This week focused on facial posing, blocking and continuing our work with object interaction in Maya. On Thursday, we looked at facial animation and how to create stronger, more appealing expressions. The session explained that a face should feel organic, not stiff or perfectly symmetrical. We learned that asymmetry, shape and connectivity are important because they help the expression feel more alive and less robotic.
One idea I found useful was that facial expressions should not just be made by pushing one control or sliding one attribute. For example, the lecture explained that instead of simply setting the “smile” control to 1.0, we should actually craft the smile by thinking about volume, cheeks, mouth corners, eyes and brows. This made me realise that facial posing is still a form of acting, even when it is only one pose.
For the Facial Pose Model Sheet assignment, we had to reproduce five facial poses using the provided model sheet and references. The task was to apply what we learned in class, while also remembering that camera angle matters. I focused on trying to make the expressions clear and readable, without overcomplicating them. I also tried to pay attention to the relationship between the brows, eyes and mouth, because the lecture showed that these parts should connect together instead of moving separately.
For my 5 facial poses, I received feedback that the mouth shapes needed to be clearer and stronger. I also had to pay more attention to the eye shapes, because the eyes are very important for showing the emotion of the character. The eyebrows needed to connect better with the expression, instead of feeling separate from the face.
Another point of feedback was to improve the line of action in the eyes and eyebrows. The direction of the eyebrows and eyes should support the emotion more clearly. I also had to check the symmetry of the eyes, because some shapes were not balanced enough. Overall, the feedback helped me understand that small changes in the mouth, eyes and eyebrows can make the facial poses much more readable.
On Friday, we had a self-study session with useful Maya tips. This included topics such as adjusting an object’s pivot, camera clip distance, DAG only, colourspace, and constraints/parents with objects. These technical reminders were useful because they connect directly to the animation assignments. A lot of our work now involves props and object interaction, so understanding how to set things up properly in Maya makes the animation process easier.
We also worked on the Heavy Object & Change of Mind blocking assignment. At this stage, the focus was on making sure the story and acting were clear before polishing the animation. We had to make sure every key pose was a strong “golden pose,” with enough important breakdowns between them. I understood that blocking is not just rough animation, but the stage where the main acting choices, timing and rhythm are decided.
Another activity was Stitch’s Tea Party. In this task, Stitch had to make tea by carrying a tray, placing it on the table, putting the tea bag into the pot, pouring tea into the cup, stirring it and finally drinking it. This was a useful exercise because it involved many object interactions, such as holding, placing, pouring and stirring. It also made me think about planning constraints and parenting before animating, because the props need to follow the character’s hands at the right moments.