FRANK production blog 12

December 31, 2019

okay! Im back for the final installment of 2019! While its been a while since I posted anything about this current project, its not because i haven’t been working on it. Just the opposite, I regularly log time into animating. Process has been made but you know how it goes animation take a long time.

I’ll really just do an image dump, its new years eve and I have to get ready for my outing. I just finished putting some time into some back grounds. Since the beginning I knew I wanted a brick building, something about brick is very appealing to me.

Below is a few different variations on this back ground. Most of these are very similar, probably because Im pretty sure with what I want

So it being the new year real soon, I want to try and develop a better habit with posting something on this blog, Im constantly drawing but I suppose Im just all in on animation I don’t devote much free time to else things. All in due time, for now Im still focused on completing FRANK.

SEE YOU IN 2020, best wishes -alex-

FRANK production blog 11

October 09, 2019

Below are some screen shots of my work space. I use TV Paint 11. Its a very easy software to learn. Its specialize for 2D animation and works amazing. Frank will be my third animated cartoon using the program. It come from France and has been around for a while now.

I used the standard Adobe Flash when I was in art school and for some freelance projects after graduation. I didn’t like it so much, there are a few reasons why but i honestly think I am just bais towards it.

I been using TV PAINT for a while now and just keep loving it more and more. Im not very fluent with all that the programs offers, I have my methods and I stick to them however old school they may be.

There are two versions of the program, the student version and the professional version. https://www.tvpaint.com/ check the site out for all the details

FRANK production blog 10

September 30, 2019

todays update consist of some rough key frames for a scene and a few old story boards. this scene has been a lot of fun to work with, pretty easy and simple action to animate. the biggest challenge has been the flowers, trying to keep count of all the petals and their size in every frame. non the less the scene has been easy and fun. it needs one more pass of clean up, and then on to coloring. the colors are subject to change a bit

rough back ground and colors for this scene

more updated board with character design

old story board, possibly the 1st draft a very very long time ago

FRANK production blog 9

September 21, 2019

HEY THERE! Its been a while, thank you for coming back. I will not apologize for the time away, I have been very busy with the film, happy to say much progress has been made.

This update will be about the Alpha and the Omega.

Below are a few different variations of the opening scene. So many different way to introduce the character but can only animate one.

The thumbnails below are from me trying to figure out what composition I should go with. Now most of the scene is worked out in my head but Im still not sure on how to draw it…. the pressure!

FRANK production blog 8

June 09, 2019

No big update today, but got some good images to show.

!!!MAJOR reveal alert!!!

These are a few animation keys I recently finished up. I cant wait to color them and composite the scenes. I cant wait to be done with this thing, animation is hard!!!……

But I been enjoying the whole process even when it moves at snail speed, which honestly is like 70% of the time….

FRANK production blog 7

June 02, 2019

This scene is about Frank pulling out the built in charger, this key drawing is from the 2nd pass of animation. Im currently finishing up the 3rd pass. Im hoping it will be the last pass but sometimes a 4th pass is needed.

This scene has taken me by far the most time yet. There are so many elements moving I have had to really take my time with this. Even now while wrapping up the 3rd pass Im still not fully happy with the outcome. I might have to rework it….not looking forward to it but ah las…it is the only way forward.

So to anyone reading this, do not forget I am chipping away daily on this project on mine. It has come really far and it has further to go but I look towards that. Wishing you all the best!

FRANK production blog 6

March 10, 2019

Todays I am posting some back grounds and some key frames from a early scene in my film. Below we have a scene where Frank is passionately smelling his flowers. I am currently cleaning up this scene, Going through the 3rd pass of animation for it. It’s a LONG scene and it’s taking me quite some time. Happy to say I’am almost done with it and can not wait to move on!!

maybe final design for window..and a key frame of drank and flowers

Many people have mentioned FRANK’s stiffness. I have many left to right/right to left/ frontal framing. I know this, probably because I really like Wes Andersons work, and early motion picture work. Story telling in this way though sometimes called stiff and rigid can be very effective and when done right will be visually appealing. Early into the conception of this film I had shots like this in mind. I hope they work as well as I want them to, but that is still to be determined. Animation and and story telling is hard, in case I haven’t mentioned

FRANK production blog 5

February 24, 2019

Todays I wanna share a few thumbnails, boards and other sketches from my film. Animation is a long process and I really enjoy the pre production stage.

For any project it might be my favorite stage. I’m really captivated by the freedom to invent and experiment with design. It’s so much fun to play with ideas and just come up with the most odd things, things that sometimes end up making it to the final project and sometimes finding their way to a different project.

I had a general idea of what I wanted the world of Frank to look like but its always hard to find the right combination givens all the POSSIBILITIES!

I got a few early and i mean early sketches of Franks apartment. I even found an orthographic view from really early on. I also have a few building drafts, for the outside world, and some early color studies. I’m still unsure of which direction I will go with. I like both city and isolated versions. Everything shown here has evolved over the past months but the new versions still have a little bit of these drawings in them. A final pass is coming soon to pick the right one.

anyway enjoy all the brain farts from a few years ago.

FRANK production blog 4

February 10, 2019

My process of making animations is always an experimental one. Im trying to do something I’ve not done before. No matter how similar projects can seem they always have their own unique challenges. I’m constantly trying new things, design, color, story, timing, all these things take a long time to figure out. The more ways you experiment with the more clearer you’r vision of the project becomes. (or at least that’s the goal) Below are a few images from FRANK, some really old, some pretty recent all things a work in progress

Above we have the 1st draft back ground and some color/value studies. This was done in pencil and photoshop

Below we have the the 2nd draft back ground along with color/value studies, and below that we have the 3rd draft background. These where done digitally in TVPaint

I’m more then certain the final designs will be different, I’ve yet to figure it out but the more time I put into experimenting the clear the vision becomes. Let me not forget to mention that ANIMATION IS HARD, but some much FUN

FRANK production blog 3

February 03, 2019

Animation is a long process, I’ve said it before and i’ll say it again. Even the smallest of projects require a large amount of time. Not only because of the large amount of drawing involved but also because the process will demand story changes which require new drawings. When I story board my projects I usually do a few variation of the scene.

Above are two story board variations from when I first started Frank, you can see how much the character has evolved since the 1st design. Both shots show the character dropping his roses and walking out of frame, I struggled a bit trying to find the best way to show that. One is or should I say is suppose to be a 3/4 angle, Frank walk towards the camera, the other is a frontal shot where Frank moves from left to right.

The process of backgrounds

January 26, 2019

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, animation is a long process! There is something to be said about the character of those who willingly choose to embark on these roads. It’s pay off is something that only the sweetest of fruits can compare to. You start with and Idea and through sheer will you give that idea life, you bring it into the world, you will it into existence, that is something very few can do and even fewer enjoy doing it over and over. So animators are of a special breed of artist, not everyone is cut out to be an animator but everyone can enjoy animation.

Above is a page from my updated storyboards for my current project FRANK. This was the 2nd pass of storyboards. It was the final pass for this scene. I was very happy with the action and the framing and so I did not feel the need to reboard it more a 3rd time. The action is pretty clear, Frank our main character is smelling his flowers by his window.

Above is one of the 1st drafts I did for the background, Like I previously stated I was pretty happy with the framing and original design idea, and so it was pretty easy to draw something and approve it. Below is the 1st draft I did on paper, I used animation size paper with and HD field guide, while I was happy with the outcome I ended up not using it, It felt to stiff and not exactly what I wanted. I remember I did all the backgrounds on paper thinking I would scan them and use them as finals but I ended up going with digital finals instead.

Next came the color versions of the background. Now I will be the 1st to admit that while I love color I am pretty terrible at it. I tend to select colors I love but don’t have much of a understanding on how to balance them. Maybe I just need to experiment more.

I done a few different variations on the brick wall, not completely sure on which one I want for the final design. That being said Im not completely sure on what the final vision for the film should be, when it come to style. While I have completed much there is equally if not more work that needs completion, so I will continue to cultivate that will and give life to this beautiful art form, for there is no grater feeling then seeing something complete from start to finish.