Rodney

Is it any wonder that when I suggested using render as lines In David's post about fabric I was thinkin of how JohnL3D might do it? Answer: Nope. Nice work John!

Hmmm still no takers.... either everyone already knows this stuff or you've managed to stun the riggers in the community into silence.* I've not done much out of the realm of very basic rigging in A:M so this is cool stuff to me.... I learned more in 15 minutes of chatting with Itsjust than in 3 years of lurking on the animaster listserve. Looking forward to seeing more about what setups like these can do to help animate our characters. *Another reason could be that people aren't used to seeing WIPs on rigging in the WIP section. Seems like a perfect place to me!

Very sinister looking! Love those glowing eyes... Can we see a variety of angles and maybe a spline shot? Thanks!

Wow John! Market those guys so I can watch the series!!! You've got some simple stuff going on there (spheres, spheres, and more spheres) but it's perfect. These are *your* characters right? I hope so because there is some awesome potential there. The children's books alone I wanna collect!

No Kidding!!! That was incredible..... horrific.... entertaining.... and inspirational... all at the same time! The drama... the pathos... Nice! Encore! Encore! I can almost imagine him walking back out and bowing to the audience to a standing ovation. But... that might be painful after... well.... don't want to spoil it for everyone... You sir, get my first official heart icon... a bunch of them!

Wha!!! If that is a 'Nice' zombie!!! I don't wanna meet a mean one! hehe! Looks um... 'really nice'!

Awesome John! Looking better and better every day. They look like they are a blast to animate too!

Little? Looks like she is much improved! And she must be happy with her new wardrobe too. I am curious as to why you want to go with 3 fingers on such realistic characters. Care to comment?

Nice fish Mike! Benedict Arnold.... Poor guy doesn't know what he is in for.... does he?

I'd guess you want to model everything yourself... but if you aren't a purist I'd suggest looking at a few of Rodger Renold's models (Hi Rodger!) at http://www.animationpitstop.com or via the mechanical models page at: http://www.animationpitstop.com/models/use...echanical.shtml Even if you want to model your own... you could look at his firehydrant, streetlights, parking meter, and more to get an idea of what objects could be added to your scene. Here is a pic of one:

There is an excellent article in an issue of Comic Book Artist by Paul Rivochet that popped into my mind as I first saw your scene. It's mainly 2D but the article outlined some of his design work in making scenes/backgrounds for Batman, the Animated Series. In it he added things (as John (Artbox) Henderson suggests) to make the scene look lived in. Sidewalks that had been repaired after pipes had been put into place, a metal plate on the brick wall, water draining along the road/curve, etc. In short, intentional mistakes and errors; the evidence of a lived in world. Some of the stuff may be online at their site... I"ll check and see if it is. I'm sure there are many other resources that would convey the same thing though. Keep on it! I haven't done much of what I'm talking about myself.... so not trying to overdo the suggestions here.

Robert, The picture looks very dark here so hard to really see any detail. Keep it up. Practice makes perfect!

Nice! Reminds me of Fantasia in it's own way. The variety of different styles makes it a really marvelous piece! Bravo! I take it the the artist's all worked on their pieces in a standard "JAM" style? With everyone having a beginning and ending they were assisned to work between. Was there a complete storyboard available to you?

Very Nice! Sound and animtion sync, character, and action; they all are working well together. So tell us... what is the secret to getting the clicking of the feet at the right moment Ballman's feet touch the ground?

John, Those look really fun... if not a bit dangerous! I am curious about how well they'll animate walking with those stubby legs... or do they waddle? Keep posting John! Always great (and inspirational) to see you work.

Very nice! I agree with the comments thus far. With the exception of the cardboard box everything looks like it was just built today and hasn't had time to get dirty or feel the effects of weather or time. For a single shot that wouldn't need to be viewed from other angles the grunge could be applied in post. It doesn't seem that is what you are after though. Perhaps light gels and the occasional decal would really make the scene come alive.

Since we managed to bring the FuFus back for awhile... Will, Have you done any more work with the FuFus? Was your client happy?

Paul, It might just be on my end but it didn't sound *much* like applause from here. I pictured a crowd of mehican banditos from the barro clanking on tin cans and welcoming in the next brave soul. It wasn't bad... but sounds like what I heard wasn't what you intended.

Ken, I've missed the updates on your post... the hazards of logging out and losing the current posting/unread posts list I guess. Awesome work you've done there!!! Looks just like him too! Any chance you could do a shot of him with the spaceguy used in A:M... what was his real name... Buzzy Flyer? Blit Lightwave? *hint*hint* *And I won the gold star!!! I never win anything!!! WOOO HOOO!

Nice! I could never get the sound to quite sync with the animation even after the whole thing was loaded. I'm sure the final product to the client works fine. I take it the clanking and low level applause is intentional for the Mariachi theme at the beginning... to show the level of confidence from the audience toward the new singer. Not being accustomed to such... my brain was expecting a regular applause track I guess. I'm not sure how to emphasize that to the unlearned unless you were to add a sign on stage appropriate to the occasion... welcoming the raw talent to their big time opportunity. In short... watching the scene over and over I'm starting to get a feel for talent night that I didn't get the first time through. Looks like you are almost there! A few minor tweaks as Parlo suggests and it's Mariachi time!

Lessoned Learned: Be careful whose door it is you knock upon. Interesting character! Critiques... the only thing that distracted from the overall imagry was the final fist(?) on the last frame. As the animation isn't cycling... that fist remains on my screen for inspection whether I wanted to inspect it or not. I realize the model is made that way though... this really isn't an issue but you said... critique... so... If his fingers were clenched together the impact both animatically and within the scene would have more.... punch. Yeah, thats it! Nice though! Keep posting these!

Looks good from here. Nice basic design. Please post more!

Frank, A:M Digest will be online but made available for print via a .pdf file. Rather than post a lot of information about A:M Digest here... I'll just point you to the A:M Digest discussion. We exchanged an email or two on the subject a month or so ago. I know you've been busy! I"m glad to hear of your plans for a website. That is great news! Really looking forward to seeing more of your town.

Holmes, I had been to your site before but went there again recently. I don't remember seeing a lot of the work you have there. Your "Who I am" and "Who I was" were quite a read. You've been on quite an adventure and that journey has certainly shaped your art. I'm just a little bit afraid of you! Most artists scare me though so that shouldn't be too much of a problem. I do thank you for the offer and will let you know more as soon as possible. I am still zeroing in on the exact order of spotlights on various artists in A:M Digest and where all the themed issues fit best. I think I'm narrowing it down. Please let us know more about your current work! It sounds like there is a lot more to it.

Holmes, I won't pretend to subscribe to everything presented on the site but there is no doubt that he did his homework! As did you! You are a master spliner and more! I apologize for taking liberties with your images below but if I was going to do a cover for A:M Digest for you sir... well... I kinda already did one test. Holmes Bryant spotlighted in A:M Digest? One could hope!: