Winnie the Pooh!

Okay, long story short: I have had a massive love of Winnie the Pooh for most of my freaking life. Not the massive love like, I collect Pooh stuff and crap. But I can quote Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree like a mad woman. AND! I can tell that they have altered the audio since it's original release on TV! Specifically, Christopher Robin's voice. Okay, enough of that.

So, for my independent study with Steve Anderson, my first assignment was to practice short-hand on a Winnie the Pooh scene. In an effort to GET a short-hand on a character, Steve told me to practice tracing the character designs first.
Yeah... Tracing! It happens in art school. Don't think it's weird. Been doing this for years.





Yeah... I freaking love what I do. XD

And here are a few of the doodles I tried to do shorthand with.





It's fun. Owl was SUPER EASY for me, but Pooh is FREAKING HARD! I want to give it another go and try some more. So yeah! Moving on!

New Love?

I don't know how to start this post, except to say that I feel like I have discovered a new love in my life.

That's a major kind of announcement, right? Like, not something you get to say everyday... But I am starting to think that I have really discovered someone who speaks to my heart. Someone who I want to spend time with. To get to know better. To take her in.

Honestly, I found her by accident. I'm sure it was the internet or something. But that stupid song is right! "Just one look is all it took." And ever since, I can't stop thinking about her. Her gorgeous red hair, her smile, her sweet face, her eyes, her beautiful skin, her sweet personality, and her grace and charm.
She's everything I want in a woman... AND I LIKE MEN!

She's bewitched me so much that I have images of her in my cube, in my dorm room, and I am seriously thinking about putting her on my cell phone skin or something! Hell, I'm even putting her in my FILM!

The ~only~ thing I wish I could change about her: her name... Hilda.




She is the creation of Duane Bryers, an illustrator of the 1950's. And she is- in my mind- simply perfect. She's everything I wish I could be as a big woman. Unlike most pin-ups from the 40's, she is not the "ideal" shape, but one single image of Hilda has more personality and heart than a thousand pin-up's of Betty Grable, Jane Russell (one of my favorites, actually), Veronica Lake, and Marilyn- all combined! Because Bryers wasn't limited to the typical pin-up poses, designed to show off the most desired parts of the female figure in their most 'flattering' views, he was free to do, well, basically anything he wanted. And did! You look at some of the poses and you just have to laugh! They are the most awkward positions imaginable! And yet, Hilda comes through, in sparkling fashion, to give us another glimpse at her personality and charm.

I love that she loves animals. And food! And just being. She is sweet to all animals and has hobbies! She paints, plays instruments, and does her own home repair! She is a woman after my own heart! She is active and fun and a working girl. A little country bumpkin.
I can relate to this a little. I ain't never milked a cow or anything, nor do I intend to any time in the near future! But as a Southern girl, I understand her.

Anyway, no- I am not coming out or anything. As I said- I like men. But I do think Hilda is absolutely beautiful. And as much as I would like to bottle her or something, I cannot keep her to myself. It would be cruel to cage such a sweet creature.

And I hope someone else reading this blog may discover her as I did. I am sharing the love. Pass it on! Hilda would...

Nothing really to report...

I know! I KNOW! "Who posts when they flat out admit that they have nothing to write about?!"

Well, apparently I do!

I just discovered that I have the night off and I am unsure about what to do with myself. I know I need to be working on my film, but... Tonight I just don't want to. So I'm going to write a little. I hope that's okay with you. And if it's not... Leave?

Today was the last day of the first week of the semester. That actually means very little, except that I have been to all of my classes, except- OH $*&^!!!! Gotta email someone real quick! Be right back! *runs*


Crickets chirp.



Whew! Sorry about that! I was supposed to email my teacher on Tuesday! Geez... SO! *ahem* Where were we?-

Oh yeah! Classes.
I am seriously trying to take it easy this semester- not for anyone's benefit but my own. I still have too much on my plate and by taking exactly 12 units, I am alleviating some of the strain, but I know I will need to watch it in other places as well. I am sort of sad that I might be missing out on some classes that I might have REALLY wanted to take before I left CalArts, but at this point- I just need to make sure I CAN leave CalArts!

MONDAY
I am taking Illustration with John Mahoney again. I want to push myself a little farther this semester, if I can. I played it a little safe last semester. I don't want to do that again. I work five hours in the Registrar's Office in the afternoon, and I am still in Monday night's 2D Character Animation with Randy Haycock. The man is amazing and I want to do better in his class this time. I feel like I somehow let him down and it kind of breaks my heart to do it. I want to animate better, faster, and- uhh, better!
TUESDAY
On Tuesdays, I doubled up on Mahoney's Sculpture class. I will be covered in Chavant clay from 9 AM to 4 PM every Tuesday and I couldn't possibly be more thrilled about it. After that, I have my in-room hours for RA.
WEDNESDAY
Wednesdays I have a very early morning RA meeting. (That's gonna suck... but maybe breakfast food?) *crosses fingers* Then I have a meeting with the career counselor here at school. She's also amazing. She's helping me get ready for graduation and applying for jobs and everything. She's really gone above and beyond her job description too. I work in the Registrar's Office again in the afternoon. Wednesday night is Film Workshop night with Chris Sonnenburg. The man is still one of the hardest guys in the industry- and I appreciate him for it, more than I can say. He's another teacher I REALLY don't want to let down.
THURSDAY
Thursdays are ALL MINE! No classes, no meetings, no RA duty- NOTHING! It is sacred! It is MINE MINE MINE MINE MINE!!!!!! Just like Daffy in Ali Baba Bunny!

Bugs Bunny - 009 - Ali Baba Bunny from trepo on Vimeo.

FRIDAY
Fridays are the worst so far... TA cleaning at 7 AM.


*waits for it*

Ahem... perhaps you didn't understand me... *clears throat*

SEVEN A! M! As in, IN THE MORNING!!!! SEVEN O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!!!!! You might as well KILL ME!

Anyway- after that, I have time to have a little breakfast, then I have my RA Office Hour. After that, the day is semi-mine, until the Friday night guest lecture- which is where I would be now... If the guy had shown up! XD Yeah, we have no clue where he is or why he didn't come tonight. Everyone just hopes he's okay.

Weekends are split between "me-time" which ACTUALLY equals "film-time" and RA duties.

I don't know yet if I will be able to pull this off, but I am going to tackle it as best I can. I hope to post some of the work for my film as I finish it. We shall see! Night!

Eighth Time Around the Bend

I am exhausted. I am drained. And the semester hasn't even started yet.

Today, I signed up for the last classes I will ever take at CalArts. I don't think that has fully set in yet. I had my eighth and last class sign-up day. The "Arena", as the Registrar's office calls it. (Other names: Hell, Worst Day Ever, The Pit- well, you get the idea...)

Personally, I love going into the Arena. Something about it feels very real and accessible. Signing up for classes online is just boring to me. I like speaking to a teacher in the face. (And free donuts!) And if you know how to do it "right", you can be in & out in no time at all. Granted, I don't know that I have had a "real" experience with the event in my full four years of being here because I have worked it every time. My first one my freshman year, just a few days after moving to California, I had no idea what I was doing. I knew no one! I remember sitting with Maureen Furniss and signing up for her History of Character Animation class. And I remember the ANCIENT computers! (Three have died this year- their loss is ... sort of being mourned.) The next semester, I was AT the Ancient Computers- entering classes! I remember putting Nelson Boles' classes in. First time I'd ever really spoken to him. Intimidated the crap out of me.

The second year, I worked both semesters. Same with third year and now fourth. It has changed a lot in four years. My freshman year, it was two half-days. The first half of the alphabet on Thursday, the second on Friday. We worked registration all morning, then I had the whole afternoon to gather up all the course request cards and get them partially organized before the second day when 500-700 more were turned in. My second year, I was upset when they pushed it all into one freaking long day. The students don't care- neither do the teachers. But the Registrar's office gets SLAMMED!

I guess maybe I feel it a little more acutely because I don't just work it, but I'm supposed to be getting all of my classes, too! Thankfully, the office understands this and lets me get what I need then show up and do what I can to make things go easier.

Last semester was hard! There were SO MANY good classes I wanted! Illustration and Sculpture with John Mahoney, Screenwriting with Nicole Panter, freaking FILM GRAMMAR with BRUCE BLOCK! (yes, he deserves capital letters), and my story class with Steve Anderson. Getting in five separate lines for just as many classes takes time. But you get to stand there with your classmates and talk about their break and how things are going and such. But I have to trick the system. I show up early so that I can be the very first person in line at 9 AM, when it starts. That helps a lot, especially if the teacher signing you up likes you and will either let you sign up before 9 or will let you skip across the table rather than going to the back of the line. HAHA! (Ok, ok, this doesn't happen all that often, but occasionally you can get lucky.)

This semester is different. For the first time, it's less about what classes I want. It's more about- how can I take as little as possible, with as little homework as possible so that I can SURVIVE?!?! I am going to be at exactly 12 units- the absolute minimum to be a full-time student. I've never taken so few units. My average used to be about 17. Maybe that doesn't sound like much, but consider that one unit is supposed to be equal to 3 hours of homework. (For you un-math-saavy people- that's 15 hours of homework a week.) I need that time for my film. I MUST finish this film. For me, this isn't even about program requirements- this is about: I WANT to finish this film! I want something to show and be proud of.

My head is getting fuzzy... I think I'm going to call it. I still have to decide if I am hungry enough to walk all the way to the Caf for dinner. Major life decisions here.