Living Animation - A Blog By Ziv Ariely

My Road Runner Showreel

2011-12-10T01:39:00.001-08:00

I've been waiting for this moment for more than a year to finally see my work broadcasted on Cartoon Network.
I had an amazing time and the greatest privilege to be working with some of the best people in the animation industry here in Israel (Crew972).
I've learned so much and also had the opportunity to fulfill a dream and to work on one of my childhood most beloved TV show - The Road Runner Cartoons.

Here is the reel I've made, which represents some of my best work, and I hope you'll enjoy it.

Lovely Acting Ideas

2011-12-04T05:39:00.001-08:00

Here are some fresh and nice animation for a change :)

iAnimate.net 2011 show reel from iAnimate on Vimeo.

Looney Tunes: VES Submission

2011-10-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

I can't remember how long it's been since I've seen such an amazing looking rig.
It looks so much fun to animate it :)

Btw - There are also comp and other samples, but the animation and rigging part was just so cool!!!

Enjoy

Simon's Cat in 'Double Trouble'

2011-10-11T11:39:00.000-07:00

It's been I while since I've last watched a funny short of "Simon's Cat", it's always makes me lough to see all the small details of cats behaviors he's getting and applying into his animation :)

T-Rex [Polishing]

2011-10-02T12:54:00.000-07:00

I had the time to sit at home today due to an injury I got a few days ago, which was the time I needed to finish the animation test of this cool T-rex rig.

I don't think I'll want to keep working at it any more, so I believe this is a far as I'll go with it.

Poos in Boots

2011-09-26T22:09:00.000-07:00

The original commercial is even better than the parody they keep making about it.
Here is the newest by DreamWorks :)

T-Rex [Smoothing]

2011-09-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

Here is the smoothing part where I'm pretty happy with most of the animation, however I still have many things that bugs me and I'll get to fix on the polish phase.

If only I had more time!

T-Rex (Rough Blocking)

2011-09-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a test of a rough test of the T-Rex rig I got.
Since I've seen this rig, I couldn't wait to try it and now finally I got the time to give it a chance.
I only hope I'll get to polish it as I want to.

The Art of Art (or The Mechanics of Inspiration)

2011-09-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

During the last year, I had the privileged of reading, remarking, and in the end even be in charge of the graphic design of this wonderful book "The Mechanics of Inspiration" which was written by a good friend and collegue of mine - Doron Meir.

This book takes us through the creative process from the beginning - the idea it self, until the final product, no matter if it's animation, a piece of music, a sculpture of any other creative work.
The book itself is written in Hebrew but I highly recommend it and you are more than welcome to check out his blog regrading his book.
I hope you'll enjoy it as I have.

A Post Regarding Animation For A Change!

2011-07-28T12:26:00.000-07:00

I admit, I had no time lately to post anything meaningful on my blog, it's been a long and tough time (and it isn't about to change soon I'm afraid), but finally I've seen something that I had to share - the showreel of Daniel Peixe.

In case you didn't get the chance to see the movie Tangled, I really reccommend it, since it's been done wonderfully in every aspect: animation, story, character design and set... just really appealing to watch!

Take a look here

How To Steal Like An Artist

2011-07-18T22:24:00.000-07:00

I've read this a few months ago, maybe longer... can't remember.
Each time I read it, it made even more sense to me - nothing is original, so you are not really stealing anything, you are just making the same idea but in a different (just like the guy you copied his work did).

I think there are some really good advice here!

The new animation mentor student showcase for 2011 is on!

2011-06-13T02:11:00.000-07:00

Check it out!

Silly Stickers

2011-05-30T22:11:00.000-07:00

I had a free hour last night, and since I've been an admire of the cartoony style and minimal lines of Jelle Gijsberts, I've wanted to give it a test and see how it would look like if I'll do something similar, using clothing textures and the stickers pop out groovy look.
It was a great fun having this test just for kicks :)

My works are on Zazzle.com!

2011-05-28T07:08:00.000-07:00

After several weeks of working on my virtual store on Zazzle.com, I'm finally feeling pretty good with publishing it on my blog.
It's called DESIGN CUBE, and I would also like to take the opportunity to thank Gabi for the tip!

I've also started up a new blog to keep everyone posted regarding what's new on my store so people could follow which new products are featuring.

I hope you'll find it interesting and beneficial, and I'll be happy to hear what you guys think!

Thanks!-
Ziv

Turtle On A Swing!

2011-05-15T12:03:00.000-07:00

I've kept it too long by not posting it on time.
This is a canvas painting (digital on canvas to be more accurate) which I made about a month ago as a present to my newly born niece - Noam.
By the way, soon I'll be sharing a link to my new upcoming virtual store where this painting and many more could be purchased to your needs!

evian baby inside

2011-04-28T04:16:00.000-07:00

This is such a cool idea! I love it :)

Wow!

2011-04-22T09:54:00.000-07:00

Can you find a better example for a good and intense Follow Through ;)?

Pixar Creates A Beautiful 3D Animated Sculpture

2011-04-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

This is Cool :)

http://www.dump.com/2011/03/23/pixar-creates-a-beautiful-3d-animated-sculpture-video/

Another Devil (and a frog for a change)

2011-03-23T23:52:00.000-07:00

I really should be getting more sleep... These are getting weird :)

A birthday present

2011-03-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

My sister's husband was celebrating his birthday a week ago. This is what I made for him - a cool present (ok... well... it was her idea), just like she asked for.

Digital Painting and Podcast

2011-03-13T23:15:00.000-07:00

This isn't new to me. but it sure keeps me inspired (and perhaps it would be new to you).

Some Sketches...

2011-03-13T13:49:00.000-07:00

Recently while looking for some stuff, I found my last sketchbook which I haven't used since I left Crew972.
Here are some old sketches I liked the most, scanned them and brought them into Photoshop to give them some life in colors.

I'll try to keep posting them once in a while when I'll make new ones.

Rango - 6 Minutes of the movie

2011-02-28T00:45:00.000-08:00

Rango seems to be one of the most refreshing 3D movies of the era so far. It seems to be original, looks amazing and everything just seems amazing!

Here is the clip.

Rango - Zes Minuten Uit De Film! - 2 maart in de zalen
Uploaded by WTBBelgium. - Full seasons and entire episodes online.

Zelda 25th Anniversary Amazing Artwork - Making of

2011-02-23T21:51:00.000-08:00

Even though I never played any Zelda game before, This workflow was too amazing not to share along.

I just can't understand how the hell this artists work so deep and so fast, it seems as if the planning was done around 95% in his head and only 5 on the canvas!

Check it out!

The Backwater Gospel

2011-02-21T21:55:00.000-08:00

This is a short film which uses some really interesting techniques. It's worth a shot looking :)

The Backwater Gospel from The Animation Workshop on Vimeo.

Rango - Behind The Scenes

2011-01-10T13:27:00.000-08:00

The more I see clips of this movie, the more I like it :)
Here is a behind the scenes short clip.

Ice Age 4 - First Look Teaser

2011-01-06T10:59:00.000-08:00

Here is the first glimpse of the new Ice Age trailer (number 4?!) which made me lough.

Another Animation Test, Another Leap...

2010-12-30T14:14:00.000-08:00

Here is another short animation test I've done.
It's still in rough blocking sinch I didn't mean to animate anything tonight, but it looked such a nice rig, I had to try something.
Sure, it ain't perfect... but still ;)

A Short Animation Test

2010-12-16T11:42:00.000-08:00

It's been far too long since I've animated anything!
I've found a free Flour Sack rig, which looked nice to play with (If you like, you can download it here).
This is what I came up with...trying to make a quick animation test...

Meet Buck

2010-12-11T00:02:00.000-08:00

Up until now I've only catched a few glimps of this short, but now that I've seen it all, it's really cool!
I like the snappy animation, the rythem of it and the extreme poses.

Meet Buck from TeamCerf on Vimeo.

Character Design - Master & Student

2010-12-09T21:54:00.000-08:00

Just for kicks, I've participated in a character design for AnimationRigs.com.
The theme was "Master & Student" and it was pretty open regarding the way we'll choose and show our characters.

I've decided to go on the cute/funny genre.

Hope you like it :)

My New Website

2010-12-09T13:38:00.000-08:00

I'm back working at a steady job at the Weizmann Institute of Science, as a graphic designer, but still keep on the doing some freelance work.
Now that I finally have the time, I built myself a website which will show some of my recent work, as an illustrator, graphic designer and soon, also my new animation showreel.
You are welcome to check the site on this link here, and I promise I will keep updating and improve it (right now it's only in Hebrew but soon I hope I'll be able to add an English version as well).

SupEr hAndZ

2010-11-17T23:26:00.000-08:00

I'm not a big fan of stop motion, but I did like this one.

SupEr hAndZ from [[- charetteprod -]] on Vimeo.

My Daughter's First Steps

2010-11-04T23:59:00.000-07:00

My little daughter has just taken her first steps (I'm afraid this post is a few weeks late, but I had no time to post anything before) and It's amazing how funny it looks when they just start walking (actually, it looks like a bad animation).
This is a video I've taken after she only had a few days of practice!
Also, finally I managed to finish an old debt to myself and finish her door sign for her room (she likes lambs :).

Video reference mix

2010-10-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hey guys!
Here is a really nice mix of edited video reference from several movies I'm sure you won't have any problem to recognize ;)

Enjoy!

Ratatouille Progression Reel

2010-10-12T23:29:00.000-07:00

OK, I admit, everyone knows this one, and I've seen this progression reel many times my self, but since I accidentally encountered this clip, it was too good to pass and so inspiring to watch (I miss animating as a full time job).

Here is a clip showing the different stages in the production, from start to the final shot - enjoy!

Guide Your Audience Eyes

2010-09-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

At animation, you should consider many things, and while keeping in mind the basic principles is great, sometimes it just wouldn't always suffice.
It is a well known fact that an animator is really an actor (I would like to consider my self as a shy one).
An actor, just like a magician who needs to perform in front of an audience, should maintain the illusion he wishes to portray, and for doing that, sometimes includes to control the audience point of view and visual focus.
He needs to manipulate the audience eyes to look to one place while he's making an "magic trick" he doesn't wish the audience would see in a different place (sometimes it even could be used to conceal a bad animation).
There are many ways to do so, and I'm not going to get much deeper into it, but an animator could use his animation of course to guide the audience eyes by using his animation (such as body language), by a correct staging and composition, by using his props and surroundings in the scene, etc.

I would like to thank Shuki Gamliel which is a great animator and a good friend, who gave us a short lecture about this subject (it was mainly on using a technique called NLP but I felt it also fit well in animation and I've waited too long to write this post).

Here you could find two examples of how easily you can manipulate the human eye.

Walk! A Tutorial About Walks

2010-09-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

A good friend of mine (April Peter) had written a serious and thorough tutorial about animating walk cycles.
She has given special attention on how she looks at it from her point of view, what should and shouldn't be done while making a walk cycle (for example - walk cycles in place is a big NO) and it's also really nice to see all the short video samples she made, showing each step to be as clear as it gets.

Read it here!

Dan The Man

2010-09-07T22:43:00.000-07:00

This one is really funny and well made, everything is so perfectly understood with out using a word ;)

Shana Tova!

2010-09-07T22:26:00.000-07:00

For those of you who celebrate the hebrew holiday - Have a shana tova (happy new year)!
Now is the first time I can really get some rest and maybe give myself a few hours of sleep and quality time with my beloved family :)

Sketchy Ice Creams

2010-09-03T07:00:00.001-07:00

This short animation really made me lough (and even at the second time I've watched it).
For those of you who don't have kids, this is why you really MUST NOT take your eyes off them for a second ;)

AM Student Showcase 2010

2010-09-02T13:23:00.001-07:00

I just love seeing the new student showcase of Animation Mentor.
Here is this years student showcase of 2010.

(I especially enjoyed the dialogue by Jeffrey Engel ;)

Werewolf Character Design

2010-08-28T02:33:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been looking into some character desing tutorials on Youtube when I came across a clip by Joe Vriens showing his way of work to draw this beautiful werewolf.
I thought it could be nice to share this one with you since he has a very simple technique and still gets a really nice resault.

here is a link to his blog if you would like to see more.

Laundry tales

2010-08-05T01:52:00.000-07:00

This is a very nice short film done here in Israel (I admit I was touched by it).
The note in the end says "Grandma, Enjoy your new dryer" (more or less).

Old Biker - painting process

2010-07-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

Another inspiring work done by the great Deniz Zilber :)

Old Biker - painting process from Denis Zilber on Vimeo.

35 Movies in 2 Minutes

2010-07-22T00:05:00.000-07:00

I must admit I couldn't recognize all of them, but I really loved the way they show so much with so little.
I really loved the part they are moving from the Blues Brothers, to Terminator to Star Wars :)

35mm from Pascal Monaco on Vimeo.

Fire Animation

2010-07-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Something cool (or should I say hot?) I thought it would be nice to share with you...

It's been long since my last sketch

2010-07-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

This Saturday I had the free time to sit and scribble a quick sketch straight onto my computer. It isn't fancy but at least it was fun!

'Rango' Official Full Trailer

2010-06-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

Here is the new official and full trailer of the upcoming film Rango. It looks really good and I would certainly like to see it once it comes out.

Animation Progression Reel - Ice Age 3

2010-06-26T10:26:00.000-07:00

Jeff is one of my favorite animators and it's always a pleasure to see his way of planning, editing his video reference in a smooth and convincing way and of course - the final animation.

Watch it here

FLUFFY MC CLOUD

2010-06-25T06:49:00.000-07:00

This is a cute short film that put a smile on my face (especially when he tries harder to bring the rain, the face he makes and the noise...)

Enjoy!

FLUFFY MC CLOUD from conorfinnegan on Vimeo.

The Art of Disney Animation

2010-06-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

I've found this site with a lot of really cool and inspiring artwork done by the talented disney artists.
The link above is for the art of the new movie Toy Story 3 but you can find many more samples on the site from different movies as well.
Too bad I don't understand french though...

Disney's Tangled Trailer

2010-06-13T02:57:00.000-07:00

Looks like this movie is going to be a lot of fun!
The animation looks great and I'm really looking forward to see it already ;)

Camera Footage

2010-06-11T01:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a footage recovered from a camera which was found, while exploring deserted old underground tunnels. Check it out...

This was being done by a studio belongs to friends of mine called Argaman Creative. Feel free to check their web site.

Rio

2010-05-26T00:24:00.000-07:00

Here's the trailer for the new upcoming feature by Blue sky studio.
It looks sweeeeatt!!!

I'm still here

2010-05-21T06:26:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm super busy at the moment (it's good that I'm having a lot of stuff to do) but for now, I would like to share with you a few short animation clips which I loved, and I hope you will too.

Work from Michael Rianda on Vimeo.

When The Time Is Ripe from Shion Takeuchi on Vimeo.

Make your own video reference ;)

2010-05-12T03:36:00.001-07:00

Here's a guy who really knows how to make super cool video references!

Beautiful!

2010-05-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

Here's an amazing commercial and also a great video refernece by itself I'm sure you'll love!!!

AM Get Together

2010-05-06T22:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday night we finished working and went to an AM group meeting.
It was a lot of fun to see the old faces and some new ones and I would like to thank Gabi for organizing the meeting.
We also had a great privilege to meet Tim Crawfurd, a former animator at Pixar (1997-2009) and currently a mentor at AM who was kind enough to let us see some of his work which was very inspiring!

Key Lime Pie

2010-05-06T22:25:00.001-07:00

I've been told this short film isn't new but I really liked the way it looks and feels, and I would like to share this one with you.

Going Back To Work!

2010-03-29T01:20:00.000-07:00

I've really been looking forward to return and work at CREW972, and even though I came to visit several times, it just wasn't the same.
I'm afraid there isn't a lot I can say about it, so I'll just say that I'm thrilled and really happy to come back :)

Have a happy passover!

Ziv

Sex Bomb - WIP

2010-03-21T14:02:00.000-07:00

I've been struggeling to find a chance and finish this last drawing (which hopefully would sell nicely as a T-shirt) but finally - it is done!
Here is a short break down of the stages I had to go through, starting as a rough sketch using my Wacom tablet and continue all the way to the final drawing.
Only now I see that somewhere between the rough sketch and the next level, I've lost some of the action of the character... but oh well, it's too late now :)

Sex Bomb from Ziv Ariely on Vimeo.

T-shirt design

2010-03-15T06:17:00.000-07:00

During the last week, I've begun to design T-shirts and I hope some of them would sell.
Here are two of the Smilies I did today and I'm pretty happy with.
If you are curious about the rest of the gallery you are welcome to check it here (I'm afraid the site is in Hebrew).

Just wanted to say - Thank you!

2010-03-14T01:25:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to thank you all, for visiting my blog. It's a big compliment for me to see how many people reading my blog, seeing my works and leaving comments.
Preety soon I'll be going back to work at a full time job (working at CREW972) but I'll keep posting as much as I can, so for the time being, I just wanted to thank you from all of my heart, and as always, if there is something you like, do feel free to comment and I'll be happy to respond.

-Ziv

The princess and the frog - Pencil Tests

2010-03-12T03:05:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pencil tests from Disney's last classic animated film - The princess and the frog.

PFROG Pencil Test 01 from handdrawn on Vimeo.

PFROG Pencil Test 02 from handdrawn on Vimeo.

PFROG Pencil Test 03 from handdrawn on Vimeo.

Elk Hair Caddis

2010-03-05T05:53:00.000-08:00

Great short film made by peter smith (love that squash and stretch!)

Elk Hair Caddis from peter smith on Vimeo.

What's New?!

2010-03-05T02:51:00.000-08:00

Hi guys!
I'm happy to share with you my "new" blog.
I've decided it is time to move on and to give it a more professional look, now that I'm working in the animation industry. It's not totaly done yet, but it's enough for me to keep on posting and I'll keep my changes as I go.
Before I'll be getting back to work, I've decided to try and expand my fields of experties in animation, and start animating using Flash.

Here are two short samples I've made - it's just for testing so I'm pretty pleased with it.

Father and Daughter

2010-02-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

Here's a short and very touching shrot film, I've seen a while ago at work (thanks to April who sent me the link).
I hope you'll love it as I did...

The Princess And The Frog

2010-02-24T23:23:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh..... Eric Goldberg is so amazing, truely amazing!
Here's is a short clip showing Eric's way of work and also explaining a little about animating Louis the aligator.
I've been lucky enough to sit next to him about a year ago when he came to give a lecture here in Israel and to speak with him about animation, and he is such a role model for me, he LOVES animation!
I don't think there is a person in the world who isn't familiar with his work (the Gini from Aladdin of course, but he had made so many other characters during his long period at Disney).
This short clip really made me want to sit and start drawing and animating.... did I say he's amazing? ;)

Under Construction

2010-02-23T23:21:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone.
As you probably see, I've decided to give my blog a new change of direction - it would still be about everything I'm doing and the animation industry at large, but would have a different header name and design. I'm afraid it might take me some time until I'll reach the point where I'll be pretty happy with the results, so stay tuned, and thanks for all your patience :)

Yellow Cake - A Short Film by Nick Cross

2010-02-16T23:42:00.001-08:00

Here's a really nicely made short film, which looks a lot like the Ren & Stimpy cartoon.

Yellow Cake from Nick Cross on Vimeo.

Better Off Undead! A short film by Bobby Pontillas

2010-02-10T22:41:00.000-08:00

Here's a really funny and well animated short film made by a student from AM.
I really loved the small detailes he got into it, and I can't wait to see it fully rendered - it looks really promissing :)

Better Off Undead ! from Bobby Pontillas on Vimeo.

How To Warm-Up For Gesture Drawing

2010-02-06T02:40:00.000-08:00

While I was working at CREW972, we had sessions in which we made quick sketches (it was a great fun but also helped me to better realize how to show and feel weight).
Here are two clips to get your creative juices flowing... it gave me great inspiration to start sketching.

And the Photoshop version....

2010-02-05T07:14:00.000-08:00

I'm glad I have the time to sit infront of my home computer and paint in Photoshop as I love doing.
I've decided the last drawing won't ever look as good as it can be, unless I would make it all over again using Photoshop, and this time I made a few high quality pictures of clothing materials (Jeans, sweders, etc) and applied them to my drawing.
It's a technique I've never used before but it's amazingly fun and gives great resaults, don't you agree?

My first attempt to make a completely vector painting in Illustrator

2010-02-04T03:17:00.000-08:00

I always worked on my drawings straight in Photoshop or first a simple pencil sketch and then moved to Photoshop (if you are interested, I've posted a quick tutorial on my blog about a year ago or so).
This is the first time I ever tried to work entirely in Illustrator, mainting a pure vecotr look (which I think resembles the newer cartoons look, such as the power puff girls, johnny bravo, etc).

It's Here!!!

2010-02-03T22:29:00.000-08:00

I'm thrilled to share with you, that the drawing I've made for my little baby girl (the animals train) has finally arrived and it came out very nice ;)
I think out of all my painting in my gallery, this is the one I like the most, and you could see my entire drawings gallery here, and of course if you like any of them you are more than welcome to order it, and also choose the size of it, the matter it would be printed on (I printed it on kanvas) and many other options.

Please feel free to let me know what you think of it ;)

Here are a few pictures of my drawing.

Leave your ego at the door

2010-02-02T03:44:00.001-08:00

I would like to share with you a few lessons I had learned during the last few months while working in the animation industry (even though it can easily fit into many other fields of experties of course).
I remember I first heard about it while I was still a student at Animation Mentor and it was "burned" into my conscience ever since... EGO (the green monster sitting on your shoulder).

The industry is full of many great people, who are wise and super talented and it is only natural to have a large ego for some of them.
Sometimes you may be working on a shot, and see something you like, or got an idea you want to work on, and it's great (especially if your bosses likes it too), but you would come to realize that it won't always be the case, and you'll have times you would make something you like very much but your peers (director/producer, other animators, etc) may not, and you would like to stand up and fight for what you believe, protecting your idea/work.

At AM we learned something extremely important - leave your ego at the door (or in other words - it's not YOUR movie you are working on, its THEIR movie and THEY are paying you to do what THEY want, so you need to know when to just say OK and do stuff you won't always agree with.

Of course I don't mean not to say anything, but it would be better off for everyone if you'll take their request under consideration and give it a try any way, and you know what? They just might be correct and your shot will shine!

It isn't easy applying this idea, and it would take time to make it a second nature (I struggle with it in many other issues in my life, and that is why I though it would be nice to share my thoughts with you) but in the end - it would make you a more relaxed person, there for it will be easier and more fun to work with and most important - you become more experienced due to the amount of things you have tried (and wouldn't have done otherwise).

Les Dangereux - A Short Film by RedForty

2010-01-31T07:36:00.000-08:00

Some animation for a change ;)
A vacationing ninja finds true love, but it's much more than he expected.

Les Dangereux from RedForty on Vimeo.

Nearly forgot the old sketchbook

2010-01-31T00:40:00.001-08:00

I nearly forgot to scan the old sketchbook (not all of it of course, only the sketches I liked the most), and I thought it could be nice to share them with you.

Hope you'll like them too!

Now it's time to rest

2010-01-29T01:13:00.000-08:00

After working very hard at CREW972 for the last several months, I got the chance of staying at home and rest before coming back (Already I'm waiting to return to work!).
Now is the best time to sit at home, start working on the stuff I wanted to do for so long and never had the time such as new drawings (for print and just sketching for fun purposes), working on my new and updated showreel and most important - spending time with my wife and daughter!

Now that I have finished my studies at AM and became a proffesional animator working in the animation industry, I'm considering to change my blog (sometimes soon), or maybe leave this blog the way it is and start a new one, so people who like to learn animation can still see the journey I took.

I'll be happy to hear from you if you have any suggestions or special requests, so as always, feel free to share your thoughts with me.

Now, to have something more interesting than just plain text, I'v scanned several pencil skethces I had done while making long playblast at work.

Doodles....

2010-01-10T05:49:00.000-08:00

The weekend I'm afraid, wasn't very kind to me and as many other people at this time of year, I too got ill and had to rest in bed.
Since today I didn't go to work, and since I'm one of those guys who don't know how to rest (believe me, I tried... it's too difficult!) I sat down and started to doodle for a few minutes just to feel the day isn't going to be a total waste of time.

Here are some of the thing which came out.

Alma - a short film

2009-12-22T12:14:00.000-08:00

Sure it's a little creepy, and it's preety easy to know what's coming next, but the idea is nice and the animation is great :)

Enjoy!

Alma from Rodrigo Blaas on Vimeo.

How to Train Your Dragon - Behind the scenes

2009-12-19T23:27:00.000-08:00

Here's a pretty basic behind the scenes video which was on Fox business, for people who are non animators, yet I thought it would be pretty cool to let other people to enjoy this one.
Thanks to Jeremy Shaw for sharing it with us ;)

Milt Kahl: The Animation Michelangelo

2009-12-16T23:38:00.000-08:00

I came across several video clips of academy awards animators (and other well known people from the animation industry) talking about Milt Kahl, which in my opinion was one of the best and most genius animators who had ever lived.

You are welcome to listen to them here:

French Roast - A Short Film

2009-12-03T00:13:00.000-08:00

I've been waiting to see this short film for a while, and it was worth waiting.
Hope you'll love it as I did :)

French Roast

George & AJ

2009-11-26T23:40:00.000-08:00

Here's a link to one of the bonuses in the DVD of UP.
I'm always amazed by the talented storyboard artist and animatic artist that are able to portray so much in so little drawings.

Pixar Short: Unidentified Flying Mater

2009-11-24T06:55:00.000-08:00

Here's a short film from Pixar (CARS-Toon).
As usual, Pixar are witty and fun :)

Watch it here

Speed Sketching At Work

2009-11-16T11:32:00.000-08:00

Today at work we decided to sit down and make some speed sketchings, while taking into consideration shape, poses, and force.
Each drawing was made in no longer than only one minute in order to better train our eyes to catch the essence of the poses, and it was great!
I thought it could be nice if I'll share some of the drawing I made today.

My sister's Wedding Illustration

2009-11-14T07:06:00.001-08:00

My sister is getting married soon, and she asked me to design her wedding invitation by making a caricature of both her (and soon to be her husband's) dogs.
Well, I do admit I'm a little too much effected by Coyote's look since I'm sketching him, but still, it also helped me in getting the exaggeration poses I was looking for.

Anyway, here's the sketches I've made as I moved from the roughest sketch to the final rendered painting.

This is so cute!

2009-11-13T01:48:00.000-08:00

A friend at work showed me this and it made me lough since it's so simple and yet it's really adorable and funny.

Hope you'll like it too.

Planet 51 - A 2 minutes clip

2009-11-08T03:10:00.001-08:00

I can't wait to see it already, it looks like a great and well done movie.
Watch it here:

Don't have time for new posts so in the meantime...

2009-11-04T00:02:00.000-08:00

Here's the first trailer for the new upcoming movie by PDI Dreamworks - How To Train Your Dragon, which will be coming out soon.
It's seems nice but I have a pretty strong feeling it might be like Monsters VS Aliens which I didn't like so much, due to a weak story which reminds me Aragon (and other Dragon movies from the same genre) and even the dragon's feature looks like a non-original Pokemon/Stitch character).

Well, let us hope I'm wrong ;)

PIXAR Intro Parody

2009-10-21T00:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't seen this parody about Pixar's logo. Gave me a few loughs ;)

A Moment of Inspiration

2009-10-18T03:14:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry if I may sound corny, but for me, my little baby girl is a source of happiness and inspiration.
I find it to be an amazing process, to be watching her evolving and transforming into a little kid, which hears, feels, sees and then reacts to her surroundings.

Last weekend we went to visit our family and for the first time she noticed our dog, which made her afraid at first and then became interesting.

The unpredictable loughs we got from her where a moment of sheer happiness for us and I thought it would be a moment worth sharing with you guys (and besides, it's a great reference ;)

The weekend is here!

2009-10-16T00:14:00.000-07:00

I've really waited for the weekend to finally arrive, It's been a long and busy week and only on weekends I finally find a little time for myself to sit down, take a deep breath and finally... relax :)

It isn't easy for me at work (who said animation was easy?), but it's super exciting to work on a cool project like this and with super talented people and only now I feel that I'm starting to get the hang of it and also I'm starting to feel more comfertable, which is great for me.

The fact I don't post much new stuff isn't because I don't do anything, but due to the reason I don't have the time (usually I don't even find the time to check my e-mails).
So, here are a few quick sketches I did on the bus during the last two weeks while going back home after work (I hope you'll like'em).

Have a great weekend everybody!

Toy Story 3 Theatrical Trailer 1

2009-10-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

Here comes the Astro-nut ;)

Goblins!

2009-10-02T07:46:00.000-07:00

I really love watching the excellent movies that are coming out of Goblins.
Here is a taste of some of them...

Training - A Short Film

2009-09-30T00:27:00.001-07:00

This is so cool, I like it ;)

I'm finally taking my first step in the animation industry!

2009-09-19T06:57:00.001-07:00

This is the biggest and most important post I have ever posted - The beginning of my professional way, as I'm taking my first steps in the animation industry.
I'm delighted to announce that on this september, I'm beginning to work as an animator, at an amazing place!
I've been lucky enough to be accepted to work at an exclusive animation studio called Crew972 which is run by Alex Orrelle, a former animator at Pixar.
For me it's a dream come true, and a great start as well!

This blog was made to share the journey of becoming a student at animation mentor, and eventually after graduating, getting a job as a character animator (don't worry, this isn't the end of my blog and I intend to keep posting and updating).

Wish me luck!

The Princess and The Frog -Rough Animation shots

2009-09-03T23:18:00.000-07:00

Sorry I wasn't posting for some time, but major things are happening in my life right now (which I'll soon share, but for now it isn't the right time yet).
I've missed seeing some high quality 2D, pencile sketched animation. For some reason, there is a kind of magic (well, for me at least) when I see pencil sketches and I even get more excited to see pencil sketches in animation (maybe that is why I loved the look of The jungle Book and Robin Hood).

Here are a few animation shots, some are still in rought animation stages - Deliciouse :)