I'll be honest, I completely forgot to show this here. I've spent the past 10 months developing all of my animated series in addition to a new series (which I posted to Twitter) AIRBORNE. 6 Episodes, new characters, and I completely forgot to tell you guys on NG, my bad.

It's about dragonflies and flying! 1st episode releases 6.21!!!

Also, big schedule:

(This is also partially why I was inactive for a long while animation-wise. Everything is coming together.)

Hello folks. Lots have been happening over the past couple of months, and one of them was music. Released a new EP w/ Flapstick on vocals - Breathing Room - on Bandcamp just recently, and I hope you enjoy it! It's heavy.

(Don't worry, I'm still animating.)

Hello! I'm looking to fill in some Voice Acting roles for future animations!

Throw your hat in the ring! Currently, I'm looking for a wide variety in terms of range. If you're interested, consider sending a demo reel + rates to this email: "9hammeranims@gmail.com"

Greetings, and I hope you’re well. 

I'll start by saying this: Many things seem to be going by fast online. Stuff you might see for example: fast-paced YouTube-recommended videos nowadays feel a lot more in your face and mind-numbing to sit through, which cropped up the discussion of brain rot. There's a lot I could say on this matter, but in the wake of this, I felt that I had to rewire my online habits over the summer going forward. Really needed to take a step back and realize where things could’ve headed, and it seems like the efforts in changing my habits of consumption are working. Reading a lot more, building connections, and reinforcing positive habits to continue doing what I'm passionate about. Rest assured, I will continue making original animated series as normal.

Nonetheless, what have I been up to?

Well, a lot of things is the simple answer, but here’s the whole answer: I’ve been keeping myself busy post-graduation. The last thing I want to happen is to lose the momentum from studying new things and as a result, I’ve done just that. Kept myself on a self-paced studying scheme to not lose myself in art, which has led to new ideas, new animations, and all things in between. This, in turn, keeps me sharp with storytelling, writing music, and other endeavors! Speaking of which: Here’s the SitRep with the active series I’m working on. 

Beyond the Fog: Advent

This one was on the back burner since the beginning of this year (thanks college), but we’re hitting the ground with the backgrounds for the capstone animation for this series. (There are 108 of them). Not too bad with fitting this into my schedule. 30 minutes a day on about 8-10 of them goes a long way. No due date yet, but it's getting there!

Chaotic Heart: Season 2 - New Installment?

While I get together the next set of episodes for Chaotic Heart's 2nd season, we have a little music video for you. This one was also something I've been meaning to do again for this series since 2021 with SUDDEN ENCOUNTER. If you recall @Flapstick101 ’s vocals in Vacant, he’ll be returning for this one. (Hope you like Deftones.) 

Solace: Chapter 2

Time has passed for our lagomorph folks, and they’re all mature and fending for themselves. Hex and May will find their way around the island to more of their apple-like escapades. Glad you guys are enjoying the art and animation for this IP too. The next chapter will have new music and vistas to see!

Mix ‘n’ Match: More Episodes & Intro Animation

Figured we give some visual finesse to the baker fellas. New episodes are being boarded and scripted for the main series, and we actually have something special too to start off the new year! @Dry and I will be bringing you music and animation respectively for a fresh introductory outlook on Mix’n’Match. You’ll definitely see a lot with this series soon.

Lilac Roses: A Film by Nine

There’s a bit more to see with Sophia from Chaotic Heart, so why not look into her upbringing? The last we saw of here was in S1:E4 of the series, and it's been a hot minute since. This was another backburner project from the beginning of this year alongside BtF, but now that's changing. We’ll find out that there’s a reason for everything. 2024.

Bear-bot: Furthering the Story

I asked a month or two ago if folks wanted to see more of this series, and I have some extra spare time, so I’m developing the story more. Re-did the entire model for Bear-bot, and am working on some concepts for worldbuilding! Who knows? Maybe more will come soon...

With all that said and done, I’ve yet to address the gif at the top of the news post. What’s the deal? Is that another IP, Nine? Certainly wasn't something I was working on the entire summer no no...

(Spoilers: Yes, it's another one. I'll get back to you on why I'm working on 7 projects at once.)

• Nine

Hey folks, check it:

Guess what? I graduated from college recently in 2D/3D Animation!!! Learned a lot from it, and I hope to use it in my future work. Speaking of which, I have my thesis film ready to showcase! It's titled 'Bear-bot' which will be a hybrid of both mediums. I'll call it a pilot for now, and we'll see where it goes, but expect it to come out tomorrow (Friday)!

Hoping for the best with it! If you guys like the feel of it, I'm willing to go forward with this sort of idea into something bigger! One thing's certain is that if I plan on making this further, something else should open up some space for it. Beyond the Fog's final animation should be the next big thing to release.

(College is out of the way, so this will not be an issue to finish. 'Beyond the Fog: Advent' coming this fall.)

Hey guys, Solace's OST is now live on Bandcamp!

https://9hammer.bandcamp.com/album/solace-chapter-1-ost

Each episode had its own little tune, and now it's Solo'd out for your convenience! Tracks were composed by yours truly and Ryan Pressman. I brushed up Faux a bit since too. Check it out at the like above! You can also check the entire first chapter here: https://www.newgrounds.com/playlists/view/2de3aa79f78ca3c7df8fb6cbc63ea3f1

First and foremost, the reception of Chaotic Heart's Season 1 Finale and Solace: In Mind is incredible, and I can't thank you folks enough for the support with the recent stuff! Going into the next coming months, I underwent a huge overhaul with how I animate now. One of which is using Clip Studio Paint for rough animation (and it seems to be working very well)!

Above, you can see the bird boi Scarlet in action a lot more smoother and organic than before. Doing roughs here with textured pencils/brushes helps a lot with feeling out the animation than in Harmony alone. Going forward, this'll definitely be the norm for animating the keyframes and roughs before animating.

The new season of Chaotic Heart should be making the rounds This Summer! (hopefully)

Oh, and a new installment of Solace is in the works too! The title is currently pending, but here's a little look:

Literally a little look. Nonetheless, I'm thinking sometime in March? Hell, with the new workflow, I might be able to get it out by that time, but we'll see! I'll continue to update here and bring some extra goodies on Patreon too: https://www.patreon.com/9Hammer

Until then, hoping you folks stay well and I hope you stay tuned!

-Nine

Yep-yep! Two new installments will be making the rounds soon! Solace and Chaotic Heart! Not much else to say here, except the fact that we're hoping to bring forth new stuff this year!

Oh, by the way:

Heya folks! I'm looking for some VAs to fill in some character roles!

I got a lot of things planned for 2022, and one of those things is to have some more folks on board as Voice Actors! If you're interested, consider sending a demo reel + rates to this email: "9hammeranims@gmail.com". I'm looking for a wide range here, so don't be afraid to send a reel if you have one!

...of Beyond the Fog.

(Surprised Blue Boy. 2021, colorized.)

I'll be honest, this series was a helluva learning experience, and it really has come a long way. Fun fact, this whole thing was conceptualized right around 2014 via a sticky note in a high school English class and was fully written on a vacation ride to and from Cali around 2016 (and it shows LOL). Suppose all things must come to an end, but nonetheless, the next episode should be making the rounds sometime by the end of November/December!

So much has happened since then, and it made me realize that animation & storytelling is a long-term pursuit! Now, I say this is the last episode and all, but it definitely doesn't mean that this is the end of everything. Chaotic Heart & Solace? Yeah, that's still happening! Planning for 2022 to be the start of a new era in terms of upcoming stories and the like, and I'm honestly looking forward to it! Be on the lookout for an update post (likely a video) about the future of things.

Thank you for reading. Stay tuned!