Episode 81 'Personal Projects'

When it comes down to it, I tend to blog about animation and the industry that I am currently work in. But everybody loves a tangent.  This blog was originally meant as a guide (albeit a terribly scruffy one) to map the journey from graduation to 'real life' and the job opportunities that one might get via the animation route. There was no intention to preach or instruct graduates that this was the way, but to merely show that I had found a way (very much like the dinosaurs on Isla Nublar). So really, I don't need to blog about anything now. 

We all know that just isn't true. I like writing bollocks too much to cease all this tomfoolery. Of course, I am still working on side projects (something that all creative folk ought to be doing) and taking my sweet ass time in completing any of them. The most ongoing of all is the model I have been constructing based on a Quentin Blake illustration, taken from my favourite Roald Dahl book The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me. Here is the current status of things...

It is conceivable to finish this in a day or two. But whether it's my perfectionist attitude to sculpting or my incredible skills of procrastination, it has become clear that something is wrong with me. Super sculpey is brilliant though isn't it? I think I prefer it to Milliput simply because it doesn't bloody crumble when you're shaping it. I think they're both as durable as each other, but I guess it's self preference at the end of the day. So hopefully I can finish sculpting the boy and the monkey lickety split and end this lolly-gagging. I wish people would use more words like that. The strange thing is, they seem to roll off of my tongue... like pandemonium or fan-dabby-dosey. 

So this is Christmas. And what have we done? Well check these out; I've made some name places for the merry feast, so everyone will know where to stick their keister. The gathering is at my Aunty Vals this year and I wanted to do my bit for the day. Again, I have used sculpey for the Christmas critters and attached them to a wooden block alongside some authentic B&M Homestore holly leaves. A very simple idea which didn't take too long (oh god *pants profusely*).

Oh and the painting of Wolverine is still for sale if you want him. Fifty thousand, no less.

One of my favourite 'comedy' stop motion series at the moment is Dinosaur Office. The episodes are short, sweet and full of prehistoric slapstick. The style of crayola sets and props gives less focus on the backgrounds and more on the hilarious animation of the bulbous eyed cast. This is the type of thing I've tried in the past for practising my animation, something simple with focus on the character and not the surroundings. Unfortunately for me, I am about two years out of practice!