Making of ‘Milk’ – Lighting the Waves from Florian Witzel on Vimeo.
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“The Music Scene” from Anthony Francisco Schepperd on Vimeo.
Thanks to Rachit for this killer link!
Some are familiar with the Fibonacci sequence, but if you’re not, I can’t think of a better example of it’s existence in nature.
Was reminded of this, when I heard it quoted in some music recently.
It’s probably Bruce’s most memorable quote is , “Do not concentrate on the finger or you will miss all of the heavenly glory!”
BlacKKawaru summaries it perfectly with,
“It means that you should focus on the meanings behind action and not the actions themselves.
If someone is pointing to the moon and you focus on the finger, you do not see the moon.
If the instruction is to kick with emotion and you focus on the command, you are listening to the instruction, not improving your kick.
Even if your kick gets stronger (i.e. through anger) it will not become better.”
Who’s wants to go mountain lion hunting with me?
The last few weeks have had me cooking again. It was easy to break the habit of going out to eat, especially since there is no tempting selection of restaurants around the corner.
Curried Mushrooms
I don’t pressure myself to make something extravagant every time I cook, but I allow for a LITTLE extra time, to make it different (hopefully better). I look in the fridge, check the cupboards, then just try to put something together. If my mind is blank, there’s the cook book AND the internet. Sometimes I spend 2 hours cooking, sometimes 20 minutes.
In a field where complex variables are changing constantly, it’s healthy for me to be able to focus no simple tasks… that are not on a computer screen. I love cooking and I regret my phases where I stop. Too many distractions that led to too many excuses.
Soooo….
Today’s meal is a vegetarian stuffed cabbage. 1 package of spiced tofu (tofurky!) w/ 1 cup basmatti rice, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 onion and chopped tomatoes. Roll this up in some blanched cabbage leaves and put into a deep baking tray with about 3-4 cups of tomato sauce. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for a little over 1/2 an hour (when the sauce is bubbling). In my case, it took almost an hour, because I used a casserole dish.
Mark (who’s working on the house) was my test subject… and he liked it! Best part is, he didn’t even know there there was no meat.
What’s on the menu tonight? A beer.
Tomorrow… hmm… leftovers.
- Sleep walking stop motion. [thx Cecilia] : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY #
- Kickin ass 2D style in Versus. [thx Sreejit]: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Hm3UjL9kZc #
Friday morning was an early morning, despite having gone to bed at 3:30am. Toy Story 3 was good. Simple & sweet… as expected. I have yet to be disappointed. Thank you Pixar.
Friday night I was determined to go out dancing. Though I’d prefer not to go dancing alone… well… it was time to use my car for some downtown exploration. I took a 90 minute nap in the evening and then head towards downtown.
I ended up on Capitol Hill (where I took a picture so I would remember where I parked).
I walked around for a little while, stopping into an art gallery that was hosting an art show opening. The hip-hop tunes and crowd standing outside were what caught my attention. Familiar artsy crowd and nice beats. I spent a little time there before continuing on.
I walked all the way up the hill before asking someone where The Baltic Room was. He told me that it was, “back down at the bottom of the hill… and one more street up.” Doh! I was on the wrong street.
On the way back down the hill I met “J”. Our conversation was priceless. We ended up walking around talking for over an hour, before being led back to The Baltic Room. I bought a round of drinks and we hit the dance floor. Later in the night some guys showed up that had some great dance moves. The floor was packed and everyone was going nuts till 2am.
My head was distracted earlier in the night, but the dancing brought me back into the moment. Even got some dance tips, which included, “I love your style… but you should slow down. Focus on every other beat.” Slow down. Such a nice coincidence that brings me around, full circle. So much time spent locked into the details, missing the bigger picture. Somewhere during the last 3 years I tripped off my path.
Simplicity, patience, positive intentions & determination. These core elements, in the right balance, are amazingly powerful. Keeping things simple has always helped me see the bigger picture, but only when I am patient. Determination has helped me work through the hardest challenges, but if I’m not patient, then I tend to lose my intension. Seems complicated… but it’s simple… SLOW DOWN (again). I did it 7 years ago when you decided to move into a creative field, but then I got pulled into the world of tech support. At least this time, I remember how… and it’s working.
“Slowing down”, is why I’m here. Only through slowing down can we see the big picture. My eyes are open… as is my heart. I’m aware of my intentions and there are no more excuses to hold me back. I have bought myself some time, so I must use it wisely. I know what I will be doing and, most importantly, I know HOW and WHY.
I have been aware that something was missing and I have been searching for what it might be. Lost in all the overlapping challenges, with no break. The funny part is that it was me that was missing. A wise man once said, “You can’t save the world till you find yourself.” How true… how very, very true.
Now I understand why so many artists take long vacations between jobs. Unfortunately, my situation never allowed for it… till now.
I remember you… you are Jeremy, right? Glad you stayed in touch, I’m looking forward to seeing what you will build out of this chaos.
This posts seems a little too emotional for a “Night Out” posting… but it was a hell of a night. It’s been a hell of a week. Shit… it’s been a hell of an hour!! However, if you’re read this far then I should reward you with something a little lighter… especially considering how AWESOMENESS the night was. The most interesting part… I present to you, the tree biting girl! One night only.
Last week I spent some time in Vancouver. An important trip, to say the least… and I got tons of great photos. Unfortunately, I left my drive back in Vancouver, so I only have the photos from the end of the trip.
Here’s a couple I took while walking with Angus to and from Commercial drive.
Who goes to see a midnight sneak showing of a 3D animated family movie?
Me, myself and I.
I was just driving around and saw the midnight showing. I couldn’t resist. Can Pixar do 3 in a row? I’m think so.
I just returned from a week trip to Vancouver. The house was being worked on (painting, etc). I bought a car ($1800 SAAB), so it was time for a Vancouver road trip. The 3 hour trip was smooth and sunny. On the way back down, I noticed a familiar shape being pulled up Interstate 5.
Checkout the video.
Thomas the Tank Engine on Interstate 5 from verbal007 on Vimeo.
- Underwater fall into into the abyss… while holding his breath? [thx Hans] : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQITWbAaDx0 #
I took my camera to Rodondo Beach today to watch the sun set over Puget Sound.
Walking out on the peer, there were musicians playing and others singing along. I have a suspicion that they were a church group, but the singing was relaxed and the acoustic guitar added to the atmosphere.
I spoke to a random woman named Tammy, who was married to a man who worked on oil rig components. She had some beautiful ways to describe the magic of the sunset and the clouds… and she caught me in just the right state of mind to absorb it all.
The clouds slowly crept in as the sun set, but luckily this first photo captured the setting before it became too dark. Will remember the tripod for next time.
The area that I am currently staying is a part of the Fenwick watershed, where all the water flows downhill to Lake Fenwick. Yesterday I took advantage of the incredible weather and went for a short drive. The park is larger than I expected, and I didn’t get to see all of it… but I will return!
Both the pictures were taken using my left eye (I am usually a righty), which seemed to help me frame the shots a little better than usual.
On a side note… I think I’m being stalked by a squirrel.
Travis recommended I try this drawing exercise, where you quickly sketch the light values of shots in a movie. Pick a movie (he picked Orson Well’s “Jane Eyre”). We then found shots that were interesting and paused the movie. Finally, we spend a minute or two (less time the better) and just blob down the values. This also really helps get a feel for composition.
I remember Matt telling me how to better balance my line weights and get good values in my drawings by squinting.
This was a great exercise that gives me a greater appreciation for lighting composition, especially black & white film.
Here’s the two pages that I sketched out. See if you can find the following 2 shots in my two pages of sketches.
- If anyone has any interest in Plastic Animation Paper… I say "Buy It", and tell them my Gmail account, when asked for a referral. 😛 #
- Richard Williams updated his book "Animator's Survival Kit" into an expanded edition: http://ur1.ca/044wl #
- Have a non-looping animated gif that you want to replay when you refresh the browser? Don't expect it to work in Firefox. MUST I use Flash? #
The rain is starting to get to me. Luckily, I have a rain coat, so I can still go for walks… but it would be nice to see a little light when I’m out.
Looking at getting a cheap car so that I can get out of here and see some more of the state. Originally a VW Golf… but now I’m looking at a Jetta. Little stylish, great gas mileage and just enough style.
Leaving for Vancouver for the weekend in a few minutes… but wanted to first do a quick update and dump a quick doodle online.
Come back Sun… you’ve been missed.
Lines to Blog from verbal007 on Vimeo.
This week we were kickin butt. We start every day at around 9:30 and continue on to around 6pm, with breaks in between. Travis was teaching me some tips about drafting (draw from the elbow!) and complimentary colors. It seems I’ve missed out on a few things by not attending art school.
Our workstations are lean, mean and… clean!! The clutter has been reduced significantly, which has helped our focus (and will probably set Cecilia at ease). He have some a little furniture, but a couch will help fill everything out.
We spent most of the week building a character and R&Ding new rigging components. I have been spending a little time in Maya and Houdini, as well as drawing little doodle animations in Plastic Animation Paper.
It has been raining like mad the last week and a half. Apparently, the weather in Vancouver hasn’t been much better. I suppose this gives me plenty of time to get some stuff done, though dancing around the living room isn’t the best way to get my exercise. Though, I have to admit that I do love living in a house again.
Working at home has its advantages. There is a lot of stuff to absorb and there was a little bit of push to get this character completed, so we decided to take yesterday off to recharge.
Tomorrow I head to Vancouver for the weekend…
Now if only this weather would let up!!!
- Pacman in Javascript? Nice one google. #
- A work safe music video with lots of.. cowbell? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6FVlfOgTo8 [via Bruce] #
A friend dropped off all this chocolate. It’s almost sad that no one is around to help me eat all the chocolate…
…almost.
Hope your trip is going well. 😉
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