Computer Animation Arts

Peter Ellenshaw - Matte Painter and VFX Pioneer (Documentary) by VFX Geek Peter Ellensaw started work at Walt Disney Studios beginning with their first completely live action feature film, Treasure Island (1950). He went on to work on 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (1954) and Mary Poppins (1964), for which he won an Academy Award. He retired after his work on The Black Hole (1979), but contributed matte paintings for Dick Tracy (1990). His son Harrison is also an Academy Award-winning effects designer. After Peter Ellenshaw retired from the film business, he dedicated his life to his passion for painting. Numerous works were created, of both Disney and non-Disney themed subjects, which have been highly collected. He was named a Disney Legend in 1993.

"What is UPA Style?" United Productions of America, better known as UPA, was an American animation studio active from the 1940s through the 1970s. UPA pioneered the technique of limited animation. Although this style of animation came to be widely used in the 1960s and 1970s as a cost-cutting measure, it was originally intended as a stylistic alternative to the growing trend (particularly at Disney) of recreating cinematic realism in animated films. The three films below by the Royal Ocean Film Society explores the world, the style, and rise and fall or UPA. Not to mention its lasting impact on animation and character design.

"All 50+ Adobe Apps Explained in 10 Minutes" by Humtog "Adobe makes so many software that it can be quite overwhelming for even a professional to understand what each one is used for. Many people who are new to this have confusing questions regarding similar apps like "what is difference between after effects and premier pro" or "What is the difference between Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom and Bridge". So, I made this video to quickly give you an overview of all adobe products as I couldn’t find a similar guide anywhere else, not even in Adobe’s own website. I hope it helps anyone entering the creative fields to get a sense of different apps. - Humtog"

"Drawing Hands Detached from the Body" by Aaron Blaise Sometimes coming up with a clear character pose is difficult. Here is a trick to help you find your poses more quickly. Leave the arms off! Taken from his Youtube profile ( The Art of Aaron Blaise ) - "Aaron Blaise is an animation feature film director and wildlife artist. For 21 years Aaron worked with Disney helping to create some of the greatest animated films ever made. During that time he worked as an animator or supervising animator on "The Rescuers Down Under", "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin", "The Lion King", "Pocahontas", "Mulan" and more. In 2003 he was co-director of "Brother Bear" for which he earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature Film. After "Brother Bear" he helped to develop several projects but ultimately left Disney to pursue an opportunity back home in Florida. Aaron recently served as 2D Anim...

This little 'making of' really conveys the importance of creativity, playfulness, adaptation and thinking practically when it comes to designing solutions to problems. Star Trek Into Darkness Title Design from Andrew Kramer on Vimeo .

Watch this lovely short film about rustic automata designer/maker, Blair Somerville, and ache for a simpler life... Lost & Found from Joey Bania on Vimeo .

www.northern-studios.com/uv-grid-for-beginners/ A great tutorial for creating your own fully customised UV Grid within Adobe Photoshop, useful for anyone wanting to add that extra bit of branded pizazz to their Maya work :)

I can see the Year 2s are busy with their character project which got me thinking about my struggles during the project with posing my characters. When posing characters the best reference to use is yourself. It was only at the end of my second year I actually took my tutors advice and took photographs of myself posing as my character, as no one knows your character better than you do. But of course there comes a time when you can't use yourself  as a reference as your character has more limbs than you or is a much greater/younger age this is when you need the right pose... As animators we know all the different types of curves (S.C and reverse) that an 'effective pose' possesses so search for the right stock and dynamic pose and don't settle for a standing pose. Below are some stocks I use when I can't use myself for posing (yes they're from DeviantArt *gasps*) - Senshi Stock : Mostly female with male poses, good for action and weapons wie...