Project Review The Phantom 2040 PART CVI [106th] Small Prop Design Sketches

 When Kit Walker visits his friends at Collage, they play a bit of "flying Frisbee' so I designed this.

 During the ground breaking ceremony for Cyberville, Rebecca Madison breaks ground, naturally using a B.I.O.T. to do the dirty work using this golden shovel.

 

 Sagan Cruz has this stun wand she uses to discourage the B.I.O.T's.

Even a small cylinder that floats down on a mini parachute is tall and thin proportionally.

Project Review
The Phantom 2040
PART CVI [106th]

Small Prop Design Sketches

Client: Hearst Animation Productions.
Art Director: Myself.
Project Date Spring 1993.

This is my 106th post of my work I did for the TV animated series, The Phantom 2040 from in the early ninety's, and I have put up a few more small props I designed for the show for todays 2D posting.

2D is a vital part of a good 3D Designers skill set since every 3D artist uses 2D skills first, it helps both skills to practice outside the computer on a regular basis, so I regularly still draw as I can find time to.

Some of the scans I put up are a quick little items that may take just 5 minutes to design out for me, and to connect the look of every part of the Phantoms world is easy since I developed the theme for the show, so I know how to stick to it with the "Tall and Thin" , Art Nouveau proportions etc.

Even with a prop like a simple shovel, you can have fun with it as I did a wrapped hoop design made from thin gold as the handle, and developed the look of the tall pile of sand too. That sand may seem throw away, but if you do not specify, you get a "blob", no proportions or mass, so I figured, design as much as I can.

If you are a FAN of The Phantom 2040, and on FACEBOOK, there is a group for that....  here.

There is a TAG on the list to the RIGHT for other Phantom 2o4o entry's, but you can click this as well.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Scary Movie 3-PART II: The Alien Model

Here are the head shots I did for Scary Movie 3 Poster concept with the smiling one finishing out here.

I exported the model over to Matt Hartle and he rigged, and posed the asset and re exported it back to me to render to the final here.

Here is the base model of the Alien in the X-Pose, you can see the sub surface light thru the alien skin.

The base model without any subdivision added on

Here is the same model with a Turbo-smooth set at 2 levels of geometry.

A closer view on the face and chest model.

A subdivided shot of the same view that I built out in about 5 Hrs for this quick turn around project.

Project Review
Scary Movie 3
PART II- The Alien 3D Model

Client: Dimension Films via BLT and Associates.
Art Director(s): Zach Ris, Marcus Almaraz, Jeff Barnett, and Jeremy Gerdone.
Project Date: Spring 2003.

In this, my second posting for the 3D Illustration and 3D Animation work I performed for the third film in the Scary Movie Franchise back in 2003 while I was still in house at BLT and Associates I have posted the Alien model that was used in a few finished posters for the film, and we can look behind the art a bit today.

I built out the full alien as a sub-division poly model, and this was very early in my learning curve on the technique. This project also was the first for me to use the new Sub-Surface Scattering effects in the then new, Final Render, a Global Illumination Render Engine I use in 3D max to this day.

Above I have posted the running pose[ done in Maya by Matt Hartle], as well as the color swaps from green to blue in skin color and the various head shots.

Always a fun day getting paid to build out little green men!

You can view my PART I here.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review The Phantom 2040 PART CV [105th] Layout Design Underlay Sketches

A grid layout of an exterior area of an outdoor mall/arcade from the Phantom 2040 DVD Movie, and early episodes.

I very quick blocking I did up in Canada for the layout team to break down the design into its most simple forms for the Living Room where Kit Walker lives with his Aunt Heloise.

I simple blocked proportion of "tall and thin" in this little closet in the Phantoms Frank Lloyd Wright inspired Lair.

Here is my original rough pencil sketch on tracing that was used both in the show, and also as a part of the promotional package here.

Project Review
The Phantom 2040
PART CV [105th]

Layout Design Underlay Sketches

Client: Hearst Animation Productions.
Art Director: Myself.
Project Date Spring 1993.

This is my 105th post of my work from the TV animated series, The Phantom 2040 from in the early ninety's, and I have scanned and posted up a few more underlay drawing from the many layout designs I provided the team.

Some layouts were full bore, completed to the end with all detials you would expect, but a large portion were done this way to get more blocking and camera angles into more shots. I would do one tight design and 30 roughs like these to help the layout, storyboard, and background painting teams to get the direction right on the first pass. This is key in a lower budgeted show, its all about the tricks to get a better product for the money, as far as Art Direction is concerned.

I teach, that you draw lightly on the first pass, and build up the design over and over until you have what you want, then do a clean overlay. These are those first pass sketches here.

If you are a FAN of The Phantom 2040, and on FACEBOOK, there is a group for that....  here.

There is a TAG on the list to the RIGHT for other Phantom 2o4o entry's, but you can click this as well.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Homes by Farr PART II Splash Page Designs for the Website

Once I set the scene up, I duplicated the sign a few times to show depth to the scene.

Here is the way the 3D geometry was built out for the shot.

 A 3/4 view showing the little hill I built that rolled away to help create depth in this scene.

 I also brought back an old mascot from my Launch.com days and put the Praying Mantis in the tall grass, as seen in this Sepia Toned Image.

I also did a dusk/night shot as well, theory being we could fade between the two images as needed for a bit of animation on the site if that was desired

Project Review: 

Homes by Farr PART II
Splash Page Designs for the Website 

Client: Mike Farr,Owner: Homes by Farr.
Art Direction: Collaboration with Mike and I.
Project Date: Summer 2011.

Today is a posting of PART II, on the work I designed for Mike Farr,owner of, Homes by Farr out of Littleton Colorado, where I grew up. In todays entry, I cover the design of a simple splash page that also showcased the yard sign I helped out design for Mike and used it in this wide format Image for his blog.

A simple grassy hill with the Real Estate Yard Sign was the concept, and I added in an actual Colorado sky image I took during my last vacation out there as the daylight source.

I experimented with a few configurations and color schemes eventually ending up where we had just the one sign shot in the standard daylight set-up, and during the virtual night as well. I also did an alt with the sepia look too as seen posted above.

You can peek at the site here.
Cheers, THOM

Project Review The Phantom 2040 PART CIV [104th] Transportation Design Underlay Sketches

 Here is the rough for the blimp design for Maxwells, The Woomera, used in the Australia sequence.[ And here, and here too]

 An Enforcer Hyper-cruiser[ Flying Car]concept that I did a few passes at.

 A Space Speeder for a sequence with Sean-One up in Space.

 Here we  have a base proportion drawing for the widely used Enforcer Personnel Carrier seen here., and here

Project Review
The Phantom 2040
PART CIV [104th]

Transportation Design Underlay Sketches

Client: Hearst Animation Productions.
Art Director: Myself.
Project Date Spring 1993.

This is my 104th post of my work from the TV animated series, The Phantom 2040 from in the early ninety's, and I have posted a few added underlay drawing for some key vehicles from the animation series for today.

I always do some sort of rough sketch first in the design process, sometimes a small scribble freehand is enlarged on the Xerox[ back in 1991], and I draw over that, and sometimes I build out a tight perspective grid to build over that. Any way you slice it, I always do at least two versions to work stuff out while sketching. 

This is what I teach, that you draw lightly on the first pass, and build up the design over and over until you have what you want, then do a clean overlay.

If you are a FAN of The Phantom 2040, and on FACEBOOK, there is a group for that....  here.

There is a TAG on the list to the RIGHT for other Phantom 2o4o entry's, but you can click this as well.

Cheers, THOM

Project Review: Wolfgang Puck Restaurant Icon for Universal Studios Holywood 2005

 A very early concept for the Wolfgang Puck Logo I did in 3D back in 05'

 We played with various colors on the filmstrip and different wound up film looks too.

 This is the final design that went to finish at 4500 pixels wide for Universal Studios Hollyoods Wolfgang Puck franchise in the park.

 Here is the polygon view of the final frame.

 A zoomed in camera showing the rounded bevel details on the film strip edge to stylize the look and get some nice highlights.

 Here is the Poly view showing the the low rez quad modeled form and the smoothed subdivided final model next to it.

Project Review

Wolfgang Puck Restaurant Icon

for

Universal Studios Hollywood 2005

Client: Wolfgang Puck Restaurants via Universal Studios via The Cimarron Group.
Art Director Mary-Ellen Schrock.
Project Date: 2005.

When I was in-house at the Cimarron Group from 2003 to October 2009, I provided 3D Design, 3D Illustration, 3D animations,  and custom 3D modeling services to the various divisions at Cimarron, and the Corporate Division had a running client contract back then with Universal Studios Hollywood, and I had done quite a few projects for Mary Ellen and her teams in the past.

Mary Ellen had me build out this 3D illustration with a simple concept of a fork with wrapped film strips like spagetti would be, would up in a ball on the end.

As seen above, we experimented with a few looks in both colors, and the way the film wound up around the fork tip.

It eventually finished out and was used in the fine dining franchise in the park.

Cheers, THOM

Production Design: Raveonettes' Music Video: Heart of Stone Heart Mountain Design Development PART V

 

 The first pass quick freehand blocking on 8.5 x 11 bond for the Raveonettes Heart of Stone Video.

 Here is the overlay second pass using a few templates to clean it up along with added freehand as well.

 Here are the above two underlays still taped together as I put both under velum to finish up.

 Here are all three layers still together before I pull them apart to isolate the final on top.

 

The final delivered Image[ re-posted] with just the final layer.

Production Design:
Raveonettes' Music Video: Heart of Stone
Heart Mountain Design Development 
PART V

Client: Blind.
Art Director: Chris Do.
Project Date: January 2010

Today I have posted my fifth part, in a series on the Production Design work I did for the Music Video Heart of Stone, by the Raveonettes, and for todays posting I am showing the 'behind the process', in the creation of the 3rd Acts Heart Mountain set-piece.

I had bout 4 hrs for each design and so for this one I did two very fast doodles as seen above. The first was all freehand getting base proportions in, while the second layer I used a few templates to tighten it up.

I also have the two still taped together as it is when I sketched over it on velum. I sometime use a small lightbox for details, but for the most part the velum is transluscent enough to see what I am doing.

I also re-posted the final I delivered to the team at Blind to build out for the Music Video.

Cheers, THOM

You can view the prior posts below:
PART I
PART II 
PART III 
PART IV

The Music Video is here.

Project Review: Iron Monkey 2001: USA DVD re-release Key Art.

 The final 3D Logo I did back a decade ago in 2001 for the USA re-release of Iron Monkey while in-house at BLT and Associates.

 Here is just the type itself used in various applications as a small stacked icon.

 A 3/4 shot showing the chamfered and beveled edges I did for the file.

 The base asset geometry. Simple and quick delivery[ under 1 Hr.]

 Here is the final DVD Key Art using my 3D Logo.

Project Review

Iron Monkey 2001

USA DVD re-release Key Art

Client:Miramax Films
Art Direction:Hunger Lam
Project Date: October 2001.

Thank you all for your patience with the lack in posting all last week. So after a long illness, and a full replacement of all PC's here at the studio, here is my first post from all new PC's, with all new OS's,and all new software.

I was in-house at BLT and Associates back in 2001, and this was one of my early 3D finishes that made it to print while I was running my little One man Army there.

Art Director, Hunger Lam provided the vectors to me for the job,and the art direction, and the project was managed by Steve Gold. A simple straight forward 3D logo with a rounded bevels, and a big "Gong" Icon with the monkey brush stroke in gold on it.

This was my first big render at the time of 5000 pixels wide, which now a decade later is the standard size for a one sheet movie poster finished logo as I deliver them out.

Cheers, THOM

UPDATE: Lack of Posts

I have been ill for over a week, and that bookended with my full replacing of my 3D PC's in the studio[ a 14 Hr swap out], so posting has been lite the last week.

Look for a new postings within a few days as I am catching up today on work and assorted tasks!

Cheers, THOM

Launch City Part IX[Nine] Launch City Redesign Build-Out for Issue #41

 Here is the final geometry for the Launch City Re-Design I did back in 1999 for Launch.Com

 An overhead shot shows how I placed each building to fit into the Camera-Cone with actual geometry "walls' for the cone, to let me know where I was in camera when designing.

 This was a 640x480 side scrolling interface three screen wide and here is the Left side of the model close up.

 Here is a close up of the Middle of the city with the little diner up front.

Here is a geometry close-up of the right side of the city

Here is a re-posted shot of the fully rendered City I designed for Launch.com

 Launch City Part IX[Nine]

Launch City Redesign Build-Out for Issue #41

Client: Launch Media Inc.
Art Director: Myself
Project Date: 1999

NOTE: I was off for the fourth of July so this is from yesterday

In this, my 9th post on LAUNCH city for Launch.com, I am posting the city itself in more detail, with close up renders of the geometry I designed and built out to create the new wide format 'virtual' city for the CD-zine back in the last of the 90's.

I was brought in to fully redesign the city, and as a prior Disney Imagineer, this was right up my alley.

I thematically gave each part of town a distinctive look to the architecture so that the human mapping ability would be used through color and shape language, so the viewer would recognize where they are in the city based on design and not just graphic directions.

I have many posts covering the various locations that we sold off as virtual real estate to advertisers, the links are all below.

Cheers, THOM

To view PART I on Launch City you can go here.

To view PART II go here.

To view PART III for the Train Station "Twitch" look here.

To view PART-IV look here.

To view PART V- you can click here.

To view PART VI [ the sub!] go here. 

To view PART VII-The Vault, go here.

to view PART VIII-Target-Jukebox Twitch, go here.