2nd Semester begins!

And here we are, upon the other side of Computer Arts Practice.
Our first mission (other than to build a 'Behance' folio), was to visit the local Mcmanus Galleries with a sketchbook, pencils and pens. We were to wander around for a good 10 minutes before finding an image that impacted our minds the most.
From there we would draw our own renditions of the piece as well as drawing and explaining what we see within the image(s). Along-side the drawing, we were to fill in a 3-page sheet with details on how it made us think and perceive it, etc.
After failing to find an image that really spoke to me i took a gamble and chose one of the more vibrant abstract ones. 'My favourite flower is the Pansy', a print from the 60's.
I will share the details of this experiment in a next post when i am finished. Until then enjoy this doodle sheet!
:D

The final Product.

Here we are again. Back in the present.
Saturday the 18th of January, 1 day after the deadline, still in high spirits, happy with the results.
I could have submitted without finishing the modelling process and still gotten the same mark, but it's the principle! If I've been working this hard over the last few days, i'll make sure i have something by the end of it! This isn't flying! This is falling.. WITH STYLE!

It's a real shame i didn't get either of them textured... but ho well.

I would have loved to try out the styles i had begun to learn.

Till next time!

The 2-week rush to Deadlines!

Post-Christmas, we were left with a small 2 week window to finish off our work for this semester. Spending a lot of time on animation up until its deadline date on Tuesday 14th January, i was left with only 2.5 days to get through my work for Computer Arts Practice. By this point i had accepted my fate of getting a Marginal-Fail grade (MF, between D and F). But i would not be defeated! If i'm going to fail, i'm going to fail in style! Fighting with drawn sword and shield!

Coming into university from 9am till 9pm every day for 2 weeks really does take its toll on you, but I've been in a really good mood lately. no worries. keep on truckin'. panicking never helps, and just makes things worse.

Here we have all the work i've done in 3D the last few days - between the 15th and 17th of January.
I give out my thanks to Gloryhammer, Ensiferum, and the Cinematic Orchestra for helping me through these awesome last few days!

Post-Holidays

So here we are, after Christmas... 3 weeks after the uni being closed. Which was bloody annoying. it's closed longer every year by like a week each time. My laptop at home is on its last legs, so whatever free time i actually did have at home, i couldn't really work very much on 3D work without it lifting off the table into space and scorching everything black!
SWOOSH!!!

3D!

Here lies the collection of progress renders from the process of creating the final character, start till christmas.

Further Progress!

Soon after, after simplifying the design down and making him look more like an antagonist, i found what i assumed at the time was a basic character to do, and began the modelling process. Though i intended him to be much more toony and stylised than he turned out to be (not at all), i'm still very happy with the final result.
Through the modelling process, i began to look at modern influences, which then led me to seek out futuristic ones. The fianl piece is quite we inspired by a series of inspirations. The helmet being a cross breed between mostly Skyriim's ancient nord helmet and the Juggernaut's mask from DOTA 2.

The following images are concept images and the final paper concept.

^The final concept^

Character Idea Progression!

From the stereotypes to the blue face-paint, the process from idea to idea came out completely different from the original concept.

And then from here i did some 3D modelling of the big chunky guy.

I later felt like i jumped the gun on his design, not thinking it through when i modelled his face.

back to the drawing board.

Project Brief!

Upon week 5 of the semester, we finally received our long awaited briefs. There was a good sized list of possible briefs to choose from, and naturally, i was quickly drawn to two 3D briefs, creating an environment suitable for a game world, inspired by 1 of 3 images given, or build a character from a brief description. The character had to be a high poly model with a cap of 10,000 tris with a texture set of 4096x4096, and then a low poly version for running on mobile games with a cap of 2000 tris and a texture set of 1024x1024.

It was a tough choice, but i eventually lunged for the character brief. Out of the 3 possible characters to do, i chose the "large brutish antagonist based roughly on the Celts".
I love Celtic folklore, so it seemed to fit well.

My initial ideas were much closer to stereotypical Scotsmen with an ancient flair to them. Lots of greens and browns, with red markings and blue paint EVERYWHERE @_@!
Big Beards and such like that!

Promarkers!!

This is possibly the first semester i've properly been into physical sketchbooks. Over the semester I've fully filled 3 A4 sketchbooks, with proper paper, AND COLOUR!
I started to get a little obsessed with buying Promarkers... i have like 60 pens now, and i enjoy using them to colour. In fact, i've not even drawn a single thing digitally this semester. Perhaps that's bad for the digital painting side of things, but as for sketchbooks, it's an improvement.
Most of the work in these 4 sketchbooks are indeed for Professional Project, but none-the less.

Though, there is some sad irony in this, now that all submissions are digital and things must be scanned in onto the blackboard network... it's completely taking away from the point of a sketchbook, and though i know the past me would disagree, digital sketchbooks are just lacking in what i can only call heart and soul.

Cheesy. So cheesy. It could out-cheese Switzerland and France combined.

Really really not a fan of digital submissions when it comes to this, but it's the way it goes. As soon as i get used to something, it's changed ahaha!

Onwards and Outwards!

First section.

The first section, or part, of Computer Arts Practice this semester involved the first 5 weeks before receiving the project brief. The time was spent splitting up around the university or Dundee city center drawing objects, perspectives, and moving people, as well as a couple of life drawing sessions in the drawing rooms.

'Live drawing' is probably the one i was more engaged in, where we would find somewhere in Dundee around Abertay, plonk down somewhere and start drawing people going about their day. It was to test our speed and accuracy to drawing poses in motion.

I was holed up in a Starbucks with Carrie (and hot chocolate), as we looked out through the window and people passing by. This is where things get silly though, of course. My 'Lie Drawing' idea came into effect. Just like what i always did in college life drawing classes, which pissed off my art teacher a little, i added a little personal flair to the images. Some light hearted comedy.

At the end of Live Drawing, we assembled back in the classroom to the sound of Ryan's conch shell, and we shared our works by walking around the rooms looking at peoples sketchbooks. It would seem the little lies i put in my images went well. :D

-Pete

^Lie Drawing^

^Still Life drawing^
( Disco ball and shoes :I )

"Buggered Blog"

Well.
Here we are.
A day past deadline, and i'm making the first post.
Though the blog was created near the start of this semester, my time and module management have been on the low, spending far too much time on the professional project, worrying solely about that, and looking at the others as "it'll get done, it's fine."
So... the best i can do right now, (though i've accepted my fate as grabbing an MF (Marginal-Fail) grade, or as i call it, an E) is to look back upon the past 4 months and attempt to recreate some/most of the events up until now.

Hello,
My name is Peter Danskin, i hail from Dundee of Scotland.
I am a 3rd year Computer Arts student at the University of Abertay.
I am very much so focused on the 3d side of things, but do enjoy to explore and experiment.

Enjoy.