New Backgrounds!

Hey there Ricketeers! Haven't made a post on the animation in awhile. Frankly, I haven't really been working on it, but I just started rewriting the script and I've started to dabble in background design! I tried five different approaches and put Stumbles in to see how it would look with the flash characters.

I started with pen. I like these shading effects and it has a stark black and white look, but it just makes the characters look out of place.

Then I went with charcoal, which I love as a medium. It's easy and messy and has that nice dirty effect.

Ten I tried some grayscale markers, which have a nice look, but either I need bigger markers or I should fill it in areas in photoshop, which I think kind of defeats the purpose.

I just found a watercolor kit, so I figured I would try it out. Granted this is my first real watercolor piece since probably High school and I only have one brush, and I need to do it on better paper, but I really like the strokes it creates. Stumbles seems to fit in nicely.

Finally, this is a version I did in photoshop. It's easiest to do lighting effects in this medium when you have layers and apple Z, and Stumbles definitely fits in the best hear, but I don't feel like the background has enough life as it could have. I'll have to do more experimenting.

What do you all think? Which version is your favorite? What works and what doesn't? Thoughts? Opinions?

Wally's mouth

So this week I'm still working on the Storyboards and the title sequence animatic. I was hoping to have the title sequence done this week, but some problems arose and it will have to wait until next week (hopefully). Buuuuuut I do have stuff to show this week!

First, if you look to the right, you'll notice I've added an "about" page describing the basic plot of the animation for anyone who started checking out this blog and has no idea what it's for. Plus I added a characters page to tell give you a little insight and backstory on the cast. With pictures!

Second, I did I semi-final version of Wally the Willow! At first I wanted him without a mouth because it made it seem like he was just part of the background rather than a real character(how would you feel if you were just a tree in the background?). But the more I think about it, the more I think a mouth and nose look better on him. What do you think?




I like that he has branches sticking up in the middle as if he were balding.

Third, I'm starting a test animation with Rascals. Rather than start an 11 sec animation with all the other stuff I have to do, then not make the deadline, then not caring about finishing it, again, I'm doing a multiple line animation.

This is what I'm talking about: If anyone saw my Dirk Headstrong animation I was working on last year, you may have caught my video of Squidula saying the same line but having the action being interpreted different ways. If you didn't, you can watch it here!

So there's one line from Rascals that the actor said it multiple times and can be interpreted multiple ways. I love animating these because it shows the different ways someone can act out such a simple line and the range of different emotions one can exude from a reading. Yay acting!

Also, this doesn't have anything to do with the animation, but for those of you know about it, the everyday detective is coming! We did an old fashioned radio play about a detective doing mundane things in dramatic ways. It's been a blast working on it. Right now I'm waiting on my sound guy Lucas to add music and sound. I think anyone interested in noir is really going to enjoy it. And if it gets a good enough reception, I'll have to make more!

So for this week, on Noir Review, I'm going to talk about Roman Polanski's Chinatown with Jack Nicholson. There's two reasons to see it right there! It's a real classic neo-noir. It's about a detective, Jack Nicholson, who gets involved with a big conspiracy with the water system. The cinematography is some of the best you'll see anywhere. If you're an animator, filmmaker, or comic book artist wondering how to make your shots interesting, this is the movie you should see.

Storywise, it starts off slow, and it's a long haul, but the climactic ending is well worth it. Jack nicholson does a great job as a sleazy with a heart of gold detective and pulls off some great tricks every good noir detective in the 1940's without a computer and gps tracking system should know. Overall I'd give it a 19 out of a 21.



See you next time, Noirheads!

The New Rascals

Here's the new Rascals. Still have to work on the shoes. But I gave him some slight rabbit touches and a sleeker suit. Perhaps I should make it a zoot suit?

I'm also trying to redo Digby. I like the design I have, but it doesn't account for a smiling bill, and the voice is kind of happy/psychotic sometimes. Bills are the bane of my existence.

Stumbles in Flash

Here's a version of Stumbles in Flash. I really don't like his shoes, but other than that, I think all the other textures came out pretty well. Though I think his ear get's lost. And I wanna figure out a way to shade so it looks like cross hatching but it's still dynamic. I really hope flash doesn't crash from all these layers. Crap.

part of 11 second animation done

Hoooooooly crap that took so long. And I'm not even done. Caarap. But how does it look so far? Still think it needs some polish. Ugh. So. Many. Flash layers.

Rickety Rat Vectorized

I just finished a vectorized version of Rickety, still using the ink and pencil textures. His shoes still need work and his nose needs to be darker, but other than that how does it look? Better or worse than the traditionally drawn ink outline?

Also, an 11 second animation coming soon!

variant pen walk cycle

This is the same ink walk cycle, but over the gray background you can see more clearly the "cutout" look of Rickety. Not sure if it works, if it should be smooth, or if it should be more rough.

Pen Test Walk Cycle

Oh my crap. I think this took me all day. You guys have to tell me if this is awesome or not because it took too much work not to be. Ugh. There has to be an easier way to do this...