Back on Track...
I am really glad to say that I am now officially back-on-track with Fidget the Witch, and life in general. This year has been totally insane. I've had to move house, and I've also had two very large contracts to work through.
Now, though, everything is more-or-less in order and I am able to get right back to work on Fidget the Witch... Halloween is coming soon, so I've chosen that to be my deadline for this film.
I was just in New York for nine days visiting Ron Cole over at Wobbly Tripod for the festival premiere of his incredible short film "In the Fall of Gravity". I'll be making a blog post about that soon. It was an amazing experience and I left there charged with enthusiasm and inspiration! Thanks Ron!
So what's new here?
Well - I have finally gotten my office/studio organised here at my new place. It's taken a long time to get settled in after the house move (a lot longer than expected), and when I returned from New York I made a concerted effort to get the place fit for work!
The space is SO much smaller than my last place, but I can make it work for me. So, here it is in all it's tiny glory...
The desks where I do most of my crafting and digital work...
Here is my edit bay. My goal is to have this fully HD compliant by around February. I'm about to enter an "aquisition phase" which basically means every penny I own goes into buying hardware and software to get me future proofed for another five years (and I eat macaroni cheese to survive ;) )...
It has taken a while to get everything wired up, but it's all in place now and running happily...
Here is my trusty animation platform. This is a "re-engineered" draughtsman's table with a frame built on top to allow easy access to tie-downs. Up there you can see Fidget's Cottage Exterior still sitting and waiting for me to get back to finish it off (won't be long now!!!)...
Now I've finally managed to get my tools in some kind of order. They are all neatly stowed in this great tool chest. It's brilliant because when they aren't in use it all folds away neatly against the wall...
So, now that the place is organised, I can finally get back to working on Fidget the Witch!
Actually I already started yesterday!
As you can see the final batch of shingles for the roof peaks on the cottage exterior have been prepared for cutting, with their initial coats of wood-stain (thanks Kjestine!)...
And, I have also started work on the window frames for the cottage exterior. I've carved three so far (two more to go) out of balsa wood. I will do some texturing on these before staining them and aging them. They will then have "glass" attached (more on that shortly)...
It feels great to be working on this project again! I feel confident I can get this done by October 31st (Halloween), though I will admit there is a lot of work still to be done... So, that means lots more updates - So, check back here often!
I look forward to catching up with everyone again (I can't believe how long I let my blog fall silent for... Life gets in the way sometimes).
It's good to be back!
Now, though, everything is more-or-less in order and I am able to get right back to work on Fidget the Witch... Halloween is coming soon, so I've chosen that to be my deadline for this film.
I was just in New York for nine days visiting Ron Cole over at Wobbly Tripod for the festival premiere of his incredible short film "In the Fall of Gravity". I'll be making a blog post about that soon. It was an amazing experience and I left there charged with enthusiasm and inspiration! Thanks Ron!
So what's new here?
Well - I have finally gotten my office/studio organised here at my new place. It's taken a long time to get settled in after the house move (a lot longer than expected), and when I returned from New York I made a concerted effort to get the place fit for work!
The space is SO much smaller than my last place, but I can make it work for me. So, here it is in all it's tiny glory...
The desks where I do most of my crafting and digital work...
Here is my edit bay. My goal is to have this fully HD compliant by around February. I'm about to enter an "aquisition phase" which basically means every penny I own goes into buying hardware and software to get me future proofed for another five years (and I eat macaroni cheese to survive ;) )...
It has taken a while to get everything wired up, but it's all in place now and running happily...
Here is my trusty animation platform. This is a "re-engineered" draughtsman's table with a frame built on top to allow easy access to tie-downs. Up there you can see Fidget's Cottage Exterior still sitting and waiting for me to get back to finish it off (won't be long now!!!)...
Now I've finally managed to get my tools in some kind of order. They are all neatly stowed in this great tool chest. It's brilliant because when they aren't in use it all folds away neatly against the wall...
So, now that the place is organised, I can finally get back to working on Fidget the Witch!
Actually I already started yesterday!
As you can see the final batch of shingles for the roof peaks on the cottage exterior have been prepared for cutting, with their initial coats of wood-stain (thanks Kjestine!)...
And, I have also started work on the window frames for the cottage exterior. I've carved three so far (two more to go) out of balsa wood. I will do some texturing on these before staining them and aging them. They will then have "glass" attached (more on that shortly)...
It feels great to be working on this project again! I feel confident I can get this done by October 31st (Halloween), though I will admit there is a lot of work still to be done... So, that means lots more updates - So, check back here often!
I look forward to catching up with everyone again (I can't believe how long I let my blog fall silent for... Life gets in the way sometimes).
It's good to be back!
posted by Paul (Vortex42) at
12:51 PM
9 Comments:
Hooray! So glad to have you back in action, Paul!
And thanks for the shop porn! Drooling over your new animation set up! All those screens! Ack!
Thanks for chiming in Shelley! I've been following your progress with Halfland dilligently - Your main set is looking majorly impressive!
The machine you see in my pictures is my edit platform. The three normal sized monitors are the machine itself, and the larger screen is an HD monitor (it is the first thing I've picked up on the road to full HD compliance).
I am really looking forward to being able to edit HD with realtime effects!
Jeeze - I sound like a total geek.
Ah well! ;)
Great, I think this is definately a project to continue and I'm glad you've picked it up again.
I'd like to thank you on showing photos of all your balsa props, because its inspired me to get working with wood more on my new project. Can it be easily cut with a Stanley knife like you have there? I LOVE those chairs and table you made and little sculpey props. Very professional.
Just one more question, I buy blue styrofoam from ebay that has a smooth texture on the outside, I just wanted to ask, where do you purchase yours from and is it good quality?
Thanks Nofby,
Balsa wood can be cut with a stanley blade or craft knife. Cutting against the grain can be difficult and takes some getting used to. But if you make sure you are using a sharp blade then it should be fine.
I got my blue styrofoam from a shop in London called "4D Model". They do mail-order (they have a website). The quality of the styrofoam seems good.
http://www.yellowcatshop.co.uk/shop/default.asp?clientid=14&gid=4dmod
Thanks Paul,
Which density and type do you order? 25 mm sounds like a good size
That's what I went with. Not too thick and not too thin. If you need a thicker piece you can always glue two or more together.
I had never used the stuff before Fidget the Witch - But now that I have, I won't look back. It's a great material and very easy to work with.
Thanks again, keep on going with the project! Its nice to be able to check back here, now you've dusted off the cobwebs! :)
Sweet! back on the horse!
excellent....Ill be watching.
jriggity
(^ fidgit the widgit turned fidget the witch.
nice to actually see something with a quickened up deadline.
(^ tell whoever barry is i like his chairs.
the toddler pie looks like something straight from Mr. B's place.
(^ I'm actually very glad you seem set on doing this one.
witches are near and dear to me and mine: cracked crockpot that I tend to be, only strong brews of herbs with whispered chants over them while seeping calm me down.
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