Let's draw WatchCat!

People often ask me, "Trevor, how do you draw Watchcat?" I smile and say, "My name is Jim and drawing takes a lot of practice." And so, I thought I would share with you this brief drawing tutuorial for this Watchcat Wednesday. As always, let us know you are still alive and enjoying these weeklies by sending us any helpful feedback or comments below.

As always, let us know you are still alive and enjoying these weeklies by sending us any helpful feedback or comments below.

More NOIR

Work has been going well on Watchcat 02 and final scenes are getting done. I am spending a lot of time finalizing the end scenes which is taking extra time to do. My time will also be less over the next few weeks due to family obligations, including a High School graduation. I'm not complaining, because I can still see that light at the end of the animation tunnel.

Greg has been busy working on NOIR and getting ready for an upcoming IndieGoGo campaign. The guys recently did an interview with Miss Silke Hollywood at Mel's Diner in Hollywood, talking about their films. Enjoy...

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Animating Watchcat

In the the past week, I finished up an animation commercial and 16 final animation shots for Watchcat episode 2. I only have 28 shots to go and I'm starting to see a light at the end of a very long tunnel. This project has taken longer to finish then previously expected, because it has been done on a collection of spare time throughout the past several months.

Below is a video I made back when the tunnel was just a hole in the ground. Hopefully, it will help explain a little bit about my animation process.

 

Hope to have finished shots very soon...

Inside of NOIR

I am currently working on turning rough animation scenes into final shots. I'm taking the next 3 weeks to finish up as many shots as I can before school is out for the Summer. I;ve got about 45 scenes to go and estimate that I will be done by the end of June or July. In any case, here are several final scenes for your review and comments.

Final22_25 from Toondini on Vimeo.

In the meantime, Gregory Bradley and Lee Anthony Smith are finishing up principal photography on their feature film "Noir". An indiegogo campaign will be happening sometime in May for post production. The date of this will be published in this blog in the next few weeks. 

Until then, Greg and Tony want to thank everyone who's been supporting their indie film and ask everyone to continue to Like their NoirTheFilm Facebook page & follow them on Instagram and Twitter. 

Here's are some production stills from their film, NOIR.

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Andreas Deja's Mushka

As work continues on our second episode of Watchcat, I wanted to let you know about another animated film in production called "Mushka". This film is being created by Disney veteran animator, Andreas Deja who has animated King Triton from the Little Mermaid, Jafar from Aladdin, Scar from the Lion King, Gaston from Beauty and the Beast and Mama Odie from the Princess and the Frog, just to name a few.

I am hoping to interview Mr. Deja very soon and would like to get some questions from you! So, please send any questions you would like me to ask him to heyjimr@gmail.com.

The Sound of Action

Its Finals week and all the animation students at Woodbury University are burning the midnight oil and loading up on the caffeine to get their films done before the deadline. And as I write this, I have my own deadline to finish animating Episode 2 before the Summer begins or is over.

I've been laying out the final scenes and cutting in sound effects to enhance the animation. I've noticed that many students are relying on their music to tell their animated stories, but I find it always amazing to create a sound effect and sync it up to my silent animation. 

The first sync sound experience I had in animation was to animate a water splash. Back in the day, sound was on 1/4 tape and you had to record this master take unto a roll of perforated 16mm Magnetic film.Once the sound was on the 16mm mag stock, you had to add a head and tail leader. I shutter to remember those days myself, but I learned how to read the sound and figuring out when the splash occurred and when the second droplet of water fell.

No Animateducated website or Youtube references to learn from; my only source was the Disney " Illusion of Life" book and still photographs that I could find in books about science high speed photography. Once the splash was animated and pencil tested, I had to sync it up to the mag stock of the splash sound effect. I will spare you the gruesome details, but let's just say when that drawing of a ball hit the water and the sound of the splash happened at the same time as my animation, that was pure magic to me.

So, here's a sequence with sound effects added to my animation again, but using the tools of today. When it works, I am still amazed.

RoughSound_4192016 from Toondini on Vimeo.

Spot a WatchCat

While working on this project, I find myself noticing a lot of watchcats in my own neighborhood.They patrol our streets and sidewalks always in a hurry, never on a stroll. They sit under cars, in bushes, in windows keeping an eye on things.

 

Take a walk around your own neighborhood and you might be surprised to see a well hidden cat looking back at you. Here is a photo of a true watchcat, he is very well hidden. Can you find him?