There's post's I've mentioned in the past about not being afraid of the blank white paper and techniques I've used in life drawing classes that I used to teach to help the other students get past the "fear". Well, I came to write this post, as circling the internet has been this video (below) and Ricky illustrates wonderfully one of the techniques you can use, and tapping into that inner child.
Moreover, last night I was reading "Drawn to Life" again (nearly done!), and I got to section about how you can get inspired by an impression, by observing, but if you don't express this, it will lead to depression. As you get in a forever cycle of feeling like you have down something (by getting inspired) but haven't had anything to grant you a rewarding and accomplished feeling (by doing), and it starts to have the adverse affect on you. Once you get inspired, remember to illustrate your feelings, your findings and your observations, even to note down that silly thing you saw happen on the way to work.
Last night my fella and I went to see Pixar in Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London. It was amazing to hear the music in that way, and they played the visuals along with the music, much like the Fantasia version we went to last year. If it comes to a city near you I plead you to go and see this. The music is stunning (of course) and, personally, I saw it in a different light. It's made me want to watch Ratatouille again sometime this week, oooww man, the music is soo good :D.
Okay, so I've been pretty lame the last month or so (hence the slow pokes title), BUUUUT that's mainly because I've been a busy bee trying to get on top of everything.
In terms of keeping on top of everything, I learnt a distinct lesson this past month.
Have you ever thought, oo I want to aniamte this, or I want to create this other thing, and i've got to do that and that and that, and this movie, and this short, and this for my reel, and this for practise, and this for that job here, until your 'To Do' list is as long as a piece of string?
Well, I was getting boged down and overloaded with things I wanted to do on my giant (and I mean HUGE) infamous 'To Do' list. I have to admit, I do like to keep a list, as I'm sure a lot of you do to, but it was eventually becomign a burden and getting me down, because I wasn't getting the time to spend on it that I would have liked. So, as me and my other half travelled on the train to take a break in the country, we decided it was a good idea to create two lists, "To Do NOW" and"To Do Another Time" (catchy eh?).
I picked some realistic goals for the present time, and put my achieveable priorites on the first one. Then anything extra I put on the second one, folded it away, put it in a safe place, and saved it for later*. I don't know if you guys feel the same or whether it's a totally obvious thing, (and I'm slow on the uptake) but it'll be worth sharing if it helps someone!
I feel 100% better about the work I'm producing now, as it's influenced a motivated, positive mood, and reminded me to enjoy the work I'm currently doing. As all these 'to do's' will eventually get done, and it becomes a much better solution then spreading yourself too thinly. I hope this little tip helps, as up until now, I was putting far too much on my plate, so really my advice is; make sure your eyes aren't bigger then your belly ;).
*later being anytime in the future, when you've finished your current set of proirites.
ANYWAY....
Here are some of my favourite links and vids that I've seen in the past month or so, hopefully they inspire you too :)
I've been to a few lectures recently, where they have really hammered home that everything is telling a story. A life drawing session with Alex Woo really emphasised this, "what is the pose telling?". So i figured I'd like to write about getting into the mood for writing a story, whether it's for a 2 second animation shot, or a short story or whatever it may be! My dad has always talked to me about this, about every little project i've done since I was young, how everything has a story, a punchline, a pay off. But you've got to find the things you want to tell and it's all about searching for the ideas. There's a few personal ways I like to do this, or at least attempt to. Keeping a sketchbook of ideas, brainstorming (I especially like a big blank wall and post it notes for this) and looking at inspirational material. It's always good to be up for trying new ways to find ideas, I believe, as you never know where the next new idea might sprout from. Anyway, so when I first started collecting blogs visually (bookmarks just don't cut it anymore, I can never remember what's on where, who posted what etc.), I came across Emma Coats, a storyteller, on various different social platforms. For a time, Emma ran a little challenge which was called "next five", she would pick a photo from flickr and ask people to storyboard what they thought the next five shots in the story would be. It was a really great exercise, it made you see pictures differently, and how each frame tells a part of the story. Also, seeing how other people interpreted itwas a great experience. I really recommend this little exercise, it helps your brain get into gear, I found. Emma also has a blog "Story Shots", where she often answers questions and gives out story telling tips and tricks, so it's definitely one to watch. Below is a list of story basics that she picked up from her time at Pixar.
#1: You admire a character for trying more than for their successes.
#2: You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be v. different.
#3: Trying for theme is important, but you won’t see what the story is actually about til you’re at the end of it. Now rewrite.
#4: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.
#5: Simplify. Focus. Combine characters. Hop over detours. You’ll feel like you’re losing valuable stuff but it sets you free.
#6: What is your character good at, comfortable with? Throw the polar opposite at them. Challenge them. How do they deal?
#7: Come up with your ending before you figure out your middle. Seriously. Endings are hard, get yours working up front.
#8: Finish your story, let go even if it’s not perfect. In an ideal world you have both, but move on. Do better next time.
#9: When you’re stuck, make a list of what WOULDN’T happen next. Lots of times the material to get you unstuck will show up.
#10: Pull apart the stories you like. What you like in them is a part of you; you’ve got to recognize it before you can use it.
#11: Putting it on paper lets you start fixing it. If it stays in your head, a perfect idea, you’ll never share it with anyone.
#12: Discount the 1st thing that comes to mind. And the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th – get the obvious out of the way. Surprise yourself.
#13: Give your characters opinions. Passive/malleable might seem likable to you as you write, but it’s poison to the audience.
#14: Why must you tell THIS story? What’s the belief burning within you that your story feeds off of? That’s the heart of it.
#15: If you were your character, in this situation, how would you feel? Honesty lends credibility to unbelievable situations.
#16: What are the stakes? Give us reason to root for the character. What happens if they don’t succeed? Stack the odds against.
#17: No work is ever wasted. If it’s not working, let go and move on - it’ll come back around to be useful later.
#18: You have to know yourself: the difference between doing your best & fussing. Story is testing, not refining.
#19: Coincidences to get characters into trouble are great; coincidences to get them out of it are cheating.
#20: Exercise: take the building blocks of a movie you dislike. How d’you rearrange them into what you DO like?
#21: You gotta identify with your situation/characters, can’t just write ‘cool’. What would make YOU act that way?
#22: What’s the essence of your story? Most economical telling of it? If you know that, you can build out from there.
I think this fab post below, from Emma's blog, rings true to what I'm trying to explain in this post :D
"What holds you back from creative endeavours?
What I work on won’t be any good. It won’t be worth the time invested. It will suck.
It’s not any good yet, as long as it doesn’t exist.
Do your best, it’s all you can do. Your best today is not going to
be your best in a year - UNLESS you don’t do anything between now and
then, UNLESS you don’t learn from your mistakes.
You’re investing time in making your project great, but big picture
you’re investing time in YOUR skills. You will do better next time.
Scheduling - hard to find the time to do what I want to do.
Finding time when you have a family or a fulltime job (or both) is
really difficult. An hour here or there can make all the difference.
If you don’t have a family yet, think about whether creating
something is more important to you than watching TV? Video games?
Hanging out with friends? Sleeping?
A quiet writer buddy can help keep you on task: you both show up to
the same place at the same time and work on stuff. As long as you feel
self-conscious about goofing around on the internet while she (or he) is
being productive across the table from you…
I don’t know where to start. I procrastinate.
Make a list of what steps you need to take to start. Make a
stupid-detailed list. Like, “1) find a pen. 2) find a reference picture
of a snowy forest. 3) sketch the rough. 4) do the thumbnail value study.
5) etc” —- if each step is trivial enough, it’s not difficult to
start. Once you get a little momentum, it’s not difficult to keep going."
"....Sleep is very attractive when a project isn’t
going well, or when the next steps are overwhelming. Time to make a
ridiculously long detailed list of trivial steps…"
Find her on twitter here @lawnrocket Her IMDB Her Google+ - usually where she posts the "next five" challenges And whilst we are on the subject of story, a few years ago I attended the Pixar Masterclass, when it came to London. It was made up of two classes, animation and story telling, with Andrew Gordon and Matt Luhn. Their notes were phenominal and here are the points that affected my work the most: - Can you describe your story in one sentence? - What story are we telling? - What does the protagonist long for? They seem simple, but they really helped me think about things from different angles. I hope these particular story notes are helpful in creating your own stories. If you missed it I posted a video below, John Cleese On Creativity. It's a superb lecture about creativity and definitely worth a watch. Get writing!
Okay so I've kinda failed at updating this blog since New Year! I think I needed a natural break. BUT! I have a new idea...
I really love this blog Dailymation - and since the last task was inspired by a forum post on ConceptArt.org (journey of an Absolute rookie) - why not be inspired and influenced by another! It looks like great practise and would keep me drawing at the same time!
I'm also getting more and more involved in photography, so I hope to add little updates on here too, especially now I'm back to my normal desk and back into routine after a crazy Christmas!
I also want to post more and more inspiring links and videos - I post quite a few currently on my twitter account, and follow some inspiring people, so just follow me to find out!
For now, here's a great talk with the Pixar Creative team:
Next month I am going to the Animex Festival in Middlesbrough. I can't wait for the lectures. I've also booked a workshop with Fraser MacLean; a masterclass in storyboarding. I'm about to order his book too, Setting the Scene. I actually cannot wait for that! It's going to be four days off work, one travelling up and three up there, during the "Talk" part of the festival. Come say hello if you're going to it!
Emma posted another next five shot challenge... Here's mine (if you click on the first board, it'll take you too the original photograph)
All my post has arrived in one week.. (click the pictures for links of where to find them :) )
A kaleidoscope - I wanted some inspiration for some cool patterns for some concept art i'm working on for catandmoth... so figured this might be a fun starting point :)
And I think the art of monsters Inc is due tomorrow!
I bought a new little sketch book and a pack of Faber-Castell pens yesterday. So I'll try experimenting with them today. Also, saves me carrying around my current A4 sketch pad, it's getting rather heavy!
Lightning McQueen car on the way home :D
A doodle I copied out of my new Art of the Incredibles book. The drawings in there are crazy. And the experimentation. It's awesome.
Very very excited for Monsters University! Check out D23 for all the latest news :D
I've been reading Drawn to Life Vol.1 over the weekend after Jim recommended how good it was (I completely forgot I had it!) Great book.
I was clearing out some files and things and transferring stuff over, and come over a few photos of Leia that I wanted to post. I've got some of my old Dog somewhere too, but they are just negatives for now.
So i've been poor the last week, and not putting all the effort I want to be putting in, time has be low over the Eater with visiting family and still going to work! So, I need to pull my thumb out and do some good drawing!
I promise
So today's pages:
Some thumb-nailing for a flour sack animation, I'm trying to complete short tasks, using the great people on kennyroy.com for help :)
