My crappy doodle of a 1890's tycoon selling shovels proves that AI isn't needed for this post. An AI will likely scrape this image making it's own image generating algorithms worse. Want to fight AI? Flood the net with crap doodles like this and watch AI choke on the poison!
The adage is an old one: during a gold rush, it pays to be the one selling shovels.
AI is likely to be the same: reliable fortunes will be made building data centers, assembling servers and creating all the infrastructure needed to make AI possible. For the AI companies themselves, gambling that they will be able to make a profitable business using stolen data, the outcome is less certain. While theft has always been a tempting enterprise for the morally flexible, the risk means it seldom pays. (unless you're the British museum, or an employer engaging in wage theft)
Shrimp Jesus: this six fingered monstrosity would be intriguing if a person had cared enough to actually create it. Instead it is the poster image for 'AI Slop'
In case you missed it, the internet has been flooded with the sort of nonsensical AI-generated images that human artists typically wouldn't invest the time and effort to actually create. This content has aptly been named 'AI Slop'
AI continues to make waves in the creative industries. The voices sounding alarms seem to be drowned out in the race to create, and profit from, AGI (Artificial General Intelligence). The superintelligence that will inevitably follow almost immediately afterwards is the part that keeps me up at night.
Currently, I have found any image generation tools to be of limited utility although the surrealist hallucinations provide some entertainment value. I continue to agree that the hype over AI has more to do with investor desperation to recoup sunken development cost than actual utility. The speed at which the tools are evolving does warrant attention. With a great deal of luck, the long term result will be a virtual assistants freeing us from drudgery, allowing more time for creative pursuits and not some malignant intelligence bent on our annihilation.
The classic Picard facepalm: when no other meme can express the combination of frustration and fatigue
Update: the Union and CEC signed a memorandum of agreement. This means there will not be a strike. While many issues remain unresolved, both parties have agreed to send all outstanding items to mediation-arbitration with Arbitrator William Kaplan.
Welcome students. You arrive in the midst of strange times. This semester I anticipate greater challenges with AI generated imagery appearing in the classroom space. While there may be appropriate use cases for AI tools, there are a few of the issues we must navigate
Ethics
Some of the tech is inherently unethical, trained using scraped data and stolen images, without informed consent, credit or compensation. When we use these tools we become accomplices in the theft. Google faces a lawsuit for this (also this one) and Midjourney is under fire after the leaking of a list of artists they trained their image generator on. This is just the some of what we've learned.
Academic Integrity
In using these tools, great care must be taken to attribute what part of the work is being completed with AI and what is uniquely created or authored. Failing to do so would be an academic integrity violation.
Artist Learning
In order to make any meaningful art, core skills must be developed or the artist risks limiting their own growth. We must be able to generate greater than what the tools present us with. For example, using motion capture clips effectively is only possible with a solid foundational understanding of animation, especially if you need to modify the performance.
So, how do we navigate this?
Best practices going forward
1. Show your work 2. Be transparent
3. Remember: you're here to learn
Showing work in progress and making changes based on feedback is essential. Sharing your process makes it possible for your teacher to see that you're developing the necessary skills. When a student is unable or unwilling to show their incremental steps it's a big red flag and will provoke closer inquiry. Prevent this by showing your progress regularly.
If you are considering using AI tools: ask your instructor beforehand and communicate clearly how/where/when they are used. A substantial component of plagiarism is the intent to deceive. Passing off AI content as your own by omitting this information can needlessly place your academic standing in peril. If you are aware of someone else doing this, remember that failing to report it makes you an accomplice. Avoid these pitfalls by communicating clearly
While your instructors are very good at spotting work that isn't authentically authored, it's a poor use of their time to spend every minute scrutinizing your activity. I'd rather trust that you understand: the purpose and value of this education is learning new skills. Completing the task isn't as important as the abilities you used to get there. Inappropriate use of automated tools robs you of the opportunity to learn those techniques. Remember: you're here to lean.
Adapting to 'ride the waves of change' sounds great until you consider that waves come in many sizes.
Over 30 years ago, I got my first email address. The internet was a rising topic of conversation, and might be less of a fad than I initially thought. I couldn't imagine how extensive and ubiquitous 'the net' would become. Over 20 years ago, I got my first true smart phone. The idea of accessing email from a phone seemed silly and impractical. I never guessed what would later be possible using a handheld device. Building consensus and concern over climate change has been in my peripheral view since the late 80's. While I grew up thinking these impacts would arrive in some vague and far-flung future, the last decade has shown profound results we're experiencing firsthand whether you believe it or not.
My inability to see the future is evident. Change is arriving more quickly and acutely than I expected.
It raises a difficult to answer question: how do artists adapt to it?
My lack of precognition provides little insight, but experience suggests: this challenge will only deepen and become more profound. Like climate change: the wider the impact is felt, the more motivated we all become to find a way to manage this change.
A literal fat cat. More adorable than the robber baron variety.
Welcome to Fall 2023. Fanshawe has released it's annual report to the public for 2022/23. You can see the pdf here. Of particular note is the financial report section pages 12-16. It shows a very profitable turnaround from the pandemic: over $400 million in total revenue!
Hopefully this will translate to smaller class sizes, better student to teacher ratios, and more full-time faculty to deliver an even more exceptional educational experience for our students. I mention this because, while student enrollment revenue increased by 29%, expenditures for content delivery (teachers/equipment) increased by only 16% during that same timeframe.
It appears money spent on content delivery is significantly lagging behind expanding student need. While that gap is clearly highly profitable for the college Hopefully Fanshawe close this gap before it becomes a serious issue. You'll have to look around and see for yourself if it already has. To learn more about one place where an unknown amount of money is being spent: read about the College Employer Council. and also Ontario Colleges and the Real Meddling Third Party
Here are the courses I'm teaching this term. This is my first time teaching ANI Pre-Production 1 so I'm grateful that there is a very experienced Art Director, Fraeya Pinto, teaching the other section.
from prompt: 3d digital art of AI plugged into the brain of an animation teacher. Generated using image theft technology: Dall-e (https://labs.openai.com/)
prompt: 2 paragraphs talking about that I will be teaching level 2 animation to videogame students this summer
I am thrilled to announce that I will be your instructor for the Level 2 Animation course in the upcoming summer semester. As a passionate animator and experienced educator, I am dedicated to guiding you through an exciting journey of discovery and growth in the world of video game animation. Together, we will explore the intricacies of this captivating art form, unlocking the secrets to breathing life into virtual characters and environments.
Throughout the semester, I will provide you with a rich learning experience that combines theoretical knowledge, practical exercises, and real-world insights. Drawing from my industry experience and expertise, I will equip you with the essential skills and techniques required to excel in the field of video game animation. From mastering the principles of movement and timing to implementing advanced rigging and motion capture techniques, we will delve into every aspect necessary for creating compelling and immersive gaming experiences. I am eager to share my knowledge, inspire your creativity, and empower you to become confident and proficient animators. Together, we will shape the next generation of video game artists, ready to leave their mark on the industry. Get ready for an exhilarating summer of learning, growth, and endless possibilities!
(--end AI generated post. begin actual written comments by me--)
The rise of AI driven tools (Deepfake, ChatGPT, Dall-e) has been a morass of ethical quandaries. The largest issue in my mind is the erosion of our confidence in knowing what is real? Did someone actually write this? Is this video true? Is this just stolen art? Will I know the difference? While the text above is reasonably accurate, it's mostly a buzz-word filled bit of fluff that avoids saying anything concrete, specific or meaningful.
Why bother reading anything if it could be generated with no more thought than a single sentence prompt, especially when no one is carefully fact-checking the output? How do we trust what we see? Why bother to create art if it just becomes fodder for machine learning, allowing the creation of iterative works without permission or compensation? It is a daunting time and place for artists right now.
I still believe that something genuinely authored by human creativity will always resonate with us in a way that an algorithm will never match. At least, I hope so.
This summer, I'm co-teaching level 2 VGD animation with Paul Wollenzien. Time to dust off my long dormant 3dsMax skills. (ugh). In the end, the tools matter a lot less than the person using them. At least, I hope so.
By artist Galina Bugaevskaya who put cat faces onto different animal bodies. Like Island of Dr. Moreaux but with more whimsy and less Brando. kotyvezde.aqulas.me
After the last few years, I have no idea what is coming next so Cat/Moth hybrids are as plausible as anything.
Currently the creative world is roiling with anger, anxiety and antipathy toward AI Generated Art (read more at L.A. Times) The public release of several AI image generating tools has made this a very hot topic. I recall similar discussions in the mid '90s.about how motion capture would supplant digital animators Likewise, around the same time period, there were conversations about photogrammetry tech replacing digital modelers...or photography replacing painting...or how television would doom live theatre and on it goes.
To be clear: there are a number of issues with this AI tech that need to be resolved. Predominantly how the training images are sourced (unauthorized/uncredited/uncompensated = stolen) and how it further devalues the work of highly trained professionals. I can already imagine the unethical and uneducated managers opining that they can 'finally fire all the artists and let computers do the work.' The rise of automated checkouts is just one example of how such minds will always work.
It is true that new tech will sometimes change the landscape for a particular role. After all, how many farriers do you know? Also, how many of you had to look up what a farrier is? In matters of art however there seems to be a perennial need for people who create things that deeply resonate within us. While the tools we use may change, for at least 40,000 years that need has never faded.
I think we'll be ok.
With increasing student enrollment and part-time teachers becoming harder to find, I've had to step away from the level 1 and 2 animation classes to focus on ANC and level 4 ANI students. Here are the classes I teach this term, along with assignment links:
Cats Organized Neatly: a game based on actual events? https://store.steampowered.com/app/1369340/Cats_Organized_Neatly/
Welcome new and returning students for ANI and ANC. I've been doing some organizing. For the first time in a long while, I feel like there is some predictability to the coming term and I am able to plan ahead a bit more.
We will be seeing a normal return to onsite classes though, due to economic and logistical factors, some classes have been moved to online delivery indefinitely. The last two years have forced us to find ways to deliver a great learning experience in an online environment. With excellent tools like Zoom, TeamViewer, Discord, SyncSketch and Miro it's getting better all the time. Be sure you have all of these installed on your home setup.
I look forward to a smooth fall term, with no disruptions or catastrophes. (he said, hoping it didn't ironically foreshadow some sort of apocalypse later that year.) Good luck and I'll see you in class.
Here's the assignment links for my classes this term:
The CEC and Union have agreed to binding interest arbitration. This ends all work to rule and strike actions. I am beyond elated we'll be able to return to normal immediately.
I invite students to learn more about who the CEC is and why contract negotiations have become more adversarial and disruptive since they were established in 2008. There is no readily available information on how the CEC is funded or what the cost is to the colleges and students.
What is the word for 'excited to see you' but also 'get away from me'...Aloha?
There is a lot to prepare and very little time between the terms to do this. Over all of this is the fear of another disruption like the one in 2017. I'm hopeful that everything will work out but my ability to predict the future has proven...inadequate.
by artist Corentin Penloup, trimmed for ratio, a tragically apt summary of current events. You can see the whole image here.
Welcome back to the Fall of 2021. My work continues to be conducted online for at least one more semester due to the ongoing COVID pandemic that started in 2019. While the plan/hope is that winter '22 will see a return to in-person teaching, budgetary shortfalls and classroom space limitations mean that up to 35% of our course offerings will continue to be delivered online for a long time to come.
While I do miss the face to face experience of working with students, the job of online teaching has gotten a bit easier with improved tools (Zoom, Discord), more practice (18 months), and students who are very savvy about learning this way. I'm thankful for their patience as we continue navigating these challenges.
As always, here's the summary of assignment links for my classes this term:
The first two panels of a six panel comic by KC Green (2013). Learn more at the links below.
You can see the entire comic HERE (though you may wish you hadn't). This well circulated image seems to nicely capture a lot of what has been going on. There is a great article here about the artist, who also has created some other well known memes.
Like a Rorschach Inkblot, the viewer can take different meanings from the comic. Perhaps it is a statement about living in denial? Maybe it is encouraging positivity under impossibly trying circumstances? Could it be about how perception shapes reality? Whatever the meaning, it continues to resonate.
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Winter 21 term will continue online. I am especially thankful I work in a field that lends itself well to remote learning. The good news is I have more experience teaching and learning in a virtual setting than in mid-March of 2020.
At least, I think so; though I may be living in denial.
Everyone has their own ways of coping with the current challenges.
The online adventure continues! With the ongoing
COVID-19 pandemic, the programs I teach in are continuing in a virtual capacity for both Fall
and Winter semesters. For ANC, a two semester program, it means I have an
incoming cadre of students who I will never meet in a physical classroom.
Establishing a successful rapport will be challenging without face to face
meeting. Fortunately there are excellent tools available now so it will just
come down to my own proficiency.
This term I'm teaching a new class in the new
Fanshawe Animation program (ANI). This is the first intake of program, so stakes are high to have a good
outcome. Here's a summary of the classes and assignments this term:
As you all know, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to grind away. The lock-down measures are easing, slowly in some places, quickly in others. Frequent comparisons to the 1918 flu pandemic are fodder for social media. It seems that how you respond to the recommended safety measures is a sort of political signaling now. It makes me feel so tired: like I've been holding my breath for days and only notice when I sigh.
There are so many aspects to this that I would have never imagined or predicted but I try to focus on the positive stories in this crazy situation. I am extremely thankful to be living in a place where cases are few. It haunts me to think of the number of people who have lost their lives in this. Today there are over 345,000 family members taken too soon. It puts all other difficulties in perspective.
Winter and Blue hope you're doing OK.
We continue to foster kittens to add some bright light to our day. A furry cuddle can make a huge difference.
The fall semester at Fanshawe will be fully online. All of my working time is spent preparing ANC and ANI for this new delivery method. How to build a rapport with a new cadre of students will be the most important question to answer. I am fortunate to be working with an awesome team of educators and I learn a lot every day.
A chart of reported COVID-19 deaths per day from ourworldindata.org/ Aug 16,2022
I thought the strike of '17 was the biggest disruption to teaching I would ever experience.
I was off by a significant margin.
On Friday March 13th, I met with my ANC students for the last time and we were sent home. Today it's official that the rest of the program will be delivered online.
I'm an in-person kind of guy, so it's tough to make this change but safety comes first. The logistics on my end are manageable. It's overcoming obstacles for students with limited access to hardware/software or internet that presents a real challenge.
It's been a whirlwind as everyone is working to get things ready for classes to resume online on Monday March 23rd. I'll update this post and let you know how it goes.
-updated-
The transition to online teaching has been challenging, especially with the launch of the new Animation program (ANI). We've managed to adapt and persevere. The tools and tech for delivering virtual content have improved significantly. Conducting meetings in a virtual format has afforded significant advantages of efficiency. When the pandemic is concluded, I expect some classes will continue to be conducted online regardless in order to alleviate the classroom space crunch at 137 Dundas.
A quick(ish?) demo of removing unknown nodes, posing the ray rig, snapping, IK/FK switching, and constraints for the Weight Lift (WL) exercise. Constraint workflow starts around the 19 min. mark.
*update two - May 25th, 2020. For the most part, the semester completed successfully. There are still a couple of students with 'I' grades who have to complete and submit their final projects. I'm really impressed with how smoothly my students adapted to the move online. Staying motivated and engaged has been a struggle for everyone with lock-down malaise hanging over them. Thankfully, everyone so far remains safe and healthy.
*update three - March 15th, 2021. It's been over a year since I last stood in a room with my students. At the time, I imagined that we'd be back in the classroom in a week or two. By March 19th, it was clear that the term would be concluded online instead. Thankfully there are a number of effective vaccines in circulation that significantly reduce the risk of severe consequences from infection. Unfortunately, the rollout has been unusually slow in Canada. It's unlikely I'll be vaccinated until the end of summer, more likely sometime around the beginning of Fall.
*update four - April 27th, 2021. I'm surprised to report I received my first shot of the two dose AstraZenica vaccine today. An unexpected shift in supply meant that a large amount of this vaccine became available in Canada to anyone 40 years of age or older. The second dose may take longer depending on availability. One step closer to an end to this pandemic.
*update five - September 7th 2021. While I was able to get my second dose of vaccine (Moderna this time) on June 27th the pandemic is far from over. There have been a number of surprises throughout this pandemic. A number of people have expressed vaccine hesitancy/refusal (~ 20% in Canada). Others defy basic public health measures like wearing masks, maintaining social distancing, or limiting high risk activities.
If you had asked me at the start, how this whole thing would play out, I would never in a million years guessed at the issues. The attribution of mask wearing to political allegiance is baffling. Less surprising is the uneven distribution of vaccines. There are wealthy countries with a surplus of doses that half their population refuse to take, while poorer countries struggle to get any at all. "The rich stay healthy and the sick stay poor". It is becoming clear that this pandemic will become endemic: how much of that is due to folly and greed is subject to debate.
*update six - December 7th 2021. For the first time, I'll preparing to teach in person during the winter term. Wed Jan 4th 2022 will be my first onsite class. Things are still far from normal and it's starting to feel like there is no clear path to an end. The ripple effects of the pandemic; supply shortages, industry disruptions, and societal shifts will likely last for years. They pale in comparison to the impact of 5.26 million people lost. The absence of loved ones will be felt in perpetuity.
I am thankful that the tools for online teaching have evolved at an incredible pace, creating workflows I couldn't have imagined when this started. Zoom, TeamViewer, Discord and SyncSketch have been invaluable. I am planning that some of these online tools can be incorporated into my onsite teaching.
*update seven - March 14th 2022. Based on new developments, plans to teach onsite classes were scaled back. I will continue teaching online. It has now been two years since I last stood in a classroom with my students. The pandemic has taken a terrible cost on many. I am fortunate and grateful to have escaped relatively unharmed. Millions have died, faced the loss of a beloved friend or family member or suffered lasting harm to their health. These costs will echo for years to come. In the last few months, highly transmissible variants have spread like wildfire. While I have managed to avoid infection, many of my family and friends have contracted and, thanks to being fully vaccinated, recovered from COVID. Most of the restrictions are likely to end this summer. The ripple effects will likely extend further.
With restrictions easing, I had hoped that I would be returning to some in-person teaching by this Wednesday. Unfortunately, the Union is out of options and has issued a strike deadline for this Friday. A return to in-person teaching may not happen for quite some time. While I am deeply disappointed, it is tempered with the knowledge that it could be so much worse.
*update eight - Aug 13th 2022. I'm now preparing my content for the coming term. For economic and logistical reasons, some of the classes we hastily prepared two years ago to deliver online have been permanently moved to online only. This is in stark contrast to assurances from the administration at the time that online teaching was "a temporary measure only". Another facet of "the new normal", albeit a minor one. As epidemiologists predicted, COVID is endemic now with vaccination boosters recommended every 6 months or so. I recently got vaccinated for the fourth time and expect that it will be an annual event going forward, like getting the flu shot. My wife got COVID this summer. Her symptoms were thankfully minor and she recovered quickly. So far, as far as I know, I have managed not to catch it.
To ensure the health and safety of our students and campus community, and to prevent the risk and spread of COVID-19, Fanshawe campuses will be closed as of11:59 p.m. March 17, 2020. Student services and academics are moving to a virtual delivery format. For COVID-19 updates, please the FAQ pageon the College website.
Welcome to the new decade (the roaring 20's?). This term I'll be making group work central to the ANC educational experience. I will update this post later to say whether it's a big dumpster fire or a wondrous treasure chest filled with magical unicorn glitter. (*update: glitter!!) This meme below made me chuckle, so I thought I'd share it here.
Artist unknown but I hope they are learning to trust and love again.
As usual I'll include the full list of class links below, for archival purposes. This term I'm teaching 2 ANC classes: Animation 2 (6017) and Project Development (6018). This cadre of ANC students have proven to be very skillful when they actually come to class. I'm excited to see what they are going to achieve for their final projects.
Along with my classes, I will be dedicating a lot of my time to getting the new Animation program ready for this Fall. There's a lot of curriculum to write and classes to plan. It is going to be an intense term.
- Dave
Here are all the class links for the Winter semester (*links not connected yet.)
I'm excited to meet the new cadre of ANC students I'll be working with over the next two semesters.
(We're going to make some cool stuff!).
There's also a new 2 year animation program in the works that I'll be helping design with my colleague Paul W. (Tons of new things for me to learn.)
I can't wait to get started!
My office hours this term are on Thursdays 12-4p
in room 508-1. To make an appointment just email:
Amber Farmer (a_farmer2@FanshaweC.ca)
~or~
Alyssa Jarvis (amjarvis@fanshawec.ca)
The Cintiq is significantly less awesome without a stylus
First question: have you got your Wacom styus? You''ll need it for Pre-Production class tomorrow!
Here are all the class links for the Fall semester
Actually this images inspires me to resolve to make hats for my cats. Images of annoyed cats to follow?
Happy New Year and welcome back. Preparing for the second semester of ANC has been going well and I'm excited to get back to it. This semester I'm teaching:
MMED-6017: Animation for Characters 2
MMED-6018: Project Development Thesis
MMED-3024: Animation MoCap
I'm teaching section 01 of the VGD Anim/MoCap class, with Jeremy Dilks and Eric Wilkins on the other sections. I taught this last winter with Eric teaching the other sections. I'm looking forward to re-teaching this class with Jeremy in the mix to see what he can add to the magic.
