Crumbs Webcomic and The Other Side

So yeah, maybe I should reveal what the big projects I've been yammering on about are.

What we have here is the teaser poster for a Crumbs short that I intend to work on throughout the year. I'd like to have a little something extra to add to my portfolio and show reel. And maybe something to pop on the ol' YouTube channel when it's done.

The story is basically about a pigeon, specifically Tweak, trying to get to the other side of the road without being squashed by cars. Of course he could just fly over but clearly that would be too simple. Certainly seemed to be the case for the pigeon that Ashleigh and I were watching a few days ago, which gave us this idea. I'm giving her credit as she gave me the idea for how it ends. And how will it end, you ask? Well you'll have to find out, won't you? Mmhmm.

And onto the main project.

I've mentioned a number of times, both on here and offline, that I've been intending to make Crumbs a webcomic. However I've never gotten to actually doing it because of reasons, specifically not having time around other projects, not being happy with the story and so on and so forth. I always bounce back to working on Crumbs because I'm never satisfied with how the previous version turned out and I know if I keep doing that, it'll only hinder my skills and opportunities.

So this year is the year to chance all of that. For the next few months, aside from working on proposals and dissertations, I am working out the story and the characters for good in order so that I can build up a buffer of pages starting in January before I officially release them online next Summer. That's the plan anyway, unless enough people try to convince me earlier. However, I think perhaps the best time to release the pages would be around Final Show in May. We'll see how that goes, I reckon.

I'd tell you guys more about the story buuut... eh, maybe later. Once I've gotten them new and improved character sheets done and dusted. I also intend to get some non-character designs and sketches done in order to plan for future potential projects in order to keep my other drawing styles and designs intact.

This is the year when Crumbs becomes a thing. And the year when I'll stop looking back.

Running In The Rain

It's my cousin's birthday and I created this little thing for her. Using a reference picture of her and her dog Shadow, I decided to have them running around having fun shenanigans. I don't know exactly where the whole rain motif came from but I'm assuming it was because of the crummy weather we've been having lately. We have a pond instead of grass in our back garden right now.

I've been told she's very happy with it, which of course makes me happy as well. Always want a satisfied... picture obtainer. Hurray! Now to add this to the ol' portfolio!

I'll be sure to update later this week with my college project ideas. I want to have some character designs done before I do so, otherwise it'll probably be a bunch of text and that's just unacceptable in this blog. Eww, words.


... oh, before I go, I need to share this. I seem to have a thing about pageviews when they reach a certain number order.

Thanks to everyone who ever popped by to have a look at my humble blog. Much appreciated. I love you all!

Teamwork!

Some fanart I did of Zink and Stanley for Rachel Normand's awesome series, Lizard Cops. Also a chance to plug said series even though I've probably done that already SHUT UP, YOU AREN'T MY MOTHER

I'm totally drawing these guys again sometime. Mmyep.

SEE, I DO THINGS

Just a WIP of a birthday picture I'm working on. I figured I should show you guys something considering the last update was like, two weeks ago. Or something. Eheh.

Just a quick update of shenanigans for now: the Big Draw animation piece is now finished! I'm going to have a look at it some time next week before giving it to the client. I don't think we'll upload it until it's actually been screened so you'll still need to wait a while before you'll actually get to see it. So yeah, something fun to look forward to!

And also college has started again, to my immense joy and relief. I like the summer holidays and the long lie ins are lovely but eh, I was missing the college atmosphere and seeing everyone every day. And missing the mochas as well. I was surprised when the woman at the counter recognised me actually. I think that's a sign I've been going there too often. If that's wrong, I don't want to be right.

Things are ever so slightly different this time round however. Rather than animation specifically, I'm now a Creative Practice student and will also have the opportunity to collaborate with students from other creative courses, such as acting, media, web, dance, what have you. There's all sorts going on. And there are even LECTURES. No seriously, we didn't really have lectures in the Foundation course, at least not regular ones. So this is kind of new to me. Which is odd considering not only have I been a college student for two years now, I am technically a post graduate. I shall adapt though. It'll be interesting seeing people from different creative courses. And you never know, might make a contact! After all, it's the year to do that sort of thing!

Now, as for what I'm planning to do this year... weeeeell, I was GONNA say in this blog entry but I figure I should actually wait until after my one on one tuition session on Wednesday, where I discuss my project plans with a tutor. That way I don't tell everyone I'm working on this particular thing only to have to change it if the tutor decides I'd be better off doing something else. I will leave a couple of teeny hints for now.

One: webcomic with supporting animations of characters to introduce interactions and advertise them and the story.

And two:

... some of you will probably have figured it out from that.

I think Doctor Who will be on soon so I'll take my leave for now. Have a good 'un, chaps!

NO TIMMY

STOP

TIMMY

TIMMY NO

Pretty much done with my Big Draw frames. Gonna meet up with my buds tomorrow so we can share them and make whatever changes we need before we're happy with the animation and can focus on everything else, like sound and all that noise (aha, I made a funny).

BAD TIMMY, THAT'S A BAD TIMMY.

I'm a bad little robot...

You're a GROUNDED little robot.

Winging It

Hey, you!

Yeah you! Work the camera, you adorable pigeon!

Come oooon, you know you want to.

... I'll give you some of this doughnut?

... all of the doughnut?

... I didn't give it any of the doughnut. Might have been why it flew off in a huff. Such a diva.

Anyway yes, a couple of reasons why I have another entry so soon. The first is to show off this pointless video I made featuring many of the pigeons I've filmed on my phone. I just wanted to play around with footage and editing. I think I did an OK job considering I only spent an hour or two on it. I'd have spent more but this was just a means of procrastination really. I have stuff I REALLY should be getting on with!

And also this. The person who analyses the animation techniques in My Little Pony has released another video and this one I'll definitely find useful as it involves animating the wings of the pegasus ponies. It'll definitely help with making my pigeons' wing movements more fluid! Hopefully it'll help anyone who comes across this as well. This guy certainly knows what he's talking about.

And now back to animating! Pip pip!

... I want to be watching the Hunger Games DVD right now...

I'm 21 and I Drewed.

So yeah, I'm now able to drink everywhere now, which is probably something people should keep an eye on. Got a lot of groovy presents, including a new Mac which I'll start using for college and animation and artwork once I get all the programs on it, spend time with my darling mother at the spa which I'm definitely doing again and got a buttload of money that I'm already blowing online buying lots of Brave, MLP and Stitch stuff. I won't regret this at all.

Oh, and I still need that Pug Life shirt. I'll get on that.

SPEAKING OF PUGS. So like, I come on here to upload a picture I worked on and am gonna put on my work area at college, right? WELL, I get distracted by this amazing piece of awesomeness and it took me a while to pick my jaw off the ground.

Artwork by Rachel Rutherford

YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW FRIGGIN HAPPY I WAS TO SEE THIS. I mean, LOOK AT IT!

The colours all fit with my blog, the big doodlebug logo in the background, all of my darling pigeons in their pigeonness, Muffin being adorable with her little derp, me wearing all the Crumbs badges and doodling, it's just beyond perfect in every way. It's being printed out along with the picture I mentioned earlier so I can look at it and squee with joy and happiness. Thank you so much, Rachel! <3

... I should talk about the next thing but yeah, too busy staring at picture.

Still staring.

Staring...

...

Bluuuhhhhh.

OK, next thing!

Basically I saw a picture on tumblr with a little bird saying 'Don't think, just draw' and I decided that I wanted to so something similar with Blue. I experimented quite a bit with this one, changing a day scene to night (I always find myself more inspired when I should be sleeping) and redrawing Blue's pose a number of times.  I also wanted the caption to be there at first but on a whim, I tried to see what the picture looked like without it and was much happier with that result. It's called Blue Inspiration and I'm basically gonna use it as a means to look at when I'm dried up creativewise.

I also needed something different to draw than robots and boys for a moment. Getting right back to that though! *salutes*

I'm quite satisfied with this. However, feel free to leave any advice or critique you may have!

Now back to staring at Rachel's picture. Guuuhhhhhh...

Big Draw: The Apocalypse

Well hardly, just a giant robot rampaging a town. Although that would raise my eyebrow nonetheless.

I thought you would like to see some progress on the Big Draw brief that I've been working on with Ashleigh and Callum. We're breezing through it quite well, I reckon! We made it easier by deciding what parts of the animations we could work on individually. For example, I have been working on animating the giant robot rampaging through the town.

I did change the design of one character though because it was a tad hard for us to figure out how it worked. Hopefully that child won't kick our rumps too terribly hard. I need it for sitting.

Banana Strawberry pet known as Bappel. Ah, the things kids come up with...
Wish I had that sort of imagination at their age.

Callum has taken to animating that character, as well as a scientist. I'm unsure if he'll share the scenes while they're still in progress. Hopefully you'll be able to see it once it's complete. It'll be screened at the Big Draw festival I believe.

Anyway, onto the robot. The reference I was given by one of the kids at the drawing club in Darlington was this:

Artwork by... the kid that drew this.
I need to get their name, I suck.

Which led to the asset being this. I wanted to keep it as close to the original drawing as possible, although I'm assuming the left arm isn't permanently like that and is just posing in combat mode. Pure BAMF mode right there!

Hopefully they won't be too disappointed.

And here we have some frames of the robot in action. It wasn't specified what the robot's powers are (although maybe the retractable hand is a definite according to the original drawing) so I made a few things up, such as the levitating and glowing.

That little boy doesn't seem to be afraid! Maybe he can see that
the robot just needs some lo-

... ah. Never mind.

To anyone who's been following me for a while, you MIGHT recognise the little boy from one of my previous college projects. *coughstretchandscarecough*

Anyway, that's all I have to show you at the moment. I need to tweak the lip sync in the first part of the sequence and add a 'five seconds later' card and stitch the two together. And then animate a quick little part with the boy again. And then the separate robot rampage will be ready to stitch up with the other scenes. Can't wait to see them all together!

As of right now, I'm going to throw a small video together because why the hell not.