Let's Not Explode!

Hello everyone...

So I have been just so busy working on my Setup Final that I just had to take some time and do some traditional art pieces; otherwise my head was going to explode!

We wouldn't want that would we?

I just recently completed two canvas pieces and a graphite piece just this weekend! Please leave your comments and give me some feedback!

Canvas piece done with Sharpies and Acrylic Paint!

Canvas piece done with Sharpies and Acrylic Paint!

Graphite piece.

Confused Yet?

Prepare yourselves...

As we come to the middle of the month I can reflect on what I have accomplished from the beginning of the month and determine how fast I'm moving with things. Honestly, I haven't moved as fast as I would like. Though, I do have some pretty good reasons as to why I have not finished rigging my first model and why I have not even started on the dynamics of the Maya Muscle System. The number one reason is I bought this specific model off of Creative Crash and the character is not in the traditional A-Pose or T-Pose. His arms are slightly bent which could potentially mess up the Pole Vectors set up in his elbows. I've been dreading this outcome; which is the reason I started with the legs first and finished rigging them up before I moved to the arms. Instead of my usual frustration with the possibility of changing my rig and wasting money, one of my old teachers (Ken Norman) took the model on and is going to change the stance of the character to make it easier for me to finish the IK/FK system in the arms. I'm very thankful that he has no problem with doing this, he basically saved me a lot of time. So by the next time I post something to my blog the whole body should be rigged in it's new position and I should be moving on to painting weights and playing with the Muscle System.

On another good note I was able to fix the textures and ask one of my friends, who just happens to work at MPC for Shading and Lighting, to shade and light my character to make the model look more presentable.

All in all I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing and even though I'd really like to be moving at a faster pace then I am right now I'm okay with where I'm at.

Custom Master Control for the Body Builder.

Body Builder at this point in time.

Textures and Displacement Map so far.

Where Have I Been...

So I'm just starting up Finals...

Well it sure has been a long time since I posted anything to my blog. The end of November was actually the last time I posted any progress here at Full Sail or life in general.

I'll try to get better...

The reason for the absence is because during the month of December I was taking my APR Class and the Art Evaluation. The Art Evaluation used to be a month long test here at Full Sail University that individual students would have to take in order to continue with the program. Well just recently that test was switched to a class because they realized it was a struggle for many students when they were taking two classes along with the test in one month.

I took it the last month before it became a class; which I am taking this month. Instead of using this class to do the Art Evaluation, I'm actually using this class to start on my Final Projects for my big Demo Reel before I graduate here in June.

So with that said I have actually collected my first Asset, which is a male Body Builder. My goal for this rig is to create a functional muscle system underneath the mesh of the character, along with the joint system of course. Since I was little I've been very interested in the anatomy and muscle system within a human. It's so intricately beautiful. And even though it looks the same, it's quite different. The reason I'm using a body builder is because they have such large muscles that you can see them clearly moving underneath the skin. That is the exact effect I want to create with my mesh.

I will need all the luck I can get!

As you can see I've already added the joint system.

Here is the shaded mesh figure I'm using.