Phrogger's Gallery

[Phrogger]

Here's my first submission to the gallery. This was an assignment for a character design class. I am not afraid of hard criticism! I would love to hear your thoughts, it only helps me improve.

-Meredith

http://www.donbluthanimation.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=244&pictureid=1116

[Seth]

Very nice! :) I like your use of colors in this picture. The characters are very interesting too. If I had anything about the drawing that I didn't like, it would be that the Cardinals arm with the watch on it looks funny to me for some reason. But it's really not that noticeable, in fact it might just be me, because I'm so tired planning this Arizona trip! :laughing: In fact, just ignore me.

Over-all Good job! A+ And a couple of stars. *****

Can't wait to see more.

[jeremyhopkins]

These are pretty darn cute! I really enjoy your fun style.

[Rodney]

Rodney: Mama Odie? What do you think?
Mama Odie: This gonna be GOOOOOD!

Love them!


I am not afraid of hard criticism!

Okay, you asked for it.
Those characters are lifeless, 2D drawings that aren't yet living and breathing and communicating. What are you waiting for... MAKE THEM MOVE!

Translation=No crits from me! ;)

Seriously, I find those character designs wonderful.
Bravo.

[arif]

So cool man...very fun to look at...:laughing:.did you draw them directly in Flash ?

Regards,
Arif.

[Phrogger]

Thanks for the kind words guys. I do want to try to animate them! For the first two I have a walk cycle in my head already, I just need to get it on paper. :D

Arif, these were done with a micron pen on bristol board, then scanned in, cleaned up and colored in Photoshop. I have used flash to achieve the same effect however, an example is the interactive characters on my homepage.

BTW, Flash is wonderful to ink with for anyone who is able to try it. It's too bad I have no idea how to animate with it! But, first things first...I want to learn to animate with pencil and paper, I can always learn software later.

[Richard Willimot]

Very strong shapes and silhouettes, and great colouring. One thing you might change is on the mechanic character you have the face features on a 3/4 view with a slant but have the head on a straight view.

[Phrogger]

Wow, it nearly killed me but I managed to get my animation from the masterclass to pan, using only the Photoshop animation tools. It wasn't easy, but I will post a tutorial on my blog soon.

http://www.donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=394

-Meredith

[madanimator]

Wow!!! This scene looks very professional! You did a great job! :) How long have you worked on that?

[arif]

wowowo...is it your first animation!!!.............the animation is so good..congratulations!!!

Regards,
Arif.

[NateHorsfall]

really great stuff meredith. I'm looking forward to seeing what you did to put it all together.. I still have to get my file back form willie, heh. But this week is way hectic. I hope to get something together later.

hats off to the first animation, and many more to come :)

[wilsaturn]

Wow, it nearly killed me but I managed to get my animation from the masterclass to pan, using only the Photoshop animation tools. It wasn't easy, but I will post a tutorial on my blog soon.


Well... this just answered my question for you on facebook. Should have looked at the forum first :) Anyway, excellent job Meredith.....

[johncbeggs]

that is amazing and really really entertaining :), I like that little bow at the end!

awesome job on the sceen! :)

[jeremyhopkins]

Very nice especially for your first attempt! Clearly shows the value of the masterclass!

[Phrogger]

Thanks, guys! Wait until you see everyone else's! You will surely be amazed!

Also: The tutorial is now up at my website if anyone wants to know how I did it!

http://rocarts.com/sabrecat/2010/07/13/photoshop-animation-tutorial-with-pan/

[Richard Willimot]

I agree with everyone, great job and I look forward to more.

[Don Bluth]

Thanks, guys! Wait until you see everyone else's! You will surely be amazed!

Also: The tutorial is now up at my website if anyone wants to know how I did it!

http://rocarts.com/sabrecat/2010/07/13/photoshop-animation-tutorial-with-pan/

Meredith,
Thank you for posting your final pencil test. Actually, I'm very impressed with the rate at which you pick up information and make it your own. Your pencil test really gave me a thrill. I hope you continue to explore this art form; you're very good at it! If I were making a traditional film I'd hire you in a heartbeat.

Don

[feliceworkshop]

Never animated before (not even a basic bouncing ball!) yet Meredith managed to put together a great 3 second of animation that clearly showcase that she is a talent to be reckon with....and at the same time she was doing on-line school work and because she managed to finish earlier, she got assigned by Don to animate a second animation (a cat's walkcycle). NOBODY in the masterclass managed to do that. She clearly embodies the Cinderella story... with a Terminator twist. :)

[Phrogger]

I'm speechless! :eek: Don, you are such an inspiration, thank you for the opportunity! I hope I will be able to attend your class again sometime!

-Meredith

[arif]

CONGRATULATIONS Meredith........i never saw that Don gave such a nice complement any of member before...at least ..i dont know.........hahahhaahaahahhhh.........you are so talented..i was amazed as it was your first animation ...!!!!!!!wow

Regards,
Arif

[WillW]

that was a great pencil test! keep up the awesome work!

[OwenWelsh]

Beautiful pencil test Meredith! Keep those animating skills going! You're a natural.

[Phrogger]

Here's a 12-field interior layout for my bird characters. This was an assignment for the Character Design and Storyboarding class I'm taking online at SCAD. I suppose it could be more stylized, but I'm not very confident with designing spaces in the first place. Thoughts?


http://www.donbluthanimation.com/forum/album.php?albumid=244&pictureid=1137

(Here's a link in case the embedded picture doesn't show up:)

http://www.donbluthanimation.com/forum/album.php?albumid=244&pictureid=1137

[samuelvictorjones]

The perspective on that background is done very well. I really like your pencil drawing of the reflection in the floor too, I got a kick out of that :) (EDIT oh & personally I like the realistic, almost clinical style in contrast with the very cartoony characters, it looks neat, like cartoons living in the real world) And its already been said, but your pencil test? Wow. Thats truly fantastic :)

[feliceworkshop]

I suppose it could be more stylized, but I'm not very confident with designing spaces in the first place. Thoughts?

ooh.... pleeeze Merdith! it looks flippin' awesome! love the prospective and the reflection on the floor. I'm assuming that eventually the camera is going to close-in on the 2 birds characters right?.... I really want to see how this project of yours is going to develop further.... :)

[Rodney]

Very nice indeed! It works really well with the characters.

There is one aspect of it that I'd be interested in seeing the feedback you get from your instructors. That concerns the reflection of the doors on the floor in the scene. My first thought is that I would avoid that as that locks you into the reflections of everything else, including your animated characters, in the scene. Not sure about this though as I haven't developed those brain cells yet.

I assume an upcoming assignment will have you paint the scene?


Edit: As this is for storyboarding the reflections are perhaps notional but I'm still curious. I'm sure Don has insight into how reflections translate from storyboards to final film. My thought is that unless otherwise directed the person who paints the background might paint in the reflections that are indicated. I'm curious because it seems it could be an area for misinterpretation by the artists.

[Richard Willimot]

Great work Meredith. I agree with Rodney your characters fit perfectly there. One concern I have also involves the door reflections, I wonder if you might blur them somewhat?

[lavallelee]

very cool background!!! the blue coloring is so soft and the reflection is a nice touch

you sure have the talent!

[wilsaturn]

That's looking really great Meredith...... I like the perspective of the layout and your characters placement in relation to everything. The one tiny little thing Im gonna point out is the tangency between the chairs at the down right corner.....
Im really bad at describing things so I hope you don't mind me marking your drawing....
http://www.donbluthanimation.com/forum/picture.php?albumid=247&pictureid=1143
I don't think it's a big deal and its not obvious in your drawing, but its one of the thing to watch out for next time. My teacher in school always warned me of tangency becos I keep repeatedly make them in my drawings, even now. Sometimes it is easier to spot them in others works than in your own I guess... Anyway, it is a splendid work... really like it :)

[Phrogger]

Thanks for the suggestions everybody. Willie, I really appreciate you pointing out that area of the chairs- my professor missed that too. He was mostly concerned about the tangent between the cardinal's head and the whiteboard (but he's animated...so he'll move...) and the edge of the chair being too close to the crop in the lower right corner...several people pointed out the reflections and the problem with animating them...and folks in my class said the background didn't "match" the characters. But I tend to agree with Samuel...I was thinking of the 40's WB and MGM shorts, where the background is more realistic than the characters. On my next project I am going to try being a bit looser though just to try out a more cartoony background.

[jeremyhopkins]

I always admire natural talent. For a first time test, your work is one of the more extraordinary pieces of animation I've seen. Congratulations and thank you for sharing.

[Phrogger]

Just updated my online portfolio with a new design and new artwork. I'm angling to find work in storyboarding, character design, and any type of animation development. While I'm still adding artwork and tweaking some issues with the site, I would love to have some feedback (positive or negative) if anyone has the time!

http://www.rocarts.com/portfolio/Home/Home.html

[Seth]

Hello Meredith!

I just visited your site, and wasn't sure what exact feedback you wanted to know.....but I really liked the way your site is setup. Looks professional. And your storyboards are nice too.

[Phrogger]

I just updated my portfolio with the three final character designs I started in Don's class! Sorry I'm not uploading them here, it's just becoming a bit much to juggle all of the forums and social media and whatnot.

http://www.rocarts.com/portfolio/Home/Pages/Character_Design.html


-Meredith

[3ddrew]

I really love the spunk and colorful characters you've designed. They're great fun and very well drawn!

[andrew sharp]

Your work and site look great:D

[OwenWelsh]

Looking good Meredith! Its great to see you finished up your designs. Something I need to do!

[OwenWelsh]

Hey Meredith where are the model sheets you did for your characters? I couldn't find them but maybe I'm not looking in the right place...

[Phrogger]

You mean the turnarounds? I didn't clean up the turnarounds but the ones I did are still in my albums on this site. I think you can get to them here:

http://donbluthanimation.com/forum/album.php?u=486

Do you like how Nara (the girl) came out? I had a hard time with her. I finally got something I liked just doodling at church, haha...I need to put more people in my portfolio, I think.

[lavallelee]

that bison is a great character! i want to see him animated! :)