JTQ3

Pam

2012-01-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

Happy (belated) Birthday!

2011-12-11T16:49:00.001-08:00

Hey birthday boy,

you're one hundred ten!!!

My day job

2011-11-08T17:35:00.000-08:00

UPDATE!

This painting has gone viral. Traffic to the blog has gone from 20 hits per day to 500 to 2000 hits per day. I have these blogs to thank for the attention. Thanks gang, I guess I'll have to finish that Peg Leg Pete as Death Dealer painting.

neatorama

comicsalliance

thedailywhat

iheartchaos

io9

culturepopped

superpunch

geeksofdoom

Hi Friends,
A painting I did for this morning's presentation to the biggest wigs we've got here in Disney. I wasn't at the presentation but, my painting was and then George gave me candy so, it all worked out in the end. This was inspired Frank Frazetta and painted in Photoshop.

Cheers!

Your pal,

John

Dust covered man on a dust covered horse

2011-10-31T10:37:00.000-07:00

Hey Joe

2011-10-14T09:39:00.001-07:00

Clapton is Blog

2011-10-13T19:02:00.000-07:00

Caricature class at LAAFA

2011-10-12T15:29:00.000-07:00

Steve Kard, American

2011-10-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

for Stef

Guard Dog Global Jam on SKWIGLY

2011-10-04T09:24:00.000-07:00

SKWIGLY online animation magazine posted an article on Bill Plympton's Guard Dog Global Jam written by contributing animator Ben Mitchell.

Guard Dog Global Jam scene 13 from John T. Quinn on Vimeo.

Anaheim Hilton

2011-09-26T17:54:00.000-07:00

BOOBIES!!!

2011-09-23T16:16:00.000-07:00

ahem... i mean, mermaids!

ukulele for beginners, week 2

2011-09-14T20:04:00.000-07:00

ukulele for beginners

2011-09-13T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm teaching a beginner's ukulele class here at work. after the announcement was sent, the class filled up in 10 minutes and the waiting list grew to 20 people soon after that. apparently, some of those folks on the waiting list couldn't wait and have crashed. the more the merrier.

Paper Mache

2011-08-10T13:07:00.000-07:00

I had posted some early development on my foray into the world of paper mache and see by my Global Tracker that I actually get a lot of hits to the blog because of it. I never did a follow up post so, I removed the original post and am offering this update. I find it an enjoyable but, very slow process and so, my sculpts haven't progressed all that much.

I build the armature with corrugated cardboard, hot glue, wire and sometime bamboo skewers. I skin the armature with strips of newspaper dipped in a dilution of white glue and water. Finally building up the surface with CelluClay. I haven't made my own pulp from scratch. I suspect it's not worth the effort so, I'll just keep on buying the five pound bags from the craft store.

The bear was painted with acrylics and coated with Crystal Clear.

George Washington still under construction.

American Nostalgia

2011-08-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

I have a piece in the ISM community's American Nostalgia show at the Muckenthaler Cultural Center in Fullerton, CA.

sketchbook

2011-06-28T09:22:00.000-07:00

DCOM

2011-06-27T13:44:00.000-07:00

DCOM stands for Disney Channel Original Movie in Disney Corporate speak. Phineas and Ferb is a very successful animated program and on Friday August 5, "Phineas and Ferb the Movie, Across the 2nd Dimension" will premiere on Disney Channel. I developed a program of posters for the product line which I can't reveal yet. Here are a couple odds and ends which didn't make the cut.

from the collection of...

2011-06-20T15:35:00.000-07:00

International celebrity artist Eric Tan just brought this to my attention. Back in 2008 I was asked to submit a painting to a show for charity. Turns out the painting was purchased by (or perhaps simply resides in the office of) Mark Parker, President and CEO Nike, Inc.

It's kind of nice to see my work has such a nice home.

Low Rider

2011-05-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

Still learning to paint in Photoshop.

Chrome on Fire

2011-05-13T17:50:00.000-07:00

Back in the 80's while a student at Rutgers University I played guitar in a band called Plague Dogs and later bass in a band called False Virgins. My friend and bandmate David Aaron Clark published a 'zine titled Chrome of Fire which focused on the scene in and around New Brunswick, NJ. Here are some of the self consciously quirky and "underground" illustrations I did for my pal Dave's mag.

Dirty Bird

2011-05-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

Zachary

2011-04-16T13:15:00.000-07:00

Producer

2011-04-12T20:11:00.000-07:00

Retail, Sales and Marketing

2011-04-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

...

2011-04-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Lancaster, PA

2011-04-06T09:18:00.001-07:00

Caricature at LAAFA

2011-03-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

Caricature Painting in Watercolor at LAAFA begins Saturday April 23, 2011.

There are as many approaches to caricature as there are caricaturists.

My approach is driven by a pursuit to understand what is informing the shapes I see in the subject's face. Responding to the shapes and rhythms apparent in the subject's face is a great way to start. In this class we spend a lot of time reaching for what lay beneath to learn how to read the forces operating under the skin and be lead to the choices we make when using exaggeration.

This first panel is Mark. I'm sorry I don't have any photographs to support this post but, you'll have to take my word for it... these are pretty good caricatures.
Faces present themselves to me as either one simple shape or a combination of cranium and jowls. Mark's lean and muscular face can be broken into two pieces:the cranium and the face (including the jaw). In the class we spend time drawing the model from several angles to develop a familiarity with the structure and how the model uses the muscles of his face. A familiarity with the relationship of the cranium to the lower parts of the skull is the launching point for playing with the juxtaposition of the size, shape and position.

This second panel is Louise. Like Mark, Louise has what I call a "cranium/jowl" face. I like to play with the size relationship of the cranium against the jowl but, I want it to be specific to particular way the model holds his or her face. Louise holds her mouth in a very specific way and for me, the energies operating through her face are like currents leading to the point in the center of her upper lip. The slope of her forehead, the shape of her eyebrows, the shape and direction of her nose all flow downward to the collision of her upper and lower lips.

unfinished

2011-03-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

this has been laying around unfinished. I'm probably not going to do any more work on it.

eBay

2011-03-13T13:27:00.000-07:00

My contribution to the Art Blocks for Ghana charity auction is up on eBay and available for bidding. The collection includes artists from Blue Sky, Pixar, Dreamworks, Disney and Lucas as well as illustrators, fine artists and craftsmen. Check out the auction, you will find a piece of original art you will be proud to hang in your home.

Disney Consumer Products

2011-03-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

We're working up some concepts for DCP specific product. T-shirts, caps and mugs for the people on staff here in Glendale. I don't believe I am allowed to use the likeness of our founder but, I thought this would make a nice t-shirt.

Minnie Muse goes global

2011-02-15T13:57:00.000-08:00

Who did we spot at the In-Cheon International Airport wearing a t-shirt from the Minnie Muse collection sold exclusively at Forever 21? Why, it's none other than Korean super star Ji-Won Ha. On her return trip to South Korea from China where she was attending a Prada fashion show, this busy jet-setter made casual look like easy elegance. Rumor has it, the Minnie Muse t was a gift from super fan Mi Ran Kim. For details follow this link.

John Lasseter Caricature

2011-02-09T16:33:00.000-08:00

Very often at work, I receive requests to create caricatures of fellow employees as awards celebrating their promotion, retirement, resignation or various other life-changing events. This is one I did recently for a man who injured his arm.

Bob Dylan

2010-12-30T13:23:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T12:15:00.000-08:00

Lady Gaga

2010-12-10T10:59:00.000-08:00

The Caricature class is back on the schedule for the Winter session at LAAFA.

Jan 29-Mar 19, 2011 Meets 2:00 PM-5:00 PM Saturdays.

December 8

2010-12-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

cigar box guitar

2010-12-06T11:00:00.001-08:00

Meredith said "that is totally YouTube worthy!" So, here I am in all my bloated glory.

I built a cigar box guitar. Dave Zaslov (a graphic artist here at Disney) hosted a workshop here at the office. So, a debt of thanks to Dave for his guidance. Built from scratch. I fretted the neck and all like that there. It took me about a month to put it together and then another month to mount the pickup. Here it is, my first home made four string electric cigar box guitar.

Minnie Muse

2010-12-03T14:06:00.000-08:00

Here are some of the Minnie Muse poses I've done for the Minnie Muse program at retailer Forever 21.

Caricature at LAAFA

2010-12-01T11:55:00.000-08:00

The Caricature class is back on the schedule for the Winter session at LAAFA.

Jan 29-Mar 19, 2011 Meets 2:00 PM-5:00 PM Saturdays.

Ringo redux

2010-11-22T10:17:00.000-08:00

Art Blocks for Ghana.

Gift with Purchase

2010-11-17T17:22:00.000-08:00

The "Minnie Muse" line launches nation wide on Friday, November 19 at Forever 21 Stores. Make a purchase and receive a beautiful print (suitable for framing).

Ringo

2010-11-15T11:45:00.000-08:00

"The Picture Book Project Foundation and The Hopkins Foundation present "Art Blocks for Ghana" A Charity Art Auction (Original Works) Created by the Top Artists in the Animation and Illustration Community to help build a Children's Home in Ghana. March 2011"

Today is the deadline. Here is my work in progress.

Edgar Allan Poe

2010-11-11T08:16:00.000-08:00

I've been teaching an Intro to Watercolor class here at DCP. The assignment for week 7 is to paint a color portrait from a black and white photo. I've done a bunch of half-assed in class demos of this portrait and decided to do a more careful and complete piece. I had to guess at the eye color. His eyes are quite dark in the photo so, I went with brown. I did a Google search on his eye color and found claims to every color in the rainbow.

I will be teaching Caricature on Saturdays at LAAFA this winter. I don't know if the Winter schedule has been posted yet.

Sarah Palin

2010-11-08T11:17:00.000-08:00

Meg

2010-11-04T14:56:00.001-07:00

One more of Meg.

I voted...

2010-11-02T18:28:00.000-07:00

... but, not for anyone who tried to buy the election.

Bill Plympton's "Guard Dog" jam

2010-10-31T21:34:00.000-07:00

Rough animation test for scene 13 of Bill Plympton's Global "Guard Dog" animation jam. It's a bit wonky but, it's a template on which I will do the final in Photoshop.

Guard Dog Jam Scene 13 from John T. Quinn on Vimeo.

Pigs

2010-10-21T16:42:00.000-07:00

Guard Dog Jam

2010-10-01T17:36:00.000-07:00

"In a bold, never-before-attempted experiment, the "King of Indie Animation, "Bill Plympton is inviting animators from around the world to re-create one shot each from Bill's Oscar-nominated short, "Guard Dog"."
So said the invitation on Bill's website. I submitted my name and was assigned scene 13. It's 5 seconds long. I'm hoping I can get it done.
Here's is my concept for my approach to the scene. I'll do it in Flash.

Good luck Guard Dog Jammers! (all of the e-mails I have received indicate this is what we are calling ourselves). Anyway, I'm a big fan of Bill's work so, I'm excited to be a part of this. Thanks Bill!

Double Bounce Walk

2010-09-28T15:57:00.000-07:00

I have been asked to serve as a Disney Jurist for Uniqlo’s 2011 UT Grand Prix design contest. Uniqlo is also inviting Jurists to submit their own Mickey or Minnie designs for a Men’s and a Women’s Tee shirts. Jurists designs go directly to product for sale alongside the contest winners in May. Here is my piece.

unfinished

2010-09-16T20:21:00.000-07:00

Some Practice

2010-08-30T12:17:00.000-07:00

see-saw

2010-08-23T11:29:00.000-07:00

Marvel meeting

2010-08-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

From a recent trip to New York. Some of the faces in the meetings with Marvel. Mitch had just had his wisdom teeth pulled. Can you guess which one is Mitch?

3 colors

2010-08-02T10:35:00.000-07:00

Experiment in layering transparent washes using only
lemon yellow
cadmium red deep
cobalt blue

from a sketchbook doodle I did in Lancaster, PA.

11 Second Club June competition

2010-07-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Here are 2 frames from my entry into the 11 Second Club's June competition. Actually, I didn't complete it until July 5 so, I missed the deadline and didn't actually enter. But, I'm doing it for me so, I'm posting it here. Completed in Flash.

Update: I like Flash. The way I work is much more akin to stop motion than traditional hand drawn stuff. I build these flat "puppets" in Photoshop and import to Flash. The characters are basically forward facing but by separating the cranium and jowls, and by keeping each component of the face on a separate layer, I'm able to get a full range of motion (within the limited style of the character design). Each component has it's own layer and practically every frame is a "keyframe" so, I can incrementally move the character from pose to pose. I create 8 to 10 mouth shapes and use the modify tool to squash and stretch which expands my range quite a bit.

I don't know why but, I'd actually like to be good at this stuff so I'm working on developing my animation techniques. Reading the books, watching the dvds, and then applying that learning in the work.

So, here I'm trying to add a bit of nuance to the character "acting." I wanted to start with drawings as a template so I could move and distort the puppet pieces to achieve the kinds of extremes necessary for this scene. I did the drawings in Flash using my Cintiq and then animated the "puppets" on top.

gouache

2010-06-17T16:24:00.000-07:00

Jeff Shelly stopped by the Thursday night Watercolor class to do a demo of his illustration technique. I was inspired and started playing with gouache over the weekend. I have found it best not to mix more than 2 colors. Any more than 2 colors and it can get pretty chalky and muddy. Maybe the secret is to mix watercolor into the gouache? hmmm.....

watercolor class

2010-05-25T10:48:00.001-07:00

Demo from week 5.

Watercolor Class

2010-05-21T15:48:00.000-07:00

I agreed to teach a class on watercolor techniques here at DCP. The class filled up before it was even officially offered to the community at large (which I have to admit, was pretty gratifying). The waiting list had 25 names on it. Nice, right?

When my LAAFA Caricature class got cancelled for the semester I decided I would add another watercolor class and cut into the waiting list a bit. So, we're about half way through the 10 week session and it seems to be going well. Everyone is enthusiastic and the feedback I've been getting is very positive.

Anyway, here is a little watercolor I did as a warm up for the class.

I Love LA

2010-05-13T21:12:00.000-07:00

Check out those guns!

For Mrs. O'Brien

2010-05-07T10:00:00.000-07:00

While a chaperone at the Camp CIMI event, Meredith's teacher asked me to design a graphic for her class. I prefer the vertical but, she chose the horizontal.

GLI2

2010-05-05T11:40:00.000-07:00

While attending the DCP Global Leadership Institute, I did my best to pay attention and behave as much like a grown up as possible. All in all a very nice week. Met some wonderful people who flew in from all over the world, listened to some interesting lectures, ate some terrific meals and slept in a beautiful hotel. On a few occasions, I may have done some caricatures of the other attendees.

Paul

2010-04-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

I'm off for another executive training session and so, I wanted to post something before I have a life changing experience. This is a work in progress on Sir Paul. It's a hodge-podge of different photo reference. I'm not happy with the Hofner or how it fits under Paul's right arm. While this is phase one, Doris doesn't get her oats until the watercolor.

Meeting caricatures

2010-04-20T12:11:00.000-07:00

I'm cleaning out my sketchbook binder. Here's one from October 2009. I was in a meeting with a famous guy.

copy cat

2010-04-10T08:56:00.000-07:00

I've been looking at the work of Carlos Nine. Don't visit his website as his work will just make you sad and question your place in the world.

Alex

2010-03-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

I usually bring my paints to class but, very rarely have an opportunity to paint. This was begun in class a couple weeks back but, didn't get too deep into it.

Spring session at LAAFA begins on April 5. Caricature (7-10pm Thursdays) begins April 8.

Anne

2010-03-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

This is Anne. I don't know her but, saw this image on RyPhoto and was inspired... no not inspired, compelled to draw her. I am often accused of finding the ugly in everything I see. I'm actually using the drawing to figure out what I find so compelling about Anne's face. Obviously she isn't ugly and while distorted in the caricature I don't believe I've made an ugly drawing. I think the drawing is kind of pretty.

In my Caricature class at LAAFA we draw the model from multiple angles for a couple of hours and while we do become more and more familiar with the model's unique shapes, the energy running through the model's face will change from pose to pose. If the model is standing the spine will project the face forward, if seated the head might settle back into the cradle of the shoulders. Any number of choices the model makes with his or her body is going to impact what we see in the face.

People often say it is difficult to do caricatures of pretty girls because their features are so subtle. In caricature I am going to play with shapes but, I am lead to the distortion by what I can see and understand of the energy operating through the subject's face, head and body. I think photographs make caricature a bit easier as the camera has already flattened the image. The 2D image has reduced the complexity of the living breathing moving model to easily identifiable shapes. Occasionally the lens will provide some distortion as a head start.

In the case of Anne here, I loved the shape and direction of her eyes and how her face is framed by these ribbons of black hair. Her wide smile reveals her teeth and gums and so for me, her cheek and jaw were important, as well as the tension in the muscles of her face. I've exaggerated her chin as an echo of the shape of her teeth and to emphasize the tension in the muscles of her jaw.

Alla Prima Portrait Painting Workshop

2010-03-16T11:15:00.000-07:00

Malo is magnificent.

Caricature at LAAFA

2010-03-12T16:51:00.000-08:00

Spring session begins Monday April 5 at LAAFA. I will continue teaching Caricature Thursday evenings 7-10 pm.

Alla Prima Portrait Painting Workshop

2010-03-09T12:18:00.000-08:00

From Monday evening's portrait painting workshop with Sean Cheetham.

Caricature at LAAFA

2010-03-06T17:06:00.000-08:00

For the Spring session I will continue teaching Caricature at LAAFA Thursday evenings 7-10 pm.
We cover the basics of the anatomical structure of the human head and spend the first 3 or four weeks discussing the exaggeration of shapes and energies operating through the subject's face and head. We will learn to see rhythms and the repetition of shapes in the subject and use these to build a graphic motif or "big idea" within the portrait.
Models will return for two weeks to provide adequate time for drawing and investigation and finally painting.
More info available on the LAAFA website. Check it out!
Thanks,

Alla Prima Portrait Painting Workshop

2010-03-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

Trying to be more aggressive in my approach to painting. I went in thinking I would be more dramatic in my values with the hope/expectation I might just get to a more convincing value range. The weird thing is, I find I make the most progress in the work with which I am most dissatisfied.

it's been a while...

2010-02-23T17:48:00.000-08:00

John Paul

2010-02-02T20:46:00.000-08:00

from Monday evening's alla prima portrait painting workshop.

China sketchbook

2010-02-01T13:54:00.000-08:00

Just returned home from a week of touring toy factories in China. Bottom image is Eric Tan, drawn from his reflection in the mirror over the bar at Champs in the Hotel Shangri La, Shenzhen. Second from bottom is YK, our host for the plush factory tour. Third is a man waiting for the ferry in Hong Kong. Fourth are some people outside the HK Museum of Art and last is some crazy Harajuku girl I saw at breakfast in the Park Lane in Hong Kong.

Also, check out these pics from our visit to MINDstyle office and factory on the MINDstyle blog

PRC

DCP Global Creative Character Art Team

More Eric Tan!

Learn to draw Mickey Mouse

2010-01-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

Last Summer at the D23 convention in Anaheim, I volunteered (or was volunteered) to work at the Crayola booth. George McClements and I conducted character drawing classes several times a day for four days. It was a lot of work but, we had a blast! Honestly, the folks from Crayola were great and I discovered the Crayola Color Sticks (which are pretty damn good). And of course all the Disney fans were amazing. Everyone was so enthusiastic.

I will say a word in my defense about the drawing. Firstly, I didn't title the video. I don't claim to be an expert at Mickey. Jeff Shelly is an expert. Also, drawing at an easel for an audience is not as easy as it may sound. I had to stand to the side of the easel and the drawings always turned out a bit distorted. I would do my best to fix it in the ink phase.

Anyway, the social media guys just uploaded this video on the Disney Living channel on YouTube.

Drew

2010-01-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

Monday evening Alla Prima Acrylic Portrait Painting class with Sean Cheetham here at DCP.

Malo

2010-01-05T14:46:00.000-08:00

Rich gave me a fancy brush pen. I'm going to enhance my sketches with orange from now on.

LAAFA demo

2009-12-22T10:11:00.000-08:00

This is the drawing I did at Saturday's demo for my class at LAAFA. It isn't quite a much a caricature as I would have liked. I have plenty of excuses why but, I'll spare you. Anyway, not a bad likeness and I'm really liking the oil pastels.

Pocoyo

2009-12-20T10:22:00.000-08:00

In Southern California cable tv offers an innumerable number of Spanish language channels. I don't speak Spanish, though my geography is nudging me to learn . While surfing through the channels I came across this little gem and I believe it an indication of the show's brilliance that I not only watched the entire episode but Googled it soon after. Wikipedia has the straight dope on Pocoyo. Very cute.

Andy

2009-12-18T15:02:00.000-08:00

From the final night of my Caricature Class at LAAFA. I'm going to be at LAAFA tomorrow Saturday December 19 at noon for a demonstration. Trying to increase awareness and demonstrate the benefits of enrolling in the class for the Winter session (Winter session Caricature class begins Thursday January 14, 2010).

Sorry for the late notice. Maybe I'll see you there.

Roy E. Disney

2009-12-16T17:40:00.000-08:00

1930 – 2009

Bob Kato's Head Drawing class

2009-12-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

Bob has been teaching a Tuesday night head drawing class here at DCP. I'm not enrolled but, sneak in whenever there's a space for me.

Top image is Sennelier oil pastel, bottom is Crayola color sticks on Canson toned paper.

Caricature @ LAAFA

2009-12-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

Our model was Sara Streeter for last night's Caricature class. I do my best to give everyone their money's worth so, I don't get to paint as much as I'd like. But, Sara has such a magnificent face I couldn't resist. Next week is the last class but, the next session begins January. Check out LAAFA website for more information.

Law and Order marathon

2009-12-01T17:15:00.000-08:00

I spent the weekend overeating and enjoying the Law and Order marathon on TNT. I'm kind of hazy on the details. I think it was Friday or maybe Saturday. I can't remember. I tried to do caricatures of some background characters on the show. They're ok. Not great likenesses. The bald guy was a nervous witness and the mustache guy was a nervous court appointed attorney. Then I did one of one of the Sunday morning pundits on "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos on ABC (that's the bearded guy-Paul Krugman).

Malcom and Melvin

2009-11-29T11:42:00.000-08:00

This is my progress on scene 3. At the time I began working on the short, the animation was complete. I was developing backgrounds by working against match lines and by flipping through the animation to avoid any obstructions etc. Another artist had completed a bunch of tests and Ralph's direction was to look at Cliff Sterrett's "Polly and Her Pals" for style. I was eager to please but, went overboard on my first pass (which I believe is a common mistake for beginners). I wanted to work tonally in blues so, while the drawing is quite dense, I thought it might not interfere with the action. Ralph obviously disagreed and I went back to simplify twice before approval.

These are two interior shots from Melvin's apartment. In this sequence poor Melvin goes a bit crazy when he realizes what an insignificant person he is. The following scenes are of Melvin screaming and banging his head against the wall. I submitted this "volcano" thing. It was to represent the moment before the emotional explosion. It's abstract i guess but, Ralph liked it and I went to paint. Later, I ran into the animator who told me he didn't like it and it didn't make any sense.

These three layouts are based on drawings provided by Ralph. These were rejected but, I think the final backgrounds are influenced by my drawings.

screen grabs from YouTube

2009-11-25T11:47:00.000-08:00

I started scanning my drawings and will post. Here are some lo-res images of my scenes.

Malcom and Melvin

2009-11-21T21:16:00.000-08:00

So, I was at the CTN Animation Expo in Burbank, CA today and I spoke to an animator named Mark Kausler. As an animation nerd I have been reading about Mark, his work and his collection of 16 and 35mm movie prints for years so, it was nice to meet him and see a bit of his latest work.
He mentioned working for Ralph Bakshi on the Maybelline sequence in Heavy Traffic
(WARNING: adult content)

and the Malcom the Cocroach sequence in Coonskin

I told Mark about my short stint with Bakshi but, I how I believed the film had never been completed. He said it was completed and he had seen it (and he thought the work in it was all pretty good). So, I did a YouTube search and there it was! I finally got to see it and actually got screen credit. How about that?!!!15 years later I am finally getting to see my work. There's a bunch of my background paintings based on my layouts and a bunch of paintings by other artists based on my layouts. I'll have to dig out my Bakshi folder and post some of the work I did.

Rats!

2009-11-16T22:26:00.000-08:00

My daughter is doing a report on rats and asked me to do a drawing for her. I hope these will do.

Cyber Garage Project

2009-11-08T15:44:00.000-08:00

I'm still taking baby steps. Add a little more here, edit a little bit there...
Added a moving hold on the fox after he drops to ground. Don's response to the scene was...

"Two things come to mind immediately: The momma rabbits entrance is too mushy/slow. It lacks energy. Additionally, the moment the rabbit sees mamma fox and halts in her attempt to hit the fox, it does not have enough surprise in the action. It neets a good "Take." You need a special drawing to register the surprise on her (Momma Rabbit) face."

On the rabbit's entrance I had two drawings (4 frames) for the "squash" when she hits the ground and grabs the fox. The first one wasn't "squashy" enough and I felt her weight was still too far back so, i added another more exaggerated "squash" with a weight shift. I thought it worked better that way but, i see his point. I've removed the first drawing and it seems to hold up (though I may have to redo the entrance altogether).

I also noticed the fox's tail should continue to spin after she kicks him and catches him. I'm going to work on the tail and the "take."

that almost sounds Dickensian.

Cyber Garage Project

2009-10-28T21:37:00.000-07:00

I have been working on learning how to animate the old fashioned way. Don Bluth has a website and is mentoring those of us who love the art form and are anxious to learn the nuts and bolts. The Cyber Garage Project is a virtual classroom packed into a 3 minute cartoon short written and directed by Don.
I am working on scene 32. Here is my latest work.

the Art of Disney Princess

2009-10-12T16:34:00.000-07:00

Over a year in the making, The Art of Disney Princess is finally here. A collection of Interpretations of the Disney Princesses by artists from the Disney Consumer Products global creative team. It was a fun project to work on and exciting to see it slowly come together. Thanks especially to Soo Koo (VP Creative, DCP), Dorota Kotarba-Mendez (Snr Manager, Character Art DCP) and Jessie Ward (Editor, Disney Publishing) for their tireless devotion and creative leadership on this project.

Amazon has it for $26.40.

Some of the artists did a signing at D23 a couple weeks back and the signed prints are already on eBay.

Caricature Class at LAAFA

2009-10-01T13:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the first night of my Caricature Class at LAAFA.

Caricature Class at LAAFA

2009-09-08T18:35:00.000-07:00

I have been invited to teach a class on Caricature at LAAFA starting on Thursday October 1. It will be a 10 week course beginning with drawing and progressing to painting. I will be at the LAAFA open house this Saturday September 12 at 2pm to do a demo. So, if you are one of the the 25 to 30 people who read this and you're in the LA area on Saturday, please come to Van Nuys to say "hi."

a look at the San Diego Comic Con

2009-09-03T14:12:00.000-07:00

A bunch of us here at DCP head down to San Diego each year to soak up some inspiration at the annual Comic Con. I was asked to create a presentation to share with the team and decided to put together this video. It took a bit longer to complete than a powerpoint slide show (about a month longer) but, I'm pleased with the result. It's a glimpse for the uninitiated into the spirit and tumult of the Con.
I did the music in Sony Acid Pro (which I believe, is kind of like Garage Band). I blocked out a storyboard and wrote the script. George McClements did the voice characterization for me and made some suggestions on the design of the main character. Stef Kardos also offered some suggestions on the design (the zit), as well as moral support and encouragement along the way (for which I am eternally grateful). Eddie Irizarry shot a bunch of video while walking the convention floor and graciously allowed the use in my production.
Characters were drawn and collaged in Photoshop, exported and animated in Flash. I started in CS4 but, realized i hate CS4 and went back to CS3. What else?... I guess that's it.

Ollie Johnston July 1996

2009-08-25T03:27:00.000-07:00

In 1996, shortly after I started with Disney, I had a life changing experience. Moving to California without my wife and daughter was pretty significant and starting a career with Disney was pretty big too but, when I met Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston... that was really something. They were invited to come speak to a group of DCP artists about what I expected to be drawing and animation. Instead it was all about acting and character. Duh, of course it was.

They improvised a scene of a man answering his front door to find a bill collector. Each subsequent performance was altered by changing the dynamics of the characters involved. First the bill collector was an obnoxious bully, then the man at the door. It was entertaining to be sure but, it really was a big light bulb moment for me.

The drawing skill gets you through the door but, getting inside the character and understanding the thoughts and motivations before you draw, every mark informed by who the character is, what they are doing, what they are thinking and why... that's how you bring this stuff to life. Oh wait, they were talking about drawing.
This is a drawing I did of Ollie from my seat in the first row (ever the enthusiastic eager beaver).

Comic Con video

2009-08-24T00:02:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a short video for internal DCP use. It's a brief look at the history and excitement of the San Diego Comic Con. These are some stills from the video. The characters are drawn and collaged in Photoshop and then constructed into "puppets" in Flash.

Eric Goldberg

2009-08-04T16:51:00.000-07:00

There's been a lot in the news lately about some horrible stuff happening in my home state of New Jersey. Here's a reminder that some great and talented people come from the glorious Garden State.

Dave

2009-07-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

This is Dave. He and I met over 20 years ago while students at Rutgers University in our shared native state of New Jersey. Here's to The Garden State.

Vince and Robert

2009-07-17T13:44:00.000-07:00

We had a caricature workshop some months back. Originally done in Prismacolor, I did this finish on the light table with a 2B mechanical pencil. And then, instead of going home early and sitting in traffic, I decided to do a finish on Robert's caricature from the same workshop.

Now you know the whole story.