"Personality is everything in art and poetry"

I was just looking over some of the pin ups I have done.  Trying to be as critical as I can of myself without hurting my own feelings (It's a difficult process).  The styles that I weave in and out of I enjoy.  Each one comes with its own set of difficulties and works out a certain artistic muscle I normally don't get to stretch.  But I don't know what's my style or what is identifiable to only my work, my art fingerprint.  I just need to work it out, I think its something most artist struggle with (Fingers crossed).  If anything the more "realistic" works I have done I feel more comfortable with.  I just find them less fun and a bit lacking in artistic expression...  The struggle continues.  It reminds me of a story about an old virtuoso pianist who attends a kids piano concert.  The kid gives the old man a show.  Playing the old pianists music backwards and forwards, one upping his classics when he can. The old guy just sits, smiles and enjoys the show.  After he walks up to the kid and says "That was great, maybe your ready to write your own". 

The Human Voice is the Organ of the soul

So I listen to WTF with Marc Maron Podcast regularly.  In the Kevin Heart interview they mentioned "finding their voice" and Kevin Heart talked about early on in his comedy all he talked about was fart jokes and never really "said" anything.  That got me to think what do I say with my art?  Being an animator to create a piece it takes a good month and even longer if you really want to "say" something. When I get a chance to draw I usually do a pin up (like this) or my water colors are nursery rhymes mostly. Now I enjoy doing that and I am usually pleased with them but they don't "say" anything.  They have no voice, which means I have no voice.  This is how I express myself and I am not saying to much.  This is going to change.  This may be the last pin up I do for a while so I'll finish it and keep the girl drawings to sketches.  Now that I have more time since I'm done taking classes... For now... I can concentrate on being an artist and what artist I want to be.  I'll keep going with this thought as I complete the pin up.  It's going to take a bit more than one thought on this subject.

aLWaYs GoTTa KeEp BuSY or the VOicEs sTart teLliNg ME to dO wILd tHINgs

Getting back from Vacation has left me feeling behind. Now that I am taking classes at iAnimate and on top of that work it has left me little to no time for shenanigans but I feel like I am getting better at my craft (at least that's what I tell myself) I am working on my last scene for school and will post the two scenes I completed for class, rendered and everything (woooooo). It has been a fresh of breath air and a a bit of a challenge to concentrate on acting and facial animation instead of just body mechanics. I'm gonna give it the old college try and stay up on this blog. It will keep me honest and at least keep me producing things to show off. Animation to come soon.

In animation news a master animator has left Disney after about 37 years I think. If you haven't heard Glen Keane retired. That certainly left me visibly disappointed. He trained under the greats and certainly is one of them. Responsible for some of the most memorable Disney characters. Arial, John Silver, Beast, I can go on of course. His style is very fluid and always had feeling. He knew that the eyes can make you feel more than what the body could ever do. I've been figuring out this myself but (good) art should always leave you with a feeling and his scenes certainly accomplished that. Rumors are going around making conclusions that Tangled (a.k.a unbraided) being taken away from his vision might of added to his decision or if he will start his own projects. Which for me would be exciting. None the less his master skills won't grace Disney projects no longer. I watched Tarzan a million times while I was in school trying to study how he put so much life and character into a half naked guy. Just really inspiring and shows me that I have a lot to learn still. I'll leave you with this, it's from Treasure Planet and it certainly shows all the strengths of Mr. Keane. How a simple scene can be magical and moving just with a pencil and paper... Man I need to get back into 2D.

gOT tO gET beTTeR

I did my part as an animator and took the girl friend to see winnie the pooh. There are somethings that I make my girlfriend do. Some of those things we can't talk about here but one of them is dragging her to see the latest animated flicks. It's so I don't have to sit alone in a G rated movie and look like a pedo. Any way it was great. The Ballad of Nessie short was before the film and that was super cute. I loved every second of that. Pooh couldn't have asked for a better list of animators. Goldberg supervising Rabbit, Deja looking over Tigger. It was just beautifully done. I will say even being an animator and all that jazz, creaming over certain scenes and what not, I am sure glad that the run time was 69 min. Its just a kids movie. It had no plot and really didn't develop anything. At least with other Animated films even if they are geared towards kids they try to develop something or even have a story. It's just Pooh and friends running around the woods for an hour. So as a regular movie viewer I got a bit board. I know the movie wasn't made for my target audience but man it just felt like Disney lobbed this last 2d film at kids to put the nail in the coffin. I don't expect to see any new traditional 2d animated films from Disney any time soon. Cause now get a load of this shit. Instead of creating and pushing and finding where or what they should do with traditional animation they are just dusting off old classics and then throwing in a gimmick. Now when that doesn't make the numbers they think its going to the powers at be will then claim "No one wants to see traditional animated films anymore" and the truth will be "Nobody wants to see Disney traditional animated films anymore cause you just phone it in."

Well in my own artist development I have come to the realization that I must get better. Just somehow come to that realization, I think it was in a dream. I need to turn my body mechanics muscle to 11 so I am in the beginning stages of a fight scene. Right now I am going over reference and figuring out the choreography. I'll post stuff about that as it develops. I also have to color that comic still... I should really get on that. Also I am reading "Impro" by Keith Johnstone. I am getting through it, learning about status right now. So much to learn, so little time. The pic above is just some sketches that I was working on. Can't post anything unless I have art to show. Well that's the rule... For now...

2 Hungry Kids

Finally finished the painting. I started this, re-started this, scrapped, then re did it. I need to just get through paintings instead of trying to grab perfection. Living with it for so long gives it a bad taste in my mouth when its done for some reason. Any way finished that, and the ZofM splash page (put that up soon) To keep up with this I'm gonna have to get a little faster at creating some eye candy to go along with my ramblings. In the mean time here is the Syndication Trailer for Saints Row 3. Shots of some of the cuts scenes I work ed on are used in it. Now that this painting is done I think am gonna brush up on my animation muscle... Stay Tuned...

Testing 1..2..

So I have had this blank long enough, It's time I start using it. I'll start talking like someone is listening cause then by the time some one gets around to I'll look like a pro the whole time. I have a lot of things on the conveyor belt. I am helping my buddy color a comic ("Zombie of the Month" bye the way go google it) not to mention all the work I have for Saints Row 3... Ugh... Well I plan on using this to showcase that, Talk about art, animation, and random goings ons. At least once a week. For starters here is a painting I am working on for myself. I am further along now but in that gray area on not done but close so I'll leave you with an earlier stage. Lets see how much I can keep the ball rolling on this. I'll also have to play with Posting of pics, I'll get better at this as things go along, promise.