Third year is coming!

Second year is done, and now spring holidays are coming to an end as well... Time goes fast, I am 3rd year already!

Regarding this two semester, I don't even know from what should I start! I learned so much and got so much experience, even if I'm not so good enough. I also have a really good relation with my animation teachers: I had the opportunity to visit a small indipendent animation studio, I went out with my character design teacher and other friends. At first I thought really difficult to talk with teachers and stuff, but then It wasn't absolutely like that, people are not what they appear to be.
The guy on the right is my character for character design class, I had to think about his personality and background, to create action poses and clothes and finally to make a short animation with the teacher's storyboard. Together with this, we had also teacher's character and we had to do another animation. It was really hard... but not only this class even perspective was difficult, but the teacher was really nice. I think that I improved, but just a bit, nothing more..

ツカレルナ！(Tsukareruna!)

On second semester I have started taking script class, animation script class and general script class. It was really, REALLY hard to write and read scripts in japanese. Most of the time I was really frustated because I couldn't read and understand everthing perfectly...Writing and explaining what you want to say is really complicated, ideas and images flow in the mind, but is really difficult to take them out. And think about doing all of this in another language...
For animation class I read a kind of light novel (the one on the left). It was difficult at first but It helps me a lot on improving my japanese. The story actually wasn't so bad (but I still don't like idol, bleargh), It was easy and with a simple structure. 
The other script class was more about talking with teacher and creating your own original story. The teacher was strict, but a really GOOD teacher. I think I have learn so much about story in this class, and I think I need to learn even more (I want to learn more!).
My story was actually something like old animation, Heidi, Romeo's blue sky.... the so called World Masterpiece Theater (世界名作劇場, Sekai Meisaku Gekijō), I love this kind of animation because is simple but well created, with a good balance of everything and a moral, a message inside. It's really difficult to find anime pure like these nowaday.
 
During spring holidays I practiced with anatomy, colours and other drawings. I'm also trying to create a story for a comic. I did some simple concept like characters and situations. The 2 characters on the right are an example.
I'm now creating the pages, but It's a bit longer that what I wanted to create, so It will take a lot of time to draw and complete everything^^"
Thanks to a friend I have tried a different ink and paper, and It was really good. Then I used tones that I bought back in Japan
I had to make my own light box because in Italy It's difficult to find a good one, and buying a new one is really expensive so....
The 2 characters on the light box are original as well, they are from a story I had created with my japanese friend. It will be nice to se them animated in the future....

Old good 2D animation

Second year first semester has started and I have so many things to do... orz @_@
I'm in the animation course, so this year I skipped 3DCG class. Actually It's not like I skipped that, because of some stupid rules I couldn't take the 3DCG class. I like 3DCG,  but I prefer traditional animation. Even if 2D animators life is tough...

Timesheet, at first worst enemy...but if you want to be an animator, you need to know this!

The teacher are really good. I like the way they explain us everything. Actually they are not real "professor" they are just professional people working in animation.

tracing and making nice lines is really important in animation

We have also a trace class, first 3 lessons we did the digital part, from lesson 4 everything is analogue. When you scan the drawings your linearts should be clear so you can instantly color the character. However you can also make the lineart on computer with different softwares.

Doodling in the caffetteria with friends

tables with white boards are the best!

Vyse is always the best!

I watched E3, not so much to say... about square enix, for me Nomura is an idiot, and he will destroy everything lol For Nintendo, X looks amazing, I believe in Monolith Soft for an original RPG beautiful as Xenoblade was.... ah and there is new super smash bros! WOW The new characters Megaman and the Villager are just amazing.

Creepy!

3 kitties and a dragon

I'm working with other 2 guys on a short 3DCG movie, I hope to finish everything on time. We are so late with the schedule *SIGH*
Here's some screenshots

3 cats and the mountain

there is dragon, rawr!

just need to adjust some lighting/rendering settings

Fat Kitty is back

.....and bigger than ever



Epic fail at 00:31 -_-"

Let's fill the world with Skies of Arcadia!

Because you should know that I LOVE Skies of Arcadia, even if I played only Legends for Gamecube (unfortunately I don't have a Dreamcast). You don't know this game? Well, just google It or look on the internet, I mean we are in 2013 don't be lazy! :P
For graphic design class we had to create our own book, design, text, everything, so I decided to make a fanbook. I actually drew a short doujinshi (comic) for the Skies Of Arcadia Legends 10th anniversary Fanbook sold at Comic Market last winter.

Front and cack cover

I decided to put the short comic inside the book, I wrote also a review, kind of a game description with all my opinions concerning the game. The most difficult part was actually write everything in japanese... well dictionary and internet helped me a lot^^

inside the book

I'm so glad I finish everything before the deadline...
If you have time and if you like RPG you should-no wait, YOU HAD TO play this game! Atmosphere, Story, Characters, setting, everything is just so amazing^^

Talking about games, I have recently bought a Ps3!
Tadaaaaan is Nino Kuni Special Edition!

Nyanko sensei not included

First thing I have done is... BUY JOURNEY. That's not a game, that's art! If you have a Ps3 you should buy It as well... BUY IT NOW.
Then I just try to play a psone game I bought the same day...

It works!!!

FFIX is another one of my favourite games. I like the cheerful world, and the funny characters in the game. Really unique in Its stlye, one of my fav FF with VI.
Playing the japanese version make me remember all the good memories I had when I played It many years ago^^

ポケモン Pokèmon Y and X

 ポケットモンスターの新作シリズが発表された！
なんか急にポケモンの絵が増えて来た気がするwww
A new Pokèmon game is coming! And then Fan-arts EVERYWHERE lol

描きたくなった。。。この三匹を描いてみた
I have tried to draw the new starters as well... during class.

Anime Studio

So, this week I went to A-1 Pcitures Studio for a fieldtrip with one of my professors, a great opportunity and It was really interesting. You probably know this Studio, it has produced anime like Tetsuwan Birdy, Ao no Exorcist, Tsuritama, Idol Master, Fractale, Valkyria chronicles, Kuoshitsuji, Fairy Tail.... and their last works are Brothers in space, Sword Art Online, Magi and Shin sekai yori (btw this last one is one of my favourite anime right now). We took just a quick look at the studio because of course everyone was busy on the studio's next projects.
Well speaking about the studio, the building is brand new not really big, but the space is well organized and each department is divided in 3 floors. The animator's conditions and their working space seems good as well. You shoul know that when you talk about animators in Japan, you usally think of poor working condtions and a low salary(100￥ for 1 drawing), everyone know the sterotype regarding animators that eat instant ramen everyday because they can't afford more than that. My animation's teacher said that animator's life is hard, you have to work a lot not only for money but because the job is like that, you won't leave the studio until you have finished everything. Now she is working for Sunrise's Gundam Unicorn episode 6, and she said that the Studio is a 戦場 (senjou) which means battlefield LOL but she loves her work, and I think that only that is just amazing.
Well the people working there reassure us about that. We have also the opportunity to talk with one of the producers of A-1 Pictures, I ask him something about the character designer's job. It looks like chara designers have a lot of powers corning creativity, that's cool.

Anyway, I'm still working on 3DCG. I haven't really decided what to do in the future (except being character designer), but I want to study both 3D and 2D technics! I will try to do both next year, even if It will be difficult... But I must say one thing.... I'm starting loving 3DCG!

New character! This time no fat, but still a cat

His name is Baldassarre, an adventurer cat-knight you can find an artwork HERE.
I made this character for my 3DCG class on second term. It took almost 3 months for modelling, UV, textures and animation settings. Also I need to add coat and feather, they will take years to render ARGH. Well I didn't want to use him just like an homework, so I decided to make a short movie with 2 other friends. The main character is Baldassarre, 2 more kitties and... a dragon! Next project will be taking part in a contest next july, hope we will finish in time!

学園際 School Festival!

So at the end of October my university had the school festival!
If you had watched anime, dorama or read manga, you will probably know about school festival.
It is known as a national event called Japanese Cultural Festival 文化祭 (bunkasai) or 学園祭 (gakuensai), two different words with basically the same meaning. 
It was the first time for me to actually take part at something like that (last year I went only to see a friend's school). Well, I must say that I love the atmosphere about It, most of the students are damn serious about the festival! The school staff, the students even the teachers help with the preparations, and the day before and after the festival there is no class. I mean, wow! Back to my highschool we had something like that, called "open day" for people that wanted to see our school. At elementary school I have done something fun, but during middle high and high school we have done pratically nothing (in Japan seems to be the complete opposite). In my high school just a few people were serious about it, and thinking about taking one day, or just one afternoon for arrangements was something crazy.

we sell postcards and pins with our 3DCG club's characters!  Then one of my senpai was playing the old Mother on the pocket famicon, it instantly got my attention lol

The festival was full of events. We had a japanese speech contest for exchage students like me. I created a small animation video for my chinese friends that were taking part in It, and one of them actually won the second place, cool! Then we had cosplay contest and photoshop-illustrator explanations and tutorials done by one of my senpai.
Since I've joined the 3DCG club, I stayed in the room for the 2 days of the festival and help with things. We also showed our short movies during the festival.
I created my short movie in like 1 month and half, 4 weeks for animation and the rest for modelling... I just realized that working on 3DCG is to damn hard, especially if you are alone.





Man, lighting is so baaaaad rofl And everytime I moved the cat I had all sort of problems lol
Next time I'm gonna work with other 2 friends from the 3DCG club, and we are going to make a short clip for a contest next year, gonna do my best!
Right now I'm creating another cat, a knight cat for my 3DCG class, I have just discovere mudbox and MAN I LOVE IT. I have loved 3DCG since i was a kid watching the CG cutscenes in videogames like FFIX (I will never forget the opening and the opera scene), but I like hand drawing animation as well.
I'm studying 2D animation too, It's difficult as hell but I love It... and that's also because of my teacher, she is amazing and really LOVES her work. Even if the pay is low, the work hard, LONG, and she usually doesn't sleep for 2 days, she keep doing It because she likes animation, and she is proud of that. Even when she was young and animation studios said "we don't take women because they will get married someday" she kept her dream and realized It, she didn't give up. I really admire, respect her.. and all the good animators around the world.
Aaahh, but someday I will have to choose between anime and 3DCG.. T_T
Well, now I go back to work, I'm way too busy.. lately I have done also a short comic for a Skies of Arcadia 10th anniversary anthology (It's an old game for dreamcast and remake for gamecube, one of my favourite games EVER) because the founder of the project asked me,  It will be sold at comiket this winter^^
So, see you next post for updates ;)