Illos Season 01 Episode 06: Improv

So there I was, at the grocery store about to purchase some tasty fuel to ensure my existence for a while longer. Then it happened… I opened my wallet, a stream of moths flew out like a fire hydrant expelling its water, and attacked everyone in the building.  Embarrassed, I slipped away in a passing grocery cart, in a bag of cold cuts and brie. Being a self-reflective person that I am, I decided to take on a part-time job for some extra cash. Thus began my adventure selling toothbrushes. … To alligators.

Time is an animator’s worst enemy. No matter how much time you have, it’s never good enough. Luckily, this episode could be completed with minimal characters, location, and no redresses. Because of its simplicity, it complimented the amount of time I had to spend on it. Especially since I know the following episode will be juicy! This was one of the first recordings we did for Illos, and a very fun one, hope you enjoy it too

This episode, as all the others were fun to make, I hope you enjoy them! You can find them on iTunes, Blip TV, YouTube, Mefeedia. You can follow us on Twitter, Tumblr and like us on Facebook.

Illos Season 01 Episode 05: Instant Octopus?

 

Where do Octopi come from? Stork? Bird and the bees a la Octopus? Spinal injuries? In this episode, KD recounts of a time where he narrowly escaped transforming into an eight legged limbo champ of the deep! Marvel as KD puts his marine biologist hat on and dazzles Jill with his flawless reasoning of where octopus’ come from.

Having gained headway with a few short episodes, I was able to illustrate a longer episode as well as get the Illos rigs ready for animation! *backflip* This show has literally been built as I move forward, which is not ideal, but common for a home-made web series. Unfortunately, I tried something new with the audio which resulted in the audio and animation to un-sync. However, I did sync it as much as possible and more importantly, learned something in the process Something I didn’t anticipate when I began the Illos venture, was that I would be able to look back and see my creative evolution.

This episode, as all the others were fun to make, I hope you enjoy them! You can find them on iTunes, Blip TV, YouTube, Mefeedia. You can follow us on Twitter, Tumblr and like us on Facebook.

Illos Season 01 Episode 04: Whispers 101

Have you ever played the ‘telephone’ game? chances are, you’ve been at the receiving end of a wet call, reducing a fun filled game of rainbow smiles to a hot steamy pile of sadness. In this episode, I tell of my usual unfortunate experiences. Surely I’m not the only one who’s been in this situation… right?

This episode is another short one. After the madness that was the zombie episode (season 01 episode 02), which balancing work, university, the podcast, and what little of my personal life, took me about 3 months to do. I needed to gain headway in order to keep to my schedule and publish on time. Luckily, episodes 03 & 04 provided me with enough headway to have a couple episodes finished as a sort of buffer for when the next time consuming episode would come up.

This episode, as all the others were fun to make, I hope you enjoy them! You can find them on iTunes, Blip TV, YouTube, Mefeedia. You can follow us on Twitter, Tumblr and like us on Facebook.

CHHHHIIIPPS…. CCHHHHHIIIIIIIIPPPPSSSSSSS….

Hey peeps,

Halloween is fast approching, in about a month’s time the undead will be passing from house to house asking for candy. Speaking of the undead, have you checked out episode 2 of Illos yet? In this episode, the noodle armed Jill and myself (the googly eyed KD) discuss what they would do during a zombie outbreak. Are we prepared? How will we cope? What would Jill do if she were a zombie? Watch to find out!

So grab the nearest zombie, some snacks (careful, I think zombies are lactose intolerent), and enjoy the show!

If you like what you see, subscribe either via BlipTV or iTunes!

CHHHHIIIPPS…

How to use the FORCE in Life Drawing?

Another book review? Sure why not?

At this point, I’ve been teaching life drawing for animators for 3 years now, and the topic that is the most critically acclaimed among my students is capturing the FORCE.

Before you geek out let me point out that no, you will not dawn the powers of a Jedi as this book is not written by Yoda but rather by a new pal of mine Michael Mattesi.

What is the FORCE in a drawing? Well, as you know, no matter if your kneeling, sitting, or standing, our bodies hold itself steady as to not fall over. This gravity vs. balance is the ‘hidden force’ behind those poses. Otherwise known as “the humanity” of a pose.  Michael Mattesi’s book FORCE: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators teaches us how to capture this invisible concept into your figure drawings.

FORCE: Dynamic Life Drawing for Animators

Illos: Unleashed!

Hi-ho! KD again with great news! The moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived! At last, my podcast Illos premiers today on iTunes! Soon our show will spread onto YouTube like some sort of spreading metaphor… then… the world!

In this pilot episode, I recount (and illustrate) a spine tingling tale full of suspense and wet pants! It all begins when I had the bright idea to hide from my high school girlfriend. The story ends poorly for one of us… watch to find out who!

Don’t have iTunes access? Check out our Blip TV channel!

Thanks for watching, cheers!

Illos Illustrated Podcast

Illos: Coming Soon

Illos is an Illustrated podcast written, performed, and illustrated by both Jill Fogarty the chocolate lover, waffle enthusiast, and maniac extra extraordinaire. And myself (Keith Dury) the storyteller, PIXAR enthusiast, and round house kick to the teeth. Together, we form a giant robot of awesome!

Jill

KD

Broadcasted from a super cool and all decked out blanket fort, Illos hosts touch on topics such as movies, news, personal stories, and even interactive drawing games! All of which are presented as rough animatic illustrations!

As you read this article, Illos illustrators are sweating away, slapping their sausage fingers on their laptops, and creating content to unleash their creations onto the unsuspecting populace! Worry not, for your nail biting days are almost at an end. Soon episodes will be flooding the web for your enjoyment.

Cheers!

Animal drawing books that educates, inspires, and actually makes you WANT to draw!

There are so many ‘how to draw’ books of various quality in their drawing examples, that I often wonder what the criteria is to publish these types of books. I suppose there are different learning levels, and each different level of quality can separate each one of those levels. However, after being a life drawing instructor for 3 years, my experience has led me to believe that it doesn’t matter what level you are in drawing. All that really matter is your heart.

Entering a W.I.L.D. ride

Entering a W.I.L.D. is a short animated film I conceived in the summer of 2011, when my friend Clyde had introduced me to the critically claimed TV series LOST where I found myself lost within its mythology. I love storytelling, and the allure of LOST, to me, was how the  narrative was executed. I like that it was up to us, the viewer, to pay attention and pick up on things that are either subtle clues, or of significance to the overall plot. I found a similar attraction in the 6th & 7th series of the rebooted Dr. Who?, seeing as they play with non linear time travel.

The stories that I’ve written in the past have always had a lot of play with narrative. Non linear timelines, flashbacks, or whatever comes up, the fun of writing was, simply put; the writing. It was while watching LOST that I suddenly became inspired to write. The specifics as to how the Entering a W.I.L.D. story came to me eludes me at this point. However, I do remember how it just flowed from my pencil onto paper. It wasn’t long until it was ready to be typed and boarded.

Entering a W.I.L.D. is a story about a boy’s unexpected journey takes a mysterious turn for the worst.

Since I’m doing every aspect of the production myself, I’ve decided to break up the workload into 2 minute sections (until the post process) in order to avoid getting discouraged. With only 2 locations of layouts remaining, I’m getting close to the final stretch for the first 2 minutes of the film.

Aside from the script and storyboards, it’s completely done in using Flash CS4 and post will likely be done using After Effects. But I’ll talk more about the particulars of the process later. For now, you’ll just have to enjoy this sneak peek image of a final frame (before post) of Entering a W.I.L.D.

Entering a W.I.L.D. © Keith Dury

If a color wheel and a storyboard had a baby, you’d get a color script … I think…

I’ve reached a point in my production where I’m faced with a new challenge. It’s time for me to plot the color theory that will help push the mood and symbolism of my short film. In other words… It’s time for a color script!

A color script is essentially a storyboard for color. It allows for the director to establish the emotional and visual beats of the film early in the process, as well as ensure a progression in the evolution of color within a film. It’s a conceptual guideline for what the film will look like cinematically. The color script sets the tone of the film: how color, atmosphere, and lighting will carry the story and characters throughout the film. It provides the artists with a concise visual reference.

The color script is story driven.