Jerk wad!

So, yeah.

I haven't updated here in a while.

So, I got into CalArts. Crazy, eh? I'm really happy that everything paid off. I'm thinking of posting my portfolio here for anyone who'd like to see it, I know there are a few people I told I would e-mail with the images. I basically sent in 20-22 portfolio drawings(all figure drawings), and a smaller portfolio with I think 25-40 pages(I'm not sure) in which I tore out life drawings from other sketchbooks. These included sketches from school life, animals, etc. No cartoons. There were no nude drawings in my portfolio- all figure drawings were done at CSSSA if I remember correctly. And the life drawings were done, well, everywhere.

I can't believe I'll be going there in the fall. Sure, I'll be paying quite a bit of money, but if it means I get a chance at a school like this, then so be it. I'm willing to work.

In the news of animated movies, I thoroughly enjoyed the February release Coraline. The film was beautifully animated, though I myself am unable to judge how faithful it stayed to Neil Gaiman book. I plan on reading it soon.

Bolt isn't a bad movie. Not amazing, but still a very good movie. Good for a 3D Disney film, if you don't count the Pixar hits. Fantastic animation. I enjoyed the character design in this movie, though Penni's look felt cliche when compared to other girl characters in animated films and shows, not to mention Disney's casting of Miley Cyrus for the part, which seemed based far more on financial gain than for the sake of story. However, I love the designs for all of the cats in the film, especially enjoying the fluffy, fat one in the beginning. I like Bolt's design, but his head is rather large for a dog of the German Shepherd breed.

Monsters VS Aliens was just what I had expected from it. I thought it would be funny, and it was. I can't say it was much more than that, however I enjoyed the look of the film, particularly of some of the character's designs. B.O.B. and The Missing Link were beautiful to view. Dr. Cockroach held a very interesting design, and completes the job by the addition of Hugh Laurie's voice, one of my favorite actors. Susan's design seemed to hold the same characteristics as Penni from Bolt, and therefore I disliked her look.

I look forward to Pixar's Up soon to be released. I'm still a little unsure of the story, but regardless, Pixar has a way of confusing me with their trailers and impressing me with their films. I'll wait to find out.

If there's one film I truly want to succeed, it's Disney's The Princess and the Frog. This movie marks Disney's possible return to traditional 2D animation. With this in mind, I eagerly await the results of it's release. I truly hope it is successful, for that could lead to numerous 2D films in the making. Oh, how I long for another golden age in traditional animation as displayed in the 90's!

In other news, my birthday is in a week and a half. Not that it probably means much to people reading this, but it's fun to tell anyways. Turning 18.

CalArts Portfolio Workings

I'm managing to juggle time between high school, CART projects, and the CalArts portfolio. It's an unfortunate schedule, with so many pages of life drawing every day in order to fill the sketchbook. It's almost a feeling of getting burnt out.

Still, I've been telling myself to hold it out for just this fall. A couple months of stress is worth a completed portfolio.

Of course, these aren't the only worries. Scholarship opportunities have been searched out, but I'm surprised at the lack of. I guess the economy is really hitting us hard, talk about bad timing with my generation for college funds.

Still, I'm hoping for the best and praying to God. My mind's been full on many things, but I have found time to wind down a bit. For the time being however, internet is being kept to a minimum.

For My Sake

"Never let go of the truth, even in the face of laughter."

Spontaneous picture idea.

CSSSA Experience

So, I'm back from CSSSA(The California State Summer School for the Arts). As usual. it was amazing, with visiting artists such as Stephen Grueber(spl?), Mark Walsh, Bobby Podesta, and a background artist from Nickelodeon currently working on the "Mighty B!" show.

Despite the dramatic faculty change from last year, I learned quite a few new tricks this year. My shading skills have improved under the instruction of Jonny Gomez, and I've developed a new love for contour drawings after classes by Steve Brown. There's much to be applied and built upon in the future, so I'm quite excited to explore these techniques in new ways.

The animators were spoiled this year, with a few classes taught by the visiting artists Mark Walsh and Bobby Podesta(mentioned above) concerning storyboarding and animation principles. We were taught to keyframe and always add a sense of personality to whatever we were animating. And, of course, we were taught the basics of squash/stretch, weight, etc.

My life drawings have improved, I think. I compared my CSSSA sketchbook from last year to this year's, and there's such a change. It's fantastic, I hope to share some pages with you guys!

The CalArts portfolio deadline is December 1st. Time to get started. :)

Surprises and Second Tries

First off, I'd like to thank Rockerbot on DA for creating an RSS feed for LJ. For thanks, I've drawn you a few sketches of your griffon character.

Of course, I had to take advantage of this for the first serious entry in the blog, so I posted both tries in sketching the character. Here is the first try:

In evaluation of the character, I made a general sketch concerning his design. Normally, whenever I try to jump into drawing a character, it turns out less lively than if I had continued with a brand new sketch. The first step is simply exploration, what works and what can be exaggerated. I also think of ways to show personality and how far I can push the design in mechanics.

However, there are many cases where there is only time for a first sketch,

With all of this in mind, the first try of the character was truly a practice run. After exploring te character's design, I was able to draw a much better picture:

You can easily see how much more motion is included in the second try. I decided to take advantage of the griffon's wings for a sense of movement(notice the fold on the tips). The griffon is excited as well, appearing to enjoy his or her flight through the sky. Perspective is used as well to develop a 3D illusion.

In conclusion, I've made a note to myself: always try a second time, a third, or even a fourth if you can. Always explore your options.

Lastly, I hope that Rockerbot enjoys the finished sketch!