FAVO

Posted on November 26, 2024November 19, 2024 by Thor

Faith Arts Village (FAVO), 221 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL, is a former motel where each room has been converted into studios for local artists to rent.

With Christmas coming up there is a big push t buy local art at FAVO.

The studios will be open to see the art work on December 6 and 7, 2024 from 5pm to 9pm. You can find provided parking if you turn off Colonial Drive onto Highland Avenue and take the first left into the FAVO parking lot.

After finishing the sketch I visited the studio of Mirjana Novak Cesar who is married to former Disney Animator Darko Cesar. There were about 5 former Disney Animation artists there so it became a sort of mini reunion. It was good to see some of the old crew. Mirjana does large paintings of weathered buildings along with some very textural found object jewelry. I did do a full round of all the studios. I just held my breath each time I entered each studio space. That kind of limited the amount of time I spent looking at art.

COVID Dystopia: Someone Died in My Bed!

Posted on November 25, 2024November 19, 2024 by Thor

This scene from COVID Dystopia has the large bear’s muzzle opening as he roars. It is simple animation done using after effects pins and puppetry tools. With the depth map applied, there is plenty of motion for such a short shot.

This weekend I helped a friend build a large sculpture. It felt good to get out of the studio and work outdoors with my hands. The hope was to get the sculpt finished for an exhibition at the end of the week. Things just didn’t fall into place But the piece will be finished for another exhibition down he road.

I plan to sketch as the sculpture if being fully assembled for the first time.

This weekend I am heading to the Pittsburgh Film Festival. I am slowly getting used to these fast paced trips. Since I only travel for a day or so, I just bring one change of clothes. I only bring my leather art bag to keep from having to check in luggage.

COVID Dystopia: Canada Truckers Protest

Posted on November 24, 2024November 16, 2024 by Thor

I am pleased with how the plumes of fiery smoke turned out in this shot. I combined key frame animation that warped the painting and also procedural movement in After Effects. I applied this effect throughout the film to give the rising heat shimmer. Most viewers probably do not know the effect is there but they feel it.

I decided the protestor could be perfectly still. If someone wanted to read the protest sign, I wouldn’t want to be waving it about.

I did the fire animation twice. I still think it could use improved. That is the problem with having so many shots and so many effects. I might learn something on another shot and want to apply it to other shots. At some point I just had to let go. No one is going to be as critical of the shape of a flame as I might be.

Since COVID Dystopia is now screening at the Pittsburgh Shorts and Script Competition. I want to be sure to keep posting these in progress shots in case festival goers look up AADW online. I am also thinking I should probably edit together a making of video which could be included along with the film the back or the COVID Dystopia book which is now being edited. That last sentence just created a whole lot of work.

COVID Dystopia is available to be seen at the Virtual Pittsburgh Shorts Film Festival happening now through November 24, 2024. COVID Dystopia can be seen in the Eventive – Chiller Theater Block 2 – Shorts online. It can be seen anywhere in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. After you start watching the films, you have 48 hours to complete watching them. Tickets are $18.

The Gleaning

Posted on November 23, 2024November 22, 2024 by Thor

The Society of Saint Andrew organized a gleaning at Long and Scott Farms North of Lake Apopka, Florida. I had actually driven past the farm multiple times this past month. Mark DeMaio let me know about the event.

Gleaning is the act of collecting leftover crops in the field after harvest. During harvest, there is food that is left or missed because it does not meet store standards for uniformity. The gleaned fruit is shared with nearby families who might otherwise go without fresh food.

Rebecca Brockman coordinated the event. This seemed like a home school field trip allowing the kids to pick unharvested cucumbers. Rebecca pointed out that all over the state of Florida, over 8.7 million pounds of food was collected for the hungry. The organization has served over 5 million fresh food meals and they have been gleaning in Florida since 1995. We all had to wash our hands with germicidal soup to be sure we didn’t bring pathogens out into the fields. After Barbara’s introduction we headed out to the field. Barbara drove most of the kids in the pick up and I walked over with several others.

Everyone was given large yellow IKEA bags and then the harvesting began. I stated sketching immediately as they leaned over to pick cucumbers and slowly walked down the field away from me. Once the sketch was done, I walked to the truck and picked up an IKEA bag for myself. A mom and daughter were having plenty of luck finding cucumbers in the last two trenches in the filed. Since they were now harvesting experts I took their advice and stayed at the edge of the field.

Cucumbers are hard to see. There is a thick mat of foliage from the vines which is hard to see through. I started harvesting like a blind man feeling around for anything solid. I found a few hand grenade sized cucumbers and then I finally found a full sized foot long. I held it over my head and shouted in delight. I don’t think anyone noticed. It was a personal victory.

The mom had the idea that there might be plenty of unharvested cucumbers back where everyone began. I though that was a great idea so I back tracked to where I had been seated to sketch, and dedicated myself to harvesting down one or two rows. I found plenty of small cucumbers and the occasional thick and long prize. Part of me felt like I wasn’t harvesting like a pro. My IKEA bag was filling up with small fruit.

Regardless I turned in my IKEA bag. And everyone was thankful. In the pick up truck people were packaging the cucumbers in red mesh bags for distribution. I was told I could bring a bag home, but I felt I had only harvested enough to warrant taking one cucumber home. Back at the studio, I cut it up and put it in a salad. It was absolutely delicious. Whenever I am settled enough to start a garden, I plan to grow cucumbers.

COVID Dystopia: Racoon Dog Theory

Posted on November 22, 2024November 14, 2024 by Thor

Genetic material collected at the Wuhan Chinese Market where the first human cases of COVID-19 were identified, show raccoon dog DNA commingled with COVID-19. Some scientists believe COVID most likely jumped from animals to people, others believe the virus could have been leaked from one of the several Wuhan coronavirus research facilities. The genetic material collected does not prove that a racoon dog stated the pandemic. Human DNA was also found in the sample. A human may have infected the animal, or the animal may have never harbored the virus. People search for blame. The final answer as to how the pandemic began has yet to be definitively proven.

COVID Dystopia: Lions Genetically Entwined

Posted on November 21, 2024November 14, 2024 by Thor

A lion at a Zoo in South Bend, Indiana, tested positive for COVID after it started coughing and became breathless. Zoo workers who had cared for the lion later caught the infection. The lion that was infected with the coronavirus probably passed it on to two zoo employees.

COVID continues to spread not just human to human, but between species.

This scene involved animating the two lions walking around the virus. This was my second time animating lions so the mechanics were fresh in my mind. The lion balancing on the viral ball was subtly animated in After Effects using the puppet tool, and his tail was fully animated. So many of these shots involved keeping very subtle movement so that the painting was the primary focus.

The COVID Dystopia book is nearing completion. Today I just have to catch up on double checking the index and the editing is being done vary carefully 3 spreads a a time.

COVID Dystopia: In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lion

Posted on November 20, 2024November 14, 2024 by Thor

April was to be the cruelest month. Doctors and nurses hit the brink of exhaustion. All they could do was watch people gasp for breath and die. Ventilators were thought to help but they resulted in even more death.

In this scene I did subtle animation on the lions behind the nurse. I used puppet tools in Adobe After Effects to move a few lion heads. I used the same toll to have the nurse lean forward a bit.

Most of the hand drawn animation in this scene came in moving the lions pacing in a circle. I have not animated many quadrupeds so I looked at reference of peoples African safari videos to study the lion’s walk. It was a challenge but I am pleased with the result.

COVID Dystopia: No One Seemed to Mind

Posted on November 19, 2024November 14, 2024 by Thor

Stockholm Syndrome is a is a psychological response where a victim develops an emotional connection with their abuser or captor.

It seems so many Americans fell in love with the virus, they want to share it with friends and family. Mass infection for them is an act of kindness.

Unfortunately they are doing this with the assumption that repeat infections build immunity. The opposite it true however, COVID is weakening the immune response, not just to COVID but every other pathogen. An entire generation has been encouraged to live lives of constant repeat infections. At first the hope was that vaccines would stop the infections. Vaccines have helped reduce hospitalizations and death, but break though infections are common. Being infected also only offers some immunity for a few months to the variant of the moment. You can be infected by COVID any month of the year, every several months.

A parent who realizes that they have put their children in harms way will resort to the only psychological response that makes sense, which is denial. Denial has been the American marching order since the pandemic began, and the pandemic is not over.

Maker Faire Orlando Steals Illustrator’s Work

Posted on November 18, 2024November 10, 2024 by Thor

I had a rare day off from teaching this Sunday and thought I would head over to the Maker Faire to do a sketch. I have sketched the Maker Faire quite a few times over the years.

I went to the website to see the hours and was shocked to see that one of my illustrations was being used to promote the event. No one had contacted me about using the image and I was certainly not paid for the use in their promotional materials. The image was cropped to remove my “Thor©” symbol. Back in 2015 when I did this piece I wasn’t watermarking the work that way I do today. I went ahead and added the watermark, signature and AADW logo that I use every day today. I had to go back to the site and replace the image so others do not continue to steal the art. I am surprised that the Maker Faire does not understand the meaning of the copyright symbol. Using the image without the consent of the artist is theft.

Well after visiting the Maker Faire site, I decided I will never be sketching at that event again. Maker Faire does not promote the work of engineers, artists, scientists and crafters, it steals from them. Instead of going to the Florida Fairgrounds I had to spend the day going through old AADW posts to make sure watermarks were added to all Maker Faire posts before more work is stolen.

So I voted against going to the Maker Faire. Instead I decided to sketch at the Maitland Rotary Art Festival. The Oak Hill Drifters are going to be playing on the main stage and I love that group. I also noticed the art event goes late into the night so I might stick around and do several drawings. I should also be a good chance to catch up and see the work of fellow artists.

The Great Comet of 1812 at Theater West End

Posted on November 17, 2024November 16, 2024 by Thor

Theater West End in Sanford is presenting The Great Comet of 1812.

The core of the story revolves around princes Natasha, who is engaged, falling hopelessly in love with Anatole, a known womanizer who is married.

When friends warn Natasha, she will not listen.

This is a modern pop opera since the music dominates every story line. The cast is large and the relationships intertwined. What I loved most about the production was the boisterous energy, with the cast often moving in among the audience. I tired to capture that energy bu sketching a violinist who was just feet from me on a ramp down to the stage. It seems much of the cast were also musicians.

This is a high energy production and should not be missed. This show runs through December 8, 2024. Be sure to catch it. Tickets run from $33.85 to $40.27. It is a wild time. Theater West End, 115 W 1st St, Sanford, FL 32771.