Trees! And a realization about the green screen

Been doing a bunch of production design types of things. One of them is trees! What I want is for them to look kinda like gnarled hands. When I get a chance, I'll upload my reference for this design -- I have a lacquer box with a twisty tree like one of the sketches I've uploaded here. It's really stylized, but pretty.

Anyway, I'm going for something a little bit creepy, that will make an interesting silhouette.

But what do you think? Should I build real models? Or try Maya?

It's funny though. I'm thinking about building tree models because I know how to model (in real life) -- I've been doing that longer than I've been computer modeling, and I feel rather comfortable with it. And I've been learning about keying using Shake, and I feel pretty good about keying (I say this now -- HA!).

But I'm with Nicolette on this. I don't actually know HOW to organize a shoot or use the green screen. And that's really kind of an important step. Is anyone going to be working with the green screen any time soon? Who happens to need an extra pair of hands and will be willing to yell at me until I figure out what's going on?

Or does anyone know how we could organize a workshop?

Whether or not I build my trees in Maya, I think knowing how to shoot footage on the greenscreen would be really useful.

Erm. So. Long post. Unnecessarily long. Boils down to:
TREES -- 3D or model?
And: Green screen: HOW? Help!

Still no trees!

Also still no new title! Ahhhhhhh! I think maybe I'll just call it the One About The Hut On Chicken Legs, which is what I'll probably call it when I talk about it anyway.

I've added a closing scene to my 2D animatic, and if I can compress it enough for web viewing, I will do so and post it.

I spent some more time on sketching this week, to see if I could resolve some character design issues (like ... y'know ... getting my characters bodies). And having burned through another notebook, I've finally come up with a sketch I think I can use to get orthographic projections. For Baba Yaga. Still working on the girl. Didn't try the hut.

I also have a decent hand, so I'm putting that up here too. I'm thinking about using it as reference for her feet as well, although for those, I'll probably need to alter the profile.

Took a break from sketching to try making a gilt-edge shader in Maya. My results were disappointing. I want a swirly design that will flow around the border of an object. Right now, I have a swirly design that goes around Baba Yaga's face. I'm happy with the gold texture (ish). But the rest of it? Pfah. It looks kind of pretty from the front, but from the side, it looks awful. I tried using a facing ratio on it, but the facing ratio wants to pick up all faces around her nose, not just the ones around the edge of her head. So I've still got a lot to figure out there. (Any hints anyone?)

I also spent some time with toon shaders, and ... I have a lot to think about. I kind of think I don't like them. But I don't think I gave them enough time. So. A lot to think about.

But these trees I keep not talking about!
I had a really nice talk with John R. about trees, and I think before I really put my tree-ideas to rest, I need to build a model and just photograph it and see what it looks like. John suggested getting a fan, so I could simulate wind, and shooting them on a green screen.
I think that sounds like a pretty good process, assuming that I can build something heavy enough to not blow away, but light enough to move at all (my original thought had been a wire-and-clay maquette, but that might be too heavy). So I think before too much longer, I have to do a test there and see if I can come up with a good, manageable result.
I have some sketches of trees, but they're baaaaaaad, so no posting for them! Glad I did them though, since each sketch has been really informative in terms of what NOT to do.

Anyway! It feels like there are a million things left to do before the end of the semester! I've got a checklist, but I'm not quite organized enough to post it here. I keep forgetting about the Gantt chart. And the proof of concept.

One thing at a time though. Characters (sadly) need bodies. Should really work on that.