1/5/2021

I've decided to start dating these so I can look back in the future. This is sort of like a live journal but for projects and story boarding instead of stupid high school drama. 

So far I have eight characters, with full looks done. I've finished a bit of drafting for their personalities and backgrounds, but they're still very rough. I think it'd be easier to have a basic idea and incorporate more about their past as I go about the story. By that I mean developing them as the story moves along instead of knowing everything about them and slowly revealing it. There'd probably be less plot holes that way as well. 

I have a basic idea of what the settings look like, but I keep having to reference past sketches to try and recreate this other world. It's a pain to spend hours working on something only for it to not look the same as in my head.

I've been sketching more digitally recently, but I've found that when I'm scripting I have to have a pen and paper. Crossing things out has so much more meaning than just hitting backspace a few times. It helps remind me that I'm working through things, and that it's alright to spend several days and nights on a project. On a laptop, all evidence of unwanted work is erased, but with a pen and paper, I can preserve it for something else. Everything just seems so much more definite when I'm writing it out.

I've been working on the twelve principles of animation to get some more practice in. It's going well so far. I especially love straight ahead and pose to pose. By thinking of everything like a Hollywood set, with actors and cameras, it has improved my visuals drastically. YouTube will forever be my favourite form of digital self teaching haha!

I've been referencing Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss (both animated series' are by Vivziepop) quite frequently. It helps me to see how the certain quicker movements are done, along with facial expression. I've found it's also great to see the bare bones of a project, such as the rough animation and watching the Hunicast streams (hosted by AshleyNicholsArt). In the streams, not only  can I see how the clean up animation is done, but I can also hear the voice actors in a discord call and analyze how they change their voice in pitch and octave to fit what their character needs to say. (One of the streams, a video showing rough animations (by Daria Cohan) and the Pilot episodes of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss are listed below. Note there is some language and random outbursts from the characters and the voice actors in the streams. I would suggest headphones on a low volume if you choose to watch them.)

Creating the concepts and smaller details always takes me so long, but I absolutely adore this. While I don't see myself in the animation field for a job, I love doing this as a hobby. It takes a lot of time and dedication, so quarantine is perfect since I'm stuck at home.

I'm finishing up some drafted scripting and some practice lines for auditions. This is going to be a long project, and right now it's just me, but hopefully all will be well. I'm very exited for this idea in my head to come to life. An Official Casting call should be posted by the end of this week or early of next unless something pops up.

I'm beyond excited for this!

Videos mentioned above:

https://youtu.be/Zlmswo0S0e0

https://youtu.be/OlahNrlcgS4

https://youtu.be/iEEUabqGn5c

https://youtu.be/Lmi-cYxgFJU