Episode 35 'I love it when a plan comes together...'

So I have returned, my fellow bloggers, from a galaxy far, far away...

GRAN CANARIA !!!

Oh it was a fantastic holiday. I went with a couple of mates and we just mashed up with week beginning with a vodka induced flight from Birmingham, resulting in the loss of my digital camera and my passport. Luckily the latter was found after I stormed the plane as this drunken lunatic and demanded to retrieve it. Unfortunately my camera was no where to be seen.

The rest of the week was very similar in the sense of alcoholic antics and clumsy behaviour that made us look like sunburnt chumps really. I managed to dig myself a nice hole; most productive result of the holiday. My friend Lee was clumsy enough to spill 6 drinks, 2 of which were upon nice looking girls, and also fall over countless times.

I fancied my chances at a bit of pole dancing, lost 80 Euros and went streaking around the hotel only to return to my room and answer the inevitable phone call from front desk. 'Excuse sir? May not you do the naked run again please?' So in an act of defiance (as well as his need to aid his sun stroked mind) Lee robbed a fan from the lobby.

Meanwhile Andy just kept on dancing. We got back to the UK thinking that the holiday was more hard work than is was relaxing. The Booze Cruise was fun though. Although Lee never made it... he was disabled for two days.


But anyway, down to business. I have returned and my fantastic Aunt Sandra had managed to get all my DVD labels printed whilst I was away. I picked them up and have begun to stick them on to the discs, meaning I am one more step to completing this stash of CVD promos and can send the bad boys off out into the big wide world. Fly my pretty's, fly!

So what do you think? I used the Money Tree  movie poster as the label and I think it's come out rather well. So now I have to concentrate on printing all the DVD covers (which I can do when I have the money - birthday soon!!!) and also to resize my general CV so that it can fit as an insert into the DVD case. I would say this plan is most definitely coming together. God-damn!!!


And finally, yes, Zabrina... my love, the Zebra I am making is still in very slow progress due to all these little obstacles. But together we can get through them and learn from each other. She has taught me some valuable lessons on latex and silicon paint combinations (much too dense for her skinny arms, resulting in very minimal movement) and soon I shall teach her to talk. I have had further design developments with her appearance, one of which being a big fur hat that looks very Russian. I would think that Zabrina could pull off this fashion statement, especially for a snobby African mammal.

So here she is at this very moment of the puppet making stage.

I am going to give her this hat in a gentle shade of pink or violet. Perhaps even venture down the fur scarf option, but I think this would get in the way too much when animating. I have decided against the latex arms and cotton wool method (so so sorry Ray!) but will use another classic method of... wait for it... plasticine!!!

I think it's all I need really for her arms and neck. Seems to work well on previous tests I have done before. And also I have been inspired by a fellow Staffs Uni colleague, my good friend Daniel James, who has had success with his animated series Viv and Mandy (follow the link above). These classy ladies have been animated with wire frames and plasticine built up around them and I think it works beautifully.



So how about it Zabrina? plasticine you up? Lets go!

My random video of the week (something I found from my Art Foundation Year

at Coventry Uni) ...enjoy!