Tuesday Gestures II

From a quick session today!

Tuesday Gestures I

Inspired by the recent and long overdue publication of Walt Stanchfield's notes, "Drawn To Life", I decided to make time for Tom Gately's Tuesday Gesture Class.


Tom was one of Walt's most devoted students and is to this day one of the master's greatest advocates, well committed to the transmission of his legacy. He structures our drawing sessions here at Pixar very much like Walt did at Disney in the 80s and 90s - by asking us to do quick, economic, story and character driven drawings. Here you don't learn about bones or muscles (though anatomy should be second nature), you are not praised for acute or accurate observation (though believable perception is a must), but rather you are encouraged to find the story in each pose and to push it into a strong and clear statement. What every animation drawing should be.

Here's a humble offering from my latest attendance:

UP

In three days it will be one year since I started working at Pixar, and although I arrived too late to be part of UP, I can't think of a better way to celebrate now than going to see it this weekend!

I don't necessarily want to promote the film, as I think it speaks for itself (you'll know what I mean when you see it), but I'd like to applaud my friends, old and new, who have shared Pete Docter's vision and made an inspired work of art.

Nick, Ronnie, Enrico, Bill, Tony, Justin, Josh, Bobby, and the rest of the Story Department, Daniel, Albert, Lou, Don, Greg, Ralph, Noah, Ricky, Katy, Huy, and all those in the Art Department who put pixel and pencil mileage into the visuals, and of course the animators (too many to list), who made Carl extra grumpy and Russell that much more lovable - congratulations to you all!

Hats off to the UP crew!

Images by Pete Docter, Daniel López Muñoz, Albert Lozano, Ricky Nierva and Lou Romano, colour script by Lou Romano. Visit his blog for a lot more UP art.

Rear Window

This entry should really be titled "Spring Cleaning" considering that these date from 2007. But you know how it goes - artwork lingers in a desktop folder of half-thoughts and to-dos until you just suck it up and post it, even if you kind of wish you weren't.

The subject in the set of paintings below is the view from my rear window. I know, no ballerina, no newlyweds, no wife's murderer. Not even a small dog. But a shy view of Downtown and of the Bay Bridge and lots of wooden fire escapes of 20th Street homes.

I truly think that one needn't go far to be challenged in drawing and painting. No need for exotic locales or glamorous people, you just have to be interested in all things around you even if they appear to be mundane.

What I got out of doing these? A notion that light paints things so differently each day that the same world appears changed.

Sketchbook Selections

From the past few months!


Also, you should check out these paintings James just finished!

SketchCrawl 21

We returned to San Francisco a week ago. Something about getting on a plane in winter-y Toronto on the 4th of January, traversing the whole continent and arriving in a greener, warmer, sunnier place makes me feel just like I did when we first arrived, on January 4th 2007. Which in turn triggers a desire to trek around the city and explore its neighborhoods like we did without fail every weekend of those first few months.

I have spent the last week reliving my first impressions here - not a bad thing to remember! That must be why I suggested to James, and friends Ric and Adrian to hike across half of San Francisco in the name of SketchCrawl; from Hayes Valley, through The Mission, The Castro, Cole Valley, The Haight and Golden Gate Park. It was perfect, at least for me!
As for the others - aching muscles, please forgive me!

Here's a sketchbook page, unfinished.


And here's another, from YSL at The De Young! Go see it and you'll recognize many famous outfits, like the one from Buñuel's "Belle De jour".

6:35 to Toronto

Live from Via Train 53: The Sunrise.

Happy 2009!

Bon Appétit!

Totoro Forest Project Update

Hi from snowy Montreal!

Let me give you a quick update on the "Totoro Forest Project".
The art auction that took place in September at Pixar was very well attended and extremely successful - we raised more than 200 000$!!! The Totoro Foundation promptly used the sum to buy off a small portion of Sayama Forest in order to protect it from land developers.
Bravo, Totoro artists!

Before I move on I would also like to tell you a little bit about my piece. "My Neighbor Totoro" is one of my favourite Ghibli films, and it is definitely the one I relate to the most. It reminds me of what it was like to grow up as the little sister, of learning to accept my family responsibilities, of helping the elderly, and of understanding that nature commands reverence and respect. I love this film for its balance of truth and fable, grown-up themes and childlike whimsy.

Naturally my painting is mainly inspired by the film itself so just like Satsuki and Mei (or my older sister and I) it depicts two sisters at play in a field on a warm summer evening. I went back to my own childhood for inspiration on subject matter and look. When I was little outdoor play was the most fun because stick, stone or leaf, just about anything could become a plaything. It was far more adventurous than staying indoors anyways.

Visually, I wanted my piece to be reminiscent of 18th century French landscape paintings and of fairy tales illustrations, both of which fascinated me when I was younger. I looked at Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot and Théodore Rousseau for colour, composition and mood, but I also referenced some favourites - Ludwig Bemelmans, Maira Kalman, Mary Blair and Aurelius Battaglia for execution and style.
Here below are some references, my digital study and the final piece, again, for those who may have missed the previous post about it.

Well, this is it for the Totoro Forest Project for now.
If you would like to see this or any other Totoro collection pieces, you can still do so at "The Cartoon Art Museum" of San Francisco until February 8th, 2009.

Humboldt, Hornung

Hello.

It's been so long since my last appearance... Updates are due, sure, but I'd rather not write much. How about a couple of drawings?
This one was done last weekend, in a curious little place called "Finnish Country Sauna and Tubs" located in a curious little town called Arcata, up in foggy Humboldt County.


Marker Pen
8" X 12"

This second one is of a building I really like, here in the Mission. I drew it today during SketchCrawl.
Enjoy! And so long for now.


Marker Pen
12" X 8"