HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Here, to celebrate this special day, an encore presentation of backgounds from LONESOME GHOSTS.

What a boo-tiful haunted house!

The office interior was a challenge - Mickey, Donald and Goofy were animated all over that B/G. The patchwork quilt approach worked to recreate this, one section at a time.

Hope you have a great Halloween.

Happy trick or treats!

ArenaGirl Voting Begins!

Yes! Voting has started for your favorite fist-a-cuffs card girl!

So head on over to the Fist-a-Cuffs blog and cast a vote for your favorite flaming hula-hoop, belly dancing chica this side of the blog-o-sphere!

Note, you have to have a complete blogger account to vote!

THE SKELETON DANCE

It's the Eve of Halloween...

What could be more appropriate than backgrounds from THE SKELETON DANCE?

:)

LONESOME GHOSTS Part One

I created these weeks ago... and saved them for Halloween week.

More to come!

THE RESCUERS (1977): Medusa's Spooky Organ

Now that it's Halloween week, we'll focus our theme over the next few days. Here is a magnificent B/G of the scary old pipe organ, from THE RESCUERS.

Can't you almost hear Bach's D minor Toccatta??!!!

THE SWORD IN THE STONE: Snowy Village

SLEEPING BEAUTY: More Gothic Extravagance

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Follow That Rabbit!

Beautiful bunny backgrounds!

One more!

One more ghoulish bit before the 31st! This time after John Singer Sargent's Lord Ribblesdale. I know my work doesnt show much of it, but tons of history's greatest painters have always been an influence to me. The most considerable being; Michelangelo of course, Caravaggio, I loved Pontormo's figure studies, Rubens, Boucher, Ingres,Watteau, for their draftsmanship (animators much check out their drawings!), Delacroix ( over his contemporary David, although I shouldn't have to pit them against each other!), Velazquez (Las Meninas!), Sargent's exhibition here in Seattle, when I was a student,blew me away, Matisse, Picasso for his bravery, versatility, & creativity. So so many more that escape me right now.

An ex co-worker and I liked to go back and forth between who was a better draftsman, Rubens or Sargent. Hey man! Sargents amazing, but Rubens was a beast!

On a semi-related note, I've really enjoyed looking at artists' posting step-by-step processes lately. Always fascinating stuff. My favorites are always when the intial sketches are flurries of lines, ideas, energy, mistakes ; I dig the rough stuff.
I usually am pretty haphazard, and do a lot of wandering off. But on a focused day, this is what it comes down to. Nothin special really, although I have to say, I often spend for-ever noodling with colors. Thats the hardest part .**Also, my first meeting with Stephen Gregory for the tutorship is Nov 5th!

And check it out! ABC News did a feature on THE Sartorialist!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Here's an ALICE B/G unlike any I've ever created. As Alice walks down the path, the foreground lighting fades and the upper left is lit. It's a wonderful effect.

I've composited both sections together, and of course Alice was intentionally vaporized.

The multiplane cameramen might have seen this during a lighting test. But here it is, now presented for the ANIMATION BACKGROUND audience for the very first time.

ALICE'S SEAT: The Un-Birthday Tea Party

You wouldn't believe how much time it took to digitally eliminate a tiny teacup from the table. But... the result is an unobstructed view of this delightful ALICE background painting.

ALICE IN WONDERLAND: Horsefly

I was looking through my archives of re-created backgrounds tonight (including artwork from ALICE IN WONDERLAND). Couldn't resist posting this. Incredible green and blue color palettes (thank you, Mary Blair) and wonderful play of light.

Lovely, eh?

CHIP AND DALE: Chip an' Dale (1947)

Here is a re-created pan background from "Chip an' Dale" (1947). One chipmunk couldn't be edited out as he never leaves that spot! Just think of him as today's "guest star." I've included some additional B/Gs from the same film. As it was 100 degrees in Los Angeles today (Al Gore might be right), thinking of snow is a refreshing idea!

Marvelous textures are created in the snow (icy shades of blue), wood grains, and brickwork in front of the fireplace.

Chill...

THE SWORD IN THE STONE: Young Arthur's Gothic Castle

These beautiful B/Gs recreated from THE SWORD IN THE STONE are somewhat reminiscent of castle interiors from SLEEPING BEAUTY, but with a personality all their own.

Braaaaains

A bit o lunchtime summoning to prepare for Hallows Eve!

Pacquiao

I've been wanting to do a drawing of Manny Pacquiao for a while. I figured nows a good a time as any considering his win over Barerra last week!

Barbarella

Again with the ladies?! Yes I'm afraid so. This week, Barbarella, for this weeks Sketchwich. The topic is futuristic.Her wingman.

Still keeping busy w/ work, life, waiting for the tutorship, & trying to squeeze in some drawing time whenever I can! I get a little antsy when I don't have any personal projects, art or otherwise, going on outside of work, and it just feels a little weird for me to go to sleep early.

And on a bit of a random note, I just realized I have 353 art blogs currently bookmarked/subscribed to!! Jeeze!! They range from 3D animators to 2D illustrators, students to pros to superstars, to people whose art I'm not even sure I like so much but I like what they have to say about things.

I wonder if looking at so much art is doing more good or bad. What do you mean bad, how could that be bad? Well I mean bad as in, the inevitable, perpetual comparison of my work to theirs. Which, at times for me, breeds just as much discouragment as much as it does inspiration. There is just SO MUCH GOOD stuff out there, it can get overwhelming! But I guess that's why an artist's best work is always his/her most personal. Picasso always had his own way of doing things, AND he had the balls to put his whole life out on display!

Reminds me of something that Maurice Noble said, "Everything has been done before, you just have to do it your own way."

Whoa! Sorry to get to introspective on this blog! Thats a rarity!

Some news on the animation front!

Great news in fact! I recently was picked to be a part of a private animation tutoring program with Pixar animator, Stephen Gregory! It goes without saying that I'm stoked to be a part of it! For this session he could only afford time for like 5 students (tutees?) so I feel pretty fortunate, like I won a golden ticket or something. I dont know all the specific details about the program so far, I do that it is going to run a few months, we meet with him every week one on one, and everyones assignments are based on their skill level, and what specifically they want to accomplish. Which are two sexy bullet points for me. Oh and Cheryl's a lil happier that I dont have to spend so much money this semester for AM.

Plus, hell, I've never heard of anything like this go on, so he's kind of trailblazing here, and its exciting to be on board! I dont really know what to expect, which is always dangerous fun. That said, I'll definitely be posting by progress here just in case people are thinkin about taking it sometime. It'd be nice to know what you're getting into no?

Find out more info about the program here!
The Spline Doctors