This latest edition of the
Computer Animation Arts PWTM is best enjoyed while snacking on the dribs and drabs of your bumper tin of
Quality Street, washed down with a good glug of Alka-Selzter. By now, you're feeling a bit worse for wear and your Christmas tree is looking sad, so let this little lot vivify your spirits - a bumper-sized selection box of the non-chocolate variety. No cold cuts here, ladies and gents, just fresh new work from fresh new talent.
Let's start with the end; the end of the last term, that is, which saw our newest recruits complete their debut digital sets; fantastical cityscapes inspired by some unlikely artistic collaborations.
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| Original concept art |
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| Digital set pipeline |
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| Final render |
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| Original concept art |
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| Digital set pipeline |
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| Final render |
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| Original concept art |
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| Matte painting |
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| Final render |
Kayleigh Anderson -
The City Of Traraum - inspired by Max Ernst
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| Original concept art |
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| Final render |
Sankavy Balasingam -
The City Of Naumo Gabo - inspired by Naum Gabo
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| Original concept art |
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| Final render |
Dan Harrington -
The City Of Delauney - inspired by Robert Delauney
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| Original concept art |
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| Final render |
Mailin Berg -
The City Of Kandinsky - inspired by Wassily Kandinsky
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| Original concept art |
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| Final render |
Mark Stamp -
The City Of Yiquanhuabanliuyu - inspired by Philip Treacy
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| Star Hall Orthographic |
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| Final render |
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| Final render |
Chelsea Butler -
The City Of Amplexus, inspired by Richard Deacon
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| Developmental thumbnails |
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| Final render |
Max Ashby -
The City Of West Mirosian, inspired by Joan Miro
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| Original concept art |
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| Production art (key assets) |
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| Production art (key assets) |
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| Production art (key assets) |
For our year 2 students, the end of last term concluded a particularly challenging studio project requiring them to collaborate on the production of a one-minute animation. In many ways, the lessons imparted by this project are not always as obvious as an improved workflow or an engagingly animated cast of characters; a group project imparts its wisdoms through its inevitable inter-personal frustrations, creative compromises and deft negotiations.
Patient Zero - Josh, Tom & Hannah @
Hidden Studios
Patient Zero - Art Of
Pine Dining - Ant, Ruby & Candice @
Blind Badger Studios (Art Of)
Bon Appetit - Adam, Danny & Sukhi @
Screw Loose Productions (Art Of)
Our year 3 students will have had a rather compromised Christmas and New Year, as they're busing working on the double-whammy of their minor project and dissertation - both due in January! Don't be fooled by the preponderance of grey in the following images; what you're looking at is something pretty thrilling; bespoke 3D models, crafted lovingly and painstakingly from polygons, derived from original production art. The next time I share these assets with you, they'll be rigged, skinned, fully textured and ready to perform...
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| Albert Alberstine character orthographie 1 |
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| Albert Alberstine orthographic 2 |
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| Lucille orthographic 1 |
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| Lucille orthographic 2 |
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| Warrior & Morrigan expression sheet |
Warrior expression test
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| Modelling the rubber chicken 1 |
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| Modelling the rubber chicken 2 |
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| Rubber chicken completed |
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| Rubber chicken UV mapped |
Rubber chicken skinning test
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| The Erl-King - Samantha Niemczyk |
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| The Erl-King hands - Samantha Niemczyk |
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| The Erl-King - Samantha Niemczyk |
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| The Erl-King - Samantha Niemczyk |
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| Rigging the Erl-King's neck & spine - Samantha Niemczyk |
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| Rigging the Erl-King's hands & fingers - Samantha Niemczyk |
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| Modelling the horse - Peta-Gaye Brown |
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| Horse completed - Peta-Gaye Brown |
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| The Horse: UV and Rigging Progression - Peta-Gaye Brown |
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| The horse: body rig completed - Peta-Gaye Brown |
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| 'Bob' as orthographic |
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| 'Bob' as Maya model |
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| 'Bob' as Maya model continued. |
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| 'Big' finished Maya model 1 |
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| 'Big' finished Maya model 2 |
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| Franklin character sheet (final Franklin on far right) |
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| Franklin modelled |
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| Koi Carp UV mapped |
Koi Carp skinning test
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| 'The Father' modelled |
'The Father' - Rigging Test Animation
New Designers is a big part of the continuing success story of
Computer Animation Arts, and putting on
award-winning exhibitions of graduate animation at the
Business Design Centre, Islington, London is no small undertaking. Quite apart from the designing of the stand - and all the white van action that inevitably follows - it's up to our community to raise funds in support of our annual stints at
New Designers. The
Computer Animation Arts Tombola Of Dreams is one such way in which we work together to grease the wheels of graduate success - a termly prize draw (with a real tombola!), which sees our students and alumni in with the chance to win some amazing prizes. Up for grabs this time was original signed artwork by comic book artist,
Laurence Campbell, IClone animation software donated by
Reallusion, a 12 month subscription to
Digital Tutors, 2 weeks work experience at
Dovetail Games, and a Cintiq 13HD! The
prize draw took place on Friday December 12th, and raised a whopping £1,180. Congratulations to all our winners (for CAA Yr 3 Emily Clarkson Christmas came early when she claimed the Cintiq!), huge thanks to all those who donated prizes, and thanks to everyone who bought a ticket. We can't do the things we do without your support and generosity!
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| Tombola Of Dreams 2014 Prize Draw, Computer Animation Arts Baseroom, December 14th |
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| Course leader (in Christmas tree hat) assisted by Anita 'Class of 2014' Gill and Yr 3 student, George Hind |
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| Comic book artist Laurence Campbell's signed The Punisher panels raffled off to raise funds for New Designers 2015 |
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| Year 3 student, Emily Clarkson (middle) wins the Cintiq 13HD! |
On January 15th in Amiens, France, an extraordinary performance of Benjamin Britten's
Noye's Fludde will take place at the
Cirque Jules Verne. The performance is a collaboration between
Computer Animation Arts,
Creative Arts For Theatre & Film,
Orchestre de Picardie, and light artist,
Tine Bech, plus school children from a number of French and English schools. We were challenged to devise a series of kinetic props - a pop-up sun, moon, and stars, plus Noah's ark itself, and a very large fold-out rainbow! CAA graduate
Ethan Shilling first simulated the functionality of the various props as computer animations, and then we worked with kite-maker,
Karl Longbottom, who is fabricating the props from fabric in his studio in Herefordshire.
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| Cirque Jules Verne, Amiens, France |
Original 'Rainbow' simulation
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| Kite-maker, Karl Longbottom with our Noye's Fludde fold-out rainbow! |
We'll be travelling out to Amiens for rehearsals and for the performance of
Noye's Fludde, and CAA grad,
filmmaker,
photographer and all round good egg,
Tom Beg is coming out with us to chronicle the event via his medium format camera. We'll be sharing our experiences of the production here on the group blog, so keep your eyes peeled for updates on our latest avant-garde, interdisciplinary adventure across the channel.
The Final Word...
“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.
Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.
So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.
Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.
Make your mistakes, next year and forever.”
Neil Gaiman
CAA's first rubber chicken skin test! :P
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