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Lighting studies for Puss in Boots and the Tres Diablos.

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Illustration for Puss in Boots.
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Watercolor on Arches paper, 15"x20".

MicroVisions

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I was just informed that the MicroVisions auction has gone live so I thought I'd post the link for you.
Every Year the Society of Illustrators selects 12 artists to do a "micro" 5"x7" painting to be exhibited and auctioned for their student scholarship fund. It's been a real thrill to be in the company of participating luminaries: Scott Bakal, Julie Bell, Scott Brundage, Brian Despain, Rebecca Guay, Scott Gustafson, John Picacio, Dan Dos Santos, Peter de Seve, Chris Rahn and Terryl Whitlatch.

It was tough to paint so small! Sure, I do tons of tiny roughs but nothing that's intended to be a "finished" painting. Nevertheless I'm happy with the outcome and have posted it here for you to take a look at. If you'd like to place a bid you can do so here, it goes to a good cause.

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This is a scene from Road to El Dorado (2000). I painted the environment for this one.
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Composition Workshop, May 19!

Whether you're a figurative artist, landscape painter, entertainment artist or picture maker of any kind, if you're in the LA area I'd love to see you at our annual Composition Workshop on Saturday May 19, 12-8pm . To enroll contact the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art at 877-695-2232. www.laafa.org
Watch the video for some tips and an overview, there's more written info below:











Composition: Design for Dynamic Picture Making:

• Slideshow presentation and lecture, 12-3pm: Lectures on the fundamentals of effective picture making. Discussions on the creation of mood and environment. Principles for organizing complex scenes into compelling arrangements. Strategies for solving compositional problems quickly and effectively. Studies of Composition in history and the modern day.

• Instructor Painting demonstration, 3:30-5
• Compositional exercises, 6-7pm
• Student painting time with instructor feedback, 7-8pm

Compressed charcoal and ivory nupastel on Srathmore charcoal paper.

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A theatrical piece for Puss in Boots.
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This is a background painting from Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron (2001). Sometimes I really miss this kind of work.
Below are closeups to show you the kind of overlapping paint textures I'm using.












This last one is the color key. These are all painted in acrylics on Crescent 100 illustration board.

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Location sketch for How to Train Your Dragon.
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Sketching From Life! 10 week course begins April 2

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My 10 week sketching from life course is coming soon! It will be held each Monday night from 7 to 10 pm starting on April 2.
For this class we'll study the head, figure, drapery, costume, animals and still life as well as a weekend field trip to study landscape painting. Charcoal, watercolor and gouache will be demonstrated though students will be welcome to use the medium of their choice. Join us!
To enroll call (877) MY-LAAFA (695-2232), their website is laafa.org

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These are concept illustrations I did for the short: Puss in Boots and the Tres Diablos.
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Location Studies Now Available for Sale

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I usually reserve sketches like these for my Landsketch blog but I've received quite a few inquiries asking if any such sketches are available for sale. It's true that I don't want to break up sketchbooks but I do have several pages of location studies on good quality illustration board like the one shown above. It hurts a little to let these go but they spend most of their time tucked in a portfolio at home so I'm pleased to offer the remaining ones for sale on my "Original Paintings for Sale" page.
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Puss in Boots and the Tres Diablos!

Puss in Boots comes out on dvd/blu-ray this week. With it is a short called "The Three Diablos" that we did after completing the feature length movie. I was the color and lighting illustrator for the show, here's my colorscript (full screen when you click it). This is meant to lay out the continuity of color and lighting moods as the story progresses from start to finish. I'll post some higher res illustrations in future posts, until then, enjoy the show!
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Step by Step Reprise and Video

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These are recent watercolor demos for my class.

Original Paintings Now for Sale!

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I'm excited to now have original paintings up for sale! Check out the available originals link on the sidebar to the right.

Due to the great 1st day response I've added a few more paintings to the for sale list, have a look if you'd like.

Color Workshop February 11!

The use of color is critically important for the working artist, well designed color can make your work powerfully compelling and will reach your audience at an emotional level that moves them. That will be our topic of study for this year's Color Workshop on Saturday, February 11, 12-8pm. So whether you're a landscape painter, figurative or entertainment artist, if you're in the LA area I'd love to see you there.

To enroll contact the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art at 877 695 2232. Online at www.laafa.org.

Here's what we'll cover:

• The fundamentals of color theory for painters (traditional and digital).
  
• The emotional impact of color and lighting to create mood and environment.
• Principles for organizing the complexities of color into pleasing harmonies.
• Strategies for solving color problems quickly and effectively.
• Color exploration exercises.
• Painting from a costumed model in a theatrical, colored light environment.

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Charcoal and nupastel on Canson heavyweight charcoal paper.
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This is a painting I did for Puss in Boots to find the look of the hotel atrium location.
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These are lighting roughs I did as a quick demo for my painting class. Gouache and prismacolor.
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Portrait Painting in Watercolor and Gouache 10 Week Course

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If you live in the LA area and your New Years resolution is to get more painting in and have a good time doing it then come on down to my portrait painting class. It will begin Monday January 9, 7-10pm. We'll be focusing on watercolor but acrylics and other water based mediums are ok too.

To enroll contact LAAFA.org, phone (877) MY-LAAFA
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Happy Holidays!

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This is a color key painting from the DreamWorks Christmas special "Shrek the Halls".

Merry Christmas everyone!
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City at night concept for Puss in Boots. Layout by Christian Schellewald and painted by me.
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Background painting from "Sinbad, Legend of the Seven Seas" by Wade Huntsman and Myself. Acrylic and photoshop.
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Puss in Boots, photoshop.
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Class demo sketch

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.Here's a demo sketch I did for my head drawing class, I thought I'd pass along a few pointers to those of you interested.


First, simple but accurate construction drawing then massing the light and shadow, this should be as simple as asking yourself what's in direct light and whats in shadow. Then addressing the turning forms within the light and shadow and designing hard and soft edges.


This overlay shows how a simple construction drawing lays the foundation. Though it may seem a bit abstract, it helps place the larger masses of anatomy within the whole, it maintains the symmetry of the head and helps convey the simple three dimensional nature of the head (like longitude and latitude on a sphere).



Always look for the simple statement as shown in this photoshop paint-over. If you put anything (and I mean anything) in your drawing that varies from it's simplest shapes and values you'd better have a darn good reason. Variations in shape and value that don't convey form to the viewer (even if you believe you're really seeing them) are the first and fastest step to drawings that don't hold together. Remember that your eyes want to find as much information as possible and tend to notice variations and contrasts more than they notice the overall value and shape relationships. squinting your eyes down to cut out all the surface details to see the simple massing of shape and value isn't just a good idea, it's a necessity.
Let me repeat it because this "simple statement" paint-over describes the most important thing I know about drawing. So few people ever master drawing because they don't know or are not willing to find the simple masses and relationships underneath all the complexity they can see. Everyone notices how the parts contrast from the whole, but you have to forcibly train yourself to do the opposite, to notice how the parts most simply relate the the whole as described in this final image.

Good luck!

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After a modest opening competing with Halloween and unseasonal NE storms, Puss in Boots has kept an unprecedented hold on movie goers during it's second week. Word of mouth is great and it looks like the show will hold strong over the next few weeks. We can stop biting our nails now.

This is some location design work, layout by Christian Schellewald and painted by myself.