Been kinda absent lately with the posts.. Bunch of things going on as always, and the goal is to get this Reel done.  I want to thank my team for pulling through for Stablished Projects.  Goldenchyld + Baby Chloe is gettin super nice on the beat. Ash, thanks for pullin through last night. Chris & Memo, thanks for rockin those designs. Wish, thanks for gettin shit prepped and vibin with me. And Don, thanks for bouncing ideas with me, and being there bro.  I’m blessed to have such ill folks around me.

I’ve been in the cave lately.  And it feels good to see these ideas come to life.  A lot of the stuff on this reel, are just snippets of big ideas.  And they’re all epic in their own way, if explored further.  It’s an exciting time right now, cuz so many ideas are coming out.  And so much potential, with the things we want to work on, the people we want to work with, and the people that want to work with us.

From music videos, fashion look books, commercials, short films, t-shirts, posters, books, viral videos, artist development, photo shoots, painting….. the life of an artist can be so rewarding, because you can make your world and the projects you choose, what you want them to be.

_Ra

I gotta put up somethin! So I been steady on it.. not as fast as I’d like to be, but it’s comin’ along… I’m a couple animations deep already, and I thought I’d share this quickie. This was originally a design I worked on with The Grouch for his latest tour, with Fab, Exile & Fashawn (text is hard to read..i know).  & I remember this project was kind of a pain to work on, cuz Grouch was so indecisive. But anyway…

For anyone looking to get into After Effects animation, designing a flyer and animating it, is probably one of the best ways to learn the animation tools in AE… Everything from scaling, rotation, position… all the basic stuff to make your shit move.

All this animation is, is a text reveal, rays rotating, and some pictures popping up.  The only technical things were creating the curtain in 3d, using a cloth simulation tool in Cinema4d…. And next, was the pictures bobbing their heads, and chain poppin’ out.  This required a bunch of masking in AE, some photoshop touch up work on Mistah Fab, and also the exaggerated bounciness of the chain.

Overall, fun to do, and another quality look.

Read more »

“Back in the day, when i was young, i’m not a kid anymore, but some days, i sit n wish i was kid again…..”

With a black book in my hand….

This mighta been the first logo I ever designed…

Looks like that says Class of 2002……..

i miss these days… a lot.

I was debating weather or not to even put this up… But really.. there’s no secret in putting a demo reel together… there’s no hiding this sort of thing against my competition, because really, you can learn all of this online… FOR FREE!  And as far as competition, there’s just too much out there.  The best thing to do.. is to do what you do.. So for me.. I create shit that looks cool, just like a million other people.  Sure it’s no world saving job, but I hope I can at least inspire people to do what they want to do.  And so, since it’s demo reel time, I figure I’d shed light on the process of how I get it started.

Below, are contact sheets (that can be automatically generated in photoshop), of the work I’ve done since 2008.  Not too bad eh, for after hours? Ok, anyway….  I think I started this way of planning , since the 2007 reel.. And this is basically my checklist of what I’ve got to tackle.  Now like I’ve said before.. Some of these projects are already completed… however, the majority are not… and there’s approximately 24 projects in here, that need some animation love.

For me, It’s exciting to have such a goal, and also bring these visual concepts to life.  At this stage in my, technical know-how, I feel confident in doing the things I want to do, without being restricted by the technology.  When I fist got into this kind of work, it was the opposite. I felt I was ALWAYS limited to the ideas that I could execute.. But now, that thought process is slowly taking a back seat, and I’m now able to do what I want, how I want, when i want.

Moving forward… From here, I’ll take notes and write out my to-do lists. Up next is creating my post production time line, bringing in some help, delegating it, sourcing music, designing an intro, setting a deadline, and executing… There’s a lot more involved, but for now.. these are my urgent needs.

If you are a designer, reading this blog, and are interested in learning some After Effects, contact me or leave a comment..

It’s been a couple years in the making. Typically, I try to drop a demo reel each year, to show the growth and progress that’s been accomplished with each year that passes. Unfortunately the 09 reel never dropped, due to… well… life. And today I’m happy to say that I’ve finally reached the light at the end of this tunnel, or at least an initial peak at this light.

Last night I compiled images and movie files from the past 2 years, and it’s soo refreshing to see this body of work, united. Most of this you’ve already seen, and some you haven’t. You can comb thru this blog and see for yourself what has been done in the past 2 years, and I’m quite proud of what I was able to produce, with the little time I had, outside of work.

Sometimes I think if I didn’t have my 9-5, how much more I could’ve produced. But at the same time, what I’ve learned at my job was invaluable to the skillet that I have now. Thanks to Eric, my boss, for hooking me up with so much knowledge.

Though this has been a long road, (a sort of lonely one if you don’t have a team to help with the post production), I’ve learned to deal with not being able to keep up with the hustle my mind expects me to. I gotta remind myself to not look left or right.. to stay focused on my lane… to not take on too much, cuz it will ultimately lead to personal disappointment. These past 2 years I think I’ve slowly been able to cope with the changes that have happened. But it’s still hard sometimes. I always want these goals met overnight. And shit doesn’t happen that way.

Number one is your family and health. Fuck all the work if you can’t be happy going home each night. But it’s a thin line when you gotta hustle hard, to have a home that you can be happy to go to. Funny how fucked up and backwards this is, but eventually you find your balance.

Last weekend I watched the original karate kid with Annchan, instead of the new one, on netflix (btw I’m all about netflix and lost). And the one thing that really stuck out to me ,was mr. Miyagi’s persistence in teaching Daniel san, balance.

I’d say that’s what finally got me to the point to be able to put out this reel. Balance.  Sure I’m 2 years late, and I didn’t finish the ’09 reel on time as I scheduled, but I was balancing all sorts of shit, so that I could be confident in putting it out now. I had to deal with a move to SF, then transitioning and getting used to it, then keeping a roof over my fams’ head. Then keeping myself healthy, then dealing with a breakup. And then figuring myself out some more… And on top of a 9-5, juggling side projects.? And then starting a new relationship, and day by day investing in it to have a solid foundation. N still tryna stay healthy and do more work. … Damn.

This reel got further and further away. … But now, after that long journey, it’s all been worth it to wait this long to put it out.

I’m happy and balanced.

_ra

Yesterday, got to bring Coco with me out to Pacifica for an early evening surf session.  It’s like taking care of a baby when I bring him out, but i love it.  I literally gotta carry him down to the beach, since his arthritis kicks in a little more at times.  Doods lookin at me like, why  you carrying your dog?  Anyway, the water was glassy & surprisingly not below sub-zero temperatures.  And speaking of Sub-Zero.. bout to go check out the fam in SJ tonight at the Sub-Zero festival.  The Bangerz & Taiko drums…? gotta see this one.  Hope to see yall out there.

-Ra

It’s been a minute since I’ve actually said somethin’ here.   And I actually don’t have anything in particular to chop it up about… All I know is that a plan is in motion.  Since the Nike project has wrapped, I’ve been marinatin’ a little bit, enjoyin’ my time and regrouping for the next.  I won’t be able to show the project until it’s been installed.. so look out for it towards the end of the month.

Speaking of months, I can’t believe it’s about to be June.  Summer is on it’s way, and nature calls.

As for some exciting news, I recently picked up a Canon 5D mark II.  Yup…. ,I said it…., and I can’t wait to start diving into the world of photography.  I’ve had the chance to test out some cameras, and I believe i was spoiled by Mark Sebastian’s 5D… The quality is insane, and the ability to shoot HD footage with some fresh lenses can make it unstoppable.  But really, it’s just a camera. it’s just a look.  And it’s about what you do with it that’s gonna count.

Also up this week is the artwork for Robot Remains, The Bangerz and I have solidified some new directions for the single, and hopefully it should be out soon!

And I also entered the ADC Young Guns Competition…the results won’t be in until summer.

So many things going on.. Still got the reel to bang out… still got the b-boy project to polish..still goin to b-boy practice, still doin it, and of course, Always Classic is on the horizon.

Above is an image of some tests in 3D, with cloth.  Thought it was proper to drape the AC, and give it an unveiling kind of a feel, since we will be dropping sumthin-sumthin shortly.  You can click on the pic for a larger image now.

Until then, keep on takin’ it..

This has got to be the ugliest design, for a design competition.  ADC just might’ve lost their credibility.  However, this isn’t just any competition.  It’s the Art Directors Club – Young Guns 08 Competition.  A competition where some dope, young talent has been found.

Am I gonna enter..?… Yes.  Do i think I have a chance…? I certainly do.  Will we stunt on them..? Just by entering, Yes.  Why I think I have a chance… Cuz I have the skills.. and I’ve paid ALL my bills.. Literally.  I’m sure competition is tough.. There’s some incredible artists out there.. and no matter what, this is all subjective.. Who’s to say who is better than who, when the criteria for being an art director can be a lot, or not much at all.  Anyone can claim to be an Art Director… or even Director, just by having a camera.

Now.. even if I’m not selected as a finalist, it’s not to say what I am or what I’m capable of… All this is, is exactly how they’ve advertisd it…. as a chance to validate your ego.

But for real though, I think I have a chance… I’ve been steadily grinding this out since 2004… I’ve been trained as an illustrator and self taught in motion graphics, 3d, animation and video.  I’ve spent countless hours perfecting this craft…  For me, there’s still so much to prove to myself.. and this is a test at another one of those goals. Deadline is this Wednesday… Not much else for me to do, cuz the work is all there. Wish me luck.

Congratulations to my fam, Dominic & Shirley, on their first born daughter, baby Chloe. Born on Thursday May 6, 2010 @ 4:15am.  What an incredible day. I Can’t wait to meet her.

I was suppose to go up to SF tonite and grind it out with my brutha Ra (hang out and eat food all ridiculous like)! But the grinding has both of us wrapped up at the moment. Which is great news when you think about it. I hope you guys are staying focused..

The picture up top is my new found love for getting up early heading to a coffee shop and writting my thoughts, plans, motivations, and inspirations before tackling the 9-5. Sometimes I even get in some very amateur tagging sessions… if i can get my workout schedule to sink right.. its gonna be dangerous… Lets get there!