Alexandra's Portfolio

[Alexandra Poston]

Hey, guys!
I know I've been absent for a while, but I'm working really hard at getting a portfolio and demo reel together to try and get an internship next summer. I have a very short amount of time, and very large goals - so please tell me if you like what's goin' on here, or what I should work on, add, take out, edit, what have you. I'm trying to keep it minimal, because I know a portfolio is really only as strong as your weakest piece.
I'm a sophomore undergraduate shooting for an undergraduate animation internship, and my teachers say I have potential, so... here it goes. I've only really taken one animation class before - I hope my goals are realistic x_x I'll get the demo reel up in a little bit. Here's the art so far:

http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww242/redlexybug/Handfinal.png
http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww242/redlexybug/footfinal.png
http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww242/redlexybug/actionposes.png
(I also have cleaned up versions of that last sheet, I'll resubmit that once I can get to the file)

Next I'll post some my life drawings...

[Poulpette]

Wow that's nice!
Good job. :)

[WillW]

awesome work!, I always mess up feet when I draw them, perhaps I can learn something from these : D cant wait to see more!

[Alexandra Poston]

It was a class assignment in my animation class to heavily study hands and feet, and how they move, for exactly that reason, :D they're hard to draw and people avoid them. I took pictures of my own feet and hands as reference - totally a helpful exercise.

[madanimator]

Wow, great work! I'm really amazed! Please show us more of your personal work, I would love to see that!

[OwenWelsh]

Nice work! Hands and feet are tough.

[Alexandra Poston]

LIFE DRAWING:
If the following images are innapropriate, I'll take them down... they shouldn't be though, right? I mean... they're life drawings...


http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/7071/p7140130copy.jpg


http://img30.imageshack.us/img30/5484/p7140169copy.jpg


http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2836/p7140152copy.jpg


http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww242/redlexybug/selfportrait.jpg

I'm not very sure about my self portrait :< I'm not very confidant with it, and I'm not sure it's as well done as the others (or I'm self conscious?)
The image of the larger woman was done in three hours as a light study, I'm not so sure about that one either...

[joedorsey]

Beautiful drawings.

[jeremyhopkins]

I agree, very nice work! Do you mind if I ask what your goals are? Do you want to apply for the talent development program (https://careers.disneyanimation.com/job_groups/job_description?id=26) at Disney? If so, that's a great goal because you'll meet really nice people who can push you to do your best.
Your portfolio is good, especially the hand sheet, but it's easy to forget the point of a portfolio or reel which is to entertain the audience through unique personalities. It's nice to have the academic studies of figure drawing, knowledge of anatomy, perspective, drapery & cloth, light & shade, construction and I agree that should be some of your portfolio. Natural observations of people & animals which depict personality and movement are very important. Anything that shows research and then application to an animation test should be included as well. If you want to include your longer, more developed studies in your portfolio, that's fine but also think about your sketchbook. Go to the mall on your own time, find unique personalities, and study them. Your instructors can help you pick out the best ones and then you can use them for the basis of your animation. Research the mechanics of how that person thinks & walks and what separates them from another, then apply that knowledge to a simple character based scene. The goal is a solid reel that demonstrates your acting ability but study & research are so important to creating a believable performance.
Find others who have achieved your goal like Patrick (http://donbluthanimation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=262) here on the forum or friends & classmates from your school and ask them what they think of your work. My suggestions are my best guess because I've never applied or been accepted into their internship program. Also keep in mind if your goal is to be an animator/entertainer, then you will always have a job even if you can't work for Disney. If your goal is to be a Disney animator, they have gone through layoffs and paycuts (http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2009/09/at-house-of-mouse.html) and continue to do so with traditional animation which might make it difficult to pursue hand drawn animation as a full time career that pays all the bills. My hope is not to encourage cynicism but to be honest and direct with the situation that the studios face today so you can be aware of the challenges and plan accordingly.
I also want to add, that I believe in your talent and your dream. Whatever your goals are in life, I know you can achieve them. Good luck and please keep sharing your work!

[Alexandra Poston]

Thank you, Jeremy, that bit is exactly what I wanted to hear! I'm applying for the Art and Production Program, a similar internship at Disney,since I'm still an undergraduate. It's a six week program that's virtually the same thing it sounds like. I understand Disney isn't the only place out there - but I'm hoping that if I can get my hands on the internship, then it will lead me to where I want to be. It sounds cliche to dream on eventually working there - but it's mainly because I'm absolutely in awe of the art that's coming out of there right now - primarily in the Princess and the Frog. I want to contribute to something like that someday.

I understand the layoffs and paycuts. Both of my 2D animation professors are ex-Disney artists who were laid off in 2004, and many of my 3D professors are trying to convince me that 2D is dead. But that's the goal, it's the only thing I can see myself doing.

I do have some personal caricatures and drawings in my sketch book, I'm always very cautious about showing it because I'm afraid they're cliche or not what people want to see. I have been getting positive feedback on it recently, I'll see if I can post some up - though they're not nearly as well rendered and executed as Patrick's, but I'll definitely see what I can do. I'm studying 2D effects animation, and taking a character animation course right now as well - more progress will be posted soon.
Thank you so much, the encouragement really helps.

I'm going to see princess and the frog in November 30th in Burbank :) excited to talk to the animators there and their experiences.

[madanimator]

excited to talk to the animators there and their experiences.

Cool! Maybe you can report something of that here in the Forum, too.

[Alexandra Poston]

If something hear, learn, or experience something notable than I will :D I think Jeremy is going too...? Just earlier than me. Regardless, I'm very, very excited.

Oh, btw, Jeremy, I was talking with my professor about what you said. His two scents, in experience from working with disney in the past, is that generally many people get laid off during the period between features - and pay-cuts happen all over the board, in and outside of the Disney studios. :) But he's such a Disney animator to the core, he practically gets teary-eyed when he walks into our class and sees everyone working at the disks, spinning them, and flipping sheets. It's inspiring~

[jeremyhopkins]

Oh, btw, Jeremy, I was talking with my professor about what you said. His two scents, in experience from working with disney in the past, is that generally many people get laid off during the period between features - and pay-cuts happen all over the board, in and outside of the Disney studios. But he's such a Disney animator to the core, he practically gets teary-eyed when he walks into our class and sees everyone working at the disks, spinning them, and flipping sheets. It's inspiring~

Yes, that's very true and not only in animation but in live action and.. well in almost any job anymore. I'm glad you had a candid discussion with your instructor about this issue and if you know in your heart that animating at Disney is the right choice, then good for you! The talent development program is a wonderful opportunity to meet great people and improve your work. The only other piece of advice I can give is to think of your contribution to the Gross National Happiness - which is a saying borrowed from the Bhutan government - and to always do what makes you happy regardless of spectacle or image.

[arif]

hia Poston..

your hand drawings are really cool...so, you are preparing for yourself to make portfolio and go to internship to Disney? ..right..my question is..if they select you portfolio,..will it be free for you to do that workshop or you have to pay this....and is it open for all who are belongs to out side of America..???


Regards,

Arif

[madanimator]

my question is..if they select you portfolio,..will it be free for you to do that workshop or you have to pay this....and is it open for all who are belongs to out side of America..??

Arif

Hi Arif!
Go to this side. This may help to answer your questions: http://www.disneyanimation.com/careers/student_programs.html

[Alexandra Poston]

Arif,
I'm sure I don't have to pay for the internship, but I'm not sure about getting paid or not. They said somewhere on there, that they might help out with living arrangements during the program. Like Madanimator said, I just found all the information on that website.

[arif]

ok.Alexandra ...i got it...Good luck.....

Regards,

Arif:)

[BUsketch81]

A most "handy" piece of reference. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Seriously, nice work.

[Alexandra Poston]

I finished putting together the rest of what I'm thinking of putting in my portfolio!
I was talking with my professors and they gave me an example portfolio of what Disney was looking for - and it was mainly filled up with gestures, so I put some gestures together. Here's what my updated portfolio might be looking like. I'll post the life drawing, then the personal art , which I'm not so sure how I feel about putting in there.
So, Life Drawing:
the three rendered drawings from earlier,
the hand and foot model sheets from earlier,
but a new updated format for the hands and feet action poses sheet:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ouBvZ8hiIKQ/SvHuSvvfaqI/AAAAAAAAAEk/lh2ayvuB9lk/s1600-h/handap.PNG

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ouBvZ8hiIKQ/SvHsvgk_GaI/AAAAAAAAAEc/gOah6Zl0HLs/s1600-h/footap+copy+copy.png

Gestures of people:
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ouBvZ8hiIKQ/SvHjnq9GXII/AAAAAAAAAD8/ll__uvnAf-I/s1600-h/Gestures.jpg

Gestures of animals:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ouBvZ8hiIKQ/SvHotRjEjDI/AAAAAAAAAEE/0WlzcQDpo-I/s1600-h/ZooGestures.jpg

[Alexandra Poston]

My stylized personal work:

Sketchbook examples:
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ouBvZ8hiIKQ/SvI1dR0pOTI/AAAAAAAAAFM/D42aNIPlIrA/s1600-h/sketchbook.png

and here are some character designs various students have requested me to do for their senior films and graduate thesis...es... thesisi?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ouBvZ8hiIKQ/SvIzkfuHFZI/AAAAAAAAAFE/6e5XiK9E6b8/s1600-h/CharacterDesigns.png


If you'd like to see all of them together, go to my blog:
http://alexandraposton.blogspot.com/

[WillW]

Really awesome work! I especially love the stylized work the most

[Alexandra Poston]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8_Sj5wafLY

[Alexandra Poston]

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8_Sj5wafLY

Scene I was working on for a friend's senior film. Forgot to capture the layout it was anchored to, haha.

[Alexandra Poston]

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[Alexandra Poston]

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Dialogue practice. TW from Cats Don't Dance

[Moneyguns]

Dialogue practice. TW from Cats Don't Dance

Hot Rod!:D

[KlarkKentThe3rd]

Someone give her a medal!

[Alexandra Poston]

Hot Rod!:D

Yup! I figured that out after I animated it, actually o_O

haha, thanks Klark!

[jeremyhopkins]

I remember your sasha walk cycle from last year and seeing your animation now is a really exciting. All of my former classmates who improved that quickly at school are now lead designers, lead animators or very early in their directing career. The only advice I can give you is dream big because you are and will continue to be a huge success.

[arif]

very nice!!!!!.........glad to see that you are posting again in the forum.......

Regards,
Arif

[Alexandra Poston]

Jeremy, haha, I look back at the animations I did before last summer and it's so embarrassing! I've been taking straight 2D classes, and I'll be starting my senior film soon - I don't plan on stopping this learning spurt anytime soon. Your comment really made my day! Now that I'm going to the Don Bluth masterclass this summer, I think you'll be seeing me around her a little more often.

Speaking of which, remember the layouts I did last year?
I tried my hand at it again
<a href="http://s724.photobucket.com/albums/ww242/redlexybug/art/?action=view&current=layoutlineresized.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww242/redlexybug/art/layoutlineresized.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>
<a href="http://s724.photobucket.com/albums/ww242/redlexybug/art/?action=view&current=Layoutrenderresized.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i724.photobucket.com/albums/ww242/redlexybug/art/Layoutrenderresized.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[arif]

ahhhhhh..are you background artist also??..very good Bg layout indeed.....seems like you are all star.....cool!!!

[madanimator]

Wow, Alexandra! I like your animations and your background very very much! :D Glad to see you posting again!

[OwenWelsh]

Amazing Alexandra! Is this for your senior short film?

[Richard Willimot]

Wow...just wow! I really like the layouts great job on them and the animations.

[Alexandra Poston]

Amazing Alexandra! Is this for your senior short film?

No, it was for a character design and layout course I took last quarter. I'm just now starting to write the script and begin concept art for my senior film :) it's very exciting. I'll probably be posting a lot of it here for critique.

[zanekohler]

Amazing work! Always love seeing what you post.

[johncbeggs]

that Background is incredible! you did a superb job on it! Im definately amazing by your layout skills!

when have you started learning about layouts? Backgrounds for sure interest me alot! :D

[Alexandra Poston]

Just last quarter, actually. I really don't have too huge of an interest in it since I haven't had too many successful endeavors in it, but our professor taught a cool blue pencil render technique that was used at disney for making a layout look cool. basic design principles like atmospheric perspective and middle, fore, and background elements jus make thing things look pretty...

[Alexandra Poston]

Here's my final portfolio that I'm sending into Disney in a day or two:

http://alexandraposton.blogspot.com/2010/04/summer-disney-summer-associate-program.html

Applying as an animator, Inbetweener, or storyboard artist.
The only thing on there I haven't posted in here yet, are the storyboards and cleopatra:
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ouBvZ8hiIKQ/S8v8O4bhhaI/AAAAAAAAAKo/Un9dk-RFkUM/s1600/11.JPG
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ouBvZ8hiIKQ/S8v8a708V2I/AAAAAAAAAKw/cLKL7gY_rWo/s1600/12.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ouBvZ8hiIKQ/S8v8jqIkFxI/AAAAAAAAAK4/FrAVn5BWPm0/s1600/13.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ouBvZ8hiIKQ/S8v8quCaQbI/AAAAAAAAALA/A-2MF4-CL4Y/s1600/14.jpg

That's only half of the full sequence I'd storyboarded, but I felt the second half was a lot weaker than my first half. Story about a squirrel who preps to go on a date, and ends up getting murdered by a pearl-collecting rat who wants her earrings. A bit of a ridiculous story, just needed something to draw for my Character Design and Layout course, and I didn't feel like drawing people.

[arif]

Hi Alexandra.....

portfolio means is which department are you inserted that you have to submit some drawings?..i mean, if your are interested with BG then you have to submit some Bg layout and colored Bg??..if you hired by Disney..will they train you in particular department for their projects or just will give you job?

Regards,
Arif

[Alexandra Poston]

I'm applying for an internship, so they'll be teaching me and I'll be getting experience on the job if I actually get it. I'm going in for animation - so I'm concentrating on life drawing in my portfolio - but an animator is a jack of all trades, so I'm also putting storyboards, layout, and character design in there to show what other things I'm skilled at. But if I wanted to strictly get a job in layout, I probably would have a lot more drawings showing a thorough knowledge of perspective and render.

[Alexandra Poston]

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The demoreel I turned in. Hopefully this will look more professional next year.

[jeremyhopkins]

In opinion, you have a really nice reel. Give yourself some credit, you've only been animating for a year and some people go years with only marginal improvement - I speak from experience :) - but you've improved so much. It's a testament to your focus and dedication.

It looks to me like you have a good foundation and now you can start layering on acting principals. I like your lip sync animation but the acting could be stronger. It's a good test but to go one step beyond just a test, if you staged a two shot or a sequence of shots to build tension and have him acting to someone else, then it adds context and a reason for his dialogue. Think about subtext, secondary acting moments that support the dialogue, and compose the characters in a way to reinforce the theme(and possibly the subtext & secondary acting) and your work will really shine. If you have any time this summer, study this sequence from guess who's coming to dinner: http://donbluthanimation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=551
All of those principals are being used to make an interesting scene and all parts, composition, dialogue, acting, are being using harmoniously. Other great films to study are Walter Mattheau and Jack Lemmon films. Kevin talks about James Baxter's analysis of 'The Apartment (http://www.synchrolux.com/?p=273)' which might be helpful for you. I'd also recommend the 'The Odd couple' movie version for the same reason. Kevin notes a good rule of thumb is primary acting serves the plot while secondary acting serves the theme. Anyways, hope this doesn't sound pretentious but if you can keep this stuff in mind while you're entertaining audiences with your short film, everyone with film knowledge will notice and appreciate what you're doing. Good luck and thanks for posting!

[Richard Willimot]

Two great movies and Kevin's post on the analysis is very informative. Who knew there was so much going on in a comedy?