Showing posts with label concept art. Show all posts
Showing posts with label concept art. Show all posts

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Black UniGryphon Fursona Logo Animation Concept Art 002

I actually thought I was going to have a lot more progress with this since last month, but I didn't really get to working on this that much, or the storyboards I'd wanted.

I got a mixed response on Instagram.

I think most people confused the 3rd sketch with the 2nd sketch. Whatever. Can't make people love or understand you!





Here's what I did, so far, in order:




Here's just another extra bit I randomly did for that Seven Days of Artworks Challenge:



There's so much I could do with this concept, but I just REALLY need my anatomy skills, at a better level. I'm running out of paper tho'.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Black UniGryphon Logo Rough Animation Concept Art

 I want to eventually animate my Fursona/Logo of my Black UniGryphon character/Trademark. (Vallour Nikee). ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Copyright Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman

So, I gotta keep it 100% real w/you: I could seriously spend ALL YEAR (referring to 2017) working on this, because it seriously is grabbing me, mentally, and emotionally... But, I'm gonna shove this to the back burner pretty soon.

There are 2 reasons for this:

I.) Anatomy:

I want to improve my anatomy and proportions, hence my drawing skills a bit further. I was at first surprised that my ability to draw the wings in foreshortened, dynamic, forced perspective... but, then i realized it was due to the basics of the geometry of it, which i apparently can still "eyeball".

I'm just not happy with my anatomy, nor my proportions which need quite a lot of rigorous practice. I'm VERY self critical, and tend to be a perfectionist. But, I'm glad I at least did the rough concepts. i may actually finish the latest sketch I just did, to a point.

II.) Eyewitness Storyboards:

I kinda just started this on a whim/intense inspired need to do it that was just sort of burting out of me. I'd already made up my mind to at least commit to some rough sketching storyboards for my Eyewitness project/series (written about on my other blog). I was mostly trying to practice drawing foxes to come up with a rough/simple design or at least something workable for the animated short to at least get put into motion.

Why Eyewitness of this? Well, actually the Eyewitness project is actually quite grand for being a simple animated visual short. But, i want to at least commit to creating that FIRST because I'd LITERALLY come into a few circumstances where if I DID actually have the basic storyboards, I actually COULD'VE put a simple PITCH together for REAL ACTUAL FUNDING about 3 times in November, not just from 1 source, but multiple, which if awarded I could've actually gotten multiple funding sources from the 4 digits to 6 digits. I know I mentioned at least "3 times" but each one could've actually been multiple opportunities for funds.

I also had a lack of confidence at first, like oh: this isn't that serious... No! It was... it/they kept also coming up... and when I was starting to become taken seriously, I realized no one understood my vision, then time ran out, plus I had finals, and other obligations. Film making is NOT CHEAP, let alone animation projects.

What I WOULD LIKE to do with this concept project:

I started out with ONE basic concept which I WOULD like to do as an animated logo.

The basics of it include the UniGryphon basically just perching/sitting there, perhaps a few moving head gestures, head held high, giving a feel for the personality of the character, a moving tail animation, perhaps a few flicks of the tail, and then a grand unfurling of the wings, coming forward in a foreshortened animated display of the wings, to showcase my ability to draw in dynamic foreshortening, understanding of motion, timing, and anatomy, and that's it.

But, then, another version also popped into my mind, that persistently WOULD NOT GO AWAY.
IN the other version, I would actually have the primary feathers of the wings articulate even further at a higher level of drawing difficultly. I thought about actually more of a brief musical choreography in which the UniGryphon articulated the wings, with each feather sort of moving around the alicorn (horn), and perhaps a sort of fan dance-like choreo' of the wings, slightly.
This version, of course being very dance inspired (if u'd ever studied dance n were familiar with what I mean) would open up with the UniGryphon much like performers on a stage sort of bowed forward at first, then sitting up.

The first version could easily take me about a year to figure out, and make happen, assuming my drawing skills were more improved. And, the 2nd version could also take me even longer to do provided I'd actually done the first version FIRST.

Also, if I WERE to start it NOW, I think I would actually turn into a kind of bitchy, monster, or jerk ANY TIME anything interrupted me from working on it, because THIS could EASILY CONSUME ME as an artist as a project... but, I have Spring Semester coming up at UMASS, plus a number of other things, and I'm not mentally in a place to start this YET, because it will ruin me. I know how perfectionist I can be, and working on just the concept works REALLY put me in another world.

If, however, circumstances changed, including a number of investments I have, I would still like to pursue working on Eyewitness BEFORE this.

I also need to work on keeping up with going to the Gym right now, keeping my health good, and my workstudy job.



I DON'T know WHY, but everyone on Instagram LOVED this when I was starting it, but as it got further, people hated it:



A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on


Other Comments:

I've found that in Massachusetts, working on this style of art, people are so indifferent to it.
I actually worked on one of the sketches a bit (twice while waiting for various whatever) at UMASS, and people could care less.

Online, I've gotten a strange mixed reaction. The first 2 rough sketches I did caused a lot of people to freak out, majorly over it, and at 1 point, my Instagram blew up over a 100 followers in an evening.

But, when it became apparent that my Instagram WAS ABOUT ME AND MY LIFE (which was what it was created for) they unsubscribed because I'm an actual REAL PERSON, and they have ZERO interest with me as a person, as a human being, etc. Oh... and, I'm like kinda getting old....

My friggin' Instagram actually DOES have a well written Bio/Into that's brief n short.

First of all: I do MY ART FOR ME. It's MY ART.

I live MY LIFE the way I WANT, or put up with crap when it comes the best I can, if I can... and sometimes it's NOT all roses n rainbows. Yes, I'm 37 and I go to UMASS, and I have FINALS, and I like TECHNOLOGY (other than per-packaged smartphone bits) , and PHOTOGRAPHY.

THAT is my AUTHENTIC ME.

SO, NOT SORRY if my Instagram doesn't fit ur nano-second vision of how YOU think social media ought to be. 



A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on

A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on


A photo posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on

A video posted by Kandice Kathleen Zimbleman 任思麒 (@blackunigryphon) on







Saturday, December 10, 2016

Black UniGryphon Fursona Animation Idea?

So.... I don't want to put it out there as a sure thing, but it's been on my mind CLEARLY, sometimes obsessively... and it was always SOMETHING I'd  wanted to do anyway...

But, I keep on thinking of TRYING to do an animated logo of my Fursona.
Kinda like this

Only ACTUALLY animated... but just a "held cell".

My drawing ability isn't as good as i would like it to be... but, I am working on it...

I'm known for doing wings, dynamic poses, and HAIR, as well as fantasy stuff such as GRYPHONS, UNICORNS, and DRAGONS...

I've actually been seeing it in my mind, often since the end of last month and the beginning of this month... I could almost thumbnail it out how I want the simple scene to go... ALMOST...



It's an interesting challenge, and I DO HAVE OPEN TOONZ.

OPEN TOONZ seems to be like a mystery, because ever since it came out this year as open source nobody really knew what to do with it, and even now that almost a whole year has passed trying to find so-called tutorials often end up showing that the artists actually doesn;t know the program that well, either, and it's more of a demo than a tutorial. I've also sat through some people live streaming working on stuff, and they often seemed lost as well....

But, at least there ARE resources out there now, because at the beginning of the year, and even middle of the year it was kinda hopeless, and I often felt flustered.

AT LEAST I actually got OPEN TOONZ to function on my computer.

It's still a back-burner thing tho' because I have reasons for wanting to storyboard my Eyewitness animated short that could actually go somewhere... So, as soon as I'm totally DONE with my film AND this semester at UMASS I want to spent most of my creative effort working towards getting at least some rough storyboards actually sketched out, plus trying to get back into the croquis sketching. because I would REALLY like to try to see what things I could also do with OPEN TOONZ.




I'm hoping to play around with it at some point.

I feel like if I could JUST GET more time into at least 6 months worth of life drawings in quick gesture croquis I could get back to where I was about 2008-ish, or better like 2001-2006-ish.

I notice that people often tend to be like whatever towards me... or, don't know what to make of me...
but, when they actually see my actual artwork, it's this WHOAH, or WOW thing that happens...



This actually recently happened to me recently with a few of my video/animation projects at UMASS.

So, I know I haven't lost my ability, nor my vision.

Not only do I feel there is MORE I WANT to do, but there's so much MORE that I COULD DO.


Like, there's STILL a ZENITH somewhere, out there, and I still want to reach it.


OK, LIFE! Would u please stop being obnoxiously unreasonable n get ur stuff together because i would LIKE to  actually be a LOT more productive! Just knock it off with all these stupid needless setbacks, already! Thanx!

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Nixies Double Tailed Mermaids, Undines, Melusine Concepts 003

Some more inspirational concept art and other things...

Here's my latest Concept Art sketch:

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED


If you haven;t been following this progress on my Instagram, you can find me here: BlackUniGryphon

And, my "scrap book" or pinboard of inspirational references and materials are on my Pinterest in THIS pinboard:


Some Inspirationals:

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY ORIGINAL ARTISTS
Stellamara feat. Rachel Brice:


Nefru-Merit via Instagram:

A photo posted by @nefru_merit on










Nefru-Merit via DeviantArt:







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Sunday, April 26, 2015

Nixies Double Tailed Mermaids, Undines, Melusine Concepts 002

 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
 I swear, there's some kinda major psychic ESP bond happening between my daughter and myself,, and often spills over onto my spouse. Weirder still is the amount of synchronicities that just up and happen so frequently to be just random. Underwater stuff, and mermaids seem to just jump out at me, everywhere online. It really freaks us out. And, all month it's been like that!

But, then other things I liked, such as music, and other themes, such as a Colossus theme also kept popping up, and what seemed like it was sometimes random would actually become something, and afterwords I didn't even realize it until after I put things together, or did something... it really freaks me out.  

So, I have quite a thing happening with my sketches, as I've already written about... and, the stuff just keeps on coming in despite the fact that I just keep getting sick, and i'm sick again. Had to wait until today just to see the doctor. It sucked. Been miserable...

But, I was sketching quite a lot.

As for the Diva Nixie Melusine character I have, I'm not QUITE there yet with her, but so much progress has occurred with her! I knew kinda what I wanted, but she also seemed to want to be something.... I kept seeing her in my mind as dressing like a Colossus. (i.e. Statue of Lady Liberty, Colossus of Rhodes, and even the Russian one, which was usually called "The Colossus of Russia" when I was a kid, but apparently is called "Mother Russia") many of these would somehow pop up in my browser, as well as many many Hellenistic works (one of my top favorites in all of art history of the entire world) and I even saw this gorgeous statue at the Harvard Museum last weekend.    
But, stars, starfish, sand dollars, all popping up everywhere I browse.

Seems like it wouldn't fit together????
It does.

I want my Diva Melusine Nixie to be BRONZE skinned, and I want the metallic them on her tail, but I also want her tails to change colors, and maybe glow. So, golden, silver, bronze, copper, all good, and then change and even glow in the dark in different colors like jellyfish.

She will be very large, like a Colossus, but also very voluptuous, and full figured, with very big hair, full of curls. I want her headdress to be full of starfish, pearls, and a sunburst, like the Titan, Helios, or a typical Colossus.

And, I want her draped with armfalls of cowrie shells (ancient money) perhaps pearls, and also on the belt as well.




Here's a progression of the sketches, as she was developing... These are the first 3:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

She's getting closer.... But, not quite there yet. I have gotten some support for my work on this on twitter, DeviantArt, FaceBook, Instagram, and also privately.

Here was the Horizontal sketch, but it's also not quite there yet, but getting closer:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Also, styles of music that I like, that I'm wanting to have composed for this character just also seem to be just arriving out of nowhere from sources of folks I'd NEVER have thought ever would!

I very much want a fusion of sorts, but I want so much for the base musical compositions to be Synth Pop genre-like. I especially LOVE the work by Vince Clark.

There is just SOMETHING about a VERY SPECIAL album by Vince Clark's band "Erasure" called "I Say I Say I Say" (I'm guessing he's a Paul McCartny fan) that has this very special feeling to it, like water. Even the first track "Take Me Back" is about a flowing river of memories, and evokes images in the mind like ripples, flowing water, water drips & drops, or bubbling things just by virtue of the way it sounds. And, I just LOVE the one of a kind vocal talents of Andy Bell.

Most of my beat artistic works of my entire life happened while listening to this album. I first got my CD for my 12th or 13th birthday, which I just HAD TO HAVE! 

And, ever since I've been listening to Synth Pop this month, the genre has been popping up EVERYWHERE. I mean it! Just today, not only did grav3yardgirl get her own radio station produced on Slacker Radio and it has loads of Synth Pop on it, but I also stumbled upon Comic Book Girl 19's list which is almost entirely Synth Pop! That, and I keep running into music by GRIMES since last month!

Anyways....
I want a fusion blend somewhere in the direction. I know that right now everyone likes the 2-step beats of "dub step" which I also enjoy, but I just really like the old 4-4 beats of techno & Synth Pop, or even 8/8s. I really like Tribal Fusion as well.



A major influence in the direction I'm wanting to go is inspired someway by the sound tracks of "Macross Plus" (Yoko Kanno) except, I want to go in my own direction.

As for the voice, I want her vocal sound, STILL, to be similar to Alison Moyet. I think that's pretty much what I want. (Again with another connection to Vince Clark's work.)





I want my Diva to have at least one main song, but I think she will need more songs, probably up to 3 AT LEAST. But, I think I shouldn't go over 5. I want other pieces in the performance to be pretty much JUST INSTRUMENTAL with dance performances, or scenes set to music with a narrative theme, and/or symbolisms.

I have a "black and white" concept that I'm just chomping at the bit to play with, but I think it will wait for now... I won't say anything about it yet....

But, my opening number I have a few things in mind. Altho' I DO like the opening scene to Disney's 'The Little Mermaid" I DO NOT WANT MINE TO LOOK ANYTHING LIKE IT AT ALL WHATSOEVER!

But, I do want a lead-in sequence, underwater, with ship wreck stuffs, and old broken piers or docks underwater... however, I don't want any underwater cities... I would like somehow my nixies to sort of converge to like a concert, or a rave, or festival event.... but, I don't want it to be anything like anything that anyone else has ever done.

So, that is kinda where my underwater sketch to the side here is kind of about....

That is pretty close along the lines of how I want things to go, which is why I haven't sketched anymore.... but, the colors used in the pencils do not depict the actual colors in my mind. I just like to use different colors for the line art.

Speaking of which, THIS just showed up in my inbox by "dirtwire":


Lots of these coincidences just keep on happening!

Here's a few other bits of stuff that's been inspiring me lately, including glam shots of Sarah Brightman, and various ancient goddess idols, or statues:




Even tho' this is a blond, it's very good. I wish I knew who did this mermaid! I would link you to the artist, but I found it on Pinterest which linked to DeviantArt, however, once I klicked the link the artwork wasn't there.

it's really nice, I like the gold-fish look, the fins, the background, the motion, the mood, everything. Very nice!

And, other bits of inspiring stuff is Art Deco & Art Nouveau.. too much to show here.

Monday, April 20, 2015

Nixies (Double Tailed Mermaids or Undines) Concepts

So, just in case u didn't know about my Nixies, it's not anything new. They are called any number of names in antiquity, anything from Nixes to Nixies, to Melusine, to Mermaids, to Sirens, to Water Nymphs or Water Elementals, and even Water Djinn, or Jing. Whatever... it's a mermaid with double tails. or, just a mermaid if you prefer....

I first became enamored with the idea when I was living in China just before the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. What a strange year, a whole bunch of strange surprises and so many things going massively wrong for me, including the economic crash, I wanted to be a volunteer for the Olympics but that didn't happen, because even tho' I'd wanted to apply early, they wouldn't accept my application yet, and then once it was time, they not only filled up with applicants, but they suddenly got snobby about whom to choose. too bad, I wouldn't be an excellent volunteer.
I also went to Mongolia that year, and I was so sick from the AC & the unsanitary conditions in Guangzhou, and some weight and got accosted by a creepy beggar in Beijing with "I love you! I love you! I love you!" and my spouse still heckling me about it to this day, and also getting mocked by people for being  (the Chinese idea of) fat all over Beijing as tho' I was some sort of freak.

It's been pretty depressing for me on the art front. I couldn't go to CAL-ARTS due to the so-called Recession. And, all my dreams of anything went up in smoke. To top it all off, a number of persons whom I'd thought, unquestioningly, were my friends, turned out WERE NOT. Ouch! What happened? I questioned it, and them, and my brain worked...

2009 was especially difficult for me. A ton of anguish, sadness, and so on... I would just stay in bed all day weeping, and sobbing because my heart hurt so badly. But, I had to play all happy for my daughter... I never felt so alone in my whole life. Alone, unwanted, unwelcomed, disrespected, betrayed, and tossed aside like I were trash...

I would sit at my sketchbook, trying in vain to sketch, and nothing happening... it's the most painful thing any artist could ever go through. And, haunting dreams.... terrible. I kept trying to sketch. And, I couldn't! It was just all coming out like scribble-scrabble!


Well, anyways.... 

Since last month, these Nixies have been on my mind again.... it seems like everywhere I look around something is reminding me of them, and I often find myself in a daydream.

I started to watch those Australian Mermaid TV shows "H2O" on Netflix, and altho' they can be silly, something in those triggered my inspiration... altho' I must say, MINE IS NOTHING LIKE THEIR CONCEPTS AT ALL!

My original concept that I'd come up with in 2008, while in China, was something of a musical number animated short set to music... I wanted it to be sort of like a water ballet, and sort of like Fantasia.

It was intend to be a small piece for my "Eyewitness" project. (ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)

However, it has been morphing in my mind, and it keeps on growing, and expanding, like a concert, or a live show.

I have quite a few versions of how I want it to be produced, sort of like how Macross will produce multiple variations of different versions of the same project, like "Macross Plus" which has a Mini-Series version, and a Full Length Feature Film version, as well as different language versions. And "Macross Frontier" also did this. I also like the whole modern concept of "remixing". And, also how the "Macross Frontier" also inspired live show performances as well, or even Disney does this with their films and puts them on Broadway.

Well, with my empty pockets now, I doubt I (a total nobody) could ever get my work preformed in Vienna at the place I currently am now.... As if! 

But, I can at least sketch out the rough concepts...

It is so strange, because when it comes to art, the whole inspiration stuff comes from somewhere... but I don;t know how, nor where... and it just flows into me, and through me, and floods & fills me up... after a while, I just couldn't contain it any longer, and stuff began to come out. It just sort of writes its self... and amends it self as well...

I spent several moments today, and yesterday just crying big tears because the emotions are so intense.

It's really overwhelming, and kinda gives me some major anxiety... and nervousness... but, I just had to publish some of the sketches, and I couldn't stop sketching either...

I'm out of practice, but I can still sketch.... it's terrible, but at least the concepts are THERE.


I spent so much time last week searching for reference materials, including shipwreck photos, artist paintings, and so on...

I am VERY confident that NO ONE has ANYTHING like my original art. Sure, it has influences here and there, but I am making/creating something entirely all mine.

But, I'm also incredibly paranoid of it getting robbed, or ripped off before I can even get a chance to do anything with it.

This one here, has been on my mind all month. Altho' it is rough, it's kind of close to what I was trying to figure out how to make a a scene look.... I am still developing this scene and/or concept... so please do not use my work. I really do not want any major corporations ripping off my stuff.

And, much fund that I need are still stuck on a perpetually pending status much to my frustration. For crying out loud, I'm on food stamps, and I still haven't been hired for any job at all yet...

However, mark my word, should anyone rip off my work, I do not care how much of a mega corporation they are, hen I'm all set with my fundage situation, and my legal/financial team, I WILL COME AFTER YOU. This stuff I have here IS DATED, and I WILL COME AFTER YOU IN LEGAL WAYS YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT YET... That is a promise!You don't even know the meaning of the word vicious yet until you have vexed ME! You won't even be able to sleep!

I very much want to showcase the prehensile nature of the tails, with exaggerated muscular movements.

But, I am still working out how I want the tails to be... they might end up being even longer than they already are... but, I haven't worked out a formula/design yet.

I do, in fact, very much want an electronic fusion musical style. It is still forming inside of my mind, but it's coming along much further now. But, after reviewing music all month, I am quite sure that I want to incorporate synthesizers and modulator transistors to give a whimsical "watery" sound or mood. I am VERY amendment about this.
But, I also want to incorporate orchestra/symphony and ethnic/folk fusion.

Each animated short or performance I already have a very close idea of how I want the music to be, and sound, and in one case, I almost have the words, in my head, coming to me for a singing part.

I've had similar experiences with other shorts I'd created for my "Eyewitness" project in the past also, which I also want to strongly incorporate music, especially THIS ONE HERE.

The rough sketch to the left is another concept. More and more, I feel this one might actually be already becoming it's OWN individual performance piece. This one is meant to showcase the muscular ability of the double tails, like yoga, gymnastics, ballet, and bellydance floorwork as well as contortionist and acrobatic performance arts. I also want to have the dancer coming out of the water onto either the shore, or cliffs/rocks, and specifically SHOW that the hair is WET. This one will be a REALLY excellent challenge!

I realize the anatomy and proportions are off quite a bit, but I am out of practice... I would like to go practice a lot more in life drawing gestures classes, but I am so broke that it;s just not gonna happen yet, unless my funds are ready.... of if some major charitable benevolent person swoops in out of the kindness of their heart and- oh who am I kidding?! It's 2015! That kinda stuff never happens except on TV!

And, this lovely rough sketch over here is my Diva Nixie, Melusine!
She is still being developed. I think she isn't plump enough yet. I want her to be very voluptuous, curvy, round, and full figured. And, she isn't there yet. I also want her to have very defined biceps & triceps, and well as wide hips, and I want the tails to resemble thick thighs.

I want everything about her to be big, broad, plump, and stable. She will have CURLY BIG HAIR and she will be BRONZE skin toned, with some kind of dark hair... maybe black... haven't decided yet.
I haven't decided which color to make her scales yet... I was thinking orange and gold... but, I haven't decided yet.

Her animated performance part will have minimal movements, because she is so detailed, and will require several layers of animation. 

I think I would also like her to have a voice like, or very similar to, Alison Moyet.

I will say this: THERE WILL BE NO BLONDS, and NO CHERRY RED HAIR, and NO EMERALD OR REPTILE GREEN scales ANYWHERE in my productions! NONE!

I also want to make my Nixies to NOT all be Caucasian. NO WAY! Just a few...
I WILL also have a piece with extensive PEARLY BLACK mermaids, and some Pearly White. But, I will be breaking ALL stereotypes, and boundaries it those!

AGAIN: IF YOU STEAL OR RIP OFF MY IDEAS I WILL FUCK YOU UP! OKAY? 

The rough concept art sketches are found in my DeviantArt gallery SCRAPS.

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