The Profiler

If you knew me in college or you've been following my blog you may have noticed a nasty habit I have been indulging in; drawing profiles.  To me it is one of the most fun views to draw just because I really like contours.  However I guess I can answer my own question posed earlier that too much of a good thing is bad.  Its awful to get caught up in a habit because it can become very comfortable.  When I started cafe sketching this time around I was drawing people who were walking very quickly past me.  So what would start out at best as a front 3/4 view quickly turned to profile and then back 3/4.  With the information I could gather from the quickly turning rotation a profile seemed to be the view I could best collaborate the information I had into one drawing.  Well I think I have become proficient at this.  Therefore it is time to move on.  As much as it is hard for me to move on from something I know I am successful at to something that I am trying to improve on I know it must be done.  Now that I feel I have re-established a strong connection between my brain and my hand I know I can push myself further.  So I am going to really work at picking up information quicker so I can achieve mostly front 3/4 drawings.  In a way I feel like I'm starting from the beginning again and really that is what I am doing.  But I really couldn't have it any other way.  One way to be sure at failing something is to be comfortable and not look for new ways to perceive things.  I know if I continue on with my profile ways I will get bored of cafe sketching and probably quit.  This is the last thing I want to do.  Although the sketches today definitely have less information in them then usual I can look forward to looking back on these in a week or so and see how far I have come.

Better Late Than Never

 Today I had an appointment that went 2 hours longer than it should have.  Blech.  If I don't start my day out sketching its all I can think about until I get it done.  Its always slightly tempting to skip a day if it seems like I might not get around to it but that is ALWAYS a bad idea.  The thing is that at the place I sketch at I have to go when things are not busy or I won't get my seat by the window.  If I don't get my seat by the window then I am screwed.  So if I don't go early in the morning then there is always a nagging thought of if I will get my seat at all.  Because of my yucky start to the day my entire vibe is rush-rush.  AND I HAVE IMPROV TONIGHT.  I just remembered that.  Now I have even less time...  Better get to work!  Exciting things are happening!

Doodleedoo

I'm working on an illustration right now that I didn't expect to like as much as I do now that it is almost finished.  One thing I've noticed about art is that no matter what attitude I go into it with I always end up emotionally involved with it at the end.  Same holds true now that I think about it with my last job animating.  Sometimes I would get some really interesting shots but sometimes it would just be close up after close up which can be a little hard to take.  Its tempting to have an "I just need to get this done attitude" but in the end I always ended up caring about the shot and its really the only way to be.  Once you stop caring about what you're doing there is really no reason to be doing it at all.  Truly you don't go into animation for the money so what else is there but satisfaction and pride in your work?

This is why we animate

Thought of You from Ryan Woodward on Vimeo.


I just found this amazing video on Cartoon Brew.  It was animated by Ryan Woodward who is someone I have been a fan of for a long time.  When I was in college I bought one of his books and it served as constant motivation for me to push forward because I saw what could be achieved in life drawing.  This short shows in the most basic form why we animate.  It is clear that reference material was used for this short, just as it is clear that every Zemeckis film uses reference.  The difference here, the most important thing about this short is that it takes life and amplifies a chosen truth about it.  When watching this short we feel emotion, we feel connection.  The volumes and mass are so grounded in reality and yet with a few interferences by the artist here and there we are taken to a world that does not exist, but one that we believe can exist. This for me at least, is the reason to create. 

The Smack Of Winter

Well I think we all woke up to the smack of winter today (other than those of you lucky enough to be working NOT in Toronto!).  People's body language and wardrobe choice certainly reflect the weather.  I don't think I'm likely to get the chance of sketching a bare hand until April!  Not that you can blame anyone for hiding away their digits in this weather.  Something I've learned about myself is that I really am a creature of habit.  From the way I eat my food to the way I draw people.  This is great to know because I know I can look forward to a routine.  I also know if I purposely break this routine I can often discover something new and different.  Usually when I draw I would always start with a face shape and then sort of work my way around.  Very boring results were had.  Now I usually will go for whatever catches my eye first, from a big purse to a crazy hairdo.  This will influence how I go about the rest of my drawing.  If I like a particular aspect of a person the most I give it more importance in size and space.  While I know going into it what I want to stand out I don't know how I will work everything else in until I am done.  Its exciting to go through my pages after I am finished sketching and see how everything turned out.  Each sketch usually takes me around 45 seconds and I rapidly move on to the next so as not to dwell or over think anything (VERY dangerous).  I am constantly reminding myself that no drawing is precious and that each one must be forgotten as soon as I begin the next one.  It is probably the most valuable routine I have discovered, and one I think I will stick to ;)  Also I'm trying to use different light sources for each sketch I paint!  This is exciting!  I usually stick with a lighting source in the direction of the face.   Not so anymore!

Yello!

This is something I've been playing around with for a while...just really wanted to have some fun.  So here it is although I may work around with the composition a bit more.

Storytime

So here is something I have been working on.  I just really wanted to do a simple piece with a clear visual narrative.  Its pretty simple and I think that's great.

Gouache, salt, pen and ink

Can too much of a good thing be bad?

 I originally started these daily cafe sketches and paintings as a way to warm up before tackling larger illustration projects, and yet I find myself spending more and more time on them.  I rapidly moved from doing 2 pages a day, to 4 and now 6!  When I first started I would pick 1 or MAYBE 2 to paint up but now I paint around 4 or 5 ( I only post the ones I like best).  This is great and all but i realize that once I'm done my "warm up" its late in the afternoon and I then end up staying up really late to put more hours into my illustrations.  Anyways I'm just wondering if I should pull back on my cafe sketching a bit....hmmm... As for now I won't because....i don't want to ;) 

There's always one....

Everyday when I go sketching I see a lot of repetition in how people dress and walk.  This is great because now I'm amazing at getting down a winter coat in about 15 seconds, and it also pushes me to look even harder and find the more subtler differences in people.  One thing that is odd/sad that I have noticed is that there is almost ALWAYS one old man walking very slowly with his head down amongst the crowd of fast moving chatty 20-somethings on their lunch breaks. What is up?!?  And no, its not the same man every time either!  Call your grandfathers everyone and make sure they are ok!

Yello!

Such a busy day!  Just have time for this quick post!  This is a sneak peek at something I'm working on....