Student animation blog which discusses the process implemented in the creation of projects and the idea and thoughts that have evolved through them. [To be continued as a personal animation project blog.]
In order to draw the first rocket to be fuelled by a liquid substance, I had to first find out what it looked like on launch, something much easier to do than with the previous weaponry, as it is more recent (within the last 100 years,) thus, cameras and the like were around also.
Here, is Robert Goddard, stood proudly next to his (beautiful) invention.
Taken from en.wikipedia.org
With a picture as a visual reference to inform my drawing, what I then needed was to know how, exactly, the contraption worked in order to animate it accurately. After finding a video reference, I decided to give up on knowing how the frame reacted to launch (I have my ideas, but they are probably inaccurate). Instead, I will use lots of smoke screen to cover it, as is shown in the video found below. I think it should be alright, as it is a recording of perhaps not the first, but more certainly one of the sequential launching of said missile.
With firearms first developed in China, hand held cannons as well as ground cannons were soon born. Through either the Silk Road or the Mongol invasion during the 13th century, gunpowder and it's weaponry were brought to Europe.
Eventually, the matchlock musket comes to be in the 15th century, after the technology has been refined from a completely human operated system, to one which is mechanical. This is similar to one that I intend to use.
With firearms first developed in China, hand held cannons as well as ground cannons were soon born. Through either the Silk Road or the Mongol invasion during the 13th century, gunpowder and it's weaponry were brought to Europe.
16th century cannon; http://www.fotothing.com
http://en.wikipedia.org
Among the most recognizable of the ground cannons developed, was the 16th-18th century cannon. Though it has not changed much from the earliest recorded English cannon of 1327, all that seems to have changed is that they then came with wheels.
Granted, early models were smaller; however they tended to fire arrows or other ammunition and are not exactly what would be definitively recognisable as being a cannon. Such models of the the inbetween progression staged include the 'ribauldequin', the 'ribaldis' and the 'grapeshot'.
Alas, though cannons were a great asset in wars and a development that stayed around for many centuries, it was not until 1716 under King George I that a permanent unit was formed specialising in the operation of a cannon. Previous to this time, units were formed specifically for a war and disbanded afterwards.
As such, I have chosen to model my puppet's outfit after this time, as it frustrated me as to what he would wear to accurately depict the time of the weapon. Aware that each segment of an army is kitted out differently, with huge ranges of difference such as between a pikeman and a cavalier, I was a ware that if I got it wrong, it would look quite bizarre. As such, the compromise on this is that a unit that normally comprises of around 5 personnel, for the sake of this animation I have reduced it to just the one person.
http://www.thegarrison.org.uk/history/index.php
With the outfit finally sorted after much research, I then had to animate it. So, what is the process of firing a cannon, how can I replicate it with a singular person in place of a properly manned military unit? After looking at this video below, I was able to emulate the process a little, along with some effective transitioning to aid in the preparation of the load-fire sequence. Further, as the character then disappears off screen, where the other half of the cannon itself is and we cannot see the ignition, merely a suggestion of the actual process to firing. I think this might be okay, as the focus of this is more on the progression of projectile weaponry as opposed to how the mechanic behind each phase has developed through time.
Well. I couldn't find the very first spear ever crafted, but I did manage to get a reference of some early spears and how they were fashioned; of flint tied onto a long, thin piece of wood. I managed to find this picture, on the internet (I think) which I relied on heavily as reference material.
mesa verde spear & knife
As for getting the movement right, I decided to use this video as a guide.
Surrounding the bow and arrow, there is a shroud of mystery. When, exactly, was it first created? A mystery that has bothered me also, for I would like to depict the earliest, if not the first, likeness within my animation. If I had been around 64-8000 BC I would not have this problem. Regardless, I have ended up going for a slightly generic depiction.
http://imnh.isu.edu
I quite liked how this one's bow string is tied. However, it is quite recent, dated as being adopted in southern Idaho around 500 AD. Most early arrows wouldn't have had any kind of fletching, either.
http://www.10millionmiles.com/
I like that this one has no fletching on the arrow, as well as how rough and plain the bow itself is. However, I don't know if this is just a made up drawing as the site it was uploaded from is inaccessible.
After some searching, I also looked at some arrow heads, but decided these were too advanced...
I think something closer to this would have been far more likely.
