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Fundamentals of Physics Group Project – Illumination
Team Artichoke
We had a group project to do in Fundamentals of Physics where we were grouped together with like degrees. I was very honored to get paired with all Game Art Peers and they all did a great job. We had to choose a physics example of how we might use physics in our degree. We choose to do Illumination or Lighting.
I volunteered to do the voice over work on the project and I feel we created a very professional and informative video that explains how lighting is used in todays video games. We used Cryengine to create the video demo and we wrote a script to explain what we were doing in the demo. Today we will be presenting it in class and I am confident we will get an A+ on it.
Only 1 more day of this class and looking forward to some TURKEY!!
UPDATE!!
I received one of the greatest compliments on an assignment I have ever gotten at Full Sail.
Catching you back up to Speed – Some past few months of Projects and Grades.
Character Creation and Design
CDC was a pretty fun yet challenging class. It was our first real run at Zbrush. I feel pretty proud of my grades even though it wasn’t an A+ I learned a LOT about Brush and all 1 million of its buttons.
This was my final project. We had to create a detailed arm in Brush and then bring it over to Maya to re-topologize it and create a Low res arm and then place the maps of the high res arm on to the low res. Not to bad for my first run at a fully detailed arm.
Compositing Fundamentals
Compositing was an awesome class. We got to make movies! Well, kinda, just little 3 to 8 second movies. But we were doing exactly what the industry professionals do and we got to get our hands on Nuke.
My Bike was the star of my final project and I came up with the idea to put my bike in scenes that I think would be fun to ride in. It was a bit more than just plugging in my bike, we had to tweak so many options to try to make it look like it belonged in the scene. Once again another program with another million buttons to learn.
2D Animation
2D Animation was fun. Lots of drawing which really helped me get back to my roots of art. Drawing the same thing over and over many times can be a challenge even if it is a simple ball. You really have to make sure you get it as close to perfect as you can when you are doing animation because even the slightest difference in size or shape can throw a whole animation off.
Here are a few of my 2D Animations that I made into Gifs so you can view them. Please click on them so you can view in full size.
Production Modeling
Production Modeling is a class I really got into on certain projects. This class we really got to dive deep into Brush which is my favorite program so far. Even though we still have our fights, I usually win. I got to do lots of “Speed Sculpts” where we had 25 minutes to try to recreate something. It was amazing to see the different from the beginning of the class to the end in only 1 short month. I feel I really improved on my skills and plan to continue to play in Brush and become great at it.
Here is a bunch of my work in PRM but my Halo Energy Sword is what I am most proud of.
Here are a bunch of the things I made in this months class.
So there you have it. It has been a busy past few months, but I am glad that I can show you why I have been a little more quiet these past few months on here. I plan on making sure I keep everyone up to date more often and maybe even adding some other older work later. Currently I am in Animation Fundamentals, which is taking what we learned in 2D animation in traditional art and applying it to 3D animation on the computer in Maya. It is much more fun as I am not having to draw the same thing over and over and over and over… My next post will be about that. Hope you enjoyed seeing what I have been up to and PLEASE feel free to share any feedback in the comment section below. I love hearing from you guys and also would love and critiques on any of my work.
After 1 year at Full Sail University
Had you asked me a year ago to do the things I have done in the past year or had you asked me where I would be in a year, I never would have imagined what I have done and how far I have come at Full Sail. I can not believe that I have completed a full year at Full Sail and when I think back to my very first day it is amazing how far I have come in such a short amount of time. I am 1/3rd of the way done with my Bachelor of Science in Game Art and at the pace it is going, I am sure the next two years will breeze by. I am so proud of myself for the grades I have gotten and the networking I have done. I am still rocking the straight A’s, which when I think of some of the classes I have had so far and the amount I had to do in 1 month per class, I am blown away at my own work ethic and determination to maximize my opportunity here. I am trying to have patience with myself as well. I have learned to not stress as much over grades. I have learned to just do my very best and work hard and the grades will reflect that. Also it is hard hearing about all the job postings at the places I want to work knowing I still have 2 years to go.
My favorite part of Full Sail so far, has been when they bring in people (Rock Stars) of the industry in to speak to us about what is going on in their position. Especially when they are Full Sail Alumni and even Hall of Famers. It feels good hearing and seeing someone who sat in the very chairs I am sitting in and taking the very courses I am in, telling me to keep at it and at the end, if you work your hardest, network, and get your name out there, “it is possible”. Of course they do not sugar coat it and they tell us it isn’t easy, but it is up to you to get it done. So that’s what I have been doing. Even with this very blog I have had industry professionals take notice. I am thankful for that.
I am looking forward to the classes I have coming up. The best part about my choice to go “extended” (one class a month), I get to make friends with people and they move forward into classes that I will soon be taking, so I get to hear all about what I have in store for me. It has helped prepare me for what to look forward to and especially the art classes, prepare for my projects. Also I am very happy that I can focus on one class at a time. I have fellow peers who I watch completely freak out because they are doing “accelerated” (two classes a month) and they have double the work load. I am thankful for that. I feel that extra time I have reflects in my work as well.
So, here is what I have been up to in the past few months.
I can not tell you how happy I was to get a 97.96 in College Mathematics! I was very nervous about Math as it has never been a strong class for me and I had not done algebra in soo long. But hard work, studying, and a lot of getting it wrong taught me to keep trying and you will get it.
Shading and Lighting I actually got a 95.05% because I was not credited for my extra credit I did in the class. This was a good class but not my forte so far. We learned how to light a scene to make it look realistic.
Then I had Methods of Design which was an AWESOME class. I got to make all kinds of stuff for this class. I found that I really enjoy working with my hands and creating tangible things. Things that can be touched and picked up. Using my art eye was so much fun to create and see things come to life. The best part of this class is that I kicked some serious butt and got my very first Course Directors Award which basically means I was the top in my class.
This may not look like a lot but let me tell you when I walked into class on the last day to pick up all my graded work, this meant the world to me. I was in shock. It is actually the second great thing that has happened to me in Full Sail. First being when My artwork was featured on the walls.
This was another great part of this class, a 99.64!! WOW! I am so proud of myself as this was a difficult class especially when I had a week-long vacation to Vegas, Grand Canyon, Sedona AZ, and Ft. Lauderdale FL. But I did get some work done while in Ft. Lauderdale. It was actually a great break to have from art.
Here are a few of my projects I made
 
This is my re-make of Kazimir Malevich’s Suprematist Composition (blue rectangle over the red beam) which was painted in 1916 and sold for 60 million dollars. The assignment was to choose a piece of art that we hated and reimagined it the way we would have done it.
The Original
5 Sided Tetrahedra
noun, plural tet·ra·he·drons, tet·ra·he·dra [te-truh–hee-druh].
Geometry . a solid contained by four plane faces; a triangular pyramid.
My next project was we had to create something out of cardboard that showed a good use of Positive Space and also Negative space. I choose to make a 5 sides Tetrahedra. This is actually 5 pyramids that are all interlocked with each other. This was gonna be a serious endeavor that I did not realize would be so challenging yet so fun.
Pre-Production
Going Full Size
Painting and Construction
Final
This was such a fun project to do. I decided after I started construction to go with a 3 sided Tetrahedra that way it showed more negative space. With a 5 sided Tetrahedra it would have not given me any negative space at all to show and that probably would have effected my grade. I did also start to make one out of paper to get how the construction worked before going full size. But WOW! I think it turned out amazing and it was all made with just cardboard.
This was two projects in one, I had to do an abstract along with a sculpture out of green foam. First we had to pick a household item, I choose an XBOX 360 Live Camera. We then had to sketch out close ups to try to make it an abstract look. Then once we came up with those we picked one that we liked and did it in full size and color. I choose to do mine in colored pencils which I am finding I really enjoy working with. Once we completed that we then had to carve out the item in Green Foam. This is the green foam that fake flowers are shoved into to keep them upright. What a fun project and I was a little apprehensive to work in this medium because I did not know how it would react. I found out it was very east to work with if you just used your hands and fingers. No tools, tools simple break it apart, when using your hands you can slowly mold it to what ever shape you like. Here is some of the pictures of my work.
Sketchbook Pro all done on my computer and Wacom Tablet
Final
Green Foam
Final Project
My final project we had to read Grimm’s Fairy Tales The Golden Goose and then create a scenery from the story. I didn’t get much pictures of production as this was made the final day and I was up pretty late working on getting everything finalized for turn in. But here is the final results. I feel it turned out real good. My finger is still sore from using a dull exact knife to cut out all the pieces.
So as you can see I have been very busy over the past few months. Currently I am in Geometry and Measurements… grrrr! Not feeling this math class either but I will put my rhino horn to the grind stone and get it done and hopefully get out of there with another A for the collection. Thanks so much for baring with me over the past few months and not posting here, but as you may or may not know, you can always follow me on my Facebook page as that is also where I post lots of my school fun.
www.facebook.com/MyFullSailJourney
AAAAAAAAAA! Killing it at Full Sail University Game Art Program
Working hard ALWAYS pays off!
I am very excited to report that I have straight A’s right now. I did slip below my 4.0 GPA I was trying so hard to maintain, but not by very much at all. My goal is to maintain these straight A grades for the remainder of my time at Full Sail. This has been such an amazing ride so far and it is actually flying by. I have been through 9 classes, some easy, most difficult. I have strived to put forth my very best effort and I know that at the end of all this it will pay off.
Game Industry… You better be ready for 2016… I am coming strong!
My Final Project for MCR (Model Creation) and Final Grade! Woohoo! Guess what it is?
I am very excited to say I got a very good grade in MCR. I received a 97% on my Final Project which was a huge deal and as you can see it was worth 60% of my final grade. MCR was probably my hardest class I have had since being at Full Sail. We were Deep into Maya 2014 and modeling tons of props to create an entire scene. I, of course, choose one of the hardest scenes to challenge myself. I worked very hard for a week and a half and this was the results.
Please click on the image to blow it up and get all the full detail of my work.
Original Reference Image
I would really love to hear what you think of this? As you can see I tried to get as much detail out of all the props. The couches were my biggest challenge and I was running out of time towards the end. So those I do know they needed more work. But I would love to hear some constructive critique so I can improve. Thanks!
Here are my props that I created for this scene
I did have a LOT of fun in this class but I am happy that it is over. It was a lot of work, a lot of stress, and a lot of my free time taken up, but I feel I handled it well and I am very proud of my final project and my Final Grade. Another A+ in the books. I feel I learned a ton about Maya and I feel I have wrangled her under control. But now in Shading and Lighting she isn’t cooperating to well. But I will not give up, she will be wrapped around my finger very soon.
Welcome to MCR “Model Creation” I missed you Maya – Garage Scene
Welcome to MCR Week one!
I am very excited to be back in class after my long 2 weeks of Vacation time. My new class is Model Creation and we are working in Maya again. Oh how I have missed her, I did forgot what a Bitch she can be, but I am learning to tame her all over again. We have a great teacher, Frank Cordero. He is showing us all the short cuts that Steve Gold didn’t show us. We learned how do bevel edges so we can start making things look more realistic and less boxy.
First project is designing props to put into a garage scene using all the tools we know and all the shortcuts we are learning. Unlike 3DF, we are getting a LOT more detail out of these props. I was able to make all my props on time for the soft due date today and got an automatic 100% and extra credit towards my final project.
Here is my final results of my props I made in the garage scene.
Next up, a Cafe scene, More props and better quality! I will keep you guys updated with my progress.
2014 Starts off AMAZING!! ARTII Ends MCR Begins
Well, It has been a little bit since I have updated you. Art II was a BEAST of a class. Art I was a Beast as well, just in a different way. Art II was a lot more detailed work, plus we had to cram a 4 week class into 3 weeks due to the holidays. I did get an A so I am still rocking the straight A’s!! WOOHOO!!
I am so honored to have one of my pieces on the wall!
In Art I, I had 4 of my pieces of art chosen to be featured on the walls of the art building. This was a HUGE honor for me because I remember walking around Full Sail on my Behind the Scenes Tour and seeing the art work on the walls and being amazed and intimidated at the same time. I remember wondering if I had the talent to ever be as good as the other students who got their work featured. In 6 short months, I DID IT! During Art II, I walked in one day and this is what I saw. Hopefully my other pieces will show up soon.
Gladiator Robot Snow Man
My final piece for Art II was we had to design a character from scratch based on “Winter Themed” We had to draw a charter sheet to help figure out all the details of what your final charter will look like when we sculpt them. After that the sculpting began. It was a very fun yet challenging assignment. I was even not happy with how he was turning out in the beginning, but I kept pushing forward and making changes. After a few days he really started looking pretty cool. We used Sculpy, which is awesome because we could cook it right in the oven and was much easier to work with over ceramic clay. After baking him, we could paint our character for some extra credit, so of course I started laying down some paint. I felt the paint job is what pushed my piece over the edge and I was honored again, he was chosen to be put into the halls of the art building. I can not believe that so much of my art has been chosen to be shown off to everyone who walks the halls. I know there will be someone looking at my art work when they are on their Behind the Scenes Tour and I hope it will inspire them just as I was.
I had a GREAT Christmas and a Happy New year. But I just had to share what I got for Christmas!
My first day of MCR Model Creation was AWESOME! I am excited to get back on the computer and working with Maya. We will be doing some amazing looking things from what I have seen from some of my friends who have taken this class already. I am so excited to get started and will be trying to make sure I update you with everything I will be working on. The cool part from day one was the Lab… This class room was so amazing I remember it from my Behind the Scenes Tour because we have Dual Screen Macs to work on. It feels so professional and feels like I have a job in the industry already.
Glad to see my friends too!
The path has been paved… Now I walk that path.
I am sure many colleges talk about how people graduate and get jobs in their industry all the time. I am sure they claim all kinds of success stories. How many of them actually have those success stories back to show you that all your hard work will pay off in the end. Full Sail does it so often I can not even make it to each guest speaker. Today, I made sure I didn’t miss this one. I got to meet Dean Johnson who had the same dream as I do. He came to Full Sail, kicked butt, and went straight to the “BIG LEAGUES” after graduating… Microsoft! To see someone do exactly what I would want to do lets you know that these dreams are obtainable and the idea of graduating and getting that dream job can be done. I know it isn’t the same for each student, but I strongly believe I have what it takes to be that special case just like Dean. It reinforces that all my effort now will be worth it in the end. Thanks Dean for taking time out of your vacation to come show us that the light at the end of the tunnel is very bright and worth all the struggle.
FINALLY got my Wacom Intuos Pro Digital Sketch Pad
I am very excited that I finally got to pick up my Wacom Tablet and my first art book for my art classes. This thing is AWESOME and is going to make me a much better artist. I was going crazy last month watching all the “Full-Time” students getting theirs and bringing them to class while I had to sit and just droll at them. I can not wait to start posting my art that I create with it.
Amazing event @FullSail with Barry Hawkins from Riot Games!
First off, I have to say this was the largest event I have attended to date at Full Sail.
They were lined out the door almost 200 strong to see Barry Hawkins!
With that said, I knew this was going to be a great event to attend. Barry was one of the most articulate speakers I have seen come through Full Sail’s doors, since I have started. He brought the business side of the video game world in his speech that he prepared. It was nice to hear about the nitty-gritty business side of the video game world and not just the glitz and glamour that a lot only speak about. Coming from my business background, I could tell a lot of stuff he was speaking about might have been going over some of these kids heads, but I was soaking it all in like a dried out sponge. He spoke a lot about how a video game studios, like Riot Games, operates and their structure. My favorite part was the Riot Games Manifesto;
1. Player Experience First 2. Challenge Convention 3. Focus on Talent and Team
4. Take Play Seriously 5. Stay Hungry, Stay Humble
It is nice to know some companies still worry about the user’s experience before profits. I hope to work for a company that is like this when I graduate.
Yet again, I am blown away by how much my school works to get these amazing people, in our industry, down to speak with us. These guys take time out of their schedules to come down to give us n00bs a fresh and honest perspective of what we can expect when we graduate. BIG thanks also goes to Rob Coble for putting these events together. I get the feeling that he is the main reason most of these people come on down to Full Sail.
I am so glad I choose Full Sail as my college, because I KNOW there is no way I would have had this much networking opportunities at any other school.
My Full Sail Journey.com 