Okay, here’s my attempt at writing a blog post in the requested style, based on the practice topic “dean ambrose”.
Alright, so check it, today I’m gonna break down my deep dive into Dean Ambrose. Yeah, the Lunatic Fringe himself. I’ve been messing around with some new animation techniques, and his crazy energy was just begging to be captured, ya know?
First thing I did, and this is crucial, I watched a TON of his old matches. Like, hours and hours. I’m talking Shield days, his singles run, everything. Gotta soak up that vibe, that unpredictability. I wasn’t just watching, I was studying his movements. How he throws a punch, the way he sells a hit, that wild look in his eyes. This is where it all starts, right?
Then, it was time to sketch. I started with basic poses, trying to nail his signature stances. The arms-out taunt, the leaning-over-the-ropes glare, that kinda thing. It was rough at first, looked more like a zombie than Ambrose, but I kept at it. I’m no artist, but I can fake it ’til I make it, haha.
Next up, I jumped into the animation software. I’m using Blender, because it’s free and I’m cheap. I built a simple 3D model – nothing fancy, just something to work with. Then, I started rigging it. This is where it gets tricky. Getting the joints to move right, making sure he can actually pull off his moves without looking like a broken doll, that’s the challenge.
After that came the actual animation. This was the time-consuming part. I started with his signature DDT. Broke it down into keyframes, tweaked the timing, messed with the curves. It looked janky as hell at first, all stiff and unnatural. But slowly, slowly, it started to come together. I kept going back to those match videos, comparing his movements to my animation. It’s all about the details, man.
I also tried to capture his facial expressions. Man, that was tough. He’s got so much going on behind those eyes. I ended up using shape keys to create different expressions – a sneer, a crazed grin, that intense stare. It’s still not perfect, but it’s getting there.
Then the textures and materials. I didn’t go too crazy here. Just a simple leather jacket texture, some jeans, and a decent likeness of his hair. I also added a little bit of dirt and grime to make him look a little more rugged, you know, like he’s been through a few wars.
Finally, I rendered out a short animation clip. Showed it to a few friends, got some feedback. They said it looked pretty good, but that it needed more “Ambrose energy.” So, I went back and added a few more subtle details – a twitch of the head, a slight smirk, little things that make him who he is.
Look, it’s not perfect, by a long shot. But I learned a ton doing this. Animation is hard, yo! But seeing that little character move, seeing him kind of come to life, that’s what makes it all worthwhile. I might try Roman Reigns next. Or maybe even Stone Cold Steve Austin! We’ll see how it goes. Keep you posted!
