Here’s my wrap up video, which also happens to be my entry for my vlog final! I combined the final with my ideaFM’s concept of learning to animate; though it’s more of an animated comic. I hope you guys like it!
The End is Drawing Near
Hey everyone!
It’s the last day of weekly blog posting for this class. No more staying up late on Tuesday nights or trying to thinking of something to write about. However, I’m planning to extend it one more week.
Originally, my last post was supposed to be a wrap on my ideaFM animation project. However, my class was assigned to make a video blog about four skills, concepts, or ideas I’ve learned in class and I would like to save that for my last post. Mainly because want to tie it in with what I’ve learned about animating. It’s kinda like killing two birds with one stone; I get to wrap up both the class and my project at the same time.
I haven’t told my teacher yet but hopefully he lets me slide. LOL. ー( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ
I need a picture so
I’m probably just 怠けている…hahAHA
By the way, X-Men: Days of Future Past was super good, and I don’t even like superhero movies. Look at my fanart of Quicksilver! (ʃƪ ˘ ³˘)
See y’all next week!
Animations
Sped through these animation exercises (each of them took 5-10 minutes)!
Ball bouncing in place:
“Brink falling”- I decided to base if more off a falling book:
Character thinking:
AP English 3 – Wrap Up
I find it a little odd to do a wrap up post since there’s still around two weeks left of school. For the most part, this class has definitely been…different…from my past English classes. Well not too different since my sophomore English teacher and junior English teacher collaborate often, but still distinct from a typical high school English course.
For one, the fact that I’m able to run a blog for points is pretty great. There’s more freedom to write what I want it and ties education enjoyably with technology and social media. However, I can’t help but think there’s too much freedom at certain times. I never know for sure if my teacher reads my posts or if my peers are skimming through my material (unless they leave a like of course). This leads to slight laziness on my part, which I’ve been dealing with since owning a blog in my sophomore year. Also, I’m still not too keen on my teacher’s idea of “remixing.” I hardly have any posts regarding the books I read, and for that I’M SORRY MR.Z. I not much of an analyzer and to be honest I don’t have much life experience to connect the books with my own life. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed the books we’ve read this year. We’re currently reading The Catcher in the Rye and it’s quite an amusing read.
Another thing I want to touch on about the class is the ideaFM project. This is something where I really slacked on. I have bursts of motivation now and then, but the fact that the deadline is so far away gives me the “mehh it’s not due for awhile…” mentality. I could have done so much, but I didn’t because I suck and do work in accordance to deadlines (tip: don’t do this). I still got to go through basic mechanics of animation with this project, but I got caught up in art requests and commissions. Hopefully I can incorporate that into my project since I did nearly twenty requests for my art blog. Besides, I’ve been meaning to discover an art style for myself and I can say this really helped stabilize a style unique to me.
That’s all I have to say about this class for now since its so late and I’m running an very few hours of sleep lol
Goodnight everyone ㅇㅅㅇ
~Bouncing Ball Animation~
I was scrolling around on tumblr when I saw a post linking to a list things to animate at different levels. Of course, I felt like this goes well with my ideaFM, project so I’m thinking of doing all of the Level 1 exercises by the end of the week.
Here is the link: http://www.animatorisland.com/51-great-animation-exercises-to-master/
I’ve actually done a few of them already but I really wish I found this earlier. Then I could have based my project on doing all of the exercises. Oh well… ヽ(ｏ`皿′ｏ)ﾉ
That being said, today I did the “Ball Bouncing across the screen.” As usual, I will start from the sketch to the completed animation.
Sketch:
Lined:
*These pictures don’t really seem like animations since I didn’t save frame-by-frame. Rather, this is the general motion.
Sketch Animated:
Lined Animated:
And Final Animation!
The final animation may be a little different in timing since my usual animating program doesn’t allow more than one color. -__-“
Overall, this is generally the easiest animation test but I am not too good at it haha. It’s not very smooth and I don’t really know how to shade correctly. However, I can only blame myself since I did this fairly quickly (around 10 minutes) and didn’t do much research on how balls work (wah wah).
I hope it looks kinda cool though? ಥ⌣ಥ
On the bright side, here’s another drawing process gif. At least I know what I’m doing for these LOL.
Why Bother?: Foreign Language Classes
你好。こんにちは。¡Hola! Bonjour.
With two years required of the same foreign language to graduate from high school in California, how much of the language do these students actually retain as they move on to bigger things like college and a full-time job? Such a requirement seems unnecessary as most kids seem to ditch their foreign language as soon their quota is fulfilled. Personally, I do not believe students should have to take a foreign language in order receive their high school diplomas.
First off, I do understand why taking a foreign language is important in this day and age. In fact, there are hardly ever any disadvantages to learning a new language. One can gain deeper insight into a certain culture and communicate with a wider group of people. More importantly, as the economy is increasingly globalized, being a polyglot is definitely advantageous for corporate success. These students that were dedicated to becoming fluent in their foreign language will be at an advantage as it becomes easier to build relationships and increase financial success. Being bilingual can certainly increase pay by ten to fifteen percent for those entering the workforce in 2014. However, many high school students do not strive to become fluent with their given opportunity.
Unlike Europe, the United States is largely lagging behind in biliteracy, as “only about 15-20 percent of Americans consider themselves bilingual, compared to 56 percent of Europeans surveyed in 2006 by the European Commission” . Being in a country that is so monolingual, Nicholas Kristof sums up the situation best with his joke: “If someone who speaks three languages is trilingual, and a person who speaks languages is quadrilingual, what is a person called who speaks no foreign language at all? Answer: An American.” Despite having many states requiring high school students to take a foreign language to graduate, there is a chance that these students are not really taking in what they are learning. Since the classes are required, they could simply be taking the class for a grade; not to understand the culture or be able to communicate with others with their chosen language.
I’m not asking foreign language classes to be removed completely from the school system. I just think that the classes should be reserved for those that are actually interested in culture and want to learn a language. Being in Japanese class for three years now, and planning to continue on for four, I can say that this class has never been a waste of time for me as I find the language fascinating. On the other hand, a handful of my classmates are desperately struggling to pass and be able to finally complete their requirements (I have seen countless re-taking of Japanese class at all levels…). These classmates of mine could be taking other courses that they are motivated in, leading to better grades and strengthening of their talents that they might use in their future. Sadly, the high school system does not allow this until they have two years of a language in. In the end, they’ll just do what they have to do to get a good grade. What’s left is not full understanding of language and culture, but blurry memorization of a few basic conversational skills.
Moreover, there could even be students that want to learn a certain foreign language, but that specific course is not available in their high school. Most schools have Spanish, but what about Korean or Italian? Students should not have to go through at least two years of a language they are not interested in just at all to move on with their lives. Lesser common languages can be studied in college or separate classes from the high school, but this results in a waste of time. Most of what would be learned in the typical high school foreign language class would be tossed out the window to take in a new language that has more appeal. There is also a sense of superiority that Americans may feel; myself included. “Because much of the world is striving to learn English, Americans wonder why they should bother to learn other languages.” With the seemingly universality of the English language, motivation to learn any other languages continue to plummet.
With possible lack of motivation in students, lack of certain languages, and wasting of valuable time, there is not much glamorous about taking a second language as a requirement to graduate from high school. Foreign language classes should be a fun opportunity for students, not a boring course that is enforced.
With that, 再見, さようなら, Adiós, and Au revoir!
*This was my argumentative essay for my English class but since I really do feel strongly about this, I decided to share. It’s supposed to mimic opinion articles like those in the newspapers but I’m not sure I did I really good job of that haha.
AZDrawing2
~Project Update, though I wish I had more to show~
These are two very short animations that I did awhile I ago. I really should have uploaded them earlier! (ι´Д｀)ﾉ
This one is a head turn:
These are the individual frames:
1
2
3
4
5
And I guess this one is just a flow practice, as if the wind is blowing:
I forgot to save the individual frames for this one (╯_╰)
I just realized I didn’t animate her eyebrows at the end so it’s odd… (″･ิ_･ิ) Well this is a learning process after all. At least I can keep that in mind for next time!
Anyways, for these I used the simplified animation tool in the program “AZDrawing2”. The color options are quite limited so I’m still looking for an animation program that has more advanced features. However, I will continue using this program for quick practice purposes since it’s so easy to use.
The Toulmin Model Poem
Thanks to my English teacher, I have been reminded that April is National Poetry Month. Thus, I will used this blog post to acknowledge this with some original poetry. I am no poet by any means, so don’t expect any Shakespeare gold to spew out of my mouth (well, keyboard).
Since I just learned about the Toulmin model, I’m going to attempt to combine this with poetry accordingly. When reading about it, the book stated that using the model “often sounds stiff and lacks the nuance of more natural writing.” For some reason, I find poems with strange structure to be the most interesting so I felt that using Toulmin would at least make my poem somewhat interesting.
The Toulmin model has six elements: claim, support (evidence), warrant (the assumption), backing, qualifier, and reservation. that being said, I will loosely use the template given in the book for Toulmin analysis: Because (evidence as support), there (claim), since (assumption), on account of (backing), unless (reservation). This poem’s theme is procrastination, which is what I am doing right now as I type this.
Because this is
Due tomorrow,
Or should I say,
Due today,
Since it’s past
The dead of night,
Therefore I should probably
Do this tomorrow,
Or should I say,
Do today,
Since He will check it,
Unless,
Of course,
It’s too late,
Or should I say,
Too early in the day,
To procrastinate.
I’m no good at this.
From the desk of Amelia
Inspired by Austin Kleon and http://fromyourdesks.com/, I’ve decided to share my workspace.
Since my project revolves mainly around art and animation, my desk is definitely a significant part of “how” I am carrying out this project. That being said, I shall now reveal the desk.
Well since I’m using a laptop, the desk isn’t really that important, but for the most part this is my usually set up.
There I have my trusty wacom bamboo fun tablet, my tablet pen, and my laptop. Everything I do creatively is on a lit-up screen, not paper. You can even see some of my artwork in this image. Recently I’ve been taking requests online, so finding time to work on my project has been rather difficult. Then again, the only one I can blame is myself… ≖‿≖
Moreover, having a tablet would be pointless without a program! The one I use for everything (sketching/painting/animating) is Paint Tool Sai.
It’s a neat program. Lightweight and easy to use. To do animations, I rely on layers and opacity, creating a kind of onion skin effect. Same goes for making coloring quick and efficient. For example, layers can separate lines in a way that you never overlap them. I shall demonstrate with drawing in the first image.
Since I’m too lazy to get a legit animation program, I just use http://gifmaker.me/. This forces me to insert pictures frame by frame, which is rather tedious, but ehhh you gotta do what you gotta do.
That’s pretty much it! I hope this was kinda interesting. My workspace represents my character: boring for the most part. ヽ(๏∀๏ )ﾉ
Applying SOAPStone to the Performing Arts
SOAPStone is normally used to analyze reading and writing, but can this limit be expanded?
Being in the front ensemble (band stuff), we team up with the school’s drumline every winter to put out an indoor drumline show. In these shows, we try to tell a story through the music we play, our facial expressions, and the way drill is put out on the floor. This year’s show is called “Sit Down. Stand Up” and since I still have a difficult time trying to understand what this show is about (which is terrible since I’m the performer that’s supposed to convey emotion towards the audience and direct them how to feel), I’m going to give a shot at SOAPStoning this musical mess.
First off, I’ll talk about the musical elements in our show. For the most part, the music is based off Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring and several songs from Bon Iver. Bon Iver is an Indie Folk Band and Aaron Copland is a very well known American composer, credited for having a distinct American style of composition. This gives the music an interesting mix of modernity and folk.
Next is the show concept. Our instructor tells us this is a show about gaining confidence. Hence on one side we have a lonely sitting “statue” (in a weak, curled up position) and a tall, confident standing “statue.” Throughout the show, the performers slowly gain confidence as they discover themselves. Using boxes to elevate the players, the audience can easily visualize when we are in a depressed state or a confident on. Since the show is divided in movements, I will just say movement 1 is where we’re supposed to be melancholy, movement 2 is a playful sort of “self-actualization stage”, and movement 3 is where everyone has finally found confidence and we’re proud enough to show it off to the audience. Now for the SOAPStone analysis.
SPEAKER: This is tough since we don’t have a single narrator. However, I would say that the speaker is also all thirty of us performers, which may be a little odd since one would imagine us to be referred to as the speakers” then. This is not true as all of us are actually set on performing the same way to make the audience feel the exact emotions they should be feeling. Through our expressions and character of the music, we can be considered the voice that is heard. We start off sad but will slowly gain confidence as we “stand up.”
OCCASION: Well I know that my instructor thought of this concept during his trip to the Chicago Symphony, but I’m not sure if that can really apply to the occasion of the show itself. If anything, he recently got married and is just in a really feel good mood. The show is set in a way to demonstrate that even if you’re at a low point, you can gain confidence to be happy.
AUDIENCE: In a broad view, the audience is well, the audience in the stands. Or the judges that will be scoring us. On the other hand, this show could be focused on those who are going to rough times and could gain a confidence boosts, or to show that things will get better.
PURPOSE: To fulfill the audience’s need of wanting to watch a great show, but on a more serious note, to illustrate the gaining of confidence musically and visually.
SUBJECT: I’ll make this short and sweet, the subject is on gaining confidence.
TONE: I’ll divide the tones by movement (expressed both musically and facially). Whatever the tone of the music is in the movement should be the same tone towards the audience. Movement 1 has a sullen tone and is very calm sounding, reflecting a melancholy and slow feel. Towards the end, we become a little more upbeat, a small boost of confidence if you will. Next is Movement 2, which has an energetic and playful tone. There’s a sense of discovery and the end crescendos as we seem to be growing louder and louder with pride. Lastly Movement 3 is filled with confidence. It’s very grandiose with cymbal crashes, rolls, and a company front. Meanwhile, everyone is standing tall with bright smiles and a regal look.
Well I tried, and I’m not sure if it’s too successful (maybe you just can’t apply SOAPStone to performing arts?).
If you’re interested, here’s a video of the show. We’re not quite done here, but it’s up to all the parts I have analyzed. Enjoy! Undefeated so far this season. 🙂
Sadly, the facial expressive part of this is too hard to see!
Amelia's Blog 