Wednesday, August 09, 2006

This Post brought to you by Head On "Apply to the forhead!"

I'm not sure what order this text will be placed in with the pictures but the waitress is from a trip to friday's during the con. The girl with the cup was at a cool quiet coffee shop talking as if she was on a jet landing strip to a man that cared not of what she had to say.




These are a couple of upstanding citizens I saw in Burger King a couple months ago. I didn't even come close to making that pose as dynamic as he was actually sitting.

The Reyes and Spike Lee

All these sketches are from the last couple months. I've been busy with a lot of different projects. A couple of the projects I'm not allowed to post anything from them, and the other is pretty dull so enjoy these. I'm working primarily from home now but ironically I have less time to draw for myself. I guess it just always feels like I'm at work. Being cooped up in the house all day everyday I'm turninig into a Howard Hughs recluse type. Well except for the millions of dollars and hollywood starletts.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Snakes, CGI's last conquest?

So I was watching Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes the other night. There was a story about a guy who was bitten by a snake and was paralysed. The whole story took place around doctors thinking he was dead and getting ready to perform an autopsy while the guy was aware of everything going on but could do nothing. A very frightening idea indeed, but when they showed the snake it was very obvious it was computer animated. I kind of brushed off its crudness to it being just a mini series on television, but then I remembered the trailer for Snakes on a Plane where the snakes looked just as bad (if not worse in some shots). I went on to realize that just about every snake I've seen (in movies, commercials, television) since CGI became prevelant in movies looked like garbage. They all look like they're made of plastic and have a certain glimmer to them that you wouldnt see on live snakes. Also I think the actual animation of the snake can never be as smooth as the snakes movement itself (or maybe the animation is too smooth). They always seem to stand out in any scene they are in . So why is this? Why after about 12 or 13 years of CGI in movies everything else looks nearly flawless while all snakes look like they were modeled, rendered and animated in 1993?

I am not a computer animator so I call out to you that are, to answer this question. Why do all 3d snakes suck no matter the budget and no matter the year? Maybe the trailer for "Snakes on a Plane" was rushed out and the effects weren't complete. Maybe it will come out to rave reviews of how realistic and scary the snakes look and all my confusions will be put to rest by Sam Jackson and his crew.