r1057322

[r1057322]

These are some of my first visualizations of my final project "The Flock".

The 3 apartments on the illustration above represent the 3 different characters and eventually, their very different perspectives and lifestyles.

These next 2 drawings are test visualizations of the first scene in the script: The door of one of the apartments opens and a man walks in...

Since the whole idea relies on the concept of a building from the outside, I designed my Research Dossier as if it was a building (from rooftop to the floor) and the following illustration is the end:

[r1057322]

Even though these works don't relate to my project directly, I found them to be an important part of my artistic growth.

Creating for the sake of creating and playing with mediums and expressions in art, free of expectations.

Visual development workshop, Analog Animation workshop, Life drawing classes, Video Essay and all other insights I've gained throughout this semester led me closer to creating a sense of security in my art - something I kind of lost sight of over the past few years of working for other people's ideas rather than my own.

I finally feel at peace with calling myself an artist, rather than an artisan.

That in itself proves to me why going to this Master's program was the right (and very necessary) choice for me and my career.

With this knowledge, I hope to keep nurturing the artist in me and not allow for myself to get lost in the corporate job industry.

Even if I do work for others in the future, I must always keep experimenting, expressing and exploring myself through my art.

[r1057322]

Life Drawing

These were my results after the first drawing class... I didn't quite understand the concept and everything I did was all over the place and insecure... My constant though was "I'm so bad at this".

Then gradually, friday by friday, I started understanding Ada's guidance and the feedback she was giving me and started figuring out how to apply it.

The discusions we had after each class also helped because I could see how my peers approached it and learn from their examples and comments.

In one of the classes, Ada was giving us prompts on how to approach what we were drawing (method, material etc.)

I was struggling at the beginning of that class because I kept trying to be perfect and I was really self concious about other's seeing my "bad" work.

Then I got the prompts "I just don't care anymore" and "Draw on the floor".

Prior to this, I was terrified of working on such a big format and on the floor, on "display". But then with that notion of "I don't care" I was able to free myself from the many expectations I placed on myself and I just started playing around with the process.

I finally applied Ada's comments, kind of subconciously: more definition and contrast, personal reflection, intentional use of color...

At some point, I even started stepping onto the paper, leaving my shoe prints as a texture of the background - that's how free and immersed in the artwork I felt.

I finally remembered how much fun drawing itself is, without planning and expectations.

This realization was a personal breakthrough for me that was applicable to all other areas of my life

This was the result of that class:

From that point forward, I kept discovering and expressing more of my inner world through the process of drawing a model (and whatever emotion I was experiencing at that time).

This next work was a collaboration with 2 other students. It was very interesting seeing how 3 people can end up making something rather cohesive, without any prior planning. For me, this work represents a big hug:

Comparing my first drawing class works to the last ones has been really rewarding. I can clearly see how my drawing technique improved, as well as composition and unity of the drawings.

There is still a long way to go in terms of skill but I am really excited to apply everything I have learned from Ada and her classes into my future works and experiments.

[r1057322]

Editing Workshop

The assignment of this workshop was to divide into groups and choose which recorded material we wanted to use out of the 3 provided films. Once we decided, we were supposed to edit the given footage however we wanted, meaning that we had the freedom to alter the stories as well.

My group consisted of Nina, Rebecca and myself and we chose the longest out of the 3 options because we thought that more material would give us more options to "play around" with.

Our aim was to focus on the creepy elements of the original and create a mystery in a more artistic and metaphorical way that is open for interpretation.

On top of being a useful practice in editing, this assignment helped us exercise our storytelling and directing skills, as well as determining the rhythm and flow beetween the shots.

[r1057322]

This idea was developed as a part of my Narrative research because I explored the possibility of using this concept as the ending of the film.

The last scene of the film would zoom out to reveal that everything happened inside of the window. As the camera keeps zooming out and revealing more and more windows, we start to notice that the building is actually in the shape of a human silhouette.

While working on my Video Essay though, I realized that it’s applicable for the ending of that instead.

[r1057322]

Video Essay PART 2

[r1057322]

Video Essay PART 1

This was an interesting experiment I did as a part of my video essay.

I wanted to achieve the effect of “growth” and “creation” but I had to be time efficient… So I screen recorded the process of drawing in Procreate and edited out the moments where I made mistakes or switched between colors.

My biggest takeaway from it was “work smarter, not harder”! But on a more serious note, this process taught me that I can use techniques in whatever way I want to and I should use various skill sets I have in my advantage.

[r1057322]

Character performance class - Walk cycle

[r1057322]

AR Workshop

The task was to try and assign a new function to an object.

In my case, I chose to turn a high heeled shoe into a slide.

Even though the animation was done in a time crunch, I enjoyed revisiting my 3D “roots” and trying out placing 3D objects into a real space. I feel like the result is immersive, similarly to a game but set in our regular environment.

It also introduced me to a new software: Naomi 3D for iPad devices. It allows animating 3D characters on the tablet and has a built in feature for AR projection.

Even though I doubt I will be using this technique in my project, it was interesting to have in mind for potential future projects.

[r1057322]

Analog Animation Workshop PART 2

Following up on the previous post: this was the result of The Analog Animation Workshop.

Prior to this project, I was a little skeptical of my ability to create experimental animation and I kind of didn’t understand its core.

This result ended up being my favorite work I’ve done during the semester simply because working on it felt freeing and interacting with the medium (nail polish on 8mm film) felt like I was immersing myself into the creative process, without any concrete plan (which is the opposite of how I usually approach animation).

On top of that, I really appreciated the imperfections that were revealed once I scanned the film. These smudges became an essential part of the visual language that gave it character.

Coming from a 3D background, where everything looks rather clean and aims for perfection (even in its simulations of imperfections) and embracing the “mistakes” that emerge along this process was both freeing and inspiring.

[r1057322]

Analog Animation Workshop PART 1

First encounter with analog film (8 mm) and it’s possibilities. I used nail polish and markers to draw on film and by scanning each frame, it revealed beautiful textures and effects.

[r1057322]

Test environment for the Original idea for my project. My objective here was to visualize the scenes I had in mind and try to determine what would be the potential aesthetic of the film.

I really enjoyed the textured look of the first one (inspired by the pastel tests) while I felt like the second one was too “flat” and gave off more of a vector icon vibe. This analysis helped guide me in my further Look Development drawings.

[r1057322]

Designs done as a part of the Visual Development Workshop. The theme was The Living Room from Franz Kafka’s Metamorphosis.

My approach was very focused on the actual text and I tried to create s Visual Development that aligns with the descriptions and time context, almost like it was a client request (probably still driven by the mindset I had while working in a studio).

Even though the result matched my objective, I wished I approached it more creatively and expressed more of my own ideas in it.

This in itself was a good lesson that I later applied on the rest of the assignments.

[r1057322]

These drawings, even though they are just small tests based on the visuals I had in mind for my original film idea, marked the beginning of my interest in hand drawn textures and implementing that type of aesthetic into my film.

[r1057322]

This was a character design sheet I worked on while still pursuing the original idea.

[r1057322]

Stop Motion Workshop

This was my first encounter with the stop motion technique and I learned a lot from my fellow teammates: Rodrigo, Rebecca, Rossana and Lara Yazbek.

The group formed because all of us wanted to try puppet animation and using a 3D set.

We wanted to experiment with the technique so we didn’t have a straight forward plan. Instead, we went with the flow and built on top of each other's ideas.

Even though the result is not perfect, we had a lot of fun making it and the entire process made stop motion seem way less intimidating to me than before.

[r1057322]

Look and feel test for my original project idea

Coming into this semester, I already had an idea of what I wanted my project to be like (even though that vision changed a lot throughout the semester).

This was one of the first character designs and shots I had in mind. As much as I liked it, I realized it translates a much darker feeling than the one I’m going for with my film.