Cool Cars 2 Poster

Awesome retro poster for Cars 2.

This image comes from a post at 2719 Hyperion.

And I'm done!

Here is the final pose and the sketch that I am turning in for my week 2 assignment.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to give me great feedback and support. This is a huge improvement over my first versions early on. Here is the first pose for comparison.

Nearing final version of the Stu slouch

I made a couple of adjustments so that his shoulders match the slouch (thanks Roy!). I'm dropping out all background elements to keep it as simple as possible.

Let me know what you think. I am about ready to freeze any further work to prevent me from dabbling to the point I start to screw things up (thanks Jeff).

Stu slouching version 3

In the time since I posted the alternate version of Stu slouching on couch, I have tried to read up more on line of action and also using the silhouette to check how well the pose reads. With that in mind I offer a new version that I would really appreciate feedback on. This is the pose I want to turn in for my assignment and would like to tighten things up as much as I can within reason.

One other note, after our Q&A this week I decided to revert back to only the default light for this shot, which is why it looks darker. I might play around with some techniques to change, but the shot and pose are what counts. (Click images for larger versions)

And for comparison here is the previous shot:

The laptop goes flying

I started wondering how I might make Stu's pose on the couch into something more dynamic so I just through this together for fun and to keep practicing using Stu's rig and getting faster and more comfortable with how to get him into the pose I want (IK/FK).

"Cars 2" viral ad campaign has started

Check out this article on "Cars 2" first viral ad: http://mashable.com/2011/04/03/cars-2-faux-ad/

You can go directly to the ad on YouTube by going to http://cars-n-deals.com

UPDATE: At 57 secs into the video the link that is revealed is chromeA113.com where you are redirected to a cool video with new footage from "Cars 2."

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Stu slouching alternate pose

I took some of the feedback and altered Stu's pose slightly. His right hand is now closer to his side and is in a relaxed fist (which I noticed is how I do that when sitting). His legs have changed with the left leg more outstretched and the right at more of angle. Finally I lengthened his neck slightly.

Thanks for all the suggestions and feedback. Let me know how this one works.

PS I changed the color of the couch so I can quickly keep track of which version is which. So you can call this the blue version and the other the red version.

Side view of Stu slouching (by request)

A lot of you wanted to see the pose from a different angle. Here is a side view.

A comparison sketch

So this is probably more of an attempt to regain a shred of dignity after posting my fast sketches. The sketch I did here (ignore the random images around it) was done just last month. This is by no means a great sketch, but it is more of what I want my pose sketches to look like, but I am not sure if this kind of sketch would be good for our assignments. I guess the difference is that this sketch took my probably 10-15 mins. The other ones in the previous post where less than a minute.

I got some great critical feedback from my fellow AM students, and I would love to see more. I think part of my issue is I am not sure what drawings or styles are best for thumbnails or these pose sketches yet. I did get some good suggestions, including to sketch people exercising or children playing. I'll continue to practice sketching and as the week progresses I will continue to practice posing Stu as well. So I am not sure yet what my final pose and sketches will be that I turn in this week. But I do know that the feedback is great and this is good practice for me to get used to putting my stuff out there whether it is good or bad.

Sketches that go with the pose (WIP - first attempt at fast sketching)

My sketches are truly a work of art (for a 2 year old). These are my attempts at fast sketching. Got lots of room for improvement.



PS Sorry for the blurry image - I was at the coffee shop and just snapped a quick shot with my phone.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My first attempt at a pose (WIP)

This is based on a couple of sketches I did this weekend. Let me know what you think.

Week One: My leap into a new world is off to a great start

In 15 minutes, week one will officially come to a close (12PM PST). Turning back to look at my life just one year ago, I was miserable. I had a "great" career some would say. I was one of three executives running a software company that was growing so fast that investors paid a lot of attention to us. And we had business pouring in faster than we could handle. But my life changed and here I am a student in 3D character animation. I made the right choice.

Week one was pretty fun, we didn't have any real assignments, but we had our first Q&A time with our mentor and I got to meet my other 15 classmates. AM gave the first class students a scavenger hunt, with some unknown prize, that turned out to be pretty fun. It really made sure you had explored all the site has to offer (which is a lot).

At this point I want to note that I will not be sharing a lot of details or any of the material covered in the lectures. This is part of our student agreement and a way to protect AM's intellectual property. I am completely onboard with that, so my postings will offer you glimpses into what I produced and my impressions of my own progress and experiences.

This week gave me an opportunity to explore some of the things we will be doing with Maya and I got to play with my first rigged character. That was harder than I expected, but after trying 2 or 3 poses over a couple of days, I feel a little more confident, but not quick. A lot of it has to do with knowing how to control something in IK and something in FK without being able to switch back and forth.

It is fun. And I am more excited to get into the next lesson in just a little while.

My next entry will cover the dilemma I faced after I was accepted about whether or not to take Maya Springboard (a semester long class on intro to Maya) or start in class 1. I chose to start in class 1.