Showreel - December 2014

Here it is : the last Showreel of the year!

2014 has been full of work, more precisely 3D animation, and I tried to sort everything out in order to keep the best pieces. 

Don't worry, there's a lot more to come in 2015!

Nothing will ever prevent me from working hard and trying to reach my goals.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

When my 2D doll meets a 3D hand...

Here it is, the last animation video of 2014. 

A hand study starring... my doll!

Three hours to make the 3D animation on Maya. The 2D one took much longer on After Effects.

But it was fun to do it!

Silhouettes - first tries

Here is a part of my future job in Epcot : silhouettes!

So I had to try it and now, my goal is to get better before starting working in Orlando.

From imagination - Cara Delevingne (or not) - Jennifer Lawrence

Bradley Cooper - Miley Cyrus

This is the right order of the first five silhouettes I've ever made!

Two minutes each instead of 30 seconds. Hey, I'm starting!

They're not as clean as I want them to be. Though I understood some things about proportions, hand position...

Oh, and there's no eye lashes. I focused too much on the global profile. I'll think about it while making my next silhouettes. 

Also, I'll have to make more details.

Motivated!

Florida, here I come!

After six years of dreaming
After five years of working
After four year of preparing
After...

I'm finally going to Orlando to work for Rubio Arts Corporation, in Disney World!

Departure : Tuesday, March 17 2015

From March 19 on, I'll officially be a portrait artist/caricaturist in the Epcot and Magic Kingdom parks.

Only three months left to get ready for the big experience!

For more info on this year, go on my Travel Blog.

Life can be Magical.

December 8, 2014

Finally, it's December 8!

I bet some of you don't know what I'm talking about.

It's a special day for my city as it becomes all illuminated. 

And it's a special day for me as... it's my birthday!

(I like thinking that all the lights are for me, you know...)

For the occasion, I received an amazing present from my good friend, Lorène.

She made a kind of fan art of my "Owly Me" and I love it!

Thanks to all of you who wished my Birthday, my heart is filled for the year to come!

3D animation - Willy falls

Here's a new collab with Willy. I made this one in 2:30 only. Getting faster!

Lipsync : Part I

Wow, I haven't posted in two weeks. I'm sorry about that! A lot going on.

I'm back with the first part of the lipsync, divided in two parts.

I'm also working on some digital drawings that I hope to post soon.

Lipsync (teaser 2)

Here's a second teaser for my upcoming lipsync.

So... what? Still no idea what she can be talking about?

Be patient, you'll know in no time.

How To Train Your Dragon : Fan Art

Do you know what came out today?

The How To Train Your Dragon 2 DVD !

And for this event, I had to make this little fan art based on my Eye Illustrations.

And I know I'm far from being the only one to worship these two heroes, Hiccup & Toothless.

France, go get yours!
I got mine!

(Bonus, big thanks to my cousin and her friend Clothilde for getting me a small version of Toothless. It made my day, and even more!)

Cuddly toy : Turnaround

Remember my character design for a cuddly toy/doll I made a few weeks ago? 

It's back! All 3D-like drawn.

Yeah, you read well, I want to make it a 3D character (with rig and everything). 

It'll be a kind a basic training for me as I'm not that used to do such a thing.

Much fun to come!

3D Animation - Back Handspring

Here's something I wanted to do, it was kind of a challenge to me : the back handspring.

Making a 3D character flip is pretty complicated, until you get how to do it.

And as I practiced gym for three years, I knew how to handle the anticipations and all.

Hope you guys like it!

3D animation - Willy

I met Willy last week, and I can say we instantly got along. 

Our collaboration on this one was so easy and fun! I bet you can tell by watching it.

I do not own this rig. It's a free one made by Matthew Moore.

Behind The Gate : final test

Here is a graphic tests I made. 
It appears to be the final atmosphere of the 2D short movie I'm working on, Behind The Gate.

Lipsync (teaser)

Here's a teaser of my upcoming lipsync.

It lasts 30 seconds so it takes quite some time to make and finish it.

But I'm working on it!

What do you think Bonnie is talking about? What is she so proud of?

Character design

Other candidates to my next project in mind.

I want the character to be pretty easy to draw. So here are the first tries.

Then I thought about something : my former cuddly toy. No kidding, that's what this character made me think of. So I wanted to try to make it a doll. Here's what it looks like now.

Portrait - Bradley Cooper

Back to basics... and to my first love : portraits.

I needed to do this one for quite some time now, but I didn't find time for it, until yesterday night.

I told myself : "Okay, you have many things to do, but you deserve to do something you really enjoy doing. So go ahead and do it. Right now!" Haha

Plus, the model is sooo enjoyable. Oh, Bradley!

Thank Sam for me, please!

Alright, I'll do it... right now.

Dear Sam,

You came visit me in Lyon about one week ago, and I will never thank you enough for the fantastic day we spent together! 

But I'm not the only one who wants to thank you. This little creature will forever venerate you for bringing Reese's with you. And I'm joining him, because God, it's so good! It's a little hug when you need a big one. Great start!

You know you can come back anytime (most likely with more Reese's)!

Jessy

(I've always wanted to make this kind of illustration. But I guess the character won't remain for the upcoming ones. I don't know. I'm still searching.)

Character Design

Thinking about another little animated project. 

Searching for the perfect character to star in it.

First candidates

Owly me!

Hey guys! Let me introduce you to... Owly me!

I had fun making this. 

It's pencil traced and Photoshop colored and textured. I like the render.

It's gonna be my new profile picture from now on!

Check my Facebook page.

WIP : Lipsync

Yeah, Bonnie's back! Told you she was my new best friend. Now we're working on a lipsync.

Don't worry, not only the face, the whole body moves too!

But I thought this screen shot was funny.

It takes time to complete it, but I'm having fun on it.

Oh and btw, I didn't drop my side project. More coming soon!

Behind The Gate

I can finally share the title of our upcoming short : Behind The Gate.

The word "Gate" has several meanings, including the actual physical gate of the orphanage Nell's in (the name of the orphanage is right below). You'll get to know about the others soon.

Showreel - September 2014

I can finally share my collaboration with my friend Bonnie!

So here is the first version of my new 3D showreel. It's short, though it took two months to make.

I have many other ideas of animations and I still work on it.

BUT! Thanks to it, I could send mails to some studios, which is pretty cool. I was looking forward to having enough material to be sent. This + my contest video + my new portfolio is enough for now.

(The animations aren't perfect, obviously. But I'm learning everyday on making things better!)

Once again, I do not own Bonnie's rig. It's a free one made by Josh Sobel ( > his website)

Nell

A bit more about the main character of my project, with Léa. 

(Told you there was nothing better than pencil drawings!)

Nell is an orphan with big dreams. The real world always reminds her that there's no room for her. Though, she's just a little girl and authority forbids her to leave her "jail".

Make Art

"We all make choices. The hard thing is to live with them, and there ain't nobody that can help you with that."

(choose yours)

The Words

This movie touched me as it deals with art and morals. Any artist could be confronted to what Rory Jansen lives. Tomorrow, you could find an amazing story you know everyone would love, decide to publish it under your own name, well knowing that those words are not yours and get all the credits out of them. But sooner or later, the past comes back from nowhere to ruin your life, or at least your mind. In such a situation, we all know what's best to do, though some of us will choose the wrong path.

I personally am, with all of my heart and soul, against injustice. Though, I felt compassion for this character, not only because it's Bradley Cooper... again, but because I could feel the torture he was a victim of thanks to his acting skills. So let me tell you something I truly believe in :

Say what you have to say through the art you know. Do your own thing.

If you can't express yourself, let others do it for you and spread their art crediting them.

Every story is to tell. Even the story of your life, as boring as you think it is, will find a reader or a listener. No need to envy anyone's talent, we all have our own. We just don't know how to use it. 

So my friends, don't let yourself drown into jealousy or injustice. Grab a pen, a brush or a guitar (or any other instrument including your voice) and let your art speak for itself.

People will appreciate and acknowledge your values and the truth in your art, trust me.

Introducing Nell

Let me introduce you to a new friend (yeah another one), a 2D one this time : Nell.

(everything is much better pencil drawn though... You'll get to see it in my next posts)

I created her for an upcoming project I have with my dear cousin, Léa. She's an amazing writer and she accepted to make up a scenario and we both talk about the proper storyboard and atmosphere we want for a short 2D movie. That's a great experience so far!

We currently have two characters over, and another one we need to discuss. The storyboard is still under construction, but we know where we're going!

While doing that, I still work hard on my showreel, which has some pieces of animation done. I'm so excited for it to be over actually!

More to come very soon!

Clouds & Silver Linings

Silver Linings Playbook

The title says it all.

Why do I review this movie when it's been out for two years now. Because I watched it again last Friday night, and I can't help but think that my life is just like Pat Solitano's life.

This guy... is Bradley Cooper. Okay. But this guy... is sweet, passionate, sincere. He feels things that others can't (or just don't want to). Society calls him crazy, even ill. But all he wants to do is feel alive and think positive when the world around him pushes him down and doesn't see who he really is. He is not crazy! He is more human than most of his relatives and friends. 
This guy is different. This guy is real.

"The world will break your heart ten ways to Sunday, that's guaranteed. And I can't begin to explain that, or the craziness inside myself."

Why try to explain who we are? Who really wants to know anyway? Those who do will be patient, stick with you, and see what's best in you. No need to try to be who we're not. If people call you crazy, let them say. Just know who you are, be proud of yourself, and happiness will come to you naturally. Being different is a gift. That's what I think.

"Once you get in the right frame of mind, I think anything's possible. I think we get, we so often get caught in this state of negativity and it's a...it's a poison like nothing else."

I work everyday on getting deeper and deeper in the right frame of mind. And yes, I do believe that anything is possible when you reach for your dreams and goals.

"I do this! Time after time after time! I do all this shit for other people! And then I wake up and I'm empty! I have nothing!"

This one's by Tiffany Maxwell (payed by Jennifer Lawrence). No comment on this one. It speaks for itself.

"I'm gonna take that as a silver development! A silver development! That's a silver lining!"

Every tough situation leads to questions, then leads to answers, and finally leads to what's best for us, as a person. Silver development is the key. For sure!

I'm going to buy the DVD as soon as I can. I know it'll be one of my best friends forever. Haha

3D Animation stills

Let me introduce you to... Bonnie!

I do not own this rig. It's a free one made by Josh Sobel ( > his website )

So, as you may know, I'm working on my showreel with my friend Bonnie. She does many things for me, like walking, running, dancing... She's so cool!

For now, we agreed that we would keep our collaboration secret, because you know, we still have to work hard on the animation, and rendering.

But! Here is a little preview of what's coming.

(yeah I know, it's blurry right here...)

Chains

"Tryna break the chains but the chains only break me"

I'm not used to doing this, though I always wanted to. Some make fan arts of animated characters (not that I'll never do any, I have some ideas in mind), I make fan arts of songs. Well at least, I always tried, but none of them ever deserved to be posted. Until this one.

This week, one of my favorite artists (Nick Jonas) released the first single off his second solo album. It's called "Chains". And like many other songs, this one came on point to help me deal with my own life.

(Other examples? "A Little Bit Longer" by the Jonas Brothers, "Guilty" by Omarion, "Beautiful Times" by Owl City, "FU" by Miley Cyrus... And the list can grow much longer!)

It really inspired me, and still does.

This song is about realizing that chains prevent us from living our life and dreams like we always wanted to. It can be a person, an event, a word... it can be anything. We all have chains in our lives, in our hearts. Some deal with them better than others. Some keep them silent not to hurt anyone. Some ask for help. Some just put them aside and move forward. How hard is the last option! Even harder to break them for good.

I'm not going to talk about myself here, or at least not right now. But there's one thing I have to say. I think everyone has the right to live and be happy, no matter what people say or even think. Life is hard enough not to let anyone waste it. Dreams must become true, and people must understand it. We won't always succeed, but it's worth trying.

Animation posing

I currently am working on a new showreel.

What does it take to make a good showreel? Good posing! 

Which includes good lines of action to make a character look more dynamic.

Once you understand it, you still have to practice to get better.

Once you can draw it, you can animate it.

Of course it's not a part of the showreel, but that's a great training actually.

Philips Space Challenge video

Here it is!

My video for the Philips Space Challenge.

Made in seven days.
The "music and sound design" were made in 30 minutes only so... Haha

Hope you all enjoy it! Don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it.

Philips Space Challenge Part II

Some other screenshots.

Be patient, the video is coming soon!

Philips Space Challenge

Last week, I worked on a contest for the brand Philips. 

They sent me an e-mail to tell me they saw my Vimeo channel, with the 2D animations, and asked me if I wanted to be part of the Challenge. Of course I accepted and started working on Monday. 

10-12 hours a day, for seven days. 

I had to make a 30 seconds video about "What would you like to try and accomplish in space? Knowing how difficult it would be to undertake a simple task in space".

As I didn't have time enough to think about something original, I worked on a simple theme which is "Nothing is impossible, when you reach for the stars".

I applied on Monday, so it's officially over.

Here are some screenshots from the video.

I'll share the whole thing with you all soon!

"Happily... Even After" Short Movie

Finally!

Here is my Diploma's Short Movie, "Happily... Even After".

Two short months to make those three minutes of animation.

And this is the final result.

I wish I had more time to do it, but well, it's over and I'll take my time for my other personal projects.

I hope you enjoy it! Don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it.

You can also find it on my website, along with concepts, character design and screenshots from the film.

Workspace

Hey guys!

I know I haven't posted for more than a week, but I've been pretty busy. Don't worry, I'm working hard on something I'll probably talk about soon. Also, I have many projects in mind!

Here's a little picture to show you my workspace. I'm pretty proud of it (obsessed with How To Train Your Dragon? Just a bit.) and I have no excuse for not working!

One more thing, I just received the link for my Diploma's Short Movie! I'll share it with you by the beginning of next week!

"Happily... Even After" Teaser

This is the teaser of my Diploma's short movie, "Happily... Even After".

The whole film will be online soon!

Showreel - June 2014

Here is my first showreel!

I know I have to improve my animating skills, and that's exactly what I plan on doing for the next couple of months.

A new showreel has to be done by September, a much better one.

Motivated!

Guess who made it...

Yesterday, I graduated from Emile Cohl school!

Those five years are finally over. Now a new life can begin.

I am so ready to work hard to get where I want to be.

I can't wait to see what life holds in store for me.

By the way, I made a Facebook page for my work to be seen even more.

Don't hesitate to "like" it, I will post a lot on it.

Diploma!

Diploma's done! Finally!

Actually, my five years in Emile Cohl school ended last Tuesday. But it was not everyone's case.

So now, I can share with you all a part of my work.

I wanted to give the jury a program with a synopsis and screenshots inside, and I added my own details on the right. 

I pretty much like it.

Something else I liked : the scrolling background with falling snow screened on the two sides of the room.

The video is made of three backgrounds I made for my movie. I added things to link them all together.

Here are the three big moments of this video.

Results are planned tomorrow night!

Can't wait, for everything to be over, for pressure to leave, and for a new life (full of hard work) to start!

2014 Annecy Festival - 06-13-2014

After finishing my movie, I thought I deserved a day off. So I went to the Annecy animation festival with my mother.

We walked two hours through the city, and along the lake, making the most of the fresh air, far from Lyon's pollution.

Isn't if wonderful?

We ate in a restaurant near the MIFA, right where I planned on going, with my great friend Lorène.

Then I spent two hours at the MIFA. Why not more? 

1. There was not much accessible studios (lots of asian and indian studios)

2. Most stands were closing when I arrived (2pm). (Shame...)

So I first met Disney recruiters, and I realized I was lucky and blessed at that time.

The "boss", who I always wanted to meet, was very nice to me, and she lead me to two other recruiters, a concept one, and a animation one. They both took time to see my work and to give me great advice to get better. They showed me I could be what I want to be : a great animator.

Then I talked to a Quebec studios exponent. And I was greeted by a sweet Finnish producer who I spent a lot of time with, talking about my work, Finland, and the studios he represented. He actually made me want to know more about this country and its animation world, contrary to the other exponents...

In conclusion, I was pretty disappointed by the festival. Maybe it was because of the diploma, or the SNCF strike. But I spend a wonderful day far from problems and stress.

Business cards

My new business cards finally arrived! I love them!

Five different designs for the companies to choose among.