Circus diver reimagined as a pill

pill diveJump v010 1 from Paulina Gomez Rios on Vimeo.

This piece was certainly a wild ride. I didn't love it at first because I wanted to do a cat animation instead of a diver but the professor decided on this one so I had to do it. Then I started loving it when I thought I could make it a funny clip by making the diver fall on his face. Then I hated it because the rig made rotating the pill impossible. Then I loved it again, then I hated it again and in the end I guess we just grew used to each other like the old couple who are more like best friends. We have been to hell and back this pill and I and I would happily say that if possible I would never EVER animate with this rig again. I would rather take my chances doing a pendulum or a walk cycle in a slow computer. True love.

 Took me 9 hours 30 mins, only 9,887 hours and 49 mins to go.

Horse trotting (again)

Horse Trotting from Paulina Gomez Rios on Vimeo.

It's been a while since I posted anything. I've been working on my top secret thesis that no one will ever see until it's finished. This on the other hand is not secret and it was actually homework so everybody and their aunt saw it. This is the remake of my past horse trot. It is also composed of layered animation. I want to think I'm getting the hang of layered animation but the truth is that I still have lots to learn.

Took me 17 hours 44 min, only 9,897 hours and 19 mins to go.

Lipsync "I'll take the first watch"

Well, I almost forgot to post this. The last assignment for Advanced Character Animation, a 10 second lipsync. Overall I kind of like it but I definitely wish I had spent more time on it. Oh I had big plans for this animation but as always I ran out of time and grew slightly sick of it. By this point I think the stepped workflow I hated so much has finally grown on me. I find it's pretty practical even though I find it very slow (no wonder I'm always complaining that I wish I had more time). If I could change something of this piece I would have liked to animate both the guy and the girl at the same time instead of spending more time on the girl. If I had had a definite main character I wouldn't have mind but since they are supposed to be equals I don't like the big gap in polishing between the two characters.

Took me 17 hours 16 min, only 9,915 hours and 3 mins to go.

Lipsync "Whatever it is you have to say"

This was our midpoint assignment, a 3 second lipsync. This project taught me the value of simplicity in an animation. Yes, animations are supposed to be cartoons and cartoons are exaggerated but sometimes doing less creates more. I had a tough time doing this because for some reason my eyes evolved faster than my animations skills, and I could pick out mistakes but could not figure out how to fix them. It was really frustrating but that is how all art skills evolve, I guess.
Took me 7 hours 1 min, only 9,932 hours and 19 mins to go.

Horse Trot

Hello. I know it has been a while since I last uploaded something. I've decided to wait to finish an animation instead of posting bits and pieces. This here is a horse trot using layered animation. While I would never recommend layered animation in a regular character act, this is perfect for animation cycles. Whenever you have a character that is walking or running or jumping, etc know that a layered animation gives you the control over every tiny detail and makes it look natural.
Took me 8 hours 9 mins, only 9,939 hours and 20 mins to go.