Creative Calamities

A while ago I read that Photoshop Extended had incorporated 3D capabilities into the software. I had also read that it was created to be used in conjunction with 3D software to paint and add textures to 3D objects so I never explored it further . . . that was a mistake.

I recently did a little exploration and came up with the image below after watching a Lynda.com tutorial by Deke McClelland titled Photoshop CS5 Extended One-on-One: 3D Type Effects.

The image below was created using a few textures, an appropriated image of a zombie from a video game, and everything else was done directly in Photoshop Extended CS5.

I teach a beginning Photoshop class and this practice piece was inspired by students that I have caught Facebooking and texting during lectures.

I am just ready to head out the door to go see the final installment of the Harry Potter movies. Last summer I read all the books to see what all the hubbub was about. I thoroughly enjoyed the books.

Last night I watched the made for television movie “Magic Beyond Words: The J.K. Rowling Story” which I found a little disappointing but inspirational nonetheless, which reminded me to continue chasing my dreams in the face of those caring souls closest to me preaching the value of being practical and safe. And that brought to mind one of my favorite speeches. J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, delivered the commencement speech at Harvard University in June of 2008 where she extolled on the fringe benefits of failure. I find it well worth watching.

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

Recently I took part in that age old conversation about the which is better, seat up or seat down in a public unisex toilet.

I being a guy was, of course voted down when I suggested that leaving the seat up was best. And I stand by that especially if a toilet seat has been soiled prior to my use in a public restroom. I make sure to leave it up so that it is clear to the person entering after me that I was not the culprit to wet the seat.

That conversation brought some interesting toilet innovations to mind that stem from Port-a-Potties I have seen. A Portable toilet will often have a tiny urinal mounted on the wall with a tube that connects to the large disposal area. That little device tends to keep some of the messiness off of the toilet seat in a public, venue so why not at home. And what I feel the best advantage would be not having to remember to put the seat down or get yelled at for leaving the occasional mess. It would also be a great water saver.

Pictured is a sketch of my idea as well as a sketch of the very simple addition of a handle to a toilet set that I recently encountered in a restaurant restroom.

A good year has passed since I have worked on my Street Musician Project. That changed a few weeks ago while on my way to catch a train in Grand Central Terminal. I heard music that instantly transported me back to the time I spent in Japan.

Michael Montaperto played Romanza in the Graybar Passage. I was immediately drawn to the haunting music which transported me in my memories.

I taught English in several Kyoto Prefecture schools. At the end of the day at Otokoyama Junior High School, Romanza, a Classical Spanish guitar solo would be played after the final bell. It was where I was introduced to the song and I would wander out of the teachers’ room and gaze out across the rice fields. It was always a strange yet moving moment for me, gazing at the beautiful Japanese landscape while listening to the haunting Spanish music.

I was at that school for two weeks every two months, and everyday I was there I would listen to that wonderful music and memorize the landscape.

A few days ago I saw a similar image of the beautiful rice fields of Japan being washed away in an instant as a tsunami engulfed the land. Houses and cars washing over the rice fields, rice fields now incapable of nourishing anyone for a who knows how long. Many of the farmers and families also washed away.

So I activated the Cinema 4D, 42-day trial to see what I could do. I got in a good two weeks before I was side tracked with life. But I was able to have some fun. And I highly recommend the package to anyone interested in learning 3D software. At the very least give the demo a try, it is well worth the money (tongue inserted in cheek).

Here is a short animation where I began reworking a piece I had done for a client a several years ago but felt limited at the time not having 3D animation in my tool belt.

Now I have to scrounge up some coin to purchase the software. Thank goodness I am eligible for an educator discount.

. . . find a different software that better suits your learning style.

A couple of years ago, I purchased a copy of NewTek’s Lightwave 9. Three or four times I gave a serious runs at learning the 3D modeling and animation package but found it daunting.

I stumbled across Maxon’s Cinema 4D and was immediately drawn to the color coded icon heavy interface. Lightwave is a quality package but I found it’s text menu’s not very intuitive.

So after a glimpse of C4D’s visual interface I decided to stick my toe back into the 3D waters. I discovered that I could download a demo version of C4D. The only catch is I can’t save anything but I can learn. Whenever I choose I can activate that function for 42 days. Once that trial period is over I can continue to use the software sans the saving function.

I have yet to activate the software but the screen shots below display some of of what I have learned and also shows a visual comparison of the two interfaces.

I’ve spent time learning with Rob Garrott’s course Cinema 4D R12 Essential Training on Lynda.com which I highly recommend. I still find the software challenging but it seems to be catching hold.

I’d better start saving my pennies because I am sure a 42 day ability to save and build something complex will be  just enough to get me completely hooked on this awesome software.

Before I drop the coin I should invest a little time with the free open soucre 3D software Blender.

If you don’t want to pay to learn you can find plenty free tutorials out there. I created the image below by following along with Aleksey Voznesnski’s video Cinema 4D: A Quick Start-Guide.

Today I happily I stumbled across this lecture on YouTube by one of my favorite illustrators, and one of the top illustrators in the U.S., Yuko Shimizu.

Back before she was famous I used to admire her work in a free Japanese language magazine called New York Walker (which I believe is now called Chopsticks NY). I’d always pick up a copy when I was in the city because I loved her work because of her unique style and especially the way she handled ink. Even though the magazine was written in Japanese and I couldn’t understand a lick of it, I always picked up a copy. Eventually she moved on to my disappointment but she resurfaced and her work can be found in publications from The New York Times to Playboy Magazine.

In the video link below she speaks to a group of students at the California College of the Arts. She talks about  how she gave up trying to please her family by pursuing an unfulfilling career, quit her job after 11 years, left Tokyo and moved to New York City to study illustration.

Recently I had to laugh when I caught myself sounding a bit like Dana Carvey’s character, the Grumpy Old Man. Who is know for statements like, “in my day, we didn’t have hair dryers. If you wanted to dry your hair you stood outside during a hurricane . . . And we liked it!”

I recently purchased the iMovie HD app for my wife’s new iPod Touch. It cost $5. Compared to most apps that is a bit pricey. But I was stunned by some of the reviews by users on iTunes. People complained about the lack of features and the price. I couldn’t help but think how lucky we are to be able to carry such powerful technology around in our back pockets. In my day when I wanted to edit video (as recently as 1998) I paid $600 for video editing machine, and I needed a quality VCR (cheap didn’t have the right connections) and a quality video camera. You are talking about a minimum of $2,500 to edit video with limited features and equipment that takes up quite a bit of space. Now for $299 for a multipurpose iPod Touch or iPhone plus $5 for the software you can shoot video, edit it while sitting under a tree in the park, have latte at a coffee shop that offers free Wi-Fi, connect and send a video postcard back home to mom.

Yesterday in my last day of class at St. Thomas Aquinas College, I was once again pleasantly surprised by my students when I spent less than an hour demonstrating iMovie. The morning of class I shot some quick video with my point and shoot camera and gave it to them to edit during the quick demo. I was surprised by some of the unexpected things they did with the raw footage and I did a version copying my favorite edits from the class.

I like to think that my mind is still considered young. That being said in order to prepare for a lesson on Flash animation where some of my students have begun pushing beyond the bounds of my original intent for a simple animation I find myself in the midst of intently studying character rigging and having a go at my first attempts of animating dialogue.

I have dug up an old project that has been sitting on my back burner for a couple of years now. And that is to do an short animation based on a true story that was related to me in Japan a few years ago. So I have been digging into Chris Georgenes’ book How to Cheat in Adobe Flash CS5 and pouring over a Lynda.com series Flash Professional CS5: Character Animation by Dermot O’ Connor.

My character animation skills have improved but I still have a long way to go.

” . . . You never know what you’re gonna get.”

— Forest Gump

For three years beginning in the late 90s I worked as an assistant English teacher in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan (JET Program). When I began that adventure I was sure it was going to top my college days as the best time of my life.

The experience did not disappoint, and it was wonderful to be able to savor every moment as I would savor an exceptional meal. When I left for Japan my paintings were dark and moody. When I returned home my mood was reflected in my work which was bright and full of color.

Having recently begun teaching a couple of college level computer art courses, I have begun to realize much to my astonishment that teaching is something that I enjoy far more than I ever realized, a fact that was masked from me by the plethora of experiences that went along with teaching in Japan.