Workshop and Website

It's been months since my last post. Sorry about that, but not much has been going on since I was just waiting for Animation Mentor to start. Well that time is now! I just had my first Q&A session with a bunch of other workshop students and it was really cool. Everyone was really excited and talkative on the chatroom side of things, meanwhile, two people from Animation Mentor, Jay and Victoria, were answering student's questions on screen and video of the student's asking the questions appeared under them. I asked a couple questions and it was a little weird at first but really cool talking and interacting with people across the world!

So what have I been up to? Well I'm about a quarter of the way through The Illusion of Life and half way through The Animator's Survival Kit. Both books are really good so far and I think I'm going to order another book to help me through the Maya Workshop called The Modeling and Animation Handbook. Other than that I've been working on my site again and I fixed a few things that were wrong with it and also added a 'Drawings' section to my portfolio! Most of them are from my Drawing 1 class back in freshman year of college. So check them out. I've also decided that I'm going to take a figure drawing class at the Fleisher Art Memorial over the summer or in the fall, because I need to brush up on my drawing skills.

For the next couple weeks we're settling into the Animation Mentor site and have access to new sections little by little. Then in week four everything gets hardcore! Two Q&As a week and assignments galore! I'm really looking forward to diving in and learning how the hell to use this program I just spent $400 on.

Animation Mentor!

I just received the email today that I was accepted into the Spring '09 session at Animation Mentor! I'm crazy excited for it all to start, but now I have to wait until March...damn. And it actually took the whole three weeks for them to get back to me. Turns out my application got all mixed up and lost - and finally found! Once they found it I got in the next day! Whoopee! 

Animation Mentor gives new students the option of starting one of two ways: either go directly into Class 1 (there are six classes that span approximately 18 months) or take that time learning to use the software, Autodesk Maya. I decided to take the Maya Springboard Workshop and postpone taking Class 1, because I really don't know my way around the program yet. Although I just want to start Class 1 right away I know this will greatly improve my work, and also I'll gain general knowledge in modeling and rigging characters as well.

So I can't wait to start. I'm already reading the books that are required - The Animator's Survival Kit and The Illusion of Life. I've also downloaded the trial version of Maya and I'm attempting to familiarize myself with it (before my 30 days are up!). Now I just need to start drawing again...

So yeah...I can't freaking wait!

My site is up!

Thank god this site is finally up! It took forever because I went through a few different designs and domain names, but it's finally finished...kinda. I still have a few things that I need to tweak. 

So I decided to start this blog mainly due to the help that other's blogs have given me through the whole process of researching Animation Mentor, as well as other animation schools. I've read through a bunch of blogs created by students, and they really gave me insight into what AM is really going to be like - ridiculously awesome and extremely challenging. So I'll try and keep up with it pretty regularly.

Anyway I just submitted my application to AnimationMentor.com a few days ago and I really hope that I get in. If I do then I'll start in March and will continue for 18 months or so while I learn character animation! I seriously can't wait to hear back from them. I should find out within the next few weeks, and as soon as I find out I'll let you know...and by you I mean me, because come on. Who else is reading this besides me?