giovedì 6 settembre 2012

we have a 3D printing blog!


 I forgot to mention, in all my creative chaos that, together with kym, we have set up a 3D printing blog. We're looking to inform the public about what's 3D printing, keep updated with our experiments, and see if anybody is interested in our services.

Please visit and let us know what you think!


martedì 14 agosto 2012

Texile Museum of Canada and Bata shoe Museum

 I have a new link for my Museum Sketching at the following page.
I'm still really enjoying the chance to use the CULTURAL ACCESS PASS and I'll try to keep sketching and visiting canadian history through this pass.
Both Bata and Texile museum change their exibition every few month, so this second time I visited both, I could see new things.
 The girl in the 20's dress is made up from pieces and bits seen in the Roaring 20ies room.



venerdì 3 agosto 2012

Trying out Sketchbook Pro

This is a good occasion to advertise a bunch of things.
about 2 month ago I went to a Schoolism masterclass with Jason Seiler. It was hosted in the Autodesk bulding here in Toronto, and they gave us a free copy of Sketchbook pro. So tonight I finally install it.
I have to say, I really like the way the brush react to the wacom pencil. I still didn't understand how to use most of the tools, but I think it won't take long.
I made this colored sketch after a pencil one I did to Marlo Meekins while she was talking at TAAFI about a month ago. You should check out her illustartions she's really funny and original.

sabato 21 luglio 2012

Mailbag Pocket Duo!

IMG_5181IMG_5168IMG_5169IMG_5174IMG_5175
Mailbag Pocket Duo!, a set on Flickr.
last winter I finally learnt to sew. I had some scraps and I bought some beautiful quart of yard quit fabric in Montreal (l'Effiloche) and checked online how to do a Mailbag pocket duo (from the book "One Yard Wonders") and did my own versions (you can see I made 2 different versions, it's about try and error process). There is a 3rd one, but I gave it to my mum :-)

BodyPainting!

A couple of months ago we took part to a street fest, and my neighbour allowed me to full body paint their toddler! it was really hard, because he would moove, and get tickled by the brush, but we're really happy of the result!

martedì 17 luglio 2012

Wedding in Esterel (QC) + 36th sketchcrawl

esterel1_web by kym.watts
esterel1_web, a photo by kym.watts on Flickr.
Well, it happen to be during the 36th sketchcrawl so I didn't miss the chance to do some sketch on the river of the Lake. Here some extra one (last 3 scans)
Everything was AMAZING! The location, the hotel, the food, the reception, the wedding in the little church, Catherine and all my old friends. I had a great time!
Updates: Jeremy is working on the sketchcrawl documentary that we filmed back in April, so hang in there, we'll have the video soon!

sabato 7 luglio 2012

what can happen in 9 Weeks

week9_cleanup_compoWeb by kym.watts
week9_cleanup_compoWeb, a photo by kym.watts on Flickr.
And here after 9 weeks, I'm really happy with the results (and hopefully this is only the beginning!) Here the rest of my submitted assignments. Please contact me personally if you wish to have more info!

giovedì 28 giugno 2012

Printing out my designs


Here the first 3 animals converted to cookie cutters!
We're starting experimenting since a while and I have to say it's much harder then expected. Other than the tecnical difficulties that the machine and softwares brings,  I needed to make a number of versions to understand how to make a functional design for good cookie cutters (thanks Kathrine for sweets cookie alliance).
So far Kym also printed a bunch of new pieces for improving the printer (yes, the machine can print new pieces for upgrading itself, which is super cool!), and a number of other things downloaded from thingiverse or our very own designs! Hopefully he'll be able to sort out things soon. for more pictures here!

mercoledì 23 maggio 2012

Canadian Animals

As I liked a lot designing the Atlantic Puffin, I did later some other design based on Canadian Animals as I think most of them are really cute and representative of Canada, and further I'll add some new other. At the moment I'm experimenting turning them in cookie cutters through kym's new 3d Printer and making cookies out of them (see next post)

martedì 22 maggio 2012

character Design

I'm learning the basics about character design since a while, it will be helpful on my job as a character modeller (finger crossed!)
so Here you can find most of my "homeworks" and hopefully we'll see some progression along the way!

sabato 5 maggio 2012

the sun song

Ok, I am so busy lately but I still have a old post I can put on for the 3 friends that actually follow my blog ;-)

I got myself a Snowball microphone on boxing day, and yes, it took me few times to get this, as I was learning the wonderful world of Garage Band.
Then I realized i can do also base, loops of my guitar (otherwise it's terrible) and multiple track voices!
Anyway, my singing is a bit rusty and I won't spend further time refining it (I take care of my neighbor NOW), but I hope it can give you some push into this free software that come with the Mac.
The song I'm sharing here, is a cover of "La canzone del sole" from a classic italian singer sadly gone few years ago, Lucio Battisti, (it's one of these songs Italians always sing and play around the bonfire). At the end there are tons of voices, but it's just like the original, I'm not being really creative here :-P
Well, have fun!

lunedì 23 aprile 2012

35 Sketchcrawl in kensington Market

well, I ended up making a new blog so that everybody can be connected through it at this address:
but you can check our results on the FORUM as usual, anche chek even what the rest of the world did as well!
Anyway it was super FUN, we had 13 peope coming and had great time inside the new pizzeria "Via Mercanti" on Adelaide and Baldwin.
Now I'm looking forward to see the video that Jeremy (green military jacket) will come out with!

giovedì 12 aprile 2012

a video for 35th Sketchcrawl inToronto

SATURDAY 21st April 2012
Hi everybody, friends and acquaintances!
If you never joined a sketchcrawl, that's your chance! 
You'd like but you have kids? bring them with you! You don't know to draw but have a passion for Photography, music, videocording, or just like to be there? Come over!
For this event I decided to make a video (documentary kind, between 5 and 10 minutes) about Sketchcrawl Toronto. I need movie makers volunteers and as many sketching participant as you can involve!
So basically if you are a professional or aspiring director, editor, music player or just like to draw and sketch and meet new people in Toronto, I'd like to hear from you!
Exposure is great because there are people from about 120 towns in the world participating every time, and they all share their results on the Forum. It's a great way to get to know new people doing what you really like!
In the video we should talk about what's cool about Toronto (Environment, multiculturality, artistic culture etc) and what's fun about meeting up and doing shetchrawl (you'll be able to tell it towards the end of your sketching participation if you never come out to this event)

So, WHO's in?

If you don't know what is a sketchcrawl, here the website!
http://www.sketchcrawl.com/
Basically people meet in a place and time (set up on the Forum) and draw whatever they see and like for as long as they can stay. Sometime we migrate in other places nearby after an hour or 2, so if you plan to get there late make sue you have a phone number to call.

You can either write me back -or- reply publicly on the FORUM (this is the link for TORONTO)!



I just moved recently to Toronto, so I'll need the help you can give me in spreading the word.

I also made a Facebook event about it, so you can easily invite your friends. 
thanks!

venerdì 30 marzo 2012

They printed my Frog!


Discouraged by the scarcity of 3D modeling opening now days, I told to myself, what could I do if I was not a 3D modeler?
Well, I have an ability about reproducing things. I always plaid with dash and modeling mediums, I can draw... So well, I checked online what are the uses today of reproducing abilities and I encounter many options, until I crossed this 3d printed figurine. And then it was clear again. I am a 3D modeler. I then modelled a tree frog as modeling test, and ask people online to print it and share info and pictures, in order to understand what each printer can do, and what are the limitation of a 3d model for printing, as production modeling for animation is quite different than this kind of modeling. I got a good response, and I hope many other frogs will follow!
Anyway, if you want to see more, this is the link to the original post, while you can see lots of other 3D prints on Thingiverse.

lunedì 5 marzo 2012

Cupcakes decoration!


                   Well, I had a curiosity about how to use my modelling skills elsewhere than 3D, so I though about cake decoration, which lately got wild in shapes and colors. In order to understand something more I decided to do a 2 hour saturday morning course at LeDolci (with my friend Kathrine), so I experimented with stamps and fondant colors. I actually got some idea of how to transfer my 3D digital modeling knowledge to the making of these, but it's a surprise for later on.
I also did some new clay modeling, after I went to the ROM few weekends ago, there was the Maya exibition (open until April), where I got enchanted by this incense burner with a very nice stylized design of the sun God and some Imix monster, and so I did this candle older cutting off the eyes of the monster. Then I did some sketches of the stuffed animals they have over there (an amazing collection I have to say), so I did the turtle, converted to a pencil holder. At least these sculptures are useful!

martedì 21 febbraio 2012

old Salt Dough sculptures, still so cute!

some old Xmas gift for my relatives and friends, you can see other at this LINK
Materials: salt dough cooked (flour and salt with a bit of water and oil) , painted with tempera paint and coated with Vernidash.
I made many more in the past, but I didn't do photo to all of them as I considered them only as a game, and other are too blurry. Still, the quality of these photos sucks, so I had to work with sharp mask and noise reduction to bring out something from the blur!

martedì 31 gennaio 2012

Terracotta chinese


I went to the ROM for the Chinese new year, they were having some interesting show about traditional chinese arts, like dances, martial arts, music and dragons.
One drawing I did was this ensamble of Terracotta, and then I though it could become much better with some Photoshop filter, so here a couple of test.

mercoledì 25 gennaio 2012

34th Sketchcrawl in Huntsville

Huntsville is in Ontario, 3 h north of Toronto. Might sound familiar to you because of the G8 in 2010. Although it's also famous because is landscape of many paintings of the Group of Seven.
As I was going to spend the weekend there, without doing snowboard like Kym and my friends, it come handy the fact that was Sketchcrawl weeekend! So I did few sketches. I hope you'll like to experience Sketchcrawl pheraps in your town or in your holiday place next time! 

Huntsville e' in Ontario, a 3 ore Nord di Toronto. Puo' suonare familiare per via del G8 nel 2010. Ma prima di tutto questo posto e' famoso per via dei paesaggi che hanno ispirato il Gruppo dei Sette.
Fatto sta che io non faccio Snowboard, ma fortunatamente era il fine settimana del 34 Sketchcrawl, e dunque ho fatto degli skizzi! Se sei interessato magari la prossima volta puoi partecipare anche tu nella tua citta' o nel tuo luogo di vacanza.