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Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:06 am
by mwtoons
Ihave never used a wacom but I just goggled it, and it looks pretty cool! Any suggestion on where to buy one, how much to spend ect? I might try to buy a few for my classroom.

mw

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:25 am
by F.M.
JourneyEd.com has great deals for teachers and students.

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:29 am
by kdiddy13
Wacom makes an inexpensive one called the Graphire. They were about $100 (probably cheaper on eBay). I had one for a number of years and it worked great. There are other brands out there, but I can't vouche for their quality as I've never used anything but a Wacom.

They have several sizes. The small ones (4x5?) would be a huge improvement over drawing with the mouse. Personally I like the 6x8 (what I use, but in the Intuous3 variety). I've used bigger, but it's just too much.

I'm pretty sure your photocopying technique is still what Bill Plympton does. Is her animation online anywhere?

I'm flattered that you think my material is good enough to use as an example for your students. I hope I don't steer them wrong!

What grade(s) are you teaching? Tell your students I say hi.

I'm going to try to post a work in progress sometime soon. It's a little longer than the couple hour deadline, but I was inspired and it's gone over a couple of evenings. I'll keep you all posted.

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 1:46 am
by mwtoons
thanks for the tips! I'll check them out. I just found out I have about $1,000 I might be able to spend on Technology supplies. I was also just able to squeeze 4 new emacs out of my Principal.
I teach grades 9-12 at a high school in eastern Connecticut. I am techincally a "Tech-Ed" teacher so I also teach video production, Web page design, Power mechanics, electronics and next year a pre engineering program called project lead the way. I wear a lot of hats, but it keeps things interesting and I am always learning new stuff.

Another cool site to check out is www.lotsofrobots.com An inspiring site about 1 man trying to make an animation all by himself.

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:47 pm
by kdiddy13
If you've got enough money, I think that they make a 8x6 graphire. The slightly larger size makes drawing a little easier. It still takes some getting used to, but it's much more intuitive than the mouse.

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 12:49 pm
by kdiddy13
There's a new update on the doodling site. It's a work in progress, but you'll get the idea. You'll have to forgive that it's slightly ahead of season, but I'm in New Zealand at the moment and I'm all turned around (is it really spring?).

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 7:02 pm
by F.M.
It's coming along nicely!

Posted: Wed Aug 31, 2005 8:01 pm
by ulrik
I really like your animations! You're able to capture the right mood, great!

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 12:48 am
by mwtoons
I like the new progress on your toon! You seem to have a good grasp on weight and motion. I watched the part with him tuging onj the bag a few times and it looks pretty good (not that I'm any sort of judge). Can't wait to see it all complete!

P.S. What are you doing in NZ? Maybe I'm mistaken, but I thought you where from California?

Anyway, keep up the good work!


mw

Posted: Thu Sep 08, 2005 3:36 am
by kdiddy13
Hey!

Thanks for the compliments. I'm still working on it but it's been put on hold for a few days as I finish up my demo reel (my current job is ending in November, ugh, contracting can be a real drag).

I got a job offer to do matchmoving and layout on a film out in NZ after my job ended in the Bay Area. It was a temp thing, they paid for the tickets (and a small relocation fee) and I figured why not! So far it's been a lot of fun.

I'll let you all know when I post an update to the animation.

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 11:46 am
by mwtoons
Hey Kdiddy...any updates on the Halloween toon? Looking forward to seeing the ending!

mw

Posted: Thu Sep 29, 2005 11:17 pm
by kdiddy13
Sorry MW. I've got some tweaks on it, but no ending yet...

I've been knee deep in work (6-7 days a week at 10-12 hours a day leaves me a bit burned out) and busy looking for work at the same time. I have a couple animations I haven't added to the site that I did last week. Real brief doodles.

I'll be sure to post the final halloween animation here so you know when it's done.

Thanks for encouraging me to get back on the ball! I needed that.

Posted: Fri Sep 30, 2005 2:58 am
by mwtoons
no problem. I like to see other peoples work, it keeps me motivated as well. I am working on a short which I hope to have done before the end of the year. I have a few students doing some cool stuff too, I will try to get them to post their work.

good luck with the job/work search. Try not to burn yourself out!!

mw

Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2005 9:02 pm
by bupaje
Just saw your latest Halloween animation - thumbs up.

Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2005 12:12 am
by kdiddy13
Ah great! Thanks. It's almost done. Actually, there's not much left to it (sorry to be anti-climatic). I had a number of other things that were going to happen, but I got super busy. So now I'm just going to wrap it up in the next week or two. It leaves something for next Halloween :)