ready...discuss

lately I have been pre-occupied with the concept of 'appeal' in design and animation. Some people know this word as 'quality' and even more people know this word as aesthetics. to me, its that undefinable concept of what makes a work of art 'good' a purely subjective term that in one sense, can't be defined. but that only suggests that it doesn't exist, when it does in every place we look. I try to get my students to recognize it, strive for it, make it a part of their work from the very start, but without being able to define it, how can I expect them to use it? It's a very complex and vexing situation for me. If anyone has any thoughts on this, let me know. as my train of thought travels down these rails, I will, undoubtedly, add more to this discussion.

cheers

some new backgrounds

and by 'new' I mean, of course, old looking. I did these for a recent job that wanted a limited style of animation. I like working in this manner, it makes me think hard about what is really important to the shot and how to compose it so each element retains its importance. When I add the characters to the shot they become graphic elements as well, and if it works, everything fits and the shot looks more 'populated' than it actually is. I suggest every animator study graphic design in their downtime, it does so much for your sense of space.