Art and Animations

[Aquamentis12]

Art and animation are pretty much two hobbies I am the most passionate about. Nobody around here teaches animation, so, for a number of years I have been using the same programs to try to figure out animation. I do a fair bit of sketching too, and many things I do rough sketches of, turn into blueprints for animating with pixel art. For either standalone short projects, OR, to be strung together into a much larger project format.

 

Anything can be hit or miss as far as quality goes. I have had ZERO training in animation, in fact, a local gallery owner, whom I took a couple self-paced drawing classes from a few years back, said he doesn't know anyone in the area who does animation, so nobody to help me learn more. But, I think I'm doing ok so far, in the hobbyist capacity. I will be looking into oline education for it someday, hopefully soon. ~_^ Because learning by doing may be a good way to learn, but it's also a good way to make mistakes that you don't realize are mistakes. LOL

 

First vid here, a short 5 second vid, made for my youtube channel. Dare you enter through the crystalline gates? ;)

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-JiTygjHbc

[Wildbreeze]

For just teaching yourself, this stuff is good. I love animation, but I'd never know where to begin. You should definitely find some classes, I think you'll do really well. :)

[Aquamentis12]

Thanks Wildbreeze! :D

 

I was going for kinda of that "mysterious house on the hill" motif. lol

 

The gate was a bit of a headache because it's short, complicated and getting the gates to swing open was a real trick! I think that animation is 96 frames, I think... ^_^;

 

I've also done some animations to poetry, as well as 4 animated music videos so far. 2 Of which can never see the light of youtube because when I wrote the representative for the composer, he denied me permission to upload the first 2 to youtube. :( I still need to reply but I'm not certain what to say exactly. :(

 

The other 2 ARE uploaded. As the audio is from another youtube account, where I uploaded a 1984 perfromance my late father, his also deceased younger brothers, and my grandfather (still kickin' at 90) did for a St. Patrick's Day gig in a church basement. So I've got 25 songs to draw on.... pun intended. ;)

 

My other animations can be viewed here.

http://www.youtube.com/user/CrystallineGates/videos?view=0

 

The only one I'd really want to change/update is the poem, Water, Water, Everywhere. I like the graphics, but the timing with the words is off. -_- 360 frames, oh well, gotta take the bad with the good, right? And sometimes experiments don't work out. ;) SOMEDAY I'll "fix" it, but right now my mind is just too busy to mess with remaking it right now.

 

I've got one friend who simply loves the Mesmerizing Flames poem, except for the title. LOL That was certainly a more "fun" set of animations to do. :D

 

Of course the two music videos, both contain some stats like total frame count and such.

 

An old Disney Master, once said that "the first 100,000 drawings are the hardest". I'm at about 5k-6k frames between my projects, uploaded and not.

 

I hope you enjoy the rest of the vids! :D

 

 

EDIT: (05/08/2013)

Just finished this little test animation last night for my next project. I'm currently slightly farther than this as of tonight, but not significantly enough to warrant a re-upload. The image size is about 10% what the original scan-size was. Enjoy!

[Adwerd]

At the beginning level it is a very good thing. because to make such kind of graphics or animation is not possible to do everyone. To do this you should have creativity of mind and i think you have this. So best of luck for your future work.

[Aquamentis12]

Thank you! nice to get a comment here. ;)

I've since finished the coloring and shading. Here is the result..

 

 

Also, I have this animation test I can share of a bird spiraling downward.

 

 

These are only tests for a much Bigger project. :)

[Duma]

Oh, wow, that grass turned out great! I would like to see more of your work :)

[Aquamentis12]

Thanks for the compliment Duma!
Here's some more tests.

A spinning Grasshopper, who will be kind of like the MC for at least part of the music vid I'm working on.

A Blue Whale for another partial sequence, I've actually since finished that sequence, except for possibly needing to change the timing when I get to that part of the song.



Sea Lion-Clapping, I will probably use this somewhere in the vid as well. Otherwise, it was a neat test to try. lol


I call this last one, Synchronized Flap. For obvious reasons. ;) From Left to Right; Robin, Goldfinch, Cardinal, Chipping Sparrow and Blue Jay



I may post more later. :D Hope you guys enjoy these little tests! :)

[Xepha]

I really like your whale animation! Well done :D

[Aquamentis12]

Thanks Xepha! You should see it finished. ;) It turned out well enough that I as much as I'd like to share it pre-vid, I'm reluctantly holding it back because it took a TON of work. Not only is there a coral foreground, but I added several animals. Some fish, a crab, an eel and something, I think it was called a Sea Angel... or was that what ATE it.... basically a snail-like creature that seems to have wings of a sort. lol Oh, and the MASS of Krill that the whale is chasing. :D It's NOT going to have a long display time in the vid. Hmm.. maybe I could upload a still-frame of it... That might be fun. ;) If you'd like to see a still-frame, let me know. :)

 

By the way, I just finished, last night, a character drawing from book 1 of one of my favorite novel series. The death gate cycle, by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman. Book 1 is entitled Dragon Wing. This character is named, Hugh the Hand, an assassin who, in this case, was framed for a lord's murder. The depiction of Hugh is based on the first description of him in the novel, the background is taken from the context of the story, being carted to the execution grounds where the executioner, Three-chop Nick, awaits.

 

 

 

This is the text I, forgive the pun, drew from...

 

The man’s appearance alone was striking enough to arrest the eye and send a shiver over the skin. His age was indeterminate, for he was one of those men whom life has aged beyond cycles. His hair was black without a touch of gray. Sleeked back from a high, sloping forehead, it was worn braided at the nape of his neck. A jutting nose, like the beak of a hawk, thrust forward from between dark and overhanging brows. His beard was black and worn in two thin short braids twisted beneath a strong chin. His black eyes, sunken into high cheekbones, almost disappeared in the shadows of the overhanging brows. Almost, but not quite, for no darkness in this world, it seemed, could quench the flame that smoldered in those depths.
The prisoner was of medium height, his body bare to the waist and marked all over with gashed and bruises, for he had fought like a devil to avoid capture.

 

This took about 2 weeks to color. It's a GREAT fantasy novel series, there are 7 books. If anyone is interested in learning more about the series. Here is a link to the Wiki page. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_Gate_Cycle At the bottom there are 2 neat links to fansites. I recommend them. :)

[Pookies]

I'm really loving your stuff, especially for someone who is self-taught! Keep at it :)

The only piece I'm not liking is the last one: The death gate cycle, by Margaret Weis and Tracey Hickman. especially compared to the other things you have posted, i think you can improve that piece.

 

otherwise.... :thumbsup:

 

EDIT: If you ever have the opportunity to take classes, I think you will improve dramatically. The stuff you post here I have seen been submitted as final projects...meaning it took them the course to get to the level you are at, if that makes sense.

[Aquamentis12]

Wow, a comment! And of course the encouragement! :D First comment this thread has had in awhile! ;) Thanks! I'm glad you liked (most of) my pics! All the animations were animation tests. All meant for an animated music video I've been working on for a little over a year, and only recently began stringing gifs together for the video put to the audio. :)

 

 

Actually, the pic of Hugh the Hand from Book 1 of the novel series The Death Gate Cycle, is an attempt at drawing a person and then making him looked as roughed up as it sounds like he was in the description. If it makes you avert your gaze, or maybe make you a little squeamish, then I guess I got it right. ;) I don't usually rough up characters, but I really enjoy this novel series. (I read all 7 books several times in high school, much to the IRRITATION of my Teachers!) Along with some other great novels. XD I'm reading these 7 for the first time since high school on a kindle I got for Christmas, just finishing Book 5 tonight, will start on Book 6 either tonight or tomorrow. ;)

 

It's not often I color a sketch that isn't for a bigger project. I do have one I can share. There was an art contest recently that I entered. It was a tribute to Hayao Miyzaki's farewell masterpiece, The Wind Rises. Sadly, I didn't win. (I think the winners were all pros or in classes to become pros.) But here's a shrunken, and watermarked version of my entry.

 

 

This is a shrunken down and watermarked version of my entry for DeviantArt’s contest celebrating the movie The Wind Rises, Hayao Miyazaki’s farewell masterpiece. I am a big fan of his movies, and it’s sad to see him retiring. He is definitely, in my opinion, the greatest living animation director in the world. I can only imagine what he and say, Walt Disney, would collaborate on if Mr. Disney was still alive.

Oh well, I’m hopeful that I’ll do well in the contest, doubting I’ll place in the top 3, but hey, miracles might happen. lol Doing this picture I used over 5000 mouse commands in my program, Paint Shop Pro 6. Obviously it’s a very old program, but I still like it. ;) Hope anyone who sees this enjoys it too. The Dream, Taking Flight.

 

I actually had a different design for the characters on the cliff. But then I realized it was MUCH too close to the pic used by a medical company and had to come up with a new design. Hence this design. Only had about 5 days to do this when I learned about the contest. Got the sketches done in about 2 days, and took a LOT of work to get it all colored and ready. One interesting thing about this piece, Jiro and Nohoko's eyes are lined up and actually looking at each other.

 

When I am finished with the music video I am currently working on. I plan to upload it to youtube, with several others I've done.

(If you'd like me to post the link, let me know)

 

 

I'm looking at some online classes, but I'm not sure what I can do with just 2D stuff. A lot of animation classes seem to focus on 3D modeling. A medium I've attempted a few times, but had next to no luck in figuring out the interface of the freeware program I used. Blender3D. A neat program, but that interface.... LOL Can't seem to figure it out. ^_^ ;

[Pookies]

Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki WIN!!

Ive seen almost all the films, but the wind rises is one of the few I still havent :/

[Novelista]

I definitely need to check out your channel when I get a chance.

 

If you ever have any questions about online education (did all my bachelors that way!), let me know. :)

[Aquamentis12]

Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki WIN!!

Ive seen almost all the films, but the wind rises is one of the few I still havent :/

I have not yet seen The Wind Rises anywhere in my area, so I haven't seen it yet. :( There are several Miyazaki films I have not seen either. But they ARE awesome movies, at least the ones I've seen. :D

 

I definitely need to check out your channel when I get a chance.

 

If you ever have any questions about online education (did all my bachelors that way!), let me know. :)

Sure! I actually meant to post these yesterday, since St. Patrick's Day has always been important to my Dad's family. (They're full Irish)

Here is the link to my channel where my animations go.

https://www.youtube.com/user/CrystallineGates

 

This one is the source of the music for the animated music videos. The playlist will play all 25 songs/videos in order, with the in-between content as well. ;)

https://www.youtube.com/user/BProductions12/playlists

 

If you check above for the sketched-animation of the bird spiraling down, post #5 of this thread, I am currently working on coloring that for it's sequence, which is a little more than halfway (time-wise) through the video.

 

Thanks for the offer, I will keep it in mind. :) I'm not really sure about online schooling, but it's really the only logical option for me right now.

[light_star2]

Wow, Aquamentis, if you did those animations just by teaching yourself, imagine what you'd achieve by taking classes! I think you should continue working towards it! Personally, I know nearly nothing about animations, the closest I get to it is powerpoint work! =P

[Pookies]

I would also like to learn about online education ;p

 

And there used to be a channel on justin.tv that played most of miyakazi's films pretty much 24-7 non stop...but something happend to his computer and since he hasn't come back to play them. that's how i was able to watch almost all of his films lol I deff want to buy them all when I have $$$$$.

[Novelista]

Pookies, Aqua and any others who wish to inquire...http://www.tdnforums.com/index.php?/topic/40757-getting-your-education-online-ask-me/

[Aquamentis12]

Hey guys, thanks for the comments.

Got a new animation test to show. This is a water/waves animation test, only 4 Frames but took a lot of luck to figure them out. lol

 

 

[Xepha]

Brian - I heard that you have a new sequence to show to everyone ;)

[Aquamentis12]

Thanks Xepha! Not quite the whole sequence, but the animation test for Part 1 of it. ;) Took me a week to get this drawn and colored. I'm slowing down, must be due to my age or maybe after more than a year, I just wish I was done. LOL

 

 

I couldn't find any reference of a woodpecker in mid-peckering, so I had to guess at it. I think it turned out pretty good for my first try at a woodpecker. 2 frames, timed at 6/100ths (or 3/50ths) of a second. Working on the 2nd part of the sequence, the Grumpy Alligator. You'd be grumpy too if a Woodpecker disturbed YOUR napping. LOL Planning on having a little debris from the hole the woodpecker will make in the full sequence, fall on the poor gator. The gator, so far, is looking pretty good, I've got his eyelid done, and will be working on the Jaw movement next.

I'm having to kind of cut these scenes shorter than the first ones, because this last chain of lyrics moves more quickly than the previous parts of the song. Before I had about 3 seconds per line. This last bit is closer to 2 seconds, a little less in some cases. So I'm having to cut out a number of ideas to fit the song. Not happy about it, but there's nothing I can do about it. This recording is from 1984, and all the participants, except Grandpa, are gone. Even if my dad was still alive, he couldn't sing any longer. So no chance at getting a fresh recording of it. ;)

 

If there are any posted comments after this post, I think I will LIKE the posts, as an initial show of thanks and acknowledgement, and wait to reply until I have another bit of art and/or animation to share. This is due to the no-double posting rule. :)

EDIT: Forgot to mention because I forgot the date... lol Today was the day I wanted to have the whole thing done, because it's the 4th anniversary of me making music vids like this. Oh well, my backup date is 10 days from now, my birthday, May 30th. Just figured it'd be a good backup deadline. LOL Though 10 days isn't much time for the few lines and refrain that are left. Hope I can make it! >_O Wish me luck because I'll need it. XD

[Xepha]

Good luck Brian! I have faith in you. :D

It's all coming along very nicely.

[Aquamentis12]

Thanks again Xepha, it's nice to hear someone say that they have faith in me. Not something I'm accustomed to hearing. ;) So tonight, I sketched this. Took about an hour or so. Phew! Not part of the video, but a milestone for me. :) May 20th is/was the 4-year anniversary since I created my "Animations for Music" directory. ^_^

 

I wondered what it'd be like if all my files and sketches avalanched me. This was the result. LOL

A sidenote, see the 16-70 in the upper Left corner? That's the sketchbook number and the Page count. It's the last page of this sketchbook, hence the written title "The End?" I always try to do a little something special and related to the last page when I'm about to finish it off. ~_^

I hope to have an new animation test to share soon. :) My Alligator is being troublesome in the current sequence. ;) lol

EDIT:
Due to today being Memorial Day in the USA, I've changed my youtube channel's featured vid to the William McBride vid that I made and posted a pretty long time ago. It was my first music video put to a song my Dad or Uncles sang. This one in particular, is a solo, by my Uncle Mike, the youngest of the 3 brothers and the first to pass away. Anyway, I hope you guys who haven't checked this out, enjoy the sentiment of the music and my depictions of the lyrics through the vid. (Even though it is basically pixel-art. ;) ) And don't forget to thank a veteran/soldier for protecting not just the citizenry, but the rights, laws and freedoms that they also defend! :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x-2bwejGho

[Guest Sabs]

Brian, these animations are so good!! A lot of talent, and I can't believe you taught yourself. The spinning grasshopper is my favorite! :d I'm pretty new to animated graphics, but I've been practicing with buttons and banners. Keep it up, and I'm looking forward to seeing more! :)

[Aquamentis12]

Thank you Sabs! I would love to see some of your art and animations works too! You should start a thread/topic on this forum too! :D

 

Being the 4th of July, for a lil bit longer anyway, I did a little sketch tonight, then inverted it's colors to get the feeling of nighttime. Unfortunately I didn't have a blending bit with me, and the place I drew this no longer has paper towels in the bathrooms, they just have those darn air-dryers, that never work. Oh well, not bad for a quick-sketch. LOL

 

Happy birthday to the USA! :D

 

 

 

EDIT:

My latest pencil test! It looks neat at 4 frames, and looks BETTER with the full 6 frames. So here's a 12 frame comparison, side by side. 4 frames 3 times on the left, and 6 frames twice on the right, both looping. Enjoy!

Btw, the dog is and Irish Setter, naturally. Enjoy! Did this tonight!

https://38.media.tumblr.com/8d2fabccd2a23a30f72fb8994a6b63e9/tumblr_n8hjumhTbp1sh1duso1_1280.gif

[Guest Sabs]

Thanks Brian! xD I'm not sure if my animations are worthy for a thread yet. Someday maybe. lol I can still show you some.

 

That's a cool fast sketch, and not bad given the circumstance of the bathroom. lol Nice dog animation! It looks like it is going to claw someone to pieces.. haha :P