Ludimation

McGraw Hill Interview

2012-01-12T08:43:00.004-05:00

Q & A with David Allen, Computer Animator

What is your educational background, and how did you get interested in computer animation?

I have always been inclined toward drawing and math, but eventually decided on gaming because I enjoyed it so much in high school. I earned a bachelor’s degree in Fine Art for Computer Graphics and Multi-Media at Pratt Institute.

I found my job at 1st Playable Productions through volunteering at events produced by the New York City chapter of the International Game Development Association (IGDA).

When I met Steve Derrick of Vicarious Visions, a speaker at an IGDA event, I told him I wanted to work on educational games. He introduced me to Tobi Saulnier, founder and CEO of 1st Playable, a start-up company with a vision for developing educational content. I applied for a job there and was hired to create artwork in handheld children’s games.

Tell me about a favorite project.

My favorite project by far is Rio DS, a musical game spinoff from the animated film Rio by Blue Sky Studios. First, I had the pleasure of working with a great team, from the amazing people at 1st Playable to the creative department at Blue Sky Studios. Everyone made this an inspiring experience for me. Second, as a Puerto Rican raised in Columbia, I also thoroughly enjoyed being involved in a Latin musical rhythm game where I was able to give personal creative feedback on the audio.

Any advice for students?

I highly recommend getting involved in professional communities like the IGDA. It’s the best way to meet people, make connections, and find the companies that are right for you. Two other great groups for digital artists are ACM SIGGRAPH (Association for Computing Machinery’s Special Interest Group on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques) and the AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts).

To develop art skills, I recommend drawing from observation. There is something deeply communicative and tangible about drawings made from real life. They really stand out and strengthen your portfolio, which is ultimately what gets you hired.

Motivation for the day

2011-12-27T18:30:00.004-05:00

Seeing projects like these fills me with hope for humanity.

Character Animation Demo Reel

2011-11-02T14:54:00.036-04:00

REEL BREAKDOWN

00:02
Rikki (DS)
Realtime 3D Character (3D Studio Max); Modeling (based on Character design by Deja Jones); Texturing; Rigging (Character Studio); Animation.

00:24
Blu (DS)
Rendered 3D sprite (Autodesk Maya); Animation only (model, textures, and rig provided by console developer and modified by Jessica Nichol).

00:38
Diego (Jakks Pacific)
2D Sprite (Cosmigo Pro Motion); Pixel Modeling (based on character from TV Show); Pixel Animation.

01:07
Kris (Wii)
Realtime 3D Character (3D Studio Max); Modeling (based on character from TV Special); Texturing; Rigging (Character Studio); Animation.

01:45
Jessica (Wii)
Realtime 3D Character (3D Studio Max); Modeling (based on character from TV Special); Texturing; Rigging (Character Studio); Animation.

02:09
Topper (Wii)
Realtime 3D Character (3D Studio Max); Modeling (based on character from TV Special); Texturing; Rigging (Character Studio); Animation.

The Tech Artist's Creed

2011-09-01T20:40:00.001-04:00

Original source - Opinion: The Tech Artist's Creed

I am a Tech Artist,
Every day I will teach, learn, and assist,
And build bridges between teams, people, and ideas.
I will observe without interrupting and mediate without judging.
I may not give exactly what you ask for,
But I will provide what you need.

I am a Tech Artist,
I will approach every problem with mind and ears open
To my colleagues and peers across the industry.
I will solve the problems of today,
Improve the solutions of yesterday,
And design the answers of tomorrow.

I am a Tech Artist,
I am a leader for my team,
And a standard-bearer for my community.
I will do what needs to be done,
I will advocate for what should be done,
And my decisions will be in the best interest of the production.

Caricature Convention

2011-08-29T22:18:00.004-04:00

Looks like a blast! Gonna have to figure out a way out there at least once.

Devon

2011-06-16T09:23:00.007-04:00

20110616 Devon

10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Matt R.

2011-06-16T09:13:00.004-04:00

20110616 Matt R

10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Эдик на КСП

2011-05-21T09:28:00.005-04:00

20110521 Edik

Drawing new people is always a challenge. Even though this turned out to be a decent drawing, it fell a little short of capturing Edik's personality. 10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Serenade

2011-05-10T09:35:00.003-04:00

20110510 Rachel

10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Blair

2011-05-09T09:49:00.003-04:00

20110509 Blair

5 mins using a blue mechanical pencil.

Ian

2011-05-09T09:40:00.003-04:00

20110509 Ian

10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Fabien

2011-05-08T09:50:00.001-04:00

20110508 Fabien

At the diner after a long night out. This one took 10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Chris

2011-05-05T09:54:00.001-04:00

20110505 Chris

10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Gary Fonville Jr. III

2011-05-05T09:53:00.006-04:00

20110505 Gary F

10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Phoebe

2011-04-25T10:17:00.002-04:00

20110425 Phoebe

5 mins using a blue mechanical pencil.

Pitcher

2011-04-25T09:55:00.001-04:00

20110425 Pitcher

5 mins using a blue mechanical pencil.

Blair

2011-04-21T10:19:00.001-04:00

20110421 Blair

10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Woods Environment Mockups

2011-04-11T19:18:00.006-04:00

20110411 Woods mockup day

Day and Night mockups for the Woods Environment of a Wii game. Original concept took about a day's worth of work using reference from the TV special. Night variation took about 30 minutes. All images were created in Adobe Photoshop.

20110524 Woods mockup night

Sindy

2011-04-07T10:20:00.002-04:00

20110407 Sindy

10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Gary Fonville Jr. III

2011-04-04T10:22:00.001-04:00

20110404 Gary F

10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Free Digital Painting Video - New Year 2008!

2011-03-08T18:50:00.001-05:00

Just watched this for the first time and it made my day. Even if you've never heard of Bobby Chiu and have no interest in character art, you can just listen to it in the background. The message is universal.

Online

2011-03-04T10:23:00.000-05:00

20110304 Online

An attempt at caricaturing the pose of a Game Developer's Conference attendee twittering during a presentation. Took 10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

DWG Contestant

2011-03-03T10:29:00.005-05:00

20110303 DWG Contestant

One of the nVidea contestants at the Game Developers Conference sketching away during the final round. This one took 10 mins using a blue mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Leap

2011-03-03T10:26:00.002-05:00

20110303 Leap

Gesture from the imagination while waiting for the results of the nVidea drawing contest at the Game Developers Contest. This one took 5 mins using a blue mechanical pencil.

Vaio vs Goliath

2011-03-02T10:37:00.001-05:00

20110302 Vaio vs Goliath

The size contrast between a 6'4" man and a Sony Vaio was too comical to ignore. This one took 10 mins using mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Race of Ages

2011-03-01T10:40:00.002-05:00

20110301 Race of Ages

Sometimes concepts come to me in a flash. This one occurred when waiting for a light and seeing a muscle car next to a cyclist. Obviously, a car's top speed would be far greater than event the fastest cyclist and sprinters, but I wonder how those three would do in terms of acceleration over short distances... say city blocks. 5 mins using a mechanical pencil.

Self Caricature

2011-02-16T10:44:00.003-05:00

20110216 Self Charicature

10 mins using a mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Deja

2011-02-10T10:48:00.003-05:00

20110210 Deja

10 mins using a mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Devon

2011-02-10T10:47:00.002-05:00

20110210 Devon

10 mins using a mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Shannon

2011-02-10T10:45:00.000-05:00

20110210 Shannon

I like to keep myself busy sketching during company meetings. This one took 10 mins using a mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Insect Farmer

2011-02-08T10:49:00.001-05:00

20110208 Insect Farmer

I like to keep myself busy sketching during company meetings. This one took 5 mins using a red sharpie.

Michael K

2011-02-07T10:50:00.001-05:00

20110207 Michael

I like to keep myself busy sketching during company meetings. This one took 10 mins using a mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

Charlie and Buster

2011-01-27T11:11:00.001-05:00

20110127 Charlie Buster 1

They wouldn't stay still for me, so I had to mentally capture each gesture as quickly as possible before they moved again. Each of these was 1-3 mins using a mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

20110127 Charlie Buster 2

20110127 Charlie Buster 3

20110127 Charlie Buster 4

Self Analysis

2011-01-26T21:24:00.001-05:00

20110126 self analysis

Trying to figure out a way to caricature myself as simply as possible. None of the ones done in photoshop have the same amount of appeal as the hand-drawn sketch in the upper left though. Each of these took an average of 5 to 10 mins.

Self Caricature

2011-01-25T21:27:00.003-05:00

20110125 self char 0.1

A quick attempt at caricaturing myself. Original sketch done with pencil and brush pen. Then scanned and re-worked in Photoshop. About 30 mins per image.
Read more »

Character Animation Demo Reel

2011-01-25T21:23:00.011-05:00

REEL BREAKDOWN: 00:00:00:02		1) Main Character for Realtime 3D game (DS) 3D Studio Max Modeling—based on Character design by Deja Jones Texturing Skinning—using BIP Character Studio rig Animation
00:00:00:24		2) Main Character for Rendered 3D game (DS) Autodesk Maya Animation only—model, textures, and rig provided by console developer and modified by Jessica Nichol
00:00:00:34		3) Main Character for 2D Sprite game (Jakks Pacific) Cosmigo Pro Motion Pixel Modeling—based on character from TV Show Pixel Animation

Self Caricature

2011-01-25T11:12:00.002-05:00

20110125 Self Charicature

This one helped me decide to start shaving at least every other day. 10 mins using a mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

The New Face Of Bravery

2011-01-22T11:15:00.003-05:00

20110122 New Bravery

I would like to turn this guy into an action hero at some point. 10 mins using blue sharpie and grey brush pen.

Face Shape Variations

2011-01-21T21:31:00.005-05:00

20110121 face shape variations

More experiments based on exercises in "Making Faces" by 8fish. Each prolly took about 30 mins using Photoshop.

Self Caricature

2011-01-19T11:16:00.000-05:00

20110119 Self Charicature

20 mins using a mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

The Fight

2011-01-18T21:34:00.001-05:00

20110118 the fight

Quick experiment with relating characters to each other in space. Approx. 30 mins in photoshop.

Bayou Environment Mockup

2010-12-29T08:49:00.006-05:00

20101229 Environment DS mockup

Environment mockup created for a DS game proposal. Colored image took approximately four hours using photographic reference and a hardware image from the web. Thumbnail sketches took about 20 minutes. All images where created in Adobe Photoshop.
Read more »

Door Stopper Noses

2010-12-28T20:52:00.008-05:00

20101228 door stopper noses

Been reading "Making Faces" by 8fish. These are my experiments with their "door stopper" nose technique for guiding perspective from different angles.

20101229 door stopper noses

Peeled Orange Eyes

2010-12-27T21:36:00.003-05:00

20101217 peeled orange eyes

Another experiment based on "Making Faces" by 8fish.

20101227 peeled orange eyes

Three-Bean Lips

2010-12-16T21:40:00.001-05:00

20101216 three bean lips

Another bit of experimentation based on "Making Faces" by 8fish.

Heads From Different Angles

2010-12-15T21:50:00.004-05:00

20101215 heads

Been reading "Making Faces" by 8fish. These are some experiments with drawing faces from all angles. Each head took about 5-10 mins in Photoshop.

Face Front

2010-12-14T22:36:00.006-05:00

20101214 faceFront

30 mins photoshop.

Feeling Rusty

2010-12-14T22:35:00.001-05:00

20101214 longFace

First character sketch in a while. Feeling rusty. Took 20 mins or so in Photoshop.

Avatar Mockups

2010-12-13T01:51:00.010-05:00

20101213 Avatar lineup

This character was developed for a children's game proposal as a customizable avatar. Each of these images took approximately 60 minutes. Sketches were made with a ballpoint pen, and finished drawings were created in Adobe Illustrator.

20101213 Avatar mockup level

20101213 Avatar mockup customization

20101213 Avatar development 3

Interviewed by a student

2010-11-14T12:25:00.000-05:00

I recently answered some questions from a communication design student as part of their homework assignments. And looking back at my answers, I realize that I sometimes need some reminders about things I already know.

IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNICATION

How important is communication in your profession (not important, important, somewhat important, very important, extremely important)?

Interpersonal communication is a really important skill. There are few positions where you can work without communicating with a team or a supervisor of some kind. On any given day, I may spend as much as 4 hours simply communicating with co-workers. In companies where projects are smaller and can be completed by one person, you still might spend 2 or so hours a day communicating just so that you understand the work that you are to be doing.

Communication and interpersonal skills are sometimes more important than a strong resume or portfolio. If we interview two applicants, one with stronger work but poor interpersonal skills, and another with strong interpersonal skills but weaker work, we tend to favor hiring the second candidate instead.
Read more »

Kotenok

2010-10-30T19:51:00.000-04:00

20101030 Game Dev Meetup

4 mins using a blue sharpie.

I have a brush pen, and I'm not affraid to use it!

2010-10-14T20:07:00.006-04:00

20101014 Brush Pen 2

Some early experiments using a brush pen. Each one took 10 mins using a black sharpie and grey brush pen.

20101014 Brush Pen 1

Determined Gesture

2010-10-09T20:10:00.003-04:00

20101009 Guy Determined

Quick gesture from imagination. 10 mins using a ball point pen.

GameJam 2010 Albany Video

2010-10-08T20:00:00.000-04:00

Albany area IGDA chapter and UAlbany hosted game developers and students participating in the 48 hour Global Game Jam event in January 2010, an event I helped coordinate.

Christoph and Tanya

2010-09-24T20:15:00.008-04:00

20100924 Christoph Tanya

The pressure was on with these two. She's an artist and kept on critiquing. Gave good feedback, but it was tough to hear in the moment. 10 mins each using a mechanical pencil.

20100924 Christoph Tanya copy

Boris

2010-09-10T20:20:00.002-04:00

20100910 Boris

10 mins using a mechanical pencil and grey brush pen.

City Environment Mockup

2010-04-02T09:12:00.005-04:00

20100402 City mockup 2.1.2

Concepts created for a DS game proposal. Each colored phase took approximately one hour using reference from the TV show. Layout sketch took about 20 minutes. All images where created in Adobe Photoshop.
Read more »

Blair

2010-04-01T20:22:00.001-04:00

20100401 Blair

I like to keep myself busy sketching during company meetings. This one took 10 mins using a ballpoint pen and black fine tip sharpie.

Data Mining

2010-03-29T20:26:00.003-04:00

20100329 Data Mining

Visual pun that came to mind during a company meeting. 10 mins using a red pencil.

Globe Light

2010-03-22T22:41:00.002-04:00

20100322 globe1.5

Experiment with coloring a black and white sketch. Original sketch was done in ink. Colors in Photoshop. Each variation took about 5-10 mins.
Read more »

Phoebe

2010-03-22T20:30:00.001-04:00

20100322 Art Group

I like to keep myself busy sketching during company meetings. This one took 10 mins using a mechanical pencil and black sharpie.

Birds

2010-03-22T20:29:00.000-04:00

20100322 Birds

I like to keep myself busy sketching during company meetings. This one took 10 mins using a ballpoint pen.

Olivia

2010-02-06T20:43:00.000-05:00

20100206 Olivia 1

10 mins each using a mechanical pencil and black sharpie.

20100206 Olivia 2

Olivia's Friend

2010-02-06T20:34:00.000-05:00

20100206 Olivia's Friend

10 mins using a mechanical pencil and black sharpie.

YNN interview - 2010 Global Game Jam

2010-01-31T20:00:00.000-05:00

SOURCE: U-Albany hosts Global Game Jam - YNN, Your News Now

ALBANY, N.Y. -- Video game developers were at the University of Albany over the weekend for the Global Game Jam. Other game jams were held simultaneously in 131 locations in 37 countries.

The goal of the event is to encourage innovation among game developers. Teams design a new game in just two days, a task that normally takes a lot longer.

"It kind of gives everybody the chance to work with people they don't normally work with and try to challenge themselves to produce what would normally be developed over the course of several months or even a year in the period of two days,” said David Allen, event coordinator.

This is the second straight year U-Albany has hosted the Game Jam.

On the Mountain

2009-12-22T22:47:00.001-05:00

20091222 Mountain

Quick color sketch for a snowy scape. 15-30 mins in photoshop.

Fallen

2009-12-16T22:50:00.000-05:00

20091216 fallen

Quick 30 min gesture in Photoshop. I started this with the greenish BG color. It seems to have put me in an odd mood for this pose.

Boarding

2009-12-15T22:51:00.003-05:00

20091215 boarding

20 min sketch, Photoshop. Guess orange means active.

Snowman

2009-12-09T22:53:00.003-05:00

20091209 snowman

Another snowy experiment... a side-effect of having fun in the snow. 15 mins Photoshop.

Asiniboine Peak

2009-08-01T20:44:00.001-04:00

20090800 Assiniboine Peak

I left the original in an outhouse at Asiniboine Peak next to another drawing someone else had put up there. This photograph is my only proof that it actually exists. We'll see if it's still there, and how may others may have joined it the next time I go back. This one took 10 mins using a mechanical pencil and black sharpie.

Moonlit

2009-06-09T22:37:00.008-04:00

20100609 moonlit print

Re-worked color on an older experiment. There is something about the original that I like better though. 30 mins in Photoshop.
Read more »

Halolf

2009-05-21T22:55:00.001-04:00

20090521 Halolf

Halo + Golf. 15 minute ballpoint pen sketch.

Imagine Gymnast Color Concept

2009-05-07T08:49:00.004-04:00

20090507 Ricketts Coloring

Color concept drawing based on lines by Deja Jones and Jess Fink for Imagine Gymnast (DSi). Coloring this image took about four hours in Adobe Photoshop.

Sean Rowe Magic

2009-04-24T21:36:00.003-04:00

20090424 Sean Rowe Magic 1

Sean Rowe signed my doodles of him during his release for Magic at Bread and Jam cafe in Cohoes! Each of these prolly took 20 mins using a mechanical pencil and black sharpie.

20090424 Sean Rowe Magic 2

Mr. T Payne

2009-04-23T21:42:00.003-04:00

20090423 Mr T Payne

10 mins using a mechanical pencil and black sharpie.

Sunset Trees

2009-04-10T23:02:00.001-04:00

20090410 sunset trees

Playing with brushes. 15 mins, Photoshop.

Bicycle Rodeo

2009-04-09T23:05:00.005-04:00

20090409 cycle rodeo 1.1 small

Quick marker sketch, bg texture added in Photoshop. 20 mins.

Read more »

Brushes Brushes Brushes

2009-04-08T23:08:00.001-04:00

20090408 BRUSHESBRUSHESBRUSHES

Quick landscape from imagination using some new brushes in Photoshop. 30 mins.

Thouffins

2009-04-07T23:22:00.000-04:00

20090407 thouffins

Thought + muffins texture experiment. Must have been hungry. 20 mins, Photoshop.

Lamp

2009-04-06T23:24:00.000-04:00

20090406 lamp

15 mins Photoshop.

Spirals

2009-04-03T23:25:00.001-04:00

20090403 spirals

14 minute texture and brush experiment in Photoshop.

Grungy Mountains

2009-04-01T23:27:00.000-04:00

20090401 grungy mountains

15 minute brush and texture experiment in Photoshop.

Andrew

2009-03-07T21:49:00.001-05:00

20090307 Andrew

10 mins using blue pencil and sharpie.

NE Beach

2009-03-03T23:29:00.002-05:00

20090303 NE beach

Sunny palette study. 20 minutes in Photoshop.

Anna Portrait

2009-02-28T23:33:00.003-05:00

anna portrait1.0

2 hour caricature in Photoshop based on photo reference.
Read more »

Devon

2009-02-26T21:49:00.001-05:00

20090226 Devon

I like to keep myself busy sketching during company meetings. This one took 15 mins using a blue pencil and black sharpie.

Trumpet Salsa

2009-02-25T23:36:00.007-05:00

20090225 trumpet salsa v4.0

Closed my eyes while listening to some salsa music one of my friends turned me on to, and this is what I saw. Averaged 5-10 mins per variation in photoshop.
Read more »

Colored Crystals

2009-02-24T08:11:00.000-05:00

20090224 colred crystals

15 minute Brush experiment in Photoshop.

Babyface

2009-02-23T08:13:00.001-05:00

20090223 babyface

15 minute brush experiment in Photoshop.

Colin

2009-02-21T21:57:00.000-05:00

20090221 Colin

Capital District drink and draw. This one took 15 mins using a mechanical pencil and black sharpie.

Jonathan

2009-02-21T21:56:00.000-05:00

20090221 Jonathan

Capital district drink and draw. Subject was not thrilled with result. This one took 20 mins using a blue pencil and sharpie.

Navy Swatches

2009-02-20T23:50:00.001-05:00

20090220 navy swatches

15 minute color and texture experiment in Photoshop.

Creature

2009-02-20T08:15:00.000-05:00

20090220 creature

Bluish green seems to put me in an odd mood every time. 15 minute sketch in Photoshop.

Bottle

2009-02-19T08:19:00.000-05:00

20090219 bottle

15 minute color study from imagination using Photoshop.

Inside Light

2009-02-18T08:22:00.001-05:00

20090218 inside light

15 minute color sketch from imagination using Photoshop.

Farmer

2009-02-17T08:45:00.000-05:00

20090217 farmer

Started this one with the brown background, so I guess brown = farmer... in a director's chair? Maybe an actor getting into character. 15 minutes in Photoshop.

Trees

2009-02-17T08:43:00.001-05:00

20090217 trees

15 minute color study in Photoshop.

Fire Escape

2009-02-16T08:51:00.000-05:00

20090216 fireescape

15 minute color study from memory using Photoshop.

Random Barn

2009-02-16T08:49:00.000-05:00

20090216 random barn

Started this one with a random scribble (teal line) and worked it for 20 mins in Photoshop.

Grass

2009-02-04T08:53:00.000-05:00

20090204 grass

10 minute brush experiment in Photoshop.