Nothing says Valentine's Day like a blog post

Jumping from post to post across a lake brimming with a dangerous and/or unpleasant substance is the assignment I've chosen next. Although I'll have to leave the lake up to the imagination.

I'm trying to figure out which workflow works best for me. I've left my blocking in Grease Pencil mode this week. It's extremely easy to make large changes this way.

I've come fresh out of my last assignment in which I had maintained (against all professional advice) the motto of "just go with it, plans, schmans." Now for this assignment, I've made a leap to "enough planning already, throw in the real character, for cryin' out loud, Pete's sake." If there's one thing that Anna Korina has taught me, it's the delicate art of patience. You see, an animator must have the patience of a basement scientist (evil or otherwise)... Chip, chip, chip away at progress, but keep you eye on the pie. Now replace "pie" with "ultimate, fluid, life-like movement with which a mass audience can relate" and you'll get my point.

Ballarina

My simple 180 turn is a slow metamorphosis. You see, Michelle mentioned that my ballie had a very "dancer-like move" which got my brain obsessed on turning this thing into Anna Korina. I've had a lot of fun doing this, but perhaps I should have stuck to PLAN A. Now my assignment sort of feels like two different project stitched together. There's casual anticipation, elegant ballet move, then a casual, clompy, non-graceful walk away. The problem was that I hadn't planned on a ballet move, so I don't have any ballet reference or thumbnails. I just kept "going with it" until I ran out of time. Ya gotta know when to hold 'um and when to fold 'um. (Random poker clichés can apply in almost any situation.) Here's another one: You could also say that I was 'pot-committed' to my ballet move.

While I was whittling away at my animation, I also completed another 90 degree, ballet-type turn. I ended up submitting both of them for my final.

Transition, I'm pretty pumped since I just ordered 6 animation/drawing related books:

"Impro; Improvisation and the Theatre"
by Keith Johnstone,
"Timing for Animation"
by Harold Whitaker
"How to Draw Animation: Learn the Art of Animation from Character Design to Storyboards and Layouts (Christopher Hart Titles)"
by Christopher Hart
"The Animator's Workbook"
by Tony White
"Resemblances, amazing faces"
by Charles Le Brun
"Body Language"
by Julius Fast

I was a book-buying fiend for an evening. Most, if not all of these were recommendations that I read from Carlos Baena's book recommendation section of his blog. He has so many recommendations, it's amazing. I think 6 books will do just fine to start me off.
I can't wait to dig into them. I'd really like to improve my quick drawing skills quite a bit. Yes, I am a drawing type of person, but the things I draw take me hours and I try to get them photo-realistic. I'm just not used to all this free-hand "gist of the idea" type sketching. Hopefully, I take some community college drawing classes, preferably gesture drawing.