been in the studio several hours a day during this spring break. funfun. not really LOL.

it's really hard being brave

quick thingy of bertie in photoshop before heading out for the day.

hi everybody, been a really long time since i last updated. i've blocked myself off of Tumblr starting today, so i won't be updating that either, haha. this film is really draining. mostly it's just trying to muster enough motivation/focus to get you through the day. today i learned a huge lesson about what not to do in green screening, and i sort of panicked, but first i'm going to sleep lol.

i wanted to share these little photos. my painting class assignment is to upload whatever you want to a japanese mobile photo app called "Pick," and it's like Instagram on steroids. the filters/stamp options are really fun, and you can really do a lot.

so here are some i've made. i really enjoy making them, it's quick, and it's a nice distraction from my film. (sh). i find organizing visual elements really fun to do, like putting an outfit together, coordinating a visual space, etc.

all taken on my iPhone, and manipulated in the app, "Pick."

ok, ok. i still haven't put up an update on my film, mostly because i'm busy, and also because i've been posting small updates on my art tumblr. (floatingdoor.tumblr.com)  hoping to get to it on the weekend, because a lot has been going on. as least i feel like a lot has been going on HAHA. ...sigh...

BUT i've been doing small doodles and stuff, and since there aren't that many, i'll post them here ^^ also some snapshots of bertie and old bertie in the meanwhile.

yes, i reread "where the wild things are" recently. haha.

been using pastels a lot recently

my ink brush pen was drying out...

and then i bought another cartridge~

bertie 1.0 versus bertie 2.0

i have to say, the ball and socket armature is really nice to work with. especially the arm movements.

i guess i'd say the same for the legs, but his legs are so short on top of needing to have stiffer joints on the bottom, so. 

Happy Valentine's Day

I have a lot to update about my film, but today is Valentine's Day, so here is just a doodle. Everyone, eat lots of chocolate!

finished felting Bertie, began making his new camera today. you can see old bertie in the background of the first photo, haha. i suppose i should take a proper comparison picture.

just a sketch. my teachers kept asking me if i didn't think the camera should have magical properties, so i drew him reaching into the camera, perhaps he'd store things in there. but i think the camera is just a camera, and that is how he carries it with him.

puppet photo dump: Bertie 2.0

i've been trying to put photos of my puppet's progress on my tumblr account more often, and i just realized that i haven't put any of Bertie 2.0's photos on my preferred site, blogger. shame on me! he's going really well, though very slowly (of course).
so here's the work i've been doing for the past 2 weeks:

 (his head is mostly balsa wood, but the face is sculpted magic-sculpt. shape of the head, very important. which i learned the first time around because his profile was particularly unattractive lol)

(his head before it was fully refined/sanded)

~foam

 (see? nice profile ^^)

embedding a small hex nut into his hand so i can secure a little camera to it while shooting

 and finally, this is where i am right now.

today i finished the painting! looks a lot nicer than Bertie 1.0, doesn't it, haha. anxious to get started on the felting, because i'm probably about 3 days behind schedule right now, on top of being on a pretty rushed schedule. 

he won't look permanently surprised in the film. i'll be using clay+sculpey+wax mix to make animatable eyelids, like last time, haha. avoiding that part for now since it'll just get dirty, anyway. 

his left eye doesn't move very well...i've learned my lesson, lol (embedded the eyeballs in a very hard, air-drying material. not such a good idea). if i make another puppet after i graduate that needs moving eyes....must definitely have soft eye sockets. i avoided trying silicon sockets because i had never made a mold or casted anything before, and i thought that would be an extra week of testing...an extra week i didn't have. but since the function is really important, it would probably have been worth putting in the time, lol.

hindsight...so clear. hope everyone is staying warm! gonna be freezing in new england the next few days. like a high of 20 degrees F freezing, lol.

worryworry

i think the guest lecturer really scared me today. he was really great, but amped up my already-high anxiety levels about post-graduation to like...level 500. especially because he was really knowledgeable about the stop motion industry/community.
and i've been thinking recently about how i've always wanted to do what i want to do, because now, i can. and the greatest freedom is to make your own work.
i guess it becomes a tricky balance of needs/wants/stubbornness/ambition. how far you're willing to compromise comfort for the sake of keeping your soul happy.

anyways, before i get any more emo (LOL), i couldn't sleep, so i drew this. emo thing. pardon my brain, lol.

on a happier note, my senior film is coming along really well! i've been trying really hard to be honest with myself, and i think it's paying off.

zzzz~