Pitch Perfect!

    Hello again, fellow artists and animators!

   On April 25th, TAAFI will be holding their annual 'Welcome to the Industry' party at the Vogue Supper Club. With so many gathered in one place, I figure there is no better time to talk networking.

    Networking, in short, is building mutually beneficial connections that last. Getting to know people, and more importantly getting people to know you. Employers are looking for personality that will best fit the collective team they are looking to complete. If they feel you are the right piece, the skills (though important) are secondary.

     Presenting yourself in a natural, confident way is always the best. Confidence can be gained through a little prep-work (check who is going, what company they are from, and have an opinion on that companies work), as well as keeping in mind that we are all human and we all are here to do the same thing. Finally never be afraid to say hello; worst that could happen is getting a cold shoulder that you probably don't want to work with anyway.

   Keep this in mind, and I promise networking can be equal parts business and pleasure!

  Jacob Whyte
Max the Mutt Student ambassador, TAAFI 2014





 

Weebly Update

Hey everyone, short and sweet post today.

Big update to the weebly, added some newer works as well as old.

http://jacobwhyte.weebly.com/

Enjoy!
Jacob Whyte

Dressed like a little girl.

 After the stress of a long few weeks, nothing feels better then to get home and unwind in your favorite mini dress and leggings an...

Ok, Ill stop now.

    Evening all! Lots of happenings happening over the past few weeks and since weebly is not the best place for a blog I'll keep this puppy going.

   Last week, York Regional Skills competition was held, including an animation division where high school students created a storyboard and characters to animate in a 30 second short. Their theme was imagination is more important then knowledge.

  

     Only one problem, they only had four hours to animate, some only with a mouse, in 2D.

   

    Needless to say quality suffered. It was a real shame especially considering teams (of two) that took the time to make good characters suffered in the end because they could not draw them in time. A solution I think would be to make it an animation exercise instead, such as a lift or a quick acting sound bit even, and have them create one character to work with.

   Also, in relevance to the odd title of this entry, earlier today was the first of a two day TAAFI master class with Mr. Mushu himself, Charlie Bonifacio.

  A practitioner of tai chi and animation for almost 30 years, Charlie spoke softly about the definitions of drawing, finding line, rhythm and direction as we drew everything from blind contours to gesture to other exercises I haven't tried before. There was a nice blend of old review and new incite to the whole day, and I am very much looking forward to tomorrow.

  Hats off to our model as well, who took some phenomenal poses while dressed like Penny from Disneys' Bolt. We were first asked to draw normal proportion in costume, then apply her pose to the character herself.

All for now, more for later.

Jacob Whyte

The lead runs deep...

Hello, everyone! Yes, it has been a long time. Yes, posts have been few and, yes, that is going to change (sort of). To supplement the lack of art, I'm going to disperse it throughout this post.

















This past three and a half months have been devoted to our final traditionally animated short at Max the Mutt. As the first semester ending last year was preproduction, second semester is bringing it all together.

Its very exciting, having done some shorts in the past I'm familiar with the huge feeling of accomplishment that comes from completing a short, so its almost more exciting to be working beside others who are going through the process for the first time.



 However, theirs a lot of weight on the whole groups shoulders at the moment. We are working on our films, but at the same time are dealing with the average Max the Mutt homework load (aka a hell of a lot).

  Even with my little bit of experience ( The amazing feeling of having a short to call your own ), I'm finding it hard to stay focused and meet expectations in all areas. I could only imagine how others are coping, if at all.

  It would be such a shame for anyone of our group to come so far, to learn SO MUCH! Only to have their first shot at a creative vision squashed by process of creating it. We made it all the way to the third year, we KNOW we know what we are doing otherwise we wouldn't be here.

If anyone from class reads this, hang in there. Pain is only temporary, and watching the final product in motion you will remember the hardships only with a grin glued to your gills.

Cheers, everyone! This will be my lasts posts on blogger as im setting up a weebly site. That way all the work is in one place and organized along with the blog.

Jacob Whyte.

Getting Ahead

Hello all! Don't mind me, Im just doing some summer cleaning, getting rid of all the cobwebs and the musty stench this blog must have from lack of lovin.

For Cryin out Loud!

                                   Took me long enough to get some more images up, my goodness.

    Here are some of my final Works in Life Drawing...

And Cartooning...

 ...And Finally an Anatomy Drawing, Ill have some more of these later!

Adios!

Jacob Whyte

jacob_whyte@yahoo.ca

Seeking a Friend for the End of the Year

"If you can dream it, you can do it." Walt Disney

    Well, looks as if Year 2 semester 2 of Max the Mutt has just about come to  a close, with only a few more assignments to hand in. And since one of these assignments is a written one, I figure I would get in the mood by summing up the positives and the negatives of my experience this year.

Positive:
   Overall Drawing skill defiantly improved exponentially. A rendered portrait in three hours? Sure why not! Character lineup and poses? Pfft, in my sleep (or lack of, see below). Overall sense of forms and three dimension is a lot better then months prior, and I look forward to continuing this trend.

Negative:
    Different teachers having different preferences/ expectations. Despite all of my efforts, I still am not 100% on what great line quality is as multiple teachers look for different qualities in the line. No wobbles or frayed lines is about the one consistency, but as far as where to show tension and stress or making the line come alive I don't know. Could be a practice issue.

 Positive:
   Overall confidence with a pencil in my hand improved exponentially. I can say now that I can put an image in my head competently on paper, which you know is tough if you have ever drawn before

Negative:
    Student Favoritism. In the end, its who you know and whats on your reel/ portfolio that lands you that prime position in the animation hierarchy. But while I'm in school, its nice to receive that well earned 'high pass' to boost my self satisfaction to keep going. Its not so nice, however, when your peer who might have half assed or simply ass kissed there way through the course get the same grade. I guess this is another life factor that doesn't stop in high school.

Positive:
  Opportunities galore. This year alone I have met and talked shop with more professionals then I care to count. When you come to Max the Mutt, you put your finger directly on the pulse of the industry as far as I am concerned, and that is very important.

Negative:
    Work load. Remember that aforementioned improved drawing skill from earlier? Well you have to work hard for it, definitely. I'm not opposed to hard work either, but under 4 hours of sleep a night, and even then you feel guilty for even putting your head down takes a toll after a while. There is a HUGE jump from first to second year as well, so if you thought your first trip round the sun with Max was difficult, you might what to think of a different learning path.

Positive:
    Tools, tools and more tools. The reason I am so happy about it being summer break is that the opportunity for self exploration is finally here. I can finally apply all that I have learned to my own works, and am beyond excited to see how much further I can push.

And that about sums it up. I have in no ways attempted to sell the school; that's not why I made the blog in the first place. To give you all an accurate idea as to what you can expect from the school is, and Ill let the works speak for themselves... which Ill upload soon!

Later!

jacob_whyte@yahoo.ca