Not Just An Ink 'n Paint Girl

The Pixar Reel

2011-11-05T14:34:00.001-07:00

The good, the bad, and the ugly from my Pixar Animation internship. Hopefully you can see some progress between the newer and older pieces. Also, note that a couple of the pieces are IP (in-progress) or blocking. Naturally, I had the most fun with Linguini in the last few days of the internship, but there just wasn't enough time to finish it. C'est la vie.

The internship experience was as great as you would hope it would be. Pixar is awesome. The people are so supportive and encouraging. Go work at Pixar!

The Demo Reel

2011-04-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

some oldies and some newbies.

Paso Doble teaser

2011-03-22T20:22:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy, busy. That is how I would describe my days lately. If it's not the film, it's the demo reel. If it's not the demo reel, it's the portfolio. The end of school is just a few weeks away, so it's time to really buckle down & get things done.

People have been asking to see something from my film, so here is a little teaser. It's the opening dance , which is my twist on a Paso Doble. I don't want to give too much away, so you'll have to wait until graduation to see more!

***Thank you to Dan Sprogis for helping me paint this beast.

Quadrupeds 101

2011-01-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

While working on the film I've also been juggling CG animation. Realistically, how many hand-drawn films are being made today? Yeah, so I've recently taken an interest in Maya, and guess what? I actually like it!

I'm almost done my first scene, but already moving onto my second; a dog walk to run to jump. Taking the Jason Ryan approach, I've drawn thumbnails in Flipbook first. If you're a 2D animator wanting to branch off into CG, this method is very logical.

Anyway, I'll post both of the rendered scenes when they're ready to be seen. For now, chicken scratched keys...

Quadrupeds 101 from Jamie Metzger on Vimeo.

la película, pero no la película

2010-12-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

The film, but not the film.

the animation that almost was, but may be again

2010-12-06T17:18:00.000-08:00

Part of my apprenticeship with Charlie this past summer was animating a two-person scene. I'd roughed in the keys, he'd given amazing feedback, and then the monster that is fourth year took over my life. I might find time to come back to this, but it will have to wait until after grad. Nonetheless, here are a few snippets.

The Sculptor

2010-12-03T19:38:00.000-08:00

After a long haul, our 3rd year group film was finished last April 2010. It feels far, far in the past by now (after two internships and a semester of fourth year having come and gone), plus I think we've all made significant artistic growth since third year. Nonetheless, we did it, we learned a lot, and hopefully it was a good dress rehearsal for this year's independent films.

I suggest watching it full screen & in a dark room.

website

2010-10-08T21:56:00.001-07:00

I'm alive. Barely, but I am alive. Thanks to those who continue to visit the blog despite my absence. School has gotten incredibly busy, but we're in the home stretch now, so I'm just trying to push forward until the end.

In the meantime, I'm also working towards being one of those professional animator peoples, so I've made a website! jamiemetzger.com is my first website, so please give me any feedback you want to.

(click on the image to go to the site)

I'll be constantly updating it as my demo reel evolves, and there's some new life drawing posted. Still feelin' like a rookie, but jumping in nonetheless!

Charlie B . 02 . The Wine Lover

2010-07-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

The Wine Lover from Jamie Metzger on Vimeo.

Coming up for air. It has been a crazy two months here in the Philippines, and things are just winding down. I'm off to India in a few days, and will take a short break before continuing on with the summer internships. The amount of knowledge and skill I've acquired is more than an entire year at school. Of course, I couldn't have even started these placements without the prior learning done at Sheridan.

Here is the second test I've been working on with Charlie. Again, only keys for now. It needs some fixing, but we're running out of time, so it's on to the next assignment. This was a long one (almost 30 seconds), but the character was so much fun to work with. Thanks also to Robin for the design loan, and to Charlie for helping me modify it for animation. Now moving forward to the next and final assignment!

Paso Doble . 02

2010-06-12T03:07:00.000-07:00

More sketches for my film. For those who asked...

Charlie B . 01 . The Sultan

2010-06-09T19:50:00.000-07:00

The Sultan from Jamie Metzger on Vimeo.

Here are the keys for my first assignment with my animation mentor, Charlie Bonifacio. Working on this piece was like an animation boot camp. Think about fitting two years of education into 4 weeks. It was pretty great. There are tweaks to be made, and in-betweens to fill in, but that will have to wait because it's on to the next assignment.

*character design by Robin Joseph, and revised by Charlie.

Paso Doble

2010-05-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

Now that my final year at Sheridan is creeping up, I can finally talk about my thesis film! Paso Doble is a Spanish dance between a matador and his cape. I am using this inspiration to metaphorically compare the discovery of marital infidelity to a bull fight. That all sounds very technical, but it's really heated, passionate, and aggressive. I am hoping to marry my musical theatre and animation passions in this fantasia-type piece.

When I first came to Hans, I had nailed down the storyboards after many revisions, but he felt that I was playing it too safe with the style. (I was.) This month he had me explore many abstract and modern artists, and to my surprise a style was actually emerging. Being more of an animator, I've never developed a style for a film before, but I now see that the story and the style must inform each other.

Above is a one of my very quick explorations of a potential style. It most likely will differ from this look, but it's one idea along the way...

show me the light

2010-05-07T00:32:00.000-07:00

Hans showing us a sliver of his personal
animation archives.

The summer of the internships are upon us, and everyone says it's the best summer of your Sheridan career. I believe that's true, but I have my whole life to work in a studio. I figured since I'm not going to get paid anyway then I might as do something that money can't buy. I am spending my summer in the Philippines apprenticing under Hans Bacher and Charlie Bonifacio.

Both Disney vets, Hans will be helping San and I develop our visual aesthetic while Charlie will be working on animation with me via Skype. Needless to say, I am pretty freakin' stoked about the summer. As requested by many classmates, here is a photo of us getting a tour of Hans' personal archives. I will be posting some work soon, as doing two internship should produce something worth sharing...if I can live up to their standards. Wish me luck!

knight in shining armour

2010-04-24T08:31:00.001-07:00

Third year has ended, and I have to admit I am glad to see it go. Although I learned a lot, it was quite a headache and much too stressful. I am grateful that I had hard-working groupmates on our film. We finished on time, so there should be a clip to post here sometime soon. For now, here are my last two life drawings of the year.

The light at the end of the tunnel is that Mitch (my fiancé), San, and I are going to Asia for the summer. San and I are completing our apprenticeships for Sheridan, so this will be another challenge and a fantastic learning opportunity. Stay tuned for more on that!

Portraits

2010-04-02T15:21:00.001-07:00

Sooooo, it's been a while. Thanks for checking back. The group film at Sheridan has taken over my life, and doing extra art on the side has been postponed for a while. I have, however, managed to get in a little bit of life drawing. I am really liking portraits. So much so that I am neglecting the rest of the body. Ha. Will get back to that shortly.

I would like to promise to post again soon, but the moment school ends I am on a plane to South East Asia for the summer. Things will be busy for a while, but with any luck I will have lots of stuff to post from that working holiday. As for now, wish me and my group members luck getting through the last few weeks of this film!

AA...in progress

2009-12-24T15:35:00.001-08:00

It's aaaaalmost done. I have to fix some of the painting and the rim lighting, but essentially this is what my completed Action Analysis assignment looks like. Short, but hopefully sweet. :) Huge thanks to Chris for helping me composite and to San for the painting feedback.

Next semester there'll be about 30 of these to take care of while making our film. Phew. Wish me luck!

AA Background

2009-12-18T12:57:00.001-08:00

Well, hopefully this is a step up from box in a room. This is my background for the Action Analysis assignment this semester. We are finally making a completed scene with fully coloured background and animation. I will be sure to post the finished scene as soon as possible, but I wanted to show the bg first because as soon as you add a moving character to a composition that's all you watch.

The piece isn't entirely finished, but with the hectic schedule I've had recently, it might be as far as I get with it for a while. Anyway, enjoy for now.

paintin' a cardboard box

2009-12-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

So, San's been teaching me some fancy-schmancy digital painting techniques, and what you see here is the result of one lesson. This is my first real digital painting. A simple cardboard box in a room. San said, "Make the sexiest box in a room you can." Or something like that. It's been good practice for my Action Analysis project, which has a similar feel and colour scheme. Hopefully, I'll have more dynamic compositions to show soon.

Royal Winter Fair '09

2009-11-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again...

You gotta love the Royal Winter Fair. There's tons to draw, and there are characters everywhere in both the animals and the people. You don't even have to TRY! I wish I could spend the whole week there.

These three birds were a result of a strutting turkey and gossiping, Victorian-type geese. The mallard isn't as impressed by the turkey's assets as his girlfriend is.

The intention was to gouache these guys up, but I didn't like how it was turning out. Here's the line work nonetheless.

Cairo

2009-10-16T04:49:00.000-07:00

Our group film is underway, and although things are really busy I thought I should throw up a concept piece. I am really stoked about this project, and I will be sure to update now and then as to the development of the film. Until then, enjoy the sunset.

Life in Whistler

2009-08-28T17:07:00.001-07:00

Just for good measure, thought I should throw up some life drawings from the summer. We are so spoiled with free life drawing at Sheridan. When away, I appreciate it so much more. I vow to hit the open sessions 3-4 times per week this school year. Hold me to that!

Chili Thom

2009-08-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

Two birds, one stone:

This week my favourite Whistler artist, Chili Thom, agreed to give me a tutoring lesson on colour. I was stoked because I think he has such exciting colours in his pieces that jump off the page. He gave me a few seemingly simple tips that are already helping my work.

The cherry on top is that I've been hankering for a longboard (think skateboard meets surfing) for about two years, and I finally found my ideal board hanging in Chili's studio! Left is my new board, and I not wait to go for a ride tomorrow. Unfortunately, I only have two days to enjoy the beautiful valley trails in Whistler, but nonetheless this is a pretty sick ride to school.

Chili has the ideal Whistler life; he is a painter, DJ, and filmaker who surfs, shreds, and more. Check his stuff out below, online, or the next time you're in Whistler...which I suggest is sooner than later.

On That Note...

2009-08-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

I know I just said I was going to take a break, but then I discovered something exciting. Ain't it always the way? I've been studying more Rembrandt, and I decided to try an experiment with mixed media: oil and digital.

I would love to paint my fourth year film in traditional oils, but I also realize that it's extremely time consuming, plus I also need a lot more training with oil. Here, I've started the piece with a traditional oil block-in (above) and finished it in Photoshop (right). I know I can't be the first one to do this; however, it's really exciting because I feel it has the texture and look of traditional media, but I was able to use layers and undo!

This study is from a black and white textbook photograph of a Rembrandt, but I still got what I wanted to get from the exercise. I'll just have to get to Europe to paint from the real pieces. Someday...

Be the Tortoise

2009-08-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

As the summer's coming to a close it would seem, from looking at my infrequent blog posts, that I haven't been doing much with art. In fact, I have been doing too much with art. In April I decided that I would lay out a summer semester for myself complete with a reading week and three weeks off before the fall semester. I took an extra elective to lighten the fourth year schedule (which I highly recommend doing), and I also set weekly assignments for myself ranging from readings to specific projects such as copying a master oil painting. I did fairly well with sticking to my schedule, and I did learn a great deal, but at the end of it all I am left feeling a little burnt out. I need a break from this break.

I am reminded of some strong words of advice given to me by some close friends who are successful, professional artists. In first year, Sam told me that "It's a marathon." You keep a steady pace so as to not wear yourself out. Robin Muller retold the timeless story of the Tortoise and the Hare. It seems flashy to out-run the competition, but the same advice was given to me in musical theatre; those who rise quickly, fall quickly.

Finally, an elderly man, Colin, sitting across the table from me in this cafe just reinforced the idea of LSD: long, slow distances. In his youth he would try to beat the seasoned cross-country runners to the finish, but whenever he reached the same steep hill each day the older men would breeze past him. He learned that he must pace himself and run alongside his peers instead of always trying to defeat them.

I really enjoy what I do, and I want to be able to enjoy art and the animation industry for years to come. It's time to keep that steady pace and be able to last 'til the end. Just to drive home this concept, here's the Disney take on the Tortoise and the Hare, and I think Walt knew what he was doing. See you all in September.

Rembrandt 'n the Dutch Gang

2009-07-13T12:53:00.000-07:00

My friend, San, is at this very moment tromping around Europe. He's going to world class galleries, and I am very jealous. Although I can't get to the Louvre, I do have the Vancouver Art Gallery within arms' reach.

Normally, I wouldn't be keen on seeing the same old Emily Carrs that the west is so fond of, but right now the VAG (seriously, that's the acronym...yeah) has an exhibit on loan from Amsterdam called 'The Golden Age of Dutch Art' that includes Rembrandt and Vermeer. Sick.

It was amazing to see these 17th century artists' work. Such fine draftsmen and colourists. I learned a great deal about composition, lighting, paint application, texture, and more. I fully understand why students are to learn from the Masters and see the work in person. It was an honour to walk straight up to the painting to see exactly how the brush stroke accomplished a certain effect.

Above is an oil study I did of a Rembrandt self-portrait. You're not allowed to paint at the VAG, so I did this a week or so ago in preparation for the big exhibit. Apparently Rembrandt rarely used more than red, yellow, and black in his compositions. I gave it a shot here, but added a little white for the accent. I wouldn't hold this next to the original, it's too embarrassing, but if you are still curious it's here. I also just learned that Rembrandt had his students copy his self-portraits as part of their training. Kind of a cool coincidence (and a little narcissistic).

I understand that art today has evolved, but I would love to see more artists striving for that impeccable level of discipline that existed in the Golden Age of painting. Perhaps it has always been few and far between who have mastered gesture, character, line, colour, and so on. Maybe that's why we see the same artists in all the museums across the globe. Maybe that's why they are called Masters.

Whistler Livin'

2009-06-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

It's been a lot of cinematography talk on here lately, so I thought I should post a sketch. One of the many Whistler patios in the sunshine. We are so spoiled here, and it's hard to focus on producing artwork when there are lakes and mountains calling your name. Plus, when you only get four months a year to travel, be active, and gain some alternative input (not that Oakville isn't stimulating enough) then you better fill your cup while you can, y'know?

On that note, I'm going outside...

My Turn

2009-06-15T14:07:00.000-07:00

I am no Polanksi or anything, and my camera is pretty weak, but that didn't stop me from capturing shots around Whistler. Whenever I saw some type of story possible I pressed record. Below are the results of the day and some findings I discovered along the way...

First up is my favourite house on my morning walk. Here I learned that, just like any story, each shot has a beginning, a middle, and an end. We start off with a view of the brook to give the audience an idea as to the type of environment we're in. The camera catches a car (invisible here) moving across the bridge, which causes us to change panning directions. Finally, the car speeds out of frame, leaving the audience with a view of the house where the car is supposedly headed.

Below are the quilted BGs. One as the camera sees it, and another with a potential (but very crude) animation layer.

The following shot is a little more complex, but once I put it together it made a lot more sense. The idea is that we are following the character up the stairs and around the corner to the phonebooth. In the end, the trickiest part (aside from warping the layout properly) would be making sure the character maintained its volume and stayed planted on the ground. I have to thank the English Patient work I did for helping me with that task.

This was a happy accident. I just wanted to film a busy intersection to contrast with the peaceful mountains, but when the Purolator truck entered the frame a better story developed; it seems like the Purolator truck is delivering something up the mountain! lol Lesson here: what is at the beginning of a shot will unavoidably relate to the end of the shot, and vice versa.

Next up, I discovered that it looks really cool to move from an interior to an exterior. It feels really sneaky, as if someone has a secret or someone is the target of an evil plot. Here I thought it looked like the protagonist (again, invisible, but seen in crude drawings) was sitting on a bench inside with his reflection in the mirror while the antagonist was making a call to his boss on the payphone to say "I got him".

Also, it's awesome that you can move from a bright set to a dark set in one shot.

You know, there are much fewer verticle pans than there are horizontal or diagonal pans. Perhaps we don't look up or down as often as we stare straight ahead. Here, I stood on a bridge and caught this cyclist from above and followed him into the distance. Creepy...maybe...yes--but effective.

And finally, another deceptful-looking shot moving from an exterior to an interior this time. I'm not sure if I nailed the porportions of the character or not, but you get the idea. It seemed to me like he was going to his car to begin a mission.

It's key to remember that the character continues moving even when a large forground element covers him. He will most likely change porportions and/or direction by the time he gets out the other side.

And there you have it! After this first session I feel a teensy bit more knowledgeable and hopefully next time out in the field I will be able to capture more ambitious shots.

Same Same, but Different

2009-06-08T19:54:00.001-07:00

And the screen-capping adventures continue...

After the layout discovery with Oliver Twist, I moved onto Anthony Minghella's The English Patient. Beautifully shot film. I had much more difficulty quilting these shots together, but it was worth the effort as I learned quite a bit. For example, the camera is like the audience's heart-rate. When you want them to breathe really quickly, make quick cuts. When you want them to rest, use long, sweeping shots. This I already knew, but analyzing films just reinforces the concept.

The first group below is comprised of all the straight-forward camera moves; pans and diagonals. Most are rest-period shots, but the half-moon background in the desert has a slight feeling of panic on screen.

Now things get a little trickier. Truck ins and rotating shots are incredibly awkward to piece together without layers. I fully appreciate the use of CG now. Some of the shots in live action are just impossible to achieve in traditional animation. The perspective is always changing. You would have to animate everything. Mad. Also, I think we often forget about hand-held shots. They can be really versatile and intimate.

Because this group is more awkward, I've also posted the boards below the background. Check out the complex staging in the first shot of the couple.

Okay, now these next shots just looked ridiculous when quilted. Everything was on top of each other, and I just couldn't make heads or tails out of it. Nonetheless, I've posted the boards because they are examples of how gorgeous camera work can reveal all the information the audience needs in one fluid shot.

After talking to Hans about my epiphany -- get this -- I thought I could offer a tip for his students in Asia. He trumped me by saying not only does he encourage his students to do this exercise already, but he tells them to get an actual videocamera, get out there, create their own shots, and analyse their own backgrounds. Yeah, it was like I told the Dali Lama how he should be meditating. Good one, Jamie. So guess what's next? You'll see my oh-so-developed camera skills. Beware.

a camera is a camera is a camera

2009-06-02T11:01:00.000-07:00

This a new discovery for me, and everyone else may already know it, but I'm stoked about it and had to share...

As you may know, Hans Bacher posts many recreated animation backgrounds. Same same, but different. While screen-capping Polanski's Oliver Twist I was mainly looking at composition and lighting, but eventually I found myself wondering "How did he do that shot?" I took sections of each pan (or truck, or diagonal...) and stitched them together in Photoshop. Without realizing it, I had discovered how the layout would have to be drawn if the shot was animated!

The patched-up shots clearly showed what would be in the frame at any given time, where the necessary warping would be, which elements needed to be animated, where the characters would walk, etc.! For someone like myself, who finds planning a complicated layout about as easy as climbing Mount Everest, this analytical look at live-action shots shows that a camera is a camera regardless of whether the film is animated or live-action. Animation layouts may look all warped and funky, and they may seem to be a beast of their own, but they are drawn that way because that's what we see on the screen in live-action!

Below are a few of the quilted shots from Oliver. Some match up perfectly, but where they don't quite work is where the drawing would be warped or animated. It all makes sense now!!

The UPA Attempt

2009-06-02T10:54:00.001-07:00

With our last character design assignment we were given the option to explore a flatter, UPA-style design, so I thought I'd give it a go. I realized that it's much harder than it looks. The designs are simple, but you really have to know your shapes and positive/negative space. I am still in the beginning stages of understanding these design concepts, but working on the characters above really forced me to focus on the essentials of a design. All tips and crits are welcome.

These three are the villains from our last storyboarding assignment. In the Wild West, these guys are not to be crossed.

Keep Your Dead Birds to Yourself

2009-03-31T16:02:00.000-07:00

So there appears to be a surplus of dead bird reference on this blog. I may need to reflect on my current mental state. Anyway, I get some slack for not posting my animation assignments on here, so today is a milestone of sorts. After an inspiring lesson from Braden I was much more enthused about this piece than my past animations. He taught me how to better plan my scenes and really nail down the story poses before trying to fill in the inbetweens. Thanks, man. I'm stoked about diving into the next assignment; a beak sync. (Yeah, another bird...weeeeiiird.)

The Hand

2009-03-31T15:52:00.001-07:00

Recently, the Sheridan second years were lucky enough to get into the University of Toronto Medical Labs. (Picture lots of severed and sliced body parts floating in formaldehyde.) Given a few hours to sketch the specimens, everyone was intensely working away.

Inspired by my friend, Sam Bradley, I tentatively brought out my watercolours. A while later, this hand emerged. Not the best scan of the piece, though, so I'll try to update the picture shortly. Until then, creep yourself out.

San Fan

2009-03-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

Caught my dear friend, San, watching a film--a whole film, which is unusual for the workaholic-- and decided to do a quick oil portrait. I'm sure he liked Raging Bull more than his expression here shows. I was paying more attention to the shapes and values rather than his hypnotic state. Actually, I was foremost studying the media. I've wanted to try oil painting for a while now, but I don't really know what I'm doing with it. lol If you have any tips, please share them!

16 HR FILM

2009-03-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

Look! I made something!

Over reading week a couple of Sheridan friends and I made a 16 hour film! It was supposed to be a 24 hour film, but thank goodness Saud got tired and called the whistle after 12 hours. I am useless after midnight anyway. Ashlyn was a hero and composited the thing, adding the extra 4 hours or so. In the end, we came out with this little ditty entitled Look Before You Leap.

Enjoy!

Shape

2009-02-27T10:31:00.000-08:00

Seems like the word of the week is "Shape". I wish it had been the word of the last couple years because I now see how important it is to drawing, painting, and overall design. The concept is still a little zygote in my mind. I need to take some time to nurture it, but I am really looking forward to the discoveries to come.

Figure Painting 101

2009-02-19T18:00:00.000-08:00

I've recently been brave (or foolish) enough to try figure painting with watercolours. Being inspired by the bold colours of Charles Reid's figure paintings, I've definitely taken some liberties here. I do not profess to have anywhere near Charles Reid's capabilities, but hey, 'ya gotta start somewhere. Plus, slapping colour around is fun, and that's what really matters in the end.

I'm Digitally Painting!...sorta

2009-02-16T14:29:00.001-08:00

We've started digital painting classes at school, and I've also been taking Imaginism's digital painting course weekly. I'm learning all the fancy tools and tricks of Photoshop, and still feeling like a massive rookie. Nonetheless, I've produced a semi-finished painting. I feel it's a lie to call it a painting, as there was technically no paint involved and it's a grayscale. I've produced a jpeg. There that's fitting.

Being the over-zealous student I am sometimes, this is actually an extremely rough and early concept sketch for my fourth year film. You can never be too prepared, right? I'll fill you in more when I'm closer to developing the idea further. Until then, it's best I bond with PS often and extensively.

Lion King Pencil Test

2009-02-15T07:41:00.000-08:00

You know that feeling when everything starts to make sense? Yeah, neither did I...until today. I caught this video of a Lion King pencil test, and I saw what our teachers have been trying to drill into our vacant brains! In this clip I found the expected, pretty cleaned up animation, but I also saw storyboards in the reel which are in the exact format that Nancy Beiman has been trying to teach us and the pre-paint, toned layouts that Scott Caple has been demonstrating all year.

Nancy has been teaching us that it is the acting, action, and staging that happens in the boards, not necessarily the cinematography. Scott has been showing us that it is the layout man who decides which type of fancy camera angle and/or move is used and how to execute it. It all comes back to Disney, and I think it's clear from this clip that our teachers know what the heck they're talking about.

Check it out...

Life Drawing Dump

2009-01-09T10:27:00.001-08:00

It's the end of winter break, and much to my surprise I've actually taken a break. Wow, what a concept. In theatre school they demanded that any amount of time that was allotted as break time was to be used as such. Whether it was a 10 minute stretch or a three week holiday, we allowed our bodies to rest and our minds to relax. Most importantly, we focused on other areas of our lives that also needed attention, such as investing time on hobbies and with loved ones.

Although I have been doing some personal artwork, I don't feel that it's blog-worthy yet. Feeling, still, that I should post regularly I've decided to dump some life drawings. Literally. I tend to chuck out old drawings pretty quickly, so I thought I'd share these before they hit the trash.

Being introduced, gradually, to tone and drapery. These areas become much more exciting when costume is added. The technical can make way for the dramatic, or I should say 'supports' the dramatic. Above are three drawings based on the concept of Don Quixote. It was fun to explore, and helps me remember why I go to life drawing in the first place: to tell a story!

Earlier studies of drapery and tone.

Three-point perspective.

A few selections from my last portfolio.

Jürgen Görg

2008-12-30T10:13:00.000-08:00

(Not my work, by the way...)

I experienced spring skiing in December yesterday! Drove all the way to the mountain to find it raining and slushy, so after two runs down the hill I threw my gear back in the car and pulled out my backpack of books and pencils.

Little mountain towns are perfect sketching locations, so I wasn't too upset about the lack of boarding. While looking for a comfy café I stumbled across an art gallery. They had the usual mass-audience style of work for sale, bar one artist: Jürgen Görg.

Görg is a German artist who uses inspiration from lovers, dancers, musicians, and masked personages to create loose and free graphite/oil figures. These pictures can hardly do the paintings justice, as it seems he has created a new medium. His oil work is so thin it could be confused with watercolour, and he isn't afraid to show his searching line in the rough stages. He is showcased in galleries internationally, so hopefully you'll get a chance to see his work in person.

And Scene

2008-12-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

It's over and I'm alive! The end of term is here along with Christmas, family, and sleep! I thoroughly enjoyed the courses offered this semester, and I know why people say second year is their favourite at Sheridan. After learning the basics we're finally able to express ourselves more effectively.

I think of art school like learning to dance. At first, you have to stay at the barre perfecting your tondue and other simple steps, and it all seems really mundane. You're then allowed to grace the floor with a bold grand jeté, for example, and you feel the excitement of the practice. Finally, you're able to choreograph steps together, and all of the sudden you're dancing! You combine traditional, ancient motions with original moves of your own, and all the tedious practice at the barre has given you the language required to communicate exactly what you want on the stage. The technique doesn't hold you back, it allows you to be free!

These are two painted layouts that I allowed myself to explore a little more freely than in the past. The above morning view of a nondescript Chinatown was created in about two hours with ink and watercolour, while the night scene below was analyzed for several hours and painted with gouache. The thumbnails are below if you'd like to see the process from tonal to final. Both methods have their advantages and disadvantages, so I suppose the trick is balancing spontaneity with overkill. Ha. Cinch.

My First Leica

2008-12-12T05:55:00.000-08:00

Second semester is coming to a close, and after all the hours of sweat and tears I have a minute and forty-five seconds to show for it. lol Below you'll find my leica for this semester's storyboarding class with Nancy Beiman. It is, what I believe to be, the first full process from beat boards to moving pictures with sound that I have completed. I'm really looking forward to improving my skills with boards and am excited to see where Nancy takes us next semester.

Anyway, enjoy my first attempt at a mini-film!

Royal Winter Fair '08

2008-11-16T10:17:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again when everyone seems to know each other and cow dung gets stuck to your shoes. The Royal Winter Fair is in town and packed with hard-working farmers and equally determined art students. Above are a couple of little critters hanging around the petting zoo, but more importantly I wanted show you the piece below.

This is the work of four year-old Anna who, after looking over my shoulder for several minutes, wanted to paint as well. I offered her a page, taught her how to use the water-brush, and made sure her mom was cool with it. After a few strokes, I asked Anna what she was painting.
"What?" she replied.
"Yeah, what is it that you're painting?" I repeated. After a long, confused pause and without looking up, Anna said,
"It's just painting."

IT'S JUST PAINTING. Well, didn't I feel silly. This four year-old was just painting for the pure enjoyment of putting colour on paper. She would rejoice when she saw what colour showed up on the page and was neither under a time constraint nor the pressure of having to hand in her work.

There was a time when all of us believed it was "just painting", so thank you, Anna, for showing me the big picture. I'll try not to forget it.

Post Already!

2008-11-15T15:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, okay, I hear you!

After several harassing comments, I am finally (reluctantly) posting. School is back in, and art is on display everywhere. Art that inspires, yet depresses. When I see the seniors' work I think, "Now, I can't possibly post my silly, amateur doodles on a blog!"

Alas, here I am, facing these fears and self-doubts. These life drawings were done last week at an extra course San and I take off campus. It is so refreshing to go into Toronto one night mid-week and mid-rush to simply enjoy art for art. I tend to produce more confident work there with the pressures of the Sheridan competition removed.

The constant goal is to find a balance between looking at your neighbour's newsprint (or painting, or animation...) for inspiration and guidance versus looking at your neighbour's newsprint to find out where you rank. I think we can all relate to this, and I will continue to take extra courses outside of Sheridan's program in order to remind myself why I came to this school in the first place: art is fun!

Bye, Bye Nelson

2008-08-27T19:36:00.000-07:00

Ah, the summer's over. How bittersweet. I once had a teacher friend tell me that the first day of school is one of the best days of the year (along with the last day), and I know what he's talking about. I am anxious to see my friends and get started on new courses with new, talented instructors.

Nelson, BC is a quiet mountain town that allowed me time to read tons of art books, breathe fresh air, and regroup for the 2008/09 school year. I am grateful for all the wonderful people I've met and sights I've seen, like this view on the left.

People actually live like this. This isn't a camp site, it's someone's driveway. While everyone else was building a deck, I sat and painted. It's an old quickie, but it best describes Nelson, I think.

Hopefully, I'll be producing amazing second-year work asap, but until then, wish me luck on the upcoming year!!

The Ink & Paint Girls

2008-08-20T16:29:00.000-07:00

A group shot of the Ink and Paint department at the Burbank lot.

What's in a name? Well, it seems like a lot when it comes to blogs. It can show your personality, your astounding ability to alliterate, or your complete lack of creativity as was found in my unique title "Jamie Metzger". No more, my friends! My blog officially has a name!

"Not Just an Ink 'n Paint Girl" was a phrase that popped up when my friend, Ashlyn, and I were talking about how far the role of women has come in the animation industry. We vowed to make t-shirts that proclaimed our (womankind's) progress and achievement, and I made one of those reliable mental notes to label my blog with the triumphant slogan.

For those who aren't familiar with Disney's legendary Ink and Paint department, it was filled with talented, hard-working women whose final touches are the images we actually see in the Disney classics. More information is just a Google search away.

Let's clarify that I have the utmost respect for these women, and in no way is this a jab at Disney for not including women in his animation boys club. Times were different, and times have changed. That's all.
The cheerful lady now adorning the top of my page is a symbol of classic 1950's style merged with modern animation. And, yes I'll say it out loud and proud, I like Disney!

So, welcome everyone to "Not Just an Ink 'n Paint Girl" where, with a lot of time and effort, I hope to live up to the claim.

Shambhala, Baby! (PART II)

2008-08-12T15:22:00.000-07:00

After a week of all-nighters on the ranch and dancing away to the best DJs, we're finally back from Shambhala 2008! As promised, I'm going to attempt to relay the reactions to my mural.

Well, first off, it was pretty funny to see some hardcore ravers on psychedelics staring at the board. Must have looked awfully funky dancing around. Secondly, and more impressively, I saw people taking pictures of and WITH my piece! That was crazy cool. Gotta admit it felt sweet to have people ooohing and ahhhing over it. :) Maybe I will consider more gigantic works of art in the future. As for now, the 10' x 13' animation paper seems mighty welcoming.

Happy Shambhala, everyone!

Shambhala, Baby! (PART I)

2008-07-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I was asked to do a mural for the 2008 Shambhala Music Festival, and if you haven’t heard about this 15 000 person, week-long party then you should really check out their site. It’s a Canadian Burning Man. If you don’t know what Burning Man is, there is no help for you.

The awesome staff at Shambhala gave me a blank 8’x 8’ wooden canvas to do with what I would. That’s a lot of space to fill, and a little overwhelming, so I thought “What does Shambhala mean to me?” Having gone to the 2007 festival, I had a fresh recollection of the fiesta; killer DJs from across the country, crazy crowds dancing from dawn ‘til dawn and dawn again, costumes, body paint, nudity, and an overall freeing zest for life. Easy. lol

Without further ado, here’s the progression from rough sketch to finished product. My only hope is that you might feel 1/100^th of the excitement Shambhala brings to everyone who walks onto her ranch and through her forests.

Click on the above pics to see the various stages of the piece.

Hours and days later, the beast is finally finished and ready to find its place in the woods amongst the pumpin’ beats, screams, and lights!

Preview for PART II:

After the show, I’ll be sure to post people’s reactions and get some great shots of the mural partyin’ away at the festival. Peace, om, and all that jazz. - j

Life in Nelson

2008-07-17T17:12:00.001-07:00

So I promised myself I would post once every two weeks this summer, but clearly that goal is a little out of reach at the moment. In an attempt to make regular posts a habit, regardless of my fears of the work being seen, here are some random life drawings from open classes in Nelson. Now, when I presented the idea of three minute gestures to this group they looked at me like I had three heads; so these are 10 - 30 minutes. At least I got a chance to try some rendering.

Also, I took a baseball to my right thumb a couple of weeks ago ending a stellar season. (Anyone who knows me well knows the previous sentence is loaded with sarcasm.) Not wanting to give up drawing, I started drawing with my left hand. I've wanted to develop my ambidextrus abilities for a while and activate the creative side of my brain, so below is a caricature that came out of this new lefty freedom.

The Golf Retiree

2008-06-06T14:19:00.001-07:00

This guy is the result of sitting in a Nelson pub during the UFC fight. Confused? Well, I was less than enthused about watching the match, so I started sketching. (Yeah, real cool. Be the chick in the bar with a book out. Hot.) Many silhouettes later, I developed this old man playing golf.

I thought, "Migod, what would it feel like to retire and hate golf? What would you do with yourself?!" He's wondering the same thing.

p.s. This is my first, albeit timid, attempt at digital painting. Hope to take bigger risks with future pieces. :)

Me, a commissioned artist? Wha?

2008-05-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

Here in Nelson, someone asked me to do a sketch of friends of hers for their wedding gift. You know, something that is going to be on these strangers' walls for the next 50 years. Yeah, no biggie. *gulp*

After much hesitation, I finally decided to give it a go; but on my terms. I didn't want to do a typical pencil sketch because they're so common and ultimately boring and flat. I messed around with some pen and ink and ended up with this graphic-ish image. It's supposed to feel like the explosion of a first kiss. I hope Mr. and Mrs. Random like it.

pen, brush, and ink on watercolour paper 8 x 10

takin' a stab at watercolour

2008-05-12T17:39:00.000-07:00

This is the same painting

taken first with a camera (right) and second with a scanner (below).

I think the actual painting falls somewhere between the two.

But here you have it, my first full watercolour painting!

(I usually hate flower paintings, and would never have tried this, but it was actually harder than I thought.)

bye Debbie...:(

2008-05-01T14:33:00.000-07:00

I die a little inside when I think of Debbie not returning in the fall of '08. She is one of the best models in the GTA right now. Well, best of luck drawing and painting your heart out at OCAD. We already miss you.

pen & ink 8 x 10

keepin' positive

2008-05-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

So, even though WestJet has lost my luggage with many great books inside, I managed to bring "The Watercolorist's Essential Notebook: Landscapes" by Gordon MacKenzie here to Nelson. Thanks again, San, for being the authority on good art books.

It has very clear, no-nonsense information, and MacKenzie has also written some comforting words of wisdom. Here's a passage I believe we can all relate to in all aspects of our art and lives:

"You have always known how to compose pictures.
You did it as a child and you never forgot.
What you have lost is the memory and nerve to follow your instincts when making a picture.
What you have temporarily forgotten is how to play.
What you grew instead was an ego that demanded protection from embarrassment at all costs.
But it is time to take back command, responsibility and freedom for your compositions
-- because no one else will."

This type of advice is given in many books on art and self-discovery. Little tips like this always inspire me to let go, take risks, and remember that it's good to make mistakes.

"Lake Spirits"
by Gordon MacKenzie

Hey, if you've got the spare cash and time, he's holding a five day workshop in September in northern Ontario. It's on my to-do list now.

for further reading on inspiring yourself and getting out of an artist's block start by checking out "The Artist's Way" by Julia Cameron.

First ever caricatures!

2008-05-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

My first try at caricatures! It was more fun than I anticipated, too.

I usually draw faces like this:

so this is a big departure for me:

Looking forward to pushing it more and getting away from portrait-looking faces.

2008-04-27T19:07:00.000-07:00

Here is an early attempt at using gouache paint. It's one of the many lake and mountain views around Whistler, BC. I spent the summer of '07 out there, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves adventure and great people.

Oh no, I'm blogging

2008-04-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

Well, here I am. Blogging. Everyone says, "Just start one now, and people can see your progress." That's the scary part, of course. Why the heck would I want to display my initial progress?! Can't everyone just see my stuff when it's perfect? lol In hopes that they're right, and I'll appreciate it later, here is my inaugural post.

Until I post some pretty pictures up, you can check out my old stuff on http://portreview.blogspot.com/
It's a site Andrew Murray designed to help Sheridan Animation hopefuls look at successful application portfolios. I guess for Fundies, mine was worthy.

Even though it's completely unrelated to animation, feel free to check out YogaDrifters, a TV show I co-created, produced, hosted, etc. This was back in the day when I graduated from Musical Theatre and wanted to be in front of the camera instead of behind it.

Okay, I don't know how long the average post is, but I'm sure this is bordering on the longer side. With that, welcome to my journey!