Arrival at Calarts: I love this place so damn much.

Although free time is really short, and homework is quickly piling up.

Anyway, Calarts is frikken amazing and the people here are so goddamned talented...! It's really the place to be if you want to push yourself to improve. Only here can you have spontaneous sketch sessions while watching the Iron Giant on the big screen. The people are super cool and friendly and you can finally have those nerdy animation discussions you've been aching to have.

Student films for freshmen are locked at exactly 90 seconds, credits included, no synched sound or dialogue. Sophomores get 2 mins, Juniors 5, and Seniors up to 7. Classes are about to finally pick up steam next week, but so far they seem pretty cool. Our storyboard teacher works at Disney, our CG teacher is currently working on Bolt, and our Animation teacher was one of the animators on Hogarth in the Iron Giant and is currently working on a 2D soccer film.

FC100A02	BEGINNING ANIMATION	Nguyen, Mike	1.50	T 7pm to 10pm	PALACE
FC101A02	BEGINNING CGI ANIMATION	Aquino, John	1.50	Th 7pm to 10pm	A108
FC105A02	INTRO TO DIGITAL PRODUCTION	Lebow, David	1.00	T 9am to 12 Noon	A108
FC110A	BEGINNING LIFE DRAWING	Mitchell, Michael	3.00	Th 9am to 4pm	PALACE
FC115A02	BASIC PERSPECTIVE	Hansen, Dan	2.00	M 9am to 12 Noon	PALACE
FC140-02	COLOR AND DESIGN I	Hobaica, Leo	2.00	T 1pm to 4pm	PALACE
FC155A02	BEGINNING STORY DEVELOPMENT	Lee, Chong	2.00	W 7pm to 10pm	PALACE
FC371-02	STORY FOR ANIMATORS II (SOPHOMORES)	Meeks, Chris	2.00	F 1pm to 3pm	A221O

Apparently there are going to be 10 guest speakers this semester alone, although a solid list of dates have yet to materialize. So looks like an exciting year ahead, and everyone seems anxious to start, I know I am.

I guess I'll try to post more artwork too, I have a habit of not doing that. Here's this perspective thing I did.

Portfolio Guide is up!

For me, it was tough to search the web for solid info on how to make a portfolio. Especially one as ambitious as a Calarts portfolio. So alongside finally uploading my atrocious work online, I tried to write a thorough guide to provide as much info as possible on this endeavor. It has almost all the useful information I can recall learning from others, students, teachers, and myself in my tribulation in creating my first portfolio.

Calarts Portfolio Guide

It also has links to other guides that are really useful as well, so check it out!

I'm a bad person.

I said I’d update this blog, I yet I haven’t. That... makes me a liar. Or lazy.

^I’m good at this.

Ok, so maybe it’s harder to consistently update these blog things than I thought. But anyway, yes, I’m asleep at the wheel.
BUT! There have been exciting developments! For one, Calarts has finally blessed me with my hideous portfolio back.


^It’s back! And yes, It flew me home.

A little late, but everything’s intact, blood, tears and all. And, as promised I will post the entirety of my portfolio’s contents online, probably on a separate blog link. I know how useful it is for those looking to apply to Calarts to look at other’s work as a point of reference, so within the week it shall be uploaded. But personally, although it got me accepted, I’m still not totally happy with my portfolio. Looking back on some of it is cringe worthy in areas. Perhaps I’m being my worst critic, but I have so many areas to improve on it’s overwhelming. But ehhh. Enough of that.

Looking at the calendar reminds me: It’s freaking August already. Like, Jesus. Where has the time gone. I’m really leaving my hometown, my family, and everyone I know in a month. It’s a massive pool of anxiety and excitement for the future. But I’m not here to spread my angst, no, none of you want that. Instead, look for a portfolio post very soon.

Damn mean orcs.

I've wanted to enter the Chades Challenge for a while now (CHAracter DESign), so I finally got around to jumping in. 

This week's challenge was mean orcs. I think these are what orcs look like. Orc children. Yeah. 

Got this for my birthday a few weeks ago. Seemed fitting. Might need to sell the black beast beside it if I don't have enough money soon though.

 

There are $26 inside, if you really wanna know.

Some old character designs lying around.

*spinning*

I still can't really believe it, but somehow, I GOT IN, I was accepted to Calarts!!!

I'll be sure to post my full portfolio online when I get it back in (May?) I''ll also put some of my sketchbook work up too, coupled with my animations. 

I want to thank Mario at animatedbuzz.com and everyone from the forums, they were a huge component of this crazy race to the deadline. Thank you, all of you =)

Just a drawing...

So, here's the mediocre animation I promised:

After a ton of deliberation, I decided that it was in my best interest to make my animation submission completely hand-drawn. Although I did put the individual frames together using flash, I really wanted to stick to traditional hands-on-paper animation. It was really labourous as an at-home project *especially the watercolor*, but well worth the effort. I learned a lot. 

So yeah, there are two films. The first is the watercolor film, which looking back on it, is extremely slow-paced and recycles animation far too often. And also, the hunter in the beginning is holding a shotgun, not a stick, and the bear has already been shot. A lot of people seem confused by this, heh. Blame my sub-par ability of story telling =)

The second film I made in about 5 days, give or take scanning time. Some parts look really crude, but I tried to do some challenging things like running and hand animations just to see how it would come out. 

So there you go, two home-made traditionally animated films, just like mom used to make! I wish I hadn't included the first on the DVD, but at least I tried a different approach. 

Calarts Portfolio 2007: The ride of a lifetime!

What a shame I've been unable to update for so long, but spare time has become pretty hard to come by as of late. But I'll try to summarize my experience of putting together my portfolio up to this point.

For one, I wish I had found out about the school a lot earlier. I found out about it in mid-April I believe, but unfortunately that was far too late to apply for CSSSA, which would have really helped I think. And to have more time to put together a portfolio would have been great too, but seeing as I had the little time I did, I focused the remaining months into life-drawing. That early in the game I had no clue as to what I was going to include in my portfolio. I really wanted to make an animation to include, but I didn't want to do it in flash in favor for a more traditional approach. How I would get that together I had no idea, but that would only be supplement stuff for later if I had time. 

I was also battling the idea of which deadline to send to, early or regular. On one hand, early is cheaper and you have fresher eyes to look at your work, and on the other, the late deadline allows for your absolute best and latest work to be submitted. I decided to aim for the early deadline, and if I wasn't fit to send, I'd postpone until mid-December. So Summer approached and I worked as hard as I could to get my act together for my portfolio. So many classes, so many late nights, so many new approaches, so many challenges, but all in all it was a great summer to draw! 

The deadline always seemed to be breathing behind my neck, but when school started, the pressure really started to kick in. The November deadline seemed closer than ever and I didn't have nearly the amount of portfolio pieces I wanted, nor did it look like I was going to get an animation off the ground. In early November though, I was blessed with the chance to visit the school to meet students teachers and make it just in time for the Pixar lecture. Plus I got to meet a ton of Animated Buzz posters in addition to some Calartian Bloggers. An unforgettable, inspiring three-day weekend that I can't thank my parents enough for. I got some good pieces for my portfolio from that visit, and the inspiration to really tackle my ambition to include an animation. 

So I took a couple of days off from school to really make sure my portfolio was ready (plus getting a flash-format animation into video form was harder than you could believe, at least for me..) Thankfully it worked out just in time. 

The week before handing in the portfolio was pure hell though. I'm really indecisive, and I was so split on what to include, in what order, what to throw out, including too much or too little... it was a hectic 8 days~ Luckily fiddlinartist at the animated buzz forums was at hand at the last minute in the forums to help me out, thanks again! 

The trip to the mail office was so nerve-wracking. I couldn't stop thinking how this was really it, I was actually sending off my portfolio. The week waiting for it to arrive to Calarts was also stressful, God forbid it got lost in the mail... It arrived on the 29th safe and sound, and then the waiting began... and continues... 

Although I worked very hard on the portfolio, I can't say I would have left it without changes. I wish I could have taken out some things among other alterations, but for now, I'll have to wait and see. Regardless of what happens, I'm ramping up for my 2008 portfolio, ready to double my efforts for this incoming year. After sending it in, I did take a month-long break, but now all focus is on seeing what I can do to improve.

Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures of my final portfolio due to time constraints. When I get it back, I'll upload pics. I do have my animation to show off on my next post, so stay tuned for that.