Look, A Ship!

I see cargo ships every day on my way to work (under those Imperial AT-AT Walkers at the Port of Oakland ). I'm amazed by the size and capacity of the freighters, and I especially wonder where they're off to. I also love how the departing ships, full to the brim with colourful containers, become real-life Paul Klee paintings.

Here is one from the Maersk line.

November Pause

Not much drawing, a little bit of traveling.

Pig Headed

My second favourite boar at Four Barrel.

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.