A Rhino
Exhaused and hungry, returns home from the war. His only companion, the Blue feathered Osta-toot rides on his back and takes in the breeze. He moves slowly, carefully watching his step so as not to fall over and injure his friend. His protective armor reeks of blood and sweat. The battle was vicious, but he and the Osta-toot survived. They pass a group of school children.

A little boy yells:

"Rhino, Rhino,
With the belly.
Why you go and
make a smelly?"

This does not faze the weary Rhino in the least bit..he has taken worse insults in the past few years. His skin has grown as thick as....well, you know.

Finally, drawings from my Italy trip

Over the Hedge is out! Go see it and support your local animator. Thanks!


On the Eurorail, you see lots of great subjects to draw. What's even better is that most of them are sleeping.




The PANTHEON in Rome. "The Pantheon, from Greek Pantheion, meaning "Shrine of all the Gods") is a building in Rome which was originally built as a temple to the seven deities of the seven planets in the state religion of Ancient Rome, but which has been a Christian church since the 7th century. It is the best-preserved of all Roman buildings and the oldest important building in the world with its original roof intact. It has been in continuous use throughout its history. Although the identity of the Pantheon's primary architect remains uncertain, it is largely assigned to Apollodorus of Damascus."

"Since the Renaissance the Pantheon has been used as a tomb. Among those buried there are the painters Raphael and Annibale Caracci, the architect Baldassare Peruzzi and two kings of Italy: Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I, as well as Umberto's Queen, Margherita."




There's a lot of trench coat wearing older gentlemen in Italy. They all look like they are a part of some secret society of inspectors and detectives. Or maybe they just hide their salami and cheese in there to munch while they walk. Hmmm....maybe.






Drawing my hands on the way to Rome from Florence. There's something very soothing and educational about drawing your own hands. You learn a lot about shape, negative space, line, rhythm, shadows, light....etc. It's pretty incredible how fast your drawings will improve after drawing your hands over and over. It's great practice. Everyone should try it.



Soyon's hand

Guess who's going to Pixar?

That's right Ladies and Germs! Steven Macleod is going to Pixar!!
Story board "boot camp" internship for 2 months!
If you haven't yet, go check out his awesome blog.

www.clockroom.blogspot.com

Congratulations buddy, you deserve it, I'm so happy and elated for you. Go and kick ass. Spread the fire and don't ever let that fire burn out. And hurry back, producer's show is one year away. We've got to prepare!


Steve and Brad Bird at the 2006 Annie Awards. I was in this photo but I cropped myself out. I looked like a sea creature alien with epilepsy.

Make a wish

Visit Sienna


Stand in St. Peters Square

And see the Trevi fountain in Rome

"Legend says that if you toss a coin into the Trevi fountain over your shoulder, you will one day return to the eternal city." The name "Trevi" allegedly derives from the word Trivium, a meeting point of three streets that form this little widened area.














Don't worry, drawings to come soon...I promise! Please come back. Thank you kindly. I love you all.

I'm back!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you...Beach Beats, my 4th year student film at Cal Arts. Enjoy!

Yes I'm alive

Well it's been awhile? Huh? Crazy comments on the last post eh? Haven't had time to really respond to all of the comments yet. Sorry everyone. My minds been involved in other things which I will share with you very soon. Very good things actually. One of which is a trip to Italy and the other involves drawing. Can you guess? No don't! We don't want to jinx it! I'm leaving on Monday to Rome and will be gone for 2 weeks. Yup, it's a much needed vacation from all the animation madness that is stored in my brain. I'm telling you it's crazy in there. So now to pick out the sketchbooks to take!

I want to ride a Vespa scooter in Florence. So many to choose from!







Just got my Over the Hedge screening and party announcement in the mail last night! Hooray! It's finally coming out. There's a new quick t.v spot that's airing that has a few of my shots back to back.
I did the ones where RJ the raccoon is hooked on a chain on the back of a wagon as it goes flying through the back yard. He catches the "spuddies can" and smiles, then you see the wagon shoot off of a slide and into the air, you see a close-up of RJ going "Woahhhhhhhh!." Check out those mouth shapes, I had fun with that one! Then there's Verne the turtle closing his eyes and saying "Oh Boy!" And the clip ends on that one. So I'm actually on T.V. y'all! I can't seem to find them online...but I'm sure they'll be out any day now. Looks like the marketing blitz is already taking place.




Ok, ok, here I go. I know I'm picky and I should be...and you should too. First off I have to say that I love the poster, the top half looks great. Great sillhouette, great poses, fun expressions, just awesome. Can anyone spot the mess up? Well we all knew there had to be one right? Just look at Dwayne the exterminator's right hand sleeve. Ugh, is that the ugliest cg cloth you've ever seen? It's not even wrapped around his arm! It just looks like it's penetrating his wrist!
I've been trying to imagine the final meeting the marketing people had. They're all standing around looking at the final poster ready to go out to the printing press and the world. They say. " Isn't it great?" "Isn't it perfect?" And one meager artist speaks up...(that would be me, if I was there.) "Um, the sleeve on Dwayne's arm looks horrible and un-appealing...it's a big slash that breaks up the flow of the arm. Any artist can tell you that it could be better" All the execs stare in shock. " Security! What's an artist doing here?" Then they all eat their cheese and wine and laugh at how un-important that comment was and how nobody will notice. But you know what? I notice and so does anyone else with an artistic background. It matters. A whole lot.
Oh, the computer's cloth simulator won't fix that? It's the computers fault? B.S. We have artists here! Paint the damn thing. It matters... a great deal.


On a happier note, here's Verne the turtle! Oh how cute...I just want to pinch his turtelly green cheeks!



All right everyone...see ya when I get back!

napkin doodlies and others

Hi ya'll!

Sooooo, once again Amid has bashed Dreamworks on cartoonbrew.com.....well, what else is new eh?
We're all used to it by now...and boy are we trying our hardest to make him like us right boys?
Just keep waiting Amid, we'll get you smiling one of these days!
We'll just have to see how the audience responds to the movie now shall we. Opening May 19th! Go see it and I promise to tell you what shots I worked on. Oh yeah, there's a new trailer out.

Sorry for the lack of posts. Work, girlfriend, chores, day-dreaming, drawing, buying lots of books, training for "Flushed Away", being lazy, and having a sucky scanner are my excuses. Oh yeah, not to mention the hours I've spent trying to fix my Epson 5150 god awful stupid ass printer! I can't wait to chuck it off the side of a cliff. Hmmm, does anyone know if that's environmentally safe? Ahh who cares...I just want to bash it's brains in!

All right I'll calm down. Here's some stuff for you guys...





Diner napkin drawing





Restaurant napkin drawing



Kellie Smith



Claire Curameng

Maggie McGee

Click her!

Mexico 2004!!

Hola.. Here are some drawings from Ensenada, Mexico and one tribute to Frank Thomas. What the two have in common? I have no idea. Cheers and have fun!







Morgan Kelly asleep in a coffee shop...we had to sleep in my car one night and barely got any rest. Someone also tried to break into my car the next day. What an adventure.







One of the greatest actors ever. What a master.

San Fran...Tonga Lounge

This cute couple was sipping an incredibly large tiki drink with the longest straws I've ever seen in my life. How romantic. Let's hope they made sweet love that night.


Ahh San Francisco...she just popped into my head this morning after I stepped out of the shower. Weird...I guess it's a sign. She's calling me ...asking me to return for another visit. Such a beautiful place...can't wait to go again.

See The Seals

These were drawn in San Pedro at the Marine Mammal Care Center. My family and I have been going here for years. They treat ill, injured, or orphaned seals and sea lions. They also educate the public about these amazing mammals. Every time I'm there, I bring something to sketch with. I think I drew these last summer.
Go to their website for more info....or if you live in Los Angeles you can go there yourself...it's about an hour drive.

http://www.mar3ine.org/aboutmmcc.htm






That's my Dad above, with the straw hat....he loves that hat. Not a great drawing, but eh, what are you gonna do.

Puddy Tats

Well another film has come and gone. I just finished my last shot on Over the Hedge this weekend. It was a real subtle scene. Limited movement can be real tricky and come out clunky if you're not careful. Thanks to the splinedoctors notes, (www.splinedoctors.blogspot.com) I've learned to watch the corners of the mouth when changing expression or when a character is speaking. Sometimes the computer likes to make those corners real ugly and the mouth starts popping into hideous shapes. I tend to pay attention to my mouth more when acting my scenes out in front of the mirror. It makes a big difference when you're polishing up your shot. I even think about the muscles I'm using when I'm saying a particular line. If you are really sad and talking sofltly, your jaw will be very relaxed and your lips will barely move. But if you're angry or repulsed, your jaw will be taught and rigid. Ellen Woodbury , an amazing 2d, and I think now 3d animator at disney, taught me about this in one of her lectures. If you "feel" where that strain is and are aware of what muscles you're using, then you know where the force is coming from and you'll be well prepared to start your scene. But remember ...feel the scene out first. Get into the head of that character and let your imagination take over. You'll be amazed at what that character might do.
Now on to the next film...Flushed Away. This is the next Aardman/Dreamworks production. A new film, a different style, and lots to animate... I can't wait. Although I'm already starting to miss RJ and Verne.

I forget the name of this cat below. She was pretty fat and "meowed" really loud. She lives in Los Angeles, Echo Park to be exact.