Tuesday 3 July 2018
Wednesday 13 June 2018
Monday 28 May 2018
Major Project: Reflective Statement
For my Major Project, I fleshed out a small project I had been working on in which I drew 115 random concepts. I chose the characters I liked and then worked with them. At the start of this project, I was excited to design and refine the characters however when I got into the 3D workings on these characters I did feel anxious, especially with some of the changes in Maya. I'm glad that I was able to produce a Final Demo Reel because it became difficult to work with this anxiety and I was very unsure that I would finish.
My feeling throughout the project was poor mostly, however, this again was due to the ongoing problems I was having with my General Anxiety Disorder. I found that towards the later part of the project is when I really started to feel confident and productive when it came to working. This I believe was due to my anxiety levels being reduced from severe to healthy with ongoing treatment that I had been receiving. The last 3 weeks are really when I felt myself and I was confident and hardworking.
Good and Bad experiences came from this project. The Bad, was witnessing my own unprofessional side in which I was slow to meet my own deadlines, making me appear lazy or like someone that wasn't passionate about what they were doing. This is far from the truth and good news is, I am overcoming it. I felt positive about my end outcome though it was less than what I wanted initially. I tried my best to make up for that time I had lost to anxiety. The good experience overall is knowing that I can create charming characters and see them through the animation process as this is something I really enjoy doing. I also had a really great experience being able to design characters, especially those that are as fun as a starfish cheerleader! I'd like to look into more about design and expand to the skills I have already learnt.
In hindsight, there are things I would have liked to do differently. Some of these things cannot be changed due to the anxiety however, I think something that has really helped me is writing things down and planning ahead, it keeps me occupied and productive. That being said, I am proud of the work I produced. I believe it was fit for its purpose and will appeal to children. I also learnt new skills within Arnold and I really like this new renderer, though it takes longer I believe it really did help with the cartoon look of my characters.
In conclusion, I am happy with the work I produced, I just wish my anxiety had given me more time with it. While I can't change that, I will continue to improve and work towards bettering myself. When I am productive, I produce good work and I am able to meet deadlines. I really love working with characters and would love to draw more in the future. I can't wait to keep drawing and create more fun characters to share!
