Friday, February 17, 2012

Spring Semester (5th Week) & CalArts Character Animation Gallery Show !!

I apologize for not updating on my film and current happenings over the past few weeks. I've been busy working on my film and coming up with a schedule that will help me finish my film in time.

Things have been going well and I'm now working on my rough animation for my film. I'm trying to speed up my animating skills in hopes to get my film done earlier than my schedule. My film is scheduled to be done a week before the deadline but I'm looking at the probability of me screwing things up, and if I do, I could really use the extra time to fix those shots. If my film turns out looking good in the end as planned, I'll post up my film schedule here for a rough idea on how I assigned myself shots on a day to day basis. Right now, I seem to be still on track, which is a good sign. I've currently animated  5 rough scenes, one which I would have to go back and do a serious fix, but should be okay since I have an idea on how I'm going to work around it.

On the other hand, it was the CalARTS 2012 Character Animation Gallery Show last Thursday, which was two days ago !!!



I feel super lucky to be part of this show and it's actually regarded as an official gallery show which I could put into my resume ! The best part of the show was definitely the caricature session ! Students from all different schools were brought together with the character animation students! There were also other people visiting from other schools and people from the industry were here as well ! It was really inspiring to see all the beautiful works that came out of the character animation students here and I feel so lucky to be part of the community, and the camaraderie among the students here are AMAZING !! 

To see some photos of the amazing works up in the gallery, visit this link:
http://blog.calarts.edu/2012/02/16/photos-from-2012-character-animation-gallery-show-at-calarts/

Thanks to Amanda Candler, a second year character animation student who worked so hard to make this event possible, and to all faculties and students who supported this event !! :)


We love you !!

One of the best part of the gallery show was definitely the caricature event !!



The caricature event has become part of the annual gallery show's culture and drawing horses and chairs were set up in the main gallery for the event !! The amount of people who were in line waiting for their turn to be caricatured were amazing !!

Here are some happy faces of students from other schools posing for the character animation students !!!











At first thought, I didn't want to be a part of the caricature event since I've never really been good at caricaturing and I haven't had a real attempt at it in a public space ! The upperclassmen are all very upbeat about it and they were masters at it! 30 minutes into the event, My first year friends took part in the caricatures, and I realized that what's most important is not to strive for a perfect caricature but to have fun and really just enjoy the gallery show !! I took part in the caricature event shortly after that which I turn out to like a lot and it wasn't as bad as I thought ! I was pretty nervous at first, but the first person I caricatured had a very distinctive feature which made it easier for me. Her name is Lori and she's been taking classes at Art Center. Here's a picture of my silly face and Lori, who's the first person I caricatured in an official public event who also gave me confidence in caricaturing through her amazing features !!!


Me & Lori

I also caricatured a bunch of other people and although some of them turned out looking like a completely different person, it was the joy of being part of the event that made the worth !! It was the amount of camaraderie I got from my fellow character animation friends sitting down, working as a team drawing so many different people together ! Here are some photos of the character animation students doing the caricatures !


 From left to right: T, Ali, Louise, Louis, Skyler


Jacob


Skyler


Nicolette


Aron wowing the audience with his amazing paint job.


And that's me caricaturing my lovely friends who are also first year character animation students !!

Here's the outcome !!


From left to right: Nak, Felice, Thomas.

And finally ~~~~ Here's the wall I shared with my amazing and talented friend, Paula !!


- Photo courtesy of Tahnee Gehm , Thanks Tahnee !! :)

And here's me and Paula, who's also a first year character animation student !! Sometimes I really want to put more time into learning how to dress and look better but I guess all the focus and attention went into designing my characters instead.



The event was a successful one and it showed the spirit of the character animation students !! It's also my favorite gallery show by far ! The event ended at about 3am in the morning and I left shortly before that.



It's true when they say that art brings people together no matter where you are, and although the event was only for a night, it was one of the most memorable and enjoyable moment I had at CalArts so far. Here's how the main gallery looks like this afternoon after all of the works have been taken down.



The walls are white with plain emptiness and they look somewhat unfamiliar to me anymore. I guess artists just have the urge and the impulse to want to draw on clear white paper/wall.



Nevertheless, it's a show that I'm looking forward to have again next year and hopefully it'll continue to become part of the CalArts Character Animation tradition. I'm excited to see how everybody's work is gonna evolve in a period of one year. As for the amazing 4th year students, it was their last gallery show of their CalArts life and they are most probably ready to step out into the industry and rule the animation world !!!

CalArts is an amazing place and I apologize for having repeating this over and over again but it is true. In everybody's life there's bound to be a place or event that'll change their life forever and for me, CalArts is the place, and I believe for many others who went here as well. I'll never forget how hard I worked to get over here and how hard it must be for my parents to pay for me to get here since we aren't eligible for loans.

Now that I'm here and having met so many people and friends who are also becoming part of my family, I'm giving my full potential in all that I do in hopes that I'll one day become an artist/entertainer I've always dreamt to be.

-Yon.

15 comments:

  1. Hi Elena, Olivia, it really was ! Wish you guys were here !!

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  2. Hey, that all looks like lots of fun. So much energy around I bet. For someone who doesn't focus on caricatures yours turned out nice;) Hope to be there next time.

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    1. Thanks, Bobby !! You'll love the event so much !!

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  3. hey, looks/sounds like you had a great time, and your caricature is really good glad you jumped in :), good luck with the film.

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    1. Thanks, Uma ! I did ! Waiting for your good news ! :)

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  4. Awesome caricatures, Yon! Everyone looks like they had so much fun! Can't wait to see your film!!

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    1. Thank You, Julian !! It was indeed very fun !!! I'm giving my best at my film now ! Hopefully things will all go well ! Waiting to hear from you on CalArts too ! Good luck ! :)

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  5. Hi,Yon Hui!I don't know if you understand Chinese beacuse I really want to express the words below by my first language!
    It maybe a little strange to say these words to you,but I cant help it!
    Firstly,your works are AMAZING!I've been watching your works for a while,they are truely inspiring!You are such a talented animation artist!Just keep going!I also admire that you could get an enriched and precious experience in Calarts!I bet you'll be someone in this field!
    I'm in China now,just past IELTS test,but I still missed the date to apply American school this year,so I'm preparing the portfolio for the next year application.
    I studied graphic design in Chinese art college,but after my graduation,I realized my talent is drawing,so I was determined to study animation in the USA.Many people around me don't support me,they think it's expensive and unnecessary.I do admit that the tuition is truely stressful for my family,but your journal is really encouraging for me!
    Life isn't just about money,right?If we got some talents,we should explore them and make them meaningful!

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    1. Hey Lucy ! Although I do not read chinese well, I do speak the language. Thank you for your kind words ! I've had some friends of mine who do not see art/animation as a practical career, but knowing that they come from different backgrounds, I can see how art/animation is little of interest to them. It's very different when you're brought up in an artistic environment and having the crave to create art is a gift. I agree with you on exploring your talents and taking them to their farthest and I think that's not only important to an artist but to anybody in general in any field at all. I dont' have many years of experience in the art industry, but I believe that the value of your interest lies in your own judgement and if you feel that art is definitely something you want to do, go for it. Good luck in your application ! I wish the best for you and don't hesitate to send me an email should you have any question!

      -Yon

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    2. Hi,Yon Hui!I really appreciate your every word!
      I hope there is a chance that we could talk more and more about our passion and thoughts for animation or drawing someday!
      I've been drawing and practicing for the portfolio.
      Could you give me any hints or advice for my works if you have time?

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    3. You're welcome and yes definitely. Send me an email with your works attached to this email yodelui@gmail.com ! I'd be happy to help !

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