Little green (Scottish) men...

What you see here is an animation test for a new programme I'd purchased (stop motion pro). I really wanted to try my hand at lip syncing, but I also wanted to imbue the character with a bit of nuance through hand gestures, eyebrow movements etc. So I recorded the voice, then recorded a video of myself doing the hand motions and what not and used them as a reference. The end result is a bit on the choppy side (the webcam I used isn't ideally suited), and the mouth syncing isn't as tight towards the end, but then it did take me an entire Sunday to do and was a bit burnt out towards then end! (*cue tiny violins)

Thanks to my good friend Rob, I was able to recover this video which I thought was lost forever with the death of my PC. Remember kids, always back up your files, ESPECIALLY your stop motion files! Enjoy!

Down, Right, Left, Down, Right, Left...

If you've never played the fantastic 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time', then this post will likely mean little to you! However, those who have will know that this image (that I hope to get onto a T-shirt at some point) was inspired by one of my favourite moments of the game. How does one enlist the help of a stout, tribal leader? By playing him a jaunty tune on your Ocarina, of course! (see video embedded beneath image)

Edit: Updated with new version. With shading! Prints, tees and Iphone/Ipad cases featuring the design can be purchased here: http://www.redbubble.com/people/mrlunarbeam/works/10094393-hot-goron-beats?ref=work_carousel_work_portfolio_1

Version 1...

Hot beats herein!

Full of (Dar)win!

During my stint at university, I proposed a project to construct an interactive installation based on the works of the legendary Charles Darwin. The idea was that it would be an educational tool for children, and would see them pick up objects (such as a model of the HMS Beagle, the ship that ferried Mr Darwin to places such as the Galapagos Islands), move it across a specially designed interactive desktop, and an animated Darwin would pipe up and tell the child all about it. Ultimately, the project never saw fruition, but I did manage to get this short test animatic done, which I had a blast making! Click play, evolutionists!

(Oh, and internet-points to to whoever spots the embarrassing error! That'll teach me to barrel in without doing my research!). 

Muppet Matrimony...

LunarBeam doesn't just do graphics, no sir. Last year, I was set with the task of creating a wedding cake topper for two close friends, but the awesome part was is that I was pretty much given free reign to do what I wanted. How very trusting of them! *Cue lightning bolts and evil, maniacal laughter*

Originally, I thought about doing the groom on top of the cake holding the bride, King Kong style. Sadly, the would be groom somehow cottoned onto this plan. I don't think he was too enamoured, but I also wanted to keep it a surprise, so it was on to plan 'B'...

Plan B, as awesome as it was (bride and groom riding a T-Rex with tin cans dragging from it's ankles), was rejected as I worried I'd be putting too much of my own preferences into the project (I have a thing for dinosaurs as well as robots. 1993, Jurassic Park, baby!).

Around this time the promotions for a new muppet movie started doing the rounds and it hit me - they both love the Muppets, so why not design the bride and groom as Muppets? It was a risky gamble, but after a few test shots using Fimo, I started the project in earnest.

Two months later, a whole lot of Fimo and wire (and surprisingly few balls-ups), it was finished (with a week to spare!).

And, you'll be glad to know they liked it!