Goal 1/30

My goal for this week is to start some simple models with more complex rigging.

1/26: Reflection

I succeeded in making both sets of legs while my partner assembled the various parts of the dragon. He also made preparations for rigging the whole model. Small set backs and delays occurred for both my partner and I, but we are still on schedule. I also made simple wing design, but we may need a different version. Next week we hope to make some simple models with more complex rigging, so that they have multiple uses.

Goal 1/24

By Thursday I expect to have the leg parts ready to go into mudbox.

Progress Week 2

The eye is finished. Both the body and head are ready for mudbox. The tail is almost finished.

The Breakdown

January: I want to have at least 3/4 of the dragon finished in maya by the end of January. February: I want to have all of the dragon ready to become a rig and crafted in mudbox. March: I would like to have the rig set up, and to have a start on animation. April: The project should be finished, fine tuned, and ready for the art show.

The Proposal

I want to make the model of a dragon in Maya and Mudbox. If I have additional time I will make it into a rig and create an animation with it. The head itself already takes up an entire grid set to the foot dimensions, so I may need to resize some of the body parts.

The Head

I started work on the dragon's head today. I need to send it to mudbox and then work on the rest of the model.

Art analysis

This is a photo of webcomic art created by Michael Avon Oeming and Andrea Wicklund. Because the art is a part of the comic, it does not have a title. The style of brush strokes give a feeling of ordered chaos by using rough thick lines with fading edges. I would describe the style as grunge; it has dark and cool colors to make that feeling more solid in the piece too. It seems that the artists wanted to say that no matter how shattered a person is, they are still a human being. I love the feeling behind it, and it shows a very different style of art than I am use to. I want to make a piece of art in the same style as this comic.

Rough Idea Revised and Inspiration

I have chosen to work on an animation of a portal style dragon animation or 3-d model. If possible I would like to run a screen capture to show the whole process. Pictures for our inspiration: wings, body structure, skin and mechanic types, and shape.

Independent Project Ideas

I am thinking that an animation or an illustration of a dragon fighting a knight would be a good project. A three dimensional animation would take the longest to do, but it also holds the highest chance of taking a good place in art shows. I will need to learn how to make controls in Maya, but if I can devote a semester to this project I can easily overcome this.

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