. : The Wind Whispers : .

Windmill Concept Art

Windmill Concept Art Cloth

Windmill Test Render (Work In Progress)

This is a scene I have just started working on in Maya. I wanted to create a very magical setting for this scene, lots of particles, glow effects with a focus towards a highly stylized composition. I have a vivid idea of what I want and have created the scene to feature as the main environment for a short film that I have been working on.

. : Plunger Gun : .

Plunger Gun Concept Art

Lens Sparkle

Beam Me Up

Batteries Not Included

The Plunger Gun is a tool used by a protagonist in a game concept, Intellectual Property of Jacob Pickering and Myself, called Wings. The idea behind the tool was the necessity for the protagonist to be able to access locations out of reach for the public. The plunger would fire from the shaft and once stuck to an object could then be used in conjunction with the fishing reel as a way to climb the heights of the city. The gun also has an optional battery insert to enable the motorised retrieval of the cord, making for an easier climb if one feels rather lethargic. The gun was modeled, textured and rendered in Autodesk's Maya with some slight colour adjustment and sparkle in Photoshop.

. : Maya Bouncing Ball : .

We were asked to create a believable bouncing ball as part of a project for university. I wanted to add a bit of character to mine so I combined techniques learned from Andy Wyatt in order to try and portray a believable bouncy ball with life-like traits. I utilized the use of anticipation before the jumps and overlap as he lands and added in a subtle slow pulsating squash and stretch to add a breathing mechanic and reinforce that believability and connection with the character.

The main premise for this piece was to enhance my animation skills, timing predominantly, and therefore not a lot of work has gone into the environment. To really bring this piece to life I shall be adding in sound and will post the results once completed.

. : Half Run Cycle : .

Here I created half of a run cycle based on techniques read about in Richard Williams' The Animator's Survival Kit.

. : Bouncing Balls : .

The above videos show my attempts at animating the difference between a heavy and a light ball as they hit the floor. I feel I should have added some more frames in order to show the balls coming to a halt but feel I have represented them accurately in the way that they are easily identifiable.

. : Art Practice : .

A few sketches using some different materials. I have been trying to get into a good habit of mixing up the tools I use to create my artwork. I am enjoying using chalk at the moment, it's very forgiving and is a great tool for shading.

. : Dino Morph : .

We were set the task to draw 12 images for inclusion within a combined group morph animation project. I feel I could have perhaps improved the animation by choosing some more extreme positions for the key frames, consequently improving the timing of the piece. I am, however, pleased with the final composition and will be using this technique as a basis for any future animations, I feel that it is a great way to test the dynamic of a concept.