Katie Canadas : Animator

Here is another attack, this time a slap, for the smaller alien.  I actually planned on having this character punch as well but I realized it couldn't make a fist so I decided to make it slapping motion instead, which in the end is more fitting I feel for this smaller, more adorable character.  I had fewer problems with this rig than I did with the other two.  I had fun with this motion and I chuckle a little every time I watch it, I hope you enjoy it as well! Not sure if I've mentioned it before, but all my videos are up on youtube if anyone can't stand the tiny video window within my blog =)

I'm finally getting around to posting this punch attack for the brute alien.  The attacks for all three characters were difficult due to the limited controls of the rig.  The feet don't move very smoothly since there's no way to keep the foot anchored in the same spot, which gave me some difficulty.  And the low poly count made the elbow do some funny things during the actual punching motion.  Overall it was pretty fun working with a newer punching motion.  Enjoy!  Any feedback is welcome!

Hello all!  Like many other creative minds I seldom think my work is ever good enough to compile into a demo reel, but I did it anyway!  So below is a reel of what I feel is my best work as of now (fall 2012).  As always any feedback is gladly welcomed! In making this reel I realized how much I've learned and improved since making these pieces, which gave me a surge of motivation to keep animating and keep improving.  I'm also thankful to have some great mentors in my life right now, I know they're always there to answer my questions and I find myself starving for more knowledge from them!  I have so much more to learn and frankly I can't wait!  I hope some big improvements are in my future!

Here is the run cycle for the last character in our video game.  Now I'll be moving on to the idle and attack animations for these three characters.  Enjoy! I'm also working on my own personal animation, a one person dialogue of a Jim Carrey clip, which I hope to finish blocking within the next week.  I'm excited about it and have enjoyed working on it so I can't wait to share the work I've done on it so far.

This is a new rig we recently got and it was somewhat of a challenge since it's so small with virtually no legs.  I was also a little skeptical with the weight mapping of the cloth, but it turned out much better than I expected.  I went for a more cute and adorable look getting inspiration from a penguin.  Enjoy!

Here's a run cycle I've been working on for quite a long time, the run cycles have proved a little more challenging for me but I think I've got it pretty close.  As far as this rig goes, it was redone not too long ago to give us animator's a little more control, which I was very thankful for!  I think it looks a lot better because of it.  Enjoy!  And again, any suggestions and critiques are welcome!

Hey guys, here are a couple more lighting techniques we've been studying in my class.  They've been so fun and I've really enjoyed them.  I'll be sad when I've finished the last two. This scene is meant to simulate moonlight, it was a little more challenging for me than the other scenes because it's so dark, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. This image is meant to simulate electrical (tungsten bulbs to be specific) lighting.  It was very interesting going from natural exterior lighting to more indoor oriented lighting.  Enjoy!

I know lighting is not my strong suit, but I find it refreshing at times to do something other than animation.  In a way it helps recharge my batteries and cleanse my visual palette.  So I wanted to share a couple images from the tutorials we've been doing in my digital lighting and texturing class.  I find lighting an interesting and admirable art, which made me even more inclined to share these beautiful renders (that could probably use some work from a more trained eye) from these great tutorials. This one is meant to simulate a sunny afternoon. While this one is meant to simulate twilight (I think it could be a little more orange and darker).

Here is the other alien walk cycle I've finished for my video game production class, it's definitely a different rig than the larger alien I completed a couple weeks ago and a little more challenging, but I think I pulled it off fairly well.  Now on to run cycles!

Well there seems to be a theme emerging in my animation life right now and that would be walk cycles!  Feel free to take a look, any tips or comments for improvement are welcome! The first walk cycle below is done with a slightly better rig than I've been working with, so I was trying to get a little more personality in the walk cycle, not sure if that really came across....  It definitely still needs some work, but I think it's getting there! The second walk cycle is for a video game so it's a much more simple rig, which was actually a lot more challenging to work with than I anticipated.  This is the larger, more brutish alien in the video game.  I'm currently working on a walk cycle for a more slender alien, which is even tougher to work with than this one.

Hey everyone, I recently found the time (not sure how) to playblast this piece of animation I did for a TV show called Crab Cove this past summer and I thought I'd share.  I did all the body and facial animation for all 3 characters showcased here.  Enjoy!

Here are a couple plain walk cycles I've been practicing, trying to get faster and better!  I hope to have more coming up with this video game class I'm in.  Enjoy!

Hello blogging world!  Before I begin inviting you into the world of my work, I'd like to give you some background information to give you an idea of just who I am so we can get better acquainted: My name is Katie Canadas, I am currently in my fifth and final year at Chico Sate finishing my degree in Applied Computer Graphics with a Technical Option.  My main discipline is animation and character animation, but I also dabble in rigging and photography is a big hobby of mine.  I was a member of the Women's Golf Team for four years, traveling all over the west coast playing golf all while furthering my education.  It's been a wild five years but I'm looking forward to the next chapter in my life! I hope you enjoy exploring my blog!