Gimbel Lock Villain

The AM weekly sketch club topic was Gimbel Lock Villain, this is my interpretation. There's nothing more scary than a cross eyed monkey in underpants with a wrench. For you non 3D animators out there let me explain what gimbel lock is, gimbel lock happens when . . . uh . . . well lets just say its a very frustrating problem 3D animators run into now and again.

Long over due

Sorry the blog's been quiet for a while. But I've been busy as always. I've finished AM. That's me over on the far left side about half way up.


I've been working on my demo reel and short. I bought an Nintendo Wii and have been playing tennis till my my shoulders ache. Who would have thought you could get tennis elbow from a video game. I've been riding my mountain bike. I've been painting. I've been spending time with my wife. I've been working on some comics and drawing.


That bottom doodle is of three characters from a online comic I've been working on and off again for the past year. The story is almost done. I'm taking it slow and I hope to start drawing in January. The story will be in black and white but I've been playing with different methods of coloring and inking things to see what works for me.

I also decided to be a Peer Buddy at AM this quarter. Peer buddies are like student tutors at Animation Mentor. This enables me to stay in touch with all the great students still enrolled at AM. It also helps me work on my critiquing skills and animation eye.



It's been great! I'm getting to do all the things I didn't have time to do with all the deadlines and homework that go along with school. In a couple of months I should have my demo reel ready and then hopefully I'll get a job. Then I won't have time to do all the things I can do now. So I'm enjoying it while it lasts.

Monkeys are funny

Lunch Time Fan Art

At lunch I whipped up a quick sketch of some of the characters from th web comic Bug and Worm. It was of those rare comics that is made to be seen on the computer screen and it is really funny too. I laughed out loud many times as I read through the archives. I found the comic on the Flight forums and when the creator, Al B Moore was looking for sketches. I think this might get posted up on the Bug and Worm site as well.

AM Class 7 week 9

Now that blogger supports video a little more easier I'd thought I'd post some of my homework. This is the first third of my short. This is by far the most challenging third but it's coming along.

AM Weekly Sketch: STAR WARS!

Don't have much time so I won't say anything more about this than Chewbacca is awesome. On another note, blogger now lets you upload movie files so I'll probably start posting more homework.

Beaver and Steve #300!

My favorite comic (web or otherwise) these days Beaver and Steve reached the 300 comic milestone. That's quite an accomplishment for a creator who pumps out two comedy infused comics a week for no pay other than the glory lavished on the creators of web comics. Here's a link to number 300. Enjoy! I command you!

Siggraph 07 Here I Come!

I leave in eight hours for the AM Graduation ceremony and the Siggraph 07 conference. I'm super excited! I've really been cramming today to get my demo reel, resume, and cover letter in shape. You can check out my demo reel here (or click on the link on the right navigation bar).

http://www.jakekalsbeek.com/temp%20demo%20reel_ex.mov

Octopus Attack version 2

I got some great suggestions and comments from some of the comic pros on the flight forums.

http://www.flightcomics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=107612#107612

So I made a quick second pass on the Octopus Attack comic. I decided that Andrew's suggestions about the impact of the octopus grab really required a complete redrawing of the entire comic to get it right so I just tried to make the best of what I had. Also Andrew's comments about the panel where he flicks on the garbage disposal would require me to pull back the camera and break the rhythm of slowly pulling in. That might still be the best way to go but again it would require me redraw the entire comic to keep a consistent flow. Or maybe that flow isn't as important as I think. Either way I decided that having a tentacle wrapped around his head might be a nice compromise even if it isn't the best solution.

Octopus Attack

Here's a short comic that a made to work on my storytelling skills. Haven't you ever wondered how a garbage disposal works? Or worried what if whatever was inside the garbage disposal got too hungry? I do it's what keeps me up at night.

AM Weekly Sketch:Fighters

Just playing

Drawn in pencil, painted in black and white then scanned and colored in Photoshop. I'm trying to learn about color . . . and value . . . and I guess texture too.

AM Weekly Sketch: Weight

This weeks topic is weight. I guess a proper animation student would have drawn more of a force in action drawing, but I just had the urge to draw a fat cowboy.

Wall E viral marketing add

I want a Wall E!

AM Summer Sketch

Elephant was the topic of the week. I quickly sketched out an All-Star inspired mascot.

Bobby Chius video podcast

Bobby Chiu's video podcasts are always fun to watch and inspirational. He's sort of a modern day Bob Ross.

Zombie Quiz

Well it looks like I have only a so-so chance of survival when the zombies attack.

59%

This week's sketch club theme was "tattoo". I'm not a big tattoo guy so I went with an Animation Mentor themed tattoo.

Two More Paintings

A whole week of no school! That doesn't mean I don't have anything to do but it is a lot easier to procrastinate and play with no deadlines looming.

McCloud

Lisa and I went camping last weekend with my brother Joe and his wife Kate and my Mom and Dad at one of my favorite spots in the world. McCloud is in the Mt. Shasta area and is a really cool place to relax and check out a part of God's more wild creation. I've never kept a sketch journal of a trip before and thought it would be fun. Here it is. Enjoy.

My brother Joe wanted to start the campfire with a piece of flint. It is alot harder than it looks in the movies. But gasoline helps.

My beautiful wife on a hike we did on our first day up there.


This is my attempt at drawing a 4 legged 3 tentacle Wollywompus. But don't blame me if I didn't get it perfect, the little guys don't hold still.

There was this log laying across the creek that we had to cross. Getting down the other side was a bit of a challenge.


Our second day up there Joe, Lisa and I hiked on the east shoulder of Mt. Shasta. We hiked up to around 9,000 feet at the edge of the tree line and were surrounded by snow and rock. The last 5,000 feet of elevation looked intense.

On our way down Lisa used her wind breaker to slide on the snow part of the way down. This was the best way to get down the ridge we climbed up but it started a mini avalanche/mud slide that made a crazy sound.

Joe likes seasoning.


Camp on the third day.

I went on a ride and while I was "crushing it" over a bumpy section at around 20mph my chain got caught in my front derailure and my pedaling motion sent me flying over the handle bars. Luckily I was thrown about six feet further than my bike and the trail broke my fall. I escaped the whole affair with a flat front tire, a bent front derailure, a minor sprained wrist, and a few scratches.

My Mom scares easily and Joe got a little carried away.