Work in progress: May 2008 Archives

The toilet is done except for the hinge on the seat and the handle. (See the bathroom page.) This went really fast compared to the other models, which I've decided I will redo in subdivision surfaces now that I've reminded myself how to use them. It's a shame that this went as fast as it did and I couldn't even benefit from it because of how little time I've had to work lately. The good news is that this is a temporary situation that will be resolved shortly. And that's all I can say about that for now.

I still want the bathroom done by the end of May. That gives me five days. I doubt it will happen but I do believe the end is in sight. Maybe I'll have it by the end of next weekend. If I didn't have to work tomorrow I'd keep going tonight. But that's what my life has to be about right now: The Job. Soon enough my life will be about me again.

I wish it were that easy. The good news is, I'm about halfway through getting the toilet modeled. Except that I made it that far sometime last week. What I'm having a hard time with is time itself. I'm getting into a particularly busy part of the year where I have graduations, camping trips and visits from relatives that take precedence. I lost this weekend to my sister's graduation from college and as usual, I'm losing evenings to the day job and whatever chores can't be put off. I've lost my momentum, but not permanently. I just have to slap myself around a little and get back on a schedule. And I can do that, I've done it before. After all, that's what graduate school was all about: self discipline. Of course I didn't have a full time job at the time, but I digress.

I have to admit I've lost a little bit of the fire I had at the beginning of this project, and I'm pretty sure it's because of the nature of the project itself. When it comes to videography or 3D, I'm a storyteller. What I'm doing here is more like a still life than a story with a beginning and end, and I'm just not as excited about it as I could be. But I'm going to stick it out because it does serve an important purpose. I'm getting retrained (no matter how slowly) and when I'm finished, I can create all the festival pieces I want, knowing that I did what I needed to do to get my skills to the level that I can even consider something like that. You have to learn to crawl before you learn to walk. That's what I'll keep telling myself anyway.

On another subject, I've decided against doing a character based on my grandmother, mainly for the sake of time and simplicity. Although the image I saw in my head on the way home from work tonight (it's a long drive) might prove to be almost as complex. I saw a girl rendered with very simple textures as she looked into the sunset, slightly squinting. I'm not sure if that's particularly relevant but the colors and the look on her face struck me, and she might be the character I'm looking for. And sunset gives me a good lighting scenario to start with.

I want this bathroom done by the end of May. There. I said it.