Week 9 Demo Reel Final, Portfolio Final, & Print Portfolio

Demo Reel Final - (youtube link, blogger won't let me upload videos for some reason)

Portfolio Final - (youtube link)

Print Portfolio Drawings

Print Portfolio 3D Models/Artwork

Week 9...I can't believe it's here!

This is my rough cut reel from week 8....see previous post
Challenges:  Getting the animations to work smoothly...not so easy to do with the majority of them; such as, the volcanic eruption, cheetah prowling through the savannah, deformation of the car as it crashed into the pole, and especially the robot falling apart.  I studied film clips of similar examples so that I could copy the movements more accurately.  I also visited many, many tutorial sites viewing tutorials over and over to try to apply what they did on their animation to my animation.  I think I was able to come close with the cheetah, but I still need to work on the others.
Successes:  I think my modeling is fairly good...again, I studied pictures and film clips of the subjects I wanted to model and then utilized tutorials to make them as realistic as possible.  I'm really proud of how the cheetah and its environment turned out...I still don't remember exactly how I was able to make it happen, but just kept trying things until I got the look I wanted!  I actually like the models of all my characters, subjects, and environments.  I really like to do the modeling and editing that goes along with it.

Demo Reel Rough Draft

Week 8 Progress

After

 

Before

 

 

Week 8 Discussion

Last, but not least, I have my original animation of my blue man jumping.  Right now I'm not sure if I want to do another animation or if I want to present this as a still model.  If I leave it as an animation, I'll need to smooth out the movements and make the jump more natural looking.  I would add a pause in the mid jump and have a camera zoom in and around my character and put a texture/image on him so he looks more like a real person. I'll have to set up the scene a little differently to put the jump in context...whether he's jumping to get away from something/someone or doing some sort of competition or stunt.  My other idea was to do this as a still and put some detail into the character (maybe midjump), create more detail in the environment, and add light and color.  I'm hoping to get some early feedback so that I know which way to go with this....any thoughts????

Week 7 Progress

Car Crash Before

Car Crash After

Farm Scene Before

Farm Scene After

Week 7 musings

This current week will make a total of 6 pieces that I have revised for my portfolio.  This week I will be revising my car crash scene, which is about a driver's education student who is desperately trying to do a good job on parking and ends up sliding through a water puddle and crashing into a light pole because it's raining, then backs up and turns around to leave.  I'm changing the lighting from a daylight system for lighting to a 3-point lighting system.  There will be orange cones added, driver's ed sign on the car, and a puddle that sprays water while the car slides through and crashes into the pole.

Movie: 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!!

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Week 6 Progress

Cheetah Before

Cheetah After

3/4 View  Projects

Week 6 Discussion

For this week I'd like to work on an existing cheetah model/environment that I did for a previous class.  I plan on starting by remodeling and adding texture to the cheetah...I wasn't real happy with this project when I turned it in, but ran out of time.  I really would like to animate it...maybe even add some sound.  My thought is that I could animate it so that the cheetah is walking around and then sees someone watching (the viewer) and then starts charging at it and then the viewer starts "running" away! Kind of like those wildlife documentaries gone wrong.  This is probably a little ambitious for this one week, but let me get going and see what I can come up with over the next few days.  If anyone has ideas on how I can improve cheetah other than my idea, please let me know!
Thanks!

Week 5 Progress

Before

After

Before

After

I also made animations of these projects and you can find them on my youtube account here:
 http://www.youtube.com/user/neonstar92?feature=mhee

Week 5 Plans

To try to speed things up so that I have 8 revised pieces to turn in, I'm going to work on 2 pieces:  a volcano erupting and a robot rotting in a warehouse.  I plan on adding texture to both the volcano and the robot to make them more realistic, some billowing smoke from the volcano, and environmental improvements.  I'm really looking forward to getting suggestions from the rest of the class on what I can add to the environment, robot or the volcano because I am at a loss right now :)

Week 4 Progress

Before

After

Week 3 Progress

before

after

Week 3 Discussion

Sorry for the late start...I am so sick with strep the past few days...hope to be better soon now that I have antibiotics.  I am going to revise an old project of a blue boy pushing a block.  I plan on keeping the work simple this week due to illness, but my plan for this week is to add things to the environment like pictures on the walls, toys, bed, and change the block into a dresser.  Then I may add wallpaper and a floor texture as well to make it look more like a bedroom.

My Revised Resume

My Revised Resume

Nicole Hyslop

9388 Island Drive Clay Township, MI 48001

810-794-7302

nhyslop@comcast.net

http://westwoodonline.confidentialresume.com/Nicole_Hyslop_Art_Collection/

http://nahdesigns.blogspot.com/

OBJECTIVE_______________________________________________________

      The goal is to highlight my abilities in 3d Modeling, Animation, Special Effects, and Editing to obtain an entry level position in 3d Modeling, Animation or Editing.

SKILLS___________________________________________________________

      Resourceful problem solver

      Experienced and proficient at the following programs and software:

Modeling	Animation	Special Effects	Editing
ZBrush	3ds  MAX, 2010	Fireworks, Adobe CS 5	Photoshop, AdobeCS5
Blender 3ds MAX, 2010	Maya, 2010	After Effects, Adobe CS5	After Effects, AdobeCS5
Maya, 2010		Flash, Adobe CS5	Premier Pro, Adobe CS5

Education_____________________________________________________

WESTWOOD COLLEGE
     Bachelor of Science in Animation                                                           Expected December 2011
             President's List, Spring 2011

Experience_____________________________________________________

mICHAEL AND RACHEL BOOTH, ALGONAC, mI                                            (2009 to Present)

Childcare PROVIDER

      I successfully coordinate the child's functions.

      I assist with preschool learning and development by teaching color, shape, letters, and drawing.  

      I teach a four year old how to draw characters using basic shapes

FREELANCE WORK

      “Wolf”, Honorable Mention, Algonac Art Fair, 2007

      “Anime Girl”, Honorable Mention, Marine City High School Art Contest, 2005

      Designed themed posters for Just Say No…to Drugs, Marine City Middle School, 2002

 Designed themed posters for Santa’s Secret Shop, Belle River Elementary, 1997

My Industry Analysis, Portfolio Plan, and Reflection

Industry Analysis

I started my college career wanting to learn how to do animation for cartoons.  After three years of college classes and learning what I have learned at Westwood College Online, I know that I have barely scratched the surface of knowing what I need to know.  I’ve also learned that the design and game industry has many, many subspecialties in which an artist can then learn details about that particular specialty and perform really well.  It’s good to have a working knowledge of how to do an animation from scratch, but to do one well requires an in-depth knowledge of all aspects which is very difficult to learn in three short years.  In my three years at Westwood I have learned that I like to do 3D modeling, graphic design, and editing.

After doing a Google search of job opportunities in 3D modeling and graphic design, as well as job searches on filmcrewpro.com, careerbuilder.com, ifreelance.com, 3dmd.net, careershift.com and michigantalentbank.com.  I was able to find categories of jobs that seemed appealing and also allowed for an inexperienced person to get their foot in the door.  I’ve also discovered the competition is fierce for 3D modelers in the few jobs that are available for them.  Some of the job opportunities that I thought I would be qualified for included:  Assistant Editor, Promo/Commercial Editor, Freelance VFX Artist, Color Grading Company Intern, 3D modeler/animator/texture artist, 3ds MAX animator, and 3D character artist.  The job requirements and skill sets are listed below:

Company	Job Title	Job requirement	Skill set
Flawless ENT	3D modeler, animator, texture artist	Dedication and motivation, must own 3ds MAX, Maya, Blender, etc	Know how to use 3ds MAX, Maya, Blender and how to properly export models
PM Productions	3ds MAX animator	3ds MAX, animation and After Effects	Know how to use 3ds MAX, After Effects and how to animate.  They want to turn a logo file into 5 sec animation
Funcom	3D Character Artist	Experience in: 3ds MAX, Maya, Photoshop, Zbrush. Able to work well on team, willing to relocate to Beijing, strong in human and animal anatomy	Skilled in: creating high/low poly models, normal map creation, creating textures, understanding of color theory, lighting and design, able to work well under pressure and meet deadlines
Sub-Conscious Concepts	3D Modeler	Demo reel which shows abilities	Ability to create models of jewelry
Casting Call	Assistant Editor	Lives in LA; Know Final Cut Pro; Mac-savvy; Knowledge of Photoshop & AfterEffects; familiar with tape formats & decks; prefer someone looking for career in post production, clean driving record,  working car, & cell phone	A self starter, motivated, organized. Assist post department with administrative and technical tasks, keep post-production area clean/organized, able to log and digitize; able to prep projects for editors
	Promo commercial editor	Good knowledge of Final Cut Pro, have Final Cut Pro and their own system	Good with graphics and music and able to work on their own for first cut, then incorporate client notes into a finished two minute promo
	Freelance VFX Artist	Must work in their office with their equipment (software knowledge not specified)	Ability to rotoscope, green screen composite, stabilize images, model and animate paranormal elements, liquid effects
	Color Grading Company Intern	Must work in their office with their equipment	Knowledge of Avid, Smoke, DaVinci and Adobe

Only one company mentioned any portfolio requirements and that was Sub-Conscious Concepts which expected a demo reel which demonstrates the artist’s ability.  I would have in my demo reel/portfolio an example of projects done in 3ds MAX and Maya with some projects highlighting special effects which I have done in After Effects, Blender or ZBrush, including before and after pictures to illustrate progression (for instance, if I were to show my skills with Photoshop).

Portfolio Plan

The critical components of my profile include projects done in 3ds MAX, ZBrush, Blender, After Effects and Photoshop.  There may also be small bits done in other software titles, but the majority is what is already listed.  The existing projects which will be incorporated into my portfolio include blue man jumping, blue man pushing, car crash, cheetah, farm, robot and volcano and I have recently created dancing pumpkins to add to the assets.  These projects will show my ability to model characters and environments utilizing the software mentioned earlier.  The main thing I need to work on to bring all of them up to portfolio quality is to refine the animation.  What I have so far is very rudimentary and isn’t really representative of what I believe I am capable of producing.

Reflection Statement

Due to the large variety of software available for 3D modeling, animation and graphic design and the many subspecialty areas that artists can be found in, it is imperative to create a resume and portfolio that is geared toward the position or area the artist is seeking.  It will be useless to create a resume which lists 3ds MAX, After Effects, Sound Booth and Premiere Pro as proficiencies and a portfolio which shows proficiency in those areas if the employer is looking for someone who can use Maya, Blender, and Final Cut Pro.  The CG and animation fields are very competitive, making it important to showcase your talent in the areas employers are looking to fill. 

I will be periodically reviewing my resume and portfolio to ensure that I have included all current knowledge, experience, and projects.  Prior to submitting my resume and portfolio to a potential employer, I will also check them over for skills and examples of what I can do that the potential employer is seeking, as well as reexamine my work for knowledge and use of current trends in modeling and animation.

My Portfolio

Blue Guy Jumping

                                                  

Blue Guy Pushing A Block

                                                           

Car Crash

                                                                

Cheetah

                                                                

Farm

                                                                     

Robot

                                                                    

Volcano

Dancing Pumpkin