100

Yup. This is the 100th entry for this blog. I started it 2 years ago to shed light on my travels as an artist and business person. It's been a way for me to share and process what I've been making and thinking. A lot has happened these past 100 weeks!

Over the last couple months, however, I've had fewer ideas of what to talk about each week. My guess is because I'm also making weekly video tutorials and essays. So, now I'm only going to post on this blog when bigger things happen or when I have something I want to share. The blog has been great for me, regardless of how many people have read it, but I feel like it's had its moment. I want to focus on other things now.

So, in one final, self-indulgent post, I'm going to list some of the things I've talked about over these past two years. Thanks for reading, friends!

Your pal, Bailey

Behind the Cinematic

I am very pleased to announce the initial launch of a brand new website:

What is it? Well, it's an online publication dedicated to cataloging and providing behind the scenes content for game cinematics. The primary goals are to centralize learning resources on cinematics, provide insight into their development, give credit to the wonderful artists who work so hard on them, and ultimately to celebrate this unique artform.

I've been working on this concept for about three months now, and it's finally ready for people to start reading it. It is going to expand A LOT, and the site design will improve considerably too. But I felt that I should release SOMETHING before I spend countless hours polishing it to absolute perfection.

AND more features are coming too. Like interviews, and in-depth discussions with industry professionals. I can't wait! Bookmark this bad boy because it's only gonna get better.

Anyhoo, that's all for now. Please tell people about it! Get the word out! The world can always use a few more cinematic enthusiasts. :D

Your bud,

Bailey

Creating MatterControl

My most recent commercial endeavor now has a home in the behind the scenes section here at Forma Pictures:

This was a really fun project to work on. As I've said again and again on this website, be sure to check out MatterHackers. Such excellent people. Alright, that's enough talk about MatterControl. Next week I promise to talk about the other projects. ;)

Hmm, well, I think I teased this before, but I've started work on an exciting new project. I'm currently in the middle of the arduous (and fun) task of fleshing out the story. It's due to launch early next year, and it really has the potential to be something unique. Now all I have to do is work until I can't work anymore, because it's shaping up to be one of the most ambitious projects I've worked on to date.

Exciting stuff! :)

Bailey

Poster For Sale

Work progresses as usual. I've been doing some tweaking to a storyboard and designing the art style. The meat of the project is in full effect now. So very much to do!

In other news, the Shop now has a 20-Mile March poster available for purchase. It's an upgraded version of the poster I posted a while back in the 20-Mile Marching article I wrote. Hang it on your wall and remind yourself to work consistently, but not to overdo it. Check it:

You can purchase it here. Or you can print your own version here. Whatever you want! :)

Bailey

Animatics and Answers

In a continued effort to make what I do more understandable to prospective clients, I added an FAQ section to the site. People can also request more answers if they want to too.

I also updated the About section to now show what services Forma Pictures provides. Forma Pictures works with both companies and individuals. Big and small projects. :)

As for work, this week saw a bunch of storyboarding for the MatterHackers project! Boy, like I've said before, boarding really pushes my brain. It's tough work trying to do so many things at once, like staging, flow, and visually understandable compositions. The storyboard basically defines what the movie is going to be, so no pressure, right? :)

Here's a screenshot of the animatic I was working on, in the editor:

Bailey

The Pipeline

In an attempt to shed some light on the process behind what I do, I created a brief overview of the video creation process for potential clients. It's my hope that this will show not only what they can expect throughout the course of development, but also so they can see just how much goes into creating a video. Very laborious indeed! Check it out here.

Bailey

What do YOU want?

So, I've been writing this weekly blog for 10 straight months now (haven't missed a Friday!). Sometimes I write about changes to the business, sometimes I show what I've been making. Other times I ramble about art philosophies of mine. But what do YOU want to know about?

I heard in a podcast that a well known business used their blog to post interesting analytics about their product to drive traffic to their site. The posts (and I've read them) are genuinely interesting and insightful. They contain lots of data too, so that's fun.

As an artist, I feel like showing art should be the primary focus of this, but I don't always have stuff to show. And sometimes I can't, because it's not mine to show (contracts...etc.).

Anything you'd like to see or know more about? Comment below!

As for an update, I'm knee deep in an ambitious client project. Super excited about it. It has the potential to be very good. Just gotta work my arse off to get it there! :)

Bailey

Behind the Scenes

This week I bring you another brand new section to the website...

Here you will find new images, animations, and details about how I made my films. So, if you're the type of person that likes seeing primitive storyboards and old designs, go check it out. Personally, I love seeing behind the scenes stuff, which is probably why I became an artist. When I was first starting out, I remember watching an artist draw and thinking I could watch him do this all day long. I've since learned that this is not so for most people. Come to think of it, that's probably a way to figure out what you should do as a career...whatever it is that endlessly fascinates you.

Behind the scenes of 3D Printing: Making a Better Future

Behind the scenes of VentureBox Assist: Product Overview

So, in addition to some BtS information on past projects, I've also begun a brand new, separate blog that will focus on Hunted, the animated short that's in development. When I first started this blog, it was primarily about Hunted. And it's time once again to give it more attention. So, every Tuesday there will be an update on its progress. And I will always show something, whether it be WIP art, photos, or something else. Here's where it will live:

Aaaand my month of C4D continues. New sketch everyday.

Bailey

Shop Forma

The shop is live! And with it comes The Forma Pictures T-Shirt. I'm tired of cheap t-shirts that don't hang well and have prints that begin to peel off after a few washes. So, I spent some time choosing a fabric that fits great. Then I sent them to printers that pride themselves on quality (my kind of people!). Hope you all like the shirt. :)

This young chap is my esteemed brother.

The t-shirt is just the beginning. As you know, Forma Pictures makes original content. So expect art in the shop later this year.

For the last 2 weeks I've been releasing art everyday in the sketchbook. And now for the entire month of March, I'm going to focus on Cinema 4D. So, for the next 31 days, there will be a new sketch to look at each night. Random stuff like this (but probably way worse):

I'm moving on from cube dances to do dailies. Sure, they're a lot shorter, but there will be something new every day here. And I'm getting faster. Little by little. Day after day. This speed practice has already had an impact on my big projects.

Forma Pictures' first short film, HUNTED, saw continued development this week too. Isaac (the composer) recently wrote some more goodness for the score. One my end, I've been tweaking the story, trying to make it better. I really believe in this project, but I need more help from artists and animators in order to release it this year. It's ambitious, as always.

Bailey

Eating Frogs

I've been gulping down frogs this week. Well, figuratively. It's a concept from the book "Eat That Frog!" by Brian Tracy that I picked up this week. It describes ways to organize and prioritize tasks in business and in life. Each day there is a task that is more important than the other tasks. This is the one that will have the greatest, positive impact on one's life. This high value task is the "frog" that should be eaten first, before doing the low value tasks that yield fewer positive returns.

It also describes how to practice "creative procrastination." We all procrastinate, but we need to procrastinate doing specific things because there will never be enough time to do everything we have to do. Instead, we should just be on top of our most important responsibilities. The book discusses how to approach this and much more. In the end it's about being productive, efficient and smart. One can fulfill their ambitions and still get home each night to be with their family. I recommend it.

What else...oh, the good people at MatterHackers commissioned me to create some art for the tech conferences that they attend throughout the year. See?

View fullsize

A bunch of banners for all their convention needs. :)

And last, but not least, I've been building a SHOP for Forma Pictures. And in it, you'll be able to buy art I release in the future as well as some merchandise. Actually, the first batch of goods will be arriving today, so I expect to start selling with the next week or so. Stay tuned...

Bailey

Learning

Ever wanted to know about the process behind making art and film? Well, now you can. Introducing LEARN, a new place at Forma Pictures where I discuss the inner workings of the craft from a no nonsense point of view. I've always hated "trade secrets" so I decided to start sharing what I can. I only have one resource to start, but the library will steadily increase. And if you have any suggestions, you can submit them for review.

Here's a quick 2-second boot-up animation I made for the MatterControl tablet, released by MatterHackers this week:

Next week:

• Another cube dancing video, with a retro/nostalgic bent...if you were a child of the 80s/90s.
• Animated music video (2 months in the making).
• Some recent print work that I've done.

Bailey

Website 2.0

The website underwent some big changes this past week. There are lots of visual improvements, technical fixes, and even new features.

I decided to switch everything to a new CMS. I had been using WordPress since 2010, but it was time to try something new. The main reason I've done this is that I want to spend more time on the art and less time managing updates, new content, and struggling with PHP. It's hard enough for me to run a business, let alone trying to get contact forms to work properly. Lord knows I'm busy. So, I swallowed my pride and gave in to an easier, smarter life. :)

The blog now has a comment system, like capabilities, categories, and better sharing options. And if you'd like to get occasional updates on cool stuff, be sure to subscribe to the newsletter here.

Next week I'm launching a brand new section on the website that will focus on learning. I'm very excited about passing on whatever I can to new and experienced artists. So, look forward to that. It's going to be cool! And next time there will be a more elaborate cube dancing video (with some 80s music). There may even be some new client work too. I've been kicking ass lately, so there's a lot launching.

What's that? You want more? Oh ok, but only because I love you guys:

Bailey