Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere.

So excited! I ordered my Cintiq last night! I had to have Rhys push the purchase button for me though, sheesh that's a lot of money. I'm starting to shy away from my 2H Kimberly pencil in my daily drawings, lately I prefer using a sharpie and just a Dixon Ticonderoga HB. Both of these options seem more permanent so I'm less likely to noodle a line over and over again. Also I find with the mechanical pencil (Dr. Grip) I push way too hard even though I really like the clean line I get. Plus having the lead break just plain sucks. I'm sure I'll change again in 2 weeks what I like, especially once I get the Cintiq! Oh, check out this great article over on smomotion about different pencil types.

Gilligan chasing his tail.


Claude playing a rousing round of flip the turtle.


Our little hero couldn't have asked for a more perfect shot.


Pirate a Day


I stumbled across a new (to me) artist today Dean Yeagle. He grew up loving Disney and wanted to become an animator there. Eventually, he worked with them, but he is most famous, most people would say, for his pinups. The thing that really attracted me to his work is that he can blend cartoon style with real anatomy seamlessly. The expressions and fluidity that his characters portray seem way too over the top for a normal human, yet somehow he makes it all look natural. Treat yourself and take some time to truly admire some his work. The way he draws makes me want to get better, and his body of work makes me want to believe that drawing in a more cartoon way can still be realistic, so much so, that even critics would have a hard time not seeing it for it's true artistic value. Thanks for the inspiration!

Today's quote, "Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere", comes from G.K. Chesterton, and from this Dean Yeagle drawing.

...for the 10 year olds...

Spent a good portion of the day trying to find a good deal on Maya and I'm continuously contemplating getting a Cintiq. I've been really motivated the last couple of days, and getting a decent amount of time to work on a lot of the projects I have going. At the end of the day I still feel like I should be getting more done. One day at a time!

Gilligan-Man


Claude and his turtle taking a little nap in the comfy chair.


Pirate a Day


Our little hero wondered to himself why he missed the landing and then he realized he had landed square on a rock pile. Seeing a good sized stone close by, our little hero swiftly grabbed it and hurled it towards his foe.


First off, I know most everyone has been talking about it today, but if you missed it, you have to check out the new trailer for Disney's Tangled.


It looks fantastic. Albeit, I wish that they could have kept with the original 2Dish idea, but I love the way they treated the 3d in this movie. It almost looks like a 3d oil painting. Simply Gorgeous!

Last night I put on Spirited Away, which I hadn't watched in quite some time. What a treasure. The first time I watched it, I really thought the story was a little too out there, but watching it again last night, which I think was my second time ever, I really felt like the movie was almost a Alice in Wonderland story for a new generation. I was so energized after watching it last night that I got up early this morning to watch all the behind the scenes featurettes. I wish I spoke Japanese just so I could really understand Miyazaki in his own words. Even through translation and subtitles you can really feel his energy and love for the medium. I hope to keep his ideal true that he had for this movie, in all my work. "For the people who used to be 10 years old, and the people who are going to be 10 years old." Thanks for the inspiration!

Strive to resent the limitations of your imagination!

Got a little bit of a late start today, but really focused and knocked out everything pretty quick. I still have to mess around with the Wacom tablet a bit today *daydreams about a Cintiq*. Also I've been really enjoying Andrew Loomis' Figure Drawing for All It's Worth, so hopefully I'll have some time to spend with that as well.

Gilligan posing for his C&R photo shoot.

A young Claude and his turtle.


Pirate a Day


Our little hero made a remarkable escape attempt but didn't quite stick the landing.


Had some time to read a bit more of Frank and Ollie's Illusion of Life. Wow, they are so full of knowledge, I can see myself rereading this book over and over again. They mainly were talking about the start of animation (mainly Winsor McCay), the foundation of the Disney Animation Studios, and Walt Disney himself. The way they described him was perfectly summed up in a quote they gave of his, "I resent the limitations of my imagination." Wow, I hope I get to that point some day where the only thing I resent is that I can't imagine more. Thanks for the inspiration!

A funny drawing gets funnier when it's animated!

I finished another sketchbook last night! Which means I'm averaging around 100+ pages every 2 weeks. I've heard professionals say 1 good drawing in 10 is a pretty good ratio. I think I'm at least there.

I got a chance to read some more of Walt Stanchfield's Drawn to Life Vol 1, and it got me thinking. I'm sure some one else has felt this before, but you know that feeling you get when you have an idea in your mind and when you go to put it down on paper it doesn't come out quite like you really want it. Well, Mr. Stanchfield was talking about the Six Rules of Perspective, and how he uses them either consciously or subconsciously on every drawing he does and the line from chapter that caught my mind was "Knowing and using these principles when needed is like having a good road map when traveling in unfamiliar places." The rules aren't gonna get you there, but they will definitely guide if know where you're at and where you want to go.

Gilligan taking a snooze.


Claude and his turtle having some good old fashion fun.


Pirate a Day


The enraged monster must not have been aware of his own strength and rage, either that or he wasn't quite using all 2 ounces of his brain power and snapped the skewer in half. Our little hero used the drastic change of circumstances to his benefit.


As I've mentioned in the past I love everything Disney Animation related. So last night after finishing my daily drawing and blog post I hopped over and browsed Cartoon Brew, and came across the Ward Kimball tag. Of course that meant that the next few hours I'd be reading, watching, and drawing all things Kimball. I have to admit at first I wasn't a big fan of Kimball's being a Milt Kahlite his drawings always seemed inferior, but after a decent amount of actual exposure to his work he really can capture an idea. I love his sense of humor and his attitude towards life. It really comes across in his drawings. They are really expressive and every one feels like it's moving on its own. After watching a few great video interviews, really examining some of his images and reading a bunch of articles about him I found this great quote of his. "A cartoon character who is funny to look at before he is animated is going to be made funnier by the movement." Thanks for the inspiration!

Mechner of Persia!

Blogger was down last night, that means today is another double post! I think I'm finally starting to get a little faster at Preston Blair's great walk cycles. I just love how over the top and fluid he makes his characters move.

Gilligan practicing his best Question Mark Pose.


Gilligan, frankly, being quite rude.


After a lot of fighting Claude and his turtle call a truce.


Well now, that didn't last very long.

Pirate a Day

Pirate a Day part deux


Our little hero managed to squeeze two of his fingers out of the ropes and hurriedly tried to use the fork to cut himself free.


The enraged, vile pig beast seemed to have grown twice in size since being burned with the hot liquid and was not happy to see his dinner attempting an escape.

This last weekend Rhys and I went out to see Prince of Persia The Sands of Time! Prince of Persia was probably the most influential piece of media in my young life, and I still love it to this day. Every day after school I would head home and pop on my Mac LC III and immerse myself in the most wonderful Arabian fantasy I'd ever seen. To me it wasn't about beating the game it was the characters and the atmosphere. Back then there was no game that compared to the amazing movements of the prince. He could run, jump, drink, walk up stairs, sword fight, and every single one of his movements was so smooth and lifelike. The beautifully rendered images, perfectly arranged music, and true to life sound effects reeled me in even more. As a kid what could beat watching the prince get cut in half, land in spikes, get stabbed, chop down your foes, jump from high platforms and of course save the princess. The new movie is about as close as you could get to having that same experience, even with Jake Gyllenhaal. Jordan Mechner was like a god to my 9 year old self, and he's managed to do it again 18 years later. Thanks for the inspiration!

Check out Jordan Mechner's old journal that follows the journey he took to make Prince of Persia! I spent most of my afternoon today reading it. It's so insightful and a great story. Most of all he includes some of his old concept images and idea sketches.

Always Tryin' to be a Wild and Wooly Sheep

There are so many different artists I love, and tons of beautiful completely unique styles that just amaze me. On top of that you've got to decide which of the thousands of mediums you want to use. Why is my little eye attracted to so much!

Gilligan stubbed his giraffe toe for the fifth time today!


Claude's turtle's response to finding out Claude ate the last of the Reese's Pieces.


Pirate a Day

Thinking quickly and with even faster reflexes our little hero spotted the flying fork and positioned himself to exactly where he hoped the sharp object would land, and fate being what she is, of course, the pointed utensil stuck in just the right spot.

While out looking for a new shower curtain today (don't ask), I perused the DVD section for any old animated classics that might be on sale. Nothing was really that great of a deal, but I did come across Fox and the Hound which I haven't seen in ages. Between listening to the Animation Podcast and watching the Disney family album I've been absorbed into Disney history lately. Especially the after Walt passed, 9 old men films or the 1967-1985 era. I find it so fascinating to see how the studio struggled, evolved and succeeded during this period. Anyways, on the back of the Fox and the Hound DVD, there was a list of bonus features, and that's when I was reminded of one of my absolute favorite and most memorable Disney shorts, Lambert the Sheepish Lion.



This cartoon is a perfect example of what the appeal of animation is. The characters are aesthetically pleasing and lovable, the story is cute and heartfelt, and the song is catchy as hell. What a great reminder of what makes this medium really shine. Thanks for the inspiration!

Have fun!

Sometimes while drawing I'll get lost in my head and my own thoughts. A lot of the time this will lead to frustration with myself if I can't get a line to go exactly how I think it should go, other times it seems as though the drawings just flow out and almost without thinking and just feeling. Those are the times I like. I've got to figure out how to get that more often. When I'm roughing out a drawing, or just sketching someone or something it seems that its way more fluid, easy, fun and creative. Then my critical perfectionist mathematical brain kicks in when I wanna do cleanup and that takes about 5x as long as the original rough. I'd like to put both of those aspects in a blender and keep just the good parts of each one.

Gilligan waiting for the next trolley.


Claude's turtle getting a well deserved shake.


Pirate a Day


The beast thinking his meal was just about perfect went to rotate his spit one last time. The moment he reached for the handle our little hero spewed the overflowing mouthful of hot marinade he had been holding in his gullet. The wave of liquid caught the monster completely off guard and caused him to jump back in surprise and horror which subsequently led to the sharp fork he was previously wielding getting thrown out of his hand.



I finally got a chance to listen to this weeks Art and Story podcast, and the special guest Dan Mishkin gave a quote from the great Walt Kelly, that got my little ear burning. When asked why he created his comic Pogo he said he wanted to have fun and make money at the same time. Mr. Kelly I think beautifully stated what everyone's ideal goal in life is. Thanks for the Inspiration!