new music coming soon!

it's been a while since i have posted anything. i've been slacking on all of the art/film projects. but i've been working steadily on "new" music.

i was out of the "playing music" loop for a few years until recent months when i started playing with Matt and, more recently, Josh. tOY mASULINA, as most people probably don't know, refers specifically to the music i write and the name i will one day play under. fingers crossed, that day is coming soon. about four years ago, i had an albums worth of songs that i never got around to recording. that album has since been altered slightly to include some older and newer songs. the dates on these songs range from February 2003 to November 2008. i feel they best represent my style over the past years.

i kind of want to keep the rest of the details under wraps until i have completed mp3s. i know, i'm building a hype that will more than likely be a letdown, but that's okay. this is more for me than anyone else. hopefully, Matt and Josh will be helping me bring the songs to life because the idea of actually playing them live excites me.

george lucas >> model update

it's been nearly a month since the last update. i actually have been working on the George Lucas model, but it's been taking a little longer than expected. i've scrapped various versions -- many that were near completion -- but have finally created one that i am happy with. the biggest "challenge" so far has been the hair because i am trying to go for something a little more realistic looking; i have never worked with any type of hair beyond a solid mass painted to look like hair so it has been a learning experience, which is why i am not done yet. the hair should be done soon, however, and then i will move onto texturing the model. as soon as that is complete, i will post it.

george lucas >> new project

in typical Robbie fashion, i am on to a new project. i have not forgotten about the Scud project; i'm merely going with something that has a little more motivation right now.

my friend and co-worker, Shant, and i decided it would be fun to do a small animation about George Lucas. this spawned from us watching hours of home video footage at work that included a lot of Lucas footage (i won't go into more detail about that project.) Shant picked up a Lucas impersonation that is quite over-the-top, but is oh-so funny. So we figured, i want more practice animating, he's a writer and is always up for writing shorts, let's put that voice into action.

today, i received the first draft of the script. i'm already really liking it! knowing Shant was going to be writing over the weekend, i decided to work on my part. a quick couple sketches, a few hours spent coloring in photoshop, and here i present my first concept art. i don't want to spoil the story idea too much, but the point of my website is to share the things i am currently working on. so i will share my progress on the art side of things but probably be a little more secretive about the rest.

click picture for full-size

scud >> jpeg updates

just a quick update here. i re-rendered all of the scud models, that i previously posted, at a higher resolution. so when you click on any of them, you will see an even larger and more detailed version of the model than before.

scud >> "Mess" model

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scud >> "Hank Gritt" model

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scud >> "drywall (adult)" model

click picture for full-size

scud >> textures begun

just a quick update about my progress with the scud project. i finally finished mapping the uv's for all of the models and have started painting the textures. (for all the non-animation laymen out there, "mapping uv's" essentially means flattening all of the 3-dimensional model into one convenient 2-dimensional file. this file is taken into photoshop and all of the colors and designs are painted, ultimately being wrapped back around the 3d model.) i am pretty slow when it comes to this, especially when trying to do a decent job, so it may be a couple weeks until i finish all of the models. but i will post each one as i finish them.

new music

i know one song on the ukulele, and it's this song. NOFX is my most influential punk band. "leave it alone" is probably my favorite song of theres. surprisingly, i thought it translated very well to the uke. so i threw some bongos underneath and some harmonizing lyrics on top, and here's my "adjust your latitude" version:

"leave it alone"

in addition, i was going through some old pro tools sessions and came across a couple of songs i really like (especially "untitled 2.") these used to be posted on an old website of mine, so i thought i would repost them again. both are over 2 years old but are pretty good examples of the style of music i still prefer to make (granted, a lot of my current stuff doesn't turn out like this.)

"untitled (Apr 16, 2006)"

"untitled 2 (Apr 16, 2006)"

ode to inspiration >> update

at the right, i've added a list of my top musical influences. i meant to do a "Top 5" but then realized i left out a band. since music is one of the most important things in my life, these are the bands that have essentially made me who i am (be that a good thing or bad.) some of them, i don't listen to as much these days, but at some point they altered (inspired) my life. and, yes, there are a ton of other bands i could list, but that would be a huge list.

scud contest update

lo and behold, another project goes "unfinished." the reason i write "unfinished" in quotes is because i will be missing the deadline for the scud contest but will continue to work on and finish the project in the near future. unfortunately, i just got motivated too late and am nowhere near finishing. i have finished modeling all of the characters (pictures coming soon) but they have not been textured or rigged. then, the animation itself will need to be done, which will be the longest part of the process. at least, i still have motivation and hopefully it will propel me to work on other projects in the future.

follow the Rob Schrab link (under "Artists" at the right) and take a look at the entries. My guess for winner is "Robotaphile."

scud >> animatic version 1.0

here's the version of the animatic i will be using to guide the final animation. the dialogue and music are intact but the timing, as is usual of any animatic i do, is susceptible to change. once i start blocking out the models and environment, i'll get a better sense of the pace. i'll post that next version as soon as i get to it (which should hopefully be within the next few days.)

scud >> beefcake scud, drywall

a few days ago, in an attempt to throw my own style into my Scud animation, i decided to exaggerate Scud's dimensions a bit. Scud is a skinny, normal height-proportioned character, so i thought it would be interesting to see what he would look like 'roided up.

click picture for full-size


while i do like the "beefcake" look, i ultimately have decided against it. i will stick with the original intention of keeping Schrab's overall designs. however, from the "beefcake" model, i did decide to go with the polygonal look for all of the characters. since most of the modeling i do never really makes it past this stage, i can consider THAT my style. the smooth look is cool, but it's also not true to Schrab's choppy, sketchy style in the comic books. so it's a change i think will make me happy.

the first character to get this new treatment is Scud's sidekick, Drywall. (side note: the original smooth Scud model started out polygonal, but it's actually rounder than the boxy look i'm going for, so it will be remodeled.)

click picture for full-size

scud

one of the few comics i have read over the years is "Scud: the Disposable Assassin" by Rob Schrab. the original series ended in 1997 with 20 issues. after 10 years, Schrab decided to finish the series the way he seemed appropriate. earlier this year, issues 21-24 were completed, and Scud has found its way back into the comic world spotlight. To show his appreciation to the fans that inspired his Scud revival, Schrab created a contest of sorts, asking people to submit Scud-related films. in an attempt to get my creative juices flowing again (too much computer science these past few years) i am going to submit something (pending motivation and time.) it would be cool to win; though, merely completing something would be worth enough to me. below is the start of my project: a Scud model. nothing is set in stone yet, but i do have a few ideas. so look for this model to be moving in the near future.

click picture for full-size

click here for animated turnaround

ode to inspiration

i've added a new list, on the right, that showcases the artists that inspire me. by no means is this a complete list, but rather one that represents writers, animators, and film/game makers whose works i use in my attempt to do what they do. (as an aside, i will probably leave out musicians and bands, mainly because that is the most comprehensive for me. too many bands and musicians inspire me in my musical endeavors. i would like to leave this list being individuals working in the arts mentioned above. perhaps one day i will start a separate 'music' list.)

animation links

i get weekly emails from AWNtv (Animation World Network television) containing links to animated shorts created by some horrendously talented people. as a way of sharing some of my favorites, i've added a category on the right side with links to the videos. the first short is called "George Grows."

into the wild

"With almost a year having passed since Chris' disappearance, my parents' anger, their desperation, their guilt was giving way to pain. And pain seemed to bring them closer. Even their faces had changed. She convinces herself it's Chris, that it's her son whenever she passes a stray. And I fear for the mother in her. Instincts that seem to sense the threat of a loss so huge and irrevocable that the mind balks at taking its measure. I'd begin to wonder if I can understand all that Chris is saying any longer, but I catch myself and remember that these are not the parents he grew up with, but people softened by the forced reflection that comes with loss. Still, everything Chris is saying has to be said. And I trust for him that everything he is doing has to be done. This is our life."

- Carine McCandless
dialogue from "Into the Wild"

gentlemen, place your bets...

so i've created a blog. why? mainly to keep track of projects i am working on. it might be easier to update one site instead of updating countless numbers of .txt files with whatever i am working on during a day. this [primarily] includes game programming and music.