I haven't totally disappeared I swear

Hey all,

So AnimationMentor starts up again on Monday for me! I will be retaking Class 2 to hopefully really solidify my Body Mechanic skills.

I am glad the new curriculum has 2 Body Mechanics classes and that there is a new Polishing class, I'm just upset that I can't jump in on that! We'll see how the situation looks when I graduate if I can get a chance to take them as electives.

I'll try to blog when Class starts to let everyone know who my new Mentor is, etc.

If you are bored check out this sketchblog I'm a part of: We wanted to have a new theme each week, but that kind of faded away after the first week since a bunch of us were preparing to get ready for SIGGRAPH. Now I think it's a bit of a free for all, we'll see if we can get it back up and running.

I also kind of started 11secondClub's September challenge. I'm definitely not going to finish it by the end of the month, seeing as I just have a few poses in there. It at least got me back into Maya and allowed me to play around with some cool rigs.

AND in super exciting news, I have collected a bunch of NEW CRAZY HATS FOR THIS TERM!!!!!!!! I should maybe start posting pics of the hats each week, I dunno, we will see!

Yikes! No updates yet

Hey guys,

Sorry for the lack of updates. I was on my trip then got hit with a yucky summer cold. I am back on my feet though for the most part.

I am working on redoing my portfolio at the moment, revamping it and trying to take out stuff I don't want to do any more.

As for my trip my sister has a very thorough description on her blog:

http://mariawanders.blogspot.com

But in short, being there and seeing places like the Henson studios, Walt Disney Studios, going backstage and hearing all about Walt and his visions reinvigorated me to go after what I want. Dreams really do come true, you just have to have the courage to do it. So that is what I will be doing this summer, attempting to take steps in that direction.

Hopefully the new folio layout will be ready soon, most definitely before I go to SIGGRAPH.

That's it for now, I'll try to rummage around and dig up some sketches to post to entertain you guys in the meantime.

Best Trip EVER

I just went on the best trip of my life. It was "Backstage Magic" with Adventures by Disney. We went to Hollywood then the Disney area. I will post further later with more details and some photos.

It was a boost I definitely needed. Lesson learned: Dreams do come true, you just have to believe.

Never Give Up

"Never give up." -Mike Walling

This is from the last crit of the year, and it really resonated with me tonight. Please keep checking back for various art updates. I will have sketches and animation tests up throughout the summer.

Class 2 - Week 12 Update

So it comes to an end. It was a long and tiring process, yet in a way it flew by pretty fast. I will be taking a leave of absence this summer to help recharge, recover, and focus on home stuff. Before I say what is going on here is the latest:

New class, new title card:



My new showreel, and of course I want to tweak everything:




My dog Webby may be getting some more treatments for the cancer on her pelvis. Radiation that happened in Oct helped it shrink 60-80% and it made the weird sliver that made it inoperable disappear. We may do a hemipelvectomy which takes half the pelvis and a leg. Between full time work, the dog, other issues, and AM I am about to collapse. Hopefully I will be ready for my trip to CA for Hollywood/Disneyland next week and that will give me a boost.

Keep checking back here for things I will be creating during the summer, that will most likely include sketches, animation exercises, and I may even try my hand at 11 Second Club.

Class 2 - Week 11 Update

Wow, last animation assignment week, here it is:



As usual I feel that it isn't complete, but I may tweak it more over the summer or just plow through other exercises.

Class 2 - Week 10 Update

It has been splined! Jump and prep still need work: