I have been studying animation off and on since I first picked up Preston Blair’s Animation book waaay back in the early 70’s. I was fascinated with cartoons. Still am. Somewhere along the way, I guess I grew up and forgot about making cartoons. Then computers came along and boom, here we are. I have been working with 3D animation since the 90’s but never really did much character work with it. That’s changing with Suzi. Animated SuziI am going to get her animated as soon as I can. The problem I am running into is resources. I simply don’t have the computing power I need to produce the vision I have. The image you see here took 7.5 hours for the computer to create. Now when you figure I need 30 frames to make one second of video, that gives you an idea of what I am talking about. Sure, I am simplifying the matter a bit, but you get the overall idea.
The good part is that I have a plan in place to be able to upgrade my current PC by the end of the year to a beast that will be able to get me animating like a boss.
In the meantime, I am will start posting some of my shorter works to get you pumped up!
Ok, so this isn’t really a sneak peek as it is just a peek. I love creating, and back in the day I was a fool for painting.
So recently I had gotten interested in spray art. I love the free form nature and the challenge of using everyday materials to make something super cool.
I wanted to give my PC a Suzi inspired facelift, and so a quick trip to grab some spray paint later, here we are. It’s a ton of fun, and I am thinking about posting some original Suzi spray art for sale. I would encourage anyone that thinks this is cool to look up spray art on youtube. With just a little practice, you can make some awesome looking art.
I am not a big autograph hound. I have autographed photos of Jenny Agutter as Jessica 6 from Logans run, a Sid Haig as Lord Drago from Jason of Star Command, and Kitsie Duncan signed my copy of Famous Monsters #252. They all look great in their frames, hanging in the Command Center. But sitting on my desk is my most favorite of all: My autographed copy of Bruce Timm’s 2007 sketchbook. It’s right next to my copy of Modern Masters 3: Bruce Timm.
Bruce Timm style!
If you have seen Batman: The animated series, Superman:TAS, Justice League Unlimited or just about anything from the DC Animated Universe, you have seen Bruce Timm and his impact on animated superhero shows.
One of the things I admire most about Bruce is that he is entirely self taught as an artist. He began his career in animation working for Filmation on shows like Flash Gordon, Blackstar and He-Man. He joined Warner Brothers in 1989 and worked on Tiny Toon Adventures. In 1992, he co-created and produced Batman: The Animated Series. Bruce brought a beautiful, stylized world to life. His art influences came together and delivered a fresh new take on animated heroes.
Bruce also co-created the character of Harley Quinn. Harley became so popular (with fan’s and cosplayer’s alike!) that DC included her in the mainstream universe in 2004. The funny thing is, he had tried to get work at Marvel and DC before joining Warner Bros. but had no luck. Their loss.
It’s his love of comic’s from the 50’s and 60’s that I think resonates most with me. Bruce lists Jack Kirby as one of his influences, and man, he really honors that King Kirby style. I really love his lesser known comic works too. Bruce did some great Vampirella and Conan art, and his Frankenstein is amazing. It’s no secret that I am on a quest to get my stories animated, and when I look at what guys like Bruce have done, it just pushes me that much harder to step up my game.
Click on the image to check out more about Bruce Timm in Modern Masters 3. It’s a great read with a lot of interviews and some amazing art, well worth the 10 bucks or so.
Antigravity has long been a common element of science fiction.
From powering spaceships to helping people carry heavy loads, antigravity is a favorite tool of authors everywhere.
Dark energy or antigravity?
In the late 20th century, astronomers discovered data that suggests that the universe is continuing to expand at an accelerated rate.
Let’s ponder that for a moment. The universe is expanding, not at a rate that is slowing over time, but going faster over time.
The conventional model of physics says that a form of energy called “dark energy” makes up about 70% of the energy in the universe.
A new study, however, indicates that it could be matter and antimatter repelling each other, creating an antigravity which pushes the particles away from each other.
Now this goes against all common sense, and the fact that we have been unable to observe antimatter in space makes it rather hard to prove, but Vanessa D’amico wrote an interesting article over on UniverseToday.com. Go read it, and expand your mind!
One of the reasons I started Suzi was to meet new people and other artists.
I ran across TMS Comics over at inkOutbreak.
They have a really good looking site with a lot of original content, and after exchanging some email with artist Pontius Morgan, he did this great drawing of Suzi.
I had never really thought about other artist drawing their vision of Suzi, but this is very cool.
July 8th, 2011 marked an unprecedented time in the space program.
For the first time since 1962, America didn’t have a way to put astronauts into space from US soil.
There are many people who feel we have more than enough problems to deal with here on Earth, and we are just wasting time and money by trying to go to space.
While I certainly won’t debate that we have plenty of problems here on Earth, the benefits that come from the space program are enjoyed by everyone today.
Satellites, GPS and countless more innovations are direct products of the space program.
So yes, right now is a dark time in US technology. If we continue down this path, then we cede vital innovations to Europe and China. These same innovations will inspire a new generation of American youth to move into the sciences.
But a new day is dawning.
Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada Corp, with contributions from NASA, are developing the next generation of capsules designed to carry astronauts into space, launched from American soil.
And if you need more information on why our space program is important, please read what Neil deGrasse Tyson has to say.
This is a smart man, so please listen to him…
Wow, where to begin. Like most teenagers in the 70’s, my first exposure to Lynda Carter was on Wonder Woman. Friday nights were spent glued to the TV.
An iconic smile…
One of the key elements of the Wonder Woman TV series was how Carter portrayed the heroine. Strong and independent. This was during a time when concepts like “equality and empowerment for women” were considered taboo by network execs and the media. I sometimes wonder if the media attention her costume generated was simply a smokescreen to try to hide the more controversial social issues the show was presenting.
Lynda played Wonder Woman as both a superhero and a real woman. Strong, yet still feminine, full of grace, but still able to have fun. Her look was stunning. You could spend forever swimming in those eyes. Her smile was as bright and clear as the first day of spring. Yet she was still approachable and genuine. And this was in the decadent days of (more…)
I hope you guys are having a great Memorial Day weekend. I got so into creating Suzi’s new pages that I totally spaced it and forgot about Sunday Science!
But never fear, science will always find a way.
Today, let’s talk about the Holy Grail of science (yeah, wrap your head around that statement!): The Grand Unified Theory. This theory seeks to explain all the physical phenomenons in the Universe. This sounds easy, but we use two different systems to observe the Universe.
Subatomic neutrino tracks
In the biggest scale, the “classic mechanics” theory covers how the planets orbit around suns and things like that. The problem begins when we get down to the atomic level. The rules change, and we use Quantum mechanics to explain how particles behave.
The question that perplexes science is why doesn’t classic mechanics work at the sub-atomic levels?
