Animation from last week

For the dissertation hand in week, myself n Mig both agreed to prioritise our diss's. The following week, I had a break 'n went back home. This last week, have got back on it. Check out the vid above to see what i've been up to.

Luke from the second year has also done a nice bit of animation of the skull exploding for us which you'll be able to see in the latest edit (which i'll upload later this week). Sophie too is helping out with the colouring which is great, am really looking forward to seeing some more completed scenes.

More soon, enjoy.

---
PS, while i've been working i've been watching lots of stuff. Netflix is a great little work companion. Despite the rumblings about it being 'best to animate in silence', I like to have something going on next to me when i'm doing some of the more lobotomous tasks.

I watched a good docu about Kurt Cobain yesterday, 'About a Son'. It gives a humbling view of him and his roots, worth checking out. I think overall stripping away the whole rockstar image, Kurt Cobain was just essentially a nice-humble friendly human being, much like all of us, and it's nice to listen to him talk about mundane things for a while.

This Doors documentary is pretty cool. Anything about the Doors is worth listening to though really isnt it. Great album.

Watched a few Hitchcock flicks too. I really like watching old films because they're alot more naive in their pursuit, and you get the sense that the studios weren't so heavy on them to do the 'same old same old' (perhaps because there was no same old same old). They try things out alot more (especially Hitchcock), sometimes it works, sometimes it doesnt. But eitherway its a pursuit of an interesting idea that is so fresh, even today.

This is interesting too.


Regardless of your stance on conspiracy theories (which I am open-ears too, although I don't like the hysteria/elitism that usually surrounds them), he brings forward some interesting ideas. Whether it's true or not (that there's some concious, sinister intent to recruit people to join the army), it's just sad enough as it is.. It's sad that killing people would be so naively painted in such a way.. To quote Belle & Sebastian:

If you’re going off to war then I wish you wellBut don’t be soreIf I cheer the other teamKilling people’s not my sceneI prefer to give the inhabitants a sayBefore you blow their town awayI like to watch them playI like to marvel at the random beauty of a simple village girlWhy should she be the one who’s killed? 

Ta to Mig for that one. He's been getting me onto all these videos. David Icke too. I think my postmen may be a lizard person but i'm not quite sure, he seems a little too curious of my tin-foil hat, I may have to follow him. Stay tuned.

Modelling

Check it out, my sister did a bit of modelling, no, not on Maya, or with her hornby train set (cant keep her away from em), the 'standing on your feet' kinda modelling.

Props to Fran for the pics

http://francescadenega.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/taster.html 

Recent paintings that i've collected together

A while ago I began keeping together any inspiring paintings/photographs etc I came across, and I think now is the time to shed a few. I've never known alot about art or taken it too seriously(in school), so I apologise if I appear to only be dipping my toes into the shallow end of art history, but hopefully for you, a few gems will follow.

I think I probably began to become more interested in art history just over a year ago when Kathy & Derek got me to look into futurism for the pre-production project.

Will start with this one by Peter Lanyon (ring a bell?). It's called St.Just. This is the kind of painting that previously I  would have looked at naively, and ignorantly ignored it. But knowing the context of the painting its quite striking. It was painted after a mine collapse in Cornwall, where several miners were killed. The vertical black mark represents the mineshaft.  Altho appearing abstract, dont the colours look like the colours of cornwall to you? Interestingly, if you flip it on its side, it looks like an abstract cornish landscape, with a black scar tearing through the centre.

These two are Andrew Wyeth. I really like the return to the theme consistent in his work

Edward Hopper

Robert Bevan, I like the idea that perhaps a subjective, heightened landscape like this, may speak more truth than a realistic representation. To me, it speaks more of hazy nostalgic summer days, lost in the fields, than a photograph could.

John Martin. Victorian who painted the end of the world. 

Background for Peter Pan of London, the funny thing is that while animation isn't typically considered 'art', atleast in the same leagues as painting, this artist rendering of the London skyline is probably remembered more fruitfully (by the general public) than many other paintings of the city, thanks to its broad Disney audience. 

Picture of Virginia Woolf by (her sister) Vanessa Bell. I'm just coming to the end of To The Lighthouse and am getting really into V.Woolf. I really love this image, how its faceless and instead speaks for a broad range of people instead of the one person sitting. like 'an everyman character' in a film. 

A few more recent works now:

Left is a portrait by Richard Avedon, right is a picture by Frank Miller. I don't know whether the simillarities are intentional by Frank Miller (the expression, the frayed-at-the-edges hair) but I like it as an example of inspiration borrowed and lent to another cause.

Arthur Glendinning. Simillar to the Bevan one above, maybe this speaks more for nostalgic days at the beach than a photo could? By it's heightened attributes (the colours)? I imagine myself to the reverse of this image, sat lazily getting annoyed at these three, trying to doze off.

Mark Wagner. Much like Damien Hurst he continues themes Warhol toyed with (art/money/business etc) , except unlike Hurst, the work appears much less cynical, more fun for the viewer, than just for the artist. I think this image sold for a lot more than the amount it cost to make (simillar to Hirsts diamond skull). The difference is I feel Damien Hirst is laughing all the way to the bank, wheras Wagner would probably be having a chuckle with the buyer. This is more creative and fun than Hirst's dried up sense of humor/engineered way to make money.

All done. Hope that was enjoyable to check out. Whilst on the subject, there's some really good documentaries on the uni library streaming service:
Why Beauty Matters - Interesting opinionated account of why beauty is important to art.
Ways of Seeing - this is a series. If you find the 1st one interesting enough, the others are all on there too.

Life drawings week before last

First time i've been to life drawing for a good while. Gotta say, instantly noticed i'd got worse. I found it difficult to get what I wanted, felt like my co-ordination was way off.

I think this is 1) down to not going for ages, and 2) because i've been doing most my drawing for the last month or two on a computer, actually much of the year. I think working on a tablet has had a big effect, drawing with your palm rested down rather than your elbow in motion is quite a big difference that you don't really think about it. The drawings get better as they go on, which makes sense, me getting more used to it.

Anyway, there's my alibi. Enjoy.
In order:

Scorsese to Schoonmaker

"We're making this film for ourselves", he told Schoonmaker during Raging Bull, which was widely considered the best film of the 1980's. "It's a home movie".

The Story of Animation

For everyones mum's: