"Train Guy" sketches

Man, I'm lazy. Nevertheless, here's some sketches for the potential protagonist (alliteration - It's what all the cool kids are about) of a short comic collaboration (okay, I'll stop) between the writer/designer/animator, Simon Ashbery, and myself. He's doing the writing, I'm handling the drawing. You can check out some of Ash's stuff over at http://grinterloper.blogspot.com/  

The story revolves around a train the size of a city, and it's long, dangerous journey through a bleak and strangely empty world. The main character's an individual who's managed to parlay a free ride in exchange for his services, as a kind of freelance security advisor, to the city-train's hopelessly understaffed police force. Oh, and he really hates drama students. Wizard wheezes, Jolly japes, and misogynistic robots ensue!   

Sure is zombies in here all of a sudden

Y'know, I was looking through several years worth of old sketch books the other day, when I realised something - I have an unhealthily large collection of zombie drawings, not to mention numerous other assorted sci-fi/fantasy crap.

Anyway, I know it's not halloween yet, but here's three sketches that I'm loathed to leave rotting at the bottom of my wardrobe. Believe it or not, this one actually started out as a still life assignment at uni (I was supposed to be learning the human skull, but ended up getting sidetracked). Looking back, the poses aren't bad, the foreshortening is a little off, and the token bald space marine appears to be having some kind of stroke, from the look of his mouth. Still, I'm a sucker undead space-guys and their shenanigans.     

Can't remember the story behind this one. He sure looks happy though, so that's something.

Ah, this guy. Let me tell you, staying up all night to catch a 6am bus, and watching Wizards whilst speed-balling Irn bru and skittles does strange, strange, wonderful things to a man's mind. 

Life Drawing

Some life drawing - pretty self explanatory. These were done at the AUCB/AIB.

And some animal drawing, all of which was done at Marwell Zoo.

"Badly Animated" character stuff

Here's a few drawings and designs from the production of the grad film, Badly Animated. They're all for the final stage of the "Wolf" character.

Here's some drawings from the earliest stages of concept, back when we were considering the idea of having the character's whole face and body morph as he moved. We didn't go through with it because we didn't think it would work (or be readable) in such a short film.

These are some face sketches, trying to work out how his face would change from one pose to another.

And lastly, here's some more face morphing, with a drawing that would become the basis for the final design and colour scheme.

A NEW showreel

Time for a new showreel, don't you think?

Mark Storer - Animation Showreel, Sept. 2010. from Mark Storer on Vimeo.

I was also a little pissed off that veoh kept putting trailers for crap films on there. Anyway, I've trimmed some of the flabbier parts from the old showreel, and added a character test done in CelAction2D (Thanks to the guys at King Rollo films for letting me use their character).