wisdom in the field of 2D animation and draftsmanship. Sensibilities in posture and timing are best leaned here, where the work flow forces the animator to pound skills directly into the artist’s skull via the pencil.

“Nuff intro. Show me the drawings!”

Ok, but you may not want to look at these without eye wash:

First pages of my newest note book, about a month ago. Just some sketches I made at my sisters soft ball game. Some construction, but hardly any control in the characters. Not very lively or human.

To rectify this, I turned to the first exercise, Basic Head Construction.

I returned without many pictures, but I do have this important note;

In constructing, I have found that the guide lines have been giving me the most grief. This is mainly because I had no idea where my perspective is. To check the perspective of the Bear cranium on page one, I used the intersection of the lines to assist me in keeping the drawing on model. This is also useful to keep track of proportions. In the picture provided, the red line through the middle of the cranium shows the incorrect alignment, while the green shows how the two tangents should have been aligned.

That’s' all I have for now. I shall post more notes and drawings on this blarg in the future. And if this place should ever get cold, don't hesitate to poke and prod me into doing more drawings and exercises.