List of interesting web sites/blogs.

http://animationbackgrounds.blogspot.com/ - A blog dedicated to backgrounds used in animation from current and classic films such as Mulan and Pinocchio. The work of different studios are looked at, including Chuck Jones, Fleischer studios and Disney. I Particularly enjoyed looking at Disney background artist, Peter Moehrle's, watercolour backgrounds. Overall a very interesting blog as all the different styles from different films can be seen.

www.aniboom.com - This is a video site much like youtube, but dedicated to animation films ranging from Comedy, Drama to experimental.

http://characterdesign.blogspot.com/ - This blog contains interviews with character designers as well as their work. I found it very informative to see the development process thorugh sketches from films such as Madagascar and The Nightmare Before Christmas.

http://mitchellsketch.blogspot.com/ - This blog shows sketches and characters designs by the author of the blog. It was nice to see the thought processes and character designs he had come up with and how other animators have influenced some of his designs.

www.animationnation.com - Much like the "aniboom" website, this site is also dedicated to animation videos although this one doesn't have that many- it actually looks like quite a new web site. In any case i would highly recommend watching the animation called "Animator vs Animation" under the "featured animations" tab- a very clever idea and very well done. Good site but could do with a bit more films.

www.pixar.com - Website of one of the best animation studios in the world, although their website could do with alot more. It looks very basic but does show you the process of creating a Pixar animation. It also has short films and information on up and coming feature films. The area of this site which i found most interesting was the written interviews with the different members of the team, from animators, sculptors and directors telling us how they joined the Pixar team and their journey to becoming an animator.

http://cowancollection.blogspot.com/ - This blog features work done by different animators and illustrators. What i particularly liked about this blog was the vast amount of model sheets for Disney characters. The blog also has early Disney drawings done in pencil, ink and colour as well as photos and posters. Turnarounds and different emotion sheets of characters like Goofy and Superman are looked at. A very good blog for looking at character design particularly focusing on Disney animations.

www.dreamworksanimation.com - One of my favourate sites by far. As well as the standard links to up coming films and information about the company, the site also contains a very detailed look at the process of creating an animation sequence. "Looking at technology" focuses on the process from storyboard to lighting by analysing the film Kung Fu Panda. The site also features a "behind the scenes" link and a"day in the life" section which focuses on the different roles of the Dreamworks team.

www.howtodrawmanga.com - A very good site for anyone interested or even thinking about taking up an interest in anime/manga. Tutorials for drawing faces, eyes, noses, mouths of both females and males can been accessed on this site. It also has tutorials for drawing clothes and hair. There is also an online manga to read and a blog as well as a very random cooking section. The best thing about this site is the tutorials on how to draw manga, as most other things you have to pay for.

www.imageworks.com - Sony imageworks deals with live action and animated films. In the "shows" link, image galleries and videos can be viewed showing the construction of the groundbreaking and realistic visual effects created in their films. I particularly enjoyed watching the "shot build" of New York City in the film I Am Legend, where the opening scene of Times Square is 100% digitilised. The "Shows" link is definelty the best thing about this site, as the rest of the site mainly deals with information about the company.