Katie Canadas : Animator

No music today!  Instead I'm writing this while watching The Incredibles, one of my all time favorite movies!  Anyway, I have finished my first round of splining on my Footloose dance animation!  Something that I thought would never happen, I've been so darn busy!  It still needs facial animation as well as some adjustments to the fingers.  And there are some areas where the timing is off (still haven't quite figured out a plan to remedy that yet).  Overall, I'm happy with my progress thus far, but I feel like I can actually see the improvement I've made just within this animation.  I feel like the latter half of the animation is so much stronger than the first half.  But I suppose improvement is good!  And I'm looking forward to polishing it and making it look even better than it is now!  Enjoy! Footloose Dance WIP#4 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Today's blog title is one of my favorite songs by Jason Aldean, I saw him in concert a couple weeks back and am now even more obsessed with his music!  Love him!  Anyway, below is another update of my Footloose dance, this is by far the most challenging animation I've done.  I'm not sure if my ability to see more as an animator is greatly improving, causing me to be more knit picky or if it's the the subtlety of the animation itself that has me staring at the same twenty frames for literally hours.  There has definitely been a lot of frustration and determination happening these past couple of weeks, but hey, if it was easy it wouldn't be so fulfilling!  I see a ton of areas that still need to be polished, but I'm improving and learning, which is what's most important!  Enjoy! Footloose Dance WIP#3 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

No, I'm not posting this at 3AM!  It's just the current song playing by Matchbox Twenty!  Their music seriously never gets old, they'll always be one of my all time favorite bands.  Well, sadly I haven't finished splining my dance... not even close really, a silly thing called work keeps getting in my way.  But I wanted to post a quick update of what I have splined out so far!  I'm pretty happy with it, of course there are some problem areas to address, I see a bit of floating happening in some areas, but so far so good!  I can't wait to get my first pass of splining completed!  It's always exciting seeing the character come to life!  Enjoy! Footloose Dance WIP#2 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Today's blog post title is inspired by Fall Out Boy, I'm not listening to the song, just felt it was applicable.  I've (finally) finished my first round of blocking for my new dance animation, it's an excerpt from the newer Footloose.  This was far more difficult than I thought it'd be, I had no idea blocking a dance would be so rigorous and tricky.  I had the hardest time focusing on major poses without losing detail I felt was critical (feet going up and down, jumping in the air, changing direction, etc.).  This whole time I kept thinking I was making this animation WAY too complicated and putting in data that was only going to be deleted later.  Finally, I realized this is the first dance animation I've done, I'm not going to be perfect or know everything this first time around.  I need to do what I think is right this time, so I know what works and what doesn't for next time.  This method may not be the most efficient, but it's all I know right n...

Upon completing my recent two person dialogue, I've updated my demo reel!  Woot woot!  So below is my most current reel as of August 2013!  It can also be viewed under the Demo Reel tab here on my blog.  Thanks for all the support I've been receiving from those who are encouraging me to chase after my dreams =) Character Animation Demo Reel from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Well, I finally completed the two person dialogue I've been working on for a few months now.  I'm pretty proud of it and was urged by a mentor of mine to light and render it out, so that's what I did!  I've learned so much from this animation and have realized the main areas that need improvement the next time around.  I hope you enjoy it!  And as always, any feedback is welcome! Two Person Dialogue Final from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

I recently saw the Goo Goo Dolls in concert so I've been listening to all their albums nonstop since then.  Today's blog title is one of my favorite songs off their new album "Magnetic". In other news, I recently finished the first pass of facial animation on my two person dialogue.  I always tend to dislike my facial animation while I'm doing it, but once I let it sit for a night and come back to it the next day I realize it's actually not that terrible at all!  I also tend to over complicate facial animation, so I've been working on getting the biggest bang for my buck. Incorporating facial animation has been a challenge for me, especially when there's no dialogue involved and I'm strictly conveying emotion, so this has been a great exercise for me and I'm pretty pleased with it thus far!  In addition, I keep forgetting to add costumes to my dang characters!  It might be too late for this animation, but I'm definitely going to figure it...

Well in going to post an update today, I realize I never posted this update!  Life has been so crazy recently I apparently can't keep my head on straight!  So here is the fifth works in progress of my two person dialogue... I'll keep this short since I'll be posting my sixth one immediately after this!  Haha, oh I can't help but laugh at myself sometimes! Two Person Dialogue WIP#5 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Today's blog post is brought to you by Kelly Clarkson, I've been such a huge fan of her since the beginning and she just keeps delivering great songs lately, People Like Us being one of them!  So I have another update of my two person dialogue and I decided to switch gears a little bit since I was feeling stuck with the male, so I got a first pass finished of the lady in the scene.  It was just my first comb through of her movements, but I feel like it went smoothly, just some refining to do.  Now I have to tackle smoothing out some issues with the guy, it's been challenging but I've come to enjoy a good challenge!  Enjoy! Two Person Dialogue WIP#4 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Hi everyone!  I know it's been an incredibly long time since I last posted, but I am proud to say I am now a college graduate!  Woohoo!!  And pretty much between graduation and now, life has been pretty busy so I took a small break from animation.  But now I'm back and ready to kick this two person dialogue's butt!  Figuratively of course....  And today's post title is a song that plays in my head constantly by Darius Rucker, if you haven't heard it, check it out!  Moving on to more important things, I finally have another update of the two person dialogue I've been working on.  I've been struggling with the head quite a bit, it's been causing me a lot of problems, but other than that, I've just been refining, getting rid of some rough patches.  It's definitely coming along but also still needs quite a bit of work.  This animation has been pretty challenging and in different ways from my previous animations.  I also really feel like...

This week's blog title is the very popular song at the moment by Rihanna, I've been digging it so it's been playing quite a bit around my house.  Anyway!  My two person dialogue has taken a bit of a setback, but just a minor one.  I went to start splining and realized there were some big things wrong with the timing and some of the poses, so I felt it'd just be easier and faster to abandon the splining I'd already done, go back to my original blocked version, make the changes I needed and then continue on with splining.  Hopefully with the changes, the splining will go a little smoother and the animation will begin to read better.  Below is the video I have with the new blocked version!  Enjoy! Two Person Dialogue WIP#2 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Today's blog post title is brought to you by Kacey Musgraves, I got her new album from a friend and it's really good, I'm enjoying it.  So I have the new two person dialogue I've been working on blocked out and wanted to share it.  It's a lot more challenging working with two people and truly does take twice as long!  I'm pretty happy with it so far and excited to start splining it out.  Hope to have another update soon!  Enjoy! Two Person Dialogue WIP#1 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

I guess the theme of my blog these past couple of weeks has been Paramore, today's title is another song off their new self-title record.  I wanted to post a quick update from the new animation I've been working on, it's been slow going but hey, that's just the way it goes sometimes!  I've been spending quite a bit of time working the initial pose of each character.  I really want this first pose to convey the character's personality and help establish the relationship between the two right off the bat, so that's been my focus here in the beginning stages of my blocking, giving each character more of a backstory.  I've put a screen cap below of what I feel are strong initial poses for these two characters.  My next steps are to continue blocking this animation out then revisit this first frame to make sure the character's personality is still being portrayed accurately.  Any feedback is welcome!

Hello everyone!  I've updated my demo reel to include the new piece I just finished and decided to create a post to show it off, of course I've also updated it on my demo reel page here on my blog.  It's not too terribly different from my previous demo reel but it's always important to keep these things updated!  I hope you enjoy it and again any feedback is welcome!  So here it is as of April 2013: Character Animation Demo Reel from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Today's post title is another song from Paramore, I've been listening to their new album quite a bit lately, I'm really enjoying their new sound!  In other news, I have an exciting announcement!  I've finished the one person dialogue I've been working on!  Below is the final piece, I hope you enjoy it!  I feel like I've improved greatly from my last piece but at the same time my sense of accomplishment is diminished because I know I have so much more to learn.  Hopefully I can take all that I've learned and apply it to my next piece.  I'll be doing a two person dialogue this time and hope to be shooting my reference soon since I've already got my audio clip picked out.  I'm nervous but excited to progress onto a more challenging piece.  Stay tuned for more exciting things!  The total time on this was roughly 38 hours. Second One Person Dialogue Final from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

So this evening as I'm writing this blog post I'm not listening to music, but instead am watching one of my favorite TV shows: Frasier.  One of the few TV shows that makes me laugh out loud.  In other news, I have another update on the one person dialogue piece I've been working on.  I've been refining some of the body movements, making the poses better, and in addition have added the facial animation as well as animated the pigtails.  It was so exciting to see the character really come to life by adding in the facial and pigtails!  I was actually surprised how much more realistic it looks with just those small details.  I'm roughly 29 hours in as of now and very excited about this animation! I'm definitely not finished yet, I've already started refining what you see here so far, trying to make it as good as I possibly can.  I'm hoping to have another update and possibly even a finished product very soon!  Which is exciting because then I can be...

Today's blog title is the new single from Paramore, whose new album dropped today, which is very exciting for long time fans like me!  So of course I have the album playing while I animate!  On to more important things: I have another update on the one person dialogue I've been working on.  I haven't made any big changes, I've just been going through and refining, making sure there are no sudden stops, softening some movements, etc.  Just trying to make what I've done better.  And I've learned something very significant: I will never again animate Morpheus with the hands/wrists following the shoulders, it's been nothing but a headache and has caused me so much grief!  From now on they will follow the world!  I've learned my lesson....  And I'm about 20 hours in on this animation as of now. In addition, there are some things lacking from this animation I'd like to address.  I've been thinking quite a bit about how to improve my process befor...

I've been listening to this Hunter Hayes song almost nonstop lately, so it's no surprise it's this week's blog title.  Anyway, I know it's been awhile since my last update but that doesn't mean I haven't been working hard!  I've started splining, breaking my animation down into blocks of 20 frames or so and getting in there to do my refining.  The time between the last update and now has been very challenging for me, which is great and frustrating at the same time.  But again, I feel like I'm learning even more this go around than I did in my last piece, which is awesome!  I still have a lot more work to do on this piece, I want to keep refining and softening things before moving into facial animation.  I've put about 17 hours total into this animation thus far.  Enjoy!  Please feel free to leave any comments or feedback! Second One Person Dialogue WIP#2 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Today's blog post title comes to you courtesy of Mumford & Sons, it's a pretty catchy song!  I find myself singing the chorus at random!  Here's some exciting news, I've started a new one person dialogue!  I found myself a new audio clip, tried to change things up a little and challenge myself by adding a prop while shooting my reference video and below is the initial blocking I have thus far.  I decided to try out the Morpheus rig this time around and I'm very pleased with it, no crazy rig problems thus far, which is good!  And I really enjoy how much customization you can do.  I'm pretty excited about this animation so far, I hope you enjoy it! Second One Person Dialogue WIP#1 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo . Toon Teddy Bear 3D model downloaded for free from thefree3dmodels.com

I'm currently listing to no music right now, I think the playlist I was listening to finished and I've been too busy to start it over again.  Just a quick update, I recently updated my demo reel so I thought I would share!  It is posted below as well as on the page titled demo reel.  Enjoy! Character Animation Demo Reel 2013 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Today's post title comes to you courtesy of Lady Antebellum, I've really been digging their new single and have been listening to it quite a bit!  Anyway, below is another WIP of my one person dialogue piece, I changed a few small things in the body movement, then went on to animate the first round of facial features.  I'm hoping to finish this up within the next couple of days and move on to a new clip.  I think I'm at about 25 hours of work with this animation thus far.  It's been pretty exciting and fulfilling to see this piece come to life, I've really enjoyed it.  And I hope I have as much fun and growth with my next piece.  Thanks for being apart of this journey with me =) One Person Dialogue WIP#5 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

So I've decided to start naming my blog posts after the song I'm listening to while I'm writing it.  This one is brought to you by One Republic.  Anyway, below is another update of the one person dialogue I've been working on.  The time between the last WIP and this one has been the most challenging so far and has really pushed me to see.  I've been breaking it down into block of 20 frames, getting those frames to look good, then moving on to the next 20 and I must say it's helped tremendously (thanks Mark)!  It's been a lot of back and forth, a lot of deleting keys and seeing what exactly is going on, a lot of doing and undoing, going back to previous iterations, etc. but I'm learning everyday and will have a better idea for my plan of attack the next time I get to this stage, which is what I'm happiest about.  And I have to admit, I think it looks much better after all those nitpicking hours.  I'm about 22 hours in right now, but that's a r...

Thinking of a post title is the hardest thing about doing these blog updates!  Maybe I'll start thinking of a clever way to start naming them so I don't get too bored with them....  Anyway, I also started splining the scene I'm working on for my internship with Crab Cove.  This scene has definitely evolved and transformed as I've been working on it.  I'm now focusing on just this first part (scene 61) with Salty and will handle the latter half of the scene with Colonel (scene 62) afterwards.  And I think the second part will prove a little more challenging.  Again, I'm like a broken record: I am not responsible for Sal.  Alright, enough of my rambling!  Enjoy! Crab Cove Internship WIP#3 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

So here is the first go around of splining my one person dialogue.  It's always exciting seeing your work come to life like this!  It definitely needs some refining and touching up, but overall I think it's really coming along!  Hopefully I can move on to the facial animation soon and get this bad boy finished up!  Enjoy! One Person Dialogue WIP#3 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

So what you see below is more or less the final version of my blocking for my one person dialogue piece.  I made a couple changes after I playblasted and uploaded (and let my eyes rest for a night) but they're minor and you can see them on the next WIP I post.  What you see here is almost 9 hours of work.  Now I'm going to start splining, taking it a couple poses at a time!  Overall I'm somewhat proud of myself and feel like my skills are definitely improving... I can't wait to finish this one so I can start another!  Enjoy! One Person Dialogue WIP#2 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

So earlier this week I started working on a one person dialogue piece and am a bit anxious in unveiling it.  It's been going great so far, I've learned a lot and it has been quite fun to work on.  I really enjoy the audio clip, making it that much easier to listen to over and over again.  This is my first WIP of it and I'm just over 6 hours in.  Enjoy! One Person Dialogue WIP#1 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Two posts in one day is definitely a record!  And animating is all I've been doing these days (just a statement, not a complaint), so it only makes sense!  Anyway, here is my final rendition of the box jump I've been working on.  Overall I'm very happy with it, I feel it accomplished it's purpose of helping me gain some confidence as an animator before I take on a bigger piece.  I hope you all enjoy it!  And stay tuned for a peek at a cool new piece I'm working on =) Box Jump Final from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

Happy Wednesday everyone!  After some feedback and some changes with the overall scenes, I decided it'd be easier and probably more beneficial to simply scrap what I had and start over.  In my younger days I probably would have resisted this idea, but with the small amount of experience I have under my belt I knew starting over simply means I'll be able to do it faster and most likely much better than the times before.  And I'm glad I chose this route, I feel it opened the door for a more creative take on this scene. Again, I'm responsible for Salty the seagull, not Sal the seal, he was already animated.  Salty is still just in blocking stages but I'm feeling much more confident with this rendition.  Looking forward to the feedback I receive and moving forward with the scene.  Enjoy! Crab Cove Internship WIP#2 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

So here is an updated version of the box jump I've been working on.  I think it's come a long way, but definitely still has some touch ups and improvements to be done.  I'm happy with it though and really feel like I'm starting to come into my own as an animator.  I feel like this semester is going to be full of good things, so check in often to see some cool stuff I'm going to be working on! Box Jump WIP#2 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .

So I am once again working with the children's television show Crab Cove as an internship this semester.  I'm definitely looking forward to it and hoping it will really help improve and challenge my skills as an animator.  Here's the first clip/work in progress of what I've been working on, this is maybe 2.5 hours work so far.  It's a very rough cut but hey, you gotta start somewhere! Crab Cove WIP#1 from Katie Canadas on Vimeo . I am responsible for the animation of Salty the seagull and Colonel the crab.  Sal the sealion's animation was as you see it now when I received the scene.

Well now that the holidays are over, I'm finally able to work on some side projects that had to be put on the back burner   This first one is just a simple box jump, below is the first works in progress video.  I've completed my first round of blocking and will begin further refining my blocking before moving on to splining. I've decided to do some shorter, more simple animations for awhile.  I feel I'm struggling a little bit, so I want to build my confidence as an animator with these shorter animations.  Enjoy! Box Jump (WIP#1) from Katie Canadas on Vimeo .