“Someday you will be good at something…”

I hope to find that “something” one day...










until then I will still keep searching and struggling for it.

-RoB-

...:::Long time no blog:::...

Remember me?....

*tumble weed rolls across the field*

Damn, I just saw that my last post was in April of 2008..... YIKES!!!!

Better late than never right?

I doubt anyone has notice my leave of absence on this blog; but for those that have been checking up on this old blog, THANK YOU!

I apologize for the long and overdue update on my blog; but so much has happened throughout my animation journey in this industry since I last posted; that I seriously don't know where to start.

Well, let me start by saying that the animation journey is fun, amazing, creative, exhausting, and the hardest thing I have ever done but I love it!
I have met some amazing and talented artists along the way which has always made me question my self as to how I got here or why they even hired me to begin with in the first place :P

I don’t want to go on about all the details throughout my journey but rather I want to give an understanding and hope to someone reading this out there who might want to go into this industry. This blog entry is more for those who are still working hard on trying to make in art; who go through periods of doubts and struggle as your working on your portfolio or demo reel. Trust me you are not alone in this struggle.

I can remember the first time I wanted to pursue an art/animation career. It was when I went to Disney World back when they were doing 2D in Florida. At that time, they had tours for people to come by and look at the artists working. Ever since then I wanted to do this and remember just thinking how much fun it would be to get paid to draw. It looked like the best job to me ever!

What I am about to say now is just my experience and everyone's experience is different so take it with a grain of salt. I just hope it is useful for someone out there thinking or starting to make steps to pursue a journey into the art/animation field.

This brings me to my first point:




WORK

DON’T BE LAZY! You have to work hard to get anything in this industry or in life. You must be able to put in the time in order to be seen and heard in this business. Be it modeling, animation, illustration, etc. Whatever it is you want to achieve you have to put in the time and effort. Nothing comes to you and no one will give you anything if you don’t work for it. Talent is a funny word in this industry or in general. I used it on this blog but really all talent is, is hard work, period! You might say to yourself, yeah but some people just get it. Yeah, I would say that is true, some people just get it faster than others; but at one point in their lives they didn’t get it and had to work hard for it. So if you want it, then go work for it.





DON'T PANIC

Easier said than done that is for sure. When you first start in this industry you will come to find out how many people are better than you and know more than you do, just don’t panic! I have come to find in my short time working in this industry that those around you are always willing to give you a helping hand. Also, keep in mind that they have all been there before and know how you feel. No matter how simple or complex a shot/task you get at a job; remember, there is always someone there to guide you and help you. Keep in mind, if you are hired for that job; they know you can do the work so don’t panic! Just do what you have been doing, be humble and also have an open mind to take other ideas and crits and you will be kicking ass in no time!




CRIT

You have to love it! It is the only way you will get better. If they keep on criting you it is because they really care and want you to succeed. They believe in you and want you to be the best you can be. Never ever take it personally. Anything I have worked on in this creative environment has been a mix of so many passionate people’s crit who take pride in their craft and want you to strive for better and succeed! So if someone crits you hard, thank them! They are helping you and making you better! Also be sure to listen to what they say, give it a chance and don’t dismiss it. Why? Because 99.9% of the time they are always correct and your work comes out so much better. I know it’s a bummer to do work all over again but trust me; it will be all worth it at the end.

My last point beats everything I said above. If you read this far, then next time you see me I owe you a drink or something :P

So, as I was saying, my last comment on this post is the best one of them all and it’s just about the dream.




DREAM

Keep dreaming! Let me say that one more time, KEEP DREAMING!!! I don’t mean this in a negative way like when you say to someone, I want to win the lottery and they say "Keep Dreaming". What I mean by this, is to keep dreaming of the goals you want to achieve in your career or in life. I do it all the time even when I feel down and out. I can’t emphasize this point enough. When you dream, DREAM BIG!!! You might surprise yourself where you might end up. No dream is impossible; I can say that for a fact now after achieving my goal of working at my dream studio on an amazing project with an amazing crew! From starting out as an Apprentice at Rhythm and Hues, to working at Disney Interactive; to eventually working at a place I only dreamed of working and visiting as a guest as I walked the hallways on a tour at Industrial Light and Magic/Lucasfilm (ILM).

Yup, after all the sacrifice and late nights, I finally made it! After all this time I had a brief moment of truly walking the hallways as an animator working for ILM/Lucasfilm moving big f’n robots on the screen :P I am so happy to say I worked with an amazingly passionate crew and staff at ILM/Lucasfilm on the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. I made it to my dream studio and achieved what I set out to do so many years ago when I was back in the East coast just dreaming about it. It was a great run up there at ILM/Lucasfilm.




I have much to learn but I can say if you work hard and dream big and have the will to do what it is that you want, anything is possible!

So what now? Well, I am on vacation and looking for the next gig; but in the meantime I will still keep my options open to maybe some new opportunities; and keep working hard and dreaming about the next fun and exciting job that can come my way.

Oh, yeah, almost forgot why I had this blog to begin with, here are some fun and rough sketches. Enjoy!



















~!WoOtWoOt!~

RoB

..::!From Stranger to Eye Candy Heaven!::.

Whoa! First off, I want to say that yours truly is part of this amazing book published by Alberto Ruiz(no introduction needed) through Brand Studio Press. Yeah, can you believe it, little old me got in; I must have done something right in my past life. I don't know how I managed to get into this but I am absolutely grateful to be a part of this one of kind book. Thanks Alberto!~

So here is the book:




Both of these books are amazing! So be sure to pick yourselves up a copy here for ECFS v1.0 book 1 and here for
ECFS v1.0 book 2 (this is the one I am in, WoOtWoOt!~). Both books are hard cover and are just filled with so much inspiration and amazingly talented artists from the industry and blog community. To sum up, these books are kick ass, as well as beautifully printed and bounded. So, in other words, go get'em!

Last but certainly not least, I have to thank my man Jamie. Check out his blog here; this cat is gonna be something big I know it! If it wasn't for this dude, I would have never applied to try out for this books above. Thanks for believing in me dude!~ Also congrats on getting into art school! Pooooooop!~ ;P

~!!!NYC COMIC CON THIS WEEK, CAN'T WAIT!!!~

~!WoOtWoOt!~
RoB

..::Tardiness::..

...Ugh, sorry for the lack of posts on my area. I really need to get into the swing of things again. Not much on this post I know; but I will get some cool things up that I have been working on very soon!~ Oh and something super cool is on its way, but I will talk about that more on the next post! I can't wait to share that with everyone!

In the mean time enjoy these rough passes at my attempt to draw something.




Have a great weekend!~
~!WoOtWoOt!~
RoB

..::The Untitled Post::..

Ahh....hmm...not much to say...err...hmm...

:P




Oh yeah, I got it...new links on the right hand side ;)

Have a good weekend!~

~!WoOtWoOt!~
RoB

~Time to Celebrate!!!~ ....

...even if its only for a moment... ;)

Ok, so I am finally back. What a great trip! I finally graduated! WOOT WOOT!
The Animation Mentor Graduation was absolutely AMAZING! I was finally able to meet people from my classes that I have never met in person before. Everyone was super friendly as well as absolutely classy and cool! It was my absolute honor to meet up with as many students and mentors as I could.

All these future students are the next generation of animators going into the industry; and it’s such a pleasure to see them grow and find jobs out there in the industry.

Celebrations all around to all my buddies at Animation Mentor, it was an amazing Graduation everyone!

So this whole trip was a huge wirl wind of surprises to say the least. These past days went by so fast and unbelievablly hectic that it felt like a dream and a nightmare at the same time. Like the title of this post reads, it was truly an escape from the norm for me in so many ways; and I am absolutely grateful for everything that happened these past days that I will never forget.

So, now I awoke from my dream to find myself back here at home in the East once again. I was able to gain a lot from my experience back West on what might or might not be in store for me in the future in regards to a career in Animation.
So now what? Hmm….good question. Well I am still on my quest to find a job in animation so now is my time for me to apply anywhere and to anyone that is willing to look at my animation reel. I have been going around job boards and websites all to find out that there are not too many positions available out there but I am learning more about companies I never heard of before.

It feels really promising but at the same time I feel super anxious because it takes time to hear back a decision from these studios; so all one can do is just wait until they reply back or something :P

So this new post is all about celebrations right…well… today we celebrated my Grandmother’s birthday at a nice restaurant in the city. Then we came home and had her cake all ready and set for her to blow out her numbered 82 candles :) She is now 82 years old, AMAZING!!! She has been a huge inspiration for me in so many ways but not only; she has to be my one and only supporter on me perusing this career. I am grateful that I have someone close by my side like her supporting me through the patchy times like now while I wait and endure the long haul of trying to get a career started in this industry.



82 year is a long time and still kick’n!

So here is a sketch for the week. I will be back with more so stay tunes. But I need to get back to searching for any possible open animations out there to apply to ;)



Scared…hehe, this one was fun to draw because it how I feel right now, a bit anxious to hear back from anyone to start an animation career and at the same time confused about how it might all pan out :P

Oh yeah! One last thing, be sure to check out the links list on the side, there are some new ones up there! Amazing artist and inspiration at its best!

Have a great week!

~!WoOtWoOt!~
RoB

Going back to Nor-Cal...

...for my Graduation!~ Its that time of year where me and other fellow AMers will be in the city of San Francisco to enjoy all our hard efforts that we accomplished through the AM program...well, that and just enjoy each others company and actually meet one another for the first time EVER...IN PERSON...without a webcam or internet connection present :P

I guess I will be taking a break from the cold out here in the East and enjoying some of that wet weather that is happening in the West.

I will be sure to update some fun pics and videos of the Graduation ceremonies for sure. In the mean time, I have to pack and get all set, so I leave you with some fun and loose sketches here before I go to San Francisco. Enjoy!







Hehe, I thought this might be fun to share... :P ;)




~!WoOtWoOt!~
RoB

Just enjoying home…

…it sure is nice to see what has changed and hasn’t changed back here in the Tri-State Area. It is super cold back here in the East and at times you see little sprinkles of snow here and there but nothing big quite just yet. Once the snow really hits us, if it hits us at all this year; I will be sure to take pics for you guys and gals :) But in the meantime, enjoy these artificial huge snowflakes from NY :P






In other news, I finally got around to making a links list which will be located on the right side of this blog; so be sure to check these fellow artists, some friends of mine mixed with other artist I admire from the blog community and regular websites :) Coming very soon.

I will be updating this list more and more every week; so for those of you who don’t see yourself there, please keep in mind that there are a lot of people that I have yet to put up and I am in the process of doing so; but be sure to remind me if I haven’t :)

Well, here are some sketches for the week, I will update again really soon but in the meantime enjoy the sketches :)






Oh yeah, here is a fun little quick recording sketch I did on my Wacom. It was fun to record myself as I was figuring shapes out. I will tell yah, when your recording yourself drawing, you become very self aware of how fast or slow you are really drawing…hehe… it was really fun experiment to do and I just wanted to share that with you guys and gals. I hope you all like it :)



Oh, and one last thing, I just got an email from a good friend of mine and fellow artist, Piya Wannachaiwong about an article on the word ‘w00t’ that I use so much. I went ahead and explored this further and well it is true, ‘w00t’ has won Webster's Word of the Year! Ok, so you might be asking yourself why are you saying this RoB? Well, if anyone knows me I am always signing off or saying the word ‘WooT’ all the time :P So I was happy to hear that this word is well, word of the year..hehe ^_^




Three cheers for the word of the year!

~!WoOtWoOtWoOt!~

And on that note I am out…

~!WoOtWoOt!~
RoB

Still Alive….

…but barely :(

Yeah, so, uhh, hmm….what is up!?

Man, it has been a while since I graced the pages of my blog and let me tell yeah its needs some updating. YIKES!~

First off I want to say a HUGE SUPER BIG, ‘THANK YOU!~’ to those who have commented on my last post...which was in October...ouch! That was a long time ago...well sorry about that but there has been a lot of soul searching since then and packing and finally traveling,etc.

But in all seriousness, I was really touched by the nice comments and encouragement that everyone left. Thanks a bunch! :)

Well, I am back on the East coast and let me tell yah, it is freaking cold out here right now!!! Wow, was I spoiled by the nice weather of San Francisco so much so that I got sick on the way here and I am still recovering :(
But hey, its home and I love it this time of year here in the East. You really feel the spirit of Christmas and all that holiday season junk…hehe :P

So many people have asked “Have you found work?” or “What the hell are you doing now?” ..oh and my favorite, "Hey! Are you dead?" Well, not much to report boys and girls…I am very much alive but other than that I am still looking for work. So in the mean time while I look for work I will be on this blog a lot more and probably working on an actually website. But in the mean time I have to make income so I might just have to give into the meat grinder and find a regular steady 9-5 boring desk job if I must…ugh!~ Not pleasing at all but hey, it’s a living :P I hope that this will not be the case and that I acctually find something before then...so keep yah fingers crossed :)

Anyway, sorry for the lack of posting around the blogs…I am sure I have to play serious catch up on all the great artwork that is out there being updating by my favorite artists and friends. I hope I haven't been too absent from my blog that people have already forgotten me; but I guess its time to post more and comment around to see what the vibe is on the blogs.

Oh, yeah...one cool little thing I found while browsing the net, was this little bear packaging from Japan, super cute so I thought, hey, why not post it up:



Anyway, I thought it was cute and those who know me will know why I put up that little bear thing :P

Well, thanks again for those who still keep coming to my little blog area :) I will be on top of it now since I have so much free time...







~!WoOtWoOt!~
RoB

Going Back to the East Coast...

DAMN!~

...I apologize for not posting up in a long time but I have been packing to move home. Yup, many things have crossed my mind and I decided that I will move back to the East coast for the time being until I can find some open positions in animation.

It was a good run while it lasted here in SF; I made good friends and got to see many cool sights and sounds not only in the No-Cal but in So-Cal as well. It has gotten way too expensive for me to stay out here in California. The job market now is pretty tapped out from what I have been seeing. So, I decided that I will keep applying out from the East coast with hopes of trying to get a job sometime in the near future but as they say, ‘tomorrow is promise to no one.’

I am not giving up on my dream to be an animator but it is certainly on hold at the moment until I can find work and settle down financially to something more stable. Talk about a bad time to finish school; most studios are in full production and have no open positions, so I guess this is the best time to visit back home for awhile until things open up. So, this post might be one of my last for a while; at least until I can get back East, unpack and connect myself back to the net.

Ok, switching gears here, I noticed a lot of talk about this Wilhelm scream a couple of weeks ago, maybe it was the anniversary of this famous scream sound byte. So, one night I was bored and decided to look into this more and I was finally able to hear this unique scream and let me tell yah; its a funny scream. This scream is like a cult phenomenon in films or something. So I drew a dude screaming :P

I really want to thank everyone who has come to my little blog spot here . I can’t stress how much it has been a huge support for me to hear back from other like minded and passionate artist out there I just wanted to say THANK YOU !~

Until next time, see you on the East Coast!~





~!WoOtWoOt!~
RoB

~Yawn~

I want to first say a huge "THANK YOU!" to all of you guys and gals that wished me a Happy Birthday last week, that put a huge smile on my face :D

Well, nothing much going on this week, so here is some sketches, enjoy!










~!WoOtWoOt!~
RoB