Les Metiers: Le Boulanger

Some great character design here with some equally good animation - love the little details like the mass of the dough and the glow from the baking oven.

Rhinoceros 1515, Kazuhiko Nakamura (3D)

Saw this on CG Talk this morning, really love the mixture of steampunk styling with museum exhibit composition and something of an ancient natural history illustration look to it.

Click here or the image for the large version.

Tom Richmond Illustration (MAD Magazine)

I've long been a fan of the artwork of MAD Magazine. I'm just becoming familiar with the artists behind this though, through a couple of recent articles. Tom Richmond's artwork embodies many of the distinguishing qualities; rich characterisation, vibrant compositions with life that leaps off the page, and attention to tiny details that reward keen reader with some comical touches.

Click here or on the image to link to his site

>> UPDATE

I found this paint Demo of Tom's on YouTube, interesting watching his technique in time lapse.



Related key MAD artists:

Mort Drucker
Sebastian Krüger

A-Ha Take on Me video is 25 years old. (Animator interview on BBC News)

I still remember the first time I saw this video, it had me glued to the TV in wonder as a ten-year-old kid! I ageree with the opinion that both the song and video have stood the test of time very well, and there are some interesting insights in this short news item.

"The band and actors were shot on film before the tapes were handed to Mike Patterson who, over 16 weeks, sketched some 3,000 drawings over individual frames."

- Full Story on BBC here.

Kahani. Final Year student film (Meg Park)

From Cartoon Brew:

"Kahani is short film created by student Meg Park in her final year at Dundee’s Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design. Park definitely shows talent in color design, effects and pacing – in some ways her making-of video is more inspiring than the finished film."

Making of video here:


> Production Blog
> Personal Website

Disney Amiga Animation Software, 1990

In 1990 this was the future! Interesting stuff though, I had an Amiga for years and never heard of this software, perhaps it was never commercially released...

Salesman Pete

Thatnks for this Chris! This is a bit special. Following up from an earlier post, the full version of this highly polished student short film is now online.

I can't help but feel that with a more coherent story this would be an instant classic, like French Roast. As it is, it's visually stunning with some great action sequences, but gets a little lost in the flashy editing at key points which leaves you wondering what's going on.

Take nothing from the achievement though, great work from all involved and clearly worked by a talented and passionate team.

View their other project, "Meet Buck", on their promo website:

http://www.salesmanbuck.com/

Monsters

I saw this by chance at the Cambridge Film Festival last night. After the film I heard a lot of interesting comparisons; lost in translation with extra terrestrials, Close Encounters of the Third Kind for starters. Personally I felt it was to Cloverfield what Contact was to Independence Day; a quietly paced, thought-provoking film, far from the action-horror which the trailer portrays.

I'd actually strongly suggest not watching the trailer or reading reviews as spoilers abound, just watch it for yourself. It'll divide opinion as a film, but it shows just what can me achieved on a limited budget with a little imagination. There's a sense of atmosphere and spectacle to this that transcends a lot of recent flashy blockbuster set pieces. I loved it.

iPad Light Painting

Inventive use of the iPad to extrude stop-motion type 'into' 3d space.

Il etait une fois (Benjamin Lacombe)

Lovely animated promo for this French Illustrator's pop-up book depicting various fairtales.