3D Animation Brief - Plan

I've chosen to take on the 3D animation brief for this semester. In the brief I have to plan and develop five short action tests (5-10 seconds) of the following actions:

1. Picking up a heavy sword and swinging it 360 degrees.
2. Running into a stationary object and getting knocked back/unconscious.
3. Casting an epic spell that needs a lot or arm flailing.
4. Jumping across a small stream.
5. One action of your own invention in a similar theme.

As well as a final animation reel, the deliverables also include a story board sheet and an animatic of the proposed animations.

I plan to go about this brief by first researching into other animations that use exaggeration and other principles of animation effectively. I will analyse these animations and how they use the principles to define their own animation style.

I will get an idea of what I want to do in each animation by exploring different poses and scenarios. I will develop draft story boards from these and iterate them until I am happy with them. From there I will produce an animatic and if I am happy with the timing, pacing and composition I can begin animating. I will probably be at different stages with each animation at any one time which is fine.

For structured feedback week (week 7) I hope to have a good idea of what I will be animating for each of the five actions by having my storyboards and animatics hopefully finished.

Self Evaluation: Live Drawing

Today's class task was "Live Drawing", where you sit in a public place and quickly sketch people as they walk by or hang around in the area. The focus is not in accuracy but at capturing the essence of the person in the moment.

I headed first to the lobby in Abertay's Kydd Building knowing that people will be passing through. My favourite drawing here is the lady resting her elbows on the table, although she was just resting her head on her arms it appears she is enjoying a good sandwich here,

There was the odd lull in activity and not much variation in the angles people were facing (mostly just to the receptionist) so I made my way across the road to Bar One (where a large number of the class were already located). There were many people walking outside doing a variation of things, each with their own little story. I became more comfortable with drawing people here so there are some more interesting sketches going on here.

My favourite sketch here is the lady carrying a lot of coats and also the lady carrying all the boxes. Both of pose the question "why do you need so many of those things you're carrying?"

For the sake of variety and wanting to go somewhere different I headed to the first floor of the library and sat in front of the window to draw. People were closer up and generally paused for a little longer giving me a quick chance to sketch them out before they moved on.

I came up with a lot more interesting sketches here so I have a few favourites including the suited man with a simple rectangular face (and nose) as well as the ridiculously dressed student with hilarious hat. The old couple that spent some time at the town map where so characterised they were adorable to draw.

The skill evaluation aims were:

• Working quickly and fluidly
• Capturing sense of movement
• Capturing sense of personality or character

The first aim I think I achieved well. The entire exercise was something I got better with as the class went on with the more interesting and better sketches coming later on as I was more comfortable with the task. Although I could have filled out a few more sketches the problem with getting this done was mainly in relation to the second aim.

Capturing a sense of movement was a slightly challenge, mainly because of how fast people walk and how trying to take a snapshot and draw them in that pose is tough. I would've like to have tried drawing one person walking over a distance in multiple poses even if I didn't manage to get all their limbs in each time.

Capturing the sense of personality and character in a sketch came from how the person was drawn, as in which bits were focused on or even exaggerated. This was something I think got better over time with my more interesting drawings coming out at the end.

Self Evaluation: Tonal Drawing

During this week's practical we were tasked with a tonal drawing study. Two objects were given to us which contrasting in their brightness and material. This was my drawing which took around 1h30m to complete:

The skill evaluation aims were Observation, Tonal Range, Shading and Challenge.

Observation

I think the proportions of the objects were good and that they do look like the objects they are meant to represent.

Tonal Range

I used a selections of pencils I had including HB, 2B, 4B and 6B pencils. I did create a pencil shade scale and was satisfied on the whole although I'd like to have achieved darker tones but didn't have the correct pencil to allow me to do so. In the drawing I did manage to use the range of tones in the image, from the white box to the darkest point in the shoe.

Shading

The darkest point in the drawing was definitely beneath the laces of the shoes with the brightest part being the direct light hitting the box, I think the lighting on the objects was conveyed satisfactory although not perfect as tonal drawing is not my strongest skill.

I think the shading is let down in the background where I didn't spend as much time on. The paper quality also did not allow for the smoothest shading. If I were to do any future tonal drawings I'd like to invest in some better sketchbook paper.

Challenge

Some challenging parts of the drawing included the surface of the cube which was pretty smooth and very bright white. I did add in any scratches or dirt on the white block just to give it some more definition.

The shoe was also difficult as the material didn't allow for highlights and appears to be consistently black. This meant shadows where the only thing that allowed the object to show its shape.

Self Evaluation: Perspective Drawing

During this week's Computer Arts Practice practical slot, I was tasked with a perspective study. With about 1h30m to complete it in, this is my drawing:

The skill evaluation aims were: drawing within timescale, observation, line work, and discipline to which I feel I completed all within a satisfactory level. In this post I will discuss both my strengths and weaknesses relating to these aims.

Drawing Within Timescale

With roughly 1h30m, I feel the timescale was generous enough to draw the entire view with the most important lines. A class in orthographic and technical drawing in high school made me comfortable with this exercise in timekeeping, making sure I put in the main lines in first, then worked down towards the details. I then gave myself ample time to correct and clean up lines.

Observation

I spent about 5 minutes just choosing a place I wanted to draw, something that would be interesting and that included enough elements to make a strong drawing. This corridor had a number of wall parts sticking out as well as doors, windows and pipes along the roof.

I picked a challenging spot sitting so close to the wall which gave for an interesting view of the corridor. Luckily there was a seat and table conveniently located in the corridor so that was fortunate.

Line Work

Lines are the main ingredient to a perspective drawing. I used a variation of pencils: a 2B, a 0.3mm and a 0.5mm technical drawing pencils. I also used a ruler to help with time efficiency and to make the lines cleaner and easier to work with. I tend to prefer a single straight line rather than drawing the line several times on top of each other to get a result.

Discipline

Overall I'm pretty happy with my finished drawing. If I were to move on from here I would like to try different perspectives or angles to draw from. Moving on from the single corridor setting I could try a location with pillars or more complicated geometry to add an extra challenge.

The drawing's not perfect though, I could have stepped back from the drawing more to make sure the lines and proportions were better. There is slight distortion in the corridor particularly in the roof at the top right.