Particle World Transitions

I was trying to watch a movie on my computer and couldn't get it to load, so instead I decided to teach myself a little about particle transitions. This is based on a tutorial I found on creativecow.net and involves the word "Text" transforming into sand, dust, smoke, fire, and water (although the water looks a bit more like candle wax.)

If anyone else would like to give it a try, you can find the tutorial here:
Particle World Transitions - Part 1

I really enjoyed my first venture into visual effects. I'm finding it to have the technical side of rigging, which I enjoy, but without the inevitable explosion of rage. Time for more tutorials!



Particle Transitions from Nicole Van Luvender on Vimeo.

Frankenstein Dance Party

A while back I was watching a documentary on the real-life science of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein." It was really fascinating (and at times, rather gruesome) to see how scientists really were attempting things like that. And so I was inspired to make a short about it with my own special twist -- a little less gruesomeness and a little more dance party.

This AE short finally has color and sound! Woo! Enjoy!


Frankenstein Dance Party from Nicole Van Luvender on Vimeo.

Superior Spider-Man

 

This was a special request from my brother-in-law: Superior Spider-Man.  Spidey here was my trickiest amigurumi so far 1.) because his torso and arms aren't done in perfect rounds and 2.) because I had to figure out how to create the shape of his eyes, along with two spiders (front and back).  Then there was the whole being-covered-in-webbing thing.  Though actually, the webbing wasn't hard at all once I laid down a game plan. 




Total work time: approximately 40 hours. 

 

Eggs

Eggs from Nicole Van Luvender on Vimeo.

More fun with After Effects! I decided to start doing a series of short pieces to help improve my AE skills. This time, instead of a character test (don't worry, Roo will be back!) I made a short about a cannibalistic egg. Originally they were just little orbs, but I figured eggs would be more relatable. Is it weird that that's the point that concerned me?

In my next short I plan on adding color and possibly texture to the scene, along with sound and a little bit of special effects. I've already begun on the character designs, which are more Roo-like in nature. For now I'll call it "Science on a Budget." Stay tuned!

Roo Character Test

Playing around in After Effects with a character I'm thinking of using in some upcoming shorts.  She's got a nice, simple design so I can spend more time working on my favorite part -- animating! (which, I'm finding, is a lot of fun in AE.)

Oh Roo, you're so zany.



Roo Character Test from Nicole Van Luvender on Vimeo.

Pocket Zombie

After making the penguin for my coworker, I went on a trip to Walmart to see if they sold the doll joints that I use as safety eyes in my projects.  Well it turns out that no, they don't sell them there.  As I strolled along the craft isles, however, I found this bag of tiny buttons and thought to myself, "I want to make something with these!!!!"  (I think I was the only person in the store to get that excited over buttons.)  I purchased a bag and journeyed home feeling very, very crafty.

At this time I had just completed the game Plants vs. Zombies on the Nintendo DS.  In the game, as your plants shoot peas and other things at the attacking zombies, they steadily lose body parts until they are defeated.  This inspired me to create a tiny pocket-sized zombie with detachable skin.

Without Skin



With Skin

I crocheted tiny pants and an exposed heart to finish off the piece.  The detachable skin is connected to the rest of the arm by a small piece of yarn so that it cannot be misplaced.

Cutest Zombie Ever

Pocket Zombies: If the zombie's in your pocket, he's not eating your brains.

Chubby Penguin

Some time ago, my coworker and I got into a conversation about my crochet projects.  She asked if I could make her a penguin and I agreed. I sent her a link to some images on Google that showed what other people had made and told her to pick out what she liked and didn't like. (for example, did she like the chibi style, or something more realistic? Maybe some hints of both?) 

She sent me this picture and said "Make him!!"


Penguin reference found on the internet.

And so I printed the picture and went about trying to recreate this chubby little bundle of fun. This is what I came up with:

My Penguin.  Success!!

   It was fun trying to figure out how someone else created their work.  I never saw their actual pattern (I don't even know if they posted it anywhere) but I think I got pretty close.  In any case, my friend was thrilled, so that's all that matters!