Finding the Positive

[tealin]

I'm being a good citizen and learning CG at work ... I could make any number of pithy comments on it but the emphasis here is on good citizen, so I shall present you with the positive:

As CG lacks a gestural rough pass, as one does in 2D, there is no point in the process at which I must fully employ both left and right sides of my brain simultaneously, which means I can now listen to Radio 4 all the time. The immediately apparent benefits are that every morning will start with Eddie Mair and I will never miss another show again. The bigger picture, though, is this: Radio 4 is the happy drug that got me through several mind-numbing and existentially challenging productions in the past, international and domestic turmoil, emotional upheaval, deracination and homesickness, unemployment, chores, you name it ... as long as I have my aural narcotics I need never actually cope with anything ever again! Being stuck in a computer lab with twenty-eight copies of Maya is nothing!

I love you, Radio 4.

Comments

Mmm. CG.

[(Anonymous)]

I have been absent from your Livejournal for quite a while now. Shame on me.

I have a question about CG for you, if you care to answer it. As a young and aspiring future animator, would it be safe for me to start my animation education with 3D animation? I prefer 2D, but... well... I haven't really done much. Any, to tell you the truth. The college that I am attending does not offer 2D classes, but I'm afraid that taking 3D first will somehow ruin me. Tell me, IS IT SAFE?

I thought I should ask an actual animator this question since, chances are, an actual animator would know something about this. I won't be offended if you don't have time to answer this, promise :)

Re: Mmm. CG.

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

It won't ruin you. That is, CG won't. Bad teaching may give you a lot of things you may need to unlearn in the future, but it still won't ruin you (unless you're too lazy to relearn stuff, but that'd be your fault). The preferable method would be to learn 2D before CG, because there are basic things about posing and gesture that are much better learned through drawing than twiddling a little digital mannequin, but if you take a life drawing class that really emphasizes gesture, you might not fall too far behind in that area. CG will give you a place to experiment with and get a good feeling for timing, arcs, and stuff like that, so when you get into 2D you'll have that already, which may save you some time and frustration...

Re: Mmm. CG.

[(Anonymous)]

That's good to know, thanks!