This term has really not been going well. I'd say the last two projects (character animation and environment modeling) have probably been the worst two projects that i've completed for a long long time. Easily university, maybe even through art college as well. And it's not right, really. It's been strange. In short, the reason that I did poorly in both projects is simple; I started the character animation late, maybe a week or two before I did any real work on it, and had two days to finish the modeling project- which i did not. I think if i'd given the modeling project some time I would've actually created something really nice, but I was already too deep into the mess that was the character animation.
I kind of recall looking forward to the animation project (I guess this is why we're meant to keep our blogs updated regularly ~_~). Initially I thought we had a character modeling project, which would have been right up my alley, but then I believe it changed to animation but I still thought i'd give it a really good go. From the off it just didn't click with me. I read through the guide that George said would be great for us, and enjoyed the read. It said to keyframe the poses so I went ahead and did this, albeit very slowly. Actually, not just very slowly.
I'm getting closer and closer to completely ruling out actual animation altogether and while I don't want to, I didn't really get any other signs from this project other than it's not for me. I mean i've never enjoyed the process of animation. Thinking back to the Library Project I absolutely hated working in flash, and even as early as those tiny box men we did at the very start of the course. I've never loved it. The only difference with the flash project, was that I got a sense of accomplishment at the end of it when I had a sorta-nice piece of finished animation. Here I was left with shoddy, unfinished animation and a bitter taste. (Melodrama anyone? :P)
I feel like I COULD animate. I feel like I could get to terms with the timing, (even in this abomination there was tiny flickers where I made a good piece of animation, and it is really rewarding) but i'm in a crap situation, which is only down to what I enjoy really, and I don't think i'll be changing. I mean I hated inbetweening in flash, all those 'tiny little stupid drawings' or whatever I called them after i'd finished. And maya promises to remove the need of us making those. Great! But not when you're left with an absolute mine-field of key frames and a graph editor that looks like (i'm leaving this incomplete to save my integrity :P). Crap, basically, and sooo hard for me to wrap my head around. You move one little thing and the whole shambles collapses. This is where I tripped up. I'd come to uni for the day (and it's not like I'm not there often, I'm practically always there til 4-5+ every day) make a few new poses, come up with a problem which was just so tedious that I cowered and procrastinated for the next few hours. It's horrible and feels like I may be losing the motivation that I've maintained since the end of last year, but I don't think that's it. Most days i'd relished the chance to put down the mouse and start a new drawing challenge with Justin and the others.
Anyway, getting to the point I feel like there is only one way out of this mess, and one reason that could be making me feel like this. And that is that I was possibly thrown into the deep end just a little too fast. I'm not sure whether I learnt anything from this project, but I think if I had just been able to manage my keyframes more efficiently, if i'd had the knowledge to be able to keep everything under CONTROOOOL. Maybe I wouldn't run into these brick walls and I could be happier. Actually, what the fuck am I talking about? This isn't the end of anything, this was my FIRST time animating a human, of course i'm not going to be any good. I literally just realised that lol. I'm stupid. Maybe I just learned something.
One thing I do know for sure, at least for now is that I love drawing and painting far more than I do animating. Forget ruling it out forever, but I am really crossing my fingers and hoping that we'll get some tasty projects next, that I can really sink my teeth into. I'm sad that I've just done terribly in two projects that will count towards my final degree and I definitely need to make up for it.
Here's my shoddy 'finished'-lol animation.
God yeah, that's another thing- Couldn't even get the bastard 'smash' sound to work after he's thrown the test tubes! The playblast would only play either the lip sync or the smash.. gah.
From the modeling project, here's the reference that I used:
And my piece-o'-crap. (Which I actually enjoyed making o_O just wish I could've finished it :()
PEACE OUT BROTHAS AND SISTAS.
p.s. Dolphin Olympics 2 is win ^_^
Oh and OMG I CAN'T WAIT FOR STREET FIGHTER IV! Only 12 days left! Seriously. Look at this. Drool. THIS is what makes me want to animate. Srs. srs.
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