Kiki

Let's face it... Kiki was never that great at flying to begin with...

Speaking of "Kiki's Delivery Service," have you heard that there is a live action adaptation of the movie set to release in Japan next month?  Here is the trailer:

I don't know what disturbs me more, the creepy CG version of Jiji the cat or the overly aged appearance of Kiki... or the fact that there is a live action adaptation at all!!  Personally, I find the original animated movie to be a beautifully craft film, and I don't know what the purpose of such a live action adaptation accomplishes.  Perhaps it's an attempt to reach audiences who normally don't watch animation, or maybe the film producers figured that today's kids haven't seen the older animated version and will see this version as new and amazing.  Regardless of the reasons, if you haven't seen the original animated film, "Kiki's Delivery Service," I highly recommend you check it out.  If you happen to see this live action version, I'd be curious to hear your review.

Saraba!!

Crimson Sails

I'm excited to bring you an update on our newest project!  It's a stand alone episode for a sci-fi, space action-adventure that we may develop into a full series.  Since getting the workstations and office set up, I've been hard at work crunching on character/vehicle designs, refining the story and doing all the character setup in 3d.

I've always been really inspired and influenced by the first "Ghost in the Shell" movie.  I chose to reference that style because I felt it was closest to the aesthetic I'm trying to achieve.(stylized realism)

That's all I have for today.  Next time I'll have a bit more to show.

Until then, stay tuned!

Figure Drawing: Curvy shapes

Hello friends!  Last Tuesday was figure drawing day with Dr. Sketchy.  We had two models:  one was petite, and the other was fabulously curvy.  The petite model was very energetic and provided us with some fun poses for gestures, but Zer07 and I quickly realized that we were unaccustomed to drawing more voluptuous figures, so this session was a great exercise in thinking out of the box.  Here are our sketches:

Zer07's gestures.  Top 3 poses: 1min.  Bottom: 2min.

Zer07's sketches.  Top 3: 5min.  Bottom 2:  10 min.

Shiro's 5 min. sketches

Shiro's sketches.  Top left:  10 min.  Top right:  15 min.  Bottom:  30 min.

Nin, nin!!

Raeden's expressions

Ossu!  Shiro Ninja here.  Zer07 and I have been hard at work on "Aram" and we've been continuing to fine tune our hero, Raeden.  Utilizing our character sheet and CG model, we created some more images which will be used as important references during the animation stage.  

 

More to come soon!  Saraba!!

Anime Corner: Watching "Sword Art Online" with a non-gamer

Zer07 and I recently sat down and watched the popular, yet controversial series, "Sword Art Online."  SAO is a story of a game creator gone mad who has trapped his players in a virtual world, where death in the game means death in real life.  

I was a bit hesitant to watch at first because of the gaming-centric setting, but I eventually found myself getting hooked and we watched to the end with a fair sense of satisfaction.  While I did enjoy SAO, I feel very conflicted about this show.  I'm of the mindset that a show should attempt to be as universally accessible as possible, and as a  non-gamer, I would have needed a manual to follow this show by myself.  Admittedly, I'm probably not the target demographic for this show... my gaming experience is mostly limited to Bejeweled, Super Puzzle Fighter, Super Mario Brothers, and Mario Kart!!...  I don't think I would have stayed with the show if I didn't have 07 next to me explaining the intricacies of MMOs.  Putting aside the heavy MMO references, however, the story is pretty compelling and had me hooked.  The stakes are very high with some characters undergoing interesting psychological transformations, there is a sweet romantic storyline, and the art and animation is consistently high quality.

Anime fans seem to either love or hate this show.  The second half of the show was arguably weaker than the first with an introduction of an awkward sibling romance and a less entertaining gaming storyline.  (While I understand why many Western viewers might have a problem with the brother-sister romance, this is actually quite a common romance sub-genre in Japanese storytelling.)

I recommend giving this show the "3 episode rule."  You can check out the full 25 episodes streaming on Crunchyroll.

Nin, nin.

Making a hero...

Greetings friends!!  Zer07 and I are working hard on our original animated series called, "Aram."  It's going to be a daunting task producing the pilot between the two of us, but we are really excited about this project.  We're currently in the pre-production phase, hammering out the story and establishing the look.  The first character we designed is our hero, "Raeden."  

Our plan for the animation process is to utilize CG models as a base for our characters, and draw over these CG models in 2D.  (You can get an idea for this process in Zer07's post:  3D to 2D workflow - use the tools.)  The hope is that by having CG characters as a base, we will be able to maintain a consistent style (what traditional animators call, "staying on model") while keeping the animation and aesthetic quality high.  

Here is the CG model that Unit Zer07 created for Raeden:

Zer07 has already finished rigging this model, which means that we can pose him and start animating him however we like!  As you can see, this CG model is low resolution, which means that we need an official 2D character sheet to establish the fine details that will go into the drawings.  (Traditional 2D animators use character sheets to make sure they are consistently drawing the character exactly the way they're supposed to look.  This is "staying on model.")  Below is my 2D version of Raeden:  

(He's wearing a skin-tight suit which will include some patterns that we have yet to design.)  Keep watching for more updates!  

Figure Drawing: Santa's little helpers

Shiro's sketches:  top left & two right - 5 min. bottom left - 10 min.

Shiro's sketches:  top - 10 min. bottom - 30 min.

Zer07's sketches:  top 5 sketches - 5 min. bottom center - 10 min.

Zer07's sketches:  top - 10 min. bottom - 5 min.

Last month, we went to a Christmas themed Dr. Sketchy's figure drawing session.  There were three models dressed up as Santa's lovely helpers, and as usual, they undressed throughout the evening.  Here are our sketches from that night!

Story writing with Shiro Ninja and Zer07: Part 3 - The same conclusion

Story writing with Shiro Ninja and Zer07: Part 2 - Responsibilities

Happy New Year friends!!  Nin, nin!

Story writing with Shiro Ninja and Zer07: Part 1 - Always looking forward

Ossu!!  Shiro Ninja here.  Unit Zer07 and I have been hard at work doing some story writing.  We're developing an idea for an animated series we want to make, which we're calling, "Aram."  We're making progress and are really excited with the direction the story is going, but as you can see, the story writing process doesn't always go smoothly.  More story writing tales to follow...

Figure Drawing: Sexy Cheerleader

Ossu!  Last week we had a very productive Tuesday as we participated in the exciting elections as well as attended another fun figure drawing session!  I realized that up until now, we tended to do shorter timed poses, so this time we stuck around for some longer poses.  Both Zer07 and I felt pretty good about this session.  I hope you enjoy our sketches!

Shiro's 10 min sketches

Shiro's sketches:  Left-10 min, Right-20 min

Shiro's 20 min sketch

That last sketch is supposed to show the cheerleader being spanked by her boyfriend but I didn't have the chance to draw him in completely!

Zer07's sketches: 10 min

Zer07's sketches: Top Left/Top Center-10 min, Right/Bottom-5 min 

Until next time...  Nin, nin!

Exploring TVPaint Part 2

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After discussion with Shiro Ninja I decided to go back and play with the final look of my animation from Part 1.  I was trying to achieve a slightly sketchy look inspired by the "Origin of O-Ren" anime sequence in "Kill Bill".

I'm really glad Shiro Ninja encouraged me to push myself on this one.  It made me force myself to really concentrate on matching the desired look.  We'll be developing this style further and applying it towards a 'top secret' project currently in development here at Studio Gattai!

it's never ending...

-07-

To see Part 1, click here.

Anime Corner: Masaaki Yuasa

Hello friends!  The other day, Zer07 and I watched Masaaki Yuasa's animated film, "Mind Game."  It was quite possibly the trippiest movie I have ever seen!!  Aside from the trippiness, the movie left a big impression on me for its unique aesthetic and unconventional storytelling.  At times, the boundaries between reality and fantasy become blurred, but essentially, the story is about facing mortality and living life to the fullest.  If you haven't seen the movie yet, check out this crazy sequence:

It was exciting to watch something so unique and experimental come out of the Japanese anime industry, which is why we were excited to learn about Masaaki Yuasa's newest project, "Kick-Heart."  The project is described as a love story between two people -- a man who is a pro-wrestler and a woman who is a nun.  Each has a secret to hide...  

What's especially exciting about this project is that Yuasa and Production I.G are reaching out to an international audience to try and obtain funding via the popular crowd-funding site, Kickstarter.  Why should  you care?  This could start a trend towards a more interactive relationship between anime fans and production companies.  By showing support for unique projects like "Kick-Heart," we have the opportunity to directly influence what the anime industry produces.  If this Kickstarter campaign is successful, we could potentially see a new wave of innovative anime that pushes the limits of style and storytelling.

Join us in supporting Masaaki Yuasa's "Kick-Heart!"  Visit the "Kick-Heart" Kickstarter here

Until next time.... Ninja smoke bomb!!!

Exploring TVPaint

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Recently I've been using TVPaint to practice my traditional animation skills.  Shironinja and I are heavily considering using the program to produce a future project we're currently developing.  Right now I'm just familiarizing myself with the program doing short practice animations.  It's a great way to practice both style and motion while also developing my skills using the program.  Check out some of the work I've done inspired by the music of Digiflesh:

Rough lines:

Finished lines:

I still have to add some more line detail onto the "Finished lines" image.  After that I plan on adding color and a background.  I'll post another update soon.  Until then, feel free to comment or critique.

Intergalactic Pla.Ne.Te.Ree!

-07-

Update!  Part 2 can be found here.

Figure Drawing: frustration...

Ossu!  Shiro Ninja here.  Last week, Zer07 and I went to another Dr. Sketchy's figure drawing session.  The model was terrific as usual, but it had been several months since our last "live" figure drawing session, and we both felt a little rusty.  I tried to pay special attention to her silhouette and often ended up running out of time on these timed poses.  So frustrating!  Must keep practicing...

Shiro Ninja:  5 min. sketches, bottom left 10 min.

Zer07's 5 minute sketches.

Until next time... Nin, nin!

Therapy Session

Written by:  Unit Zer07 and Shiro Ninja
Art by:  Shiro Ninja

Figure Drawing: Using Pixelovely

Ink Sketch by Shiro Ninja

Lately Zer07 and I have been on a gesture drawing kick.  Gesture drawing is a great method to develop the ability to quickly draw different poses, which is really helpful for animation.  We found a great website called Pixelovely, which has a huge archive of photos.  It allows you to have your own private figure drawing sessions.  You can customize nude or clothed models (or both), and you can set a timer for when you want the image to change.  There's even an option for animals!  The nice thing about using these photos is that you're sometimes given very dynamic shots like this jumping dancer guy, and animators definitely need to be able to draw dynamic poses!

Ink Sketch by Zer07

Below are some of our 1 minute gesture drawings:

Shiro Ninja Gestures

Zer07 Gestures

Now there are no excuses.  Get drawing!

nin nin