Answering the call...

Grandpa meets Telior and his friend the Bee.
Copyright 2017, Joseph A. Wraith


  Ok, ok, it's been awhile since I have been on this blog, apologies, but I've been a bit busy with the Monsterlings™, work and hanging at the beach.  I'm very much a sucker for the wonderful Florida climate and love taking advantage of the beach when it is cool and beautiful out.  Living in Florida can definitely make you not want to do much, but hang out at the waters edge, at least until the Summer sets in and the temps rise. 

   So after a long over-due series of procrastination I decided to jump back on the Monsterlings and create some new background characters and some main story characters as well. Being a one man show, I usually design the characters without a lot of fanfare toward drawing them first, I like to just open up Zbrush and start playing with the ZSpheres and go from there. It's easier for me to start from there so I can see the character in 3d.  Once the character is sculpted and details added I begin to paint it in Zbrush and then later GoZ it to C4d where I add the Eyes, Teeth and Rig the character for animation. This has got to be the most painstaking part of the whole thing. Rigging is not fun. It should be, but it's not.  Neither is animating a character, it's a lot of work. especially on timing. if you think about how a human body moves when walking, running, or even just pointing, it's crazy on how much dynamics you need to make the movements look real and not robotic and show attitude, emotion and meaning. It's a slow painstaking process.   One I don't look forward to at all.  Don't get me wrong I love doing all kinds of animation, but character animation is a hell of a challenge, and it doesn't mean I have to like the work involved, especially when there is a beach down the street calling my name, but I must resist. I must stay inside and make this character walk, dance, run and do other various things. Oh, the tediousity! (Free Made-up word just for you!)... Then I hear it!

   What's that waves?  You are cool and smooth like glass and it's low tide and there are sandbars for miles?!!  Quadruple Win!  See you later animation, I'm going to go hang out with my friend the seagull! 

  Yea, the beach wins every-time. 

Surfs up,
JW

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