AKA Van Partible. Other than his Filipino descent, Van and i shared a tiny aspect of background in childhood art. We both always used to copy drawings and artwork from comic books. After college, he then decided to peruse animation, something which also interests myself. Partible then went on to create Johnny Bravo.
I grew up watching Johnny Bravo religiously
Monday, 31 October 2011
Bud Luckey
William 'Bud' Luckey, best known for his character design's for Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Toy Story 3, A Bug's Life, Monsters inc, Finding Nemo, Cars, Up, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille. Such a talented artist, cartoonist, animator, singer, musician, composer and voice actor. Described by Pixar and Disney's Creative Executive Vice President John Lasseter as one of the true unsung heroes of animation.
Luckey started out as a character designer, joined Pixar and was heavily involved as a stroyboard artist and animator for the first Toy Story. He designed Woody as a cowboy being inspired by Edgar Bergens charactor Charlie McCarthy. It just so happened, Woody's owner Andy Davis was named after Luckey's son. His surname came from a near by Town in California called Davis.
Luckey designed and wrote a short called Boudin'. It was shown as the opening cartoon before The Incredibles where he also composed the music and lyrics, and sang and performed the banjo for the soundtrack.
Bud is a huge inspiration for me, he was 69 years old when he created Boudin' and got nominated for an academy award for best short film. Now i'm undecided what path i would like to go down further into this course but just by looking at his drawings and designing of his characters. I feel it is helping me get the best out of Curley and will be attempting to incorporate his style, by using long and short camera angles in my flick book stop motion animation.
Luckey started out as a character designer, joined Pixar and was heavily involved as a stroyboard artist and animator for the first Toy Story. He designed Woody as a cowboy being inspired by Edgar Bergens charactor Charlie McCarthy. It just so happened, Woody's owner Andy Davis was named after Luckey's son. His surname came from a near by Town in California called Davis.
Luckey designed and wrote a short called Boudin'. It was shown as the opening cartoon before The Incredibles where he also composed the music and lyrics, and sang and performed the banjo for the soundtrack.
Bud is a huge inspiration for me, he was 69 years old when he created Boudin' and got nominated for an academy award for best short film. Now i'm undecided what path i would like to go down further into this course but just by looking at his drawings and designing of his characters. I feel it is helping me get the best out of Curley and will be attempting to incorporate his style, by using long and short camera angles in my flick book stop motion animation.
Hanna-Barbera Inspiration
Hanna-Barbera has been, i'd say the major influence in my life to date. From the day i can remember i based my life around Cartoon Networks schedule. Shows like Wacky Races, Top Cat, Tom and Jerry, The Smurfs, Scoobie-Doo, Charlotte's Webb, The Flintstones, and so many more.. It was what I lived for!
I'd be up before school watching whichever cartoon was on at the time, leave for school, come back and watch it until i had to go to bed. It still brings out the child in me.
As a student studying their creations, I can really appreciate and admire the quality and high standards of work William Hanna and Joseph Barbera bought to our televisions. Even with todays softwares and realistic looking characters, i still find the simple drawings and tones much more enjoyable to watch and recreate.
I'd be up before school watching whichever cartoon was on at the time, leave for school, come back and watch it until i had to go to bed. It still brings out the child in me.
As a student studying their creations, I can really appreciate and admire the quality and high standards of work William Hanna and Joseph Barbera bought to our televisions. Even with todays softwares and realistic looking characters, i still find the simple drawings and tones much more enjoyable to watch and recreate.
I feel i can take Hanna and Barbera's work and incorporate it's style two-tonned drawings and base my character on the type of character they may have come up with if I'd given them the task of drawing up my character sheet.
Sunday, 30 October 2011
Character Design
I'd drawn down a couple of bears trying to find out what my character would look like, looking at the character sheet i wrote up and attempting to base him on that. I felt very strongly towards the big fella in the middle on the right he had a big connection and fitted the criteria.
Beorn: Lord of the Rings
Beorn was a berserker warrior in the book Lord of the Rings, with great strength, who could turn into a great black bear. It was always worth considering a man turning into a bear if i'm looking at an anthropomorphic character.
In human form, Beorn appears as a tall, black-haired man with huge arms and a great beard. He could also communicate with bears. Similar to the kind of character I'd like to create, but only as a bear. It's a little to sci-fi for me I'd rather keep it a bit more simple and a little less detailed.
In human form, Beorn appears as a tall, black-haired man with huge arms and a great beard. He could also communicate with bears. Similar to the kind of character I'd like to create, but only as a bear. It's a little to sci-fi for me I'd rather keep it a bit more simple and a little less detailed.
Mixing and Matching Ideas
Throwing in a couple of mood boards together to help find my inspiration for my 8ft bear.
I start putting a couple of drawings down, looking through the internet at images. Practising my drawing skills at the same time as broaden my mind, what does Curley look like? What makes him intimidating? What attracts all the girls to him? The proportion, size, everything about him.
Bears in Alcohol Advertising
Over the last however many years, there have been a couple of bears to famously step across our TVs to advertise alcoholic beverages.
Bundaberg Polar Bear used widely In Bundaberg Rum Ads in Australia.
Hamm's Beer bear, was a cartoon mascot. Typically the bear would dance around in a while the Hamm's Jingle was playing in the background 'Land of sky blue waters'.
Bundaberg Polar Bear used widely In Bundaberg Rum Ads in Australia.
George, the bear in the British Hofmeister Beer commercials of the 1980s. "For great lager, follow the bear".
Hamm's Beer bear, was a cartoon mascot. Typically the bear would dance around in a while the Hamm's Jingle was playing in the background 'Land of sky blue waters'.
Bears in Video Games
Kuma; Tekken 4
One of the characters from the old classic fighting game Tekken 4, he has many human traits, the way he walks, dances, acts, and definitely looks intimidating!
Banjo is a anthropomorphic brown honey bear that looks very friendly, could potentially have a dark side but, more importantly looks like he would fit in more into a civilised world and has many traits of a human. For example he has facial expressions, stands up straight, uses his paws like hands, and can walk and run.
One of the characters from the old classic fighting game Tekken 4, he has many human traits, the way he walks, dances, acts, and definitely looks intimidating!
Ivan the bear; Brutal- Paws of Fury
Grizzly Slash/Crescent Grizzly, a Maverick from Megaman X5 who is designed like a grizzly bear.
HaHA! I love this character! Apparently isn't a fighter against violence, but an overconfident weapon dealer!... very interesting, and quite an influential looking bear. Can't really see him fitting into an urban area.
Aoashira; Monster Hunter Portable 3D
No comment.. Other than looking at his feet and the texture, i don't think this character makes much sense given the archetype i've chosen. Possibly the height and potential build.
Banjo; Banjo Kazooie
Banjo is a anthropomorphic brown honey bear that looks very friendly, could potentially have a dark side but, more importantly looks like he would fit in more into a civilised world and has many traits of a human. For example he has facial expressions, stands up straight, uses his paws like hands, and can walk and run.Character Sheet and The start
After comming up with my characters archetype, it started to come together in my mind about stories involving him, exactly what kind of guy he was, his background, family work business, physical description. He is an anthropomorphic. Walks, stands, talks, acts exactly like a human, in a bears body.
Doesn't have much of an educational background, left school at 16- felt he was better off spending his time researching how to make as much money as possible now. Jumping from market to market, making dodgy and dirty deals involving drugs, to selling fake gold and watches making fortunes on the streets, dodging and ducking from peoples hes previously f***ed over and the police.
Everyone in the North London knows Curley, hes a very decent bloke... but behind closed doors is what very few people know about him. Unless you are on his bad side of course! He takes no s***! A proper ladies man, always has managed to pull every woman he wanted whereever he goes but has since calmed down with chatting them up since he got married. A proper born and bread cockny, a massive Tottenham fan living as a youngster virtually on the stadiums door steps so he had no choice but to follow in his fathers footstepts and support the yid arm - like his football teams manager Harry Redknapp, hes a good old 'wheeler dealer'.
His worst habbit, would have to be he gets into too many fights. For people who don't know him, hes extremely intimidating. Every one of his friends and peers look up to him as the gang leader. An absolute gentleman and will look out for his entourage and when big deals come through he will spoil them. Go out on the drink, take a cheeky trip to Amsterdam, he loves to have fun. His goal and motivation? Money, live the glorious life, not get caught, give them family as much as they want and spoil them and just enjoy life living under his own rules.
I'm going to be looking for already famous bears for inspiration on how to design his looks, movement, habitat, and conceptual art and artists to help move forward.
Doesn't have much of an educational background, left school at 16- felt he was better off spending his time researching how to make as much money as possible now. Jumping from market to market, making dodgy and dirty deals involving drugs, to selling fake gold and watches making fortunes on the streets, dodging and ducking from peoples hes previously f***ed over and the police.
Everyone in the North London knows Curley, hes a very decent bloke... but behind closed doors is what very few people know about him. Unless you are on his bad side of course! He takes no s***! A proper ladies man, always has managed to pull every woman he wanted whereever he goes but has since calmed down with chatting them up since he got married. A proper born and bread cockny, a massive Tottenham fan living as a youngster virtually on the stadiums door steps so he had no choice but to follow in his fathers footstepts and support the yid arm - like his football teams manager Harry Redknapp, hes a good old 'wheeler dealer'.
His worst habbit, would have to be he gets into too many fights. For people who don't know him, hes extremely intimidating. Every one of his friends and peers look up to him as the gang leader. An absolute gentleman and will look out for his entourage and when big deals come through he will spoil them. Go out on the drink, take a cheeky trip to Amsterdam, he loves to have fun. His goal and motivation? Money, live the glorious life, not get caught, give them family as much as they want and spoil them and just enjoy life living under his own rules.
I'm going to be looking for already famous bears for inspiration on how to design his looks, movement, habitat, and conceptual art and artists to help move forward.
Monday, 17 October 2011
PPP Who Am I
This was our first lecture on personal and professional practise with Brigitte Marsh. Honestly not as bad as i expected. We work on PPP during sixth form so for me it wasn't such a struggle to understand the concept of PPP... But this time it feels that putting my personal and practises into a profession doesn't seem a million years away. And I will actually be involved in the working in this profession in not too long.
I'd say this is obviously where my 11 months of working during my gap year kicks in, who am i and what people perceive of me.
Understanding the different kind of people ill be working with over the next few years, and recognising that some attributes that i think people have could be off, but infact could be as strong as mine.
We looked at Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist who was regarded as an influential thinker, looked deep into personalities and came up with the concept of 'the archetype'; the self, the shadow, both male and female personalities, the persona (the mask we wear- what we want people to perceive from us), the tricksta, the hero, the father, mother and more.
Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katherine Cook Briggs developed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument (MBTI) Personality Type Test. The test consisted of us being asked questions and us having to claim which letter best suited the answer we were given which referred to our own lives. There are 16 different MBTI Types, mine happens to be ESTP.
ESTP: result - the mechanics, ready to try anything once!
Flexible and tolerant, they take pragmatic approach focused immediate results. Theories and conceptual explanations bore them - they want to act energetically to solve the problem. Focus on the here and now, spontaneous, enjoy each moment that they can be active with others. Enjoy material comforts and style. Learn best through doing.
I was quite surprised by this result, i really had no what result to expect but i feel its a fair judgement. I always focus on the hear and now, weather that allows me to consider the consequences or not it has it's downfalls, but then i like to think everything we do in life has it's consequences (good or bad). I agree to a strong extent i learn best through doing, and it's rare for me to not lose concentration through theories and conceptual explanations!
'Your work - Life balance'
I was asked to mark a table out of 100 for each one of these;
Health & well being: 65 - could be better, fitness levels are terrible, have sore/weak knees, would like more tone, but could be a lot worse.
Achievements: 60 - getting into uni was major for me, but other than that i don't feel i've achieved much.
Contentment:
Work - Career: 80 - Over the last few years i've managed to earn some sort of money, had many different experiences, and i'm settled for the next few years and heading into the right direction.
Friendship: 90 - have many friends, now spread out all over the country, cant trust everyone but found the people i can trust.
Security: 90 - don't exactly live with body guards and alarms, but very rarely worried about my security.\
Energy: 70 - depending on sleep/stress levels/ how i feel about myself.
Self-esteem: 75 - i've got enough belief and self esteem and people in my life to help me get through problems, but varies when i'm not striving in life.
Fun & recreation: 80 - i like to have fun, but its hard when the lack of money and the worried look on the mothers face plays on your mind 24/7.
Home- Family: 95 - never been what i would regard as a 'close family' but again it varies - i no whatever i can count on my parents, brother and sister.
Relationships: ?? - wasn't sure where i stood on relationships. Always wanting what i can't get, but it's' never enough.
Finance: ?? - It's low, very low.
I'd say this is obviously where my 11 months of working during my gap year kicks in, who am i and what people perceive of me.
Understanding the different kind of people ill be working with over the next few years, and recognising that some attributes that i think people have could be off, but infact could be as strong as mine.
We looked at Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist who was regarded as an influential thinker, looked deep into personalities and came up with the concept of 'the archetype'; the self, the shadow, both male and female personalities, the persona (the mask we wear- what we want people to perceive from us), the tricksta, the hero, the father, mother and more.
Isabel Briggs Myers and her mother Katherine Cook Briggs developed the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument (MBTI) Personality Type Test. The test consisted of us being asked questions and us having to claim which letter best suited the answer we were given which referred to our own lives. There are 16 different MBTI Types, mine happens to be ESTP.
ESTP: result - the mechanics, ready to try anything once!
Flexible and tolerant, they take pragmatic approach focused immediate results. Theories and conceptual explanations bore them - they want to act energetically to solve the problem. Focus on the here and now, spontaneous, enjoy each moment that they can be active with others. Enjoy material comforts and style. Learn best through doing.
I was quite surprised by this result, i really had no what result to expect but i feel its a fair judgement. I always focus on the hear and now, weather that allows me to consider the consequences or not it has it's downfalls, but then i like to think everything we do in life has it's consequences (good or bad). I agree to a strong extent i learn best through doing, and it's rare for me to not lose concentration through theories and conceptual explanations!
'Your work - Life balance'
I was asked to mark a table out of 100 for each one of these;
Health & well being: 65 - could be better, fitness levels are terrible, have sore/weak knees, would like more tone, but could be a lot worse.
Achievements: 60 - getting into uni was major for me, but other than that i don't feel i've achieved much.
Contentment:
Work - Career: 80 - Over the last few years i've managed to earn some sort of money, had many different experiences, and i'm settled for the next few years and heading into the right direction.
Friendship: 90 - have many friends, now spread out all over the country, cant trust everyone but found the people i can trust.
Security: 90 - don't exactly live with body guards and alarms, but very rarely worried about my security.\
Energy: 70 - depending on sleep/stress levels/ how i feel about myself.
Self-esteem: 75 - i've got enough belief and self esteem and people in my life to help me get through problems, but varies when i'm not striving in life.
Fun & recreation: 80 - i like to have fun, but its hard when the lack of money and the worried look on the mothers face plays on your mind 24/7.
Home- Family: 95 - never been what i would regard as a 'close family' but again it varies - i no whatever i can count on my parents, brother and sister.
Relationships: ?? - wasn't sure where i stood on relationships. Always wanting what i can't get, but it's' never enough.
Finance: ?? - It's low, very low.
Thursday, 6 October 2011
First Lecture with Gary Barker - on Lectures... and Transmedia
So apparently taking notes down is very important during a lecture, so i can blog about it later in my own time... not my definition of fun but such as life.
Gary told us taking down notes is like an taking down evidence, well thank you LA Noire for teaching me how to take down evidence. GETTING TO THE POINT!
Transmedia
Transmedia production is as old as human beings, stories have been the content of our lives and their narratives are played in a different media as they're invented, then put down on paper and printed.
From oral tradition, to song, to painted image, to sculpture, to written text, to printed page to photographs, to film to games and so on...
Different media is used for different things, computer programmes for example; Myer is used to create better effects with hair than using illustrator or photoshop.
When the CD came out, games and game development changed. Allowing the structure of games to change for example, GTA heading down one path, will determine one route of the game you will end up taking and CD's allow you to do that.
Marshall Mcluhan wrote a book 'The Medium is the Message'. He tells us that all media is an extension of us, electronic media is an extension of the ear and brain. I think message he's attempting at getting across is that our imagination is a form of media and the way we perceive it. Actually getting it down on paper, or computer, is due to what we hear see and imagine,
Gary told us taking down notes is like an taking down evidence, well thank you LA Noire for teaching me how to take down evidence. GETTING TO THE POINT!
Transmedia
Transmedia production is as old as human beings, stories have been the content of our lives and their narratives are played in a different media as they're invented, then put down on paper and printed.
From oral tradition, to song, to painted image, to sculpture, to written text, to printed page to photographs, to film to games and so on...
Different media is used for different things, computer programmes for example; Myer is used to create better effects with hair than using illustrator or photoshop.
When the CD came out, games and game development changed. Allowing the structure of games to change for example, GTA heading down one path, will determine one route of the game you will end up taking and CD's allow you to do that.
Marshall Mcluhan wrote a book 'The Medium is the Message'. He tells us that all media is an extension of us, electronic media is an extension of the ear and brain. I think message he's attempting at getting across is that our imagination is a form of media and the way we perceive it. Actually getting it down on paper, or computer, is due to what we hear see and imagine,
Looney Tunes
An absolute legend that brings back so many childhood memories. Back in the day's when Cartoon Network was all i knew of. Foghorn Leghorn. Happened to be watching him recently and caught a clip, where he ruffles through his pouch in his stomach of feathers to take out an object. It's an idea i felt i could incorporate somehow with my bear character - which when finished designing, i will be able to take that pouch from foghorn and experiment with it.
Brainstorming & Archetype
An archetype: A universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behaviour, refers to a generic version of a personality.
I started to broaden, what felt like an extremely small part of my mind that was working at the time, and come up with.. a fairly big bear, potentially 8 ft. tall. A dodgy bloke, a drug dealer, involved with fraud for many years. Lovely guy, living in the suburbs, likes his wide variety of cars. Owns a warehouse where actually many of his dealing takes place. Born and raised in N1 area Hackney. Has a lovely wife with a couple of kids, he himself will be based probably in his early- late 40's.
Swiftly moving on
I struggled to put down on paper any sort of idea i had in mind. I jotted down a spidergram of a potential few ideas for my character - it was difficult to come up with anything other than a couple words so i focused on my drawing skills of cartoon characters and some of my images i took from the trips. Using both primary and secondary research, books, internet and my images.
Trip 2; The Royal Armouries
The Royal Armouries... urmmm, if asked to describe it? Guns, guns, armoury - which a lot of people seemed to know a fair bit about... and more guns. I went in knowing nothing, but came out with some more ideas... that my character was NOT going to be involved in any sort of world war.
Trip 1; Leeds City Museum 20/09
Leeds City Museum... I'd never heard of it, and in all honestly couldn't tell you one fact about it - But lucky for me all i needed was to find some inspiration, which is fair to say it placed a couple of ideas for my character in mind. I felt what worked best was the idea of my character being an anthropomorphic - an animal with human characteristics, walk on two feet, has a pair of hands 2 arms can talk.
Introduction Pecha Kucha
Pecha-Kucha... is the name of the task we were asked to do over the summer as a sort of 'ice breaker'. It was a little odd finding out peoples backgrounds, lives of other peers outside and before the college, their inspirations and even though we've been joined together due to this path we've taken, how different each and every one of us are.
It was a simple task once i got started, but getting back into the rhythm of education was for me almost a painful experience. I'd forgotten all about the fun and enjoyment involved in it when putting a couple of ideas together - the adrenaline and rush. Proud to say i spent every day i worked during my gap year living off adrenaline, no better high in life!
The same week we went bowling in a social attempt to get to know eachother, have a beer or two, get comfortable with everybody, i even got lucky with 107 & 126!!! Pure fluke that my game was there that day!
It's important for all colleagues, peers, teachers students and everyone in a working environment to be on a well respected creative level. We will be working together for 3 years so it's important that we get off to a good start and make friends, and that we don't hide away.
It was a simple task once i got started, but getting back into the rhythm of education was for me almost a painful experience. I'd forgotten all about the fun and enjoyment involved in it when putting a couple of ideas together - the adrenaline and rush. Proud to say i spent every day i worked during my gap year living off adrenaline, no better high in life!
The same week we went bowling in a social attempt to get to know eachother, have a beer or two, get comfortable with everybody, i even got lucky with 107 & 126!!! Pure fluke that my game was there that day!
It's important for all colleagues, peers, teachers students and everyone in a working environment to be on a well respected creative level. We will be working together for 3 years so it's important that we get off to a good start and make friends, and that we don't hide away.
First blog; Better late than never
I'm not the most confident writer in the world. I'd been having a little mental block and thought of it to be a tremendously daunting task to get into blogging but what choice do i have!!
We started roughly 3 weeks ago now and already work, ideas drawings and mind flow are... well... flowing!
We had a great introduction to the course, Mike and Matt both extremely friendly people making us all at home treating us all well and taking us under their wing. Along with all the others i've met, making me feel very proud to be here.
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