Sarah Lynne Reulmabel moves
Posted on March 1, 2012
This video is a combo of two assignments for my Traditional Animation 2 class – getting up out of a chair and “easing in” to a walk. In order to smoothly start or stop any action in animation, you have to carefully space the drawings so that the motion doesn’t start awkwardly or end too abruptly.
Keep in mind this is just a simple pencil test- no details, but hopefully the acting brings the character to life. Enjoy!
getting some perspective
Posted on February 15, 2012
So far, my Drawing from the Imagination class is really shaping up to be an incredible challenge (and we’ve only just started the third week of the semester!). It’s like perspective boot camp, which is perfect, because that’s what I really need. I think anyone would squirm when faced with the crazy grids, plotting and intersections that create a formal perspective drawing… but getting over that fear is half the battle. It eventually makes some sort of sense if you stare at the lines long enough.
In our first module, the assignment was to create a one-point perspective street scene. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, I’m not ashamed to say that the homework for that week took me 20+ hours to complete, and even then I had to submit it without all of the details that I wanted. I used reference photos that I took in 2006 of buildings in the town of St Andre de Roquelongue, where Nick’s grandma Michou lives. Here’s what that first version looked like:
You may be thinking “ok… looks fine..but kind of empty, those windows are weirdly blank, and the slanting rooflines look like they’re made out of playing cards. What took you so long?”
Well, here’s my answer:
Keep in mind that I had to make a decision before I drew each of those lines… and it takes me forever to make decisions. I don’t like to narrow down my options.
I also blocked out the approximate size/shape of each of my buildings so that I could translate them to the proper perspective. This step wasn’t required but I couldn’t figure out how to get the windows & doors placed otherwise.
So this past week, the assignment was to add shadows. I am happy to say that I did not spend 20+ hours (probably closer to 10), but I’m pretty happy with the result. I was able to add in some window panes, some railings on those balconies, some plants, hills off in the background & electric poles/streetlights. Oh, and that little bench, which I retroactively realized was kind of masochistic for someone who had to add shadows. It all worked out though:
I just realized I forgot the wires for those electric poles. Arggh!!
meet mabel!
Posted on February 15, 2012
So, it’s happened once again – I missed my weekly posting! Not for a lack of material, though – my new classes are very challenging and I am already learning so much.
In first week of classes, our Traditional Animation 2 assignment was to create a a five-point turnaround model sheet. Last fall I played around with some basic character design but hadn’t done actual model sheets marking out the proportions, back or side views for Beryl & Rawrg, or any of my other characters.
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| Getting to this stage felt so official! |
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| I began by blocking out basic forms within the proportion lines – I decided to make her 3 heads high. |
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| I made a little perspective grid (based on info from my first week of classes in Drawing from the Imagination!) and overlaid the detail drawing on top of the basic forms |
more museum animals
Posted on February 2, 2012
I’m working hard on my new spring assignments but nothing’s quite ready to post yet. I found some sketches from the Museum of Science – when I worked there full time I used to try to sketch during lunch.
Here’s the moose from New England Habitats. One of the Exhibit Development staff told me that when they put this moose up for exhibit in the early 60’s, they felt inclusion of genitals would be too risque for the visiting school groups. It’s hard to see from outside the glass but now I think of this guy as a Ken doll. At least he has a nice rack, right? (Except it wasn’t even his original one – that came from another moose!)
The staff members of the Collections department were nice enough to pull objects out for me during my lunch break. (They even used to let me sketch in the sealed-off Colby Room when they were cataloging there – more on that later).
There are thousands of specimens (animal mounts, shells, rocks, scientific artifacts) nestled in the catacombs beneath the exhibit halls, just waiting for someone to request them for a lesson plan or interpretation. The objects also cycle through two exhibits, Natural Mysteries & Museum Then & Now, but at any given time there are tons of objects off-exhibit. Here are a couple of my favorites from last year:
chappy & two lamps
Posted on January 26, 2012
Spring classes start up next week! After a not-so-exciting ideology of art intercession class over the last 3 weeks, I am really looking forward to studio courses.
Here’s a drawing of Chappy from our visit to the Vineyard on New Year’s with Nick’s parents. The lamp with the intricate shade pattern was by our bedside; the other one is a bright red ikea lamp that’s on Nick’s side of the bed here at home.
beryl & rawrg – character sketches
Posted on January 20, 2012
Here are some never-before-seen character sketches I did while designing Beryl & Rawrg last fall! For the main part where we first see both of them together, I tried to give her a skeptical, static stance to contrast with his crazy, over-the-top antics.
more faces
Posted on January 10, 2012
fabric folds
Posted on January 3, 2012
Here are some pieces from my fall figure drawing class where the assignments focused on the storytelling of folds in fabric. The first one is a drawing I did from life of one of my dresses draped on a stool; the rest are from photo references that Nick helped me take.
beryl & rawrg – animation final project!
Posted on December 28, 2011
Here’s the final project for my first official animation class! I’m pleased with how it turned out – lots of in-between drawings and great feedback from my instructor throughout the process, and I even managed to get it done before the deadline despite a bout of pneumonia at the end of the semester.
This was pretty fun to do; I’m looking forward to next semester’s “Traditional Animation 2” class.
hands, legs, faces
Posted on December 20, 2011
Just some random assignments from my figure drawing class, picked from separate weeks. Just about everything is from photo reference, although the hands are Loomis copies.
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| from Andrew Loomis’ “Head & Hands” |
I'm an illustrator and 2D animator who likes lots of stuff, including science, bright colors and figuring out how things work.
Sarah Lynne Reul 