Wesleys Blog

Testing Again

2010-08-09T21:17:00.001-07:00

Possibility of switching to wordpress since blogger no longer supports FTP hosting. :(

Wesley is marrying Calista!

2010-04-01T00:46:00.000-07:00

As you would know, Calista and I are getting married! We now have an official website for our wedding page!

www.CalistaWesleyWedding.com

The Swing Wizard

2009-12-10T22:42:00.000-08:00

Here is a teaser video of the work we did on the Swing Wizard product. This video contains short clips of a 45 minute video tutorial we had created.

More information on the Swing Wizard can be found here http://www.theswingwizard.com/

Storm Hawks Animation Reel

2009-10-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

So I finally compiled my work that I did during my first year in my animation career. This is a video of the work I did on the TV Series "Storm Hawks" from March to December 2008. These include episodes 42, 43, 47, 48 and 50. The sequences are not in any real order. Enjoy! =)

Direct Link Here

It is also uploaded on Vimeo

Modeling an Elephant

2009-08-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

Currently, my Fiancé Calista is doing the August 2009 11 second club competition. Here is an image of the elephant I am modeling for Calista's entry. This might be good enough for animation sake, but I may take this elephant and try do so some Zbrush and tracking shots!

The Artery Forum Post

E-mail is working again!

2009-07-30T14:36:00.001-07:00

The problem is fixed, I can now resume using my original e-mail address. You can contact me with either addresses, I check both! Thanks!

E-mail is not working

2009-07-15T13:35:00.000-07:00

My apologies to anyone who have e-mailed me through my wc@wesleychandler. I am not able to receive any e-mail through that address for the past few weeks. For now, please contact me through radiantsaint at hotmail.com. I am looking into fixing the other address. Thanks!

Fathers Day gift from Last Year

2009-05-28T22:10:00.000-07:00

It is funny how I never posted this on my blog. I did this last year for my dad for a Fathers Day present. It took me a few hours to do with photo references. I think it portrays my dad pretty accurately! Just recently he told me that he is now using this photo for his display picture on his photography website. He is a pretty talented photographer. Check it out for yourself!

Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5!

2009-05-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

Wooo! After working on 5 episodes of 'League of Super Evil', I have been moved up to work on the new TV series 'Hot Wheels: Battle Force 5'. I can't say or show much but I can tell you that it is starting to look really good! So keep a watch out for TV commercials for our new series in the next few months!

League of Super Evil!

2008-11-11T22:11:00.000-08:00

Just last week, I was moved down from Stormhawks production to the new upcoming TV series, League of super evil. It is scheduled to air on September 2009. I'm very excited to be working on this TV series! It will definitely be a great morning, for eeeeee-vil! You can check out the trailer here at http://www.leagueofsuperevil.com/

Happy 20th Birthday Wade!

2008-10-20T01:29:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday of our friend. So instead of buying him a birthday present, we went a more sentimental route and made him one (which is also 10x cooler than buying a gift). This is a caricature of our friend Wade with his favorite guy, John Lasseter. And since his favorite film is Toy Story, we had to put him in a buzz lightyear suit!

Here is the original sketch and the shaded version.
Calista drew the body and made the background.
I drew the faces and colored the rest.

Back from the Juan de Fuca Hike!

2008-09-03T00:20:00.001-07:00

My friends and I just went on a hike at the Juan de Fuca Marine trail located on Vancouver Island. It was a spectacular 3 day hike that involved crossing a creek under a broken bridge, seeing humpback whales less than 100 feet off shore, encounters with mice stealing our food, and seeing the sky filled with stars and the milky way. There are a lot of photos to go through, so it will take me some time before I will have a gallery of the photos on this trip. Here is a teaser picture of the sunset on Bear beach.

Art School Weight Lift Assignment

2008-08-01T00:56:00.000-07:00

When I was still attending the Art Institute of Vancouver, one of our assignments for animation was to do a weightlift (as always!). Since, the box lifting was way over done, I tried lifting a car I modeled in a previous class. This was not an easy task, but with a 2 week deadline, this is what I came up with!

For animation students, a good tip: do not try something too hard, a car.. is too hard. But please make the object more interesting then a plain old box! I'm sure everyone is sick of seeing the same box being lifted in demo reels.

Caricature of Stephane

2008-07-24T09:18:00.001-07:00

A co-worker of mine left our company a few days ago. So I drew this for him before he left. I spent a good couple hours at work drawing and coloring it, lol. Unfortunately it was a rush job, and I had to use Photoshop elements since that is all we had at work.

The Room

2008-07-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

The following was sent to me today. It is a bit of a read, but really thought provoking:

"This is excellent and really gets you thinking about what will happen in Heaven.

17-year-old Brian Moore had only a short time to write something for a class. The subject was what Heaven was like. "I wowed 'em," he later told his father, Bruce. It's a killer. It's the bomb. It's the best thing I ever wrote." It also was the last thing Brian ever wrote.

Brian's parents had forgotten about the essay when a cousin found it while cleaning out the teenager's locker at Teays Valley High School in Pickaway County[Ohio].

Brian had been dead only hours, but his parents desperately wanted every piece of his life near them, notes from classmates and teachers, and his homework. Only two months before, he had handwritten the essay about encountering Jesus in a file room full of cards detailing every moment of the teen's life. But it was only after Brian's death that Beth and Bruce Moore realized that their son had described his view of heaven.

It makes such an impact that people want to share it. "You feel like you are there," Mr. Moore said. Brian Moore died May 27, 1997, the day after Memorial Day. He was driving home from a friend's house when his car went off Bulen-Pierce Road in Pickaway County and struck a utility pole. He emerged from the wreck unharmed but stepped on a downed power line and was electrocuted.

The Moore 's framed a copy of Brian's essay and hung it among the family portraits in the living room.. "I think God used him to make a point. I think we were meant to find it and make something out of it," Mrs. Moore said of the essay. She and her husband want to share their son's vision of life after death. "I'm happy for Brian. I know he's in heaven. I know I'll see him."

Here is Brian's essay entitled "The Room."

In that place between wakefulness and dreams, I found myself in the room.
There were no distinguishing features except for the one wall covered with
small index card files. They were like the ones in libraries that list titles by
author or subject in alphabetical order.

But these files, which stretched from floor to ceiling and seemingly endless
in either direction, had very different headings.

As I drew near the wall of files, the first to catch my attention was one that
read "Girls I have liked." I opened it and began flipping through the cards.
I quickly shut it, shocked to realize that I recognized the names written on
each one. And then without being told, I knew exactly where I was.

This lifeless room with its small files was a crude catalog system for my life.
Here were written the actions of my every moment, big and small, in a detail
my memory couldn't match. A sense of wonder and curiosity, coupled with
horror, stirred within me as I began randomly opening files and exploring
their content. Some brought joy and sweet memories; others a sense of
shame and regret so intense that I would look over my shoulder to see if
anyone was watching.

A file named "Friends" was next to one marked "Friends I have betrayed."
The titles ranged from the mundane to the outright weird.
"Books I Have Read," "Lies I Have Told," "Comfort I have Given," "Jokes I
Have Laughed at." Some were almost hilarious in their exactness: "Things
I've yelled at my brothers."

Others I couldn't laugh at: "Things I Have Done in My Anger", "Things I
Have Muttered Under My Breath at My Parents." I never ceased to be
surprised by the contents. Often there were many more cards than expected.
Sometimes fewer than I hoped. I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume
of the life I had lived.

Could it be possible that I had the time in my years to fill each of these
thousands or even millions of cards? But each card confirmed this truth.
Each was written in my own handwriting. Each signed with my signature.

When I pulled out the file marked "TV Shows I have watched," I realized
the files grew to contain their contents. The cards were packed tightly, and
yet after two or three yards, I hadn't found the end of the file. I shut it,
shamed, not so much by the quality of shows but more by the vast time
I knew that file represented.

When I came to a file marked "Lustful Thoughts," I felt a chill run through
my body. I pulled the file out only an inch, not willing to test its size, and
drew out a card. I shuddered at its detailed content. I felt sick to think that
such a moment had been recorded. An almost animal rage broke on me.

One thought dominated my mind: No one must ever see these cards!
No one must ever see this room! I have to destroy them!" In insane frenzy
I yanked the file out. Its size didn't matter now. I had to empty it and burn
the cards. But as I took it at one end and began pounding it on the floor,
I could not dislodge a single card. I became desperate and pulled out a card,
only to find it as strong as steel when I tried to tear it. Defeated and utterly
helpless, I returned the file to its slot. Leaning my forehead against the wall,
I let out a long, self-pitying sigh.

And then I saw it. The title bore "People I Have Shared the Gospel With."
The handle was brighter than those around it, newer, almost unused. I
pulled on its handle and a small box not more than three inches long fell
into my hands. I could count the cards it contained on one hand. And then
the tears came. I began to weep. Sobs so deep that they hurt. They started
in my stomach and shook through me. I fell on my knees and cried. I cried
out of shame, from the overwhelming shame of it all. The rows of file shelves
swirled in my tear-filled eyes. No one must ever, ever know of this room.

I must lock it up and hide the key. But then as I pushed away the tears,
I saw Him.

No, please not Him. Not here. Oh, anyone but Jesus. I watched helplessly
as He began to open the files and read the cards. I couldn't bear to watch
His response. And in the moments I could bring myself to look at His face,
I saw a sorrow deeper than my own. He seemed to intuitively go to the worst
boxes.

Why did He have to read every one? Finally He turned and looked at me
from across the room. He looked at me with pity in His eyes. But this was
a pity that didn't anger me. I dropped my head, covered my face with my
hands and began to cry again. He walked over and put His arm around me.
He could have said so many things. But He didn't say a word. He just cried
with me.

Then He got up and walked back to the wall of files. Starting at one end of
the room, He took out a file and, one by one, began to sign His name over
mine on each card. "No!" I shouted rushing to Him. All I could find to say
was "No, no," as I pulled the card from Him. His name shouldn't be on these
cards. But there it was, written in red so rich, so dark, and so alive.. The
name of Jesus covered mine. It was written with His blood. He gently took
the card back. He smiled a sad smile and began to sign the cards. I don't
think I'll ever understand how He did it so quickly, but the next instant it
seemed I heard Him close the last file and walk back to my side. He placed
His hand on my shoulder and said, "It is finished."

I stood up, and He led me out of the room. There was no lock on its door.
There were still cards to be written.

"For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes
in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16"

Light Painting Animations

2008-07-14T13:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of us went out to go star gazing and ended up doing some light paintings! Since we were all animators, we decided to do some light painting animation as well. We took long exposure shots and used our cellphones for lights and traced around our body as we posed out frame by frame. Then I compiled it with some music and this is what came out!

An Epiphany..

2008-07-11T23:07:00.000-07:00

Edit: I apologize for my horrible grammar and lack of writing skills. But this is how I felt at the time. Thanks for understanding!

It has been a long time since I have kept with current events. But just tonight my parents invited me to watch a documentary with them since they are always watching some sort of film every night. Tonight we watched a documentary film called ‘The Devil came on Horseback’. Having been introduced to what has been happening in Africa, particularly in Darfur, I felt remorseful that over the last few years, I have been swept into this lifestyle where all I have been doing day and night was to become a better animator.

Coming to this realization has left me with guilt, which many of us who strive to be excellent animators are left forgetting about the reality of our world. I hope that this isn’t true for many Animators, but one thing for sure is I know I am guilty.

I hoped that one day; the animation industry and large animation studios will be targeting greater causes and be more involved with world events to open our eyes than just love stories and the best way to make a large amount of profit. At least seeing ‘Persepolis’ recently, I am glad that some animation studios have been making an effort.

One of the Best Short on the net

2008-07-10T16:13:00.000-07:00

This has to be one of the best short I have ever seen on the net! It is genius! and somehow really well animated for such a silly style of drawing! Enjoy!

New Photos Added

2008-06-26T11:58:00.000-07:00

I did a bit of spring cleaning to my photography website. I added a few new photos that I have taken a while ago, and deleted a few of the old ones. You can check out the new photos here: http://www.pbase.com/wesleychandler/photography

Haven't Updated Photography yet.

2008-06-21T22:09:00.000-07:00

It has been a long while since I have updated my online photography portfolio. Most of the photos that are currently hosted under my "photography" tab are at least a year old. For now, I will upload one on this blog and when I get the time, I will re-configure my photography section and upload new photos.

What makes for a good story?

2008-06-05T13:55:00.000-07:00

Here is a very good video on creating good compelling stories by Ira Glass.

Part I: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7KQ4vkiNUk
Part II: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qmtwa1yZRM
Part III: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hidvElQ0xE
Part IV: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9blgOboiGMQ

Worth watching to for sure!

Finally done?!

2008-05-31T17:32:00.003-07:00

I think I have worked out all the big problems, they're will probably be a few small kinks here and there, but most of it should be up and running now. =)

Working on combining layouts

2008-05-31T14:31:00.001-07:00

I am currently working on combining both bloggers layout and my website layout to make a seemless match.

First Blog

2008-05-28T00:02:00.001-07:00

Well, the first blog is always the test blog! I'm going to try to get this thing up and running for the website.