Run test

Well, Christmas is over for another year, so its back to work. Heres a run test i've been working on. Can't seem to edit curves in IK so will experiment with FK next.

A jump

Heres a little jump using the Andy character. Used to setting the keys now, just need to work out how to get in and adjust the cushioning.

First walk test

Here's my first Maya animation test using a pre-rigged character.
Getting the hang of keying out the scene, copying and pasting keys and 'playblasting' the result.

More head modelling

Here's some more head modelling. This time i've looked at eye and mouth loops and more careful modelling around the face. I've also tried UV mapping the skin and playing with the shell in photoshop to hide the joins. I'm quite pleased with the results, but as ever, onward and upwards!

Bear head

I thought i'd have a go at modelling a head, so heres a little brown bear. Modelling this was pretty straightforward except for the muzzle which took quite a bit of fiddling to get right. I wanted to keep everything quite smooth and cartoony for this one.

Second 3D test

My second 3D test was a little more challenging. Forming the smooth nose cone and mudguards was probably the hardest part. I found a great way of duplicating and revolving the treads for those chunky tyres too. I also tried adding some photoshop textures to the finished model. The colours have come out very glossy, but i'd like to try a grungier finish too.

First 3D test

Heres my first 3D test, a little toy Locomotive modelled in Maya. There are 101 things I want to change / tweak / alter but the learning curve in the program is so steep, i've decided to move straight on. I haven't even touched the lighting or texturing side of the program yet, so theres a long way to go!

Vimeo and Flickr

I've started to upload Videos and Images for online perusal at Vimeo and Flickr.
Follow the links for online galleries!

Childrens Baftas

Its that time again folks. A couple of projects I've been involved with this year have been nominated in this years Childrens Baftas.
In Pre-school animation, Little Princess: A Merry Little Christmas, and in Writing, Horrible histories has got a nomination.
For the full list of nominations, go to the Bafta website.

Autumn

Over at Apple and Egg

Go and have a look at this lovely post about author Dorothy Clewes over at Apple and Egg.
The Illustrations are by a chap called Peter Edwards and date from the mid Sixties. Bold blocks of contrasting colour and really characterful machines.

The Facts of Life

A great little booklet published by the BMA sometime in the early sixties. Illustrations are by Jaqueline Van de Sande.

Found!

Bear walk test

Cake

Heres a quick Illustration I did for Steve and Chloes wedding last week. I mixed three CD's of music for the big day and these were the covers.

Brighton Breeze

A bracing October dawn saw nearly 1000 Volkswagen vans of all ages, shiny or otherwise, converge on Brighton's Madeira Drive. It was an awesome sight, Vdubs as far as the eye could see, with the cold grey sea as a foreboding backdrop.

Bus

Fly

Milk

Eype

Legoland

Provence and Burgundy 2009

You are Number One!

Okkie Gingernut

A really old childrens book. Sadly no date on the flyleaf but must be at least 50 years old, it belongs to my Dad!

Found stuff

Russian sweet wrappers collected on a trip back in1991.

Lovely Spuds

These are the last of this years crop of potatoes. I'm so pleased with our little garden's tasty produce. They were really good spuds with a firm yet creamy texture and buttery taste. We'll be sure to plant more next year.

Farmer Bear

Summers here

Summers here, and look what fell out of an old sketchbook.

Kids @ 4 promo

Promo delivered to Stuart Dean, one of our curates at All Saints who's heading up the Kids @ 4 project.

The Bus

Our new Volkswagen Caravelle, Betty. A lifelong dream of ours to own one, so here she is!

Snowshill

A recent visit to the beautiful Snowshill manor in the heart of the Cotswolds. It was owned by Charles Wade, a nutty old excentric who filled his house with his collections of bicycles, samurai armour and old toys. Eventually, with no more room in the house to actually live, he had to move out into an annexe.

Wealden wonders

Another trip to the wonderful Weald and Downland open air museum. What a fantastic day.

More cars

Deckchairs on the beach

More kids@4

Kids @ 4

Here are a couple of logo ideas i've been working on for the 'Kids @ 4' brief. I'm using some good old roughing up techniques, some real some digital to add some aged appeal to the designs.

Life Drawing

On Saturday I took a Life Drawing class with Brighton based artist Jake Spicer. Thanks to Sarah Bird from BANG! for organising the event. It was my first life drawing class in about five years so I was a little rusty.