I'm beginning Episode Two of ALEX SERYOUA... as soon as I finish my comic page I'm doing for Han's ODD comic collab. And my part of the Pico Day Collab. And the TSAH3 segment. And my Photography II final Project. By the time I get to that I'll have to deal with Exams. From now till then I'll probably be writing some scripts and dealing with a few people that have approached me over PM's about voice acting. Might just get that out of the way before I head onto backgrounds and character designs. OFFICE SPIDER Episode 5 is still in the list.

And here's a large piece of news, KNEE DEEP IN DEATH 3 will appear as a Halloween special this year. I plan to work on that during the summer, on side with AS episodes. The third zombie cartoon will be very brutal and morbid compared to the other two. I've come a long way since KDID2. I want it to be really crazy and out of control. I already have Raining Blood by Slayer to be the background music. Can't wait to get that started.

Also, I will be appearing at Comic Con with the AlmightyHans and my uncle, who makes professional Halloween masks and has crazy makeup kits. I may even dress up as Indiana Jones for one of the days. It'll be awesome. Can't wait to meet Tom and who ever else is out there. I've never been past Colorado, so the whole California thing will be a new experience. I'm sure it's hot as balls. But that's all for now. I'll let you in on other news later.

Below is my entry for the Pico Day Art Contest, in which I redesigned the TANKMEN to look more realistic, while keeping the traditional tank in the picture.

I might make a cartoon about this. Because this is awesome.
This is one of the pieces for my final Photography 2 class. I'm going to turn them into large negatives by printing it on transparent material, and then putting it on a sheet of Watercolor paper that has a UV sensative solution on it. It'll make a large print that appears old fashioned. I can't wait.

If you have any awesome picture you want to share, post them in this thread!

Hey everyone, Dan here.

So ALEX SERYOUA has officially begun, and with a rocky start I might add. The majority of complaints were based around the animation style and disjointed walking sequences. I understand. I've hear you, for the 130th time. Almost went insane reading that over and over.

The majority of people were content with what little plot was revealed in this first installment, which is what I intended...obviously. I was really surprised by the amount of people that lashed out when they finished watching the movie and realized they knew next to nothing about what was going on. This is what I was going for. It's different. I didn't want to go by the books. Or the outlines that say "Present character, wait this amount of time before anything cool happens, show the viewer this so they understand." Honestly, that's boring.

But this is probably due to the fact that I'm a huge fan of LOST, and am perfectly content with knowing nothing. I love to theorize about the show, which is what I thought people would like to do with the first episode. Instead people interpreted the lack of info as plot holes, as if this cartoon was supposed to have a beginning, middle, and end within the 3 minutes. Yet what you don't realize is that everything that took place in the episode was intentional and had a purpose. Yes, some people assumed that she instantly knew how to use the suit, yet no one even considered that maybe it was the suit that was reacting. More on that in later episodes. There are things occurring in the facility that are causing the effects you witness. I gave you the reaction, later you will learn the causes.

So if you are interested in knowing what happens, then I'd be happy to see you there when I upload the next ones. But if it's not your thing, then don't bother showing up. I'm willing to say that I may have overreacted to several of the reviews, but people were just not understanding my concepts and accusing me of not knowing how to write or how to present from a director's point of view. I will also admit that maybe the shaky cam got out of control a few times. Nothing to scream about though.

I'm pleased with the turn out. A mixed reaction is always good. A lot of people actually gave constructive criticism instead of just pointing out everything bad. I appreciate everyone that supported the cartoon and voted. Stay tuned for the next installment, which will probably be in a couple of months.

Below is a picture drawn by ArmatureBoy on DeviantArt. Sweet fan art!!!

I'm almost done with the first episode of ALEX SERYOUA and have decided to upload the cartoon as I complete it.

This will make it possible for more viewers to catch the episode before the new one arrives and make it easier to keep up. Also, feedback helps any artist stay in the prime. I can only go so long without losing steam.

This summer I will have a lot of time on my hands and that will make it easier to pump out new material continuously. I'm really excited about how it's turning out. AlmightyHans is on board with a character's voice later on in the series. If you are interested in having a small part as well, let me know. I'm open to all the help I can get.

The poster below is the first promo. It's a more realistic representation, if it can be. She is much more cartoon in the actual thing. Expect it to be in the portal in two weeks or so.

Thanks for reading!

Dan

UPDATE: The first episode is currently 2:37 in running time. I have about 20 more seconds to animate. Then the rather short credits, should bring it close to 3 minutes. It's a good length. I'm satisfied with what I've accomplished within this first look at the new project. It should be completed and posted by FRIDAY! I'm doing the menu work tomorrow. It'll be complete tomorrow!

Today I went out on a shoot at the new Knoxville Skate Park. Had to do this for a photography assignment and I realized that I really like taking pictures of skateboarders. Had a few great shots of airborne dudes. Many of them were 14-16 with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths. Made me laugh. Inside. But take a look if you want. This is my flickr site. I may go back out soon.

Hello everyone.

I've made a lot of progress in just one week. The intro is complete and I'm getting into the good stuff. Did some voice recording with the female actor for Alex. Did some myself for a part. The animation in this cartoon series will be unlike anything I've ever made. This stuff is above and beyond anything I expected to make. And I don't want to sound like an egotist, but I'm putting a lot of work into this.

On another note, I've gotten some work done on my TSAH3 script. Been communicating with Wronchi, Hans, and Mike regularly. Hans may even have a voice part in the next OFFICE SPIDER.

HALOMEN will be discontinued. I'm no longer creating a third. A very essential joke was placed into the TSAH3 script that would make the third obsolete. So I'm moving away from that part of my animation history. I need to focus on my original characters and stories. ALEX SERYOUA is a big deal to me and I truly hope it will become a sensation here at Newgrounds.

Thanks reading everyone! Good luck on future projects.

Austin and I have made a lot of progress on the story arch and the events that take place in the upcoming series ALEX SERYOUA. I have the entire cartoon outlined, including the very end. I've also been making music choices, which will include several songs from Half-Life 2, Portal, Radiohead, and perhaps Muse.

I have the aliens design settled and yesterday I made a concept drawing of the opening scene.

We've also decided to have Alex record her experiences in a blog throughout the series. This blog will be an actual blog accessible on the internet. I want to have an interactive side to the cartoon. The next month will be spent designing future characters and animating Episode 1, as well as writing the overall script.

I've come to some conclusions on the production for several cartoons I have in mind. HALOMEN7 is currently postponed, although I do have Cortana's line's recorded and the script is written. I have the desire to complete certain things before I get that out there. I've become increasingly excited about ALEX SERYOUA. My DevArt has been flooded with concept art, or it's about to be because I have several items I want to upload tonight. I've completed character designs of several key people, other's are still in the air. I also have a voice actor for the main character, she's a friend of mine and lives in the same apartment complex so it's simply convenient. Austin and I have started working out plot points and plan to write up the script before the end of this month. Febuary will be a big month for the production of Episode 1.

I'm unable to decide if I want to complete each episode before releasing it because I could message Tom Fulp to get the word out that ALEX SERYOUA would be airing every monday night at 8pm. Which would be insane cuz it'd be like a tv show.

But here's the list:

OFFICE SPIDER: EPISODE 5- which will include a preview to Episode 1 of AS.
ALEX SERYOUA: THE SERIES
HALOMEN7- yes I know it's 7. I'm skipping the rest and dumping you in the middle of action.
KNEE DEEP IN DEATH 3

Many fans will recognize titles from the list and notice that I am returning to my roots for the time being. I'm going to start the OS episode this weekend and make it while I am writing the script for Episode 1. I want to do something fun before I get crazy.

UPDATE: ALEX SERYOUA will probably have a release date of early Fall. The series will air every Monday at a suitable hour in the evening for several weeks. Cliffhangers are to be expected.

Cloverfield video is on YouTube. Click here.
It was a refreshing piece to do because it wasn't Halomen haha.

I've decided to go a new direction with ALEX SERYOUA.
She will resemble Erin from the esurance commercials, which I absolutely love. I'm going to construct the cartoon in a similar fashion, but no worries, this will be all my doing. I like the simplistic look, a minimalistic take on my idea. It's a lot easier to animate and it looks really clean. Not sure when I'll start this thing, because I have Halomen7 on my hands and haven't had any progress yet. I'm too lazy on break and sit around on Halo all day. Oh well. Soon I'll be back on campus freezing my ass off as I walk to classes and also I'm going to try to get a job at Barnes and Noble. That would be cool.

Anyways, what do you guys think of this? Larger images can be found here!

Update: I have made adjustments to her facial structure. I mean, I like the Esurance commercials, and I want to animate in the style, but her cheek and pointed chin were too much. My girlfriend pointed that one out haha. Also lowered the nose so that she doesn't look like Oprah haha.

Here's a link to a sample of her running from a front view. This is actual animation, not just a bunch of symbols tweened. It also serves as the first official storyboard clip. Give into peer pressure and click.

My next project is a series of episodes surrounding the missions of ALEX SEROUYA.
I don't know how many there will be or if it will be released before summer, but I do know that it will be action packed and full of twists.

Alex wakes one day with strange powers. Her DNA has been manipulated by an alien race determined to take over the world. Once she escapes their grasp, her mission becomes finding the answers she needs to stop this army of altered humans. My friend Austin Soplata is going to help me with the writing. But if there is anyone out there that is interested in helping, you're welcome to it.

I have 30 seconds of HALOMEN7 complete. Not much production with Christmas come, and now gone. I plan to get a lot done on that this week and next week.

Below is a character design of Alex I drew over the summer, and today rendered in flash. What are your thoughts?