Thursday, 27 October 2016

Who am I? Why am I here? What do I want to learn?





Why you chose to study on this programme?
·       Watching animations always calm me, and despite feeling at ease and loving every process of making one, the nature of the course is always challenging and throws problems in the way.
·       I enjoyed and took to A Level graphics well, the projects with character rather than standard branding. I think this led me to find an appreciation for characters and a yearning for something more, to make the characters move. I always found myself leaning towards concepts and plots which is more viable in animation.
·       It excites me that animation may offer wider job prospects in that there is storyboarding; gaming; character and concept design amongst its opportunities so there’s no pressure to be tied down by one.
·       The course nurtures many skills: communication, critical analysis, drawing and design, teamwork, storytelling and understanding of filmography and software. I much prefer this studio environment where discussion is encouraged.
·       There are many routes amongst animation to take, be it traditional 2D, digitial 2D or 3D; you can find which best suits you creatively whilst testing without there being pressure of a house style.

What do you want to learn during your time on the programme?
·       I definitely want to master the art of timing; getting a solid understanding of the principles of animation, starting with hand drawn.
·       Understanding how to incorporate moving foregrounds and backgrounds- whether this is in editing or can be done during the process digitally I don’t know?
·       To be clear on movement, colours, everything behind successful character design.
·       At least the basic ins and outs of 2D hand drawn, digital; 3D digital and Stop motion.
·       How to make a success of the less considered steps before and after the final animation: storyboards, animatics, sound, editing etc.

What skills do you think are your strengths?
·       I like to be organised with my work load and try to manage my time most effectively for briefs and deadlines.
·       Although not outstanding, I have a decent standard of drawing to start me off for the course.
·       I never really struggle to think of ideas (whether they’re considered bad or good I don’t know). I love finding a conceptual base to my animations or a more basic narrative- as long as there’s a drive.
·       I don’t have “my thing yet”, I don’t specialise in any particular style or animation which leaves me to be very open minded to trying new techniques and ideas.
·       Happy to work within groups; I thrive much more on discussion of ideas and techniques, I find critiques very helpful.

What things do you want to improve?
·       I desperately want and need to improve my skills on my drawing tablet (my work is as good as a hedgehog holding a pen in its mouth and attempting a self portrait).
·       2D stop motion timing- I have tried silhouette work and paper cut outs in the past and a lot of work needs to be done on making smoother movement.
·       To stop comparing myself to peers and well established artist; to have more self assurance in my own work and ideas.
·       Drawing the human body, whether this be realistic or in a cartoon style- I want to have a full understanding of the body and is movements to be able to draw without reference.
·       Using software at a higher level; specifically those for editing or assisting 2D digital animation.

What ways you will evaluate your progress?
·       Keeping 2D pieces (digital or traditional) in order to compare past and most recent attempts at redrawing pieces, or similar pieces.
·       I could try to frequently make short (seconds) animations to quickly practice techniques and be able to visibly compare any progress.
·       Drawing skill- I could challenge myself to speed drawings or drawing under different timings to check if my confidence and competence has improved.
·       Maintain a journal/blog to keep an assessment of feelings towards techniques, skills, projects and progress.
·       Absorbing all evaluations I can from peer and tutor critiques, applying said improvements to future work and noting whether these issues crop again.






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