1st Critique on my thesis models

Alright this is looooooong overdue. I created this blogspot over a year ago and have never posted anything. Well as most of you know and some of you don't, I attend Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, FL for my BFA in Computer Animation. I recently started my senior year here and am currently working on my thesis. Our thesis is a 2 minute short computer animated film. We create everything within this film from concept of story, to the finished product. So that means we start the second semester our junior year working on the concept of our story. It's an extremely tough process that involves much blood sweat and tears and many full faculty critiques. Plus the drawing and redrawing of a ton of story boards and animatics. It's actually an extremely hardcore process.

Then if you pass you move onto your senior year to be able to work on your film! It's a rigorous schedule to get everything done. There is so much to do in 8 months and unless you're in a group (which most aren't) you're doing everything yourself. I am not in a group so this is all me, bad and good.

Our first deadline of the year was yesterday. We had to have our characters modeled and rough textures placed on them. Then for a full faculty critique. The really neat thing is that Dreamworks director Steve Hickner came to all of the full faculty senior critiques and talked with us about our thesis story ideas and how we could improve them. He was great! He also did a 2 hour presentation for the Computer Animation department this morning. Man I am so lucky to go to such a great school that people from all different major animation studios want to come here and talk with us, sit in our critiques, and give presentations!.

Anyway so here are some shots of my thesis characters so far. These are FAR from done, however I will continue to post shots as they are developed even farther. Keep in mind the textures are simple textures that were placed on there primarily for teachers to have an idea what they will be. By no means are they even close to finished. For instance Tony's skin looks lifeless and dull and the chicken is going to be black and white instead of white and about a hundred other things.

Also I am planning to take both characters into Mudbox and make them just downright better!

Oh ya for those of you who don't know, we use Maya as our 3D program.

Tony:

My hen:

And here is a size reference for you.

Alright so that's it for now. My next step is Mudbox and then I have a date with my bed. I do not bode well with prolonged sleep deprivation. But I guess you've got to do what you've got to do to get the project in on time.