These 3D Star Wars Animations Are Incredibly Fun To Play With

These 3D Star Wars Animations Are Incredibly Fun To Play With by io9 "Sketchfab, a place where 3D artists can work and upload animation, just hosted a Star Wars contest. Users came with 3D animated images and scenes from all the Star Wars movies, then a panel of super talented and wonderful judges (which included this writer) checked out the 36 entires and picked their favorites. The results are incredibly cool, and might just kill your afternoon as you play around with them."

I want what he is having....

I want what he is having.... by New York Post An Oscar-winning “ Star Wars” animator has admitted in a new interview that he dropped acid while completing “Return of the Jedi."

Guess we found the 13th animation principle? ;D

Way More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Animaniacs

Way More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Animaniacs By Mental Floss "The history of Animaniacs actually begins with Tiny Toon Adventures, another animated show from Warner Bros. and executive producer Steven Spielberg. After Tiny Toons became a huge success, Spielberg asked producer Tom Ruegger and his team to work on a follow-up cartoon."

The rest is history....

Easy CG moving holds How-To

Easy CG moving holds How-To from Keith Lango 'What is a moving hold? Well, it's a relatively Cg-centric animation term coined by some with a flair for the ironic. The short description is that a moving hold is the slight bit of motion a character has while they are in a pose. The need for moving holds in Cg animation is vital due to the fact that a CG character just feels absolutely dead and lifeless the moment it stops moving. Hopefully by the end of this little tutorial you'll have a better grasp of what makes for a good moving hold. Granted all the animation is pretty quick and dirty, but the goal here isn't to impress you with highly polished pieces but to get the idea across. So think of these as "animation sketches".'

How Laika Made ‘Kubo’s’ Monkey Shine

How Laika Made ‘Kubo’s’ Monkey Shine  by Variety.com 'Here's how Laika's artists and technicians made Monkey, a key character for their next release, "Kubo and the Two Strings." '

Peanuts CG animation test circa 2007

Peanuts CG animation test circa 2007.  Talented animator Keith Lango with a team of four artists creates this animated test for a potential web series.

It shows that staying true to the original series look and feel was quite of a challenge.

So imagine what the people at Blue Sky had to go through to make The Peanuts Movie look right.

Now straight from the Vimeo page description:

"This is the final result for a small CG animated test of the Peanuts characters. Warner Brothers hired Big Idea to do this test for some internet comics they were thinking of doing to revive the characters as more than mascots. I was hired on as a consultant for the look development and character work. The goal was to try and stay true to the original spirit of Schulz's ink pen drawings and Bil Melendez' charming animation style.

Our small team consisted of Brian Roberts (director), Chuck Vollmer (art director & painter), Steve Fuller (3d modeler), Joe Spadaford (painter) and myself (character engineer, look development, rigging & animation). We turned this around in 2 weeks from nothing."



2007 CharlieBrown -- Proof of Concept Test from Keith Lango on Vimeo.

Animating your dreams into reality

Animating your dreams into reality by YourStory.com “Follow your dreams, no matter what complications you come across. If you are good at what you do and enjoy your work, there is no point being coerced to do something else. In today’s increasingly competitive market, it is important to make your work stand out from the rest, so constant innovation is the need of the hour. In a globalised world, where resources are increasingly depleting, sustainable solutions are of prime importance. One should not be concerned with immediate gains, but look at the larger picture. Short-term gains will do more damage to our world and result in long-term losses.”

Last Minute Gift Ideas for Animators

If you are running under the wire and have no idea what to get for your animator friend, spouse, coworker, neighbor or relative, sweat no more!

Here you have a list of options that will show lots of mindfulness and intention from your part, to the animation artist in your life.

In Their Own Words - Jim Henson DVD from the PBS store

A very inspiring documentary from one of the most brilliant minds in the entertainment world.

Full of inspiring quotes and insight. You'll get to know more about the man that begat  Sesame Street, The Muppets, Dark Crystal. Labyrintn, Fraggle Rock and the Creature Workshop (just to name a few).

The best thing about this gift is that you will help PBS in creating more awesome content for the generations to come.

American Experience: Walt Disney DVD from the PBS Store

Guess Walt Disney needs no introduction, as supporters and detractors know the man behind of the biggest household names in the world.

This documentary comes loaded with lots of facts about the man behind the myth, the same Walt Disney became (you'll see what I mean by the end of it).

This has to be the best resource to learn about Walt Disney, only second to visiting the Walt Disney Family museum, which is another great gift on its own ;)

Combine this with the Jim Henson DVD for extra PBS good karma, or combine it with any Disney classic on DVD or Blu-Ray for extra brownie points.

And hey, you know you can borrow these gifts later on don't you?

The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki from Amazon

On the pricier end of the spectrum you have this jaw dropping collection of Hayao Miyazaki's work on Blu-Ray.

This is the gift you give for those in love with the mastery of this 20th century genius. It's is not only 11 movies, you'll give out a finely crafted package with a beautifully printed companion book, and tons of extras!

How to make sure somebody is a Hayao Miyazaki fan you ask? Well, there are two major giveaways: They even own a Totoro in any possible incarnation/combination, or they have a piece of Hayao Miyazaki's art, in any possible media, in full display. I can tell you there is no such thing like a closet Hayao Miyazaki fan, so there you go.

Just in case, this collection it's not everything Miyazaki-san has touched, because something like that will come down to the price of a motorcycle. But don't worry, they will find a way to sell it to us through a convenient payment plan ;D

I'm recommending this gift because I'm quite sure you'll remember the face of the person who gets it. However, I warn you that you might end up buying one for yourself. So think wisely and binge away with no regrets!

Books, Books, plenty of Books!

Now in the list are a series of Books that I recommend, because I've either read them or reviewed them.

Whatever is not on this list is not necessarily bad, it's just I don't have the time and resources to own all the animation books I want.

Animators love books on any related subject. From design, technical matters, arts and biographies, there is little to no chance that you will go wrong.

You should know by now the recipient's taste, and you should have heard from the hundredth time how much she/he loved this or that show  (that's animator's lingo for any live action content with animated characters, animated feature films or shorts, games cinematic, TV series, etc), to the point you want to push them off a cliff. But don't worry, animators are passionate, hard working people, go to google and type "<the show's name> book art" and put it into your shopping cart.

So without any further ado, here they are in no particular order (and I am using Amazon out of convenience):

The Nine Old Men: Lessons, Techniques and Inspiration from Disney's Great Animators by Andreas Deja

Andreas Deja pours his soul on this beautiful hard cover that gives you a front seat view of the masters behind Disney's magic.

Cartoon Character Animation With Maya: Mastering the Art of Exaggerated Animation by Keith Osborn

Keith Osborn, one of the best talents in the industry, shares his knowledge about how to do cartoony animation in Maya (the ubiquitous software used for computer animation).

A must have manual to have by your side by when your animation seems to be going nowhere, or when you want to specialize in looney looking shots.

You can transfer what you learn into any animation software. You will only lose the Maya specific tools you need to accomplish some of the teachings, but that's it.


Cartoon Animation (Collector's Series) by Preston Blair

 

Preston Blair, A seasoned Disney, MGM and Hanna-Barbera animator, pours all his notes into one book to help everybody with an interest in animation.

It might be an oldie but is a very good one to give. Its very easy to follow, appealing and straight to the point approach will get anybody started in no time. And it will serve them as a good reference as they gain more experience.

And this should be all folks! Thanks for visiting my blog. Hopping this lists helps to take some stress off your Christmas shopping.

Remember you can get most of the books from local shops, and they will help you to get a copy if they don't have in store.

Also remember Amazon prime gives you 2 day express shipping for free, plus you get to enjoy their exclusive series The Man in The High Castle!

May you and your loved ones have a beautiful Christmas full a great memories for the awesome years to follow!

4 Important Truths Behind Pursuing Your Passion

4 Important Truths Behind Pursuing Your Passion By Stephanie O'Connell "In the process of living a life guided by passionate pursuit I’ve stumbled upon nuances and truths to following a dream that are sadly absent from the usual pursue your passion messaging. I sharing my experience, I hope to offer a more comprehensive understanding of that narrative – the hard truths, the lessons learned and the pleasantly surprising places those challenges can lead. "

How to Deal With People Who Undermine Everything You Do

How to Deal With People Who Undermine Everything You Do by Lifehacker Are you still getting the 'but' 'well' 'not good enough' after knowing you have improved your craft? if the answer is yes, you might be under the spell of an "underminer". Read the linked article to learn how to identify them and how to manage them. Remember, you are the only one responsible of your personal growth.

Make animated movies with your smartphone

Make animated movies with your smartphone takes you through a quick tutorial on how to create animation magic with your ubiquitous device.

Character animation with video rotoscoping

Character animation with video rotoscoping want to create a quick cycle and don't have any high animation software? Give rotoscoping a chance with this tutorial.

Top 10 Stop-Motion Scenes in Live Action Movies

Top 10 Stop-Motion Scenes in Live Action Movies by The Rotoscopers "I love a good feature length stop-motion movie. But now it’s time to think about the stop-motion animation that can sometimes appear in the most unlikely of places: in a live action movie. Sometimes it’s to be part of the special effects, sometimes it’s for artistic creativity, and sometimes it’s both (I’m looking at you Wes Anderson and Tim Burton!). So let’s not waste another moment, fellow animation fans. Let’s take a look at those frame-by-frame animated scenes that deserve our attention."

Why Surreal Animation Is More Appealing Than Ever

Why Surreal Animation Is More Appealing Than Ever by Fader "Taylor Johnson, the Adult Swim designer behind Earl Sweatshirt's "Off Top," explains his love of dark cartoons"

Animating a fight scene in 2D

Animating a fight scene in 2D Follow this great tutorial and look out for poses and timing that you can use in your own animation.

The surreal scenes of Plotagon, a text-to-speech animation platform

The surreal scenes of Plotagon, a text-to-speech animation platform by The Daily Dot "Somewhere along the way, the Internet’s collective lizard-brain discovered that the text-to-speech functionality built into every computer can be a source of incredibly delirious laughter. Type anything into that distant, uncanny-valley module, and bear witness to something almost technophobically sinister. "

What Working in Animation is All About

What Working in Animation is All About  A group of fellow animators/redditors give the most honest, straight to the point opinions on what working in animation is all about. This is a must read for all of those perusing a career in animation.

The Dark Side of Creativity

The Dark Side of Creativity "Few psychological traits are as desirable as creativity — the ability to come up with ideas that are both novel and useful. Yet it is also true that creativity has been associated with a wide range of counterproductive, rarely discussed qualities. Being aware of these tendencies is important for anyone trying to better understand their own creativity, or that of other people."

Now I get where all the eccentric traits of many talented people I've met comes from.

Have a great day!