Thicken your skin!
Today I turned in an animation at work of a run cycle. Simple enough, right? Well the person I handed it off to wasn't happy with the cycle. They said it was too fast and too lite for such a heavy creature.
They were right.
Of course that didn't make it sting less, because I had spent a good deal of time creating it. It's part of the job though, and as Artists we need to make sure our skin is nice and thick. Doing so will ensure that you don't take stuff too personally and in turn will make you better at your craft.
In my first semester at art school, I was brought to the brink of tears on several occasions by critiques. Looking back on it now, those were cake compared to some of the critiques I received in the years since. I just hadn't developed my 2nd, and 3rd and 50th layers of skin, so those early sessions were the toughest. However in almost every single case, the critique was correct, and it not only strengthened my current piece but also helped me to avoid similar issues with future pieces of work.
As long as the person you're working with doesn't have some crazy vendetta against you, trust in what they say, but take it with a grain of salt. In other words, be confident in your work and know when to stand your ground, but if what they're saying makes sense, then don't be afraid to swallow your pride and make the changes.
I slowed down the run cycle, added in some additional weight to the hips and hands, and made a few other adjustments, and the resulting animation was far better than my original.
If you just can't seem to grow thicker skin, then wear a suit of armor. It may not help against critiques, but at least it will look awesome.
They were right.
Of course that didn't make it sting less, because I had spent a good deal of time creating it. It's part of the job though, and as Artists we need to make sure our skin is nice and thick. Doing so will ensure that you don't take stuff too personally and in turn will make you better at your craft.
In my first semester at art school, I was brought to the brink of tears on several occasions by critiques. Looking back on it now, those were cake compared to some of the critiques I received in the years since. I just hadn't developed my 2nd, and 3rd and 50th layers of skin, so those early sessions were the toughest. However in almost every single case, the critique was correct, and it not only strengthened my current piece but also helped me to avoid similar issues with future pieces of work.
As long as the person you're working with doesn't have some crazy vendetta against you, trust in what they say, but take it with a grain of salt. In other words, be confident in your work and know when to stand your ground, but if what they're saying makes sense, then don't be afraid to swallow your pride and make the changes.
I slowed down the run cycle, added in some additional weight to the hips and hands, and made a few other adjustments, and the resulting animation was far better than my original.
If you just can't seem to grow thicker skin, then wear a suit of armor. It may not help against critiques, but at least it will look awesome.
Labels: tips and tricks
Share this on: facebook
posted by Dave Johnson at
3:28 PM
2 Comments:
The heaviness in CGI animation is a constant problem. I see feather-light dinosaurs skimming across the countryside and buses and trucks lightly bouncing around without a squash or a stretch.
I'm so please to hear that one CAN add "heaviness" and hope to see much much more of it. Heavy things and creatures have weight and we need to see their heft sinking and overlapping and rising up and crashing about.
It's a good tip!
You are truly right my friend.
The only problem is that we ususally think smart after we got hurt/tempered, and had time to calm down.
It reminds me how I always write down everything I need to do each day in order to not miss a thing.
The only problem is... I don't remember to look at my schedule ;)
Thanks for sharing, it happends to all of us but usually nobody speaks about it.
Post a Comment
<< Home