Back to the beginning

Good morning. How are you? Good to see you! It has been so long since my last post, that Google has changed the Blogger interface and it took me a few minutes to even FIND my blog. :) But the good news is that I'm back, and I intend to stay. Thank you all for your continuing visits, and for all the kind comments. 

Here is a quick update on what's been going on here. For the past 2 years, in my day job, I've been working on a Pixar movie titled "The Good Dinosaur". (Before that I spent 1 year on the upcoming Monsters University.) TGD has been an awesome challenge and a true test of endurance, as some of my responsibilities have increased on this film. There is a strange paradox about making these super fun, entertaining films, which is that it takes (sometimes) grueling work and very long hours to get there. But it's always fun, always worth it. Anyway, this is partly why I'm mostly there, and not here.

In my (spare?) time, I've been busy finishing the art and self-publishing of Round Robin 3 with Katy and Jenn, which culminated in a beautiful box set of the 3 books, a small exhibit at Rare Device in San Francisco, then a bigger one at Galerie Arludik in Paris. I'll tell you more about that in a separate post.

Having also just moved in my very first house, I haven't really drawn that much lately, except for some quick sketches from Scotland and Portland.
In Scotland, I drew in a bite-sized sketchbook that Jenn gave me, as we drove through the Highlands. These are quite literally thumbnails, so I'm adding some photos for context.

Then last weekend it was James's birthday so we took a quick 4 day trip to Portland where I half-drew-half-wrote in these great postal Moleskine sketchbooks I found at Powell's Books.

I hope you enjoyed these! I'll be back soon with Round Robin tales, old and new.

Dani

P.S. Being busy means not a lot of blogging, but I am often on Instagram & Twitter (@firstnamedani), where it's faster and more spontaneous for me to post news about upcoming films, art shows, professional and personal work, as well as images from my trips, and sketchbooks.

Wrapping Paper

Here is a silly little post.

It was James's birthday not long ago, and for once I had it all figured out: the restaurant, my outfit, his present... I had everything but wrapping paper!
I found a pad of craft paper laying around at work and I had roughly 30 minutes to come up with something worthy of the occasion. Easy, right?
So I began drawing - a dinosaur, a car, a snake, an egg - and then I thought "what if I write down the names of these things?". That's when the game was born. I filled the page with whatever went through my mind, and wrote the descriptions. James would have to match every name to a corresponding picture before he could open his present.
And it really worked! It was so much fun to watch him do this (and to get totally bogged down at "bomb"), more fun than seeing him open the actual gift!

Anyway, this reminded me that often external limitations allow for true creative freedom, and that constraints should be embraced and trusted.

So, can you match every word to a picture?

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:

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".

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"

Sunday Afternoons

Marker Pen and Ink Wash
5" X 8"

The more fun...

...the less technique! (See lobster-claw-hand giantess!)

Early Spring

It's been awfully gray here lately...

The Girls of Portsmouth Square

How long have they been here?