The importance of abandoning crap

Ive seen this piece of footage a few times on other peoples blogs around and about and although I'm not sure its the gospel its nice to hear someone who clearly has the knack talking about their trade.

youtube link to part 1

Pupils Help Plant 265 Trees!

So as my last post stated I'm not dead, although I may as well be, I haven't posted in aaages. Well to fill the gap I have dug out my first appearance in print, march 15th 1997, where I along with 6 other pupils drafted plans to plant 265 trees, that's right two hundred and fifty six, woot. Click the image to read the whole thrilling article or click here

how can this not make you happy

I found this whilst browsing the exelent archive.org website for some old footage of a jukebox. Anyone who doesn't know about this website is sorely missing out. Check it out

Anyone who cant see the video can click here and get the video direct from archive.org

jon

Best film of 2007

My vote is for surf's up. Its not the film you are expecting, its actually funny and more importantly actually got some heart. The soundtrack also owns, not the green day and incubus I could care less about that (although it does work well) but the original music is really something. Watch it, its money well spent

wow... studio soi

Wow those guys at studio soi never fail to impress, they've got something good going on there, their characted designs are amazing. take a look at chere christmas card as well, really nice work

jon

Sailing alone around the world

If there is anyone out there who reads this blog I do apologies for all the posts that make no sense what so ever, this one for example. I just saw a book on my parents shelf called 'Sailing alone around the world' and I thought it was worth remembering. I dont know if the book itself is any good but I like the title. It looked as if the title was literally what happened in the book but I think it would suit something a little less obvious.

I stumbled across Tamara De Lempicka's work and just thought it doesn't look dissimilar to a lot of work you see in the 3D animation landscape these days.

That modern cubist look seems to pop up a lot in 3D movies. Maybe it's easier to model, maybe it just looks cool.

Jon

I am reading

So rather than fill up my blog links section untill its three pages long I have set up a google reader account. Now to the right is the 'I recomend' section where I will post my latest favourite posts from my rather giant list of artists blogs that I check on a regular basis. With any luck I will be able to pair down the blog links section to the cream of the crop but still link to any other good stuff when it pops up. Take a look.

jon

Reactions

Character animation reference at its best, thanks Flip

Pixar university!

Tho following speil is swiped from wikipedia, so cool!!!!

Pixar University is an in-house professional-development program that expands the concept of employee education by broadening its focus from skills training to a more general fine-arts education[13]. The program offers more than 110 courses: a complete filmmaking curriculum, classes on painting, drawing, sculpting and creative writing, which usually last four to sixteen weeks. These classes are available not only for animators, but everyone, from the security guard to cafeteria chef[14].
In this setting, employees are allowed to miss work for a full slate in classes (about 14 per week) to raise the level of the best, cross-train, and develop mastery in whatever subjects may interest them[14]. The vision behind the university is for employees to try new things, work together better and test new ideas, but one of the most important benefits from the program is to build morale, spirit and communication among employees[13].
The dean of Pixar University, Randy S. Nelson, explains: "We've made the leap from an idea-centered business to a people-centered business. Instead of developing ideas, we develop people. Instead of investing in ideas, we invest in people. We're trying to create a culture of learning, filled with lifelong learners. It's no trick for talented people to be interesting, but it's a gift to be interested. We want an organization filled with interested people

Actors wot are good

Kevin Spacey
Thora Birch
Ana Paquin
Claire Danes
Leonardo DiCaprio
Jake gyllenhall
Owen Wilson
Bill Murray
Susan Sarandon
Kate Winslet
Nicole Kidman
Miranda July
Clive Owen
Natalie Portman
Steve Buscemi
Scarlett Johansen
Liam Neeson
Kate Blanchett

First full rig

First go at a fully working 3d character rig

Look at me!

www.acb3.com This is the work of Anton Bogaty, rule!

Japanese Sewers!

Totaly Amazing

Take a look at the original blog post link

We Feel Fine

On my daily visit to TED.com I found a talk by Jonathan Harris. He showed off a flash application he'd made that trawls the web for sentences in blogs that begin with 'I feel' and uses the information to show how the world is feeling or has been feeling. I wouldn't be surprised if there is something similar somewhere else, but what's nice is how its all presented. Its functional and intuitive and the icing on the cake is it's actually interesting. take a look at wefeelfine.org

Also check out the TED talk about Jonathan and his work. link

Jonathan also has a new project that displays the recent blog posts as a night sky. Each star is a post and each is linked to the others by relevance in a constellation.

link

the carrort should not be the goal

walking toward it should be

Smokingn looks cool

So with smoking being banned a few days ago it made me think... Smoking is cool. Its stupid in almost every way but it sure does make you look cool. If I ask someone why they smoke and they answer 'because it makes me look cool' then I am happy to drop it. I have yet to find a reason better and I doubt I will...

Beauty for the sake of beauty

Does it not make sense to create/appreciate a picture for the sake of it being pretty. Isn't a picture's aesthetic quality enough to make it worthy. A picture might be great because of its subtext, context and culture but I argue that aesthetics are equal to all these.

Art that functions on a purely aesthetic level is just as important and beautiful as any other piece.

Coool maan

A friend of mine commented on how weird it was that his parents just didn't understand the idea of 'cool'. I cant comprehend that, 'cool' is my favourite thing. As far as I'm concerned
'cool' is an emotion, its the emotion. For a while I thought that 'cool' simply didn't exist 20 years ago, before that things were just nice, wonderful, good, excellent perhaps rad, or at most fantastic. None of these words have the kudos of cool, or the subtext. Now, as with everything its not that simple... It seems that 'cool' has been arround for quite a while slowly gathering attributes since the 1500s only becoming mainstream in th 1980's.

Take a look at this diagram of the history of 'cool'.

I had no idea that the surrealists used the word 'cool'. The word was adopted by the jazz crowd, pop artists, romantics, expresionists and the Hollywood film noir movemnent. There is definately a shared attribute of coolness between all these circles and no other word could be used in its place.

I for one am glad that the word is arround because it describes all my favourite things and without it I would often be lost for words.

Wikipedia entry on 'cool'

Plagiarism

Or as we artists call it: art imitating art. The problem has been identified by many; you can not ever create something original, when everything you have ever seen influences what is left behind by your pencil. Various words have been invented to justify this idea thievery we are all a part of: homage, reference, Intertextual reference, quote, derivative and others I cant think of right now. The problem is that we can rarely imagine things that we haven't seen before; I certainly can't imagine the colour that lies higher up the spectrum than ultraviolet even if I know it must exist. So until I have the tools or imagination to comprehend it I am going to have to make do with a pallet made up of colours I can find or be shown.

The reason I used pictures of superman to illustrate Plagiarism is because he looks so ridiculous yet I and everyone loves him. I think it's not superman but the idea of superman that everyone's in love with. Sure you can copyright a blue leotard and a red cape and pants but you cant stamp a '©' on what they represent. Superman is the quint essential superhero and who can't remember being 10 and wanting his powers, hell any powers would do. So for me it's not superman's cape that makes me go 'cool' but the attributes it represents. If I break them down most images I draw, talk about, obsess over and reproduce aren't much more than a thin beautifully illustrated facier for the ideas they represent.