I finally managed to get an updated reel onto Vimeo, yay!
I need to go through and compile a more visual break down, but for now it's better than what I had yesterday :)
I've also uploaded a separate break down of one of the shots;
More working coming online soon!
Thursday, 9 February 2012
Sunday, 5 February 2012
A ghostly Wonderland
What is this strange ghostly structure looming through the mist in the background? Surely a nuclear power station? a sci-fi matte paintings? A missile launching platform? Well no, this is in fact the famous Disney castle that unfortunately didn't live happily ever after. All jokes aside, this was intended to be the Chinese Wonderland, the home of Disney Characters such as Cinderella, Snow White and a cute little mouse with red pants! Unfortunately when the Chinese economy went bad it seems construction was halted. That said, I would still pay to go and see this! the derelict version looks far more interesting than the one in Paris or Florida!
Friday, 3 February 2012
Who am I kidding!
So in previous posts I said I was committing myself to compiling my work and doing NO more artwork until I was done! Well who was I kidding. Three sketches I did in the last two days;
In other news! I'm really pushing myself to get my 3d environment work online. It's really frustrating that I have some really cool work that I want to share with the world, but for lack of time I haven't been able to compile everything into a presentable way. Stay tuned!
In other news! I'm really pushing myself to get my 3d environment work online. It's really frustrating that I have some really cool work that I want to share with the world, but for lack of time I haven't been able to compile everything into a presentable way. Stay tuned!
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Thoughts of the day ...
So today, my thoughts once again turn to; I NEED TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT I CAN SELL!!!
I have so many ideas, I guess the biggest wall to overcome is deciding which idea to pursue first. My brain suffers from a bottle neck problem, there's way too much trying to get out at any one time, and before you know it all those ideas get squished into a murky pile of goo! So here's a few of my wild ideas;
Idea 1 - Create tutorials to sell on Turbosquid. There's a severe lack of tutorials relating to environments for film and TV, so does this mean there's a niche for this? or simply everyone already know's everything there is to know about the subject.
Idea 2 - Create animated environments and submit them to istockphoto. I've see a few examples of CG animated environments on istockphoto, and the quality usually suffers. So maybe if I submit some work to a professional level, they might see a use for that :)
Idea 3 - Interactive content / Indie game. Well this is definitely something I want to accomplish very soon, so Dave!!! Get started!! .... now .... stop writing ..... blah! who am i kidding.
Idea 4 - Make 3d Module assets for film and games. Connecting assets, ie; corridor sections, city blocks etc. Make more assets! I do wonder what HASN'T been created on turbosquid! I imagine everything by now.
I always feel one of the most valuable assets we have and can always sell is our knowledge and experiences. And i've spent the last 12 years amassing a lot of useless knowledge! So maybe i can have a knowledge garage sale! sell pieces of my brain!
More thoughts ...
Ipads and iphones make really crap controllers for 3d programs! Well, at least for now. I can see the potential, however for now, it aint working, there's way too much lag. Maybe when Apple decide to release the bluetooth functionality.
Another day in the rain, rain, rain ..
I have so many ideas, I guess the biggest wall to overcome is deciding which idea to pursue first. My brain suffers from a bottle neck problem, there's way too much trying to get out at any one time, and before you know it all those ideas get squished into a murky pile of goo! So here's a few of my wild ideas;
Idea 1 - Create tutorials to sell on Turbosquid. There's a severe lack of tutorials relating to environments for film and TV, so does this mean there's a niche for this? or simply everyone already know's everything there is to know about the subject.
Idea 2 - Create animated environments and submit them to istockphoto. I've see a few examples of CG animated environments on istockphoto, and the quality usually suffers. So maybe if I submit some work to a professional level, they might see a use for that :)
Idea 3 - Interactive content / Indie game. Well this is definitely something I want to accomplish very soon, so Dave!!! Get started!! .... now .... stop writing ..... blah! who am i kidding.
Idea 4 - Make 3d Module assets for film and games. Connecting assets, ie; corridor sections, city blocks etc. Make more assets! I do wonder what HASN'T been created on turbosquid! I imagine everything by now.
I always feel one of the most valuable assets we have and can always sell is our knowledge and experiences. And i've spent the last 12 years amassing a lot of useless knowledge! So maybe i can have a knowledge garage sale! sell pieces of my brain!
More thoughts ...
Ipads and iphones make really crap controllers for 3d programs! Well, at least for now. I can see the potential, however for now, it aint working, there's way too much lag. Maybe when Apple decide to release the bluetooth functionality.
Another day in the rain, rain, rain ..
Wednesday, 1 February 2012
Inspiring films and artwork
I'd really like to share a few video's that I recently came across, so without further ado!
Path of Hate - Damian Nenow
http://www.cgtantra.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=622&Itemid=35
I really love the style of this short animation, everything about it from the style to the editing and story. I so need to learn how to create this comic book style of rendering, it's so cool!
A Good Wife - W.Scott Forbes
http://vimeo.com/35108500
A really nice piece of work that makes you think a little. I had to watch this one a couple of times to really catch what was going on. What I personally love about this piece, is the visual style. Most of the film is made up of very simple paintings, with subtle animation applied, when stringed together creates a strong narrative. Just goes to show that you don't need crazy camera moves and dazzling effects to pull off a strong story. It's also inspiring to other artists, that you can create a successful film with very little animation skills.
On a later note, is it just me or do these two videos look strangely similar?! .. spooky!
Path of Hate - Damian Nenow
http://www.cgtantra.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=622&Itemid=35
I really love the style of this short animation, everything about it from the style to the editing and story. I so need to learn how to create this comic book style of rendering, it's so cool!
A Good Wife - W.Scott Forbes
http://vimeo.com/35108500
A really nice piece of work that makes you think a little. I had to watch this one a couple of times to really catch what was going on. What I personally love about this piece, is the visual style. Most of the film is made up of very simple paintings, with subtle animation applied, when stringed together creates a strong narrative. Just goes to show that you don't need crazy camera moves and dazzling effects to pull off a strong story. It's also inspiring to other artists, that you can create a successful film with very little animation skills.
On a later note, is it just me or do these two videos look strangely similar?! .. spooky!
Concept Art Reel 2011 - Selection 01
So here's my first short reel of concept art! YAY to me for actually getting my work online in four years! :)
More to follow!!! (Note to self; add something on the first frame next time, otherwise it looks broken!)
Share it! tell everyone! tell your mother! .. the mail man! the weather man!
More to follow!!! (Note to self; add something on the first frame next time, otherwise it looks broken!)
Share it! tell everyone! tell your mother! .. the mail man! the weather man!
Baked Beans
This post was intended to be about a new art reel I've recently uploaded to Vimeo, well .. I was going to begin this post with something like; "As a freelance ... " and at that point i became stuck! a freelance what? what exactly IS it that I do? I really have no idea. Is there a job description for someone who from one project to the next is asked to do something completely different, using different techniques, different skills, different tools. Well let's see; I create digital artwork, mainly for film and TV, sometimes games, and now and then for print, this artwork can be anything from 3d animation, to concept art, matte paintings, textures, game assets etc. In the dumbest sense it seems like I create artwork for people with the intention of having an attractive embrace, developing a connection between the media and the viewer, pulling the viewer into the experience, creating a feeling of Ooooh, aaah, that's pretty! ... creating a feeling; an emotion. I'm the .. emotionATOR? a freelance giver of feelings! Ooh this is sounding creepy! *shivers* ...
Anyway;
As a freelance can of baked beans, it's important for me to continuously develop my skills, learn new techniques and push myself to create new work as often as possible. Sadly, often is less frequent than I would like, but when i do get the opportunity I try to embrace that time and be as productive as possible. Now this work that I create, which builds up on my hard drive for months and years, well, it really should be seen by others right? I mean, artwork can equally be appreciated by more than just myself, hopefully, adding to that if I don't share my work, how will anyone ever know I can actually do anything! It's not enough to just tell people I can animate characters, build sci-fi cities, fantasy landscapes, paint creatures that have never existed, in the end words can only take me so far, there comes a time when I have to actually show people what I can do. Which brings me to the whole point of this post, I've been working non stop for the last 4 years, and in that time I've amassed a LOT of work, both personal and professional, I've worked on some very cool projects! However until now, very few people have actually seen this work! .. well, that's not exactly true, some of my work has been seen by millions of people in cinema screens around the world, but still for the most part, I've yet to shout out and say; Hey! I created that piece of work! All too often, it get's delivered to the client, put in storage and onto the next project. So at this point, while I have a little free time, I'm not going to create any new artwork, instead I'm going to use this time to compile the artwork I have and share it with the world! To begin with I'm compiling a collection of concept art and creating a few demo reels. I think I'll split it up into two or three different videos and upload them to Vimeo. Once I have a some concept art online, I'll move onto 3d environments and various matte paintings i've done for film and TV. Eventually I'll have a number of new shiny reels to replace the one I've had on my website for the last 4 years, which let's face it, is very old in the digital world!
And a few examples from one of my new concept art reel:
Anyway;
As a freelance can of baked beans, it's important for me to continuously develop my skills, learn new techniques and push myself to create new work as often as possible. Sadly, often is less frequent than I would like, but when i do get the opportunity I try to embrace that time and be as productive as possible. Now this work that I create, which builds up on my hard drive for months and years, well, it really should be seen by others right? I mean, artwork can equally be appreciated by more than just myself, hopefully, adding to that if I don't share my work, how will anyone ever know I can actually do anything! It's not enough to just tell people I can animate characters, build sci-fi cities, fantasy landscapes, paint creatures that have never existed, in the end words can only take me so far, there comes a time when I have to actually show people what I can do. Which brings me to the whole point of this post, I've been working non stop for the last 4 years, and in that time I've amassed a LOT of work, both personal and professional, I've worked on some very cool projects! However until now, very few people have actually seen this work! .. well, that's not exactly true, some of my work has been seen by millions of people in cinema screens around the world, but still for the most part, I've yet to shout out and say; Hey! I created that piece of work! All too often, it get's delivered to the client, put in storage and onto the next project. So at this point, while I have a little free time, I'm not going to create any new artwork, instead I'm going to use this time to compile the artwork I have and share it with the world! To begin with I'm compiling a collection of concept art and creating a few demo reels. I think I'll split it up into two or three different videos and upload them to Vimeo. Once I have a some concept art online, I'll move onto 3d environments and various matte paintings i've done for film and TV. Eventually I'll have a number of new shiny reels to replace the one I've had on my website for the last 4 years, which let's face it, is very old in the digital world!
And a few examples from one of my new concept art reel:
Monday, 4 July 2011
Check out these great books!
As an indie game developer i can highly recommend a few books that will definitely help guide you in the right path and avoid some seriously hidden pitfalls!! speaking of pitfalls, i really wish someone would do a remake of that classic!
Saturday, 2 July 2011
10 Actions in motion reference videos ...
A great way to create motion for animated characters in an adventure game is by using or rotoscoping video references. You can find a number of videos on Youtube that show profile and front references of a person walking. Personally I found this a great help in creating realistic animation without much skill as an animator!
I've compiled a few youtube videos below that I personally found useful. If you would like to save these for offline viewing, i suggest using a service such as KeepVid which allows you to paste a youtube link and save the file in its original format. Then all you need do is open the quicktime in Photoshop, add a new layer on top and simply trace the frames. And yes, unknown to many people you can indeed open a quicktime file in photoshop and play it. Give it a try :)
And now the videos; (in all cases take a look at the channels for each respective video, as a number of them have multiple examples of motion.)
I've compiled a few youtube videos below that I personally found useful. If you would like to save these for offline viewing, i suggest using a service such as KeepVid which allows you to paste a youtube link and save the file in its original format. Then all you need do is open the quicktime in Photoshop, add a new layer on top and simply trace the frames. And yes, unknown to many people you can indeed open a quicktime file in photoshop and play it. Give it a try :)
And now the videos; (in all cases take a look at the channels for each respective video, as a number of them have multiple examples of motion.)
Friday, 1 July 2011
10 adventure game development suites
Luckily there's a number of great tools available for developing adventure games. They exist in different levels of complexity, a few are aimed at just the adventure game genre and typically these are easier to learn, while a few others which have a steeper learning curve can be used to create just about any kind of game.
I've listed 10 of these development tools. In descending order which i feel are more suited to creating adventure games:
Wintermute Engine
Winternute is a great engine, and my personal favorite. The great advantage to this engine above some of those immediately below is the ability to use 3d characters with 2d backgrounds. I think this can really help to ad an extra element of depth and professional finish.
Adventure Game Studio
AGS is definitely one of the more popular 2d engines for creating classic adventure games. The learning curve is relatively forgiving with this one and logical, again like others the UI and approach to using AGS is very much aimed at artists with little to no experience in coding. The reality is, as with all game engines, you will need to write scripts for various events in your game. However if you're intuitive you can easily patch together code using various examples and scripts found on forums.
Visionaire Studio
Visionaire is another 2d engine for creating content similar to AGS. Visionaire definitely stands above the rest with support from the developers who are actively developing new iterations of the engine. This one really is tailored to the needs of the artist. At the time of writing this, Visionaire is a 2d engine only; however within the next few months a new version will soon be released that supports the development of 3d content and port to mobile platforms such as the iphone.
Multimedia Fusion
Another 2d engine i'd like to add to the list is Multimedia Fusion from Clickteam. This suite is highly recommended for quick and ease of use and can export to mobile platforms too!
Unity 3d
Unity is becoming very successful in the field of independent games. It's pointless in asking what can be accomplished with Unity, and instead ask what can't be accomplished. There's some great examples of work that can be found throughout the community, games that rival a lot of AAA games. The great thing about Unity is that you can download it for free and like other engines in this list, Unity is designed from the ground up to be as artist friendly as possible. That said, there will come a time when you have to learn one of the scripting languages used within Unity, but with a commitment to learning the basics, you can still accomplish some great results. Unity comes in a number of options from a free version to a premium version which include the tools to build iphone and android applications.
Unreal Development Kit
UDK, is the engine behind a number of successful games such as Unreal Tournament. Like Unity, UDK is a swiss army knife capable of tackling the most demanding of indie game projects in full 3d specularity.
Both Unity and UDK are equally far more advance than the above engines such as AGS and Visionaire, however when developing your own work, consider carefully which tool is right for your needs. If your project is completely 2d, then using Unity and UDK might be overkill. However if you intend to create full 3d environments then these will be the ideal options.
Adobe Flash
Blender 3d
Cocos 2d
I've listed 10 of these development tools. In descending order which i feel are more suited to creating adventure games:
Wintermute Engine
Winternute is a great engine, and my personal favorite. The great advantage to this engine above some of those immediately below is the ability to use 3d characters with 2d backgrounds. I think this can really help to ad an extra element of depth and professional finish.
Adventure Game Studio
AGS is definitely one of the more popular 2d engines for creating classic adventure games. The learning curve is relatively forgiving with this one and logical, again like others the UI and approach to using AGS is very much aimed at artists with little to no experience in coding. The reality is, as with all game engines, you will need to write scripts for various events in your game. However if you're intuitive you can easily patch together code using various examples and scripts found on forums.
Visionaire Studio
Visionaire is another 2d engine for creating content similar to AGS. Visionaire definitely stands above the rest with support from the developers who are actively developing new iterations of the engine. This one really is tailored to the needs of the artist. At the time of writing this, Visionaire is a 2d engine only; however within the next few months a new version will soon be released that supports the development of 3d content and port to mobile platforms such as the iphone.
Multimedia Fusion
Another 2d engine i'd like to add to the list is Multimedia Fusion from Clickteam. This suite is highly recommended for quick and ease of use and can export to mobile platforms too!
Unity 3d
Unity is becoming very successful in the field of independent games. It's pointless in asking what can be accomplished with Unity, and instead ask what can't be accomplished. There's some great examples of work that can be found throughout the community, games that rival a lot of AAA games. The great thing about Unity is that you can download it for free and like other engines in this list, Unity is designed from the ground up to be as artist friendly as possible. That said, there will come a time when you have to learn one of the scripting languages used within Unity, but with a commitment to learning the basics, you can still accomplish some great results. Unity comes in a number of options from a free version to a premium version which include the tools to build iphone and android applications.
Unreal Development Kit
UDK, is the engine behind a number of successful games such as Unreal Tournament. Like Unity, UDK is a swiss army knife capable of tackling the most demanding of indie game projects in full 3d specularity.
Both Unity and UDK are equally far more advance than the above engines such as AGS and Visionaire, however when developing your own work, consider carefully which tool is right for your needs. If your project is completely 2d, then using Unity and UDK might be overkill. However if you intend to create full 3d environments then these will be the ideal options.
Adobe Flash
Blender 3d
Cocos 2d
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