Web Comic and Boeing And a happy song!

I have been working diligently on my web-comic. Which everyone really likes. Yey for me!
Here's the rough sketches of the pages, and the link to the site.

This page is going to be a special "Flash Interactive" page. Meaning, in the Mid left panel will have a button on it that the viewer can push and Galvatron will stomp in a 2 frame animate while Cyclonus is speaking. And the bottom panel will feature a sound byte embedded in the text. Where the reader can click the text like a button and hear the word.

Aaaand here is some artwork I have done for my position at Boeing - something different for a change.



And a happy little song - it's linked to a YouTube upload audio. :D

MINISTRY - TV II
Tell me something I don't know!
Show me something I can't use!
Push the button!
Connect the goddamned dots!
Live-in thief in my bedroom bathroom
Commodity, sodomy, glass autonomy
Promise everything, take it all away
Give it a rest!
You're lying through your teeth
You're lying through your teeth
Who what which why who
When did you say the earth would stop turning?
When did you say we would all start burning?
When should I make a pledge?
Should I listen to the voices in my head?!
Connect the goddamned dots!
Connect the goddamned dots!
......
Connect the goddamned dots!
Who am I trying to impress?!
Who could care less?!
Tell me something I don't know!

Sketches of more characters

Tiburon and Smite. Tiburon went thru many changes since I drew him last - a long while ago. I studied the actuall car more and fitted pieced on a human figure. So now he'll at least be somewhat closer to the real vehicle. I wish I had toys to base my work from like Floro Dery did.
Smite didn't change too much. Only in the fact that I made him less pointy. I remembered that less agressive characters need to be softer and more rounded, "pillowy".

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Legatus took a while to figure out. He took many incarnations until I finally decided on this one. He has a lengthy back story and he's featured in my Comic Book 4. Which isn't even drawn yet ^.^; I wanted his to be really creepy, but in some odd way - something the audience will grow to become sympathetic for.

OC Transformers for Comic book series

I've kinda taken a break from the WebWorld thing. I guess I bounce around a lot. Eh, it's a hobby - what can I say. I can always come back to it when I want to.

I've been trying to revive my Web-comic thing however. Continuing my OC's (original Transformer character) adventures from before. I do have a webspace and stuff, I should start actually loading stuff onto it.

Damn, if this stupid Blogger would play Flashs and not just video files. I've been working on re-hashing the profiles of my custom characters for my Transformers comic book. It was a good book, I need to make the last pages. I'll load them up - later. But here's the profile, and the sketches I'm currently jazzing up. It takes a while because I'm perfecting the profile artwork. Meaning from the sketch I am tracing over it in Vector/Flash because I want the perfect, straight lines. It takes FOREVER!! Very tedious ... but the result is a nice, crisp, refined piece that looks masterful.

I have always been more of an Illustrator than an Animator anyway. It took me a while to figure that out, but I finally did.

I also made these

I also created these. One was for the fun of it. These where made from screencaps of the cartoons and put together in Flash. One I used as a study of the animation because they had Galvatron doing a lot of things and action at once. And it wasn't just stock kung-fu fight poses like Anime sometimes resorts to. The other is from Beast Wars - the 3D cartoon, one of the 1st television 3D toons. it was from Mainframe. The same ppl who created "Reboot" which came a little before BW.

Quintesson Makeover 2.0 , Galvy CyberSedated

I made some mods to my quint makeover. From below, I made the brow more pushed down to make it more menacing. This is also a colored version of a updated sketch. A more detailed description can be found on ym DeviantArt page via this: LINK

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This is a new layout drawing for when Galvatron is cyber-sedated for his "therapy session".
A detailed description can be found at my DeviantArt page via this: LINK

So how do you make a sedated mechanoid ? They don't just take pills and konk out, they don't have stomachs - not like we do anyway.

I intend to make Galvy's optics less bright, and glow subtly on and off slowly as he is talking, till he snaps out of it. The bubbles are semi-transparent special FX that are for effect that will float around. The wires will kind of sit behind his head. As his head might move slightly to keep it from being statically still - and animation foepaw that is to be avoided as much as I can. You don't want to keep too much sitting still or it will look so limited it will be junky. Subtle movement is better than no movement.

Here is a piece of the project I'm working on. Like I stated before, I'm not in this to get a Nobel Prize for animation or anything. I'm doing it because it's fun!

This is Galvatron raving, in one of the early scenes. Like the illustration below - I think I put it on here, I made him turn his head at certain beats in the audio.

The Lip Syncing was the hardest part. I laid it out all piece by piece - I couldn't use a nifty lip sync generator.



Here is the LINK to the Flash file - it is resting on my DeviantArt Transformers Fan account.
That has more description of what I was doing.

I am probly going to be making this big thing in sections. At certain points I have it planned to work up to - then put them on the Interwebs for all to see. It's my favorite episode, needs new artwork. And it keeps me artistically busy. My day job is droney enough :P

Quintessons - getting an inpromptu makeover

These are a few more - I'm doing some remodels on a few things. The Quintessons, I want them to look more "The Matrix" style. Since they do seem more like those creepy tentacled robots in The Matrix, I think they would look more menacing in those designs.

This would have to be colored - but it's the same "Death Face" of the Quintesson judge, only with ym revision on the design. It will have the metallic greys, blacks and steels, with the blazing red optics and spots that Matrix style machines do. Below is a pic from Matrix Revolutions - a pic of a deaded Sentinel

Decepticons Attack!!

This is the original "Decepticons Attack!!" scene. Pretty lack-luster huh? ppffft - boring!! They aren't even animated they just slid them across the screen. BAH!! I can do better.

Here's going to be MY version. A CloseUP of Galvy shouting the command (like it sounds in audio). And layer the others behind him - with is more of a technical trick done easily in Flash. The drawing and the expression give the emotion of the moment much more definition. That will make it hella better!

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Here is the original of when Galvy is beaten down by the Autobots and he is yelling in rage after them: "I'm not beaten! Galvatron cannot be beaten! I will destroy you all!" Meh - limited ... dry ... I don't feel it - only the voice guys made it really dynamic.

Here's my plan for the exact same scene: After he's thunked - and in that same spot (as above). Galvy is on his knees looking down shaking his head. He's got some smoke rising up from a crack in his chest armor. He is shaking his head and straining as he is speaking: "I'm not beaten! ..."
And in the beat I am going to have him look up to get into this pose, and raise his fist to start yelling insanely: "Galvatron cannot be beaten! I will destroy you all!"

I want to make it emphasize he took some damage, he's got energon drool dropping from his mouth (he's frothing as he's yelling). Unlike above where it's really hard to tell if he was thunked or not. It makes the viewer feel something for what is going on.
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Here was a great one to pop in an expression. This is where the Quintessons approach Cyclonus with their proposal about taking Galvy to Torkulon. Cyclonus just got bitched out a few seconds ago and threats of mutiny are about with him at the center of it all. Cyclonus works so hard to keep the Decepticons together, but Galvy's crazyness is ruining it all. He says to the Quintessons in annoyance: "Go away, Quintesson, I'm busy." But, he obviously needs a much more pained expression don't you think?

This is the new expression I worked up. Much more expressive. I'll probly make his hand wave a little bit - like he's waving off the Quint, as he is in the original, but with more exaggeration.

EXAGGERATION! It's a very basic staple for all cartooning! I learned this well from John Kricfalusi, and Floro Dery, and others. Yes, I do pay attention to John K's lessons - even if he is a prick sometimes. He, along with Floro Sensei Masters of animation, cartooning and illustration. So I draw a lot from them.

And then crush the Autobots to scrap!

This is the original Scene frame. I'm a huge fan of expression. Expression defines everything. In this bit Galvatron is going on a glitchy rant: "And then crush the Autobots to scrap! Crush the Earth and its puny humanity! Crush anyone, anything that dares to oppose us!!" In this original - they just have a still, very limited animation, where a layover makes the sides of his head glow (as shown) and he raises a clenched fist and shakes that a little. I plan on doing something a bit different:


With the same scene - I want to make a more dynamic expression. And turn his head as he is ranting at different points during his rant. While he is saying this he is Glitching - there are FFZZZ sound FX in the background. Frank Welker (the voice guy) does an awesome job of accentuating the rant in sound. I want to make his eyes glow - possibly with sparks zapping underneath them. Galvy is straight on: "And then crush the Autobots to scrap!" Then I want to turn his head to the right - squint his eyes as tight as I can as he says: "Crush the Earth and its puny humanity!" and then in the beat - make him shake his head while saying: "Crush anyone, anything that dares to oppose us!!" Like he is trying to shake off the glitch in his circuitry - he is a robot after all.

WebWorld Synopsis

Here are layout frame drawings I have been working on. I included here some screen-grabs from the original cartoon to give a comparison of what was already done. As to what I intend to do with this.

The synopsis of Wedworld
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- Looking for a substance called "Isodryte", the Decepticons (Galvatron, Cyclonus, Sweeps, Soundwave) find some deposits on an asteroid. BUT the Autobots found the Isodryte first and are collecting it for themselves! A battle breaks out and in the skirmish Galvatron spends more effort bashing up his own troops more than bashing Autobots (much to the amusement of the Autobots). After the humiliating loss, Cyclonus tries to save some grace with the other Decepticons on Charr about Galvy. But they don't buy it and warn Cyclonus that if he doesn't do something about Galvatron's insanity - they'll mutiny and toss him out as well! Cyclonus is approached by the Quintessons, they propose that he take Galvy to "Torkulon", basicly a planet that is an insane assylum. However Cyclonus is unaware that the Quints are setting it up so they can get rid of Galvatron for themselves.

Cyclonus persuades Galvy to come to Torkulon. The Torkulon's get ahold on Galvy, much to his anger. Galvy is mighty pissed off at being dupped by Cyclonus into bringing him to this planet. Cyclonus might see it as an intervention - but Galvatron sees it as betrayal and is completely enraged. Galvy keeps screaming and howling in vain, "I will destroy you all!!" "Let me out of here or I will gut this entire planet!!" The Torkulons (along with Cyclonus, and Scourge*) put Galvatron thru a series of mental "treatments". Hypnosis therapy, crafts therapy, and acting therapy ... all of which Galvatron resists and all totaly fail. (*note - what makes this episode most noteable is the treatments Galvy has to go thru. It's humorous to see a evil robot of death and destruction be put thru psychriatric treatments like talking to a therapist, and then almost killing him. *maybe I'll make the hypnosis therapist Torkulon look like Dr. Phil!! XD )

At the last treatment, after all others have failed the Torkulons break out their most powerfull "Treatment" scheme avaible. The very planet itself - a giant cybornetic computer network - attempts to patch itself into Galvatron's damaged central Meta-Processor and erase it. As Galvy is being restrained, Cyclonus realizes what the Torkulons are doing and tries to intervene, but they hold him back. Galvatron panics, the planet wraps him up with it's bug-like creatures and injects webbing like wires into him. It succeeds in getting into his digital processor, but somehow Galvatron overwrties the process and all hell starts to break loose on the surface of the planet. Cyclonus states "It's been infected with Galvatron's madness!"

Galvy breaks free and seeks out the central network core of Torkulon. Which he transforms into his ultra-cannon mode and blasts it! With the network destroyed, Galvatron takes his anger out on the remaining bits of the planet and devastates it. After a while Cyclonus persuades him that they should get back to bothering the Autobots once again.
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The thing about this episode is that 1, it deals almost strictly with the bad guys and their inner dramas. And 2 - it's an awesome psycho drama. A ton of character development was built between Cyclonus and Galvatron in Webworld. Galvatron does indeed destroy a whole planet, and this time no Autobots came to save the MFing day. The inner exploration of the characters is awesome in this one - credit this to the writers. After this episode Galvy becomes a little more "tempered". Not much, but a little. How do you fix a mad robot? Knowing what fans know know-a-days about robots and all the other TF universes, a lot more can be put into this episode. But it really is a defining episode of season 3 - G1 series.

My side project of the year.

I'm sort of working on and off a side project to keep my art side happy. My work at Boeing isnt art related at all - so I do what I can in between times . Heh - when I'm not playing WoW that is >.<

I've taken it upon myself to work on a re-animation of my absolute favorite G1 Transformers Episode: Webworld. It's Season 3, and that was a most terrible year for the series, the year that killed it in many fan's eyes. The art production quality plummeted downhill, and everyone's fav characters where dead from the previous movie. Most of what I think led to it's death was the fall in production value. Some Season 3 TF episodes are so bad they make any somewhat experienced animator what to tear their eyeballs out and jab them with pencils!! Very sad really - the toyline was still selling many toys, but the cartoon production that was selling it wasn't getting any of that money to promote it. Greed - it's kills.

since TF G1 is an Anime - in Season 3 you can tell they went to many different production houses. You can see this in the many different styles from episode to episode. Some of it was a good thing - when they actually had a good production houses that followed the model and color sheets and did somethings right. Some drawings and scenes are pretty darn fantastic! Others are horribly chinese cheap. This is, was a common practice in the East, and is so in the West. Whatever production house can get it done the fastest & the cheapest... Which that brings a whole ethics violation arguement into things ... but that's dead horse beating at this point. The animation industry still practices this method wholeheartedly today, BTW. ;)

On the Art aspect, if you stick with a central production place ... and ppl. You'll get a consistant and defined look for your toon. Instead of jumping around all over the place that's what they should have done. I think Marvel, and the main animation ppl they had in Japan on TF probly spent more money jumping around than they could have saved sticking with one place. But, I'm not a financial analyst - I'm an artist.

So - I've decided to re-do my favorite episode: Webworld

Below will be the synopsis and my drawings n stuff as I get them. I have a way of "lifting" the original audio off the episode. So I've got all that covered. All I need to do it draw. Now - my animation isn't going to be WB - full animation Bug's Bunny fluid style. It will be Flash limited, but I'm not going for a Nobel Grand Prize in animation here. I'm just trying to have fun. Fun illustrating, fun picking appart the episode, getting into the characters, and fun giving them my little edge.

Welcome, and about this:

WELCOME

This is a new Blogger account.
I will host mostly sketches, misc art and links to my personal webspace to and from it. This is mainly just to network and BS around and do nothing at all. And maybe talk to myself.

So ... here. Anyone in animation = I have an associates in Arts & Animation from the Art Institute of Seattle. BUT I stopped looking for a career in animation a while ago because of the roller-coaster atmosphere of the industry and the unstableness of it all. While I still hold my incredible illustration and good animation skills. I am not actively seeking a career in animation. If I pick up any projects - I only consider them a plus, a bonus. Something I am passionate about. But I have a day-job career at The Boeing Company in the jet factory. That supplements my income quite effeciantly, so ... I learned not to worry about the fierce fighting, competitive world of trying to get into animation.

Why bother dying to get into an industry where no job is permanent anyway? I almost came to the brink of suicide over some of it ... so I made the decision not to care anymore and cross-train into something completely different and "normal". And I'm very glad I did.