And many thanks to Charlotte who edited my storyboards and explained the rule of thirds in further detail.
No sound yet. That has yet to be determined if it will exist. We’ll see.
Thanks to that empty studio on the second floor, I now have a decent space to shoot in that doesn’t require me to clean off my work table. That alone could take me an hour. I’m a tad messy.
And that’s it. I’m going back to work.
I have commandeered an empty studio on the second floor today. I’m going to be shooting my animations down there. Or at least for the next two weeks. I’ve been story-boarding them out, and we’ll see how far I get before I break something. I’ve also been putting the finishing touches on my box sculpture. Which is finishing the boxes for the t.v.’s and the boxes for the bases. And the bases are 18″ cubes.
There is a strong possibility that I will be putting stuff outside my studio. Be a dear and watch where you’re going. Thanks!
Here is another thing I had to make before continuing. Actually, two things. Out of wood. And metal. Not clay. That would be silly. One is a banding wheel and the other is a table for my throwing wheel. Making things to make things! Inception!
That’s it. I’ve got work to do.
I had a fantastic studio visit today with Nicole Gibbs. There was significant discussion about happenstance, chance and centrifugal force vs intent, narration and still lifes. We also talked about scale, albino boxes, the black tiles in the gallery, and architectural deities. She left me with a lot to think about going into my next sculpture. Which I will start very soon. Especially considering how much time is left. Dun dun dunnnnnnnn.
94 tiny boxes. They fit into three packing boxes. A huge undertaking and yet, it seems like I’ve barely done anything. That’s what I get for working so damn small.
This is a potential section of the sculpture. Now, if I have 94 small boxes, 6 big boxes, 4 sides to the sculpture, 2 short films to shoot, multiple short animations, 3D thinking, 0 sleep and a dirty chai, how much work can I get done before I start smelling colors and seeing sound? Word problems in math, the bane of every six-grader.
I’ll have some animations posted soon. I’m going to go find some food and get back to work. That’s it. Come back later.
It’s been a while, dear readers. Oops. There are a large amount of boxes just out of the kiln. They are sitting in my truck right now, waiting to be brought up stairs and animated. Boxes and boxes in boxes. Inception, hmm…
We started discussing our thesis papers last week in thesis, and I laughed when I started to write down my bibliography. A lot of my research is going to be short animated films, feature films and t.v. episodes, whether it’s stop motion or traditional. It all ties into my baseline theory of humor. My research is actually fun, getting to watch stuff rather than read. Though I am doing a bit of that as well, mostly comic books. Hahaha! Don’t worry, it will all come together. I’ll make it happen.
Sentient Tricksters.
I am starting my second sculpture and it’s going to be a round one. And I’m going to throw them. Similar idea for now: multiples of one. And the locking table leg hardware just came in the mail and now I can finish my throwing wheel stand. Yay! I get to spend a significant amount of time in Battelle tomorrow not on duty. If we had a miter lock bit my life would be that much easier, but alas, no such luck. I’ll have to make due with a dado blade and a rabbet bit. Woodworking lingo! Anyway, as for the animation on the second sculpture, I may do something a little different. Charlotte Belland told me about this company here in town that prints lenticular images. Remember those “hologram” images for when you were a kid that changed as you moved? It’s lenticular printing. Awesome. I’m thinking about it as a possible way to present my animation. The viewer would have to walk around the piece to see the animation. Hmmmm…
That’s it. I’m going to go work now.
BOXES! I’ve been trying to read a bit between making these things. It’s really hard not to get red iron oxide everywhere, including the books. Yay for Lava soap. Stuff’s amazing. Oddly enough, Rube Goldberg machines have come into my research. Not really sure why, but the humor and genius behind them is fascinating. Maybe it will lead to something later on…
But for now, I’m making metal things. Out of clay. Still.
Animations to come soon. Don’t panic.
These are the boxes that I have finished. There’s about 35. I didn’t actually count. Maybe later. Math, pbbbth.
T.V.’S! (damn you thrift store, why don’t these come with power cords?)
Pre-assembly as of this morning. There is enough material here to make another 25 boxes. I want to get these into the kiln before break begins. Here’s hoping. *clink*
I’ve found a new use for the FabLab: the ceramics spray booth. Making my life so much easier.
That’s it. I’m going to go work.
This morning I got to fly a drone. HA! I need a lot of practice, but it was so much fun. I also got to talk with Kevin Finisterre who taught the drone class this semester and hopefully I’ll get to build one with him soon. Yeah, I have no idea what I’ll do with it, other than to bother people and terrorize my cats, but technology and learning! Yay! Though if I build one and somehow manage to film something with it and turn that into stop-motion… mwahahaha!
The Rubidium Invasion. My contribution to the ROY G BIV Members’ Small Works show.
That’s it. Come back later.
Review: Thom Glick. Illustrator, animator, writer of The Giant.
There is something subtly disturbing about the illustrations of Thom Glick. One is not sure if it is the reoccurring appearance of a boston terrier, the numerous monsters that become nightmare fuel, or if it is the realization that not all the human figures have proper anatomy. Whatever the case, Thom Glick’s illustrations are humorous and disquieting all in one go.
Coming from a formal training in illustration, Thom has just begun to expand his skills and to experiment in the realm of animation. He has taken his drawing to a level of obsession, as it takes twenty-four drawings to make a second of animation. His end goal is to create a nine minute long animation. This requires an almost monastic commitment, as he is attempting this feat by himself and within nine months. Because of the time restraints, Thom’s drawings have taken on a much more unfinished look, being simplified by lack of color and minimal backgrounds. This austerity adds to the bleak and unresolved tales that he writes which are the roots for the animations.
He has also begun to write imaginative stories. Which is a large undertaking, since he only recently began to tell complicated fictions through his illustrations. He has written many narratives, each based in humanity, but having unobtainable hope and constant endurance as cornerstones.
Thom’s current story, the one he is painstakingly animating, is one concerned with the lonely trek of a woman who is following an unseen giant and attempting to get a clear picture of it with her camera, but failing. This is a tale of endurance, of an unobtainable obsession, of an unending cadence, and a mere moment in the long life and journey of this woman.
Fascinating, entertaining, depressing, and uncertain, this simple animated story is illustrated with the anatomy and humor that Thom has made his trademark. It promises to be an enthralling tale of the human condition.
To read Thom’s The Giant and to follow his animation process, his blog is: http://thomglick.blogspot.com or visit his website at www.thomglick.com
It’s been a while. This might be a long one, so bear with me.
I got the opportunity to assist Elizabeth Fergus-Jean install her show that’s in the Ross museum at Ohio Wesleyan University. It’s an amazing show. If you haven’t been, go. Now, you lazy bum. One third of the show is the installment of her boats in the main gallery. These are the infamous boats that I made over the course of the summer. Boats, boats, boats! And then due to poor storage, I had to fix several of them, but since I am amazing, it wasn’t that big of a deal. But it was quite the experience. And thanks to all of you who helped put it up. It looks awesome.
I also had my pentweekly visit with Malcolm, which went well; he emphasized that I need to be making more animations and I agreed. Damn you sleep! Who needs you?
And in our Professional Practices class, Melissa Vogley-Woods had us come up with 25 titles each for two pieces. Here goes:
And if you’re still with me, I’m still making, animating, and not sleeping. Trudged through the cold and snow a few times, drove the forklift around Battelle until I couldn’t feel my face, my prof from my undergrad left a note in my studio, and I am getting tired of ham sandwiches. Had an awesome meeting with Charlotte where I learned more about which computer to buy, how to defend the animations a little better and zebras. I tried to fix the ceramic dept.’s airspray gun, but it may be a lost cause. I am looking forward to baking bread for Thanksgiving. And today I learned a little bit more about AE. Thanks, Thom. Stay tuned next time for a post about Thom Glick!
So yesterday, I participated in an iron pour. Hot molten metal, sand and fire. Yay! This is just a small portion of the entire process, but as I was a fire-putter-outer, I don’t have a whole lot of pictures. Essentially, the cold iron was dumped in the top of this furnace and the molten iron was poured out into a super-heated crucible which was carried to the hook and tackle that allowed the pour team to carry and pour the metal into the molds that were lined up on a metal/ cinder block bench inside the building. Sometimes they missed and I was one of those who shoveled sand onto the molten metal that fell to the ground and the small fires that it started. I had fun. Don’t worry, I drank a glass of milk when I got home.
And then today, after my progress review with Ric, Carmen and Charlotte, which went really well, I got to meet this guy. Awesome.
I’m going to go work now.
amylewisoneword 