Shape

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

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

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

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

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.