IN PROGRESS: Balloon Cat - Revised Space

So, I wasn't happy with the previous Maya renders (as if it wasn't made clear in the last post), however, I hacen't given up the ghost yet. I decided to go back and remodel and stage everything, this time using paint effects and minimal lighting to try and achieve the look I'm after. Below is the result:

Already, this is a stark improvement over what came before. Some more tweaks are needed (for example, the stars a a bit too large) but it's definitely a step in the proper direction.  I figure, in terms of textures on the planets, I can craft something in Photoshop that I can map onto the Maya polygons that would help blend them in with my visual aesthetic. Also, when exporting the scenes for compositing, If I render them in layers, that would give me more control over individual tweaks I may need to make down the line. While playing with the lights, I got to experiment a bit with leaving the objects in the dark. When I turned the light off, I was presented with a scene that had some dark, almost cloaked objects, that helped break up some of the negative space in the shot. It was a nice little discovery (even if it is a bit obvious) that will benefit me later on when staging the shots leading up to the black hole.

The next thing that I need to focus on is getting the framing of the shots solidified. I have to take into account the cat's coloring and be attentive to his fading into the background textures. Some of this could be solved by decreasing the size of the stars, overall, but it will, probably, still take some figuring out. Wide shots are going to be a key aspect to some of these space scenes, however, they won't work if the cat blends in too much. So, I'm really going to have to nail this staging before I can proceed.

Looks like it's time to set up a 3D animatic for these shots.

IN PROGRESS: Balloon Cat - Space Roughs

These are two mood tests of Balloon Cat's space scenery. The top render seems to imply that Cat is in more danger than he realizes, whereas the bottom render evokes more of the loneliness and isolation Cat experiences on his journey. (Honestly, if these images were in a higher resolution, they'd be great as promotional posters for the film.) 

Home Improvement.

Last fall (I know, I'm a year off here), I created an animation centered around the four seasons. In it, Apple goes through a full year of home repairs as outside forces continue to destroy his house. Does Apple deserve this sort of punishment? Yes. He was a pretty big jerk in the early comics and this is just karma. Recently, I've gotten used to the notion that this animation is a precursor to Robot in that it explains why Apple now lives in a tree stump and it gives a little insight into Apple's initial frustration with Edward at the beginning of of the story. This animation also really helps to bridge the gap between Moustache and Robot in a way that harkens back to An Apple a Day's initial concept - story snippets that don't serve as complete narratives by themselves and thus, sometimes, required some imaginative interpretation from the audience. So, in that sense, each season would serve as a different comic strip where Apple's house would end up damaged in some way.

Anyway, I think I'm done blabbing about the concept behind this animation. Let's watch Apple's house get destroyed.

Titled, Home Improvement.

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For fun, I switched the music track to something more porno sounding. Hence, we now have the sexy version of Home Improvement.

IN PROGRESS: Balloon Cat - Model Sheets

I've been working on a new film recently titled, Balloon Cat, as a part of my Graduate thesis. In brief, it's a film about a cat who, tired of his daily kibble, decides to go outside and catch himself a nice, tasty bird for lunch. When things inevitably go wrong, Cat has no choice but to follow through with the consequences of his decisions as they lead him on a through a journey into space and, ultimately, his own subconsciousness.

Below, I've showcased a few sketches and model sheets for Cat and Bird.