Beginning is always hard

Word is that starting is always the hardest part. I find this very true of myself with creative things. But nothing is to be gained by delaying, and the more you do it the easier it'll get.

So today I formally began strand b of my journey: getting better at drawing. Another saying is that to get better at drawing you draw. True - practice helps with all things. But I think there's more to it. Principles. There's some helpful tips and handy knowledgs that master draftsman/artists know which I think can help a person to speed up their improvement in drawing.

One such master is Betty Edwards with her book 'Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain.' Mingled with her research and theories are a bunch of activities which she suggests one does in sequence. I've decided to do them and read the book because it promises to help a person perceive the world better and therefore draw better.

First up she gives a bunch of task to before introducing us to a new way of drawing. So her first exercise are the 3 below. It's intended to document how we draw before we do the course. I'm interested to see what the after drawing look like.

Exercise 1: Draw a self-portrait

Exercise 2: Draw a someone from memory (my nephew Jesse)Exercise 3: Draw your hand

I also have a theory, that although cartoon-style drafts-people learn realistic drawing first, their techniques could also offer much to helping one learn to draw. Particularly to stylise and exaggerate reality.

As for strand A - Animation, I haven't animated anything new as yet. I'm more scared of it then I am of drawing. With drawing I have a bit of confidence in myself. I know that I can do it decently and could get really good if I stuck with it. Something I've believed all my life. But animation is a little more tricky. Every time I read something about animation i have this little urge to go hand-drawn. Hand-drawn seems to have the advantage that it is not limited by the constraints of the rig. You can do anything you like so long as you're skilled enough to draw it. Plus it seems that animators recommend that we make thumbnails first before we touch the computer, and sometimes my drawing abilities get in the way of that.

The other issue I've been having is just where do I start? Albert and Tim recommended going straight to the 11 second club. But that's full body acting. It definitely will be helpful especially with the feedback I would get, but I really just wanna start from the absolute basics. And that's what confuses me. Should I just be focusing on one animation principle at a time, or should I do little exercises that combine them all. Is it wise to 'copy' an exercise like Richard Williams' (as I was doing earlier) to try to understand it better; or is it better to choose something similar, but different, so that applying the knowledge - thereby learning also through problem solving?

This kind of frustration draws me more to the wonderful online school called Animation Mentor. I've been anting to do it since the beginning of the year when I first read about it. I have since applied for the sake of seeing if I have a chance at making it in and read their catalog. I've read their curriculum and it sounds so helpful. I'm almost 100% convicted in wanting to do course.

Anyway, the reality check is that even if I make it in, I can't afford it just yet. It costs US$17 000, and that's heaps in AUD. You can pay term by term, but I'd still like most of it (if not all) saved up before going for it. So my next move then is to get a job - any job. If it's in this industry - great. if not, that's fine. But if it's not than I want it to be the typ of job I can leave behind me when I get home. Something that doesn't need my spare time to train myself just so I can keep up. My spare time (a good % of it at least) will be devoted to animation and drawing.

So back to the problem of animation. I've discovered that the resources and knowledge base out there is endless. I've chosen a few to regularly tap into for both insights and motivation. Loyal to Animation Mentor as I am, I'm going to keep look at their 'Tips and Tricks' articles and start listening to their Animation Podcasts on the old ipod that my brother donated to me. I'm sticking with the animation books I have - 'The Illusion of Life', 'The Animators Survival Kit', and 'Timing for Animation.' I've also got to keep reading up on animation history, you-tube watching them and researching the animators I'm interested in.

And as for the all important animation exercises. Well, I think i just have to try a number of approaches and keep up the ones that o find helpful. That's the final barrier that needs to be broken down. I think I should do 3D consistently and try simple things like the ball and sack in 2D. I'm sure that when I do get to Animation mentor in time, many more exercises and ideas will be added to my means of practicing. In the meantime I hope to learn as much as I can from what I currently have access to and to practice as much as I can. Especially while my maya licence is still valid.