What’s Your Fantasia Moment?

Can you imagine a Pixar version of Fantasia? That would be mind-blowing, especially in 3D! That’s what Aaron Barreras, Animation Instructor at The Art Center Design College Albuquerque Campus, is waiting for:

“Right now, 3-D animation is still kind of stuck in the mode where a lot of Disney animation was in the ’30s — trying really hard to re-create reality, but as far as a creative pursuit, we’re limiting ourselves. We have the potential to do anything, absolutely anything, so I would love to watch the industry grow to the point where we see our ‘Fantasia,’ where we see something that is abstract, that is surreal, beyond the boundaries of normal physics.”

Who is going to create something this awesome? Will it be you?

P.S. When you do create it, remember: I get a title credit as co-creator & 10% of gross revenue. Now get to work!

Check out Aaron’s interview in the Albuquerque Journal article which highlights TACDC’s Animation Department, and discusses the state of animation today:
http://216.85.20.240/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=SkQvMjAxMS8wMi8xMyNBcjAzMTA0&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin

What’s Your Fantasia Moment?

Can you imagine a Pixar version of Fantasia? That would be mind-blowing, especially in 3D! That’s what Aaron Barreras, Animation Instructor at The Art Center Design College Albuquerque Campus, is waiting for:

“Right now, 3-D animation is still kind of stuck in the mode where a lot of Disney animation was in the ’30s — trying really hard to re-create reality, but as far as a creative pursuit, we’re limiting ourselves. We have the potential to do anything, absolutely anything, so I would love to watch the industry grow to the point where we see our ‘Fantasia,’ where we see something that is abstract, that is surreal, beyond the boundaries of normal physics.”

Who is going to create something this awesome? Will it be you?

P.S. When you do create it, remember: I get a title credit as co-creator & 10% of gross revenue. Now get to work!

Check out Aaron’s interview in the Albuquerque Journal article which highlights TACDC’s Animation Department, and discusses the state of animation today:
http://216.85.20.240/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=SkQvMjAxMS8wMi8xMyNBcjAzMTA0&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin

New Art Center Blog!!!!!

Click on the link to go to the New Art Center Blog! Please change all your bookmarks and favorites to the new blog!

See you there! New Art Center Blog!!

2010 Art Center Graduation Tucson Campus

Its 5:20pm as I enter the Leo Rich Theater on Friday and all is fairly still. Curiously still if one were to ponder the outcome of tonight’s events. In less than an hour, a ceremony will begin that will mark the end of a very long journey for many students here. An arduous adventure that has left all empowered, ready to face the new trek ahead. I know this personally, because only a short time ago I was standing right here, in their shoes. As the six o’clock hour approaches, I can feel the fevered excitement begin to build. Many students nervously pace the small corridor outside the main hall, mingling with one another. Hugs and kisses abound and I can’t help but be swept away with the crowd’s excitement. Friends and family beam with such a personal love and admiration that the graduates seem to shine. I find myself feeling an immense amount of pride for those walking tonight and can’t help but think that this is the way my family and friends must have felt for me last year. 

Soon, the crowd pours into the main hall and once the bustling dies down, Amy begins her introduction. After some kind words and expressed gratitude for all in attendance, she welcomes the undergraduates. Enthusiastic whistles, applause and cheers roar through the auditorium as the students march into the hall. Being on the receiving end of this before, I can tell you that there is no better feeling. After four tough years of college it’s nice to know that everyone here not only knows the pains you’ve endured to accomplish such a monumental task, but they have also taken time out of their lives to salute you. Talk about a rush!  

The applause eventually subsides and once everyone is seated the ceremony begins. As a spectator, I have to say that the speakers are brilliant. They are concise, considerate and inspirational. The student speakers are equally as brilliant, taking time to thank the appropriate people while leaving their own unique words of advice. And let me tell you, they are all very unique. The ceremony is quick and to the point, or at least it seems that way because before you know it we’re pouring into the narrow corridor outside the main hall. A jumbled mass of bodies lazily mingle in the tiny foyer directly following the ceremony. It’s truly an amazing sight. So much love and excitement permeates the air that it becomes infectious. Congratulatory high fives, hugs, and smooches wash over the crowd like a calm wave, but eventually the excitement subsides and the crowd begins to empty into the cool night air. Outside, I find clumps of family members and graduates capturing this special moment with 35mm film and digital media. And as they all eventually fade off into the night I find myself reflecting on tonight’s events.What an amazing accomplishment. These graduates have endured an incredibly tumultuous task and in the end have found a new appreciation for life. Not only that, they have acquired brand new skills that they will carry with them forever. And because of this, these special few are no longer students of The Art Center Design College, they are now and forever alumni. Congrats to all who graduated, all who came, and all who were supportive.   

You can check out more pictures over at our Facebook page, www.facebook.com/TheArtCenter

Emmett ~AN

Want to be an Animator?

The Art Bistro’s recent article “5 Steps to Becoming an Animator” is a must read for all fledgling animators. And if that wasn’t enough, this blog comes with a double treat because it would seem that one of our instructors, Erik Westlund, is featured on page four of the article. Page four, which describes how to assemble your portfolio, features some great information on what to include in your submission. It also gives examples of animators who have assembled some nice portfolios, and Erik is one of them! How cool is that? You can check out Erik’s website here.

So what are you waiting for? Head on over to Art Bistro and check out the article. Read it, love it, live it!

Thanks for stopping by.

Emmett- AN

NEOCON® 2010: A NEW DECADE OF EDUCATION

Every year, all human beings interested in interior Design make a mass pilgrimage to their “Mecca” in chicago…Neocon, and it’s time is approaching.  Several ID students are making the trek this year, helped through the generous support from the raffle at the ASID Gala.  melanie guevara, anyce paquet, amee lawson, and recent tacdc graduate claudia siemens.  Lullen pajor is also planning to attend, but she is going with the id company she is currently working for, aviar.  Several tacdc alumni work there, and are also involved in the seminars at neocon.  I went on the neocon website (list here) and found out some very interesting …

When?

Monday, June 14- Wednesday, June 16
9 AM – 5 PM

Where?

The Merchandise Mart, Chicago

For more than 40 years, NeoCon® has delivered the highest quality of CEU accredited programs for you – the A&D professional. NeoCon 2010 will once again offer great opportunities to expand your mind. Whether you are focused on a particular area of the industry or seeking specific CEU credits, NeoCon showcases 150 seminars, association forums, special events, featured programs and leading-edge keynote speakers, held in conjunction with North America’s largest commercial furniture trade show. You will learn the latest trends and techniques, as well as gain valuable skills at NeoCon. You will also have the unique opportunity to network with thousands of industry professionals who are passionate about discovering cutting-edge products and design.

http://www.neocon.com/education/seminars/

– Jules

Creating a Fairly Simple Wood Panel Texture in Photoshop

I haven’t made a tutorial in quite some time. I figured I would do a little step-by-step on how I make a fairly simple wood panel texture.

You might notice I’m using CS4 (I haven’t tried CS5 – but I don’t think there is a “automate fairly simple wood texture” filter. Until that filter comes we get to do it manually)

Note: There are many ways achieve this effect, some of the steps I take might seem unnecessary. This is just how I roll (which just so happens to usually be up-hill pushing a 2 ton block into the wind).

1. First I create a new document. The size and resolution are unimportant. I’m not looking for too much detail so I made a 720 x 720 @ 72 document (10 x 10inch @ 72ppi). I then drag three guides out from the left ruler. One at 2.5, 5, and 7.5 inches (these will be a guide for the separators in the wood panel).

2. I could unlock the background layer but I don’t. I created a new layer, labeled it “grain_1” and

picked a couple of wood-texture-ish colors for the color palette.
For the foreground I chose # 3e230e
and for the background # 794c25

3. Then we go to filter > render > fibers with these settings. I hit the randomize button a couple of times to get something I like.

4. I then duplicate the “grain_1″ layer by dragging it to the bottom of the layer palette. You can rename it if you’d like, I will just leave it as “grain_1 copy”.

5. Now for some knots. Go to filter > liquify.

I like these settings for making knots on wood. It’s not too strong that it becomes unmanageable and it is not too subtle that it takes forever to see an effect.

Brush Size  = 160
Brush Density =  50
Brush Pressure = 100
Brush Rate = 80

We just drag the brush along vertically making a few knots and waves in the virtual wood’s grain.
Note: Unless you want to have the knots spell something or take a specific shape (like a wizard hidden in the wood) it’s best to let Photoshop do the work here.

I think you’ll agree that it doesn’t look too bad. Now that the wood is fairly convincing, it’s time we liven it up. Get some warms and cools. Give it some life and luster. Make some wood panels that Bob Vila would be proud of.

6. Let’s drag grain_1 copy to the bottom and make another copy. On our new “grain_1 copy 2” layer let’s adjust Hue/Saturation cmd/ctrl + U. I’m looking for a bit of a glow so I choose these settings. Hit OK. Now that looks nice.

– You might be saying “You mean this greenish color? How does that help?”
– Hang on, trust me. I haven’t done you wrong yet.

7. Now let’s go to filter > render > lighting effects and create a glow from the center.
Try to keep the settings similar to what you see here.

Hit OK.

Now, I know it looks God-awful ugly. But set the layer’s blending mode to Overlay.

See doesn’t that look better?

We can call this layer “glow” because that’s what it is. You’ve done well so far. You deserve a snack or something.

Now to make these wood panels look like panels of wood.

A. Make a new layer. Call it “separator”

B. With the marquee tool selected choose “Fixed Size” in the Style drop down. Set the width to 10px and the height to 7204px.

C. Fill it with the current foreground color (with the paint bucket)

D. Double click this “separator” layer and apply these settings.

E. Then apply these settings.

F. And finally apply these settings.

Now just duplicate this layer twice and move the separators to align with the guides you created at the beginning of this tutorial.

I then hold down the “shift” key, select the 3 separator layers and then hit cmd/ctrl + e to merge these layers.

And there it is, a basic wood panel texture.

I took it a little further, added another glow and messed with the levels a bit and this is what I ended up with.

I hope this tutorial helps some of you. I’d like to see what you can create with this tutorial. If you have any feedback, comments, questions, other techniques etc. I’d love to hear it.

– J. Hall

May 22nd – 3Minute Film Festival

The 110 minute program will be screened one time only at Santa Fe’s beautiful movie palace, the historic Lensic Theater, Saturday May 22, at 7pm. Two Art Center Design College projects were selected to compete in this year’s event. Make sure you get you tickets early so you can cheer on your peers! Dara Elerath, Shannendoah Gallagher, Natasha

Woodards, and Levon Washee have projects entered that could use your support! You’ll want to tell your friends and family to get their tickets early as the screening always sells out quickly. Last year we had to turn away a lot of friends and family at the door, even though tickets were still available only a week before, so let them know as soon as possible. Tickets are only $12 for adults and $10 for children under 12. You can buy tickets online by following this link, then clicking on the 3‐Minute Film Festival: http://purchase.tickets.com/buy/TicketPurchase?orgid=23679&schedule=list

The Santa Fe Reporter will present prizes in various categories to deserving films directly following the screening. Corazon night club, located at 401 S. Guadalupe, will graciously be hosting an after party for the festival after 9 pm on May 22 with free admission for everyone with a 3MFF ticket stub.

You can follow announcements on Facebook at
http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1180866920 .

The Visual Effects Pipeline

I know this is a bit late, but I wanted to share this email I received from Teri over at our ABQ campus. -Emmett~AN

Rachel Nicoll from Sony Pictures Imagweworks was on campus May 6th to do a presentation on the Visual Effects Pipeline. Rachel spoke to a group of about 40 animation students and animation enthusiasts. She brought handouts to describe the different jobs on a Visual Effects Pipeline and explained in great detail who does what part and how that affects everyone up and down stream on a project.

Rachel spoke about her job as a lead Matchmover and how she got her start in this industry. She also had lots of great examples from movies that Sony Imageworks has helped to create and some wonderful behind the scenes snippets of how all the pieces of a production come together to make the finished shot that ends up on the big screen.

There was a short question and answer session and Rachel offered insights on what to do and not do on your demo reel to set yourself a part from all the other prospective applicants for a job. She left the Sony Imageworks demo reel on campus for anyone to check out and watch all the great footage she wasn’t able to get to in the hour and half presentation.

An invitation to visit the Sony Imageworks studio in downtown Albuquerque was also extended and plans to take a small group of 15 animation students through the Art Center Animation Club is already in the works.

Teri~AN

May 20th – Marcom Mixer

6th Annual NM MARCOM Mixer
Thursday, May 20, 2010, 5:30–8:30 pm
1550 Mercantile Ave NE, (Top floor above REI)
Albuquerque, NM 87107

RSVP at http://www.abqthemag.com (look for the box about half way down the page on the right)
Your $20 admission includes an annual subscription to Albuquerque the Magazine, hors d’oeuvres, a cash bar and a chance at some great door prizes! I’ve invited all of the usual groups and a few more…

 • Albuquerque Press Women, www.albuquerquepresswomen.org
• AIGA New Mexico, http://newmexico.aiga.org
• American Marketing Association, www.nmama.org
• American Society of Media Photographers, www.asmp‐nm.org
• Association of Fund‐Raising Professionals, www.afp‐nm.org
• Association for Women in Communications, www.nmawc.org
• Meeting Professionals International, www.nmmpi.org
• New Mexico AdFed, www.nmadfed.org
• New Mexico Broadcasters Association, www.nmba.org
• New Mexico Press Women, www.newmexicopresswomen.org
• Professional Photographers Association of New Mexico, www.ppanm.com
• Public Relations Society of America, www.nmprsa.com
• Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development, www.shsmd‐nm.org
• Society for Marketing Professional Services, www.smpsnm.org
• Society for Technical Communication, www.stc‐nm‐kachina.org
• Abq WebGeeks, www.dukecityfix.com/group/webgeeks
• Ignite New Mexico, www.ignite‐nm.com
• Webuquerque, http://webuquerque.com

Be sure to sign up asap since we will be limiting the attendance to 300 again this year. In addition, since we will be serving liquor, you need to be at least 21 years old to be admitted.

Teri~ AN