Computer Animation: Bar Model -Post 2-

So many little items, so many...

     So I've been working all weekend on my environment, I want to get it done by this weekend because I need to work on my video self portrait next weekend. It is frustrating that they are due at the same time. I struggled a lot with the pool table, trying to get all the holes right. Well without further-a-due I give you my progress shots!

Bar view of liquor cabinet 

Liquor cabinet

Pool Room

Table condiments

     So, I still have a lot on my list to model, A LOT!. My current number is 23, but that does not include, door frames windows and wall detailing like wood paneling. Needless to say this is going to be a big week for me, because I have to finish modeling the bar, start and finish my Video project, and come up with a great project idea! On a side note, I'm getting really frustrated with coming up with big project idea, because all the ideas I keep coming up with are way too big and I have no idea how to do them. So, I think it is going to be a stop motion piece, but I need to come up with a concept/story for it.

Thanks for reading,
     MELANIE S. MESCHER

Cell Phone

Practice may be paying off...

    In my Computer Animation class we had to model a cell-phone. Unfortunately we could not use our own cell which is a touch screen with 3 buttons. This assignment was both hard an easy. It was hard because I had to re-do it 5 times until I figured it out. When I finally did figure it out, modeling the cellphone was really easy. I learned a lot about edge flow and separating the model into different pieces. 

      I finished last week, but I kept forgetting to post it up here. I'm actually pretty proud of it, and I hope it is showing that I have promise, because this was my 4th week working with Maya. 

Thank you for reading,

   MELANIE S. MESCHER

Computer Animation: Bar Model -Post 1-

References...

     In my computer animation our next project is to model an environment, and I chose to do my parents' Bar, The Keyhole. The link is to their website, but the pictures are not accurate at the time. Anyway, I wanted a challenge, so I thought I'd do the whole bar, where people eat. I'm not going to add the kitchen, the office, or the bathrooms. 

Here are some reference images:

I've already started modeling some of the parts of this piece. 

        I still have a lot to do, but it is coming together. I threw the bar's walls together quickly, so they probably won't stay like that, i just wanted to have an idea on what was happening.

Thanks for reading,

      MELANIE S. MESCHER

Project Hiroshi Hayakawa -Post 5-

Final...

     

      Okay, I finished the three characters I set out to do. I thought about doing another one, but I didn't have time. It was my first time using Sculpey, and I think I did a pretty good job. I really enjoyed doing this project, and I really learned a lot from it. So Enjoy.

Here are some individual shots of the pets.

Pepper

Shadow

Rudy

   Here are some shot of them with themselves. 

Thanks for reading,

     MELANIE S. MESCHER

Project Hiroshi Hayakawa -Post 4-

Complete 180...

Rudy

     I completely 180'ed my project. Last week I had decided I was going to do the Victorian time idea, but I had a euphoria moment. I want to do the pet idea, but instead of drawing them in an environment I'm going to sculpt them! Personally, I love sculpting and am so excited about this project now. 

     Honestly, if I could just sculpt all day, I'd be the happiest person ever. Anyway for the project so far I only have one of the three I'm going to sculpt, finished. Of course it's Rudy, because he's my oldest dog (16) so he gets to go first. 

      Also I wanted to mention that this is my first time using Sculpey, I can see why people use it a lot. It has a lot of pros and cons. The fact that it doesn't dry is really nice, but also a curse because it messes and imprints so easily. But the post-sculpting part is so much easier than stoneware or any other kiln type clay.

Final Pallet 

Thanks for reading,

     MELANIE S. MESCHER

First few attempts at maya.

 Scary Stuff...

   I really do not want to show these sad attempts at modeling, but I figured it would be a good practice to show where my skills set start. Maybe if I learn quickly it'll show how I quickly I can learn something and improve myself. 3D modeling is really where I want to go with my artwork. I am fascinated by the modeling I see people do, and I want to achieve that level of skill. I took ceramics a couple years ago, to understand the 3D space with my own hands. 

   Well anyway here is my modeling I have done the last 3 weeks, the first few times I have touched the program. 

This one is the most painful to look at. I created it the first class, without having any clue on what was going on.

  

After I Learned a small amount more I created this house, which is marginally better than the first. 

Here is my most recent creation, an office chair. There were many challenges with this one, but as you can see I managed to complete it.

   Currently I am working on modeling a cellphone. And I have to give coaching credit to Kevin Harkness, because without him in my class I would be drowning in Maya confusion. So thanks Kevin! 

Thanks for reading,

   MELANIE S. MESCHER

Project Hiroshi Hayakawa -Post 3-

Color Pallets

Pet Comedy

     

       For my pet idea, I created 3 different pallets that would work with all the different pets for the comedy. I tried to get it all in one pallet, but I couldn't since there are different animals. I have given some thought about what kind of "environment" the pets would be in, and I came to the conclusion between Tom & Jerry and Simon's cat. Where the pets are mean to each other in a cat and mouse way. 

Victorian Life

  

       For the Victorian life idea, I narrowed it down to two different pallets. I only want to use one, but i couldn't decided between the two. I like the top one the most personally, but I feel like the bottom one is more Victorian colors. Also I re-drew my character contracts, trying to use "my biggest brush first". 

    I'm thinking of adding two more male characters, it would be the owl girl's father and another suitor that she prefers to the snob shown.

Thanks for reading,
   MELANIE S. MESCHER

Boba Fett

Improving My Skills Continued...    

     As you can see I finished Boba Fett. I was thinking of keeping him in black and white. but he looks so much better in color. Also, I have to admit that I use an overlay layer to create the color. So basically I shade the whole piece in black and white, then create a new layer where I "color in" the figure and it creates this rugged dark colored look. This technique definitely would not work for a a portrait of someone, or even a happy piece, but since Boba Fett is a bad guy the look suits him. Also this is a desktop background I created for Zak, as you'll be able to see in the first progress shot.

Progress shots for Boba Fett.

Thanks for reading,

   MELANIE S. MESCHER    

Improving my Skills.

Photoshop

   Over the summer I realized that I really needed to work on my photoshop painting skills. I figured I'd show some of that on here, and what I've been currently been working on.

   Before I really thought about how to improve my skills, I created a piece to see where my current skills are.

   Within a week, I had already improved my skills greatly. The main reason my skill improved greatly is because I started using reference photos.

    As you can see my skill really increased, after deciding to use references. Currently I am working on Boba Fett, from star wars. I have not decided if I want to color it or not, but here is the work-in-progress.

    I'm going to start working on this some more, because I've been neglecting it for a few weeks now. I really want to finish it because I feel as if it is my best yet. 

Thanks for reading,

  MELANIE S. Mescher

Project Hiroshi Hayakawa -Post 2-

Pictures & Sketches

   My first idea as said in my last post was to make my pets into cute characters, to be used in a humorous fashion like Simon Tofield does in his shorts Simon's Cat. 

   So I took Pictures of all the animals I would like to draw, and for this post I drew out three of them.

Rudy

Pepper (Fat Cat)

Shadow

   I also did a color study of Rudy, mainly because I bought a pack of prismacolor markers.

Here are the other animals I am thinking of drawing, I just haven't decided if I want to yet.

Frickle

Zury

Rascals

     

  For my second idea, I really couldn't take my own pictures, so instead I looked up on google different victorian clothes and hairdos to get an idea of what I want my drawings to look like. I'm not going for anything historically accurate, I just want to get a feel for the era.

The Victorian era of British History was the period of  Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The Victorian Era style of clothing, however, ended in 1912. ^[1] It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence for Britain. Some scholars date the beginning of the period in terms of sensibilities and political concerns to the passage of the Reform Act 1832.

Here are the sketches and Ideas I came up with.

        These are very rough, because I didn't have someone I was trying to create into a character like with the animals, so I sketched till someone appeared. For example on the maid the bottom of her nose originally was going to be the chin, but it turned out to be her nose. 

Thanks for reading,
 MELANIE S. MESCHER