Nathan Horsfall Thread/Gallery

[Dave]

This is a place holder for Nathan's Content.

[NateHorsfall]

I've started doing some practicing and mind exercises on Winnie today.

Decided to go Gabriel-Carson's route (thanks for the inspiration :) ) and plot out a character in my head before starting on things.

Without getting into a massive back story, I decided to make her sort of a beyond-her-prime type of witch.
She used to be one of the highest respected and most powerful witches in the region, but that was decades ago. Her body simply isn't capable of creating anything big or all that powerful anymore. So since she can't cast amazing spells like she used to, she's taken to mostly pranking people and playing tricks on the unsuspecting. It keeps her entertained.

She's not all that evil hearted, but can be mean spirited in her tricks sometimes. She does however, absolutely hate losing. She prides herself as being one step ahead of most common folk, with a slant of arrogance. But beating her at her own games is very insulting. Not that many can.

Few remember her from the days long past, so it's rare anyone is prepared to deal with what they get into when a little innocent old lady challenges them to a game or two..

And now, some practice work.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs335.ash2/61512_155671167787604_100000341659575_363767_45033 08_n.jpg

I decided for my scene I'll take the short "if you don't mind, I'LL make the rules!" clip.So I can actually finish it :)
And so with this, I'm going to have her setting up a card game. Similar to what I have of her sitting on a barrel there.

[Richard Willimot]

Sounds like a great idea for a scene Nate.

[NateHorsfall]

Thanks Richard! :)

Big update today. Let me know if I'm doing any of this wrong, Don or Dave.

1.
Peak chart
http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/22522323354ee12a09ed8d61ecb300b65g.jpg

[NateHorsfall]

I worked out this while breaking the frames down on the X-Sheet. And gave myself a little over a second at the start, in case I end up having time near the end, to add an actual introductory part. Where maybe she takes out the cards or something.

2.
X-Sheets:
before talking, animated on 8's

Order:
-Start with cards
-tap cards (2 taps. on 8's)
-Fan out cards on 3rd 8.
-Start talking
-End with grin

http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/c08c348fe53a1275b46e3295327609c26g.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/32fb4ec1b603389ba1e96528545c43836g.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/03a5f164c4e15c592d684f6bb0f4bfc26g.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/imgbnc.php/959c5841487749a06107dcaf4e51abe56g.jpg

I wanted to ask:
I used the "3" section for my own notes because I gave myself a whole second (24 frames) ahead of when she actually starts to talk. Because of this, lining up the VO track with my exact frames was just a bit of a hassle. having to add numbers each time. Is it okay to use that frame for the VO's time (not adding the 24 frames), then erase it after I don't need that anymore?

Also, I intend to have certain actions associated with the talking. Such as.. lifting the card up at "I'LL". Should I note this?

Also: The keys are primarily for the lip sync cues. How would you go about noting the body extremes without cluttering up the X sheet? I know I will have far less extremes when it comes to the body.

[NateHorsfall]

3.
Seated pose brainstorming

Lastly, some pose practice.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs702.snc4/62263_155934034427984_100000341659575_365035_53911 82_n.jpg

For my scene, I'll be animating Winnie sitting the entire time. Basically, I expect to get her into one good pose, and do all the acting with her head and hands, and some spine movement here and there. Though I wanted to ask about that.
As I acted this scene out, I did not tend to move hardly at all except for the head and certain gesturing hand. I don't want her to feel too dead, but not over acted either. So I think a few weight shifts here and there, with the focus being on the head and hands, will be best. Would you agree or disagree?

Because of this.. I figured, well? may as well get a good pose to start with.
This was an interesting exercise. At first i thought I was going to go with #1, but that looked too casual. Almost bored, really.
So then I changed it to kind of poised with feet on the bucket, that helped.. but I decided to play with it a bit more. So I raised her head up.. that also added something. Also flipped the bucket over and made it an actual bucket.
Lastly I decided to straighten her up, just as a test. Funny how much that improved things!

I'm not done with these, but it was an interesting exercise for me on a pose with attitude. I feel like she can get even more attitude if I keep working at it.

And please, Don or anyone else can give feedback and suggestions on how to make it better. I'm here to improve, after all :)

[jeremyhopkins]

That's a good idea Nate! It might help to do a composition thumbnail first that showcases the whole action. Show who Winnie is talking to when she says she makes the rules. She's the dominate personality but the fun will come with the reaction from her card partners.
The thumbnails you have are pretty good but I think the silhouette can be strengthened with a getting a good straight from the head down the back. If you can do some research on how an old woman sits and then apply that to Winnie's character.

Ron Mueck has some wonderful examples of well observed human traits in his sculptures. Hope they help you out:
http://siongchin.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/RonMueck_OldWoman.jpg

[Phrogger]

Er, that sculpture is just creepy!

Nate, I like that you're changing the context of the clip! I decided to do that with Bartok as well. Having her playing cards is a great idea, and I think putting her in a seated position gives you good limitations so you can work on the upper body language.

[Rodney]

Nate!!!

Love your poses and planning. Looks like a winner to me.
Confession... I only glanced at them quickly as I don't want to be too heavily influenced in breaking down my own poses. Once the image is in the brain... it's hard to see other alternatives.

Keep up the pace!

[feliceworkshop]

Felice!

Love your poses and planning. Looks like a winner to me.

LOL....did you mean Nate?
Watch the serving amounts of Sake, Rodney!!!... :laughing::laughing:

Good stuff Nate!... the upside down bucket in which Winnie seats on is quite a brilliant idea!... up until now I didn't even consider props....very cool!

[Rodney]

LOL....did you mean Nate?
Watch the serving amounts of Sake, Rodney!!!...


Gak! That's what I get for replying to both of you without coffee in the morning.

Besides... its so hard to tell the difference between you two!

To compound this craziness... if you look at the original text (via email) you'll see your name isn't there. ;)

[jeremyhopkins]

Er, that sculpture is just creepy!
Sorry didn't meant to creep anyone out, it was just an example of an artist who went to the source, studied the anatomy, the spirit of the pose, and the attitude of an old woman. An old woman sits differently than an old man or younger woman and that was my suggestion to Nate. I believe by spending a little more time observing and studying the poses of real old women, it would help strengthen and give a believable foundation for Nate's very already very strong animation skills. Hope it helps!

[NateHorsfall]

Haha.. silly people. I didn';t think it was creepy :)

VERY helpful Jeremy! Thank you! I wasn't going to do this until you suggested it. But tonight I'm just going to practice "old woman poses" and break down what that is. I'll have sketches up later.

I was surprised to see all the responses here too. i'll get back to you guys in a few hours. it's drawing time :)

[NateHorsfall]

Tonight's practice: Defining what "old" is.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs668.snc4/60883_156196147735106_100000341659575_366194_36819 13_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs328.ash2/60883_156196154401772_100000341659575_366195_53672 10_n.jpg

It's interesting what seems to make a person look old or not. Mostly in the upper body. Shoulders, neck, and spine. But especially the shoulders. They are almost never level.

More practicing. Other poses and such. Then at the bottom, I did a quick test about what it REALLY is, that seems to represent the old person. My conclusion? spine and shoulders.

However, all of this is not necessarily going to be used on Winnie. Because her model sheets don't have that type of look. So hmm.. what to do next? I'm not sure! I think I may incorporate it in there. Perhaps as part of her act.. about being old and weak? maybe?

[NateHorsfall]

Quick replies:
Meredith- Yeah i had to change the context because otherwise I was seeing Mim in my head all the time. Don said to close your eyes and see the scene.. but I kept seeing sword in the stone! So I had to break it away from that so i don't end up just mimicking it. heh.

Rodney- Yeah I totally get that! basically what i just said above!

Felice- After I decided to have her sitting.. I needed SOMETHING.. Chair was easy, but i pictured her looking less imposing on.. a barrel or a bucket. After I got that idea, it seemed to fit really well, thanks :)

Jeremy- Again, thanks. I took your advice and will work on this some more. While I hoped to be thumbnailing by now. I'd rather spend the time up front on feeling out who the character is. Thats what Don says everyone lacks, right? So good suggestions! Keep em all coming! And thanks for the compliment :)

[Gabriel-Carson]

I remember edd hooks talking about how old people move slow due to pain. small quick steps. if they turn to look at some thing they cant just turn their head but they move their whole body.

[Rodney]

Loss of Hearing and an associated loss of Balance is always a prime concern as we get older.

Slower steps and holding onto something we consider sturdy are some compensatory measures we might take to regain our equilibrium. I'm no doctor but I'd say this directly relates to hearing loss experienced as we age with the inner ear being the control center for balance.

Once we lose our balance everything tends to flow from there:
- Fear of falling on unstable, unsteady or slick surfaces
- Previous Injury (Overly cautious to make sure it doesn't happen again)
- Misjudging words, instructions or intentions due to lack of hearing.


Meredith- Yeah i had to change the context because otherwise I was seeing Mim in my head all the time. Don said to close your eyes and see the scene.. but I kept seeing sword in the stone! So I had to break it away from that so i don't end up just mimicking it. heh.

Me too! I altered the dialogue a little and that helped me break away.

[NateHorsfall]

Alright, some thumbnails.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs333.ash2/61340_156462561041798_100000341659575_367151_59641 82_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs333.ash2/61340_156462564375131_100000341659575_367152_45691 08_n.jpg

I think i'm going to revise a few of these later, as well as practice head shapes and such. I can already tell which ones give me a bunch of trouble (turning away from the camera for example) so i need to work that out.

They definitely need some work. she's like.. transforming! getting older and younger all the time!
But eh.. they're thumbnails! the idea is the key.. not the drawing itself..

As far as that goes, I feel like it's going to seem natural enough with just the head and a little arm motion.. but Also wonder if I'm missing opportunities because of that limited state.

[NickFechter]

I wouldn't worry too much Nathan. In classic animation some of your best draftsmanship comes through when your drawings are on top of each other rather than side by side.

And Don will no doubt help us with any drawing problems that we encounter in his critiques :)

All the Best,
Nick Fechter

[NateHorsfall]

Granted, Nick, but since i see the problems now, and have the time to work them out (2 days and counting), I'd at least like to have a.. better foot forward, so to speak, before presenting things I know need serious fixing :)

[wilsaturn]

Hey Nate, I like what you got going on there so far. Kinda wondering though, are you planning to animate her in profile for the entire shot?

[NateHorsfall]

debating that, Willie.

On the one hand.. yes, but with her movements breaking profile now and again.
Or I could change the angle to something else instead. maybe more like facing her a bit.. 3/4ths. But either way, I think won't move her around too much.. just because of what i was talking about with over acting. It seems like, with this type of sequence.. she wouldn't move drastically very much.. but thats where i'm fussing and second guessing myself with it.

Got any suggestions?

[wilsaturn]

well, I don't know.... I was thinking of maybe showing her more in 3/4 perspective, and then break into profile now and again, or maybe not at all and just stay in 3/4 angle. I think the action would read better in 3/4 view, especially since she's using both of her hand to shuffle and flip the cards. Then again, you might want to ask Don about this...
But I agree with you, her body doesn't have to move too much to show the acting in this scenario.

[NateHorsfall]

I agreed with you Willie, to give this a shot. So first i practiced that 3/4ths pose.. and I liked it so much that, I revised my entire thumbnail batch.
I'd have to say I like every single one of these better than the first few.

Thanks for the suggestion!
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs690.snc4/63012_156985170989537_100000341659575_370204_29823 41_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs710.snc4/63012_156985177656203_100000341659575_370205_83543 74_n.jpg

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/hs350.ash2/63012_156985180989536_100000341659575_370206_59655 96_n.jpg

[NateHorsfall]

Silhouette practice tonight.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs688.snc4/62807_157213200966734_100000341659575_371914_34241 70_n.jpg

I'll post properly in the other forum when i'm ready with these.

After the review today, it was very clear I needed to work on a better silhouette for my animation. So rather than drawing a bunch more poses.. I decided to just blotch in what might be some good ones, first.

What tripped me up mainly is, when I hold the cards.. I do not hold them way out in front of my face (#1). But, it sure looks more interesting when someone does, huh?

[NickFechter]

These are great Nate! It's a-lot more clearer to me what your character is doing now.

But remember, the goal of animator isn't just to simply make a character interesting, but to make him interesting through facets of his or her character's unique personality. See if you can put a bit more of Winnie's personality into these drawings, and not just simply Don's or someone else's interpretation of Winnie's personality, but your interpretation of Winnie's personality.

Hope that helps, and good luck with your revisions!

All the Best,
Nick Fechter

[NateHorsfall]

Agreed, Nick.
But with this, originally I felt like she would be more subdued- hence the cards really barely moving at all. But for the sake of ENTERTAINMENT, I agree that it should be changed.
So I've changed em :)

Here are my revisions, guys.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs728.snc4/64869_157423944278993_100000341659575_373129_75737 22_n.jpg

Things I paid attention to specifically:
1. move the body more (spine especially)
2. watch silhouette
3. try to put her personality more into them
4. change which thumbnail represents the voice track. Less than before!

Even though "mind" wasn't as hard of a hit, I felt like I needed it as an extreme to get from the peak of "if you don't-" to then "I'LL"

I like these better, but my only concern is that while the poses are now different, it tends to be the same type of up-down-up-down pose again. I think when it's moving, the hand flicking fingers around before grabbing a card, will help make them different, but if anyone has suggestions to improve it other ways, feel free to post em. :)

[NateHorsfall]

Whee.. I have my shot on 4's. MOSTLY...

http://www.donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=534

-frame's 5 and 7 at the start was 2's because of the speed.
-frame's 39 and 41 at the end was 2's because of the speed.
-The section where she pauses "...mind *pause* I'LL-" was doubled up. I will add another 4th in there. But if I don't get it before tomorrow, here it is.

I revised my Xsheet to match the one Don posted, but there seemed to be a longer pause between "mind" and "I'LL!" then the 2 or 4 frames marked.

8 looked the best (instead of 4). meaning I need to add another drawing in there.. which i probably will do.

[NateHorsfall]

And.. live action reference video:

http://www.donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=537

I promised Lavalle I would upload the one I took for referencing myself.. and here it is! I have no shame in it. =P

even left some outtakes in for you guys..
Enjoy?

[Richard Willimot]

Heya Nate, some strong poses there. One thing to me is it feels like it's over animated,too much movement for the period of time. Why not have her only pull her arm back once with the card in it,then she wouldn't have to pull back twice. A second note would be from your ref vid.,maybe a "happy accident" so to speak. It might be funny to add some time after the dialogue to have winnie start to fall of the barrel. :)

[jeremyhopkins]

Hey Nate, I know you're super busy at work but I also know you like an honest critique. It's not quite working for me either. Your thumbnail ideas are great and I love the acting bits with the cards. When you transitioned to animation, you lost some of the focus and I'm not sure where you're trying to lead my eye. I'd clarify that the over animation comes from moving everything all of the time.

There's a few technical problems with your drawings as well. The object that Winnie is sitting on moves and if it's a background object, it should be a separate element that you don't have to redraw unless it's suppose to fall over. If you can find a few minutes during your day at work, I'd recommend going back and analysing Winnie's construction again. We're all off model in our drawings, myself included, but if you could analyse her basic structure again, I think that would help you define stronger posing.

You're a great animator and these are good mistakes but if you have time before the deadline, I'd recommend giving this test a second shot. Stay focused on what you want to communicate to the audience. Maybe going back a step and getting an approval on 8's could be helpful too. Anyways, just my thoughts, good luck and thanks for sharing!

[NateHorsfall]

hey guys, thanks for the honest feedback! Good to finally hear something besides "good work"

I'd agree with you about the over acting. My problem is, the thumbnails.. while they look nice in theory.. really hit up against eachother so close and so fast. So even though people like them, and Don himself said they were looking good.. i really think they need to be scaled back in some ways. I pushed them because he said to, but the whole time i thought "this feels really over acted..."

As for the on model stuff, jeremy, I agree with you there too, but it hasn't been my focus to really work on that during the process, because i just wanted to go after posing and movement. and worry about the model part afterward. A bad idea maybe, but thats what i was doing. so yeah, you're right :)

Also right about the bucket thing. easy mistake, that.

I can't ever work on this stuff AT work, but i do spend hours well into the night on them when i get home. So, i'll do that again tonight.

I really appreciate the feedback because having to wait until saturday when i have lots of extra time during the week TO fix it, is problamatic. I'll be taking these things into consideration and revising later tonight. thanks again!

[Phrogger]

Loved the video, thanks for posting it! :D I like that you played the audio in the background so you could get the timing right, I didn't think of that!

[Phrogger]

Just looked at your pencil test: I think the second half (I'll make the rules) is great, it's the first part that's a little jerky. I would have her hand come back smoothly on IF and take out some of the other movements, and have her head lean back a bit but take out some of those head tilts I think it will make it a lot smoother. I like your ideas, it's just a bit too many poses in a small space of time. Thanks for your comments on my pencil test btw! It really does help to have a second pair of eyes look at it!:cool:

[NateHorsfall]

agreed Meredith :)

I'm going to go after these later tonight. And yeah no problem about the comments! I just hope they help, not hurt. haha.

I intend to do a lot of rework tonight, but it's only like 14 drawings. so thats no big deal :)

[jeremyhopkins]

Hey Nate, thanks for the advice. I really appreciate the help! Just wanted to add too that I really respect your work and wouldn't say anything just to personally attack or rip on your work. Some people are like, especially in animation, but it's never been my style. Also I'm just one guy too and when you get Don's help on Saturday, you'll get a more experience eye. Again, I appreciate what you've done and admire your dedication. Dedication to a scene is a quality that rarely gets celebrated but it so important and I know it'll all work out!

[NateHorsfall]

haha, I hope i get to meet you some day Jeremy so i can shake your hand and assure you that I'm in no way threatened or upset by negative feedback. As long as it's constructive and not "man this sucks.." Which, you have nothing to worry about. :)

I know my animations have issues, thats why I'm taking this class, right? So I'd way prefer you or anyone else to come right out and say it, rather than pretending everything is perfect. We don't get better as artists if we always think we're doing perfect work. So really, keep it coming. I want you guys to rip it apart :)

That said, the only unfortunate part is that i have to do this as a side job on top of not one.. but two other jobs. So personally, I know I'm not putting all the time in on it like i would be normally. And thats a bummer.. but thats just the reality of it for this class!

And on that subject, one thing I've been doing to not seriously over work myself, is.. if i feel exhausted, i just call it a night and pass out. So unfortunately, thats what I did last night! No new animation. I'll probably work on it later tonight, but odds are it won't get in tomorrows class since Dave expects everything uploaded by 5pm , and mine will probably hit at 3am.

Ah well!

[NateHorsfall]

I revised it. I know it's waaaaaaaaaaaay past when Don and Dave want things, so it probably won't make it in.. but hey.. I worked on this basically all night :)

http://www.donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=552

I think I cleaned up the first half alot better, but now the "MAKE THE RULES" is off, haha. I think I can clean that up though pretty easily. I also think I'm still probably moving her head around too much. We'll see what else Don says tomorrow. er.. in 6 hours.

[NateHorsfall]

And another revision!
http://www.donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=554

changed on this pass:
-Revised some hand motions
-Toned down head motions a bit.
-Stopped moving the bucket
-put a few things on 2's to test the fluidity of it.
-added a few cloth animations and bouncing fat just to test things.
-added a few expressions and mouths just to test

changes for next pass:
-going to make the arm motion of pulling back, holding the card, and throwing it forward, one big motion. right now it starts, stops. starts again.
-Going to revise a bit more of the head placement for "if you don't mind.." so it's a bit smoother
-Will eventually move the bucket again, but VERY small. Just shifting it back. no giant jerking around like before
-Will also revise her kicking leg, because the outwards kick feels unnecessary. Maybe just a raised up, and back down.
-get everything on 4's. there are still a few spots with 8's, and the beginning pose to frame 1, needs more blending.

Thats my kill list for next time. Tell me what else you think I should work on! :)
Also, i think i cleaned up Don's biggest issue with the drawings, her moving around on the bucket too much. Yes, no?

[jeremyhopkins]

Excellent! Huge improvement and it's working really well now. Congrats on the scene so far!

[NateHorsfall]

Thanks Jeremy!
Now rip it apart ;)

[Phrogger]

Okay, it's looking good Nate! You may have passed the point where I can give a useful critique, but I will *try*!

I think maybe there could be more squash and stretch in the body, perhaps? Aside from moving around a lot, she doesn't seem very elastic from an animation point of view. When she goes up to "I'll" it may have a little TOO much "pop," maybe you could ton that down just a tad? That may be a taste thing though. I feel like that's an area you could stretch her body a bit and then squash it when she says "rules."

I liked the bucket hop on the last pass. Don didn't see that, I think what he was criticizing was the fact that the bucket was drawn loosely and jumping around too much. I see that you're going to put it back in but toned down, I think that's a good idea.

In your finishing pass (maybe after the workshop is over) I'd love to see a still of whoever she's playing cards with on the right side. Just to add context. Don't forget to use a good silhouette if you decide to do that. I like the background you've added, it adds a lot to the scene!

I hope that is helpful!!! Your suggestions helped me a lot on my scene, I will put up a new revision soon.

-Meredith

[Richard Willimot]

I really like your extreme when she pulls back with the card,just wish we could see it a bit longer.I agree with Meredith about the bucket jiggle from your second last revision,it added a nice little bit to the piece. You could maybe make a stronger arc when tossing the card down as well.

[NateHorsfall]

As usual, i agree with you guys on pretty much all the fronts :)

Meredith-
-Squash and stretch is actually something I struggle with, a lot. While i appreciate cartoony animation and drawings, it's never really been my style. So i usually have to kind of do it a few times over and over until i get it. That said, i was expecting most of the squash will come in from getting to 2s, But I agree that especially on "RULES" it should be more squashed down.
The pop on 'I'LL" i was expecting will smooth out with 2s, but we'll see!

-The bucket will return! But after talking with Owen about it, i decided to just focus on the animation for now, and add that later. The bucket literally took about 10 minutes tops, originally. I'd like to get fancy with it and have both the bucket and the handle moving. But if i get to a happy point on the animation.. thats easy to add. It WILL be there for this week's review :)

- Yeah, another character is easily added too. Depending on how far i get, I might even put it on a pose test. But easily at least a single drawing!


Richard:
Yes, the card needs to be held longer. Originally i wanted to have it snap into place, but since it's been changed, that simply doesn't work anymore. I figure I'll hold that up there at least 4 to 6 frames.. then sweep it in, which should make a stronger arc. But i might still need to adjust some poses to help it.

Thanks for the comments and feedback, guys! I can tell you're nit picking and thats it's kind of difficult since we usually don't, but i really appreciate it. I like nit picks.. I tend to work in very big sweeps down a checklist of fixes every time, so knowing as much as possible to fix each time, is a great benefit. thanks! :)

[NateHorsfall]

Another Revision.
http://www.donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=564

Getting a bit carried away now.. I couldn't resist taking this to 2's. even though i know it may have needed more pose refinement on 4s. Ah well. Stupid ambitions!

This is getting closer. I expect maybe 1 or 2 more passes to be done by Friday/Saturday. I will make another kill list later..

pay no attention to her random disappearing act at the end! thats pure accidental layer neglect.

[Phrogger]

Looking great, Nate! It's getting *really* hard to critique now, at least to my eye. The timing and lip sync are working well. The only two things I can really mention are working on finishing up her facial features, and watching out that her butt doesn't sink into the top of the bucket. At the words "don't mind" her bottom seems to sink a little bit lower than where she should be sitting. Actually, now that I mention it her butt doesn't seem very grounded, it moves around a lot. Getting that part stabilized might have the effect of making the upper body action look even better. You said you wanted a nit-pick, hopefully that's helpful and doesn't cause you too many problems!

Great work, btw!

-Meredith

[NateHorsfall]

It's only a problem in the sense of revising all those keys. haha. But no really, it's not a problem at all.
I think maybe I'll draw a straight line under how far i want it to move at it's peak squashing, and make damn sure to not break that.

I will however, save that for an ending pass if you will, because thats almost like cleanup.- ALMOST.

Thanks for continuing to nitpick! :)

[NateHorsfall]

Got one more in today.

http://www.donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=567

Will do ONE more pass on stuff tomorrow. And, well, I'd like to do something on Friday too.. but since the class deadline is 5pm, and I don't get home from work til 7.. thursday is all I'll get! Hopefully all these revisions aren't annoying to people getting notifications in their box :)

So it's all on 2's now. and amazingly enough, some even on 1's. the fast actions helped to at least have a few of them on 1s. Admittedly I started to fall into old habits of just feeling out how things would work, instead of carefully revising my xsheet. Bad habits.. but.. i'm having fun..? :)

Final Kill List (in order of priority):
-Smooth hand out a bit on "don't mind.."
-revise kick on bucket
-lag drawing 41's wrist a bit. for more snap.
-fix nasty squashing on final few drawings. may just draw them over. period.
-correct expanding bloomers during "if you don't mind.."
-Animate bucket (short. 3-4 frames)
-bloomer squash and stretch check on all.


extras if I still have energy afterward:
-expression pass/head pass
-clothing pass tweaks
-intro card shifting
-Single frame of some character who she's actually talking to with all this. Plus, revised background and props such as a table. etc.

If you see anything else that isn't covered on my above list.. yell 'er out :)

[jeremyhopkins]

Every time I check your work it gets better! This is your best test so far. I really don't have much to add beyond what you have on your list. The biggest concern for me is the last few frames 'rules' since it feels like that accent hits a bit later than it should. Other than that, I understand the drawings are still a struggle but they're much more clear now. It may have been better to stay on 4's and really make them solid drawings. Still everything is a huge improvement from last week, it reads clearly and I like the up in the air thing she does with the cards.

[Richard Willimot]

This one has really come along way Nate and with the plan you've laid out it can only get better.Great work.

[NateHorsfall]

Final:
http://www.donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=574

Last tweaks include:
-Smooth hand out a bit on "don't mind.."
-revise kick on bucket
-lag drawing 41's wrist a bit. for more snap.
-fix nasty squashing on final few drawings. may just draw them over. period.
-correct expanding bloomers during "if you don't mind.."
-Animate bucket (short. 3-4 frames)
-Single frame of some character who she's actually talking to with all this. Plus, revised background and props such as a table. etc.
-expression pass/head pass


Stuff I never got to:
-clothing pass tweaks
-bloomer squash and stretch check on all.
-intro card shifting

All told, I'm pretty happy with the end results here. Drawings could be cleaner, and I could have had more squash and stretch.. but it's the ACTING I liked from the end result, and that was my focus.. so I'm okay with it :)
And even though this is "final", if anything jumps out at you that you think could be better.. call it out. it can always be better, and even if i won't revisit it, I will take lessons learned for next time.

But, I'd like to thank all you guys who offered tons of feedback. down to the nitpicking. It helped IMMENSELY because we only get that once.. every week from Don. You guys pointed out many things that didn't work, or suggested to work on things I hadn't thought of, myself. I would not have been able to work so smoothly without all the feedback. so thank you all!

PS: timing still feel weird about "RULES" Jeremy? I tried to tweak it, but It';s 5am, and i can't even tell anymore. haha.

PPS: I would have framed this different, but accidentally cropped it wrong- too much left space. and.. again.. 5am. so yeah.

THANKS EVERYONE! :D

[feliceworkshop]

PPS: I would have framed this different, but accidentally cropped it wrong- too much left space. and.. again.. 5am. so yeah.

5 AM?....man, my heart bleeds for ya. But this also shows how committed you are to the medium and for that reason my hat goes off to you. So, just picture me holding my hat with one hand while with the other hand I'm trying to stop the bleeding from my chest....ehm, yeah it's getting late here in Florida as well. I'll wrap it up. I know you don't want to hear only compliments but at this point in time I feel that anything else would be pointless, sorry for flying under the radar in the past couple of weeks I feel bad about it and kinda regret not being more involved with the posts on the forum.... just allow me then to high five you, for how the animation turned out, as pointed out there is always some fixing that can be implemented but for the time being, you deserve only credit for pulling this off considering how busy you are...
Good job Nate!

[OwenWelsh]

Way to go Nate this is your best test yet, and on 2s! You're crazy, but you already know that! I'm interested to hear Don's comments on everyone's stuff tomorrow but I'm sure he's going to be quite pleased with this.

[Phrogger]

Great final pass, Nate! The backdrop you drew really brings it all together!