Season's Greetings: 2011/2012

I just finished working on a small 'Christmas-Themed' personal project. Once again, I stuck to Illustrator once again (only using Photoshop for some post-effects).

Click here to view the full project.

The Trees like Lungs...

I recently started out illustrated typography, this being my first complete project. I'm also using this typography unit as a good excuse for me to get to work solely using Illustrator even more, rather than relying on Flash to create vector illustrations.

Click here to view the full project.

redwhite mt

I recently got asked to answer some questions fot REDWHITEmt, a local blog that covers design-related articles.
Click here to read the full article.

New Website Up

Today I decided that it was about time that I purchased my own domain and started working on a crude version of a personal portfolio site, www.meliandrea.com. At the moment all I've uploaded is an interactive research report related to Swiss Design & ITS.

I plan to work on this site during the summer, alongside the other dozen projects I'd like to complete during the holidays.

- Andrea

For the Motherland!

I'm 1/2 done with the artwork for the game I'm working on, codenamed Project: Crayfish, the process is taking way longer than I expected. I guess that's what happens when decided to make a game and produce work for school during the same timeframe.

However, I keep getting more ideas for unnatural characters, weapons and some more twists for the storyline which keeps me motivated to keep working on this project.

Even though I had planned to log my 'drawing sessions' for the game's artwork from day one I tended to draw the characters and items in between 'school-work' sessions and use Project: Crayfish as my 15-30 min break. Yesterday was different, I decided to work for an hour or so without 'breaks' and worked on one of the enemies in the game which I based on Russian Babushkas.

Project: Crayfish - Babushka Speedpaint from Andrea Meli on Vimeo.

I'll keep working on the artwork this week so that Molkman can continue developing the engine. I'll try and make another speed-paint video when I'll work on something interesting.

The Five Senses

Instead of focusing on animation, this week I finished off a part of one of my school assignments related to Communicating with Images. This particular task dealt with coming up with different ways of representing the Five Senses - this is what I came up with.

Apart from other work, I continued developing some artwork for a flash game I'm working on; I'd love to complete the game before the beginning of summer but I doubt that will happen - life's too busy (not that I'm complaining :P)

I might work on another animation this week but I need to get some written work done too, I'll try some more 3D maybe.

- Andrea

[edit: updated 'sight' image]
[edit: updated 'smell' image]

The Crystals

This week I tried out some more 'experimental' 3D animations with morphing sharp-edged objects. I came across this effect by 'mistake' when I was trying out another animation idea I had in mind - some experimental mistakes do turn out right after all :P I played around with some morph effects in After Effects too and applied them to circles to create a sound-wave effect.

This week I'll be finalising my storyboards for my final animation and get working on some more graphics for my flash game.

The Crystal I from Andrea Meli on Vimeo.

The Crystal II from Andrea Meli on Vimeo.

- Andrea