PRODUCTION JOURNALS - "Gengar's Shadowplay" (FINISHED)

(EDIT: This Bit is hereby COMPLETE!

LINK: https://mega.nz/file/GVVUGQTA#GPys6z2ARIyCV2o7krR2P6MNQVeAbN58489JncoU5pg)

(EDIT: This Bit has been further edited, and the Patreon Hall has been updated:

LINK: https://mega.nz/file/rM112A4A#9Mq_bRrsRSPqX0ccbq_15BjNoX0tBQydKWFqqiBED1k)

(Started - 5 9 2024)

While I'm currently working on "Cannon Larva Carnage", I had this on the backburner for a bit.

I wanted to do something with the Braixen that appeared in "Sandslash's Shake-Up", so I thought of them affectionately wrestling and ruining Smitty's day in the wreckage.

Here's the outlines I did.

 This was the original version, but as you could likely gather from the title, it changed a little! I did some work on it last night.

I wanted to have Gengar ruining his meditation by playing with his mind, only to be interrupted by the Braixen starting a play wrestle match, much to Gengar dismay. Gengar would show up as Sandslash's shadow, much like in "Gengar's Pie Prank". He knows he can mess with Sandslash easily by sifting through his mind.

 I had trouble sleeping, so I started a scene, and I'll be adding the shadows at a later time. I'm still gonna have them inconvenience Smitty.

(UPDATE - 6 3 2024)

 Gotta make this starting shot real pretty-- also still gotta do a second-long intro like Pikmin Bits. I wanna add some distant ethereal wails and screams as if coming from the imagination. Speaking of the mind...

Love how this shot turned out. I might make the shadow blurring out a little slower or delayed.

I'm aiming to have this all done by the 11th, since I have a ton of backlog outlines to get to-- and another way to not overthink myself into stopping.

(UPDATE - 6 4 2024)

 I feel pretty good about this shot! The fire effect's nice, and the forest is blacker than how I like my coffee (even tho I add hazelnut creamer always).

When designing the rocks for the campfire, I shaped them to vaguely spell out "PKMN", the abbreviation for "Pokémon".

 The full BG for this pan shot, which I'm likely gonna use as my phone's wallpaper. Feels dream-like.

 I wanted to get one more BG out before I snoozed for the night, so I started to do this for the shot where Sandslash and Braixen are playin' around.

 This was actually the first thing that was animated for this Bit, originally started on May 9th. I'm gonna do what they did in the Donkey Kong Country games, and have a floor where the two are on be separate from the far ground, and have that floor be moving to the right to give the illusion of panning without having to draw more BG.

 Here's an unused pose. I have Sandslash's hips change position, and Braixen's head shrunk a bit, and her eye more mischievous.

This shot should be finished by the end of today.

(UPDATE - 6 5 2024)

 Turned out real nice! Later, I'll have to edit the foreground to be darker or less saturated to further make it stand out from the background.

The second time they spin then ricochet away wasn't done purposely. I felt that they were going offscreen without any weight, so I was gonna scrap those frames and just replace them with the spin, and move the spin offscreen with a tween. But it turned out to look kinda good together, so I kept it in.

Had some trouble with the eye.

 Here's the BG for this shot. This was actually done the day before, because I just wanted to make a BG again.

I'd say I'm about halfway finished with this Bit, so I'm on good track to be done by the 11th. But I do have an appointment on the 6th, so hopefully it doesn't eat up too much time.

(UPDATE - 6 6 2024)

 Man, doing shadows just SLAPS with an action scene. You just deal with silhouettes, so the negative space has gotta get good. Here's a scrapped pose with Gengar pulling back up that mysterious figure from before. I scrapped this, because the motive changed. He was gonna be too curious about that figure, which made him a bit too sympathetic. This time, he's angry cuz he got lightly grazed on the knee.

(UPDATE - 6 7 2024)

Holy hell, the 6/9 date is right around the corner!

 I'll have to adjust the camera movements to be less jerky, but these two brief shots are done.

Sandslash and Braixen was a joke pairing, but now it's actually kinda great. Now I just have maybe 3 more shots to finish!

I had to adjust the brush a little...

(UPDATE - 6 9 2024)

Sure, let's put the intro here.

 The "Aloha Hoek" title card from Ren & Stimpy was a particular inspiration for the background, cuz it always kinda creeped me out with the darker colors.

(UPDATE - 6 9 2024)

I SPELLED IT WRONG ON THE CARD, I FORGOT THE OTHER "I". ITS SUPPOSED TO SAY "SERENIVINE".

I gotta fix it after finishing this Bit, which might be done by the end of today.

(UPDATE - 6 9 2024)

 One more shot left after this, and the footage is done. I love seeing Smitty the Smeargle again, even if for like, a second!

The original sketch just had Gengar on the canvas, but I wondered "What if it hurt just a liiiittle more?"

 This pose was changed to have more of an arc to his back, and have his spine be connected more to the back of his head, rather than the middle.

(UPDATE - 6 10 2024)

I started another Bit last night, so I didn't do the last shot and sound mixing yet. Might be finished tonight.

 Smitty the Smeargle's latest masterpiece!

I also had to fix up a Smitty pose, since it was too rigid for my liking.

Just at the home stretch, so I'll be done by the 11th as said!

Next Bit is likely gonna be revealed tomorrow, I did a couple preliminary sketches and gestures for what I'm thinking of.

(UPDATE - 6 11 2024)

It's all done, and the Pokémon Bits rebrand is officially set.

You've probably read before how these Pokémon fan characters (aside from Smitty the Smeargle and Cinder the Braixen) were originally made a decade ago, and I always wanted to put out something fully animated involving them, and while it's not 11 minutes like I initially planned, it was still a ton of fun!

So I'm at a crossroads, since I originally had another Pokémon Bit planned for after this, but there's been a shift in style for Vi the Imp that I wanna try out. I'll be posting of that soon enough, so that's likely gonna be my next project. It's back to Pokémon after that.

Welcome to the Serenivine Islands!

LINK: https://mega.nz/file/GVVUGQTA#GPys6z2ARIyCV2o7krR2P6MNQVeAbN58489JncoU5pg

~KARO '24