Thursday 1 December 2011
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Monday 28 November 2011
Monday 14 November 2011
Friday 11 November 2011
Thursday 10 November 2011
Wednesday 9 November 2011
Friday 4 November 2011
writing so far
In my reading I have been investigating a number of strands that seem to be unrelated I’m not sure how I will unify my ideas for the essay but I hope that it may in some way inform or explain my practice. Being concerned with illustration and animation my work is concerned with characterization, I emphasize details of objects, people and situations.
Using the computer as my medium I have developed a detailed cartoon style that is closer to caricature than realistic. Simplification an exaggeration are tools I rely heavily on.
Scott Mc Cloud in his graphic novel Understanding Comics expresses simply the concept of the simplified cartoon as powerful sign because of the space it inhabits between representation and symbol. I am interested in how cartoons are perceived by the public and the growing trend for low budget independent animated films published on the internet that are competing with the huge budget blockbusters that occupy the increasingly 3D cinemas.
Technology has changed the structure of entertainment as a whole and certainly Chris Anderson’s theory of ‘The Long Tail Effect’, could easily use the animation industry as case study with Pixar and Dreamworks aiming to attract as broad an audience (typically children and parents) as possible, while smaller groups of indie filmmakers release work on sites like Vimeo and Utube appealing to a more niche audience. Making use of the internets way of collecting revenue from advertisements as they become viral sensations.
I see this diplomatic shift in artistic expression as a good thing and see its benefits apparent in the short animated film Salesman Pete (2010) were the vision of one or two art students has defied suppression to produce a visually arresting piece of film. When you compare that to the committee led rehashing of old tried and tested brands such as Dreamworks’ seventh installment of the Shreck franchise ‘Scared Shreckless‘ it seems that the availability and usability of high end animation software, coupled with the instant worldwide reach of the internet is creating a virtual soapbox for creative talent around the globe.
I have also been reading about Jean Baudrillard’s theories about simulated reality and in a way that connects back to Scott Mc Cloud’s comic book semiotics and even computer generated characters.
Baudrillard considers how modern society has alienated its people from reality who experience life via an imitation of it, one obvious example is photos of celebrities stare out at us from countless billboards and magazine covers so much so we perceive them as people we know and have relationships with. The 2009 Documentary film ‘Starsuckers’ tells of how we become psychologically dependent on famous personalities we have never met and manipulated be the companies using celebrity identities to sell consumables.
Dig a little deeper however and realize that apart from notable exceptions these images are heavily doctored in photo editing software in fact we no longer need to edit photos of celebrities as it is possible to create photorealistic models in 3D software. One example is the deceased actor Marlin Brando who’s uncanny likeness can be seen and interacted with in the recent Godfather game for the Playstation 3.
Baudrillard considers a future were we interact only with computer generated programs opting out of difficult reality in favor of the stimulating fantasy life offered by this new technology.
Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORG) are a relatively new phenomenon. In MMORGs Avatar is the term used for the players online appearance usually looking nothing like the player. In these games millions of players are able to take part in a digital world were they can appear as their individually designed Avatar and interact with other peoples digital identities socially or for competitive point scoring activities.
Blizzard entertainment the makers of one of the more successful games recently published confirmation on its website that its hit game World of Warcraft, “now exceeds 12 million players worldwide.”(1)
as always seems to be the case fictional writers foretold some of the pitfalls of this new digital lifestyle long before the technology was heard of, in the 1990 sci-fi film Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger loses his mind while living out a virtual life in a realistic game that goes wrong leaving him unable to tell reality from fiction.
These early visions seem strengthened by the speed in which technology evolves in 1972 Arcade game Pong was released and became a huge success housed in a machine the size of a domestic fridge the tennis game was displayed in simple LED graphics that bear no resemblance to todays generation of games in 2008 Nokia teamed up with Capcom to
release a fully 3D adventure game Resident Evil: Degeneration that could played on Nokia’s pocket sized ‘N-Gage’ Smartphone.
According to ‘Moore’s Law’, the term used for Intel co-founder George Moore’s prediction that every two years the number of transistors that can be fitted on an integrated circuit will double. at present the computer games industry is rapidly approaching the ability to create games with realtime photorealistic graphics. an interesting question is at what stage do the graphics and gaming experience become truly indecipherable from reality and what happens to humanity then?
some philosophers have raised the point that if we are prepared to believe that in the future a completely believable simulated reality is possible. then we must also assume that future generations will indulge in these simulations, perhaps in the process voluntarily losing their memories of life outside the game. perhaps some of these games are designed to simulate their near or distant past, why not 2011? Could we be willing (or unwilling) participants in a game?
I find it interesting to compare this very modern concept with the ideas behind ancient spiritual beliefs. hinduism and christianity are both grounded in the story of an infinitely intelligent creator who builds the earth and everything in it. In fact it is hinduism that the term Avatar comes from meaning appearance or manifestation. Vedanta hindu teachings tell that God, in order to entertain himself in a divine game of hide and seek, divided his soul a million times, each part (thats us) thinks itself separate from the whole and the purpose of life is to realize this truth.
This illusion is referred to as ‘Maya’ which interestingly is the name of the industry standard visual effects software that for 13 years paved the way in computer generated imagery and has been a key tool in developing the culture were interaction with Simulacra is an everyday occurrence.
(1) http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/press/pressreleases.html?id=2847881
Using the computer as my medium I have developed a detailed cartoon style that is closer to caricature than realistic. Simplification an exaggeration are tools I rely heavily on.
Scott Mc Cloud in his graphic novel Understanding Comics expresses simply the concept of the simplified cartoon as powerful sign because of the space it inhabits between representation and symbol. I am interested in how cartoons are perceived by the public and the growing trend for low budget independent animated films published on the internet that are competing with the huge budget blockbusters that occupy the increasingly 3D cinemas.
Technology has changed the structure of entertainment as a whole and certainly Chris Anderson’s theory of ‘The Long Tail Effect’, could easily use the animation industry as case study with Pixar and Dreamworks aiming to attract as broad an audience (typically children and parents) as possible, while smaller groups of indie filmmakers release work on sites like Vimeo and Utube appealing to a more niche audience. Making use of the internets way of collecting revenue from advertisements as they become viral sensations.
I see this diplomatic shift in artistic expression as a good thing and see its benefits apparent in the short animated film Salesman Pete (2010) were the vision of one or two art students has defied suppression to produce a visually arresting piece of film. When you compare that to the committee led rehashing of old tried and tested brands such as Dreamworks’ seventh installment of the Shreck franchise ‘Scared Shreckless‘ it seems that the availability and usability of high end animation software, coupled with the instant worldwide reach of the internet is creating a virtual soapbox for creative talent around the globe.
I have also been reading about Jean Baudrillard’s theories about simulated reality and in a way that connects back to Scott Mc Cloud’s comic book semiotics and even computer generated characters.
Baudrillard considers how modern society has alienated its people from reality who experience life via an imitation of it, one obvious example is photos of celebrities stare out at us from countless billboards and magazine covers so much so we perceive them as people we know and have relationships with. The 2009 Documentary film ‘Starsuckers’ tells of how we become psychologically dependent on famous personalities we have never met and manipulated be the companies using celebrity identities to sell consumables.
Dig a little deeper however and realize that apart from notable exceptions these images are heavily doctored in photo editing software in fact we no longer need to edit photos of celebrities as it is possible to create photorealistic models in 3D software. One example is the deceased actor Marlin Brando who’s uncanny likeness can be seen and interacted with in the recent Godfather game for the Playstation 3.
Baudrillard considers a future were we interact only with computer generated programs opting out of difficult reality in favor of the stimulating fantasy life offered by this new technology.
Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Games (MMORG) are a relatively new phenomenon. In MMORGs Avatar is the term used for the players online appearance usually looking nothing like the player. In these games millions of players are able to take part in a digital world were they can appear as their individually designed Avatar and interact with other peoples digital identities socially or for competitive point scoring activities.
Blizzard entertainment the makers of one of the more successful games recently published confirmation on its website that its hit game World of Warcraft, “now exceeds 12 million players worldwide.”(1)
as always seems to be the case fictional writers foretold some of the pitfalls of this new digital lifestyle long before the technology was heard of, in the 1990 sci-fi film Total Recall, Arnold Schwarzenegger loses his mind while living out a virtual life in a realistic game that goes wrong leaving him unable to tell reality from fiction.
These early visions seem strengthened by the speed in which technology evolves in 1972 Arcade game Pong was released and became a huge success housed in a machine the size of a domestic fridge the tennis game was displayed in simple LED graphics that bear no resemblance to todays generation of games in 2008 Nokia teamed up with Capcom to
release a fully 3D adventure game Resident Evil: Degeneration that could played on Nokia’s pocket sized ‘N-Gage’ Smartphone.
According to ‘Moore’s Law’, the term used for Intel co-founder George Moore’s prediction that every two years the number of transistors that can be fitted on an integrated circuit will double. at present the computer games industry is rapidly approaching the ability to create games with realtime photorealistic graphics. an interesting question is at what stage do the graphics and gaming experience become truly indecipherable from reality and what happens to humanity then?
some philosophers have raised the point that if we are prepared to believe that in the future a completely believable simulated reality is possible. then we must also assume that future generations will indulge in these simulations, perhaps in the process voluntarily losing their memories of life outside the game. perhaps some of these games are designed to simulate their near or distant past, why not 2011? Could we be willing (or unwilling) participants in a game?
I find it interesting to compare this very modern concept with the ideas behind ancient spiritual beliefs. hinduism and christianity are both grounded in the story of an infinitely intelligent creator who builds the earth and everything in it. In fact it is hinduism that the term Avatar comes from meaning appearance or manifestation. Vedanta hindu teachings tell that God, in order to entertain himself in a divine game of hide and seek, divided his soul a million times, each part (thats us) thinks itself separate from the whole and the purpose of life is to realize this truth.
This illusion is referred to as ‘Maya’ which interestingly is the name of the industry standard visual effects software that for 13 years paved the way in computer generated imagery and has been a key tool in developing the culture were interaction with Simulacra is an everyday occurrence.
(1) http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/company/press/pressreleases.html?id=2847881
Wednesday 19 October 2011
Hardnut Update
have done a bit more to the concept drawing and have started constructing the body and hands in maya and zbrush painting elements in mudbox
messing about on photoshop here.
zbrush model im working on
Really enjoying modelling in zbrush this is my first one jumping between Zbrush and Maya. Anatomically the model is pretty basic as the muscles will be covered with clothing but am learning alot from this one.
hope in the next few weeks to finish the model rig him and animate him doing some nice realistic actions.
Loving the boots! part of my belfast animation course under Greg Maguire Conann Fitzpatrick and Chris Murphey.
hope in the next few weeks to finish the model rig him and animate him doing some nice realistic actions.
Loving the boots! part of my belfast animation course under Greg Maguire Conann Fitzpatrick and Chris Murphey.
Wednesday 5 October 2011
Join the Digital Painting Revolution!
I love this concept that artists like their impressionist predecessors are going out in open and public spaces with the new technology and capturing the world through their computers, carrying around a whole studio is an attractive prospect for any artist, but the technology is still catching up to the artists needs my tablet pen from wacom is good enough for my needs at present but the line it produces is pretty rough in comparison with my real pen on paper. Also problems arise with the cost of the hardware and in an age were you can be mugged in the street for your smartphone or laptop, sitting on a bench drawing on your £500 Ipad is asking for trouble lets face it.
and it would only be possible to create small objects close up as the resolution was pretty low. I tried a number of apps and finaly found
Paintbook a really powerful vector app that basicly has an unlimited canvas size and the work took a huge leap in scope...
This series of ice-cream vans (http://ciarangallagher.carbonmade.com/projects/3102798#1) I cant seem to upload were produced on Paintbook App and were heavily influenced by Olivier Kugler (more about him later)
Tuesday 4 October 2011
David Bolinsky animates a cell | Video on TED.com
David Bolinsky animates a cell | Video on TED.com
Loved this medical animation illustrating the unimaginably small machines that work tirelessly keeping our cells in order.
definatly one for the animation students in my maya class.
And until i watched this i really couldn't visualise what alot of modern thinkers were talking about when writing about how the arts and the sciences are more linked than people realise. as an art student in the ballroom i literally thought that meant painting portraits of Sigmund Freud !
Monday 3 October 2011
Hardnut
First post!
Dear Nobody in particular,
am currently studying for my masters in Belfast University of Ulster better known as the Art College. Over the summer i've been working for Willie Jack (old school patron of the arts + socialist) the owner of the Duke of York Pub in the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast. Myself and my beautiful and highly talented girlfriend Kathryn Bannister (http://kathrynbannister.carbonmade.com/) spent just under three weeks thrashing out the black and white movie themed mural in the car park, just in time for culture nights unveiling. Very pleased with the result.
Photo at Culture night. Need a better Photo of that.
Doing a bit of reading for the course and so far have made my way through this great little graphic novel by Scott Mc Cloud Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Which feels a bit like John Berger's ways of seeing in comic form, I thought it was enjoyable to read and had some interesting points one being that the simplified symbol of the face so popular in comics an cartoons in general is far easier for the reader/audience to project themselves into the role of the character, whereas a more detailed pictorial representation of a character is less likely to have the huge universal appeal of something like mickey mouse. The most outspoken of the courses tutors Chris Murphy holds this book in pretty high regard as it would seem. Not sure I would share his enthusiasm but am
definatly looking forward to hearing the authors views in his talk in belfast in the coming weeks will post more about that soon.
am currently studying for my masters in Belfast University of Ulster better known as the Art College. Over the summer i've been working for Willie Jack (old school patron of the arts + socialist) the owner of the Duke of York Pub in the Cathedral Quarter in Belfast. Myself and my beautiful and highly talented girlfriend Kathryn Bannister (http://kathrynbannister.carbonmade.com/) spent just under three weeks thrashing out the black and white movie themed mural in the car park, just in time for culture nights unveiling. Very pleased with the result.
Photo at Culture night. Need a better Photo of that.Doing a bit of reading for the course and so far have made my way through this great little graphic novel by Scott Mc Cloud Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art. Which feels a bit like John Berger's ways of seeing in comic form, I thought it was enjoyable to read and had some interesting points one being that the simplified symbol of the face so popular in comics an cartoons in general is far easier for the reader/audience to project themselves into the role of the character, whereas a more detailed pictorial representation of a character is less likely to have the huge universal appeal of something like mickey mouse. The most outspoken of the courses tutors Chris Murphy holds this book in pretty high regard as it would seem. Not sure I would share his enthusiasm but am
definatly looking forward to hearing the authors views in his talk in belfast in the coming weeks will post more about that soon.
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