Johnny DePalma's Animation Mentor Blog

Springboard-Class 3 Progress Reel!!!

2012-01-05T20:13:00.000-08:00

Apoligies for the delay....

2012-01-02T14:44:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time I was actually quite good at updating this blog, but Animation Mentor started taking up so much time, it became near impossible throughout this last term. Which is really quite a shame as my last term had so many AH-HA! moments that I really wish I could have shared with you, or at the very least saved to look back at fondly in my years of decrepitude. Oh well, perhaps I'll get back to them later...

I'm also quite sad that I never told you how awesome my Class 3 Mentor was. Steve Cunningham of Dreamworks. He pushed us above and beyond the curriculum and his guidance certainly made all the difference. I feel as if I've been the luckiest person here at A.M.; constantly getting great instructors who I feel a real connection with.

Speaking of Mentors, I was assigned a new one today! Ray Chase of ReelFX! He's been working on all of those new Looney Tunes shorts that have been reemerging over this past year... See:

Anyway, it's my hopes to have my new progress reel up by the end of the week and it will include all my work from Class 3 to catch you up!

Hope everyone have a nice Holiday!
-Johnny

Class 3... Coming Soon!

2011-11-21T19:35:00.000-08:00

Progress Reel Time!

2011-09-28T20:45:00.000-07:00

Week 9 - (2nd Pass Spline)

2011-09-06T09:29:00.000-07:00

Week 8 - (Dance First Pass Spline)

2011-09-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

Week 7 - (Dance Blocking)

2011-09-06T09:19:00.000-07:00

Week 6 - (Parkour - Second Pass Spline)

2011-08-11T16:15:00.000-07:00

Week 6 - (Parkour - First Pass Spline)

2011-08-06T20:33:00.000-07:00

Week 5 - (Parkour Blocking)

2011-08-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

Week 4 - (Final Spline)

2011-08-06T20:29:00.000-07:00

Week 3 - (First Pass Spline)

2011-07-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

Week 2 - (First Pass, Blocking)

2011-07-09T16:19:00.000-07:00

Week 1 (Heel Click - Reference and Blocking)

2011-07-09T16:15:00.000-07:00

Class 2 (Psychology of Body Mechanics) Starts NOW! :)

2011-06-30T22:13:00.000-07:00

I just got out of my first Q&A with my new mentor Steve Cady, and I have to say, I am really excited for this term. He has a lot of great energy and experience and seems really hands on as far as working with the students goes.

Steve has been a mentor at AM for the past 6 years teaching Basic Foundations, Psychology of Body Mechanics and Advanced Body Mechanics. He's worked as an animator on 8 Crazy Nights, Scooby Doo 2 and The Chronicles of Narnia and also as a visual effects artist on The Waterhorse, Watchmen and Avatar!

Click on the link below to find out more about him:

http://www.animationmentor.com/newsletter/0910/featured-mentor.html

My Class 1 Progress Reel!!!!

2011-06-14T13:10:00.001-07:00

Animation Mentor - Personality Walk Blocking

2011-06-04T19:06:00.001-07:00

Vanilla Walk

2011-06-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

Strength Pose (A or B?)

2011-05-19T00:29:00.000-07:00

Hey Guys, Thanks for stopping by. If you wouldn't mind throwing in some feedback regarding my strength pose this week and letting me know which version you like more, it would be SUPER appreciated. It really just comes down to which head position makes the character appear physically stronger.

Pose A

Pose B

This week in Class 1 (Strength Posing with Stu and Walks!!! )

2011-05-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

Strength Pose, (Work in Progress)

and Ballie Walk (Also a Work in Progress) :)

Tailor

2011-05-14T18:29:00.001-07:00

Tailor (WIP)

2011-05-10T13:44:00.001-07:00

Pendulum - W.I.P. # 2

2011-05-05T20:49:00.001-07:00

Pendulum - W.I.P. #1

2011-05-04T16:58:00.000-07:00

Devastation Pose (Now with 20% More Devastation!!!)

2011-04-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

Devastation Pose (Work in Progress)

2011-04-28T15:45:00.001-07:00

Obstacle Course - W.I.P. #1

2011-04-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

This Weeks Project - Heavy Ball / Light Ball. + Last Weeks Revision

2011-04-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

The Quest for Tim Tam's

2011-04-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

I set out today on an epic quest, to track down the rare (well, rare to me anyway) Australian chocolate biscuit know as The Tim Tam. Luckily, I have an Australian market down the street and so my epic quest really just turned out to be a casual jaunt. Behold! My journey,

Long story short, these things are pretty addictive... Perhaps too addictive. Half the box was gone within a few hours. On the up side, I am now fueled with Australian sugar and so I am off to go animate! That is, until the inevitable crash.

Thanks for the recommendation Matthew, we'll see if they help to improve my ball bounce any :)

This Week in Class 1 (Week 4) W.I.P. - Two Ball Bounce

2011-04-18T00:23:00.000-07:00

This week in Class 1 we were asked to give two separate balls a unique bounce; one heavy and one light, all within 120 frames. I chose to try and recreate the feeling of a beach ball and a bowling ball. Below you can see my breakdown notes, along with my first three passes at tackling the project. I personally like the third video at the bottom.

My breakdown the week even includes a sappy love story :)

Version 1

Version 2

Version 3

Ball Bounce - Update :)

2011-04-14T19:04:00.001-07:00

This Week in Class 1 (Week 3) W.I.P. - Excitement Pose, Update # 4

2011-04-14T18:19:00.001-07:00

I have been assigned my first Peer Buddy, and boy am I excited! Her name is Kari Watson, and, she has already been super helpful in getting my Excitement pose and my Ball Bounce looking a bit better. (Thanks again for the helpful tips Kari!)

And... here is an update to that aforementioned Stu pose, with a few minor new tweaks. Still not 100% done, but, it's on its way!

Ummmm..... Guys?

2011-04-14T00:37:00.000-07:00

"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes."

2011-04-13T23:22:00.001-07:00

-- Oscar Wilde

Revisions from this week and last...

2011-04-13T15:17:00.001-07:00

Take a look and let me know what you think :)

This Week in Class 1 (Week 3) W.I.P. - Excitement Pose, Update # 2

2011-04-11T23:50:00.001-07:00

Thanks everyone for the feedback. I updated the changes - please let me know if you see anything else that could make it better :)

This Week in Class 1 (Week 3) W.I.P. Ball Bounce

2011-04-11T19:52:00.001-07:00

This Week in Class 1 (Week 3) W.I.P. - Excitement Pose

2011-04-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Hey guys, so as I had mentioned in my previous post, I was not yet certain as to which Stu pose to try out, and so... I tried both. Please let me know what you think. I know they both still need quite a bit of work and so any helpful critiques you might offer are always welcome and appreciated. Thanks!

This Week in Class 1 (Week 3)

2011-04-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

This week our assignment is pose out Stu into an excitement pose, and also to make a ball bounce that is reminiscent of either a basketball, or a soccer ball. Today, I spent a bit of time planing both as you can see in my very crudely illustrated pictures below.

Also, please let me know which one of the excitement poses you think I should tackle and why. I personally like #'s 4 and 5 :)

Last One, I Swear! :)

2011-04-09T23:31:00.000-07:00

In the slightly altered words of Willy Wonka; "Animation, my dear friends, is 93% perspiration, 6% electricity, 4% evaporation, and 2% butterscotch ripple."

That being said, I have found yet another tutorial!!! In case you didn't know, almost everything in Maya has a tutorial.
Anyway, this particular tutorial covered how to render out in Mental Ray instead of using the basic Maya software. And, what kind of geek would I be if I didn't try it out immediately right?

And so, here for the 7 gazillionth time, I present to you, Basic Pose Stu, rendered out - in Mental Ray. Enjoy!

Oh! And on a side note, the next time you see Stu, he will be getting EXCITED!!!

Class 1 -(Assignment 1) Lights, Camera, Shoulders!

2011-04-09T14:57:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are. One week later and so much has changed. Thanks to everyone who left feedback either here or on the AM site.

One thing that they don't tell you when you first get Stu is that he doesn't yet have any shoulder controls and a lot of my peer feedback called for shoulder placement. Luckily however, Wednesday rolled around and it was as if my mentor had read my mind because before I could even ask, he supplied us all with shoulder control codes!!!

After that, I threw up some lights and upped the resolution on the shadows and Voila! Assignment one complete, submitted, and just in time! :)

(Assignment 1) Work in Progress - Update # 4

2011-04-08T14:06:00.000-07:00

After addressing all comments and critiques, this is how Stu came out. Please let me know if there are any further suggestions before this Saturday :)

(Assignment 1) Work in Progress - Update # 3

2011-04-07T17:45:00.000-07:00

Still chipping away at making this pose a bit better. I took my mentor's advice and rendered the background out in white to get a feeling of how this single frame would appear in silhouette. I can also now see why including the right arm was so imperative.

Making sure your pose reads in silhouette really helps to insure you have a readable pose upon completion.

I also repositioned the camera just a bit

Let me know what you guys think! :)

(Assignment 1) Work in Progress - Update # 2

2011-04-06T23:07:00.000-07:00

By popular request: Stu, repositioned with a more visible right arm placement :)

(Assignment 1) Work in Progress - Update

2011-04-05T11:52:00.001-07:00

Animation - How it Works!

2011-04-05T11:43:00.000-07:00

Cirkus' Animation ABC - How IT works! from Cirkus on Vimeo.

This Week in Class 1 (Assignment 1) Work in Progress

2011-04-04T21:34:00.001-07:00

... we were asked to go out into the world and bring our sketchbook along to capture a few people doing their regular day to day activities. As this was just a planning sheet, stick figures were encouraged so that we could quickly jot down their positions. And so, I went to the park, the mall and to Downtown Campbell and sketched about 25 or so doodles and of those 25, here are the six that I selected, which, I should add, then had to be narrowed down to one. (Circled below)
After choosing the one pose that "spoke to me" we were then asked to use our good friend Stu to recreate that same position in Maya. Now, I know what you're thinking... Piece of Cake, right?

WRONG! Laughably Wrong! The cake is a lie! At least it was for me anyway. I'm certain you Class 2-6 Animation Ninjas must have been here once before, no? Hopefully it's not just me. Anyway, needless to say, I certainly now have a greater respect for the whole process.

And... here is what I came up with :)

Now, I know it still needs a bit of work, so please, let me know what you think and how it could be improved upon in the comments below.

My First (non-official, just for shits and giggles) Stu Pose

2011-04-01T01:45:00.000-07:00

Class 1 (The Beggining)

2011-03-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

Basic Foundations has begun! Class one started off last night at 11PM PST, which I have to admit is a bit late for me, but, after meeting my mentor and fellow students, I'm really happy to have landed where I did.

My mentor, Matthew Garward, currently works at LucasArts and has previously worked on Pirates of The Caribbean 3, The Spiderwick Chronicles and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed I & II. He's also working on something now, but it's all very hush hush. PLUS, did I mention Matthew is an Animation Mentor Alumni who is the product of their first graduating class. Here is a peek at his AM demo reel from 06:

After going around and introducing ourselves, we started off with a few introductory key points about animation and life at Animation Mentor. Here are three pearls of wisdom gathered from last nights Q&A, which I feel bear repeating:

1) Keep It Simple! Learning the basics will be difficult enough without trying to complicate matters with extra bells and whistles. Stay focused on the assignment unless you are confident that your additions are imperative.

2) You Can Always Make It Better! Remember, animation is never finished, it's just taken away from you. You will receive several critiques about your piece and it is important that you are open to listening. Animation is a collaborative art and is seldom flawless. Keep an open mind and just keep swimming (er... I mean animating)

3) Critique Others! Get out there and mingle among your fellow student body. These are your peers. Watch there animation and start training your eyes to pick up on what is working and what is not. Helping others is helping yourself.

Let's see, what else is there... Oh, yeah! I almost forgot, let me introduce you to my new friend Stu. He was waiting for me in the Characters and Tools section when I logged in this past Monday. I'm sure you'll see a lot more of him on this blog as the days go by.

And that's about it for now.

5 Days Away

2011-03-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Until I am an official, Class 1 Student at Animation Mentor!!! And how do I feel? I am nervous as hell! But, in a good way... I'm really quite excited to be honest. Right now, I feel like I respect this program so damn much, that I can't even believe I'm a part of it. It is seriously going by so fast. I feel like it was just yesterday that I got my acceptance letter - and that was in October of last year! And now, here we are. I kind of feel like I'm in the dark about what's going to happen next. But, there's really no other place I'd rather be.

The Greatest Thing You Will See All Day!!!

2011-03-21T16:29:00.000-07:00

My Springboard Progress Reel

2011-03-17T16:55:00.001-07:00

Need something to cheer you up? Watch this! :)

2011-03-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

This Last Week in Springboard - Assignment # 10

2011-03-08T16:01:00.000-08:00

Our last project in Maya Springboard really was the most fun. We got to make a ball with a leg do a little jump! How cool is that!?

I have to say that I came into Springboard with some knowledge of the software and came out learning so many things. I am very glad I took these first steps before trying to tackle class 1. So, my advice to you in the future from me in the past is this... If you're on the fence about going into Springboard, do not hesitate! This is a fantastic program that will help to ease you into life at AM.

And, Happy Animating!

This Week in Springboard - Assignment # 9 (Work in Progress)

2011-03-02T17:10:00.001-08:00

The South Bank Show Presents: The Magical World of Disney/Pixar

2011-03-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

This Week in Springboard - Assignment # 8

2011-02-26T21:46:00.000-08:00

This week in Springboard, we were given quite an amazing little robot rig - and let me tell you... this thing kicked my butt. The actual blocking was a piece of cake, however, the constraints and the parenting and un-parenting just didn't seem to click the first few times I tried it.

Eventually, it all worked out, but, I have a feeling that I need a lot more polish and practice before I could ever explain what I did to anyone else. If time permits, I'd love to do this assignment over again sans all the cognitive hiccups.

The Graph Editor:

This Week in Springboard - Assignment # 7

2011-02-22T19:05:00.000-08:00

This week we were asked to make a quick ball bounce file and save it twice. One as Ball Bounce A and the other and Ball Bounce B, even though they are essentially the same file. We were then asked to import Ball B into Ball A's file which gave us two identical bouncing balls.

Our task was then to go into the graph editor and make one of the balls bounce a bit higher than the other. Here's how it all turned out:

After I had finished, I decided to jazz the scene up a bit by placing our two, newly escaped balls on the run. I call this one, The Great Bounce Escape.

The Bounce Graph.

Cartoon Ball Test

2011-02-19T20:36:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, Jay Epperhart of Animation Mentor hosted a class on cartoony animation and it really made me want to jump ahead of our Springboard curriculum and just play around with some good old fashioned "Squash & Stretch" techniques. As I don't have a rig or a character to manipulate just yet, I thought I would try my hand at the tried and true method of a cartoon ball bounce. Here's how it came out.

Also, here is a peek at the Graph Editor from this bounce.

Extra Fun with Assignment # 6

2011-02-17T20:56:00.000-08:00

And, just take a look at that finished Graph!

This Week in Springboard - Assignment # 6

2011-02-16T22:00:00.000-08:00

This week in Springboard we were asked to set four direct key frames, all equal distance from each other, so as to form a circular path for our ball to travel. Of course however, a direct path, does not a circle make. Instead we ended up with a sideways square, or a stout diamond shape if you will. And instead of adding additional key frames to simulate an arch, we were then asked to use the graph editor to smooth things out. That's were things got a bit troublesome for me.

The Graph Editor is officially the nut I have to crack. I understand it "in theory" however when placed before it, my mind goes a bit numb.

Long story short, here is what I came up with:

And here is a final look at the Graph Editor upon completion:

This Week in Springboard - Assignment # 5

2011-02-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

This week is Springboard we were asked to set keys on a basic sphere and to make it move around a little. It didn't have to bounce, or roll, or anything fancy... just move around.

Anyway, here is a look at what I came up with. Not too much going on here that needs explaining.

On a side note, now that we have animation to work with, we also have the dreaded Graph Editor to worry about. I find the whole thing very daunting and confusing and will have to spend a lot more time with it before I can safely explain to you it's beautifully intricate purpose.

Below is a picture of a graph editor mapping out a walk cycle. I know I'm not there yet, but the whole thing just leaves one speechless.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day Animation Fans!

And, oh what a Valentine's Day it has been! Look what Spike left on my Character's and Tools page this morning!

Yes, it's a ball, but not just any ball. This will be this first object that I will actually get to animate here at AM :)

A Look Inside Pixar Studios

2011-02-11T19:53:00.001-08:00

This Week in Springboard - Assignment # 4

2011-02-11T18:59:00.000-08:00

This week in Springboard we were to take our previously created set a punch it up with lights, shadows, shading and a few other fine details.

Aside from the lighting and shadows, you may also notice that our set now comes complete with a red velvet curtain and a wood plank floor.

Establishing Shot

"Step Right Up Ladies and Gentlemen..."

Your weapon of choice.

The Target.

The Fool.And the prize.

Prizes Galore! (An update from Assignment 3)

2011-02-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

Upon posting my last image of the Dunk Tank, my good friend Sahlini pointed out that amusements park games always have one BIG prize. The "peace de resistance" of cheaply made, hay-stuffed, plush style dolls. And so I set to work on trying to figure out just what I should model. Eventually I decided to go with Lots-o'-Huggin' Bear from TS3 as he was the closest toy on my desk that I thought I could recreate in Maya.

The whole addition was pretty easy as he's made entirely of stretched out spheres.

And yet, that didn't quite seem like enough. Sure, now we had a major award on the top, but the shelves still seemed a bit too "Spiky." I figured I would start modeling another Toy Story character, (I like to stick with themes) this time, one of the Pizza Planet Aliens." That would take care of the bottom shelf, but now there are still two identical Spike shelves above, which just didn't look quite right. And so, I started to think - what is a simple Toy Story character I could model in a short amount of time? For a while I was going to do Mr. Potato Head but I felt he too closely resembled Spike in both shape and color scheme. And then it dawned on me, I have the Aliens from the first movie, and Lots-o' from the third... All I need now is a character to represent TS2. And then it hit me. Wheezy! Oh course, Wheezy!

After a quick restructuring we ended up with the Pizza Planet Aliens, Wheezy, Lots-O' and the of course the Grand-Prize, Spike :)

PS: Don't forget to check out that realistic water texturing in the tank. Awesome, no?

This Week in Springboard - Assignment # 3

2011-02-04T14:44:00.000-08:00

For our second assignment this week, we were asked to set up a simple location and to pose out our original character that we had earlier created. I had a few different ideas as to what the scene might be about, but in the end I decided to go with a circus carnival theme in-front of a classic dunk tank, complete with Spike prizes!

This Week in Springboard - Assignment # 2

2011-02-02T09:25:00.000-08:00

This week in Springboard we were asked to model a head out of a simple NURBS sphere and also to create body for it out of Polygons. I have to admit after watching the lecture video on this assignment I cockily thought to myself, "piece of cake." Boy was I wrong!

My Polys were stretching out of position when I rotated them and my head, (and all of it's part) flew in different directions when I attempted to move it up and down. After a couple hours of fiddling with it I decided to scrap the body, and salvage the head.

Once the head (and it's extra parts) were properly grouped together, I started again on a much more simple body plan; and luckily for me, everything worked fine!!! My joints moved properly on their axis, my arms did not fly off in different directions and my legs stayed attached to their core. Success!

And so, I write this note to you in the future, from me in the past: If you, within your first few weeks of using Maya, are not confused, frustrated and possibly ready to pull your hair out... You're doing wrong.

Stay positive, and keep moving forward!

Below are some pictures of Oliver, with his short-lived first body. I'll try and post some of the final shots later today.

This Week in Springboard - Assignment # 1

2011-01-28T14:55:00.000-08:00

This week in Springboard we were given a bookshelf and asked to fill it with basic NURBS (Non Uniform Rational Bézier Spline) like spheres, cones, cylinders, boxes, etc... I took the liberty of adding my own little bust on the bottom shelf. Take a look! :)

Look What Amanda Got Me!

2011-01-26T15:22:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, my very sweet girlfriend Amanda got me a membership to D23, and, look what came in the mail today!!! :)

It's official! You can tell because it's signed by none-other than Mr. Mickey Mouse.

I was especially excited when I saw that the certificate was covered in amazing Donald Duck artwork, my favorite of the original gang.

And that's not all! Amanda also managed to get me a signed and personalized lithograph from Mary Gibbs, the voice of Boo in Monsters Inc.!!! :)

Seriously, how awesome is that?! I feel so very, very lucky

O' NO! It's Laaaaaaag!!!!

2011-01-25T17:57:00.000-08:00

So my first Maya Springboard session started off well enough. We met, we chatted, we got to know each other and everyone seemed really nice. And then it was my turn to be brought up on cam. My mentor asked me how I became interested in animation, and so I began to talk... and then I heard the dreaded "hello? o, wait... there you are."

It. Was. LAG!

No! Not Log. Lag. You know, L-A-G?

Basically, my wireless internet connection has recently had an issue in reaching my animation office, however, it had never been so bad that it had hindered my participation in a live Q&A. Until now...

This was going to be a problem.

Long story short, Comcast is coming over tomorrow and installing a dedicated line for my office. With any luck I will be up and running and back in live sessions by tomorrow night! (Fingers crossed)

This is it!

2011-01-24T11:55:00.001-08:00

Today's the day! Maya Springboard is on it's way. At 7PM PST, the journey begins.

How to Break Into Animation

2011-01-19T18:11:00.000-08:00

An amazing video a friend of mine found. It's a fantastic reminder to always be open to the word "yes"

T-Minus 5 days and counting...

2011-01-19T16:09:00.000-08:00

- until Maya Springboard starts up at AM! I have to admit I am on the edge of my seat and it feels like just yesterday I received my acceptance letter in the mail. These past few months have been exciting - albeit a bit terrifying, but a good kind of terrifying. Things are changing in my life all around me and it feels good. My office has taken on a new look, my bookcase is now crammed to the gills with animation books and reference materials, and I am even starting a new diet. (Wish me luck)

Big News of the Day: I discovered who my first mentor will be! His name is Jared Garcia, and so far all I know is he a 2008 AM Alumni who has awesome taste in both movies and literature :)

the iron giant

2010-12-16T23:16:00.000-08:00

Since beginning my journey into animation, this particular film has come up many times, often being touted as the greatest animated film to date and the animated film that animators recommend.

I certainly remember watching The Iron Giant as a kid, but its acclaim was sadly lost on me at the time. However, after watching it again tonight, I have to say, this film is simply magical - and not just for being an animated film. The story, characters and artwork all work so very well together. A wonderful family film that will certain tug at your heartstrings.

UFO Animation Final West Valley College - DePalma

2010-12-16T12:53:00.000-08:00

Well, my animation final at WVC has finally arrived and here is a peek at my final project. Not entirely perfect in any way, but - I'm still learning. Animation Mentor, here I come!

Oh no!

2010-10-21T20:16:00.000-07:00

I completely forgot I had a blog about this. I will have to try and be better about keeping this up as my new life as a beginning animator is finally beginning to take shape. I am almost to mid-term at West Valley College and can I just say... Wow. Maya is one incredible piece of software. To date I have made a ball bounce, a lamp light, an arm wave, a row of dominos topple over and I have just recently put the finishing touches on my U.F.O. which I hope to fly very soon.

On a side note: I have just recently been accepted to ANIMATION MENTOR!!!!! :) I start the first week in January and I couldn't be more excited. So much to do, so little time.

Secondary side note: This Tuesday is my birthday. I am turning 28. I feel too old and too young all at the same time. That is all.

Well...

2010-07-27T22:22:00.000-07:00

- that's that. I did not get into Animation Mentor this time around, which I have to admit, was quite a disappointing email to receive. But, I have to keep moving forward and concentrate on learning as much as I can here at West Valley College - and who knows, maybe in three months when I reapply, I'll be a little wiser for the wear.

IN OTHER NEWS, my girlfriend Amanda and I just visited Emeryville yesterday and stood beneath the gates of P-I-X-A-R Animation Studios! (Which just so happen to be under-construction, in development of Pixar - Phase II!) We also visited Point Richmond to see the Hidden City Cafe and the original offices where Pixar began. But, no Pixar inspired day-by-the-Bay would be complete without a Black and Tan sunday from Fenton's Creamery in Oakland, (featured in the Disney Pixar film UP!)

My last fork-in-the-road weekend

2010-07-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

I spoke with Brittany at Animation Mentor's admissions department yesterday, just to approximate how long it might be until I hear back the results. She said it would be sometime this week, just after Monday - making this my last weekend in the dark. The not knowing has been both fantastic and terrible all at the same time.

Fantastic in the respect that this really could be a possibility! I have been pouring so much of my last two weeks brushing up on everything I know and can learn about animation both past and present. I've found so many amazing websites and blogs dedicated to animation and have watched countless hours of youtube behind-the-scenes on weight, balance, spacing and timing. I'm ready for this and I want it to start now!

And, as jazzed as I am about all this, my stomach has been in knots the whole time. Second guessing my ambitions, possibly to lessen the blow of a rejection letter streaming down the pike. I keep telling myself I can reapply in three months if that happens and I've already signed up at West Valley.....

My mind feels like a western omelet by the time I hit the pillow at night. I'm a bundle of excitement and nerves and I feel like a firework about to explode. Perhaps even a little like Casey Junior trying to get over the hill; I'm on the right path, but it's certainly going to take it's toll on my gears until I can see what's on the other side. Until then, all I can do is wait.

My next post will come after their response.

"I think I can, I think I can, I - THINK - CAAAN..."

Step one...

2010-07-20T19:24:00.000-07:00

Every great journey requires a challenge, and today my challenge is the educational path I take towards becoming an animator. I have applied now to two animation programs; one being Animation Mentor and the other, at West Valley Community College.

WVCC is sort of my fall back plan in case AM doesn't take me this first time around, and in the meantime, perhaps I will be able to learn the basic tools on Maya and even make a ball roll from one side of the screen to the other.

(Best Case Scenario: I get into Animation Mentor, give 110% and eventually work my way to P-I-X-A-R!!!! )

(Animation Mentor's Mascot: SPIKE)