Animation

Just been watching my wife rehearse and perform her German Wheel act and i got to thinking about the movement and animation. The wheel weighs 100lbs so there's a LOT of momentum there, yes she's really strong and technically brilliant.

I loved the movement, the flipping and rolling so slow then quick. So anyway the long and short is I sketched and animated it in Flash. Its just a short piece but has a really nice quality and keeps that feel even though its very un-realistic drawings...

Click here to see it in its rolling glory...

Graphic design print work...

I created a DVD cover for a superb performer whose web site i also designed a couple of years back... wow that went quick... We kept to the same feel as the site so all sends the same classy, quirky and professional feel.



Here's the original site if you haven't already checked it out. Click here.

Book her, she's fantastic!

Bloggers Block...

Havent blogged for a while... been very busy, travelling and working. But so many things have happened as well.

Been playing with a Flash clock, not very innovative but a lot of fun... here's version 6 - Flash Clock

Also lots of drawing and animation on its way. Check the TwitPics for latest doodles.

I'll be posting more soon as the mad summer is mellowing.

More twits on Twitter

Since signing on to twitter, even I have seen an exponential growth of users... The reason for me is simple.. its simple! Unlike Facebook there are no 3,000 extra apps knocking at our door before you can even get to your account. Its very immediate and the best is you dont actually have go through the web interface.
There are numerous little applications, many of them AIR apps (Flash and Flex based) that sit in the background (More often in the foreground) of your computer loading in the tweets.
I've been trying out a few. I started with Twitterific http://iconfactory.com/software/twitterrific. I'm still using it occasionally, it has a clean simple interface, but some times I find it too simple. When I get into twittering with my Twfreinds I like to organise a little, list them in @replies or list the direct messages I have and for this I do like Twhirl ~ http://www.twhirl.org/. This is an AIR app and I used to find it sluggish, but I think they have streamlined the CP usage so its a lot more responsive. Very customisable. Finally I came across Skimmer ~ http://www.fallon.com/. This is great it encompasses all your socials... again it can be sluggish as is the nature of AIR apps sometimes but its very clean and groovy. Hasn't got the functionality of the Twhirl but I really like it, its beautiful and like beautiful objects we forgive a lot.

Thats touching on the subject of why beautiful things work better.. they do, but that's for another time.

New Artist Web Site

I've created a web portfolio for an Artist, Monique Laramee. She has some amazing work the is flamboyant, beautifully coloured, mixed media and visually poetic.

We needed to create a site that would be a platform for her paintings, simple interface with four periods of artistic life represented...

The site has a lot of images so I decided to use XML to load the images into Flash, easily up-datable and changeable.

Visit the site

Flash AS3

Well I'M making the switch in Flash from ActionScript 2 to ActionScript 3. So far its seems to be truly fascinating and I believe a great enhancement. Millions of articles have already been written by far worthier scripters than myself, but I have to say there are some great essential leaps that have been made. User created objects is a great addition and opens up the a whole new arena.

I'm using a great book Learning AS3 by Rich Shupe - http://tinyurl.com/cd8g43 - and obviously numerous on line resources...

I'm also upgrading to CS4. I'll let you know how I get on.

The birds are coming

Life has been busy and full recently. Discovering AS3 lots of new print work.. links to follow and the all NEW YouTheBiscuit web site is under way. I have been exploring bird flight and actionscript and come up with this...

Click here to see the birds n flight. A quick knock up and its incredibly light... 4KB !!

Here's a quick screen shot. Yes these birds will be starring in the new site. Should be up in a couple of weeks.

Print work.

Recently created a poster for stand up comedian, Sharon Mahoney. She wanted something that reflected the personal issues that she uncovers through out the show, her great aunt, her aunts love of the last steel body car, heart disease, crohn's, love and death. Full of talent and very funny her show premieres in Australia this February.

Video creation

Just finished creating a new promotional video for wire walker, Madeleine Prevost - Lemire. We had to re edit 6 minutes of music to make a viable 2 minute piece with a noticeable start middle and end. Keeping the tension and build in the music. We then ciut down the act to give a feel of what she has to offer and to make interesting viewing.

This is the third video we've done for Madeleine and its always a pleasure.

Click here to view the video in small flash format.

Colour Lovers

I have been creating palettes and patterns on Line via a Fantastic creative resource www.colourlovers.com

You can check out my palettes here http://www.colourlovers.com/lover/YouTheColour.

tWitteR

Here's my twitter link: http://twitter.com/YouTheBiscuit If oyu follow you get Twetched. Very enticing I know.

http://twitpic.com/photos/youthebiscuit This is the TwitPic link.

Twetches... Twitter sketches

I been twittering for a couple of weeks now. I'm not a maniac, but I do enjoy the contact with friends and design news when it comes in. The main thing about all social networks, visually, is the avatar. The little picture that represents you.
So I thought it might be interesting to sketch things that have shrunk and played with already and then send them back... So its a little project now. It keeps my quick sketch skills up.

You follow me on twitter you get TWETCHED!! Twitter Sketched.

Done with Wacom Intuos 3 and Photoshop.

Here's a talk from Tim Brown all about creativity and play. The importance of play to feel free and safe enough to make those leaps and bounds. Great talk. I found it amazing that this is all the games and talks I've done in improvisation and clowning...

I think this is so important. It reflects how a person is and feels. The play is taken out of us by schools and work places and we are left, supposedly adult... but barren and ultimately very unhappy.

Take a look and go play in the sand.

CSS eMailer

Just finished a CSS/HTML conversion of Dushan Milic design for his first eMailer.

Nice clean layout with drop shadows... Had a bit of fiddle to get them to layout correctly under each image but got there in the end.

The thing with eMailers is the other end. You never know which program the end user is using and a lot of e Mail programs strip tags or add them. You can end up with four 'body' tags easily. You also have to keep the CSS inLine and not an external sheet.

Always a pleasure to work on someone else design... especially when they know what there doing.

Pop up design creation.

I wanted to create a pop up card for my bother & sister in-law for the arrival of there new daughter. I played around with cheesy teddy bears and rabbits, until I thought a bit deeper of what had just happened and how the baby arrives... we all know dont we?

New Project

I've been playing with ActionScript and gravity. I have big interest in the way you can create certain effects using mathematical script. Its a lovely effect and feels very real.
Click here.

Illustrationer!

Just like everyone to check out a great talent in Illustration and Art Direction. Dushan Milic. A Canadian who has gained a superb reputation for his wit and visual mastery and is often seen in the Globe and Mail, New York Times, Wall Street Journal to name but a few.

A very funny man now settling in amongst the dykes and canals of Holland. With pen actual and virtual in hand and his inline wheelchair, maybe one day he'll draw me a biscuit.

Viewing Images....

I have been playing with xml and media RSS and have put up a gallery test using the new Cool Iris 3D wall viewing software.


http://www.youthebiscuit.com/gallery.html

I love the effect, especially with lots of images, its very impressive. You can add more than one gallery per page and you can draw images and galleries from across domains.

Paper art and Origami

I have been making pop-up cards and playing with paper for a long time. But now with an amazing mix of technology, new thought and old crafts what can be created is INCREDIBLE. Check this on TED
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/robert_lang_folds_way_new_origami.html


Christmas cards, one piece, cut and fold. These are for sale and I'll put a link up soon to the rest of my collection.

The more you pay the more you get. ?!

Well this made me laugh, top designers playing around or accident?

Great Design

Thats a lot of money for . . . a bit of a cock up.

Martin