Turku

After the studies, I needed a break, so I returned for the summer to my good old workplace, Turku Cathedral. It's an interesting place to work in. As a caretaker, I need to act as a church custodian, tourist guide, security supervisor, cleaner lady and a physician of the soul, let alone an archive master (for the people who are looking for their family's graves) - all in one post. Well, we seem to be getting rather good feedback this summer, so maybe we are doing something right! :)

A bit more than a week ago there was the annual Medieval Market in the market place next to us, and I took my friend's GoPro to the tower. (Yes, I actually have access to the tower of Turku Cathedral. One of the many benefits of such a work place.) I took a few hours time lapse, but the battery of the thing unfortunately died after a bit less than three hours. But still you can see the hassle of the Market as well as Paavo Nurmi Marathon (soon after the beginning) as well as the river boats. Even Föri is visible in the distance! I need to do this again some time with longer battery. :)

Turku, 2.7.2016 from West468 on Vimeo.

Dreams of Voyager

Some time ago, I found a 3D Blender file of Voyager probe from a Nasa site. Of course I had to play around with it a bit! Voyager 2 has always been my favourite probe, or at least since I saw the documentary "Uranus Encounter" about the flyby of Voyager 2. My dad recorded the doc on to a VHS in 1989 and I still watch it every once in a while. Maybe that's why I love to think of the Voyagers and Pioneers on their lonely way to the outskirts of our solar system and beyond... That's what I was thinking of anyway when doing this short animation. :')

Dreams of Voyager from West468 on Vimeo.

An Odyssey

I managed to finish my Master's thesis, had already my defense and passed. In a couple of weeks I'll get the papers with the title "Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)". I haven't had the time to think how I feel yet, two years have gone by so fast. But then again, I've changed place so often that I'm not quite sure if I will "feel" anything, it's just another watershed in the long row of them and I've learned to move on when the time comes. Right now I'm just astonished of all the cool ideas I have about new animations and the things I still can learn. Awesome.

But here's the animation I did in full. And here is the theory part for the thesis. I got 1.0 as the grade from them all: artistic work, theoretical part and the presentation.

An Odyssey from West468 on Vimeo.

Rotoscoping

Finishing my Master's thesis draws closer and closer. I need to hand it in in a couple of weeks. I should manage, but there are still a lot of things to work with. Details to polish, etc.

I've been doing an animation about my depression from which I suffered for years when I was younger. It's been an interesting task to think about those times again. My professor and the assistant have asked me many times if I'm ok dwelling into those things again. Yes, I am. Only now it all makes sense. When you are in the whirlpool it's hard to see the meaning in it, but nowadays it doesn't bother me anymore. :) And there's something very therapeutical to draw hundreds and hundreds of images of yourself. (I have around 2500 drawn pics of myself now.) Rotoscoping is fun, even if it takes ages. There must be a small masochist living in me, because I kinda enjoy it a lot to draw 12 fps for days on end. I used to be a perfectionist, but I've been able to shake it in the last years. And with rotoscoping it's cool, since small mistakes don't really matter. People only see the overall movement, not independent images.

Except if the animation gets paused. But even then there are beautiful moments. Here's my favourite spot from the whole film. There is just something in it that makes me happy. <3

Bead weaving

Some time ago I found a new hobby: bead weaving. I bought myself a small but broad loom to make some accessories, etc. Sewing the beads into the loom is so relaxing. And I love to design the astronomy related patterns for handcrafting.

I'm currently doing my Master's thesis. It's a giant of a work, but I think I'll manage it in time. (I should give it back on 1.3.) Boy, I'm already looking forward to the time after the project... But it's been fun to work with it, so let's see when it's ready.


My first bead work: an iPhone pouch