white stuff break

I just arrived at my parents' home for Chritmas. It's all white here. Holiday break time for a week.

The same story from alternative point of view:

On Sunday, as I usually do on Sundays, I woke up around 2 in the afternoon, after having drinks till 5am with people I work with at the bar. Then, as usual, I found that I have very little in my fridge, and since Sunday's the only day off I get, I crawl out to do grocery shopping. Yes, this story is exciting. My hobby is baking, I bake up to three times a week, and at very least once, thus most of my shopping is somehow baking-related.

On the way to the shops, I passed by yet another busker on Rose St. They're always there, in one form or another. The guy wasn't anything special, but wasn't too bad either. That reminded me of THE busker, the guy who kept consequently turning my life into misery with his voice, past few months. The guys sounded a bit like him, in his first days. Back then we thought that was a busker, and he had a guitar. He lost it some time later, and his singing was becoming worse and worse. In past few months it become clear that the guy wasn't a busker, he was homeless. Since August till now I've been observing his degradation under my door. How much he annoyed me - you can see clearly from my previous entries. Police took him once, but he returned. Recently he was looking pretty bad - it became cold, he long lost his guitar, and didn't even sang that much anymore. One day, coming back from work, I've seen the police van in front of my door, coppers were taking him in. They were talking to him, and he just sat there, motionless, not reacting to anything. Eventually, they grabbed him into the van and I haven't seen him since. I believe I may, once christmas shopping starts, he may use this chance to get some money on busy Rose St again. But having that image in mind, and heaving another busker, it reminded me how much the guy changed this past few months.

When he first came under my windows, back when we took him for a busker, I was really annoyed at his bad singing. I really wished him to stop, and I couldn't understand why would someone keep singing so persistently, with so little talent. Now that I know he was homeless back then, I have second thoughts about it. Sitting on a busy street all day with thousands people passing you by, and hardly anyone noticing you, having nowhere to go, in a way - nearly not existing, the very little he could do to let the world know that he was there, was to sing.

Surprising amount of my shopping was organic, and after I got back, the man of the house commented on my story: "you're buying organic and you're having charitable thought, I don't recognise you anymore". Haha. That's what Sundays do to people. I'm far from charitable, just thought it was romantic. I guess that's my Christmas message done for this year.

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the story of love, hate, life and death:

(I love when the title tells you a story. The day the Earth screamed)
he said, you cannot live in the ocean,
and she said to him, you never can live in the sky
and that's about love.
The hate is towards both the homeless guy outside my house, and city council of Edinburgh whom I payed the council tax YEAR IN ADVANCE and I would very much appreciate if they did something about the guy. He's been there as long as I can remember (yes, it's the same guy I've been complaining about earlier). And it's not about the fact that he's there, sleeps there, urinates there, and leaves lager cans outside my door. It's about his infamous singing. He either, hey jude, takes a sad song and makes it worse (much worse), or sometimes he starts rapping. Scottish fake African American accent, you just can't imagine what you're missing. I should add that I live on the top floor. Can't think of how horrible it must be for the ones below.

Life's rolling on. I'm cutting out little men and put them on sticks, and they pay me for it. Soon I'm to cut out little horses too. Not sure which way they'd go on the stick… hm…

I'm a bit sad. Recently, because of technical issues with my laptop - these are beyond my level of comprehension, and thus, control, which makes me feel quite helpless.

What makes me happier is mulled wine.
Death brings an end to it all.

PS. latest news - didn't get the funding. Oh well, I guess I have to get back to working for Disney - what a shame indeed ;)

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(still haven't found anything to help me comprehend what the hell's going on)

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been to London. Too busy down there. Not bad, but Edinburgh's much nicer. You can read about it HERE, to be honest, I haven't read it myself. I scrolled through it and there's a picture of me.

I'm generally confused about things happening around me these days.

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too busy to update. Some stuff flying around festivals. And such.






and by the way, my alma mater loves me too:


amen.

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I like things old-fashioned. I don't know what's so appealing about them.
I'm spending evenings watching films about and in a way, from the past. Like Jeremy Brett as Sherlock Holmes.

But I must admit, I prefer modern Jude Law as Watson. Funny detail I noticed watching the old series: Jude Law features in one of the episodes, as a servant/stable boy. In 20 year time he has made it into the Watson.

As for the preoccupying every day life, I'm still in gainful and sweet employment at film/animation studio, only that in past few weeks I've been moved from model-making into storyboarding and animating. It's generally great. Sometimes the routine of Monday-Friday job leaves me drained, as if would any "artist" (even a piss artist like myself). Sometimes, on the other hand, I remember all these years at school, being scolded for stupid doodling when there were far more important things to concentrate on: reptiles' digestive system, Shakespeare in algebra or organic chemistry. And, oh irony, what do I end up doing for living if not doodling? I should have been doodling more intensely, maybe I'd do better.

On all the other matters, Edinburgh's still as beautiful as it has always been, and the autumn surely is my favourite season. I have one unfortunate busker under my window, he appears there much too often, and the only thing to admire is his sheer persistence, to keep singing without any talent at all: surely not one person must have told him to shut up already. If you happen to know the busker guy (sometimes accompanied by some friend) singing on the corner of Rose and Castle St in Edinburgh, oh please tell him to shut up. On some occasions I have considered giving him money so he'd go away…

I'm combing unhealthy thoughts, drinking tea, or wine, baking some stuff and living meaninglessly, just the usual. My films are getting into various festivals, but I don't even have time to keep track of that, not to mention, to go and attend anything. I'll try to look into it. God bless busy live.

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I was thinking of many things this week. Of Stalin's crimes, the crimes of my own, of being an artist, and its role in the society. Of how beautiful Edinburgh is every day as I see it going to work. Of the pointlessness of life (although on this subject I didn't get anywhere, as you can imagine).

Things are changing, I passed by Edinburgh College of Art: its orange got a bit paler with Edinburgh University signs. I am a busy, busy person, which is probably good. Only that I can't answer emails properly and on time.

During the weekends I'm still in the bar. It's not bad, only bad thing is that I didn't have a single day off in past two months yet, and it doesn't seem like I'm getting any till Christmas. But the bar is fun too, it's not a bad luck to be there, really.

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I have lived without Internet in my flat for a month now. It is somehow detoxing. I realise how little I really need it, how well I can get around just checking my email once a week somewhere. I don't have time for this anyway: real busy working in the model-making team (or, officially, the art department) at Kolik. Sometimes it's tough, but we're making some really amazing stuff there, and you know: when I'm tired on the bus home, I think to myself - "how lucky I got myself tired making beautiful things". It's also a good team there; they kick me out if I stay and eagerly work too long (for now…). The talk is of pickled chicken, stations and stationery.

Artists, keep busy.

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busy busy busy.

I got my first job in an animation studio. Model making on a top secret stop motion production :) So top secret, that even myself, I don't know what it's called.

nocturnal in August part 2

Absolutely exhausted working till 6am in the bar way too often. It doesn't leave one much time for being depressed, so I need to catch up on this.

Check this out. They got the title wrong (I guess it's my fault for making too many films), but it's the thought that counts.

I also have just watched the last Harry Potter. I was delaying

it, because I don't like crowds, and even all the love for Alan Rickman's way of speaking without moving his upper lip couldn't make me get over the fear of ending up in a cinema full of loud teenagers. I love Snape so. Sketchy drawing I made before going to work last time:

From now on I'm going to be doing some model-making, which should make me busy like hell, but also pay my bills.

nocturnal in August

the worst thing about my new flat is that just outside, 5 meters away, I can buy four cans of my favourite lager for £5.50. I can get it for £4.00 if I go a bit further (but that's a proper 20 minute walk). The second bad thing about my new flat is that it's so warm that I can't drink tea like I normally would, I have to have cold fizzy drinks. There comes the lager. Since I moved in my consumption of it grew around five times… The third bad thing about my new flat are seagulls, I only moved like 3 miles towards the seaside, and there's so many of them, so loud between 4-7 n the morning. But I've been told I would get used to that soon and I won't hear them at all.

All the other things about my new flat are good so far. I even found out how to turn

my letting agency's screw-up that led to me not having warm water (two weeks a counting now) to my advantage.

I'm doing some intense bar work at the moment (really intense, Edinburgh during the festival, oh yes my darlings, the world is unpleasant for those coming back from work after 6am, by the time I wake up and get ready, places are closing already), and soon I am to hopefully do some intense model-making work. I'm really looking forward to that, but it's a shush-shush-secret now (let's not jinx things). In case you didn't know (I didn't, it only came to my attention few weeks ago), I have become a stop-motion animator in this severe times of the recession. Haha.

my hair really grew quite a bit while I wasn't looking. The ones on my head.

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I'm moving the flat. I'm planning to get internet in my new place some time, but then, when I spend like two days without it... you realise how much time I waste having internet now. I'll need that at some point: hell, I need it to work, but I'm not really in a hurry to get it yet.

I'm constantly sleepy. Bar work is soul and relationship-destructive for me recently.

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silly things happen all the time. And that's not the only trouble Magners caused in our bar.

I'm moving the house. Mission, mission. All this stuff, makes one wish they could just pack all their belongings in one bag and walk away - but not, there's so much tying us down.

Good news, remember Cindy Derby and "Edward's House of String" me and my classmate worked on last autumn? It's gonna be part of the program for the 2011 New Original Works Festival at the REDCAT in Los Angeles this September. See the power of Edinburgh College of Art, you, America!

In the meantime, another little commission going on:


rave it is.

8814: bar doll

I'm posting so much recently. Just cos I draw more. I used to draw a wee comic about a barmaid (based on my own experience of that wonderful job) in my third year in college. Now that I'm back in that bar, I may get back to drawing. Only that this time, I may as well publish it.

No, his question was actually rather boring and disappointing. No, it wasn't about where the toilets were, tho.

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that's how it is. Another stop-motion commission to work on next week. I'm running here and there, not really fitting anywhere.

yes, life's funny. One can become a hypocrite stop motion animator just like that. Ok, I guess you need to be an animation graduate to get the "joke", and I can't afford to explain it now. It's rolling. I'm sleepy.

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Back in the bar, flat and job hunting still. Freelance life - things get turned around from day to day. I can't tell the up from down. Or maybe it's that vodka. Oh yeah, did I mention I was back in the bar I used to work before? It's not bad.


a sketch of Cat Bruce, my classmate. I drew that like two months ago, but never got around to scan it.



here you can watch the video I was working on recently. Sorry for youtube quality. Considering it took me two days to make, I'm quite happy with it. Bright colours, everything happy and sparkling.

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First about the project I did a while ago for Avital Ash: it's still not officially out (the opening titles will be available with the film), but here you can see a wee preview of work in progress:



Also, a stop motion animation advert (yes, I am a stop motion animator now. It came as as surprise to me as well) that should be out quite soon (this week probably), I'll post it here, but for now, here are some stills:


These dolls are really adorable. At first I was a bit like: that's a shift, I just finished a video about suicide (the Kaleidoscope), and I'm in the happy world of dolls, but playing with them was great. They're produced by local Edinburgh company.

Personal live: trying to get a flat. Oh my I want to get a flat... I hope it's not gonna be a nightmare - you know, cos many people are renting them just for the festival in August, and August is just when I need to move. The joy of living in Edinburgh.

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I have graduated.

And then, there was some crazy tea party. More about that soon.

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So here I am, a busy busy woman who'd rather just sleep thought the whole day, but the world keeps me awake. Graduation exhibition's almost over, graduation screening in the Filmhouse was a success, Donald Holwill's leaving party too. Now, when do we graduate? Some time soon, is it?


It has been some time ago that I have finished work on animated opening titles for the movie Kaleidoscope by Avital Ash. You can watch them with the film, wherever the film will be shown (next years Oscars, I suppose). Here's some more stills from the animation:



and thanks for feedback and general interest, this place also became busy these days,

love,

8764: news from the dark side

graduation time. Need for cash, therefore, more nights in behind the bar: the job of my life, so it seems. It is fun, as the second best option, but then my hands are really dry after all the glasses to clean, and all the liquid that's always on my hands working there, then I need to put some cream or something, then that makes my hands oily, and then, then it leaves mess on the glass when I work on the rostrum.

Yep, there's some new project, don't ask me why. Not that long ago I thought I didn't want to animate ever again, and here I am, like a proper addict, there's no escape... The less I write about that project, the better, I think, for I've been working on it semi sober, and in a rather childish approach (my argument being: "because I want that this way, therefore it's right!"), I wonder if my director, Avital Ash, noticed (I wonder if she knows about this blog...). But, as far as I could concentrate, I figured out: it's animated opening titles for THE FILM. The Film is from far away LA. Cindy, didn't Cindy live in LA? I hope she'll like that, with every single rostrum project I'm taking paper cut outs to the whole different level. They'd be so 3D soon that it won't count as cut outs anymore... Am I making any sense in here?

Well anyway, forget my usual misanthropic complaining, and my allergy to fun, the credits are fun to do. I think I wouldn't mind doing some more of this kind of stuff in the future.


other extra lame news regarding my graduation from Edinburgh Gutter of Art: our class has a nice website. And our school designed much less nice website too. Night in the cinema, 13th of June.

And "an interrupted story" is in Anima Mundi.

I think that's all.

8755

/wee something I'm working on while not working on anything. I know I shouldn't be doing charity work, but that project enchanted me/

I should be writing here more. Things are happening, lots of maybes and such, but nothing solid. Feeling ill, I may be getting out of the forest of Black spring. Still don't know what I'll do with myself next: looking for some jobs, I suppose.

Also, here's a trailer for what used to be called "the train project", and now it's officially "an interrupted story":

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So the Britain is great, even ones like me get to wave the flag these jolly days. I've been out killing swans yesterday. I wasn't really. My friend was. But he didn't mean to, he has this addiction: he has to feed the birds, no matter how many times I tell him it's actually bad for them. I like singing "kill the birds" (to the melody of "feed the birds") on these occasions. But it was well nice, sitting in on the grass by that pond around Stockbridge having nothing to do, but in a delightful company. Nothing has really been sorted out, but things generally look better. I think I want to, I need to move on, if only to change scenery. To London, or to Glasgow: that is the question.



here's a showreel update, I think I made it around a month ago, but somehow never posted it online. I really need to think of publicity much more...

also, the degree show in the Filmhouse, where both of my degree films (I think, unless I change my mind, I wasn't sure about it first) will be screened is on the 13th of June. Check Filmhouse's website for ECA animation degree show.

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That's a rather random watercolour of characters from my degree film number 2, one of these things I make when I don't want to animate, and try to avoid feeling guilty for not being productive. Another think of this sort is this wee film I put together, using supportive materials I gathered so far. I'm well bad with documenting the process of making this film, I don't even have a sketchbook.



I used some Sarah Keeling's footage, and some of my own silly things here. Bits of work in progress, bits of final scenes, and such.

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happy Romanian Spring Day!
and how much do I know about Romanian Spring Day? Nothing at all, and yet, the arrogant me just got given the most wonderful martisor ever. Well, it was the first one I've seen in my life too, but it doesn't mean it's not amazing, cos it is. Check the pictures:



These are pressed dried flowers in resin, and there's a pin at the back so I can... actually, Oana, whom I got it from, she told me to stop showing off. Maybe she won't see this blog... Maybe...
well anyway, it's the most beautiful martisor ever!


And here's some boring pictures from the dark place where I dwell:


setting up a wee close up scene:


and you've gotta clean after yourself. twelve times a second:


I think that's all I wanted. Just to show off, really. Animation's going alright, dissertation's going alright. I looked at the map yesterday, thinking of where the hell will I be in July. Even London seemed so unbelievably far away. Scotland feels so cozy.

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Good Sunday,

Probably lots had happened again but I was busy having lots happening to me so I couldn't write. What happened recently, so I still remember: Cindy Derby's "Edward's House of String". I mentioned that before, the performance me and Cat Bruce helped on, it was pretty awesome. So me and Cat had a good night.

Me, Pete Smith and Gareth Griffiths had also kind of finished the train film (that now has an official title, I should change the labels on the blog maybe some time...), kind of, it is, because we're still working on the sound. Anyway, I don't see it being screened anywhere before June (and I'm not even sure about June), so I'll keep it quiet for now, sorry. There should be a trailer available online within a month.

In the meantime, I had to start working on that degree film of mine (is there a deviation like that? A constant urge to make films?), here's some pictures, I don't have a camera of my own, so it's always a bit of a hassle to get any:

bits of the set

messy workplace of mine

part of the set again

from under the rostrum camera

As for more general, and far more important stuff, my oven broke, which is the greatest tragedy of all, and I can't get anyone who'd want to see "Tangled" with me, which makes me sad, well sad, I'm such a sad character.


PS. Oscars: Kind's Speech and How to Train Your Dragon. Because I say so, so it must be so.

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going back to college tomorrow. no, please, no...
the train project/film is almost finished, there are like three scenes that need some work, I think. Should be animated this time next week, then it's sound, and credits, and rederings, and all that fun that I won't be able to enjoy that much: I need to start working on my degree film properly now.
Yes, I do ask myself sometimes, why the hell am I making so many films.
No, I don't know either.


I'm not sure if I should be putting any more stills from that project here, or just wait till it's all done. That's The Last Frame of the film. It's not the last frame drawn, there is still one scene I left myself as a dessert. It's the last frame chronologically.

More updates on another film coming here then. I started that blog for the degree film, but I don't feel like using it much. Lazy.