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Dave
Hello! I've made over forty Flash films since 2000 for Fark, CampChaos, National Lampoon, "Weird Al" Yankovic, and of course, you fine folks right here on Newgrounds.

Dave @Dave

Age 54, Male

artist/animator

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West Hartford, CT

Joined on 4/6/03

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Wacom Cintiq vs. traditional light table?

Posted by Dave - June 5th, 2009


So the other day I was taping my old plastic, sloped light table to the top of my air conditioner outside, to keep the rain from pounding on it too loudly. It has been three years since I've needed it, seeing as how I've been using this extravagant & huge 21" Wacom Cintiq tablet to animate (you can see me using it at the end of RAB19. I haven't ever looked back, because it is a very practical, useful, and sexy thing to work with.

Gone are the days where I had to draw on paper first, with a damn pencil. I would be inking, scanning, vectorizing, coloring, and importing artwork into Flash, all before actually assembling everything together into a RAB episode. Now I just draw the shit RIGHT IN FLASH, allowing for a better line quality, easier quick-fixes if an arm or eyeball or testicle is out of place, and greater control over the animation process itself.

It has made the quality about 500% better.

However, it has NOT exactly made the process 500% quicker! Oh, sure, it seems like a more elegant workflow now that I'm not having to go through all the crapola that went with the light table (here's an old "Behind-the-Scenes" thing on YouTube, filmed in 2004 around the time RAB5 was getting made). But let's face it... I was unemployed in 2003 and cranking out a new RAB episode every single week. And now, even though the episodes are only about 3-5 times as long, they're taking ALL FUCKING YEAR.

WHY?

I hear the pleas of RAB fans asking WHY, WHY, WHY THE FUCK IS THIS SHIT TAKING SO LONG? FINISH RAB21 ALREADY! Because... FUCK. I started this episode back in January, and have been working on it, on and off, EVER SINCE. And it's still only about 85% done. AND I'M UNEMPLOYED AGAIN SO I SHOULD REALLY BE KICKING ASS ON IT, YA KNOW?

Well, I think the problem is that since better quality is possible, I've been really kind of getting into actually employing that quality. Check out RAB1, 2, and 3 again, and compare that to the kinds of shit going on in RAB 17-20 (the post-DVD Cintiq episodes), and you'll see a lot more hardcore animating in there.

The OTHER major issue is that I had a real routine back in the day, and I don't think I do now. There were little 2-3 day long production processes back in the pre-'05 days, and as these baby steps were scientifically taken, I was able to get into "the zone" more fluidly. But working 100% within Flash from sketch to finished, lipsynced animation is more of a mental GLOM. All one, big, horrifyingly complicated process which causes a lot of hours staring slackjawed at the screen.

There's a third minor issue... back in the wayback I would rape older episodes of art resources a lot more often. Donkey and Hamster heads are about the only things that ever get re-purposed from older episodes; Cat, Bunny, and Puppy almost always get new heads & bodies drawn for every single scene they're in. That's a lot more custom art going on than before, and when added to the average length of episodes plus the lack of an efficient, assembly-line type of workflow, well... you've got yourself a year-long waiting period between RAB episodes!

So bear with me... it's obviously all about quality (such as it is, when compared to greater works from my superior peers [i.e. pretty much all of you]) versus quantity these days.

I'm leaving for a 3-week road trip on July 11th, culminating in a Vegas wedding for me & my hot fiancee. You can bet your ass RAB21 will be done before I leave, probably LONG before I leave!

Thanks for your patience! It will be worth it, I promise. This one's pretty over-the-top, and digs back into my 2003 roots for humor at times.


Comments

indeed

I have the smallest cintiq, I can't imagine working with the larger one although Im sure it's nice to doodle with.

I love my Wacom Cintiq to death. I have no regrets buying it.

orly

this is how I feel as well. Having complete freedom to animate makes one demand more perfection out of oneself when animating.

which takes alot longer.

cant wait fro RAB 21

don't take it so hard man, the stress can be really overwhealming at times but you gotta think why you're really doing this? if it's the best RAB episode we will ever see then it's fucking worth the wait. This isn't like a job where you have to kiss some pimpled ass just to get it past, but think of it as more of a privalage to the NG community.
Go for gold and never give up!

Yeah...waiting a year on a RAB toon blows dogs for quarters, but at the same time I'd rather watch a lengthy, funny episode than one that wreeks of horseshit
(so my thought on the matter actually goes on an entire cycle of either dog blowing or horse shit, who wulda thought)

Damn, those are expensive. I must have it!

A mental GLOM is a fantstic way of putting it.
I love my cintiq too, but it is a dirty little bitch.

Well, I can't wait. If it's going to be throwing back to '03 RAB-style humor, it should be excellent.

And I remember seeing that "behind the scenes" when you should us how you made RAB. It's fun to watch the DVD and see your talent progress with your gain of technology.

Anyway, good luck with the roadtrip and the wedding, and good luck with that "finding a job" thing.

Can you tell me how you constructed your light table?

just keep working on it, it'll be finished ;)

Don't worry about making us wait Dave! I'm happy that you haven't buried RAB yet and completely moved your focus away from Flash onto more importaint life related issues... You should however not make us wait for too long or else... ;) Sorry to hear about you being unemployed again. Life shure is tough these days. Well, I cannot wait to get endulged into the sweet succulent RAB humor again! The day when ep. 21 comes out will be a day full of celebration for me as Rab probably is my FAVORITE series on Newgrounds of all time! Keep it up! Oh, and congrats on getting married!!

dave, you still wreak of badassery.

I wish I would have bought Cintiq instead of Intuos 3 back in the days. Oh well.

omg i cant wait all the other rabs rocked

lmao i love ratarded animal babies

you are my hero dave please don't ever stop making rab man they make my day

Before July 11th? Awe5umm!!!11!
Looking forward to it!
BTW congrats on your soon-to-be marriage. I wish you and your fiancee the best.

You should release some Art on the Art Portal... Better then 80% then the shit on there.

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