Conflict of self university project:

I have being double busy over this last summer as well as working on Viv & Mandy Part2 i have being working on my conflict of self summer project for university.

This project was given before i left university for the summer break, for this we had to fill out a 30 page sketchbook with one half full of designs using good attributes from my personality. With the other half full of bad attributes of my personality.

My bad attributes: 

When I started this project I was working on the bad attributes first, as I felt I could do that side faster as I knew there would be so many different ways to take it. 

 Here are some of my drawings that show the design process I did

Settled on a design I liked I started working on different variations on the way the skin and muscle texture could look on this design.

Using the design I did a final 3 way turnaround on paper, from this I did 3D sculpt of the character in clay.

Taking the sculpt into photo shop I did 4 different variations of the colour scheme. 

Choosing the best bits from them to make this final design. 

My good attributes:

Now that my bad side was completed it was time for me to repeat the same process, this time to reflect the good attributes of my personality.

And there are the final two sides of my personality, the next step for me is to start working on the fully articulated puppet versions of them, so keep an eye out for upcoming posts were I will show how the making of these new puppets goes.

Frankenweenie Tour:

This time yesterday I went on a 5 hour drive down to London, were i visited 3 Mills studios. Once there I got a one on one tour by an animation friend who is working on Frankenweenie the new Stop Motion film by Tim Burton.

While i was there i got to see all the sets, puppets and workshops used for the film including some almost completed scenes from the film its self. As i signed a confidentiality form I’m not allowed and will not be going into anymore details about what i saw.

But I will say this was an amazing experience and one I will not be forgeting any time soon, and a massive thank you to Chuck Duke for giving me the tour.

Every Stop motion fan must keep an eye out for Frankenweenie its going to a fantastic film!!

 Me outside the studio 

New puppets and sets:

It’s been a while since my last post so I think it’s time I give you guys an update as to what I have being up to on the production of Viv & Mandy in the big clean up part2. The first thing I’d like to say is a big thank you to everyone that watched the trailer in the last post and commented, your feed back has being fantastic.

Now with the bad news, Due to technique difficulties with the laptop I use to animate on I have not being able to animate now for 4 weeks as I’m waiting for the laptop to come back. There is good news tho, the weeks were I have not animated have in its way being good. As I have had the time now to work on the last parts of the script and get the new big main set for Part 2 completed. 

This set will show what Viv & Mandy saw at the cliff-hanger in the end of Part 1, I am very happy with the way this set looks and I hope you all will like it. As the set is a secret I won’t be show any full images off on here, but I will be showing some close ups of things that are in the set to give you a sneaky idea.

 

As well as set building I have used this time off to repair and make new copies of all the puppets that I will be animating with over the course of time on the film. Here are some images of the new waist up puppets that I have made new far part2. These puppets will be used mostly for shots were they are cleaning and walking in shots from the waste up as I can get lots of movement in to them.  I still have to make a new full lighter copy of the Viv & Mandy puppets for walk cycles; I will be making them when they are needed towards the end of the shoot. 

 

                                        Full Cast Before Reapers                                       

      New Puppets

The animation laptop should be back by this time next week and I’m very much looking for would to getting back in the studios to carry on animating on Viv & Mandy in the big clan up part 2.

That’s all for now guys, keep a lookout for more news and updates over the coming weeks.

Preview clip of Viv & Mandy in the big clean up part 2:

Here we have a preview of all new Viv & Mandy in the big clean up part 2, coming soon in 2011 i hope you like it and will look forward to the full film! :-D