Royal Winter Fair '09

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.

The UPA Attempt

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.

The Ink & Paint Girls

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.

The Golf Retiree

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. :)