Art of Niles Bontrager

Double Whammy!

2011-11-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

Finally, here is my senior thesis film from 09, Code Monkey. I tried to keep it for the festival circuits, but never had the funds to distribute, so here it is. Enjoy!

Also, my website is now up! Check it out at artoftheniles.com

Duckodile

2011-10-11T21:25:00.000-07:00

Another of my favorite animal mash-up experiments, the duckodile.

Internal Crisis, 3D animation test

2011-09-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

My September 11 Second Club entry.

A man is having an internal crisis and talks it out with a puppet.

Sword in the Stone Animation Test

2011-02-26T22:34:00.001-08:00

Sword in the Stone from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.
A new 3D test using the Boris Rig.

This time he wants to be the hero.

Rig by Jason Ryan Animation.

"Oblivion Descends" - Zeratul Fan art

2011-02-13T03:05:00.000-08:00

I decided to do a piece to really challenge myself, and after talking to my other half I decided to go with the very character that inspired me to get into art in the first place: Zeratul. The goal with this was to push myself as much as I could through the painting process, give myself a method to work with in future projects, and to get myself to a level I could be proud of. I feel very happy to have come this far with the piece, and now I'd like to put what I've learned from it into practice with my own designs. It's a big step for me, but this piece makes me much more confident in my ability to make art the way I envision it in my mind, and to continue to make things I can be proud of.
The art you see here is my handiwork, but the character Zeratul belongs to Blizzard Entertainment.

Two Final "ARMSmasters" Shots

2011-01-24T01:54:00.000-08:00

Here are two recently refinished shots from Mike Winn's ARMSmasters project. We've been going back through the trailer and adding shadow passes, new scenes, and even more effects. These two shots are from the original, and have gotten a nice face lift for our final (final) trailer.

ARMSmasters Kongou Zoom shot from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

An updated version of Kongou's rocket to the face shot. Now with shadows, gradients, and effects!

ARMSmasters Aeslyn Turn shot from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

Another ARMSmasters updated shot. This is the Aeslyn turn shot with shadows and a few added effects. Makes a pretty big difference!

To see the original trailer, take a look here!

3D Animation Reel

2011-01-22T23:04:00.000-08:00

3D Animation Reel from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

A compilation of my recent 3D animation tests, as of January 2011, compiled here for easy access.
Musical Accompaniment is "Tricky Turtle" by Blockhead

Sneak Cycle

2011-01-18T03:11:00.000-08:00

Sneak Cycle from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

Another cycle test using the Boris Rig. This time it's the sneak!
-With shifty eyes-

"Fish License" Dialogue Test

2011-01-14T21:21:00.000-08:00

Fish License from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

Here is a 3D animation test I've done using the Norman Rig, to take advantage of its really nice facial capabilities. The dialogue is from the Monty Python sketch "Fish License."
It's really quite wonderful to practice from wittily written dialogue like theirs. Hope you enjoy.

The Confident Walk

2011-01-14T21:20:00.000-08:00

Confident Walk from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

A confident walk cycle test using the Boris Rig, from Jason Ryan Animation.

Golf Swing Test

2010-11-23T15:23:00.000-08:00

Golf Swing Test from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

A 3D animation test of Boris swinging at a ball that goes through a window. Then hits a baby. Then lights the house on fire. Then ...

Boris Rig by Jason Ryan Animation

Turn and Reaction Test

2010-11-22T15:32:00.000-08:00

Turn and Reaction Test from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

The robot is contemplative. The robot doesn't like you standing on his cat.

Took me approximately 26 hours from start to finish.
Boris Rig by Jason Ryan Animation.

2010 Animation Reel

2010-10-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

2010 Animation Reel from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

This is a compilation reel of my best animation work up to October 2010. All of the animation is done by me, the "BasicMan" rig belongs to CCS and the "Boris" rig was used courtesy of Jason Ryan Animation. The musical accompaniment is "Eitheror" by Little People.

2010 Production Reel

2010-10-10T14:10:00.000-07:00

2010 Production Reel from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

This is a sampling of all of my completed works for the past 3 years. If I were a company, this would be my show reel for 2010. All of these projects were done either entirely by me, or with portions under my direction. Musical accompaniment is "Gravitas" by Little People.

Weapons!

2010-09-18T17:21:00.001-07:00

Here are some of the weapons concepts I've come up with for Mike Winn's ARMSmasters project. Some of these I will be model in Maya to test out an idea for making easier work out of animating them later. Hope you enjoy!

Spare Time Art Stuff

2010-09-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

Here's a small collection of sketches I've been trying to do in my spare time after work. Some of the pieces shown are preliminary ideas for the ARMSmaster's project by Mike Winn. It's nice to have something creative to throw around ideas with after work. Enjoy!

Special Effects Reel

2010-07-31T20:21:00.000-07:00

2010 Special Effects Reel from Niles Bontrager on Vimeo.

This is my summer 2010 Special Effects Reel, highlighting some of the special effects I've done so far this year. Within this video is the second pass at Michael Winn's ARMSmaster's project, A small snippet of my trade show piece from Centurion, and some of the better special effects shots from Mel Miller's Caravan. All of the work was done with Adobe After Effects, and traditional pencil animation in the case of the trade show content.

The musical accompaniment is "Start Shootin'" by Little People.

Le Paint!

2010-02-28T16:57:00.000-08:00

Le Sheep!

A quick-ish speed paint today to try and get myself back in the groove of digital painting and to improve with it. Will probably start on another after dinner. As for getting the next one done tonight? Heck if I know.

2010-02-27T17:14:00.000-08:00

Some photos!

Spring 2009 Animation Reel

2009-10-19T20:48:00.000-07:00

Bumping my demo reel up top for anyone visiting from Ottawa.
Please feel free to contact me with your comments, I'm open to any suggestions too.

I had a wonderful time at OIAF this year. I met a lot of new and interesting people, found some restaurants that I should have found years ago, and above all I got to see my film premiered! More than anything though, this years festival has really inspired me to push myself hard again--just seeing what so many artists are capable of. I know I've got that somewhere in me, I've just got to put it to work. I'm planning on doing some more lengthy and more difficult pencil tests soon, anything creative at this point sounds like heaven.

The Busy Semester

2009-03-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

This semester has been quite a busy one, seems right for the last hurrah though. Well, here's a giant chunk of what I've been working on aside from my senior film: a concept project that re-associates all the players involved in WWII to a dirtier version of the Sci-fi genre into a story based loosely on the events of the war. Here are all of the sketches that I have scanned in so far (there's just a few left unscanned) and even one that I put into digital paint. The goal for the project in the class is to leave with a full pitch-book for the project, and that is exactly my intent. So enjoy the mass imagery you've been missing out on while I was away!
Also, I included a quick little space-painting that I doodled up during class.

Long time no see

2008-12-01T09:49:00.000-08:00

So I've been gone since July, sorry about the disappearance, but life does tend to happen, and updating my websites has fallen a bit to the wayside. Lately though I have been getting some good work done with animations, and what you see here is a cheetah run test for our final project in animation tech II, finished two weeks early so that I could have time to make another, and maybe some fun cycles of other things before time runs out this semester. Hope you enjoy it.

Commission: Sequoia

2008-07-19T18:38:00.000-07:00

Here is my recent commissioned piece for Kat of her Unavisi character Sequoia. Now I have gone and set the bar higher for myself... and with something made for someone else entirely. Looks fantastic with the black background, and I hope you enjoy this as much as the commissioner did.

June Photos

2008-06-29T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here's a sampling of the best of my photography for this month. Catch a pattern? Yeah, it seems like whenever I took pictures of the sky, I'd get a few that looked pretty good, besides, there's not much else to look at on a long drive to Indiana from Detroit. I hope you enjoy them.

A Tribute, and a Life's Work

2008-06-24T01:32:00.000-07:00

So I found out that Sunday evening George Carlin, a comedy hero and source of provocative thought had died. In memoriam I decided to do a little sketch of him, in appreciation for how he has affected my method of looking at the world, though I don't think I'll ever be anywhere near as pessimistic as him, I do think about weird things like why we drive on parkways and park on driveways.
Also, today I made what is probably my Magnum Opus of puns. I don't know if I can get any stupider with these, but here it is. "This is not Humerous"
...and it probably isn't.

Ramsey

2008-06-04T02:17:00.000-07:00

The ram frog.
Y'know, they've got bullfrogs, but why not ram frogs? And what if rams and frogs actually bred to make them? This is me toying around to the point that if you saw it you'd say "what has science done!?" and then you'd probably just pat him on the head, and laugh as he and his kin headbutt in midair and flop around after landing. Fun times. Hope you enjoy him, just another one of my creature experiments.

The Challenge

2008-05-27T01:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I decided that since I've been having a rather easy time improving (hell it's never EASY, but it went smooth in comparison) that I should go and challenge myself to things that I'm not used to. So I've got something dark, and macabre... definitely out of my usual range, and in fact, I've ALWAYS had a hard time making things dark, both in color and in content. It's just not in me, but I feel that I need to be able to make it when the inspiration hits. Also, I have a piece done in marker, because I've done everything digitally for the past year, and I feel that I really need to make sure I keep the roots. Besides... there is no fixing mistakes once you step past the pencil. So, here it is, my challenges for myself over the weekend. Macabre, and giving up my Ctrl-Z addiction. D:

Earthworm Jim

2008-05-21T00:27:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I loved Earthworm Jim as a kid, and I still do. That's stayed the same, just like how much I suck at playing it.
Well, I'm pretty damn proud of this one, as of right now I think this one's set the bar again. I'm glad to see myself setting the bar over and over, one of my biggest fears at this school was that I wouldn't improve fast enough to make a career out of it, but for 3.5 years of taking it seriously, I feel like I've made huge strides.
So, I hope you enjoy this fan piece, as much as I enjoyed making it.

Back Log!

2008-05-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

I've been neglecting to make some posts here, so here they be!
The first is my new ID badge for DeviantART, the second is fanart for The Maxx by Sam Keith, and the third is fanart for Okami, originally done for a contest on DeviantART.
Oh, and I got tickets to see Coldplay when they come to Auburn Hills! Woohoo!

2008 Demo Reel

2008-05-06T21:58:00.000-07:00

Evidence that I do something with my education.

Musical accompaniment: Obsession by ATB.

Chariots of Flour

2008-05-05T00:20:00.000-07:00

This is my flour sack animation from Animation Tech 1 this semester. Just a fun little bit on my way to learning how to animate. There's a lot of editing that I should have done to it to make it just a bit better with timing and all, but I am far more inclined to take what I learned from it and move on to the next one instead, seems so much more productive that way. Hope you enjoy!

Code Monkey

2008-05-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

A tribute to the song Code Monkey, because it is fun. :D

D.O.A. --Dead On Arrival

2008-04-30T03:58:00.001-07:00

Well, here's a collection of images from my final project in Environments & Characters called D.O.A. The story will follow Maxwell Adrene and his search for himself after suffering an amnesiac spell and waking up in front of a destroyed home, assumed to be his. With nothing to necessarily live for, as far as his memory recollects, he is convinced into joining the military and putting himself in line for military weapons experiments, thinking he should at least get a kick out of life, if he doesn't know what he's supposed to live for. Eventually, more and more of his past comes to light... and in the end he has quite the reason for joining the military.
This is, really the first time (except for an expressions project in this same class) that I have drawn the same character more than once, let alone several times in different poses and expressions. It presents quite a challenge for me, but not one I'm unwilling to take. It was really fun, I just wish it wasn't during finals... I would've taken a little more time, and done more than what was required. I am definitely considering this to be the beginning of my senior project as well. I think I could have a lot of fun fleshing this out.

Mass Art-Foolery

2008-04-10T14:13:00.001-07:00

So here's a set of images that really have no relation to each other in any way. The first is a caricature I did of Harry, one of the most often used nude models at our school. The next two are projects from my sophomore year in Figure Illustration I. Both of which I was very proud of at the time, and I feel like I should post them because they've never seen the internet before. The last two are the first two of three maquettes that I'm making for my maquette making class. Yay sculpey! Though I am finding that I have a rather difficult time taking things from my imagination and putting them into 3D, no matter what I'm using, digital or traditional.

Some Photography Bits

2008-04-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Just because I dabble in photography now and then. I'm no one trick pony! (though I won't say I'm some sort of amazing photographer, let the one's who are actually good get their credit) These pictures are all of my own animals, which is awesome because my parents live so far away now that it's hard to get pictures of my furry little friends. Biscuit, the dog, is as smart as bricks... and the cat Ms Kitty (wow, isn't my family original?) is one of those cats that enjoys frequent lunatic fits, including but not limited to: insane yowling, running across the house as fast as possible, chasing things that don't exist, and beating the living crap out of the dog that's half her size. I love my cat.

Hooray for Random Old Finds!

2008-04-10T13:22:00.000-07:00

This isn't mine at all, but it is of me, so I feel that's relevant.
This is a caricature of me done by Loy Bouttamy, my old manager my last year and Cedar Point. By the way, this is also me minus everything that makes me who I am today: no beard, no sideburns, no long hair and round glasses. Which is how they made me look while I worked there, so really, all the caricatures of me (if I can even find them) will look more like that. Eww.

Environments Galore

2008-04-07T04:41:00.001-07:00

yet again, two more environment assignments... which I believe came out a bit better than the last. It's good to see quick progression, reassures me of my learning capabilities. Anyway, the assignment was bar, bus stop, or bank; and we had to pick two from the list. I chose the bus stop (top) and the bar (bottom). I also decided that I wanted to split them into a sunrise piece and a sunset piece, just to play with lighting effects. Environments are a bit much for me, so much going on, and I realize that there are bits here and there that are a bit unfinished, but I really wanted to focus on lighting and mood, as those are universally important just as much as I universally sucked at it before. Thus-- what I've learned with these even if I didn't enjoy doing them as much as other pieces, will make future stuff more awesome. Count on it.

dancin kitties

2008-03-27T01:32:00.001-07:00

Just because.

Poeira, the Tribal Girl

2008-03-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

here we are with a good ol' progression piece, her name's Poeira. I really needed to post this... oh the day after I started this blog. I've been wonderfully distracted lately though. This isn't exactly fantastic, but it is cute, so it's worth posting. This is more the concoction of several different styles by artists I've found across this vast internet, but all from artists that influence my creative path.

Environment Number ZWEI

2008-03-18T23:11:00.001-07:00

so here's the other environment I did recently. So why all this environment stuff? It's an assignment, that's why.

Start New, With Something New

2008-03-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

This is the first environment I've done in several years, and I'm not likely to do them too often, but I figured that for my new art blog I should start with something new and recent. I think I'll go for at least a semi-daily post just to try and keep things flowing.
This one was stared at for too long, and I just came to like it after about a week away from it.