tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8696280364691002402024-03-13T10:19:14.870-07:00Buttermilk SkiesJustin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-63012006153418757012012-01-10T22:56:00.000-08:002012-01-11T14:52:19.760-08:00Adam and dog: by Minkyu Lee<div style="text-align: left;">Happy New Year 2012! I know it's been quite a while since my last post. 2011 was a tough, busy year and it was quite a task to keep up with it all. I've heard many people relate similar stories and feelings about last year, so let's all hope that 2012 is a whole lot better.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>One amazing project that I was fortunate enough to help out and work on a little bit during the past year was my friend Minkyu Lee's film "<b>Adam and dog</b>". A completely independent, hand drawn short film that I'm very happy to say has been nominated for the <b><a href="http://www.annieawards.org/consideration.html#3">Best Animated Short Subject</a></b> category in the <b>39th Annual Annie Awards</b>. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><div><img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1dpo8JirC5M/Tw1ZC-1xruI/AAAAAAAAAhM/CiLQY3VDRIo/s400/tumblr_lvn6ckJYvv1r6rqqno1_1280.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696307011456708322" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 248px;" border="0" /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Sketch of Adam by Minkyu Lee.<br /><br /><br /></i><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RdcbaifvSLg/Tw3Xt24-QYI/AAAAAAAAAhY/7nS9e3PX6B4/s1600/adamandogtrailerprev.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RdcbaifvSLg/Tw3Xt24-QYI/AAAAAAAAAhY/7nS9e3PX6B4/s400/adamandogtrailerprev.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5696446286522106242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Still frame image of dog from the film.</span><br /><br /></div><div>Minkyu has recently put together a wonderful trailer for his film that has been making the rounds and gathering lots of buzz on the Internet that you can watch here:</div><div><br /></div><div><div></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/34849443?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" mozallowfullscreen="" allowfullscreen="" width="400" frameborder="0" height="225"></iframe><br /></div><div></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/34849443">Adam and dog Trailer</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user4410324">Minkyu</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>He has also started a tumblr for the film where you can find out more information about it and get updates on future screenings here:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><b><a href="http://adamanddog.tumblr.com/">http://adamanddog.tumblr.com/</a></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>I hope that everyone gets a chance to see the film soon!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-31606570439485279522011-04-19T18:55:00.000-07:002012-01-11T10:50:39.258-08:00Milt Kahl: CrockyFew people can draw cartoon animals quite as well as Milt Kahl. Here is a model sheet of Crocky from "Bedknobs & Broomsticks".<br /><br /><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3lN79wLEn6A/Ta49QAcRDGI/AAAAAAAAAhA/CVrhWtLrLEM/s1600/Crocky.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3lN79wLEn6A/Ta49QAcRDGI/AAAAAAAAAhA/CVrhWtLrLEM/s400/Crocky.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5597478732073864290" border="0" /></a><div><br /></div></div>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-3651880047485239732011-02-01T19:57:00.000-08:002011-02-03T00:48:30.952-08:00Chouinard Art Institute: Course Catalogs circa 1950<div>Happy 2011 New Year! It's hard to believe it's been almost two years since I wrote a <a href="http://buttermilkskies.blogspot.com/2009/06/chuck-jones-part-1-chouinard.html"><b>post</b></a> here about Chuck Jones and <b>Chouinard</b> where I mentioned that my Great Uncle had attended the school in the early 1950s. I had hoped to share a lot more about that story here by now, but better late than never.</div><div><div><br />My Great Uncle Dan, one of my Grandmother's brothers on my Mother's side of the family, enrolled in Chouinard after serving in the military during World War II. I believe his focus at the school was on Advertising Design and he went on to have a successful career as an Art Director in the advertising field here in Los Angeles. As I mentioned in my earlier post though, by the time I realized I'd really like to ask him some questions about his career and his schooling at Chouinard it was too late.</div><div><br />After he passed away in 2005, I was fortunate that his immediate family allowed me to have a few of the art books and other items from his studio space that I found interesting. Amongst these things were a couple of the <b>Chouinard Course Catalogs</b> from the time my Great Uncle attended the school. </div><div><br /></div><div>I have to admit that it was pretty exciting to find these in his studio. Not only was I struck by the beautiful image of the drummer on the '51-'52 brochure, but when I looked at the class schedules and the instructors I saw more than a few important names I recognized. Names of legendary artists like T.Hee, Bob Winquist, Bill Moore, Donald Graham, and Marc Davis.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I've finally gotten around to scanning them and would like to share the catalogs here:</div></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlc1wWL9I/AAAAAAAAAfs/QfUlKiEygN8/s1600/5152COV.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 347px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlc1wWL9I/AAAAAAAAAfs/QfUlKiEygN8/s400/5152COV.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568953222872575954" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlcqQGQiI/AAAAAAAAAfk/A15gja0a-bA/s1600/5152INT.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlcqQGQiI/AAAAAAAAAfk/A15gja0a-bA/s400/5152INT.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568953219784524322" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlcZPP3KI/AAAAAAAAAfc/6oIFQv_bWFM/s1600/5152BACK.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 347px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlcZPP3KI/AAAAAAAAAfc/6oIFQv_bWFM/s400/5152BACK.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568953215217556642" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlQKnhuZI/AAAAAAAAAfU/9Z65OnKcJCg/s1600/5051COV.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 346px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlQKnhuZI/AAAAAAAAAfU/9Z65OnKcJCg/s400/5051COV.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568953005134428562" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlP0zg5XI/AAAAAAAAAfM/PP2YdwbcYA0/s1600/5051INT01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlP0zg5XI/AAAAAAAAAfM/PP2YdwbcYA0/s400/5051INT01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568952999279125874" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlPklwWqI/AAAAAAAAAfE/ImQodL4fKqM/s1600/5051INT02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlPklwWqI/AAAAAAAAAfE/ImQodL4fKqM/s400/5051INT02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568952994926451362" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlPag-Y9I/AAAAAAAAAe8/i5QpBOQjBv8/s1600/5051INT03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 232px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUjlPag-Y9I/AAAAAAAAAe8/i5QpBOQjBv8/s400/5051INT03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568952992222045138" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUnNnNFhQiI/AAAAAAAAAf4/qjvswqAmkFs/s1600/5051BACK.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 344px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TUnNnNFhQiI/AAAAAAAAAf4/qjvswqAmkFs/s400/5051BACK.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569208487631733282" border="0" /></a></div> <div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Hopefully these scans will be of interest to some people, as well as acting to preserve a small aspect of Southern California's notable history in the modern arts.</div>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-65885805742327479792010-11-24T16:19:00.000-08:002010-11-24T16:36:57.197-08:00Disney Model Sheet: OWLI was about to write yet another post about an observational sketching book, but then I thought maybe I should post something fun and cartoony before the Thanksgiving Holiday. Well here it is, a model sheet of the Owl teacher from the Walt Disney shorts "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom</span>" and "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Adventures in Music: Melody</span>". Enjoy and have a great holiday!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TO2t0WC-K6I/AAAAAAAAAeo/GaA8CCQDI6E/s1600/OWLMODEL.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 315px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TO2t0WC-K6I/AAAAAAAAAeo/GaA8CCQDI6E/s400/OWLMODEL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543277831145794466" border="0" /></a>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-90592775708739839192010-11-04T18:41:00.000-07:002011-02-03T00:50:24.596-08:00E.H. Shepard: The Man Who Drew PoohI briefly mentioned <b>E.H. Shepard</b> in a <a href="http://buttermilkskies.blogspot.com/2009/07/hayao-miyazaki-going-rough.html">post I wrote about Hayao Miyazaki</a> here in 2009. E.H. Shepard was an English artist and book illustrator who is probably best known for the illustrations he did for A.A. Milne's "Winnie the Pooh" series of books, which were published in the late 1920's. Shepard's drawings are charming, delicate, and exhibit an incredible facility in draftsmanship. <div><br /></div><div>I recently purchased a book about him called <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Story-H-Shepard-Drew-Pooh/dp/1903368022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1289378675&sr=8-1">"E.H. Shepard, The Man Who Drew Pooh" by Arthur R. Chandler</a></b>. I haven't had the chance to read much of the book yet, but the text seems to be mostly focused on cataloguing the chronological events of E.H. Shepard's life and career. There might be a few gems of artistic knowledge or insightful quotes by Mr. Shepard in the book, but I haven't found them yet. However, one thing is for sure, the book is filled with quite a bit of his drawings which are definitely worth seeing for anyone who likes Shepard's work. I scanned in a few drawings from the book and would like to share them here. </div><div><br /></div><div>This first drawing is titled <i>Man with wheelbarrow</i>, a pencil sketch done in 1924. It's a fantastic drawing, no analyzation needed really. It's well observed and beautifully drawn.</div><div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNiBTR9_bI/AAAAAAAAAeg/tWVUd-GOd6g/s1600/EHSWheel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNiBTR9_bI/AAAAAAAAAeg/tWVUd-GOd6g/s400/EHSWheel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535876141463502258" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>I apologize if the recent theme of my posts have been too centered around observational sketching/Life Drawing, which can seem like a boring subject, but it's a subject that I've been inspired by this year and I think it's something that we all could do a bit more of. Observation helps to inform our work and hopefully keeps us from being formulaic. </div><div><br /></div><div>This next illustration is a Christmas card that Shepard made in 1943. There's a lot of great things going on in this illustration. The design and use of black space versus empty white space, and the patterns and textures he has used to create the "grey" areas, but I especially love the figure of the soldier holding the gun on Santa. It's a tremendous drawing.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNh3hqVqKI/AAAAAAAAAeY/hdYA5eQ_Mzo/s1600/EHSXmasGreetings.jpg"></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNh3hqVqKI/AAAAAAAAAeY/hdYA5eQ_Mzo/s1600/EHSXmasGreetings.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: left; display: block; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNh3hqVqKI/AAAAAAAAAeY/hdYA5eQ_Mzo/s400/EHSXmasGreetings.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535875973525121186" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>Next I scanned a couple of rough sketches that Shepard did for <i>The Secret Garden</i>. It's nice to see some more pencil drawings, as opposed to the more common ink drawings, from him and to get an insight into his illustration process. The figures are beautiful, but I also admire how he indicated the backgrounds. There's a nice tree/grass vignette behind the girl in the first image, as well as another wonderfully rough and simple indication of the door and long gallery stretching beyond her in the second image.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNhwL2HNYI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/AhP4qM8OTTA/s1600/EHSSecretGardenBuried.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNhwL2HNYI/AAAAAAAAAeQ/AhP4qM8OTTA/s400/EHSSecretGardenBuried.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535875847409841538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNhn4rGStI/AAAAAAAAAeI/QViK-hNKTXE/s1600/EHSSecretGardenLongGallery.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNhn4rGStI/AAAAAAAAAeI/QViK-hNKTXE/s400/EHSSecretGardenLongGallery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535875704824416978" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>Last but not least, here's a couple more charming observational drawings that Shepard sketched of a woman on a train. Again in pencil.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNhe6AEv_I/AAAAAAAAAeA/bLwbBVpxESI/s1600/EHSTrainLady.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNhe6AEv_I/AAAAAAAAAeA/bLwbBVpxESI/s400/EHSTrainLady.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535875550562009074" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNhaA4pvlI/AAAAAAAAAd4/YtmDaLYFKAw/s1600/EHSTrainLadyCrossword.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TNNhaA4pvlI/AAAAAAAAAd4/YtmDaLYFKAw/s400/EHSTrainLadyCrossword.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535875466510581330" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>There's a lot more drawings than these in the book, but I wanted to present a few here that I thought were especially nice. I'll try to do another post later on Shepard and a few of his children's book illustrations from some of the less well known titles. </div><div><br /></div><div>Maybe I have mentioned this before, but hopefully you might have noticed that I've been presenting the artwork on these posts in the 8 1/2" x 11" format where possible. So if you find something inspiring you can easily print it out. I am a little less busy at work now, so I expect I can do a few more posts on some other interesting books that I've picked up recently before the end of the year. Stay tuned.</div></div>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-6319650667320708072010-10-27T18:59:00.001-07:002010-10-27T19:21:28.155-07:00Robert Fawcett : Drawing the Nude 2<span>A few more quotes and images from the book </span>"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-nude-Howard-Munce/dp/0823014118"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drawing the Nude - The Figure Drawing Techniques of Noted American Illustrator Robert Fawcett</span></a>" by Howard Munce.<br /><br />"Memory drawing is a valid method, although I will neither advocate it nor analyze it in these pages. The danger of drawing by memory is that it can and <span style="font-style: italic;">does</span> produce images which become a formula. Instead, I want you to concern yourself with looking carefully, and recording what you see at the moment."<span>--Robert Fawcett</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TMjdWRF4EhI/AAAAAAAAAdw/bg8socJFhzA/s1600/FWCT01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TMjdWRF4EhI/AAAAAAAAAdw/bg8socJFhzA/s400/FWCT01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532915516839563794" border="0" /></a><br />"The person who sits for your drawing can have any possible ethnic background, and this must be conveyed. It should be within your ability to record and convey personal physical characteristics to others. A model may be shy or brash, vain or modest, cooperative or lazy. Even these qualities are within your province, if you have taught yourself to observe and record."<span>--Robert Fawcett<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TMjdLbezVvI/AAAAAAAAAdo/l36N7pYc4G4/s1600/FWCT02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TMjdLbezVvI/AAAAAAAAAdo/l36N7pYc4G4/s400/FWCT02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532915330649904882" border="0" /></a><span><br />"We must also take it for granted that there are many approaches to the teaching of figure drawing--as many as there are artists with opinions on the subject. No single point of view can possibly be the last word."</span><span>--Robert Fawcett</span><span><br /></span>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-82895754265230531092010-08-16T22:41:00.000-07:002010-08-17T12:02:43.279-07:00Robert Fawcett : Drawing the Nude<div style="text-align: left;"><span>The following quotes and images are from the book </span>"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Drawing-nude-Howard-Munce/dp/0823014118"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drawing the Nude - The Figure Drawing Techniques of Noted American Illustrator Robert Fawcett</span></a>" by Howard Munce.<br /><span><br />"With practice, one comes to recognize what one is looking at as either primarily linear or tonal, and one comes also to know whether its structural characteristics are predominantly angular or rhythmic. It is upon this one bases the </span><span style="font-style: italic;">statement</span><span>, for that is what a drawing is - a simple, pictorial statement." --Robert Fawcett</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TGokokalRvI/AAAAAAAAAcs/KUhbms7TQEU/s1600/FawcettTease01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 282px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TGokokalRvI/AAAAAAAAAcs/KUhbms7TQEU/s400/FawcettTease01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506253773802391282" border="0" /></a><br />"Bob Fawcett always simplified form in his drawings. He once said, "Economy in drawing is essentially the shorthand which develops in the excitement of the fleeting moment. It is the thing seen subjected to editorial exclusion." However, he tried to avoid slipping into superficiality: "One's study can be admired for it's beautiful line, but if that line is not expressing an understanding of the form itself it remains mildly interesting, but empty of content.""<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TGokvbQHORI/AAAAAAAAAc0/0_kFASFWhiE/s1600/FawcettTease02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 335px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/TGokvbQHORI/AAAAAAAAAc0/0_kFASFWhiE/s400/FawcettTease02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506253891601643794" border="0" /></a><br />" I am convinced that divisions of subject matter in drawing are arbitrary. Although largely devoted to the figure, my work has included subjects ranging from figures to still lifes to landscapes. Drawing is drawing. There is no such thing as <span style="font-style: italic;">figure drawing</span>, per se. In writing this book, I seem to be engaged in a project which threatens to contradict that belief. Actually it will not. Although I am concerning myself here with the human figure, life drawing alone, in the background there remains my belief that an apple and a flower are equally difficult to draw, and a deer, perhaps only <span style="font-style: italic;">more</span> difficult." <span>--Robert Fawcett</span>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-44910019329487223622010-05-05T19:42:00.000-07:002010-05-05T20:27:09.796-07:00Murakami Yutaka & Yoichi KotabeOn my last trip to Japan in 2010 I bought quite a few books. Here's a couple images from them. These are only two of the many artists I've found to be interesting and inspirational from Japan. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Murakami Yutaka</span> works in the field of illustration and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Yoichi Kotabe</span> worked in animation.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Murakami Yutaka</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S-IunIfzbGI/AAAAAAAAAbg/hvyGT_iyBlg/s1600/MurakamiYutaka1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 268px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S-IunIfzbGI/AAAAAAAAAbg/hvyGT_iyBlg/s400/MurakamiYutaka1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467984147411856482" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S-IxwTHUg1I/AAAAAAAAAbo/otRAehzgrYs/s1600/MurakamiYutaka2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 306px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S-IxwTHUg1I/AAAAAAAAAbo/otRAehzgrYs/s400/MurakamiYutaka2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467987603415663442" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Yoichi Kotabe</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S-Ix4kNpITI/AAAAAAAAAbw/c42J_-T7lp0/s1600/Kotabe2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 163px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S-Ix4kNpITI/AAAAAAAAAbw/c42J_-T7lp0/s400/Kotabe2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467987745444536626" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S-IuY5SDytI/AAAAAAAAAbY/fBhvaXYcgrw/s1600/Kotabe1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 286px; height: 400px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S-IuY5SDytI/AAAAAAAAAbY/fBhvaXYcgrw/s400/Kotabe1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5467983902809508562" border="0" /></a><br />I really like the simplicity, as well as the rough and organic quality in both of these artist's work. Hopefully I can get to posting more here about these particular artists as well as some of the other interesting artists and books I found in Japan as time goes on.<br /></div></div>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-29971921592891915762010-03-09T22:05:00.001-08:002010-03-09T22:51:20.818-08:00Peter Pan Model Sheet: Mike<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S5c2zKYLY_I/AAAAAAAAAaw/2GaOGOWlPy8/s1600-h/MikeModelSheet.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S5c2zKYLY_I/AAAAAAAAAaw/2GaOGOWlPy8/s400/MikeModelSheet.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446882526914896882" border="0" /></a>Here's another model sheet I like from Walt Disney's Peter Pan. Some people might say he's just the typically cute and generic Disney kid, but I think there's a lot of great things going on in these drawings. The simplified indications of his body poses are very appealing to me. Especially when it comes to the shapes of his hands, legs, feet, and the way drapery of his pajamas is handled. There's a lot of nice contrasts between straights and curves, as well as the simple sides of the shapes versus the more interesting and complex sides of the shapes. It's interesting how the drapery of his pajamas tends to play a big part in many of these nice contrasts.<br /><br />The drawings of Wendy here are beautiful as well. Unfortunately I'm not sure which artist at the studio drew these, but I think they're worth taking a closer look at.<br /><br />On a side note, but an important note nonetheless, fellow DreamWorks story artist <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://randomanomalies.blogspot.com/">Louie Del Carmen</a> has recently written a great post about <span>composition</span> on the Art Center Blog.<br /><br />Here's the link:<br /><br /><a href="http://theartcenter.blogspot.com/2010/03/louie-del-carmen-rhythm-and-spacing.html">http://theartcenter.blogspot.com/2010/03/louie-del-carmen-rhythm-and-spacing.html</a>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-40356246231701224462010-01-26T18:54:00.000-08:002010-02-07T03:41:09.721-08:002 WebsitesWell, it's been quite a while since my last update, but I still have a lot more things that I'd like to share. It's just a matter of finding the time and making the effort to do it. Time management has never been one of my strong suits unfortunately.<br /><br />I'm not going to make any excuses or promises that I can't keep this year though. Actions speak louder than words. All I can say is that I don't plan on abandoning this site any time soon. Subscribing to this blog will probably be your best bet to know when it's updated though.<br /><br />I'd like to start off 2010 by sharing a couple websites that I've found to be pretty useful and interesting.<br /><br />The first site is <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://books.google.com/">http://books.google.com/</a>. I realize that I've probably arrived late to the party on finding out about this one, but I thought that it's definitely a place on the internet that's worth taking note of as a research tool. Especially since I recently found a full version of the book <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://books.google.com/books?id=uL0aAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=composition+dow&cd=1#v=onepage&q=&f=false"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Composition by Arthur Wesley Dow</span></a> available for download on the site.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S1-552P_AII/AAAAAAAAAag/FQVZpbX_DSA/s1600-h/books.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 331px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S1-552P_AII/AAAAAAAAAag/FQVZpbX_DSA/s400/books.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431264079098347650" border="0" /></a><br />I haven't given up on my research into the design program at Chouinard, and this author was one of the people that was mentioned in the book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chouinard-Vision-Betrayed-Institute-1921-1972/dp/0936725001"><em style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Chouinard: An Art Vision</em><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;"> Betrayed</span></a>, as having had a big influence on some of the design instruction and people at the school.<br /><br />The second site I'd like to mention is <a href="http://howtotrainyourdragon.tumblr.com/">http://howtotrainyourdragon.tumblr.com/</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S1-6FJpcXAI/AAAAAAAAAao/lh3O1cQRWa8/s1600-h/DragonArtistsBlack.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/S1-6FJpcXAI/AAAAAAAAAao/lh3O1cQRWa8/s400/DragonArtistsBlack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431264273283963906" border="0" /></a><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/">DreamWorks</a> has put together a great site with some nice interviews of quite a few artists who worked on <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.howtotrainyourdragon.com/">"How to Train Your Dragon"</a>. I don't know how many people know about this site yet, but it's really cool. I found the interviews with<span style="font-weight: bold;"> Production Designer </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://howtotrainyourdragon.tumblr.com/post/264799319/10-questions-for-kathy-altieri-production-designer">Kathy Altieri</a>, and the film's <span style="font-weight: bold;">Head of Story</span>, <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://howtotrainyourdragon.tumblr.com/post/269428229/10-questions-for-alessandro-carloni-head-of-story"><span>Alessandro Carlon</span>i</a> (who I was lucky enough to work with on the movie), particularly inspiring.Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-68694172480032031712009-11-05T18:39:00.000-08:002009-11-05T21:19:06.556-08:00Milt Kahl: Hands<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SvOMjIDKL4I/AAAAAAAAAaI/ZCI5HwSHxjk/s1600-h/MiltHands.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 261px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SvOMjIDKL4I/AAAAAAAAAaI/ZCI5HwSHxjk/s400/MiltHands.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400814913231400834" border="0" /></a><br />Here's a model sheet of hands drawn by the legendary Disney animator <a href="http://legends.disney.go.com/legends/detail?key=Milt+Kahl">Milt Kahl</a>. These have a dynamic combination of anatomical knowledge fused with great graphic appeal and shape.Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-56118278504260261622009-10-30T00:02:00.000-07:002009-10-30T00:36:52.594-07:00Ernest Watson: Drawing TreesAfter my Great Uncle passed away in 2005, his immediate family allowed to me to have some of the books and magazines that were in his studio workspace. Some of the more interesting things I was able to get were a few issues of <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">The Journal of Commercial Art</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">American Artist</span> from the late 1950s.<br /><br />Here is an article <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ernest Watson</span> wrote for <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">American Artist</span> - <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Special Summer Issue - June - July - August 1956</span>. It covers a few topics on pencil sketching, but I edited it down specifically to what he wrote about drawing trees.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SuqTh1ZJ-AI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/j9mgPazfcpU/s1600-h/TreesDocumentFinal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 309px; height: 400px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SuqTh1ZJ-AI/AAAAAAAAAZ4/j9mgPazfcpU/s400/TreesDocumentFinal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398289312834516994" border="0" /></a>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-56952700764627642352009-10-23T17:34:00.000-07:002009-10-24T00:32:20.037-07:00Chapter 8: Drawing<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SuJMeOu6JII/AAAAAAAAAZY/ziuVkeM9md8/s1600-h/Lascaux%5B3%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395959385777906818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 311px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SuJMeOu6JII/AAAAAAAAAZY/ziuVkeM9md8/s400/Lascaux%5B3%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div align="center"><em><strong>"Drawing is the language that enables the men of the Ice Age, in the caves at Altamira in Spain and Lascaux in France, to speak to us, today, and to the men of the hundreth century, with perfect clarity. Drawing is the universal language. Draughstmen communicate instantly and effectively with anyone, anywhere in any time."</strong></em></div><br /><div></div><div align="left">An inspiring quote from the book "<strong><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Watercolor-Painting-Whitney/dp/B000JVNGZ6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1256346217&sr=8-3">Complete Guide to Watercolor Painting</a></strong>" by <strong>Edgar A. Whitney</strong>. I'll definitely post more about this great book in the future. The images are from the <strong><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lascaux">Lascaux</a></strong> caves in France.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395961967953049074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 209px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SuJO0iFb9fI/AAAAAAAAAZg/WLb4w76r7OA/s400/x5y0xv%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"></div>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-92154960640917797622009-10-13T19:06:00.000-07:002009-10-23T18:05:11.914-07:00Original Tinkerbell Model SheetI apologize for the lack of recent updates. I've been pretty busy at work as well as in my personal life.<br /><br />Here is one of the original model sheets for Tinkerbell in Walt Disney's Peter Pan. I'm pretty sure it was drawn by <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Marc Davis</span>. I don't think Milt Kahl did a pass on this character (ala Bambi or Alice), it's 100% Mr. Davis as far as I know.<br /><br />When I say "original" I mean that it's her original character design. The Disney company has done many variations on her character design over the years due to her popularity. Some are good and some aren't so good, but none of them really come close to the appeal of Marc Davis' original design in my opinion.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/StUzktFDQNI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/SEwaQdXFIzg/s1600-h/Marc-Davis-Tinkerbells.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392272834515124434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 341px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/StUzktFDQNI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/SEwaQdXFIzg/s400/Marc-Davis-Tinkerbells.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I know that we've seen these all before, but I think they're exquisitely beautiful drawings and definitely worth taking another look at. The appeal and design of a pose is so important in animation and these poses are wonderful. I hope to do a post elaborating more about the design of a pose some time here in the future.<br /><br />Even though these aren't extremely cartoony or pushed, I think there's some really fun stuff happening with her proportions here too. Her small hands, larger head, tiny feet and wider hips really play off each other and contrast in an interesting and appealing way. I also think Marc Davis' knowledge of the human figure really shines through in these designs as well.<br /><br />I wish I had a better copy of it, but this will have to do for now. Hopefully I can do another update here sooner rather than later.Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-27311648839533847352009-09-29T10:41:00.000-07:002009-11-11T16:45:25.007-08:00Hill FarmHere's another animated short that I really enjoyed seeing at animation festivals while I was younger.<br /><br />It's a film called "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Hill Farm</span>" by <span style="font-weight: bold;">Mark Baker</span>.<br /><br />It's fairly long for a short film, running at approximately 15 minutes, but if you have some time to spare I think it's really worth watching. The animation in this film is fun, caricatured, and beautifully done. I also love the fact that there's not a word of dialogue in the short, only the sounds of the animals, props, environment and the music.<br /><br />Thanks to <a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://toxodera.blogspot.com/">Minkyu Lee</a> for sharing the link with me.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c24WE5xJyIQ"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/c24WE5xJyIQ&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/c24WE5xJyIQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></a><br /><a id="publishButton" class="cssButton" href="javascript:void(0)" target="" onclick="if (this.className.indexOf("ubtn-disabled") == -1) {var e = document['stuffform'].publish;(e.length) ? e[0].click() : e.click(); if (window.event) window.event.cancelBubble = true; return false;}"><div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner"><br /></div></div></div></a><br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/igMC1dXiBzg&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/igMC1dXiBzg&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object><br /><br /><br /></span>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-32906941940110306232009-08-25T03:35:00.000-07:002009-09-29T11:30:39.187-07:00Richard CondieI really love these Richard Condie films. Seeing his work at animation festivals while I was growing up was a big inspiration for me.<br /><br />This first film, "<strong>Getting Started</strong>", was funny to me when I was younger mostly because of all the crazy physical gags that happen in it. Now that I'm older though, I can really relate to the main character's battle with procrastination, and it's even funnier.<br /><br />The second film, "<strong>The Big Snit</strong>", is also another favorite of mine.<br /><br /><embed src="http://media1.nfb.ca/medias/flash/ONFflvplayer-gama.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" autostart="false" autoplay="false" flashvars="mID=IDOBJ307&bufferTime=10&width=516&height=337&image=http://media1.nfb.ca/medias/nfb_tube/thumbs_large/2009/getting-started-tv-big.jpg&autostart=false&autoplay=false&showWarningMessages=false&streamNotFoundDelay=15&lang=en&getPlaylistOnEnd=true&playlist_id=REL307&embeddedMode=true" height="337" width="516"></embed><br /><br /><embed src="http://media1.nfb.ca/medias/flash/ONFflvplayer-gama.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" autostart="false" autoplay="false" flashvars="mID=IDOBJ334&bufferTime=10&width=516&height=337&image=http://media1.nfb.ca/medias/nfb_tube/thumbs_large/2008/big-snit-large_.jpg&autostart=false&autoplay=false&showWarningMessages=false&streamNotFoundDelay=15&lang=en&getPlaylistOnEnd=true&playlist_id=REL334&embeddedMode=true" height="337" width="516"></embed>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-76331345982680880772009-08-09T15:45:00.001-07:002009-08-10T03:08:56.626-07:00Hayao Miyazaki: Starting Point<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368099170229388818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 263px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Sn9RwQCXhhI/AAAAAAAAAYA/bxg3jQGIS_c/s400/StartingPoint_c1%5B2%5D.jpg" border="0" /><br />I just bought Hayao Miyazaki's book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Starting-Point-1979-1996-Hayao-Miyazaki/dp/1421505940/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249858820&sr=8-1"><strong>Starting Point</strong></a>" from the <a href="http://www.kinokuniya.com/">Kinokuniya Bookstore</a> in Little Tokyo, here in Los Angeles. It's the English translation of a book containing articles which Miyazaki wrote for various publications, transcriptions of his spoken lectures, as well as some interviews with him where he shares his thoughts on Animation, Filmmaking, Current Social Issues, and more. Here's a picture of the original book that was published in Japan along with a photo of Miyazaki himself:<br /><br /><div></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368101783916591154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 365px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 273px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Sn9UIYx9ODI/AAAAAAAAAYQ/P7CWGJCiBQc/s400/shuppatsuten_miyazaki_1s%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /><br /><div></div><div>It's a tremendous opportunity to be able to finally read the thoughts and philosophies of a modern day master in English. Kudos to <a href="http://www.viz.com/">Viz Media</a> for translating and publishing it. 'Nuff said.</div>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-57705588367853260212009-08-06T15:11:00.000-07:002009-08-10T01:08:12.705-07:00Christophe Blain and a few other things...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntWd1hOIvI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/Sy5Q8VTHKfA/s1600-h/gus3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366978451524690674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntWd1hOIvI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/Sy5Q8VTHKfA/s400/gus3.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntWiG_kCCI/AAAAAAAAAWY/bk8F0-UgtqU/s1600-h/SOCRATES2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366978524934834210" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 394px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntWiG_kCCI/AAAAAAAAAWY/bk8F0-UgtqU/s400/SOCRATES2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I was initially introduced to the fantastic comic book work of <a href="http://lambiek.net/artists/b/blain_c.htm"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Christophe Blain</span></a> by my fellow artists on the <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://justinchunt.blogspot.com/2009/04/up.html">"Up" story team</a> a couple years ago. Since then I've purchased pretty much every comic that he's done which has been translated from French into English.<br /><br />A few months ago though, I was chatting with <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://randomanomalies.blogspot.com/">Louie Del Carmen</a> about Mr. Blain's work and he brought in a couple books that Blain had done which I had never seen or heard of before. I was blown away.<br /><br />"<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Carnet de Lettonie</span>" and "<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Carnet Polaire</span>".<br /><br />"<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Carnet de Lettonie</span>" is my favorite of the two. Here is the cover and a few images from inside:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntduBGJk2I/AAAAAAAAAXA/GKOPVbSqAA4/s1600-h/CarentdeLettonieCover.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366986426091672418" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntduBGJk2I/AAAAAAAAAXA/GKOPVbSqAA4/s400/CarentdeLettonieCover.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntdSeSZq_I/AAAAAAAAAW4/2bFo-BldNqo/s1600-h/CarentdeLettonieFigures1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366985952891350002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntdSeSZq_I/AAAAAAAAAW4/2bFo-BldNqo/s400/CarentdeLettonieFigures1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntdBAVkDVI/AAAAAAAAAWo/iN0gRTLs4vQ/s1600-h/CarentdeLettonieFigures2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366985652793773394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntdBAVkDVI/AAAAAAAAAWo/iN0gRTLs4vQ/s400/CarentdeLettonieFigures2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntczerArMI/AAAAAAAAAWg/nUCy4IUtHyE/s1600-h/CarentdeLettonieLandscape1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366985420418624706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntczerArMI/AAAAAAAAAWg/nUCy4IUtHyE/s400/CarentdeLettonieLandscape1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />The book is basically a collection of Blain's amazing sketchbook/reportage drawings. Unfortunately, since I can't read French, I don't really know what the theme of the book is. The drawings in the book are exquisite however, and there's quite a lot to see on every page too since the book is mostly artwork, not text. Blain's command of light and dark values, as well as his use of pattern and texture, especially in his landscapes is incredible. He also changes what media he uses a lot from sketch to sketch-- using a brush with ink, pencil, fountain pen, watercolor, sometimes even some crayons. I've been trying to do more observation sketching myself lately, so this book has been a great inspiration for that.<br /><br />The other book,"<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Carnet Polaire</span>" is very similar to "<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Carnet de Lettonie</span>". But there's a lot more text in french, which I can't read, and it seems to be exclusively focused on a trip that Blain took to the south pole. Here is the cover and a few images from "<span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Ca</span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">rnet Polaire</span>":<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntkdSeu_MI/AAAAAAAAAXY/_VTzC5bURAg/s1600-h/CarnetPolaireCover.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366993835281808578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntkdSeu_MI/AAAAAAAAAXY/_VTzC5bURAg/s400/CarnetPolaireCover.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntkZgumloI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/ypcy-yHMBxA/s1600-h/CarnetPolaireSketches1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366993770386986626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntkZgumloI/AAAAAAAAAXQ/ypcy-yHMBxA/s400/CarnetPolaireSketches1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntkWDigQAI/AAAAAAAAAXI/F6lx7O_CDkM/s1600-h/CarnetPolaireSketches2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366993711012003842" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SntkWDigQAI/AAAAAAAAAXI/F6lx7O_CDkM/s400/CarnetPolaireSketches2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This book is awesome too. What I like the most about Blain in these books, beyond his ability as a draftsman and painter, is that he's always experimenting and doing something different. He approaches things in so many different ways, with so many different types of media. He never seems to get stuck in a formula or a rut. His work is always fresh and always different from one page to the next. His ability to capture things he has observed is organic, lively, and honest.<br /><br />These two books are available to purchase at <a href="http://www.stuartngbooks.com/monographs_bbb.html#Christophe_Blain">Stuart Ng Books</a>, or <a href="http://www.amazon.fr/s/ref=nb_ss_w?__mk_fr_FR=%C5M%C5Z%D5%D1&url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=christophe+blain&x=0&y=0">Amazon.fr</a> for those who can read french well enough to order them.<br /><br /><br /><br />The next recommendation I have is for a DVD I purchased a while ago, and finally got around to watching recently. The DVD is called "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cutting-Edge-Magic-Movie-Editing/dp/B0009PVZEG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1249602217&sr=8-5"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">The Cutting Edge - The Magic of Movie Editing</span></a>".<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Sntr-HfPEbI/AAAAAAAAAXg/RBZt-xapOBQ/s1600-h/5113UeT00CL._SS500_.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367002095848198578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Sntr-HfPEbI/AAAAAAAAAXg/RBZt-xapOBQ/s400/5113UeT00CL._SS500_.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />This documentary is basically a series of interviews with Film Editors and Directors, covering the history of editing as well as it's vital role in making a film. It's not perfect, but I think there's enough interesting information in it to give it a recommendation. Watching Walter Murch cut together a sequence for the film "Cold Mountain" was the highlight of the documentary for me.<br /><br /><br /><br />Finally, I wanted to mention an artist's website that I was introduced to recently-- <a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://homepage.mac.com/damaggio/PhotoAlbum18.html">Rodolfo Damaggio</a>. A live action film storyboard artist. Click on his name above to visit the site.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Snt1KDIg-XI/AAAAAAAAAXo/pfu9SkCdLvs/s1600-h/race.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367012196442241394" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 194px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Snt1KDIg-XI/AAAAAAAAAXo/pfu9SkCdLvs/s400/race.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Snt1wZLcClI/AAAAAAAAAXw/JtoB7NQ7mY4/s1600-h/14.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367012855195109970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 183px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Snt1wZLcClI/AAAAAAAAAXw/JtoB7NQ7mY4/s400/14.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Snt2Hu7yi1I/AAAAAAAAAX4/GFHBKqWieKA/s1600-h/21.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367013256172047186" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 224px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Snt2Hu7yi1I/AAAAAAAAAX4/GFHBKqWieKA/s400/21.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Although I'm personally more inspired by his drawings than his paintings, there's no doubt that he's a <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">phenomenal artist</span>. There's a lot of great work on his site that is worth checking out, especially in the <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Storyboards</span> section.Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-13809650644286630782009-07-23T16:30:00.000-07:002009-07-23T19:56:59.121-07:00Some Great InterviewsA friend introduced me this website recently: <a href="http://animated-views.com/">http://animated-views.com/</a><br />It has quite a few interesting interviews with some of the best artists working in the field of animation today, as well as with a few legends from the past.<br /><br />Clicking on their names here will link to the interviews.<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Smj9nZFInOI/AAAAAAAAAVA/4UXfk8Py9Hk/s1600-h/dalmatian_b_b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361814209573723362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 221px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Smj9nZFInOI/AAAAAAAAAVA/4UXfk8Py9Hk/s400/dalmatian_b_b.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://animated-views.com/2008/alice-davis-on-marc-and-dalmatians/">Alice Davis </a></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" >talks about her husband Marc Davis' work.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Smj-n4PJC2I/AAAAAAAAAVY/zyX8fNaVAe0/s1600-h/2082_vd_132.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361815317448821602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 182px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Smj-n4PJC2I/AAAAAAAAAVY/zyX8fNaVAe0/s400/2082_vd_132.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://animated-views.com/2008/once-upon-a-dream-burny-mattinson-on-sleeping-beautys-maleficent/">Burny Mattison </a></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" >also talks about Marc Davis' work.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Smj4jaRf8lI/AAAAAAAAAU4/nOKYvJq3cnY/s1600-h/rhino-gb-copy.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361808643616404050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Smj4jaRf8lI/AAAAAAAAAU4/nOKYvJq3cnY/s400/rhino-gb-copy.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://animated-views.com/2008/bolt-joe-moshier-one-bold-bolt-designer/">Joe Moshier</a></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" > talks about his work at Disney and his move to DreamWorks.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmkAP1mIp3I/AAAAAAAAAVg/iFNETgtsYl8/s1600-h/kungfu_title.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361817103446353778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 163px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmkAP1mIp3I/AAAAAAAAAVg/iFNETgtsYl8/s400/kungfu_title.jpg" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmkAaVzhq7I/AAAAAAAAAVo/AyvV7lAi8to/s1600-h/enchanted.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361817283891145650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 238px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmkAaVzhq7I/AAAAAAAAAVo/AyvV7lAi8to/s400/enchanted.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://animated-views.com/2008/enchanted-interviews-chapter-five-james-baxter-and-thomas-schelesny/">James Baxter</a></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" > talks about working on "Enchanted".</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmkE5IUq--I/AAAAAAAAAWI/o4lFVtdqNN0/s1600-h/8x8_Pgs1-2-1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361822210894527458" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 200px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmkE5IUq--I/AAAAAAAAAWI/o4lFVtdqNN0/s400/8x8_Pgs1-2-1.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://animated-views.com/2009/pete-docters-up-bringing/">Pete Docter </a></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" >talks about "Up".</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Smj9_QhMw8I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/lOIGdysusII/s1600-h/20488031_p.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361814619592377282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 225px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Smj9_QhMw8I/AAAAAAAAAVQ/lOIGdysusII/s400/20488031_p.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://animated-views.com/2008/pinkava-on-pixar-projects/">Jan Pinkava</a></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" > talks about his history of working at Pixar on "Geri's Game" and "Ratatouille", as well as his future.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmkCU--MYYI/AAAAAAAAAVw/Tlg0SGesf0A/s1600-h/AD.VENICE.CVR.LO.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361819390885781890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 288px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 384px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmkCU--MYYI/AAAAAAAAAVw/Tlg0SGesf0A/s400/AD.VENICE.CVR.LO.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" >Enrico Casarosa talks about storyboarding on "Up", "Ratatouille", and his personal comic work.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://animated-views.com/2007/enrico-casarosa-on-storyboarding-ratatouille/">Part 1</a></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://animated-views.com/2009/enrico-casarosas-the-venice-chronicles/">Part 2</a></span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmkCvap5G6I/AAAAAAAAAV4/lADcAUuJ7Co/s1600-h/coraline.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361819844993424290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 296px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmkCvap5G6I/AAAAAAAAAV4/lADcAUuJ7Co/s400/coraline.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><a style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold" href="http://animated-views.com/2005/henry-selick-talks-moongirl-and-more/">Henry Selick</a></span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" > talks about </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" >Joe Ranft, </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-size:130%;" >"Moongirl", and "Coraline".</span><br /></div><br />There's a lot more on the <a href="http://animated-views.com/">website</a>. Please check it out.Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-91000755074286758782009-07-20T18:10:00.000-07:002009-08-05T18:53:39.144-07:00The Fine Art of Marc Davis<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUWPTGsD9I/AAAAAAAAAUg/1Mbw6lrq7RY/s1600-h/MDavisBrochure.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360715383536619474" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 309px; cursor: pointer; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUWPTGsD9I/AAAAAAAAAUg/1Mbw6lrq7RY/s400/MDavisBrochure.jpg" border="0" /></a>One of the nice things about living in Los Angeles is that there always seems to be something interesting going on, especially events which relate to Hollywood's rich history of cinema and animation. Recently there was an exhibit of the legendary Disney animation artist <a href="http://legends.disney.go.com/legends/detail?key=Marc+Davis">Marc Davis</a>' Fine Art work at the <a href="http://www.forestlawn.com/Special-Events-And-Facilities/Museum-Exhibits-And-Educational-Series.asp">Forest Lawn Museum</a> in Glendale. It was amazing and very inspiring. I went there twice to see it.<br /><br />I was fortunate to get one of the last few brochures that commemorated the exhibit. The cover is posted above. Inside the brochure there are quite a few gorgeous reproductions of some of his paintings in the show. Here are a few of my favorites.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUWKsUIhpI/AAAAAAAAAUY/H1o8HnB5OFY/s1600-h/MDavisPanther.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360715304404551314" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 309px; cursor: pointer; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUWKsUIhpI/AAAAAAAAAUY/H1o8HnB5OFY/s400/MDavisPanther.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUWFpq5gCI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/55VZy7Tdu38/s1600-h/MDavisAlfonses.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360715217795383330" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 309px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUWFpq5gCI/AAAAAAAAAUQ/55VZy7Tdu38/s400/MDavisAlfonses.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUV_kHZxDI/AAAAAAAAAUI/F-wub2Km_Mg/s1600-h/MDavisHarlequin.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360715113225110578" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 309px; cursor: pointer; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUV_kHZxDI/AAAAAAAAAUI/F-wub2Km_Mg/s400/MDavisHarlequin.jpg" border="0" /></a>I fell in love with this Harlequin piece above at the gallery. It was awesome to see it in person.<br /><br />Unfortunately the brochure doesn't feature everything that was in the exhibit. It only has about 25%-30% of what was actually on display. There were sculptures, sketches, and some wonderful abstract compositional studies-- a very large and diverse variety of his work was presented at the show.<br /><br />I asked a friend to take some pictures for me with his iphone, since I don't own a digital camera yet. I was particularly inspired by Mr. Davis' Life Drawings and Paintings. There was an amazing variety and sensitivity to his work, but most importantly it was clearly evident that he really enjoyed making them. Here are some photos of a few, unfortunately there's some glare, but I still think they are worth seeing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUV1VNrzDI/AAAAAAAAAUA/5xVhI71ANRQ/s1600-h/MDavisLife1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360714937426234418" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 309px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUV1VNrzDI/AAAAAAAAAUA/5xVhI71ANRQ/s400/MDavisLife1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUVxw_S1FI/AAAAAAAAAT4/E88EmsOISLI/s1600-h/MDavisLife2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360714876162593874" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 309px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SmUVxw_S1FI/AAAAAAAAAT4/E88EmsOISLI/s400/MDavisLife2.jpg" border="0" /></a>The paintings on the bottom here are super loose and spontaneous. Very cool to see. He probably did a few of these from a live model at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chouinard_Art_Institute">Chouinard</a>, the art school where he taught. It was clear to me from the exhibit that Marc Davis loved being an artist, and that he really took his time to explore creating very personal artwork outside of the studio. Hopefully seeing his work here can inspire more of us to do the same.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">(Update: I guess the Marc Davis show is still up through July 26, 2009. For some reason I thought it is was over when I wrote this. I highly recommend going to see it if you are in the L.A. area. I'm going to try and make it over to see it again myself. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">One of my fellow co-workers at DreamWorks, </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://d3capmode.blogspot.com/">Jason Scheier</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">, also made a post about the show on his blog. Here is the link:</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://d3capmode.blogspot.com/2009/07/art-of-marc-davis.html"> http://d3capmode.blogspot.com/2009/07/art-of-marc-davis.html</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">)</span>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-85009459425041402902009-07-17T10:15:00.000-07:002009-07-23T19:56:02.394-07:00House of CatsMany of my fellow graduates and friends from <a href="http://calarts.edu/">CalArts</a> worked on this. It turned out really well. Congratulations to everyone involved.<br /><br />I remember when my friend <a href="http://kcet.org/finecut/2008/filmmakers.php">Sean Jimenez</a> told me that <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2028620">Court Lomax</a> had invited him to go to Austria and France for a few months to help develop a commercial for <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.swarovski.com');" href="http://www.swarovski.com/" target="_blank">Swarovski</a>, I thought it sounded like an awesome opportunity and would be a great experience. When Sean came back and showed me some of the story boards and animatics he had done with the ideas that he and Court had come up with for it, I was really impressed. They were for the first cat Emily.<br /><br /><object height="230" width="400"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><param name="movie" value="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5587057&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1"><embed src="http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=5587057&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="230"></embed></object><br /><br /><p><a href="http://vimeo.com/5587057">House of Cats</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/user2028620">Courtland Lomax</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</p><br /><br /><strong>Credits:<br /></strong><br /><strong>Co-Created by </strong><a href="http://vimeo.com/user2028620"><strong>Courtland Lomax</strong></a><strong> and </strong><a href="http://kcet.org/finecut/2008/filmmakers.php"><strong>Sean Jimenez</strong></a><strong><br />Directed by </strong><a href="http://vimeo.com/user2028620"><strong>Courtland Lomax</strong></a><strong><br />Music by </strong><a href="http://www.myspace.com/jointheswimteam"><strong>Brian Young</strong></a><strong><br />Compositing by </strong><a href="http://ethalonia.blogspot.com/"><strong>Ethan Metzger</strong></a><strong><br />Backgrounds and Designs by </strong><a href="http://www.brigetteb.blogspot.com/"><strong>Brigette Barrager</strong></a><strong><br />Storyboards and Layouts by </strong><a href="http://kcet.org/finecut/2008/filmmakers.php"><strong>Sean Jimenez</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><br /><p><strong>Animation:<br /></strong><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2692622/"><strong>Adam Muto</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/jules-soto/a/b36/820"><strong>Jules Soto</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://shiyoon.blogspot.com/"><strong>Shiyoon Kim</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/younblo"><strong>Bert Youn</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://www.linkedin.com/pub/matthias-bauer/13/32a/2a5"><strong>Matthias Bauer</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://nethatco.com/Pages/Staff_Erik.html"><strong>Erik Fountain</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://vimeo.com/user2028620"><strong>Courtland Lomax</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://leomatsuda-blog.blogspot.com/"><strong>Leo Matsuda</strong></a><strong><br />Matt Pugnetti<br /></strong><a href="http://jenhager.blogspot.com/"><strong>Jennifer Hager</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://daveednam.blogspot.com/"><strong>David Nam</strong></a></p><p><strong>Cleanup:<br /></strong><a href="http://kcet.org/finecut/2008/filmmakers.php"><strong>Sean Jimenez</strong></a><strong><br /></strong><a href="http://esthershin.blogspot.com/"><strong>Esther Shin</strong></a><strong><br />Jinyoung Park<br /></strong><a href="http://julianapark.blogspot.com/"><strong>Juliana Park</strong></a><strong><br />Kelli Kuest<br />Matt Pugnetti</strong></p><br />I attached links to everyone's name that I could. Please check them out.Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-3613597703244125962009-07-08T19:47:00.001-07:002009-08-09T23:48:44.060-07:00Hayao Miyazaki: Going Rough<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVa03cva0I/AAAAAAAAASA/wxbMPWqotIE/s1600-h/MiyazakiRuffCats.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356287196111268674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVa03cva0I/AAAAAAAAASA/wxbMPWqotIE/s400/MiyazakiRuffCats.jpg" border="0" /></a>If you haven't bought the book <span id="btAsinTitle">"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Kikis-Delivery-Service-Miyazaki/dp/1421505932/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246933187&sr=8-1">The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service: A Film by Hayao Miyazaki</a>" </span><span id="btAsinTitle">yet, please do yourself a favor and buy it. It is my absolute favorite </span>"Art of..." book that has been published out of all the books released for Miyazaki's films. <strong>The drawings in this book are phenomenal.</strong> All the drawings that I've posted here so far are from it.<br /><br />I wrote about going rough before in a post about <a href="http://buttermilkskies.blogspot.com/2009/06/chuck-jones-part-2-going-rough.html">Chuck Jones</a> last month, but I'd like to revisit the subject again here with Miyazaki. Especially since I just recently finished a post about <a href="http://buttermilkskies.blogspot.com/2009/06/life-drawing-reaching-for-inspiration.html">Life Drawing</a>.<br /><br />Most of these drawings were studies done for the characters in the film "Kiki's Delivery Service", but some of them almost look like observational sketches. Very much like the kind of drawing an artist would do if they were out at a coffee shop or at a park, observing and sketching people. Even if these sketches weren't done from life, I personally find them particularly inspirational for that kind of drawing. Miyazaki certainly seems to be channeling things he has observed from life in these drawings for sure.<br /><br />I apologize for the graininess of some of these images. Alot of these drawings were very small in the book, so I blew them up quite a bit in order to feature them better.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVauyJ5FCI/AAAAAAAAAR4/fv54n-9RMjQ/s1600-h/MiyazakiRuffMan.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356287091610817570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVauyJ5FCI/AAAAAAAAAR4/fv54n-9RMjQ/s400/MiyazakiRuffMan.jpg" border="0" /></a>It's amazing how rough these are, but how well they read. Miyazaki's shapes are so descriptive and his attention to the character's emotion and pose is pretty much unmatched these days.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVanUtxeWI/AAAAAAAAARw/QQkTCTnQLAs/s1600-h/MiyazakiRuffGirls1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356286963449166178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVanUtxeWI/AAAAAAAAARw/QQkTCTnQLAs/s400/MiyazakiRuffGirls1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVahMqnZaI/AAAAAAAAARo/k4iG_6EaKLM/s1600-h/MiyazakiRuffGirls2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356286858209224098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVahMqnZaI/AAAAAAAAARo/k4iG_6EaKLM/s400/MiyazakiRuffGirls2.jpg" border="0" /></a>It's incredible how Miyazaki can indicate a leg, or a dress, with just one or two simple lines and create a beautiful shape in some of these drawings, but there are also others here that are very rough and indicated in a looser, less perfect way. I hope that these drawings can all be yet another reminder that it's okay to go rough. It's not all about the fancy draftsmanship or cool stylization, it's about the idea and the character. The poses in these drawings feel real, and the character is alive.<br /><br />Some of these charming, childlike poses Miyazaki drew in his explorations of the girl I posted here, are somewhat of reminiscent of the work of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._H._Shepard">E.H. Shepard</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVpYyu8KZI/AAAAAAAAASQ/v0rJHJPMZQo/s1600-h/ag076-b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356303206483503506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 337px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVpYyu8KZI/AAAAAAAAASQ/v0rJHJPMZQo/s400/ag076-b.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVoU6e8qtI/AAAAAAAAASI/q2fcP7bspvE/s1600-h/eh_shephard_sothebys_pk.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5356302040332806866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 250px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlVoU6e8qtI/AAAAAAAAASI/q2fcP7bspvE/s400/eh_shephard_sothebys_pk.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Well, I hope that everyone finds these drawings as unique and inspiring as I have. I will definitely be doing more posts about Miyazaki in the future.Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-10635072522660158302009-07-06T19:15:00.000-07:002009-08-09T23:48:09.901-07:00Coming Soon: Hayao Miyazaki<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlKwMMR9CdI/AAAAAAAAARg/NslNQ0YwHzc/s1600-h/MiyazakiTease.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5355536630398388690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 309px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SlKwMMR9CdI/AAAAAAAAARg/NslNQ0YwHzc/s400/MiyazakiTease.jpg" border="0" /></a>Image from <span id="btAsinTitle">"<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Art-Kikis-Delivery-Service-Miyazaki/dp/1421505932/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246933187&sr=8-1">The Art of Kiki's Delivery Service: A Film by Hayao Miyazaki</a>".<br /></span>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-5534712547533359582009-06-30T21:40:00.001-07:002009-07-01T09:17:21.771-07:00Tinkerbell: Peter Pan Peanut Butter Model Suggestions<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Skro5APvPwI/AAAAAAAAARA/EbjFDkNTQkY/s1600-h/PeanutButterTinkerbells.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 309px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/Skro5APvPwI/AAAAAAAAARA/EbjFDkNTQkY/s400/PeanutButterTinkerbells.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353347173099454210" border="0" /></a>Back in the good old days, even when they redesigned her for Peanut Butter commercials, the Disney artists kept Tinkerbell looking appealing.Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-869628036469100240.post-39176757963336573212009-06-26T17:40:00.000-07:002009-07-20T19:24:46.386-07:00Life Drawing: Reaching for Inspiration Outside of the Classroom<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkiO53QHHNI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/t1oOf0sIzJ8/s1600-h/800px-John_Singer_Sargent_-_The_Archers.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5352685281865047250" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 280px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkiO53QHHNI/AAAAAAAAAQ4/t1oOf0sIzJ8/s400/800px-John_Singer_Sargent_-_The_Archers.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(51, 51, 153);"><em>Study by John Singer Sargent</em></span><br /></div>Actually I'm not quite done pontificating yet, but this time I have some artwork to go along with it. I mentioned earlier that I wanted to do a post about <strong>Life Drawing</strong>, so here's my first attempt at it. I'll try to keep it as brief as possible, even though there is quite a bit to say on the subject.<br /><br />I'd first like to preface this whole post by pointing out that I <strong>do not</strong> consider myself to be a master of Life Drawing by any means. I think that the Life Drawing I've posted on my <a href="http://justinchunt.blogspot.com/">personal art blog</a> illustrates that I still have a lot to learn about it, as well as practice. I also have no problem admitting that I have some confused and conflicting opinions on the subject too.<br /><br />I've taken quite a few Life Drawing classes from many and various professional instructors throughout my life, and I consider most of it to be <strong>time well spent</strong> and a <strong>great series of learning experiences</strong>. I would not be where I am today without them. I think it can actually be a very valuable thing to take an experienced Life Drawing instructor, especially as a beginner, because they can offer you an approach/method to solving the problem of drawing from the live model, which can be extremely difficult when you are first starting out. So I hope that I have made my feelings on all this very clear before I continue, as I will be critiquing some of what I consider to be the more problematic aspects of Life Drawing Instruction and the environnment that can develop in the classroom.<br /><br />The main problem I've often found with many Life Drawing Instructors is that <span style="font-weight: bold;">most of them consider</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">their own personal style of Life Drawing to be the only way to do it</span>. Alot of these teachers will only be happy with their students if they end up drawing exactly like themselves. So thus begins the quest of the young student to practice earnestly in order to draw <span style="font-weight: bold;">exactly </span>like their teacher. At least this is the experience that I've often had and witnessed, maybe it hasn't happened to other people, but it got to the point for me where I actually got derailed from <span style="font-weight: bold;">why</span> I was doing Life Drawing in the first place, which was to study how to draw the figure better so that I could tell stories visually and animate characters, not to copy someone's figure drawing style. This is why I found the <a href="http://buttermilkskies.blogspot.com/2009/06/chuck-jones-part-1-chouinard.html">passage</a> that Chuck Jones wrote about his Life Drawing instructor, Donald Graham, so interesting. He said that <span style="font-weight: bold;">Graham</span> <strong>did not impose a personal style of drawing on his students</strong>, and as Jones says that's a <span style="font-weight: bold;">very rare</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">thing</span>.<br /><br />Many Life Drawing instructors seem to see Life Drawing as a means unto itself, rather than a means to an end. In other words, the pure act of simply achieving a "good" figure drawing is the entire goal. The Instructors will often get the students hooked on solely trying to get a "good" figure drawing, according to the parameters of the style that they are teaching, and convince them that once they accomplish getting that "good" figure drawing, that the students will then be able to animate, storyboard, design characters, or illustrate a scene with ease. But in my opinion, it takes a lot more than just studying a style of Life Drawing to be able to do any of these things really well. Some people who haven't even studied Life Drawing all that much, sometimes actually do these things better than some people that have mastered it. Now, I don't mean to imply that studying Life Drawing isn't important or beneficial, but there's a lot more to do than just drawing the 1-30 minute poses of the model in the classroom.<br /><br />Another interesting thing that can often happen within the Life Drawing class is that a stock style pervades and is sometimes encouraged, where many students begin to draw in a similar way to each other, imitating themselves as well as the instructor. There is nothing inherently wrong with this, and oftentimes it is actually a great/natural way to learn as well as to produce some beautiful results. The problem, however, becomes that the students and the instructors are now only looking at themselves in the classroom as a place for inspiration when there is an entire world of art created during the span of human history to become interested in and learn from. I've also noticed that this narrowed perspective on figure drawing, which tends to develop in the classroom, seems to neglect other important aspects of picture making and the basic design principles of art. Things like <strong>directing the viewer's eye on where to look in an image</strong> or <strong>clearly presenting a narrative idea with a specific character in an emotional state</strong>.<br /><br />I realize this is getting to be very long, but please bear with me.<br /><br />I put the following drawings together of some professional Life Drawing instructors, labeled with numbers, to discuss some of these concepts here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVu-aUh3QI/AAAAAAAAAQw/7gOUvH-ou7w/s1600-h/Instructors1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351805750696074498" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 309px; cursor: pointer; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVu-aUh3QI/AAAAAAAAAQw/7gOUvH-ou7w/s400/Instructors1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVu6reB6wI/AAAAAAAAAQo/Th-7Qq6nKR4/s1600-h/Instructors2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351805686579849986" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 309px; cursor: pointer; height: 400px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVu6reB6wI/AAAAAAAAAQo/Th-7Qq6nKR4/s400/Instructors2.jpg" border="0" /></a>I don't think many people can deny the high quality of draftsmanship in these drawings that comes from the hundreds of thousands of hours of experience in drawing from the live model. That's not the issue here, but since I've been in more than my fair share of Life Drawing classes where the teacher has vigorously critiqued some artist, artwork, or art school (and that's putting it mildly), I figure that it's okay, for the sake of discussion, to share some thoughts and maybe even some respectful critiques on these drawings as well.<br /><br />I'll start with drawing number <span style="font-weight: bold;">6</span>.<br /><br />Here we see a drawing of a female figure, I'm assuming because of the body type with the larger hips, from a back view, seated on a pillow which is probably on a stool. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Now where does your eye go to in this drawing?</span> Mine tends to go towards her bottom pressed against the pillow and to her upper leg/thigh. I think that's mostly because that area is where the most interest, definition, and contrast is in the drawing. The teacher's concern and effort seems to be mostly centered on the forms and flesh of her bottom and the anatomy of her upper leg, even though there is a pretty nice overall flow to the sketch. Maybe that form is what the teacher was lecturing on at the time it was drawn, and even if it's not, it's still a fine approach and a deftly executed drawing. The teacher is obviously illustrating what they are good at teaching, which is anatomy and form. There was probably not enough time to finish off the other parts of the figure either, but this is a drawing that the teacher chose as an example to represent their artwork and instruction, so I think it's fair to offer some thoughts on it.<br /><br />I think one problem with this drawing, even though it's very well done, is that the overall design is not completely clear, and the heightened concern for anatomy has overtaken the idea of the figure's pose. This a problem I often see in Life Drawing classes. Design principles are not emphasized as much as anatomy is. Drawing number <span style="font-weight: bold;">4</span> has somewhat of the same problem for me. Even though the overall pose of the figure is a clearer statement, the anatomical rendering is calling more attention to itself than the idea of the overall pose. My eye seems to get hung up in all the anatomical details of the figure, rather than seeing the whole pose. Drawing number <span style="font-weight: bold;">7</span>, while amazing in it's delineation of anatomy, has this issue as well. Especially if you squint your eyes at it, which is sometimes a good way to tell if a drawing is "reading" clearly or not.<br /><br />Drawings <span style="font-weight: bold;">8</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">9</span> are obviously showing a method of constructing the figure with simple forms which is great, but I'm also wondering--shouldn't we be able to tell the pose and attitude of the figure clearly from these? I think they both show it to a degree, but number <span style="font-weight: bold;">8</span> feels a bit strange to me. It's hard to tell what's happening with the feet and what the arm on the left is doing. The absence of the indication of the neck is also confusing the clarity of the drawing a bit too. Number <span style="font-weight: bold;">9</span>, although very solid in the construction of forms--the overall pose is a bit stiff and feels somewhat forced.<br /><br />Oftentimes Life Drawing Instructors will be looked upon as the ultimate authority on the subject, especially within the microcosm of the classroom. We should definitely learn what we can from them and appreciate that they've taken the time to teach students, but on the other hand we also shouldn't forget the world of art that has come before both us and them. For example I chose a few Life Drawings from <span style="font-weight: bold;">John Singer Sargent</span> here:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVu1ngrzgI/AAAAAAAAAQg/XXVIy0dKXwA/s1600-h/Sargent1.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351805599617895938" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 309px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVu1ngrzgI/AAAAAAAAAQg/XXVIy0dKXwA/s400/Sargent1.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVuwRPmksI/AAAAAAAAAQY/ndIuiiE8fo4/s1600-h/Sargent2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351805507741323970" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 309px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVuwRPmksI/AAAAAAAAAQY/ndIuiiE8fo4/s400/Sargent2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVunt0yQWI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/Ga6v8sLV8vU/s1600-h/Sargent3.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351805360794648930" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 309px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVunt0yQWI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/Ga6v8sLV8vU/s400/Sargent3.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">These are all possibilities of what Life Drawing can be beyond the classroom, and a bar that has been set to reach and hopefully surpass</span>. Maybe you'd like to ignore them completely and do something different, that's fine too. I personally think these are amazing drawings. I also think they show an overall concern and knowledge of good design, storytelling, and character that is lacking in some of the more anatomy based Life Drawing in the modern era.<br /><br />Maybe it's an unfair comparison, but look at drawings <span style="font-weight: bold;">14</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">15</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">17</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">18</span> by Sargent compared to drawings <span style="font-weight: bold;">4</span>,<span style="font-weight: bold;"> 7</span>, <span style="font-weight: bold;">10</span>, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">11</span> by the instructors. In Sargent's work there is a definite knowledge of anatomy, but it's subdued to the overall form of the figure and the big impact of the picture. Even in Sargent's quicker and looser sketches, like numbers <span style="font-weight: bold;">12</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">13</span>, you really get a sense of the person and that he's drawing. In <span style="font-weight: bold;">19</span> the man feels like a living breathing character with an attitude. It's almost as if Sargent is studying the man as a person rather than as a nude figure. In <span style="font-weight: bold;">18 </span>you can feel the power and the weight of the two figures locked together, as well as the emotional statement of it, without a great amount of rendering. <span style="font-weight: bold;">The anatomy does not distract the viewer from the idea of the image, and it's arguably more appealing to abstain from drawing every little bump and anatomical detail.</span> I think Sargent is also just as a concerned with the overall design of these drawings as he is with the figures, if you notice how he organizes his values and shapes of light and dark. Also take a moment to compare Sargent's studies of anatomy in drawing <span style="font-weight: bold;">16</span> compared with the teacher's studies in drawing <span style="font-weight: bold;">5</span>.<br /><br />I once took an instructor who said, "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Sargent can't draw, but he can paint.</span>" I couldn't disagree more. Sargent's drawings are the foundation of his painting. Just because Sargent didn't approach his Life Drawing in the same way that teacher did, even he was considered <span style="font-weight: bold;">"the wrong approach"</span> in the narrow focus of the Life Drawing classroom. The student can just as easily spend their time studying and emulating Sargent as they can emulating their teacher, if they choose to do so.<br /><br />A couple more examples of what Life Drawing can be, by one of my favorite artists, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Gustav Klimt</span>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVuhLgEgII/AAAAAAAAAQI/0vboz_w3jI8/s1600-h/Klimt4.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351805248501743746" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 309px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVuhLgEgII/AAAAAAAAAQI/0vboz_w3jI8/s400/Klimt4.jpg" border="0" /></a>Once again, I think these drawings are amazing, and even though they are a bit unresolved, my eye is still lead to look exactly where it's supposed to be. The patterns of light and dark, as well as the degree of finish on certain parts of the drawing become accents that draw attention to the important areas and strengthen the image's idea. Many of these drawings by both Sargent and Klimt are most likely studies done for larger paintings. They are studies to figure something out or to solve a problem for a bigger concept. In other words, they are a means to end, not a means unto themselves. Even though many of them do stand alone as great pieces of work. Again, there is a quality and knowledge of the fundamentals of design here that you really don't see that much of anymore. Klimt knows what's important, where to spend his time, what to emphasize, and what to leave out. He also has great shapes.<br /><br />Here's a couple more artists, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ben Shahn</span> and <span style="font-weight: bold;">Valentin Serov</span>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVuXWoJ_4I/AAAAAAAAAQA/6ke1B1Lfe-0/s1600-h/ShahnSerov5.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351805079689756546" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 309px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVuXWoJ_4I/AAAAAAAAAQA/6ke1B1Lfe-0/s400/ShahnSerov5.jpg" border="0" /></a>I put these two artists together to show the <span style="font-weight: bold;">range</span> that is possible in drawing. I don't know if these Ben Shahn drawings are necessarily Life Drawings, but I felt that they had a great sense of character to them, and they are obviously based on specific people or a situation. They are definitely observed in some sense. It's good to exaggerate/caricature, and the kind of drawing that Shahn does isn't easy to do, try it sometime. Shahn's approach is just as legitimate and awesome as any other great drawing in my opinion.<br /><br />Serov, on the other hand, has a Sargent kind of quality to his work, but it's more delicate. Again, I think the overall design here is fantastic. Especially in drawing <span style="font-weight: bold;">27</span> where all the contrast and texture in her hair leads your eye right to her face. Then there's just enough going on with her back and arm to keep it interesting and clear. The use of line quality to indicate the clothing versus her flesh is also amazingly done. <span style="font-weight: bold;">There are definitely areas in the drawing that are emphasized and subdued according to the principles of good design.</span> I'd recommend reading "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Science-Drawing-Harold-Speed/dp/0486228703/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1">The Practice and Science of Drawing</a>" by Harold Speed, if you'd like to know about how much artists really thought about design and picture making in the past.<br /><br />Finally, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Ramon Casas</span>, a Spanish artist that I discovered quite a while ago:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVuS9gbJuI/AAAAAAAAAP4/pNVbZKT1MYM/s1600-h/Casas6.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351805004226963170" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; width: 400px; cursor: pointer; height: 309px; text-align: center;" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_e4M4z65aT-U/SkVuS9gbJuI/AAAAAAAAAP4/pNVbZKT1MYM/s400/Casas6.jpg" border="0" /></a>These move beyond the realm of drawing, and a bit into painting. I wanted to show again though, what's possible in the realm of Life Drawing and studying from the model. Drawing number <span style="font-weight: bold;">30</span> is something you might attempt in costumed figure session if you wanted to. A great sense of design is also apparent throughout Casas' work as well.<br /><br />I apologize for the length of this. I hope it all makes some kind of sense. My point is that we should never stop thinking for ourselves. There is no single "right way" to do Life Drawing, and <span style="font-weight: bold;">there's a lot more to learn than just anatomy</span>. I hope that I've kind of illustrated that a bit here.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Why not set our sights to the highest levels of art instead of keeping them locked down in the modern day Life Drawing classroom?</span><br /><br />There's also nothing wrong with bringing in a copy of a piece of artwork you are particularly inspired by to reference in a Life Drawing class/workshop or bringing it with you to reportage/location sketching as well. It's good to have a goal, and to know what you are aiming for sometimes. Other times, ignoring outside influences and doing some random experimentation can produce some great things too.<br /><br />I'd like to end with a quote from a great Life Drawing instructor I had, who actually taught a very structured and methodical approach to drawing. One time I asked him while trying to draw something from the model, "Is this okay? What's the correct way to do this?", surprisingly enough he simply said:<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />"If it looks good, you did it right."</span>Justin Hunthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03061782334065235133noreply@blogger.com