LAG's Sketchblog

Figures

2009-07-21T02:27:48Z

Heey, been a while since I posted any straight up straight straight drawing.

I hated this at the time, but looking back I quite like the tensions.

Probably 5-10 minutes.

35 mins

35 mins

Back pages!

2009-07-15T08:32:59Z

Bring on the pages of school notes.

On the left, attempts at McNulty. On the right, bird thingies and a French lady on the TGV to Paris.

I'm at that stage in drawing where I think I'm a lot better than I actually am - where it's all "Oh yeah that's no problem that's easy" and then it's all "fffffffffffffffffffff-" - actually I don't think I've ever left that stage.

McNulty has a difficult face.

Nearly goodbye book 5

2009-07-10T03:32:23Z

And that's almost good-bye to book 5 of the gesture books, the rest of its pages are notes I need to pretty up, but that's really the bulk of it uploaded. It was probably the quickest book I've finished.

Funny that, first year animation may have felt horribly unproductive and left me feeling completely useless much of the time, but looking back, it was a lot of drawing. I mean, on top of the gesture book(s) I've completed about four or five A3 books worth of figure drawing, and then there's the animations on top of that and other bits and bobs of studies and I've really been fairly busy.

Still, there's nothing new in my FA or DA account, what's the point if there's nothing to show?

lagthenoggin @ 2009-07-03T07:56:00

2009-07-03T07:05:53Z

If you don't know W40k, turn back now.

I just read Love Can Bloom - a W40k fan fic based on a Vindicare assassin falling in love with an Eldar Taldeer from Dawn of War. It took me far too many hours to finish and it's now 8 in the morning and the damn thing turns out to be incomplete -

GOD DAMN I WANT THERE TO BE MORE.

Don't make me read the sub-fan-fics.

I know I will.

lagthenoggin @ 2009-06-27T03:33:00

2009-06-27T02:54:46Z

I am learning Blender. It is frustrating working things out I already know how to do faster in Maya, but I will persist, it's a matter of morals.

Until then, have some zoo drwaings from earlier in the year:

The open source ocean

2009-06-23T01:03:42Z

My explorations in Linux have lead to this short little 3D movie. What reason is this movie worth looking at? Why you may ask? Why should it waste your time?

Well, computer 3D is often considered expensive and inaccessible, programmers don't come cheap and neither do animators. However this short was made with an open source 3D animation program called Blender - in fact every piece of software and asset behind this film is open source, free, available, and editable. You can go over there now and download everything that made that movie. It feels strangely satisfying.

I think it's about time I looked at going 3D again.

Annecy et votre vissage

2009-06-21T15:37:37Z

As an adorer of film and a first film festival, I don't think you could do any better than Annecy. Annecy Animated Film Festival, the Cannes of the animation world, is out in the French Alps and one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. The ice cream is sublime, the backdrop is a fresh water lake with mountains set against an ancient French-Italian-Swiss kind of border town, with influences from all three - and the cinemas, oh my the cinemas. They are the best cinemas I have ever seen. Coupled with the fact it's ALL animation and not to mention their love of comics and it all combines to a cultural cartoon geek's wet dream.

I loved the place so much my arms developed an alergic reaction and I spent half the time dousing myself in icey water. But hey! The movies.

This year Coraline and Mary & Max won jointly the Annecy award, which is reasonable. I didn't get a chance to watch Mary & Max, the story of an Aspergers 40 something American developing a pen pal friendship with a little girl in Australia, but the reviews were positive and I'm glad Coraline didn't win outright. Coraline didn't really have the emotional punch other movies in the festival did, but it was definitely solid and technically amazing.

Blah blah tldr; I am amazed. Annecy amazes me.

PICTURES

And have a montage courtesy of a generic promotional agency: Film d'ambiance Annecy 09

ffffffffffffffffff-

2009-06-06T20:29:57Z

ffffffffffffffffffffffffff

ttyl FRANCE

2009-06-06T20:22:07Z

I'm off to the Annecy Animated Film Festival in France. I shall be in the alps, chewing wine, sipping baquettes and crunching salami, in a tent.

BUY GUISE.

lagthenoggin @ 2009-06-02T03:16:00

2009-06-02T02:27:07Z

More clean-up work at school - not very creative.

Everything seems to be wrapping up and we're all getting ready to say goodbye. One last hurrah at Annecy 2009, and then the wait till the new semester. With everyone going, I feel like I should be saying good bye to Bournemouth, even if I live here.

lagthenoggin @ 2009-05-26T01:23:00

2009-05-26T00:25:58Z

This is checking if my bank card is at home.

And this is my cancelling bank card face.

Je suis un foo'

2009-05-24T21:20:46Z

Lo. I went to the big Manga Comics & Media Expo at the Excel centre in London on Saturday. I arrived at the steps to see hundreds and hundreds of naruto head bands and enough hair spray to fix a herd of elephants. Even in my finest animator attire I felt under dressed wading through thousands of costumes to the entrance. Apparently they were trying to set a world record or something. Also, lots of them wanted hugs.

So, yeah, once I was there it was cool. It was big. It was highly anime centric. They still wanted hugs. But it had a small tho quality indie comics section, even Claude was there, so I was happy. However I didn't bring any money, so I went to the cash machine and-oh shi- where's my cards? I swear I had them in my coat I'd been swinging around on my arm all day. OMG I HAVE BEEN LOOTED.

I then spent most of the day moping around looking for my cards, telling everyone and being all unhappy and getting empathy discounts. I then went to cancel my bank cards, called my Dad first to send me my bank details and check if I didn't leave my cards at home. He checked, no luck not there, I canceled my cards and all was sad.

Then I got home and hey, there on my desk, right in the middle. My dad had checked all my books, my shelves, under my table, behind the wiring. And there it was. Right there.

HURRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Chopping up my debit card. Feels good man.

P.S.

I'm running Windows Starcraft in Ubuntu - it feels like I'm looking at Windows running around in a little Linux aquarium. It's so cute.

Also - Linux is STILL the easiest operating system I have ever used.

lagthenoggin @ 2009-05-15T04:20:00

2009-05-15T04:12:36Z

Hey look new avatar. Work in progress.

I like the right one. Tell me whatcha think.

And some drawings from the cafeteria and classroom:

Some things.

2009-05-11T22:19:52Z

Holy crap. My house is on the internet. Google you are creepy.

And look, my old house in Croydon. Evidently taken when I was still there since I never figured out how gardens worked. Now up for rent I have you know, good rates too! Lovely area. Knifings only about once a month.

Speaking of houses, I have installed Ubuntu in the former house. It is the easiest operating system I have ever installed and used; ever. Damn Linux, you used to be such a snotty teenager - now look at you, you're all dashing and good natured. I want to bring you home and do dirty things with you and never worry about catching anything. I don't know what I'm going to get with windows, it's like venereal roulette every website.

Mind Game by Studio 4c - probably the best animation I have seen this year, next to Waltz with Bashir.

Here's the rest of the Pitch Week films from pitch week at uni. The film I wanted to work on didn't get through but oh well - I am now on a production called Inheriting The Raven for next year. It's generally considered the course's big hope for the festivals next year. It will have a production blog. It will be fairly awesome and fairly Persian. I will keep you posted.

I am doing?

2009-05-11T01:00:08Z

Well, I'm done, but the 3rd years films aren't. It's back to animating for me!

Maybe I should get a twitter for these little updates? God, internet, make up your mind.

i am done

2009-05-02T13:59:00Z

wooo eee, that was the final deadline that whizzed over last thursday, I hit it like the fist of an out of shape cartoonist.

Despite my many misgivings about the year one course, I'm really looking forward to the second year. I think the film I'm on is probably one of the most quality productions judging by the pitch - it's gonna be a lot of fun.

So, um, other stuff? Well hopefully I'll be getting started on some drawing for myself soon, also planning on hitting Malaysia and meeting that side'o my family for the first time. Until then:

Pitch Week!

2009-04-22T19:31:52Z

We're half-way through Pitch Week. There's about 30 short film ideas being pitched, 10 of which will make it through to production next year.

So far there's about 5 shorts I really wouldn't mind working on for my second year, and a couple I would be very happy to be with.

Can you make sense of my notes? Neither can I. But the little squares on each line indicate scores for each film pitched so far.

Deadlines deadlines

2009-04-20T06:46:30Z

Well, lots of deadlines mean lots of pictures again, so here we go: My room at the parents place.

Deadlines also means another thing at the AIB: Pitch week! The aninmation course at the AIB has this funny thing where they run as a mini production house. Second years work on third year films, while second years pitch their future 3rd year film to the first years who vote on them. If you see what I mean.

So here we are, pitch week, where I as a first year get to listen to all those second years pitch movies at me. This could be interesting. I don't know. Whatever the case, whatever gets voted this week sets me up for next year. Here's hoping the ideas are quality.

----

Oh, and did I say Screenwipe I few weeks ago? I meant NEWSwipe.

Watch it. It is excellent.

Or if you're in the UK, catch it on the BBC page.

So

2009-04-18T06:01:56Z

Oh dear, can you tell I used the same perspective grid as my other one? Whoops.

And the lines behind the cut:

Hurrah for deadlines.

Design for fffffffffffff-

2009-04-16T05:38:27Z

Is that colour? I don't even

Design for layout Collumbus cabin. One night to deadline, one more layout to go.

lagthenoggin @ 2009-04-02T02:59:00

2009-04-02T02:08:23Z

The Wire is on BBC2, weekdays at 23:20 - Screenwipe is on BBC4, Wednesdays at 23:00

Hurrah for the two best things out of TV

Haha yes

2009-03-25T00:52:27Z

They're animating Apocalypse Meow, also known as Cat Shit One. I never thought I'd see the day...

---

Oh, and work's been cancelled this saturday so I'll be at The Webcomix Thing afterall.

Don't worry, my lens is smaller this year.

lagthenoggin @ 2009-03-24T00:31:00

2009-03-24T00:51:10Z

I won't be making the UK Webcomix Thing this year, sorry guys, no chap with funny hats pointing a lens in your face. I'll be doing 12 hour duty at the video rental shop in Twickenham, the one day I have work this year... Speaking of which, these are my customers:

Posting will be droppping slightly, I'll be busy with crunch time at school and all the tons of drawing animating and whatnot I have to do. Somehow this doesn't stop me pouring vast amounts of time into zombies and films though.

Slumdog Millionaire is overated.

Overated movies winning Academy Awards? Who would have thought.

viralls

2009-03-08T16:19:53Z

So if it's not me catching viruses and coughing up funny coloured goo, then it's my computer's turn instead. I managed to catch this nasty win32 virus from Anonib (the real /b/) and basically fucked all my shit up. When windows stops running Notepad or MSPaint you know it's time for a nuke.

So here I am! Back better than before with a new version of windows discount edition. Reformating and restarting sure aint as hard as it used to be, what with Steam holding all the games I need and Torrents doing the rest, life's so easy! Kids, in my day I'd be phoning friends on a land-line and begging for floppies.

Back to uploading the sketchbook gestures. I'll try spicing things up with animations sooooon

Please Say Something

2009-03-01T23:47:03Z

Please Say Something by David O'Reilly is finally finished and up to see. Be sure to have HD on and full-screen it.