KIrby's Sock Complete!

It's finally finished. I'm at a loss for words about the project. It's time for the work to speak for itself.

300th Post

I was looking at my blogger dashboard and realized this is my official 300th post. That sounds like a lot of blogging to me. When I first started out I was not into the idea of blogging at all. I just thought it would be a good way for folks to keep up with me on my cross country trip. Now, it's still a great way for folks to keep up, not just with my cycling adventures, but also with my "artistic" and life endeavors as well. Anyway back to the post:

WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING INSTEAD OF WORKING ON KIRBY:

Kirby is at a stand still for whatever reason, mostly mental for me, I guess. So, I've come up with other projects to fill my free time. Here's one, I just finished this illustration for Community Cycling Center. They're a local not for profit bicycle shop, that not only has a great helpful staff, but also a ton of outreach programs for youth, people of low income, and the bike novice looking for knowledge. The illustration is 4' x 2' and will be used for a teaching tool in the shop. Allie wrote out all the type and helped with the painting.

Waiting For Kirby

for those of you following along, its been a year and two months since I started out on the kirby endeavor. Believe you me, nobody is more ready for this animation to be in the can than I. Rest assured it is nearly complete...

updating pedalmation.

At least one officer was killed in Suez that day.

Protests had been particularly violent in the port city of Suez, 83 miles east of Cairo. On Thursday, Jan. 27, protesters attempted to firebomb a riot police car. Police in turn fired rubber bullets, water cannons, and tear gas at hundreds of demonstrators.(Mohamed Abd El-Ghany/Reuters)

Now that's productive

I'm slack, I know it, you know it, so there, it's out in the open. But if you want to see an animator who is anything but lazy check out Dailymation. It's a great blog by an animator who puts out a new short almost everyday. Very impressive.

Good Photo, Bad Drawing. 4

Good Photo, Bad Drawing. 3

Good Photo, Bad Drawing. 2

Good Photo, Bad Drawing

Here the first installment of a new series on world of spokes 'Good Photo, Bad Drawing'

Enjoy.

Texture

Work has picked up and free time at the studio is at a premium right now. When I do get a second for side projects, I've mostly been experimenting with texture for the kirby short. Here are some examples.

Hand Up

Animation Complete

I finished all the hand drawn animation last week. Left on the to do list: Backgrounds, detail drawings, and some minor tweaks. I still don't see this thing premiering before the new year,but I am glad to see that the end is near.

Things I have learned since starting this process:

I will not be creating another animation in this style. It has taken entirely too long and would not be cost effective in any business venture.

Let others help. I've been so afraid to let anyone in on this project that I've only really shown it to three people. Allie has been the only one to help and the guy doing the sound hasn't even seen it yet. I'm a very private person, but sometimes it's better to get these things out there and get some crowd reaction.

Let the computer do more. I was so hell bent on this thing having a hand drawn feel, I completely ignored any digital help the computer could have done. The last few days I've been thinking how a few different rendering techniques could have saved me months of work.

In the end, I'll be proud of the finished piece. It's even inspired a few more ideas for animations that I hope to produce in the future. If nothing else, the experience of making this animated short has given me a sense of purpose in an otherwise directionless time in my life.

Font vs Typeface

Do you know the difference?

Another Bear for my childhood

I wasn't a huge fan of winni the pooh growing up, but I can still recite a few lines from the saturday morning cartoon's theme song. I'm feeling nostalgic today and this made me laugh.

Side Projects

Along with kirby, fixing and maintaining bikes fill my spare time. Currently, I'm rebuilding this Raleigh. It's a bit small for me and I'll be selling it once it's finished. So, if anyone out there needs a sweet red single speed, let me know.

Filmed by Bike Write-Up

I got a little write up on Filmed by Bike's website. Their a great organization that combines two of my favorite things bikes and films. I've submitted movies into the festival three years in a row, but sat out last year. The kirby animation has dominated all my free time for nearly a year now.

2 scenes left

So close, soo close...

Gourd-n-Pork

Illustration for a upcoming event we're hosting.

Only Four Scenes Left.

PedalMation is GO!

My website 2.0 has been launched! It took a bit longer than expected, but what doesn't. I have to thank my good friend Sean Fitzgerald for all the coding work, he's amazing.
I hope to continue adding illustrations and videos in the coming months to the site. Here's an illustration that did not make the cut.

I love tracing.

Introspective and Important

not really.

The Good, The Bad, and The Freelance

Life Cycle

You know the old saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same". I've been feeling that way a lot lately. It's not so much that things don't change, it's that most change is so gradual and incremental we hardly ever see it's effects until long after it has happened. The hardest part about change is the small day to day cycles we constantly are trying to program or unprogram in our routines. Through constant analysis and retooling of the little things we do each day, real change happens.

It's Official

A few days ago I received this piece of junk mail. I think receiving junk mail for your start up business makes you official. It's cheezy but I liked it so much I hung it in the office. It's my only signage for the time being.

Staying Busy

Pedalmation.com is almost ready for the relaunch, finished a scene for Kirby today and I just posted an updated reel to my vimeo site. All positives, but it also means I've been working less and have had more free time. Good for me, bad for the bank account. All is well though, picking up small jobs here and there. Staying positive and optimistic.

Here's a shoe!

what's going on

What a busy summer. Things here at the studio have been productive. Kirby is still slowly coming together. Just six more scenes and all the animation will be done. I'll still have to figure out the backgrounds and add more detail to a lot of the drawings. The end is in sight however.

Until then check out this student film I mentioned in a blog post some time ago. It's called Slim Picking Fat Chances and it's great. It has an old warner brothers animation feel with some fresh witty humor.

milhouse

Allie took this great picture.

www

rebuilding pedalmation.com, here's a still from the design process.

I got new glasses

They're a little taller than I usually get, but still my classic black plastic frame.

Repetition

One thing bicycling and animation have in common is repetition. By repeating the same steps over and over you create something that is larger than the sum of it's parts.

It's been awhile since I've written anything about cycling. While I still enjoy it and try to ride everyday, it's become a very personal journey for me. Plus, it's kind of monotonous and there really isn't much to write about.

The same can be said for the kirby animation. While I continue to find a place for it everyday, there's not much new to report.

Both also have meditative qualities to them, which helps me clear my mind. I think this can be achieved by just about any activity with a lot of repetitive qualities.