PRODUCTION JOURNALS - "Nine to Five Feet Under" (FINISHED)

(EDIT: This one's ALL DONE!

LINK: https://mega.nz/file/jJM2jS7K#1BPAa39XgGkqt4HAfM2VEiEX9tbNNrOwr3C2jAUv1g0)

The previous Vi Bit I was working on is shelved. I wanna start with something that can mirror itself better to Vi's job, so I'm gonna have this take place in a human workplace, so it can be compared to an imp's job.

 So, one thing with the previous Bit was that it looked too similar to Pokémon Serenivine Islands, and I wanted Vi the Imp to look more gothic and gritty, to make Vi herself even more of a standout. So I did the ol' table flip, then I rewatched a handful of Duckman and Rocko episodes to get down what I'm thinking of. Pokémon had more of a Samurai Jack angle to it, so nailing a more rugged style can differentiate Vi.

   I'm thinking of the backgrounds being very warped and gangly, as if structures could fall apart at the drop of a head. Just a throwback to that ol' 1990's cynicism, so it's even cuter when Vi destroys stuff.

 I also wanna make hearts, crescents and spirals a common symbol in the art, which Vi has all of.

So I started with this shot, and had Vi bend to the camera and pose, but I was having troubles with the second keyframe.

 Her head didn't seem tall enough here, so it was changed.

 This was fine, but I still wanted to redo it.

 This feels more together. Guess it's just how circular the head is here.

So it came time to doodle out some human designs. The trick here is to make them so outlandish and puppet-like that it wont be too much of a "this artist is trying to warn us!!" scare-- the series is about morbid fun.

 This is Eye Bag Eric. His job never lets him sleep. When doodling the outline, I had two different designs for the big boss, but they didn't seem silly or appropriate enough (first one looks homeless).

 Ride um cowgirl!! I'll have to work this in there somehow, it's so cute...

I started the first shot.

 And this is where I'm at. My calendar has this Bit marked to be finished by the 19th, though I'm unsure if I'll have that done by then. I've slated some medical check-in stuff for June... if I ever actually remember to make the appointments this time.

(UPDATE - 6 13 2024)

This first shot is taking more time than I'd have thought, but that's 'cause it's technically two. Vi's part is gonna be in the foreground as the camera pans out to show her behind a stack of boxes.

    You wouldn't mind seeing them bashed, would ya? Wouldn't mind seeing this either, would ya?

(UPDATE - 6 13 2024)

So this first shot is done... but I had a further idea.

Here's the shot as-is, but I wanna do an extra pan out.

 To the underworld. This way, we got the What, Who and Why in one shot. I looked towards Metalocalypse for the underworld design. And I'm still gonna have Dr. Vein being punched a bunch.

Side note, the Eye Bag Eric guy was kind of a hassle to assemble. Biggest thing was having his bod behind the table, while also having his fingers above the keyboard, while having the keyboard above the table, while having the body behind the table, and over the fingers that are over the keyboard that is over the table... So I cut out a chunk of the table and put that over the body. Then part of the keyboard animation.

(UPDATE - 6 15 2024)

Time to get some neat-o images in

I wanna add a filter in the Skelevision screen.

  Dr. Vein's head had to be adjusted here.

 So we got Vi's mallet here. I figured it would be an axe like in the lunch break Bit, but it was changed to a mallet, because I wanted Vi to use sillier things to mangle.

 The initial design of the mallet. And the concept sketches. It's nice to use the peak white and pink color scheme more.

(UPDATE - 6 16 2024)

 This is me when I play that weathered Majora's Mask cartridge that I got from an old dude, and one of the save files is named "Benedict" and the other's named "To become non-functional due to a submerged body's excessive inhalation of water."

I gotta put like, a squeaky scream on that shot, or an opera singer.

 I'll have to edit what I've done of this unfinished shot, because I forgot the second set of crescents beneath her ears from her redesign, because today's been a real bad focus day. One of those "Wait, am I actually awake?" kind of focus days. Probably why I'm much more speaky and blunt right now. Anyway, here's some frames that were altered!

 Changed the boob to be more plump.

 Made the hand bigger.

 I forgot the two fold lines under the gemstone.

 Made the backmost set of heart shapes smaller.

OK, so I'm not done with this (definitely totally didn't get distracted by replaying Pikmin 4 even though I wanna get further in TTYD, a Tumblr blog about Gordon Quid (it's wild when someone else also has more detailed thoughts on Catscratch, as confirmation that I didn't just imagine that show like a Candle Cove situation), a Twitter page about SpongeBob art, trying to find that one JaidenAnimations video a friend showed me back in 2018 (found it, it was "Being the Best/Worst Ever", which I guess they sent because of a vent I said at the time) highlighting a couple dozen "please like and subscribe" tangents on various YouTube videos and submitting them to an add-on called SponsorBlock (which I'd recommend btw, it's a YouTube essential these days. One vid pleaded twice within a minute, are you this desperate?) NO, CHROME, I WILL NOT Try out experimental AI features, AND YOU CAN'T MAKE ME. Now if we can just get a block for wacky reminders about things I don't need... or an ADHD block. On the topic of TTYD, can we all agree that the Boggly Tree part kinda blows? Not in a "it's way too hard" way, but in a "I gotta go allllll the way back to this area that I was already at. again." way? I still really enjoy TTYD over all, but god damn it's got more padding than a goalie.)

(UPDATE - 6 17 2024)

 Pretty good progression up in here!

So I had trouble with the zoomin' background, because the lights looked like they were going a different direction than the wall. Here's the original shot.

 For comparison's sake, here's the non-shaded, non-blurred final version. And because it looks real nice, here's that big Ren & Stimpy/SpongeBob painting shot.

 I brought back a few of my drawing habits from around 2017 for this one, like the highlights on the line art, and the spirals on the fingerprints.

This was scheduled for completion on the 19th, but I may have to push it back a few days. I gotta have her piggybacking the dude, and whipping his eyes around like a rope.

(UPDATE - 6 20 2024)

RIDE 'UM, COWGIRL

I had a few iterations of the guard

I wanted to give focus to the giant hunch, to differentiate him from other human characters I've drawn, while also giving attention to the SECURITY text on his jacket. Alien Hominid was something of an influence to this.

Pushing my rating over here

Here's a scrapped pose from before I decided to simply have her cartwheel into the scene.

The first gesture sketch of the slow motion part had her head tilted the other way.

Obviously, I missed the deadline, but I'm sure this will be done before the release is needed-- matter of fact, if this is done before the release date of the Pokemon Bit I finished a few days back, I may hold that one for the next bi-week and release this in its place.

(UPDATE - 6 20 2024)

Love how hilariously this turned out-- the power of one bullet.

Next off is finishing the cowgirl shot, which pls dont take that outta context pls n thanks

(UPDATE - 6 22 2024)

 I may just use the same BG from the security guard shot, just repositioned. Either that, or just use one of the blotchy BGs. I'm actually nearing completion on this one, and once it's done...

A. I'll have to do a bunch of shorter sweeter animations to make up for the elongated deadline.

B. it may be time for a BIG announcement in the future...

(UPDATE - 6 30 2024)

I'm using more smear frames on this shot. I rewatched the SpongeBob episode "Plankton", and the start with SpongeBob inserting the ingredients into himself to make the patty had a lot of smears and lookded nice n stuff.

Here's one of the frames prior to smearification.

This keyframe was changed from the hair and the hoisted leg.

Think I can have this shot done by the end of today.

(UPDATE - 7 1 2024)

WORK IN PROGRESS: https://mega.nz/file/ScUE2RhS#usKvnf12K5DQAnZym4KfYB8Lwkzz5PA9wRclTqlv6_U

I still need to add the cowgirl shot, and draw out the conclusion. As well as fix up a few transitions.

We're in the home stretch for this one.

(UPDATE - 7 3 2024)

I've been rewatching Pokémon Indigo League, and found it charming how they worked with limited animation. Since I wanna have this done sooner than later, and I've already done the most intensive parts, I'm taking some notes.

Here's a ranty story, I needed to restart my laptop, because the taskbar was frozen, and when I came back, my file was still at the initial guide-- so I thought that I just lost a ton of progress, despite constantly pressing CTRL+S, because I was frozen on so much in the past. I, yaknow, was not havin' a blast.

But it turns out, there was two different files, and one of them contains my progress. The one I was on (and had that ramble with) was an outdated one. No idea how that happened, but boy I needed a sip o' wine after that scare. It gave me an opportunity however, to draw The Risk from Cute Mario Br- I mean, Mr. Hyde from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

So onto the art itself:

First idea was to have them simply not care, but that wasn't very interesting. I also thought of having them just distracted by a spider the whole time, but I had another idea.

I'm gonna have them all giggling at the revelation that the last office guy left alive had security cam pics of Vi's rump, and people are in line to get copies... and those people could be YOUUUU!

I haven't sketched it out yet, but I'm gonna have a handful of y'all cameo'd at the end in the line!

I just have that last shot, and the music to do. It might even be done within the week.

(UPDATE - 7 10 2024)

Lotsa stuff happened, and more stuff is happenin', but dammit, I'm finishing this Bit.

Here's the first draw-of-the-hat. These are from Nathy and JojtheRat, with a nod to my personal fav movie, Ratatouille.

Next up is Waffles, FanofCulture and a modified Heathiferd (since I'd rather not put a Pokémon in an OG property.). Maybe Heath can be a robot man in the Vi canon, I dunno WE'LL SEE!!

(UPDATE - 7 11 2024)

The part of me that misses that whole CN City thing is showing.

(UPDATE 7 15 2024)
https://mega.nz/file/rEF3SJaB#xOYCY2_LJwkALOqjKMfbfrHGoacaHd147kCC57KEI4E OK, sound's done, I just need the intro to get finished.

Here's some excess production pics shared on the Discord.

We're in the home stretch, I just need to re-edit some shots and make the intro.

(UPDATE - 7 19 2024)

It's ALL done!

LINK: https://mega.nz/file/jJM2jS7K#1BPAa39XgGkqt4HAfM2VEiEX9tbNNrOwr3C2jAUv1g0

I brought this little lark to life, and I think it's one of the best I've done. Should it perform nicely enough, it may mean a new and more in-depth series in the future, featuring co-animators and VAs and the works. You've seen the plans I have drawn down, and I got more on the way.

~KARO '24