I discovered a great video tutorial resource for Storyboard Pro users. I'll be linking to specific tutorials and then comparing the tutorial to my application of its principles.
Tutorial #1 will be "The Establishing Shot."
DBD—Don't Be Discouraged!
My senior year in high school I was in advanced placement English. I liked it because it meant no exams and no stupid spelling tests. By the time I was seventeen, I resented having to have my spelling tested, that it was beneath me. Says a lot about how I thought (and I'm still a damn good speller)!
Anyway, the way it worked was that we would learn something about writing, then have to write an essay in class showing what we've learned. If one got a, say, B+ or higher on the essay, you could move on to the next "level."
When people didn't move on to the next level, the teacher (himself a talented illustrator) would tell us, "DBD. Don't be discouraged."
Unfortunately, I didn't heed this advice as carefully as I should have. I started—and stopped—numerous activities throughout my life because I became discouraged. Now, at age 41, I've learned not to get discouraged. I can say for the first time in my drawing life, I don't toss aside the bad drawings and not draw for long periods like I used to. Now I suffer through it until I get it right.
I can honestly say that the pain is worth it. After the suffering, I can actually see the improvement between drawings one and 100. And it's those flickers of improvement that keep me going.
So my advice to you when you hit a wall with your creation…DBD!!
Anyway, the way it worked was that we would learn something about writing, then have to write an essay in class showing what we've learned. If one got a, say, B+ or higher on the essay, you could move on to the next "level."
When people didn't move on to the next level, the teacher (himself a talented illustrator) would tell us, "DBD. Don't be discouraged."
Unfortunately, I didn't heed this advice as carefully as I should have. I started—and stopped—numerous activities throughout my life because I became discouraged. Now, at age 41, I've learned not to get discouraged. I can say for the first time in my drawing life, I don't toss aside the bad drawings and not draw for long periods like I used to. Now I suffer through it until I get it right.
I can honestly say that the pain is worth it. After the suffering, I can actually see the improvement between drawings one and 100. And it's those flickers of improvement that keep me going.
So my advice to you when you hit a wall with your creation…DBD!!
Check It Out—Man vs. Art Podcast
The Man vs. Art website and podcasts are by Raul Aguirre, Jr., cartoonist and animator. I just today started listening to his podcasts and found myself chuckling. Although it's possible that he has a tendency to digress, he still makes valid points.
The podcast I heard today (from 8/21/09) was a hilarious tirade with which I totally agreed. Aguirre had the same complaint that Amid Amidi had at cartoonbrew.com: that the work of artists is NOT VALUED! Cheap asses on Craigslist post jobs that offer ZERO money but instead offer lame crap like "killer portfolio pieces" and "profit-sharing, once the property is sold." Yeah, right, ONCE it's sold! So an artist busts their butt to do several seconds or minutes of animation (people don't realize how long it takes to do one SECOND of good animation!) and gets in return…ZERO! And as Aguirre said, when artists accept these jobs, it devalues the work of all of us. Turning down these insulting offers will not only help the individual in the long-term (the time they spend creating a project for nothing, they could be creating their own project for something!) but will also benefit the industry as a whole, too.
I learned about devaluing of artistic work the hard way. I used to do design favors for colleagues at a company where I once worked. In return I got tickets to their shows and, as a chocolate fan, a Hershey bar. But once I stopped working for that company, I requested that I be paid for my work. The response I got from one individual involved something about how "we'd all like to get paid" and "we sacrifice to be in this profession" (in her case, theater.) I responded, "Yep, I'd like to get paid for all of the work that I do and I, for one, did NOT choose the theater life so, yeah, pay me."
Never heard from her again. Bwahahahahaha! Couldn't. Care. Less.
I no longer do ANY design work for free. The only exception I'll make is for a good friend or family member whose request is QUICK. And when I say quick, I mean 30 MINUTES. Seriously, if I can't do your design in 30 minutes, I don't do it for free. Period. I recently declined doing work for a family reunion because I knew it would take more than 30 minutes. Once we pass that mark, we're into time that I could be putting towards my own projects that could eventually EARN ME SOMETHING!
Just because creating is fun, does NOT mean it's easy and does NOT mean it's worthless. Aguirre said that Hollywood wants creators to think that their work is crap when in fact it's GOLD. They know it's gold and don't want the creator to know it's gold because then they'll have to pay the creator accordingly. So if you believe you've got gold, go with it!
I believe the devaluing of graphic design began stock photography. Once you could easily pick up an image via the web and not hire a photographer, that was the beginning of the end of valuing photography. Then came stock illustration which decimated the illustration industry. But once I saw stock layouts, I knew I had to get out of this profession. Now companies will give their receptionist a computer, a layout program, a stock photo, illustration and layout and let her "design" a layout. Talk about devaluing!
My goal: to never again talk negatively about my work. I am supremely confident in my storytelling skills. Yes, I'm not the greatest draftsman ever, but neither is the guy who created "Family Guy." And he's doing just fine!
The podcast I heard today (from 8/21/09) was a hilarious tirade with which I totally agreed. Aguirre had the same complaint that Amid Amidi had at cartoonbrew.com: that the work of artists is NOT VALUED! Cheap asses on Craigslist post jobs that offer ZERO money but instead offer lame crap like "killer portfolio pieces" and "profit-sharing, once the property is sold." Yeah, right, ONCE it's sold! So an artist busts their butt to do several seconds or minutes of animation (people don't realize how long it takes to do one SECOND of good animation!) and gets in return…ZERO! And as Aguirre said, when artists accept these jobs, it devalues the work of all of us. Turning down these insulting offers will not only help the individual in the long-term (the time they spend creating a project for nothing, they could be creating their own project for something!) but will also benefit the industry as a whole, too.
I learned about devaluing of artistic work the hard way. I used to do design favors for colleagues at a company where I once worked. In return I got tickets to their shows and, as a chocolate fan, a Hershey bar. But once I stopped working for that company, I requested that I be paid for my work. The response I got from one individual involved something about how "we'd all like to get paid" and "we sacrifice to be in this profession" (in her case, theater.) I responded, "Yep, I'd like to get paid for all of the work that I do and I, for one, did NOT choose the theater life so, yeah, pay me."
Never heard from her again. Bwahahahahaha! Couldn't. Care. Less.
I no longer do ANY design work for free. The only exception I'll make is for a good friend or family member whose request is QUICK. And when I say quick, I mean 30 MINUTES. Seriously, if I can't do your design in 30 minutes, I don't do it for free. Period. I recently declined doing work for a family reunion because I knew it would take more than 30 minutes. Once we pass that mark, we're into time that I could be putting towards my own projects that could eventually EARN ME SOMETHING!
Just because creating is fun, does NOT mean it's easy and does NOT mean it's worthless. Aguirre said that Hollywood wants creators to think that their work is crap when in fact it's GOLD. They know it's gold and don't want the creator to know it's gold because then they'll have to pay the creator accordingly. So if you believe you've got gold, go with it!
I believe the devaluing of graphic design began stock photography. Once you could easily pick up an image via the web and not hire a photographer, that was the beginning of the end of valuing photography. Then came stock illustration which decimated the illustration industry. But once I saw stock layouts, I knew I had to get out of this profession. Now companies will give their receptionist a computer, a layout program, a stock photo, illustration and layout and let her "design" a layout. Talk about devaluing!
My goal: to never again talk negatively about my work. I am supremely confident in my storytelling skills. Yes, I'm not the greatest draftsman ever, but neither is the guy who created "Family Guy." And he's doing just fine!
Luthor Studies
Since I have this nice software, I want to use it to fully realize my vision. One thing that I want to do more is camera moves. I think camera moves add to immersing one into an animated film. Live-action camera moves were used in "The Incredibles" to excellent effect.
So after my opening pan, I want the camera to travel through a window to introduce the viewer to Luthor. He'll be sitting in bed, a sheet covering him appropriately (despite the title and subject matter, this is a PG movie, folks!), puffing on a joint. But I need to get the angle right so I've done a bunch of studies of his body and mouth, on paper, before adding it to the animatic. Here are the studies:
So after my opening pan, I want the camera to travel through a window to introduce the viewer to Luthor. He'll be sitting in bed, a sheet covering him appropriately (despite the title and subject matter, this is a PG movie, folks!), puffing on a joint. But I need to get the angle right so I've done a bunch of studies of his body and mouth, on paper, before adding it to the animatic. Here are the studies:
OK, I know, these kind of look like wacky scribbles! BUT with each drawing, I was figuring out just how I want Luthor to look. The last drawing is pretty close to what the final will look like.
I'd much rather take the time now to figure this out so I'll know if it's working story-wise or not.
This is all a process that I'm thoroughly enjoying!
Watercolor Tests
Here are some early attempts:
Materials used:
Canson Student Light Weight Watercolor Paper 80lb. Cold Press
Dr. Ph. Martin's Synchromatic Transparent Watercolor (Sepia, Black, Burnt Sienna and Coffee Brown)
Winsor & Newton Series7 #3 brush (sable)
Winso & Newton Sceptre 101 #8
I followed the example of the painter James Gurney and outlined the face in Burnt Sienna. Then I applied the method of Alex Ross and established the values (the lights and darks) with black (on the left.) I also tried it with sepia (on the right) to see if there was a difference in muddiness.
I purchased two different brands of 140lb cold press paper which I'll try in the future to see if there's a difference there, too.
I think the key to painting is to follow more experienced painters' suggestions and apply them to one's own experiments.
More experiments coming!
The Wonderful World of Watercolors
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only animator who's neglected understanding color and painting (see here.) Like Mark Kennedy, I've always focused so much attention on drawing and its associate skills that I never thought too much about color and painting.
But now I'm taking the plunge.
Why? First, Schedule 6 in the Nicolaides book has an exercise that involves watercolor washes. Second, I keep looking at the pile of coloring art materials in my supplies bin that I'm NOT using—Dr. Ph. Martin's watercolor dye paints, miscellaneous other watercolors, acrylic paints, Cray Pas, crayons, markers and colored pencils—and longing to put them to use (assuming they're not all dried up!) Third, I read somewhere that if one can become adept with watercolors, using other paint mediums is easier. I'm sold!
So I did one of my favorite activities: I went art supplies shopping! It was wonderful except for being rushed (had to fit it into my lunch hour) and I chose a bad time—back-to-school week—so there were long lines both days at the store.
But aside from those minor issues, I happily bought some paints, a mixing palette and some paper. I had already invested in a Winsor & Newton Series 7 #3 brush (because Alex Ross uses it, of course) and combined with the other brushes and paints I already have, I'm ready to go!
And I'll be sharing the results of my paint lessons despite the quality. I mean, I can't expect to paint like James Gurney or Alex Ross my first time out, right?!
But now I'm taking the plunge.
Why? First, Schedule 6 in the Nicolaides book has an exercise that involves watercolor washes. Second, I keep looking at the pile of coloring art materials in my supplies bin that I'm NOT using—Dr. Ph. Martin's watercolor dye paints, miscellaneous other watercolors, acrylic paints, Cray Pas, crayons, markers and colored pencils—and longing to put them to use (assuming they're not all dried up!) Third, I read somewhere that if one can become adept with watercolors, using other paint mediums is easier. I'm sold!
So I did one of my favorite activities: I went art supplies shopping! It was wonderful except for being rushed (had to fit it into my lunch hour) and I chose a bad time—back-to-school week—so there were long lines both days at the store.
But aside from those minor issues, I happily bought some paints, a mixing palette and some paper. I had already invested in a Winsor & Newton Series 7 #3 brush (because Alex Ross uses it, of course) and combined with the other brushes and paints I already have, I'm ready to go!
And I'll be sharing the results of my paint lessons despite the quality. I mean, I can't expect to paint like James Gurney or Alex Ross my first time out, right?!
Luthor Skulls & Expressions
Since I'm learning as I make this film, I wanted to take the time to fully understand the construction of my characters.
The first step is to understand the skeleton underneath the flesh. Since I'm distorting the standard human head, it's necessary to understand how the skull works since that's what influences the flesh.
And I couldn't wait to start playing with his face so I did some expressions:
More faces to come!
Nicolaides—Schedule 5 complete
Well, this took an embarrassing ELEVEN WEEKS to complete (from Mon. June 21 to Mon. Sept. 6) but I DID finish it!
I said I was going to complete the Nicolaides curriculum to see if it has any benefit and I'm determined to do that.
On to Schedule 6!
Influence Map--Part II
Here's the continuation of yesterday's explanation of my influence map:
9. Alex Ross: I mentioned him in yesterday's post. I was never a huge comics fan, and especially not a superhero comics fan, until I saw Alex Ross's work in Kingdom Come. Just…wow. It suddenly occurred to me that the use of primary colors in comics was often a turnoff to me. But Ross paints the superheroes which gives them a vitality I've never seen before. Even a silly character like Plastic Man seems alive and serious with the Ross touch.
10. Andrew Loomis: Alex Ross was influenced by this drawing instructor, too. I've gone to great lengths to buy all of Loomis's out of print books, and it was worth it. His approach to drawing is easy to understand and execute. When I actually put in the time and make the effort (!) I immediately see an improvement due to his clear examples and explanations. Loomis is my number one drawing instructor.
11. MAD Magazine/Mort Drucker: I went through a period in the 1980's where reading MAD every month (I think that's how often it came out) was a huge pleasure. I was fascinated by the art; the various styles and the amazing ability to capture the likenesses of some many people. And those hands! I listened to a Schoolism video of Drucker and he talked about how many artists can't draw hands, that they go to great lengths to hide the hands in some way. Drucker decided he would tackle the challenge of hands and it shows! I love the cartoonyness and the expressiveness of his hand drawings. That's how I'D like to draw!
12. The Graduate: I love the post-college malaise that's captured in this film. Maybe because I, too, felt lost after graduating from college. This film is a model for a story I'd like to tell. I'm just trying to figure out how to make it nearly as good.
13. Will Eisner: It took me way too long to discover his work but now that I have, I can't get enough! I've bought all of his graphic novels, all of the black and white dailies of The Spirit and some color collections as well. Not to mention his books about sequential art. This man was a tremendous draftsman and I look to his work often for inspiration and as a standard to which to strive.
14. Burne Hogarth: My next favorite figure drawing instructor, second to Loomis. Although his work has been criticized for showing every muscle in a state of contraction, I value his drawings for revealing the human musculature. I have all of his instruction books, too, and have found them to be incredibly helpful. Some people prefer George Bridgman but I find his explanations and his drawings unclear. Hogarth is much easier to understand and apply.
15. Classic Steven Spielberg movies: I say classic because it's been a long time since I've loved a Spielberg movie. These are my four favorites--Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark (and, no, I will NEVER call this movie its alleged new name, "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark." GTFOH!!) and E.T. These movies were all released between 1975 and 1982. After that, I've liked a few Spielbergs but definitely haven't loved anything. In other words, between 1984 and 2008, Spielberg hasn't directed ONE MOVIE that I think comes close to my fave four. I hate to say it, but once he got married and started having kids, the "magic" left his films. I mean, really, removing the cops's guns from the re-release of E.T. because now he suddenly thinks that cops wouldn't pull guns on kids riding bikes with an alien from another planet sitting in a bike basket?!?! Are you kidding me?! The average American cop would've put a bullet right through E.T.'s head and asked questions later. Why not, they do it with humans!
Sorry about the digression…:)
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed hearing about my influences. Now go explore yours!
10. Andrew Loomis: Alex Ross was influenced by this drawing instructor, too. I've gone to great lengths to buy all of Loomis's out of print books, and it was worth it. His approach to drawing is easy to understand and execute. When I actually put in the time and make the effort (!) I immediately see an improvement due to his clear examples and explanations. Loomis is my number one drawing instructor.
11. MAD Magazine/Mort Drucker: I went through a period in the 1980's where reading MAD every month (I think that's how often it came out) was a huge pleasure. I was fascinated by the art; the various styles and the amazing ability to capture the likenesses of some many people. And those hands! I listened to a Schoolism video of Drucker and he talked about how many artists can't draw hands, that they go to great lengths to hide the hands in some way. Drucker decided he would tackle the challenge of hands and it shows! I love the cartoonyness and the expressiveness of his hand drawings. That's how I'D like to draw!
12. The Graduate: I love the post-college malaise that's captured in this film. Maybe because I, too, felt lost after graduating from college. This film is a model for a story I'd like to tell. I'm just trying to figure out how to make it nearly as good.
13. Will Eisner: It took me way too long to discover his work but now that I have, I can't get enough! I've bought all of his graphic novels, all of the black and white dailies of The Spirit and some color collections as well. Not to mention his books about sequential art. This man was a tremendous draftsman and I look to his work often for inspiration and as a standard to which to strive.
14. Burne Hogarth: My next favorite figure drawing instructor, second to Loomis. Although his work has been criticized for showing every muscle in a state of contraction, I value his drawings for revealing the human musculature. I have all of his instruction books, too, and have found them to be incredibly helpful. Some people prefer George Bridgman but I find his explanations and his drawings unclear. Hogarth is much easier to understand and apply.
15. Classic Steven Spielberg movies: I say classic because it's been a long time since I've loved a Spielberg movie. These are my four favorites--Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Raiders of the Lost Ark (and, no, I will NEVER call this movie its alleged new name, "Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark." GTFOH!!) and E.T. These movies were all released between 1975 and 1982. After that, I've liked a few Spielbergs but definitely haven't loved anything. In other words, between 1984 and 2008, Spielberg hasn't directed ONE MOVIE that I think comes close to my fave four. I hate to say it, but once he got married and started having kids, the "magic" left his films. I mean, really, removing the cops's guns from the re-release of E.T. because now he suddenly thinks that cops wouldn't pull guns on kids riding bikes with an alien from another planet sitting in a bike basket?!?! Are you kidding me?! The average American cop would've put a bullet right through E.T.'s head and asked questions later. Why not, they do it with humans!
Sorry about the digression…:)
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed hearing about my influences. Now go explore yours!
Influence Map--Part I
I just discovered this. The link contains the template and numerous examples of people's maps. Some of my favorite artists/bloggers have made them:
Saskia Gutekunst
It was fun making mine. I hadn't really reflected on my influences before. It was an enlightening exercise to boil it down to the essentials:
I numbered the panels for an explanation of my choices. I originally intended this to be a single post but my explanations are turning out to be long. I'll explain numbers 1-8 today, 9-15 tomorrow:
1. Classic Warner Brothers cartoons: Bugs Bunny is the reason I wanted to be an animator. I was fascinated by his adventures and honestly believed that he was alive. When I learned that a bunch of guys brought him to life, I knew immediately that that was what I wanted to do with my life.
2. Star Wars: Yes, I know it sounds cliché, because EVERYONE'S been influenced by Star Wars! But for those of us who saw that movie in 1977 (I was 8-years-old), it was nothing short of mind-blowing. I had never seen space like that, or spaceships like that, or creatures like that or worlds like that. As I once tried to explain to a colleague who was born in 1977 and who was eager to see the Star Wars prequels (I just threw up a little…in my mouth), then it was new, now it's old hat. A New Hope (which will always be Episode 1, as far as I'm concerned. I don't give a crap how George Lucas chose to number the damn things!) was a genuinely unique movie experience. I'll never forget it.
3. Battle of the Planets: My first favorite elementary-school-age, after-school treat was watching Battle of the Planets. It was my introduction to anime and I was completely fascinated by it. It was exciting and action-packed, qualities I like in my anime to this day. Alex Ross's recent comic book covers for this property take it to a whole other level. More on him later.
4. Star Blazers: My second favorite elementary-school-age and junior high school after-school treat. I even liked the theme song! This was a seemingly endless soap opera set in space (hmm, kind of like the recent Battlestar Galactica) that mesmerized me.
5. Akira: Another mind-blowing movie experience. I recall my jaw dropping the first time I saw it, it was so unlike anything made in the US. I returned to the theater a second time to see it AND bought a poster which hangs in my apartment at this moment. The music, the backgrounds, the emotional intensity. An anime classic.
6. The Incredibles: You know an animated film is good when people who don't usually like animation feel it's one of the best movies of the year. I saw it at a theater in Maui and immediately fell in love. I'm not a fan of the buddy/kiddie/lots-of-heart movies made by Pixar (I'm part of the minority that preferred Ants to A Bug's Life) but this one was such a standout for its story and execution. I study the DVD extras regularly. And speaking of DVD's,…
…[here comes a rant!]…
…The Incredibles DVD is one of the few animated feature DVD's that does NOT interview ANY of the voice actors, except for Brad Bird. I HATE animation DVD's that don't bother to interview the director or the animators…but interview the f!@#ing voice actors! People who get paid millions to stand in front of a microphone in their pajamas?! (20 of those millions to Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy EACH for f!@#ing Shrek. And how much of that did the f!@#ing animators get?!?!)
[rant over. back to influence map.]
7. Cowboy Bebop: Man, I'm glad I learned about this one! It was made in 1998 and as far as I'm concerned, no anime series has come close since (not even Bleach.) Two of my criteria for liking a story are if I believe the characters exist and if I'd like to meet them and spend time with them. Both criteria were met with Bebop. I LOVED this group of characters and was sad when my time with them ended. It looked great, the characterizations were fantastic, the music wonderful (bebop, of course), the stories exciting and the emotions real. It serves as a model for what I'd like to create.
8. The Godfather: Again, a potential cliché choice but, hell, it's a great movie. I rarely like movies about criminals but this is one of my few exceptions (the others are Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction.) Watching Michael Corleone go from war hero to ruthless thug is fascinating. And that last scene…wow.
Come back tomorrow for the rest!
 |
4. Star Blazers: My second favorite elementary-school-age and junior high school after-school treat. I even liked the theme song! This was a seemingly endless soap opera set in space (hmm, kind of like the recent Battlestar Galactica) that mesmerized me.
5. Akira: Another mind-blowing movie experience. I recall my jaw dropping the first time I saw it, it was so unlike anything made in the US. I returned to the theater a second time to see it AND bought a poster which hangs in my apartment at this moment. The music, the backgrounds, the emotional intensity. An anime classic.
6. The Incredibles: You know an animated film is good when people who don't usually like animation feel it's one of the best movies of the year. I saw it at a theater in Maui and immediately fell in love. I'm not a fan of the buddy/kiddie/lots-of-heart movies made by Pixar (I'm part of the minority that preferred Ants to A Bug's Life) but this one was such a standout for its story and execution. I study the DVD extras regularly. And speaking of DVD's,…
…[here comes a rant!]…
…The Incredibles DVD is one of the few animated feature DVD's that does NOT interview ANY of the voice actors, except for Brad Bird. I HATE animation DVD's that don't bother to interview the director or the animators…but interview the f!@#ing voice actors! People who get paid millions to stand in front of a microphone in their pajamas?! (20 of those millions to Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy EACH for f!@#ing Shrek. And how much of that did the f!@#ing animators get?!?!)
[rant over. back to influence map.]
7. Cowboy Bebop: Man, I'm glad I learned about this one! It was made in 1998 and as far as I'm concerned, no anime series has come close since (not even Bleach.) Two of my criteria for liking a story are if I believe the characters exist and if I'd like to meet them and spend time with them. Both criteria were met with Bebop. I LOVED this group of characters and was sad when my time with them ended. It looked great, the characterizations were fantastic, the music wonderful (bebop, of course), the stories exciting and the emotions real. It serves as a model for what I'd like to create.
8. The Godfather: Again, a potential cliché choice but, hell, it's a great movie. I rarely like movies about criminals but this is one of my few exceptions (the others are Goodfellas and Pulp Fiction.) Watching Michael Corleone go from war hero to ruthless thug is fascinating. And that last scene…wow.
Come back tomorrow for the rest!
The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco
Another stop we made during our brief stayin San Fran was to the Walt Disney Family Museum located on the grounds of The Presidio.
This is a wonderful collection that shows Walt Disney's entire life and all of the great entertainment inbetween. As usual, it was the drawings, rather than the painted cels, that grabbed my attention. I was also impressed with the scale model of Disneyland and the numerous illustrations expressing sadness after his death.
If you're a fan of the Disney studio's work, this museum is a must see.
The San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum
My beloved—who is not nearly as into comics and animation as I am—was thoughtful enough to suggest we visit the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum during our recent visit.
It's a small museum but it had several impressive exhibits. My favorite was Before Sita Sang the Blues: Spotlight on Nina Paley. Admittedly, I wasn't interested in seeing Paley's self-animated "Sita Sings the Blues." I felt that the story behind the film was compelling (dumped by her husband via E-MAIL!!! Ouch!!) but the look of the film turned me off. I've never cared for bright, candy-colored animation and chose to skip seeing the film.
The exhibit, on the other hand, displayed the drawings and concept art that went into the making of the film in addition to Paley's early comic art. I was struck by her engaging style and may now check out her film and seek out her old comic art.
After looking over the exhibits, I purchased some low-budget comics made by local talent. Gotta support the locals!
If you're in the San Fran area, I highly recommend stopping by this museum.
Back From Hiatus!
After a thoroughly enjoyable vacation in Napa Valley, Sonoma Valley and San Francisco, I'm back home and ready to bust a move on "Adult Toy Story."
But first, I need to get my body back on Eastern Standard Time! (One thing at a time, folks!)
My New Wacom Bamboo Pen Tablet
Now, I already own a tablet. A few years ago I bought a Wacom Intuos 2 9x12 tablet from eBay. I've used it sparingly for a few reasons: one, there was a slight lag between my hand and the result on the screen; I hadn't properly installed the software (!) so the pressure sensitivity and other functions weren't working correctly; and it's so big that it was impossible to be portable and a bit cumbersome in my limited workspace.
I was thinking about all of these issues as I was going through the drawing section of the SBP manual. Then I suddenly remembered that Wacom has small, inexpensive models of tablets. I didn't have to get their best (the Cintiqu 21UX for $1999). I learned from the Intuos that I don't need a huge drawing space on the tablet since it works relative to the computer screen.
I did some quick research and discovered that the Bamboo Pen is $69.95 and available at Apple stores. And that's exactly where I was this morning, 15 minutes after they opened, at the Apple store on 67th and Broadway (the closest one to me.) I picked it up and was back home soon, happily installing not only the driver but also Corel Painter Elements. I know it's not the full version of Painter (of which I have 18 days left on my trial version) but it's better than no version of Painter. And it, along with the trial version, will assist me in deciding whether or not I should invest in that program.
My immediate reaction to the Bamboo Pen—it's AWESOME! I was so accustomed to the poor response with the Intuos 2 that I assumed that was how all tablets and styli worked. I feel like I've entered the modern era! The performance of this tablet is wonderful. I've been testing it in SBP with the textured brushes and feel almost like I'm drawing on paper. I look forward to doing even more with it.
First Impression of Storyboard Pro 2—NICE!
I've spent a few days doing the animatic for "Adult Toy Story" (ATS) in the new version of Storyboard Pro. Although I haven't gotten deep into it, I can confidently say that the first major improvement I've worked with is NICE!
Storyboard Pro 1/1.5's manual had SIX pages related to camera moves. And the current version's manual has how many camera move pages? TWENTY! A three-fold-plus increase which mirrors the increase in options.
Right now, I'm planning a zoom out and a pan. I want the pan to go around a corner and up the side of a building to a window. With the old version of SBP, it would've been a very linear and lifeless camera move. But with this new version, I can adjust the trajectory, continuity, tension and bias of the camera's path. Don't ask me what all those things mean! All I know is that they give me additional control and that's all that matters.
Frustration With iPhone 3G Running iOS4 Video Parody
Then reality hit me like a sack of s*$t!!.
Since I'm not a particularly patient person to begin with, I couldn't ignore the billboard-sized fact that my phone was now just TOO DAMN SLOW!! Like this video shows, just opening one app meant many seconds of no response! I couldn't take it anymore so I researched downgrading to OS3.1.3 and dedicated a whole weekend to the project.
Sacrificing that weekend was worth it.
I'm now back to the phone's original speed. Yes, one or two of my app upgrades aren't useable on my phone but I can live with that much more than with ridiculous slowness.
I'm a fan of Apple's products but their obsolescence-every-6-months approach is their biggest problem. And it's an expensive problem for those of us who can't afford the latest and greatest gadget or software on that short of a schedule.
It's also clear to me that once an iPhone 5 comes out, that my 3G will be three generations behind so a new phone will be a must.
Guess I know where my 2010 tax refund is going!
Fear of Failure, Hollywood Style
If you're interested in filmmaking, storytelling and the current pathetic state of ideas coming out of Hollywood, then the video below is for you! I honestly laughed out loud on this one.
It's an anonymous animation made via xtranormal—the site where you literally type in text, click on a few options and create an instant animation. I recommend giving it a try. It's a lot of fun and can even give you a sense of how well your ideas work before you dedicate too much time to them.
The video—posted by screenwriter John August—mocks the fear of new, untested ideas in Hollywood. Enjoy!
Return to Creatin'
After a wee bit of frustration, I finally passed the first big hurdle in my return to working on the animatic. I decided this time to copy Bill Plympton and make my film in the 16:9 aspect ratio instead of my usual 4:3. Here's some visuals so you know what I'm talking about (and please excuse the "dummies" part, I borrowed this image from this site):
In other words, I'm designing this for the type of t.v. most people own…except for me! I'm guessing that most folks have some sort of a widescreen t.v. I, on the other hand, am quite content with my old skool CRT t.v. Why? Because I'm too busy CREATING to be CONSUMING! And when you're consumed with creating, there's no time to watch every freakin' stupid show on television! I make an occasional exception for streaming episodes of "Fastlane" from Netflix while I'm eating ( we all have guilty pleasures!) and an occasional movie on the weekend…BUT THAT'S IT!!! "Adult Toy Story" MUST get done within the next 6 months so I can work on the next film and the next film and the next.
In other words, I'm designing this for the type of t.v. most people own…except for me! I'm guessing that most folks have some sort of a widescreen t.v. I, on the other hand, am quite content with my old skool CRT t.v. Why? Because I'm too busy CREATING to be CONSUMING! And when you're consumed with creating, there's no time to watch every freakin' stupid show on television! I make an occasional exception for streaming episodes of "Fastlane" from Netflix while I'm eating ( we all have guilty pleasures!) and an occasional movie on the weekend…BUT THAT'S IT!!! "Adult Toy Story" MUST get done within the next 6 months so I can work on the next film and the next film and the next.
Back to using Storyboard Pro: when I selected "HDTV" as my new file format and imported storyboard images that I had sized properly—I thought—the images were too big for the allotted area. I couldn't figure out why this was happening. It's annoying and time-consuming to fix it manually; when I import my drawings, they should automatically fit the frame size. Finally, I selected another option for my file, "HDTV_vertical." I assumed that I didn't want anything vertical but tried it anyway and SURPRISE! It worked! I'll have to dig deeper and learn exactly what the issue was. This issue might be a good entry for my storyboarding ebook.
Although it will chew up time, I'm considering starting with a rough animatic, then creating a more "presentable" one. Since I was away from this program for about 3 months, I've almost completely forgotten how to use it. I feel that I'm making more progress if I do a down 'n dirty animatic that doesn't look great but gives me an idea of what the final will look like. Once that's done, I can pretty it up with tighter and better drawings, tone, etc. I'm not sure if this is the best approach but I'll learn soon.
Today I completed a rough version of the opening titles. My goal is to show you either the animatic or stills of the opening pan from the titles to Honey's apartment bedroom tomorrow.
Now if I could only figure out a way to balance creating with exercising and housecleaning, I'd be a happy girl!
Toon Boom's Storyboard Pro 2 Has Arrived!
I'm soooo excited that I have now officially installed Storyboard Pro 2. And it's dongle-free! Woo hoo!
I'm going to take some time to go through the introductory tutorials so I can be sure I know the basics before I begin the latest animatic for "Adult Toy Story" (ATS). I already have the first few panels drawn and ready to be scanned and imported into SBP. I was actually prepared to do that tonight until I realized that I should learn a bit about this program before trying to use it. That may be one of the mistakes I used the last time with SBP: I thought I could just learn as I go but it's definitely helpful to learn some basics before getting started.
Let's get started!
I'm going to take some time to go through the introductory tutorials so I can be sure I know the basics before I begin the latest animatic for "Adult Toy Story" (ATS). I already have the first few panels drawn and ready to be scanned and imported into SBP. I was actually prepared to do that tonight until I realized that I should learn a bit about this program before trying to use it. That may be one of the mistakes I used the last time with SBP: I thought I could just learn as I go but it's definitely helpful to learn some basics before getting started.
Let's get started!
Aliens, Courtesy of Kirby
John K. has a post today about Jack Kirby's alien designs. K's not sure if the designs are supposed to be serious or funny since they are a lot more funny than scary. But I had to re-post one of my favorites below. African features (the broad noses) and yellow skin. A Sino-Afro alien?!?! I love it!
Poo-pooing the Idea of "Talent"
I often hear people say that they can't draw "a straight line." Actually, most artists can't draw a straight line unless they use a ruler! The reason people say that is because we've all been conditioned to think that unless we're "born with talent," that we can't do certain things.
Clearly, there are a few exceptions especially in regard to athletics. Yes, if you're a 5'7" man, you'll probably not make it as a professional basketball or football player (although I do remember that Spud guy basketball player who was like, 5'3", or something like that!) But for the most part, this is a myth that we all should eradicate from our brains.
Here's an old article that deals well with the subject fro 2006:
As the article says, practice makes perfect in ANYTHING we wish to accomplish!
So…back to work!
Clearly, there are a few exceptions especially in regard to athletics. Yes, if you're a 5'7" man, you'll probably not make it as a professional basketball or football player (although I do remember that Spud guy basketball player who was like, 5'3", or something like that!) But for the most part, this is a myth that we all should eradicate from our brains.
Here's an old article that deals well with the subject fro 2006:
As the article says, practice makes perfect in ANYTHING we wish to accomplish!
So…back to work!
NEW free ebook coming soon!
Looks like Toon Boom Animation has upgraded their Storyboard Pro software. I've already upgraded my Animate Pro so I might as well do the same for SBP. I'm excited about the new features and am especially excited about returning my dongle to them! That's right, if you have the version of SBP that required a dongle, it must be returned (along, preferably, with the activation code which, of course, I've lost!) before the new version can be activated. Good riddance to the damn dongle, I say! No more will I have to carry it around in my purse to make sure it was available for both my home desktop and my laptop.
This means I'll have to write the next ebook to discuss this latest version of SBP that will, hopefully, correct the various small annoyances of the previous versions of the software.
So keep a lookout for the next free ebook! I'll keep you posted on its status.
This means I'll have to write the next ebook to discuss this latest version of SBP that will, hopefully, correct the various small annoyances of the previous versions of the software.
So keep a lookout for the next free ebook! I'll keep you posted on its status.
Last Sunday's Art Post—Honey & Luthor face designs
I wrote this post TWO SUNDAYS AGO but by the time I was ready to upload, it was time to meditate and get to bed.
So here they are!
I finally got to a point where I'm satisfied with both characters. It's possible that the designs will change as I work on the storyboard but at least I have something that makes me happy to work with for now.
So here they are!
I finally got to a point where I'm satisfied with both characters. It's possible that the designs will change as I work on the storyboard but at least I have something that makes me happy to work with for now.
I think that these are superior to what I posted on April 2 & 3:
For Wednesday: more drawings of Honey and Luthor and some storyboard panesl.
Wednesday Art Post—character designs
Below are drawings that show how I'm working through the process of designing Honey and Luthor. NOTHING in animation is easy and that includes character design. I wanted these characters to look better than Wayne and Petey from "Calls of the Wild" so I'm putting in more effort in how they look. I also want to apply to their designs the lessons I recently learned. The goal is to have something distinct that is also easy to manipulate. That's why I tried to keep the shapes simple.
Honey has some Taraji P. Henson, Jennifer Hudson and Lauryn Hill in her. I'm still working on giving her a decent hair style. I want something short to, again, make it easier to animate.
Luthor's bald—one less area to animate and color!
Basically, I want Honey's face to be soft and round…feminine, while Luthor's is more blocky.
GOAL: to have the finished (for now) facial designs for Honey and Luthor uploaded here by Sunday evening. I say "for now" because as I work on the animatic, their designs will probably evolve. But I like having something solid to work with at this time.
Honey has some Taraji P. Henson, Jennifer Hudson and Lauryn Hill in her. I'm still working on giving her a decent hair style. I want something short to, again, make it easier to animate.
Luthor's bald—one less area to animate and color!
Basically, I want Honey's face to be soft and round…feminine, while Luthor's is more blocky.
GOAL: to have the finished (for now) facial designs for Honey and Luthor uploaded here by Sunday evening. I say "for now" because as I work on the animatic, their designs will probably evolve. But I like having something solid to work with at this time.
Fighting the Fear Redux
I have a nasty habit of forgetting lessons learned and then having to re-learn them.
As I've been reading, FEAR is probably the single biggest obstacle to human accomplishment and advancement. And what do I keep giving into?
That's right, FEAR!!
Last year when I was working on my film for the Plympton class, I spent one weekend terrified of drawing. I felt that my drawing was so weak that I just didn't want to sit down and continue doing more weak drawings. I finally faced that fear and successfully completed the film.
But I've let that feeling return. Even after all of the studying and drawing I was doing, I still had this nagging voice in my head telling me that I still suck! So, in order to avoid sucking, I dropped drawing altogether.
I haven't drawn anything substantial for approximately one month, as evidenced by my sparse blogging.
That fear of drawing poorly has infected me again. Even though I know that the more I draw, the better I'll become—I've even seen improvements already—it still isn't enough for me. I still can't help feeling that every line I draw should be brilliant! Where did such ridiculous expectations come from?!?!
I have decided to, once again, face the fears and just sit down and DRAW!
I'll be completing the Nicolaides curriculum Schedule 5 by this weekend (look for the posting of the "Done" schedule) and will have some character designs to show you in two days.
See you then! And keep working!
As I've been reading, FEAR is probably the single biggest obstacle to human accomplishment and advancement. And what do I keep giving into?
That's right, FEAR!!
Last year when I was working on my film for the Plympton class, I spent one weekend terrified of drawing. I felt that my drawing was so weak that I just didn't want to sit down and continue doing more weak drawings. I finally faced that fear and successfully completed the film.
But I've let that feeling return. Even after all of the studying and drawing I was doing, I still had this nagging voice in my head telling me that I still suck! So, in order to avoid sucking, I dropped drawing altogether.
I haven't drawn anything substantial for approximately one month, as evidenced by my sparse blogging.
That fear of drawing poorly has infected me again. Even though I know that the more I draw, the better I'll become—I've even seen improvements already—it still isn't enough for me. I still can't help feeling that every line I draw should be brilliant! Where did such ridiculous expectations come from?!?!
I have decided to, once again, face the fears and just sit down and DRAW!
I'll be completing the Nicolaides curriculum Schedule 5 by this weekend (look for the posting of the "Done" schedule) and will have some character designs to show you in two days.
See you then! And keep working!
"Adult Toy Story" officially back in production!
As you see, I'm now considering the title "Adult Toy Story" over "Toy vs. Boy." That way I can weasel in on Pixar's "Toy Story" action! I also considered "Toy Terror" but that's the name of an R.L. Stine book. I'll research if it matters that I use it. Or maybe "Toy Drawer Terror?"
I'll have new character designs up this week. Soooo glad I took the time to improve my drawing knowledge, you'll see how it paid off!
I'll have new character designs up this week. Soooo glad I took the time to improve my drawing knowledge, you'll see how it paid off!
Art instruction books—DONE! (for now)
That was quick!
In my last post I said I had given myself a deadline of Sunday, July 18, to complete studying particular sections of the Famous Artists Course and the Famous Artists Cartoon Course. Well, it's now SEVEN DAYS since I first made that pledge (on June 19) and guess what?
I'm done studying the Famous Artists Courses material!
Yes, I'll admit that I went through some of it quickly but that was mainly due to redundancy. And I'll also admit that my desire to start putting my new-found knowledge to practical use has become impossible to ignore.
I want to get back to work on TOYS!
I'll continue to work on the Nicolaides curriculum. But starting tomorrow, I'm back to my story!
I can't wait!!
In my last post I said I had given myself a deadline of Sunday, July 18, to complete studying particular sections of the Famous Artists Course and the Famous Artists Cartoon Course. Well, it's now SEVEN DAYS since I first made that pledge (on June 19) and guess what?
I'm done studying the Famous Artists Courses material!
Yes, I'll admit that I went through some of it quickly but that was mainly due to redundancy. And I'll also admit that my desire to start putting my new-found knowledge to practical use has become impossible to ignore.
I want to get back to work on TOYS!
I'll continue to work on the Nicolaides curriculum. But starting tomorrow, I'm back to my story!
I can't wait!!
Nicolaides—Schedule 4 complete
Another Nicolaides schedule done and another's been started.
I did another calculation and determined that—if I continue to complete one schedule per week—I will complete this in October. Originally, I didn't think I'd be done until December so you can imagine how excited I was to learn this!
Another significant decision—I'm finding that systematically studying drawing is already helping with my observation and recording skills. But I'm getting a little too dependent on the studies. In other words, I've developed a slight fear of leaving the studying behind temporarily so I can apply it to my film.
But that was the point of studying in the first place, to make my next film look significantly better than my last.
So I set a deadline. I'm currently studying the head and figure from the Famous Artists Course (not sure if it's the Illustration or Commercial Art course) and from the Famous Artists Cartoon Course. Once I'm done with those chapters, I'm back on "Toys." THAT deadline is soon, Sunday, July 18.
And here's the best part! I recently did some brainstorming for the Toys storyboard and found myself drawing the figure and heads better than I've ever drawn them before! It's amazing how little drafting knowledge I had. What made me think I could fake it?!
Onward!
I did another calculation and determined that—if I continue to complete one schedule per week—I will complete this in October. Originally, I didn't think I'd be done until December so you can imagine how excited I was to learn this!
Another significant decision—I'm finding that systematically studying drawing is already helping with my observation and recording skills. But I'm getting a little too dependent on the studies. In other words, I've developed a slight fear of leaving the studying behind temporarily so I can apply it to my film.
But that was the point of studying in the first place, to make my next film look significantly better than my last.
So I set a deadline. I'm currently studying the head and figure from the Famous Artists Course (not sure if it's the Illustration or Commercial Art course) and from the Famous Artists Cartoon Course. Once I'm done with those chapters, I'm back on "Toys." THAT deadline is soon, Sunday, July 18.
And here's the best part! I recently did some brainstorming for the Toys storyboard and found myself drawing the figure and heads better than I've ever drawn them before! It's amazing how little drafting knowledge I had. What made me think I could fake it?!
Onward!
Notes about Nicolaides
I'm continuing to work my way through the Nicolaides curriculum. I thought that once I'd gotten through the boring blind contours, things would pick up. Then I got to the modelled exercise!
Essentially, I like the exercise and I believe it has a benefit. But maybe it's one of those things that requires a live model because working from photos doesn't quite work. The predecessor to modelled was the weight exercises; modelled is weight with contours indicated. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work as described.
But I'm not giving up on it. I simply treat the modelled exercises like the weight exercises and leave it at that. I think it's ultimately important to have the experience and to think a certain way while drawing as opposed to the final result.
FYI, for the gesture exercises and similar others, I'm using a stack of pictures I pulled from surfing magazines, skateboard magazines, etc. Anytime I saw a picture of a person in a dramatic action pose, I tore it out of the magazine or printed it. Glad I did because they're substituting for live models.
Another resource I have is this book:
This book has become invaluable for the weight/modelled exercises due to the multiple angles of nude models.
There is one exercise I simply cannot do without a model and that's the Descriptive Pose exercise. One is to describe a pose in words, draw it, then have the model take the pose to draw what it actually looks like. I may have fudged this exercise in the past using a posable mannequin but it simply wasn't working this time. In the future, when it's called for (luckily, it's a 15 minute exercise), I'll substitute the Reverse Pose exercise instead. I really like that one: you have to look at a pose then draw its mirror image. I think that's a skill that will be helpful for animation.
I'm glad I finally got around to using all of the resources I've collected over 35 years!
Essentially, I like the exercise and I believe it has a benefit. But maybe it's one of those things that requires a live model because working from photos doesn't quite work. The predecessor to modelled was the weight exercises; modelled is weight with contours indicated. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite work as described.
But I'm not giving up on it. I simply treat the modelled exercises like the weight exercises and leave it at that. I think it's ultimately important to have the experience and to think a certain way while drawing as opposed to the final result.
FYI, for the gesture exercises and similar others, I'm using a stack of pictures I pulled from surfing magazines, skateboard magazines, etc. Anytime I saw a picture of a person in a dramatic action pose, I tore it out of the magazine or printed it. Glad I did because they're substituting for live models.
Another resource I have is this book:
This book has become invaluable for the weight/modelled exercises due to the multiple angles of nude models.
There is one exercise I simply cannot do without a model and that's the Descriptive Pose exercise. One is to describe a pose in words, draw it, then have the model take the pose to draw what it actually looks like. I may have fudged this exercise in the past using a posable mannequin but it simply wasn't working this time. In the future, when it's called for (luckily, it's a 15 minute exercise), I'll substitute the Reverse Pose exercise instead. I really like that one: you have to look at a pose then draw its mirror image. I think that's a skill that will be helpful for animation.
I'm glad I finally got around to using all of the resources I've collected over 35 years!
Nicolaides—Schedule 3 complete AND back from vacation
45 hours done; 330 hours to go!
I scheduled not working on Nicolaides during my vacation into my original deadline for completing this curriculum. But in order to stay on schedule, I did do a few hours of Schedule 3 in order to complete it so I can start Schedule 4 tomorrow.
I will have to read further about the "modelled drawing" exercise. I think I get it but when he talks about drawing the vertical and horizontal contours, I get a little lost. It looks like some form of the modelled drawing is done for several schedules so I should try to better understand it now.
I start the below tomorrow:
Nicolaides—Schedule 2 complete
A fruitful furlough day & Memorial Day weekend. I managed to complete 6 1/2 hours of Nicolaides's curriculum both yesterday and today. That means:
As you see, the gesture exercises continue as they will, in some form, for the entire curriculum. Luckily I've come to enjoy those exercises and to see their benefit. For example, I did so many gesture drawings yesterday that last night I couldn't stop dreaming about all of the gestures I wanted to do for my film! It took me a couple of hours to fall asleep because all of the drawing I'm doing fueled all kinds of new ideas for my next film. That ALONE is worth all of the work I've put in!
I also figured out today that in order to complete this by Dec. 31, I should finish one schedule per week. That means I'll need to spend two hours per weekday on it while using the weekends (and furlough days) to complete the last of the 15 hours. That's definitely a doable schedule.
On to Schedule 3!
I'm done with Schedule 2! And that means…NO MORE BLIND CONTOURS!!!!
Woo hoo! Admittedly, I'll still continue to do ten minute blind contours daily. But as I said before, ten minutes isn't nearly as painful as ONE HOUR! Sheesh!
So not only am I determined to complete this curriculum by Dec. 31, 2010, but I was determined to get past that particular exercise. And if I can survive that, the rest will be easy.
Here's the next schedule:
I also figured out today that in order to complete this by Dec. 31, I should finish one schedule per week. That means I'll need to spend two hours per weekday on it while using the weekends (and furlough days) to complete the last of the 15 hours. That's definitely a doable schedule.
On to Schedule 3!
Surviving Nicolaides—suggestion #1
I see why people have either started the Nicolaides curriculum and stopped it soon after or haven't gotten far. The first two schedules of 15 hours are full of a tedious exercise—blind contour drawings. I have read elsewhere, however, that doing regular blind contour drawings is a genuinely helpful exercise in training one's eye-hand coordination. Now that I've completed about ten hours of blind contours, I can offer some suggestions on how to get through them without losing your mind.
First, choose an object with a lot of texture. For example, one of my favorite blind contour subjects is a crumpled paper bag. With all of those lines and folds, neither your eye nor your brain will become bored, at least not too quickly. Other options: a bumpy rock (I use a volcanic rock I found in Colorado), wilted lettuce, bones (I have a real cow's head a full-sized fake human skeleton. I like to use the foot and hand bones in particular), tree bark, your hand. Usually an organic object that has texture works best.
Second, keep in the back of your mind as you're drawing that—despite the seeming uselessness of this exercise—ultimately it will improve your drawing.
Just keep going!
Nicolaides—Schedule 1 complete
I've completed—for possibly the SIXTH TIME!—Schedule 1 of Kimon Nicolaides's "The Natural Way to Draw." One of the reasons that I wanted to get through those 15 hours quickly—and the same with the 15 hours of Schedule 2—is that the one hour blind contours are PAINFUL!
Dayum!!
I was happily doing 10 minute blind contours as a daily exercise. But one whole freakin' hour?!?! It's so bloody painful doing them that I found myself becoming loudly exasperated and shouting…in my apartment BY MYSELF! In other words, doing a one hour blind contour drawing will cause INSANITY!!
Luckily, with Schedule 2, there's only one half hour of cross contours (slightly less boring than a standard contour) and one full hour of the standard contour. Then, starting with Schedule 3, there's no more contour drawings. So that's a huge incentive for me complete this entire schedule this holiday weekend. As of this writing, I've done 1 of the 15 hours so I'm on my way.
And it's soooo much fun updating my little progress charts! Woo hoo!
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