A New Year, Some Beastly Backgrounds

A Happy New Year, and a post-chaotic holiday season to you all! I've been traveling and writing through much of the past month, but it's become time to sit down and crank. I've got a film to finish, after all!

Above, a background sample from Beastly Things. (It's a vertical pan, hence the format.) They're being done with Sumi brush and quill on Bristol, then scanned and colored in Photoshop. I want to keep color minimal, and retain some of the feeling of a drawing, even when it's digitally enhanced. This desire to keep things a little bit messy, but still legible, might as well be my mission statement, if I had the time or inclination to make any right now. It may not be the most modern way to work, but it's my way, and I'm going to keep at it.

Monstrous Updates

A new school year, a new job, and a newfound addiction to Tumblr have all kept me satisfied in the delusion that I could put it off updating the ol' website for a little longer. And a little longer.
And then it was nearing the end of November.
Whoops!

Why so busy, Ms. Chevat? It's my thesis year of graduate school, the final countdown, as it were, and the pressure is only mounting. More on that in a bit because, as anyone can guess, I couldn't just take on making a film, could I? Oh no, there are portfolios to fill, and sculptures to makes, software to learn, and websites to write for.

Let's kick off the massively needed updates with some monsters, shall we? (C'mon...I'm still me.) One thing I've been doing a lot of is sculpting in WED and Super Sculpey. I've been soaking up as much advice as I can from my professor, and whatever unwitting sculptors happen to cross my path. Below, a thing (and I mean that with affection) I call a Crownhead that I finished in early October.

WIP shots (click for larger):

And the finished product, after many hours of X-acto texturing:

Since I like let the clay harden on pieces like this in order to get that texture, it means that I've been looking into rubber and other soft-molding processes in order to create copies of the bust.
When I was at CTN this weekend, I attended the sculptor's panel. One of the questions that was asked was if each of the six speakers had a single, pivotal piece that made them go "yeah, I'm a sculptor, this is what I want to do." Well, if I was to pick a piece, it would probably be this one. Yes, I can already see flaws in it. But, it marks the first time I felt so satisfied and in-tune with what I was doing that it made me think I wouldn't mind sculpting forever. In fact, I would love to. You only get better, right? And you only get better if you keep practicing, which is just what I've been doing.

More updates and a little bit of overhaul to come. The site needs a major re-design, but that's going to have to wait until I've gotten a spare moment, and called in a favor or two. For now, hang on, and enjoy the creature tech.

Oh look another cathedral.

Pencil, junky travel watercolor set, metallic gold Prismacolor marker
(Click for full size!)

Whew, what a month! I've been to Prague, slummed around ossuaries, drank in gay bars named after Sherlock Holmes, had dinner with childhood heroes, and saw enough Gothic architecture to give even me a symptom I am calling "cathedral fatigue". Still, adventures in the Atlanta airport notwithstanding ("Wait, where are we?"), I made it back. I've got stories to tell, sketches to scan, and a huge amount of Real Life crowding my doorstep. So, please forgive my slowness while I catch up digitally.

Out now; I'm continuing my stint as movie reviewer for TheMarySue.com, as well as frequent contributor to the much-Tweeted PowerGrids. Up now are my terribly sarcastic thoughts about Green Lantern, as well as the Worst Fathers in Science Fiction and Fantasy grid, that came out in tribute to Father's Day. Over at the California Institute of the Arts' blog, 24700, there's a cut-and-dry write-up of the drawing show I participated in last month. (If nothing else, treat it as proof that the thing happened at all, something I myself am unsure of as the weeks fly by.)

Upcoming; more Powergrids and movie reviews, as well as the (eventual) release of a new animated music video for an indie band that I'm currently assisting on. More on that as we get closer to the finish line. I'll also be putting up some scenes from my film, just as soon as I get my jerry-rigged home pencil test system set up.

Prague is full of snakes (mostly allegorical). Take that as you will.

Sucking Out the Dead Air

Lately, I've encountered that happiest of ironies; that I'm involved in so many real-world projects that my private internet presence has taken something of a nosedive. So, I thought I'd take a moment this evening to list a little of what I've been up to, and give an idea of when some of it might be coming to a browser window near you.

Over at The Mary Sue, I've done a few more movie reviews, and have been a guest collaborator on their much-Tweeted weekly Powergrids. This week was something of a dead spot in terms of my output, since I was disinclined to review Priest. (Who wouldn't be, really?) Susana (EDIT) Jamie wrote a great review of Bridesmaids, which you should absolutely read, and I'll be back next week with a look at Pirates of the Caribbean 4. You'd think after four of these things I'd know how to spell Caribbean, but, alas, I have not. (Two "b"s, one "r", Chevat. Two "b"s, one "r".)

Last Thursday, the group drawing show I was a part of, The Cover Invites Exposure, had its official reception and opening night. Attendance was pretty steady, from what I saw, and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Thanks to everyone who came out! You'll be able to read more about it next week, when the CalArts Blog, 24700, posts their thoughts and photos on our little enterprise.

I'll also be scanning my contributions to the now-de-installed show, and looking into having them, and some additions, published in a real, live, hold-in-your-hands book format. That's right, you'll be able to give me rent money under the guise of a noble, art-supporting venture. Get excited, get your wallets.

Or, if you're a cheapskate like me, you can just listen to me ramble on the Internet. If you want to know what this much sarcasm sounds like coming out of so small a mouth, then you'll soon get your chance. I just wrapped a guest spot on the podcast "Girls on Anime", a revamp of the old ANN(that's Anime News Network) column about well...what it says on the tin. That should be cut together and live within the next week, so watch for it. I'll also be posting a link here, and on Tumblr, where I am AnimateHer. I had a blast, and would like to thank the hosts, Bamboo Dong and Sara Pocock, for being awesome girls on anime, and dealing with my nervous self. (Today I learned, once and for all, that I talk like I have an entire box of Kleenex stuffed up my nasal passages. Our engineer said it has...character. Damn right, it does.)

All in all, May has been very busy so far, and will likely continue in that vein. I'm going to Prague in two weeks for an animation seminar, but hope to put up some more animation from Beastly Things before I take off. Watch this space for more news of my dilly-dalliances, meddlesome deeds, and continent-hopping.

Buenos noches.

Color & Movement Test

Thesis Color Test: Mr. Pidge from Zoe Chevat on Vimeo.

Here's a long-awaited movement, line, and color test for Beastly Things. It took me awhile to figure out that balance of elements I wanted, in other words, what I wanted the viewer to focus on. This character, who is a pigeon with a human face, was always the Pigeon in my notes. People seem to have become rather attached to him, however, and several classmates have started to call him Mr. Pidge. Far more dignified, non?

The texture in the background is a temporary stand-in. I do know that the backgrounds are going to be complex, so it is necessary to find a simple way of coloring the characters. Although I am coloring digitally, I also want to avoid many of the common mistakes of over-compositing, which leave work with a distinctly AfterEffects smell lingering about.

***

Some quick orders of business. For those of you who are wondering if I will ever post strange finds and dark fashion again, I will, but not here. This site is now being used as a portfolio site, and I can understand if you were here for McQueen, and not my inky little experiments. To house that, I started a Tumblr, AnimateHer, where you can get your multiple-times-daily dose of the weird and cinematic.

Speaking of cinema, if you're looking for the writing I was starting to do about current films, that has also found an extra-site home. I've been reviewing movies and writing the odd comedic tidbit for TheMarySue, run by proud female geek and pro-feminism badass Susana Polo. Among our Frankenstein creations are This Grid About Where Not to Take Your Daughter to Work, and a review of Hanna that got the site an officially sponsored sweepstakes. I'll post updates on Tumblr whenever another one goes up. Or, you could just follow the site because, frankly, you should be.

That's all for now. To the hyperlink!

Character Sheets

Lo! an update at last. If anyone locates the last week, please let me know of its whereabouts. I believe it needs a stern talking-to.

Here are a couple of formalized character pages of Spook, the main character in my thesis film. These were made for my general portfolio, and also for practice on the character. I believe that my lack of inclination towards doing mainstream work should be showcased in crisp, high-definition images, don't you?

She's such a little weirdo.

If this sort of business has been to your liking, get excited; my very next post will be video. That's right, moving images. Though I admit to being a glorified manuscript illuminator, my CV frequently contains the title "Animator", so animate I shall. What can I say? I'm just a 16th century girl in a 21st century world.

Stay tuned!