Character Design | Artist Interviews

Jason Sadler Interview

2012-01-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

Jason Sadler: Character Designer at Blue Sky
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Col-erase pencils and Adobe Photoshop

Update on Stephen Silver

2012-01-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

Stephen what have you been up to in the last 5 years?

Since the last time we spoke, I had been working over at Sony Feature Animation and then I went back to Nickelodeon to work on Danny Phantom and then The Penguins of Madagascar, I even did a 3 month stint over at Fox on the Cleveland show. My main goal was to start working from home as a freelancer which I have been doing now for the last 3 years, as well as creating my own properties and teaching and lecturing in the states and around the world full time. I am now doing exactly what it is I want to do, creating new books and teaching.

Over at Schoolism.com not only do you have your Character Design class, but you have these wonderful Master Series of Mort Drucker, and Stan Goldberg. Could you tell us how and why you decided to do these?

Mort and Stan have become very close friends of mine, and the knowledge they have, I felt needs to be captured and told outside of book form. I always wanted to learn and know about their process of drawing and what better way than to go to their studios, set up a camera and film the masters at work in their own environment and voice. I felt as these great artists are getting older, it was important to document their process for generations to come. Their understanding of the art fundamentals I feel are no longer being taught, yet it is essential for any artist that wishes to break into the field of art.

How did you get in contact with these living legends?

I met them through a terrific organization that i am a member of called the National Cartoonists Society. The organization hosts a yearly event that takes place in all different parts of the country called the Rueben awards. It was through this that i finally had the chance to meet them and so many other living legends.

Were the artists both excited to do the videos with you, or did you have to kindly persuade them at first?

It did not take much at all, they loved the idea and felt very comfortable with me doing it, This was the first time they had ever been filmed in this way, which is what made the experience even better. I was so honored and privileged to spend two full days with each one of them, going to lunches and dinners and even spending the night at Stan’s house.

Tell us about your new Iphone and Ipad PoseBook Applications?

This is a concept that I have had in my mind for a really long time; it was just a matter of time before I could get it done. I feel there is a real necessity for all artists to have a fundamental understanding of drawing the clothed human figure, and I have never found a pose book that showed real character or life. I wanted to create a format that was easy and simple so that you didn’t have to spend hours Google searching images and reference you may need to better your skills. This app makes it easy to learn how to draw attitudes, expressions and hands. My intention was also to create a portable, mobile book that artists can carry with them everywhere. I also included videos to show how to approach various elements of design and drawing. Here is the site to tell you a little more and show you a video. www.posebook.com

Stephen also has a interactive e-book Jolly and roger's misguided adventures. Here's some more information about that here. http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/jolly-rogers-misguided-adventures/id481102919

So Stephen what kinds of things can we expect to see from you in the future?

What you can expect from me now, are tools and courses and workshops to help in artist development, my purpose in life I have found is to teach and share with others the knowledge that I have acquired in order to help other artists succeed in their journey. I have so much fun with this and it gives me so much joy to see the growth of artists that I work with. I feel my true give is the art of motivating and inspiring others.

Kristen Campbell Interview

2011-12-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Kristen Campbell: Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HER GALLERY
Media: Wacom Cintiq

Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice Artwork

2011-12-05T12:19:00.008-07:00

Click on the picture above to see some more Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice Artwork

Jean Baptiste Vendamme Interview

2011-11-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

Jean Baptiste Vendamme: Designer / Sculpter
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop

Denis Zilber Interview

2011-11-11T09:19:00.000-07:00

Denis Zilber: Illustrator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Photoshop

Dan Seddon Interview

2011-11-02T09:01:00.000-06:00

Dan Seddon: Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Prismacolor Pencils, Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom Cintiq.

Paul Briggs Interview

2011-10-14T13:51:00.000-06:00

Paul Briggs: Head of Story at Walt Disney Animation Studios
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Pencil and Adobe Photoshop

Nikolas Ilic Interview

2011-10-05T09:00:00.003-06:00

Nikolas Ilic: Recent Graduate from Sheridan College Animation
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop

Meg Park Interview

2011-09-21T10:33:00.001-06:00

Meg Park: Artist, Animator and Illustrator.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HER GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop and a Wacom tablet

Maxime Mary Interview

2011-09-08T15:27:00.000-06:00

Maxime Mary: Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Wacom tablet and Photoshop

Patxi Peláez Interview

2011-08-29T16:20:00.000-06:00

Patxi Peláez: Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop.

Pixar's Presto Artwork, Animatics, and some interesting facts.

2011-08-17T10:37:00.001-06:00

Click Here or on the picture to go to the Post

Brett Bean Interview

2011-08-12T12:39:00.000-06:00

Brett Bean: Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop, Sketchbook Pro, Kuretake brush pens, and Prismacolors.

Kung Fu Panda II and Dragon maquettes

2011-06-27T15:45:00.000-06:00

Damon Bard has posted some huge images of his Kung Fu Panda II and How to Train Your Dragon maquettes on his web site here... http://bardsculpturestudio.com/admin/

Geneviève Godbout Interview

2011-06-10T19:04:00.000-06:00

Geneviève Godbout: Illustrator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HER GALLERY
Media:Faber-castell polychromos color pencils

Elsa Chang Interview

2011-05-23T09:15:00.000-06:00

Elsa Chang: Freelance for Disney Publishing
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HER GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop,Watercolor, Gouache, Col-erase pencil and pen and ink.

Emmanuel Briand Interview

2011-05-16T15:17:00.000-06:00

Emmanuel Briand: Character Designer, Backgrounds Colorist, and Visual Development Artist.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Flash, Photoshop, and Watercolor

Goro Fujita Interview

2011-05-05T09:45:00.001-06:00

Goro Fujita: Animator/Visual Development Artist.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop and Sketchbook Pro

James Gurney Interview

2011-04-03T11:43:00.001-06:00

James Gurney: Author / Illustrator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Pencil and Oil Paint

Rune Bennicke Interview

2011-03-26T14:41:00.001-06:00

Rune Bennicke: Animator,Character Designer and Storyboard Artist
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Col-Erase pencils and Adobe Photoshop

Steven MacLeod Interview

2011-02-08T09:27:00.000-07:00

Steven MacLeod : Storyboard Artist For DreamWorks Animation
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop

Headless Productions Interview

2010-12-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

Headless Productions: Character Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE THEIR GALLERY
Headless Productions Is Independent Animation Studio Founded By Adrian Garcia, Alfredo Torres and Victor Maldonado.

Taylor Krahenbuhl Interview

2010-12-11T07:48:00.000-07:00

Taylor Krahenbuhl: Character Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Faber-Castell PITT Pens, Corel Painter and Adobe Photoshop

The Character Design Blog is back!!!!

2010-12-06T10:56:00.002-07:00

After a 4 month or so Sabbatical, the Character Design Blog is back. I have been doing The Character Design Blog for 5 years straight, and I didn't have much of a break from it. There is a lot that goes into it, even though it might not look like it. Mentally it's always in the back of my mind. But enough about my time off... There are a lot of great interviews and art coming, and starting this week in fact.

But first I want to share this animation Ryan Woodward did called Thought Of You. You can read his interview I did with him awhile ago here http://ryan-woodward-interview.blogspot.com/

Thought of You from Ryan Woodward on Vimeo.

Thought of You - Behind the Scenes Preview - ROUGH CUT from Cambell Christensen on Vimeo.

Teddy Newton’s Day & Night

2010-09-24T10:23:00.001-06:00

I just got a copy of Teddy Newton’s Day & Night, and I have to say I really like it. It's a perfect book to read to my children and they love it. Below, is a quick video about the creation of the book. I thought you would all like to see.

Cory Loftis Interview

2010-09-10T11:43:00.000-06:00

Cory Loftis: Lead Concept Artist for Carbine Studio
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop, Corel Painter, and Wacom Cintiq

Scott Wright Interview

2010-09-04T09:29:00.001-06:00

Scott Wright: Animator at DreamWorks
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Pencil, Ink, on Bristol board and Corel Painter

Chris Battle Interview

2010-08-16T08:47:00.002-06:00

Chris Battle: Character Art
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Pencil and Adobe Photoshop

Blacksad Gallery Update

2010-08-13T11:47:00.000-06:00

I updated the Blacksad Gallery with some pictures from the new Book called Blacksad L'Enfer, le silence.... Click on the picture or link to go to the Gallery

http://blacksad-gallery.blogspot.com/

Jonathan Miller Interview

2010-08-12T12:27:00.000-06:00

Jonathan Miller: Illustrator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Red or Non-Repro Blue Pencil, Adobe Illustrator

Jason Deamer Interview

2010-07-28T11:07:00.000-06:00

Jason Deamer: Character Art Director at Pixar
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Black ink, Adobe Photoshop, Gouache, and Colored Pencil.

Colin Jack Interview

2010-07-22T16:26:00.000-06:00

Colin Jack: Character Designer and Children's Book Illustrator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Autodesk SketchBook Pro.

Pascal Campion

2010-07-17T09:59:00.001-06:00

This wonderful video was directed by Anthony Vu. I wanted everyone here to see it and hear all the wonderful things Pascal says about drawing, storytelling, and the fear of sharing your artwork.

If you plan on attending the San Diego Comicon 2010, please stop by and say "Hi!" to Pascal Campion at his booth at G03. Thanks Anthony for doing such a great video.

Aurore Damant Interview

2010-06-30T13:22:00.000-06:00

Aurore Damant: Character Designer, Art Director and Illustrator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HER GALLERY
Media: Traditional Mediums, Adobe Photoshop, and a Wacom Cintiq.

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL ARTISTS

2010-06-18T11:02:00.009-06:00

I am happy to announce a new project I have decided to get involved in. I was contacted by HospitalSkins. They are looking for child-friendly artwork for hospitals and other uses (bedrooms, equipment, vehicles, etc.).

If any of you have any 2D or 3D artwork just laying around, not being used or some artwork from your portfolios and you would like to help out, then this is a great opportunity for both the children in the hospitals, and the artist that contribute. Not only will you be having your artwork and your name up in lots of hospitals (free advertisement) you will receive 5% of the sales price of any item sold containing his or her artwork. Most importantly, you will be helping to create a better environment for children.

The artwork doesn't have to be just animals either, your imagination is the limit.... Robots, fun little monsters, anything and everything. There is also no limit to how many submissions you can send.

The product is a reproduction of a piece of art printed on a Vinyl Pressure-sensitive Adhesive media (“skin”) which can then be put on a hospital wall or other place. The size is flexible from small to huge and these skins can easily be applied or removed and can be reused indefinitely. Research has shown that child-friendly art in a child’s room and other hospital locations can be a positive factor in their treatment.

The examples below are just painted murals in a hospital but they show how art can make a big difference in the atmosphere of a hospital. Vinyl skins are a big improvement over murals like those below because they bring down the cost of such artwork while improving its variety, quality, flexibility and availability.

Below are some good examples of images submitted by Pete Oswald. This enjoyable art is the type of artwork that would make a hospital environment more comforting and friendly to children.

If you would like to submit some items to be considered for use, click HERE to review the contract then print, sign and email the signed contract with your proposed art (jpeg files, 300 DPI) to hospitalskins@gmail.com.

For more information you can go to their blog at
http://www.hospitalskins.blogspot.com/

Rob Laro Interview

2010-05-18T13:55:00.000-06:00

Rob Laro: Freelance Illustrator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop,and a Wacom tablet.

Andre Medina Interview

2010-04-29T10:00:00.001-06:00

Andre Medina: Character Layout Artist
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Traditional Mediums and Adobe Photoshop.

Simon Loche Interview

2010-04-09T13:02:00.001-06:00

Simon Loche: Comic Book Artist and Illustrator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Traditional and Digital.

How To Train Your Dragon Week Round 3

2010-04-04T10:14:00.000-06:00

How To Train Your Dragon Week Round 2

2010-04-02T18:01:00.000-06:00

How To Train Your Dragon Week Round 1

2010-04-01T17:33:00.002-06:00

Here is the first batch of Nico Marlet art... I hope you enjoy these as much as I do.

How To Train Your Dragon Week

2010-03-31T22:17:00.000-06:00

I had a blast watching How To Train Your Dragon with my son. If you haven't seen it you're missing out. I want to go back and see it 3D. I want to congratulate all the talented artists who worked on this film. Last November I got to tour DreamWorks thanks to Gabriele. What a beautiful place they have there in Glendale. I felt like I was in a wonderful Mediterranean town. While I was there, I was able to see apart of How To Train Your Dragon. From what I saw back then, I could tell that it was going to be a great film. I was also able to meet a lot of the artists that worked on the film. The artwork that I saw was amazing. They could have filled up multiple art books with the stuff that I saw. I was able to see a lot of the design stages for many of the characters. I also saw some artwork on the walls from some of their upcoming projects which I sadly can't talk about. I was in heaven! What a wonderful experience.

Anyway... I can honestly tell you that How To Train Your Dragon is one of the top animated movies I have seen. I hope everyone gets a chance to see it. The story, animation, and artwork are fantastic. I wish they could sell it on Blu-ray as soon as you come out of the theaters. I would have bought it right then.

To help celebrate such a awesome movie, DreamWorks has allowed me to show you some of the artwork that I saw there. So for the rest of the week I will be posting some of the artwork that is not in the art of book. Make sure you do yourself a favor and go see the movie. Come back here tommorow to see some amazing art.

Antonio Santamaria Interview

2010-03-30T09:17:00.002-06:00

Antonio Santamaria: Designer / Story Artist
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop and Wacom Cintiq.

The Art Of How To Train Your Dragon

2010-03-01T14:10:00.003-07:00

If you do buy this book through the amazon link below. I will thankfully receive a small percentage of the sale. Plus I want to show everyone how amazing these books are. Besides, Amazon is always the cheapest place to buy the book anyway. I hope everyone likes the video and enjoys the book. There is a lot more in the book that is not in the video.

The Art Center

2010-02-19T09:03:00.002-07:00

The Art Center is a brand new place where Artists will share Ideas, Tips, and Tutorials. It will quickly grow both in content and artists from all the different art mediums. The Art Center will be a sister site to the Character Design blog. I would like to thank Rad Sechrist, and all of the artists that are and will be posting at The Art Center. There are some great posts up already, and there is a lot more to come. So go there now, and have some fun learning from some of the best talent out there. http://www.theartcenter.blogspot.com/

Ben Camberos Interview

2010-02-18T17:37:00.001-07:00

Ben Camberos: Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Wacom tablet.

Rad Sechrist Interview

2010-02-08T14:44:00.003-07:00

Rad Sechrist: Storyboard Artist at DreamWorks Animation, Comic Book Artist, Illustrator, And Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop.

French Roast Nominated for Best Animated Short

2010-02-03T09:32:00.007-07:00

Congratulations to Fabrice O Joubert, and all the talented artists that worked on French Roast for being nominated for Best Animated Short. You can now view the entire short in large QuickTime at http://www.frenchroast.fr/fyc_watchfrenchroast.html

If you would like to view the interview I had with Fabrice about the making of French Roast, follow this link at http://characterdesign.blogspot.com/2009/06/french-roast_06.html

The Story of Walls

2010-01-25T12:30:00.030-07:00

I want to tell everyone about this wonderful, funny, and great looking short by Pete Oswald and written by Sandeep Sood.

Here's a short synopsis

The Story of Walls is an absurdest history of trade protectionism.  We made this short film so that we could point out the obvious: protectionism is absurd.

In ten minutes, our film takes you from ancient civilization to the modern day. Despite its breadth, we succeed in providing the viewer with a thorough education and understanding of our world’s economic history. We describe events that are intriguing, insightful, and mostly falsified.

Pete, when did you start creating The Story of Walls?

My partners and I came up with the concept in May 2009.

Where is your studio located?

Badmash Animation Studios is located in Los Angeles, San Fransisco and Pune, India. We did most of the preproduction here in the states and all of the animation in India. We are a global production.

Who were the artists that help create the film?

Directed By: Pete Oswald

Written By: Sandeep Sood

Storyboard Artist: Andy Suriano

Art Director: Pete Oswald

Background Layout: Chris Reccardi

Character Layout: Vikram Athavale

Animation Director: Noor Mohammed

Music Composed By: Chad Seiter

Sound Design and Mix By: Alex Levy

How long did it take to create The Story of Walls?

The entire production of this film took 4 months.

What types of media did you use?

We animated mostly every scene in Flash. There are a few scenes that we composited in After Effects. I really wanted to explore using two dimensional characters in three dimensional space.

What type of design style where you going for?

I have always been inspired by Disney's short films from the 1950s, specifically "Toot, Whistle, Plunk, Boom." Ward Kimball became the major inspiration on how I directed and designed the film. Also, we looked at many UPA shorts for inspiration.

How many different versions of characters and designs did you go through?

I took a few weeks in the beginning to explore different styles for the film. Due to the tight production schedule, there were very few versions of character designs. We didn't have a lot of time to explore each character. Andy Suriano's storyboard was very tight. We kept pretty close to some of his original sketches.

Being the Director, did the final look and feel of the film meet your expectations?

The final look of the film totally exceeded my expectations. We were fortunate to work with many talented people so I was able to trust everyone. I am a firm believer that when you hire talented people and allow them to do what they do best, you will get a successful outcome.

Have you been able to received some awards for the film?

We just recently got nominated for an Annie Award in the "The Best Animated Short Subject" category. We just started the film festival submission process. We are hoping the attend many festivals in the upcoming year.

What film are you planning to do next?

I have a few ideas brewing, but I need to find funding first.

Is there a way to buy The Story of Walls on DVD or Blu-ray?

Not yet. We will Hopefully have a DVD available to buy soon. I will keep everyone posted.

Thank you so much Pete for talking about your amazing short as well as letting us see the production art. The Story of Walls is one of my favorite shorts that I have seen. The mixture of Pete's art direction, the comedy, as well great storytelling makes this short, one to see. I hope everyone can get a chance to view it. I'm looking forward to see what Pete comes up with next. To see even more pictures, go to Pete's blog at http://peteoswald.blogspot.com/

Leo Matsuda Interview

2010-01-20T11:22:00.002-07:00

Leo Matsuda: Story Artist/Character Design
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Gouache, Watercolor, and Digital Media .

Carlos Grangel Interview

2009-12-17T09:10:00.002-07:00

Carlos Grangel: Owner and Designer at Grangel Studios
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Pencil, Brush, Colored Pencils, Markers, Gouache and Pastels.

The Art of The Princess and the Frog Video Preview

2009-12-04T20:06:00.009-07:00

Here is a preview of the The Art of The Princess and the Frog
book, and once again it's a lot cheaper to buy it at Amazon link here.

Zaruhi Galstian Interview

2009-12-02T10:07:00.002-07:00

Zaruhi Galstian: Designer/Animator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HER GALLERY
Media: Traditional Media and Adobe Photoshop.

Lots to show and tell.

2009-11-28T11:15:00.005-07:00

I got back from California the other day. I was able to see many friends and artists. I got to walk around many of the studios there as well. I have many interviews to post and thanks to the animation expo, I have a ton more coming. There are some amazing things happening in Burbank and I can't wait to share some of the stories and talk about the people I met. This picture shows just a few of the up coming artists that I will be interviewing too.

Mike Dougherty Interview

2009-10-24T13:01:00.002-06:00

Mike Dougherty: Character Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop.

Sanford Greene Interview

2009-09-25T10:32:00.002-06:00

Sanford Greene: Comic Book Artist
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop, and Wacom tablet.

Sandro Cleuzo Interview

2009-08-27T12:35:00.001-06:00

Sandro Cleuzo: Animator/Character Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Col- Erase blue, 2b pencil, Prismacolor Markers, and Adobe Photoshop.

The Art and Making of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs Video

2009-08-12T18:31:00.010-06:00

I can't say it enough... Sony Pictures Animation have the best "Art Of " Books! If you were able to get their last two books (Open Season and Surf's Up) then you know how much art they put in them. Sony's books are HARD COVERED, BIGGER, MORE PAGES, AND HAVE LOTS OF CHARACTER DESIGNS! Tracey Miller-Zarneke and the people over at Insight Editions really know how to put a book together too. Tracey Miller-Zarneke was the same person who Authored The Art of Kung Fu Panda (Which is sold out now). I would like to thank the person at Sony for sending me this book and everyone who signed it too. My honest opinion is that you will really enjoy having this book and it will also get you excited to go see the film.
I really love it when someone puts out a good product, and I want to make sure everyone knows about it... So to all those who helped put this book together... A BIG THANKS!

The Book is normally $50 but if you get it at Amazon now, you can order it for $31.50 which is well worth it.

By the way, there's more than 2/3 of the book that isn't even in this video.

Also if you enjoy the art from that book , you might also want to consider getting "Flint Saves the Day" It has some more artwork by Carey Yost and Pete Oswald both character designers that worked on the film.

Maël Gourmelen Interview

2009-08-04T17:19:00.002-06:00

Maël Gourmelen: Animator/Character Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Watercolors, Gouache, Acrylic, Dry Pastels, and Adobe Photoshop.

Paul Linsley Interview

2009-07-20T07:56:00.002-06:00

Paul Linsley: Designer/Illustrator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Oils, and Adobe Photoshop.

Uwe Heidschoetter Interview

2009-07-03T19:33:00.002-06:00

Uwe Heidschoetter: Freelance artist working in Animation and Illustration
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Adobe Photoshop.

Dan Schoening Interview

2009-06-17T17:00:00.002-06:00

Dan Schoening: Animator/Illustrator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Adobe Flash, Adobe Photoshop, Tria markers, and White Acrylics.

French Roast

2009-06-06T17:22:00.010-06:00

French Roast
An animated short film by
Fabrice O. Joubert

In a fancy Parisian Café of the sixties, an uptight businessman is about to pay the check when he finds out that he's lost his wallet. To save time he decides to order more coffee...

French Roast is a character driven short animated film about appearances. Without any dialogue, the story is told through character animation, music and sound.

Fabrice, when did you start creating French Roast?

I started working on the idea of FRENCH ROAST a few years ago. At the time, I was working abroad and I think that my nostalgia of Paris played a big part in getting the film's idea. I started with a simple story line - a man who loses his wallet and can't pay the check in a restaurant - and developed the plot around it. Very quickly the businessman and the tramp were born and the other characters came as the story built up.

How long did it take to create French Roast?

In total, it took 6 months of development, on and off, and then a full time year of production with a team of 65 artists and technicians at Pumpkin Studio.

Where is your studio located?

Pumpkin Studio is a small animation studio located in Montreuil, near Paris. Montreuil is quite famous in french film history for having been the place where Georges Méliès built the very first cinema studios in 1896.
However the production of FRENCH ROAST didn't start at Pumpkin Studio, but in a school. In fact, as I was still searching for a production company to finance the film, I was able to start the production a group of students from an animation school called « Ecole Georges Méliès »... a funny coincidence! The students worked with me during the summer of 2007 and that's when Pumpkin Studio arrived to take over.

Who were the artists that helped create the style of the film?
How where you able to work with Nicolas Marlet?

As the story got more defined on paper, I was eager to start working on the look of the film and especially on the character design, so I could begin to draw the storyboards with the proper look of the five protagonists. This was very important for me because the story asked for a very choreographed staging, with a lot of interactions between the characters, and the constraint of a camera shooting a single shot in one axis only. For all those reasons, I needed to know exactly how the characters were going to look like.

At the time, Nicolas Marlet was already a close friend and asking him to create the characters' design for my film was quite obvious. Moreover, his graphic style was fitting perfectly with the story and with the atmosphere that I wanted to get.

My wife, Aurélie Blard-Quintard, designed also some of the secondary characters in the film. You can visit her blog here: http://aurelieblardquintard.blogspot.com/

For the set design, I asked Louis Tardivier to create the backgrounds for the film.
I wanted the background elements to get a certain amount of looseness in their shapes and contour lines, which was perfect for him as it is his natural way to draw. The aim was to make the background more organic and graphic, and thus more in harmony with Nicolas' designs.

I showed Louis a lot of Ronald Searle's drawings that I had pined on my wall at the time I was writing the story. I gave him also a lot of pictures from books about parisian cafés and restaurants, as well as tons of photos that we took with the students during our location scouting in Paris. Photographers like Robert Doisneau, Henri Cartier-Bresson or Willy Ronis were a great inspiration to recreate the parisian life of the sixties. The films by french director Jacques Tati, which always fascinated me on an aesthetic level, were also an important reference.

From the drawings that Louis had done, we started building the set in 3D. Then a digital matte painting was created by Julien Georgel. We used a technique called “camera mapping” which allowed us to project the 2D painting directly onto the 3D model of the set, thus preserving a very stylized and painterly look.

What type of design style where you going for?

I really wanted to go for a stylized look. I love animation because it's a medium that gives you the freedom to create characters and environments that don't exist in reality and then to make them believable for the audience. Realism was never a goal in the creation of the film's look... on the contrary.

How many different versions of character designs did you go through?

Not too many. I think Nicolas likes to work around one idea to explore the possibilities of shapes, patterns and textures. That's what happened on FRENCH ROAST.

First we talked a lot about the story. I had written a complete description for each character and this helped Nicolas in getting what kind of mood I was going for. The film being a comedy relying essentially on characterization, but being also of a short length (the film is less than 8 minutes long), I wanted to make sure that the characters were clearly portrayed from the very beginning of the movie. Since I didn't have any dialogue nor enough time to establish the five protagonists as well as I had done in my word processor, character design seemed to be the only way to achieve that.

So Nicolas started to draw in a large sketchbook with a colored pencil. He drew one page for each of the five characters, proposing different variations. He added colors and textures using pencils and ink. It was really at that moment that the film's look was born. I didn't have to ask for more, as those first sketches were absolutely fantastic, full of life... the characters were there.

At that point, I just had to pick the versions that I preferred, the ones that felt best for the story. Retrospectively, I realize what a luxury it was!

Being the Director, did the final look and feel of the film meet your expectations?

It actually exceeded my expectations...
In fact, establishing the look of FRENCH ROAST took more than a year. I had a pretty good idea of what I was aiming for, but I have to say that I always tried to leave some space for the artists to bring something to the visual aspect of the film.

The work done by the texturing department for example has been crucial in concretizing the painterly look that I wanted for the characters, as much as the matte paintings did for the backgrounds.

Also, the modelers did an amazing job in translating Nicolas' designs into 3D, preserving successfully the stylization of his original drawings. Creating the tramp's hair and beard has been a pretty big challenge, because I really was pushing to get the original graphic style back in 3D... and it was eventually quite successful. Cloth simulation, special effects, lighting and compositing... all played also a huge part in the process.

That is why the final look is actually more satisfying than what I ever could have imagined.

Have you been able to receive some awards for the film?

FRENCH ROAST has been traveling a lot for the last 6 months and has been screened in about 20 festivals as of today. The film has won 3 awards, among them “Best Animation” at the Foyle Film Festival in Northern Ireland, and “Best animated short” at the Atlanta Film Festival. It has also been selected at SIGGRAPH 2009 and is in competition in the “Best of Show” category, which is really great!

What film are you planning to do next?

At the moment I am writing a new story for an animated film. I am also working on a script for a live action short... which is something I really want to do.

Is there a way to buy French Roast on DVD or Blu-ray?

Not yet. The film is still touring the festivals all around the world. I assume it will get a dvd release quite soon.

To contact the director:
contact@frenchroast.fr

The film's website:
http://www.frenchroast.fr/

The film's production blog (in french only, sorry)
http://making-of-french-roast.blogspot.com/

A link to look up where the film will be screened next:
http://www.shortfilmcentral.com/film/1353/

I'd like to thank Fabrice for giving us a little more insight to his wonderful animated short. I can't wait to have my own copy of the DVD or Blu-ray. I'll be sure to let everyone know as soon as it is available. (Here's hoping they have a lot of cool special features, with even more insight, on the disk).

Sean L. Moore Interview

2009-06-03T19:58:00.002-06:00

Sean L. Moore: Author / Illustrator and Character Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Adobe Photoshop.

The Art Of Up

2009-05-24T22:57:00.007-06:00

Click Here to buy it at Amazon, they have the book for $26.40.

Noah Klocek Interview

2009-05-18T13:30:00.002-06:00

Noah Klocek: Sketch Artist / Designer For Pixar Animation Studios
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Adobe Photoshop, Pastel.

Chris Sasaki Interview

2009-05-11T10:23:00.002-06:00

Chris Sasaki: Charcter Designer
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Adobe Photoshop, Pencil, Marker, and Sketchbook Pro.

Pixar's UP Storyboards

2009-05-09T08:47:00.003-06:00

Here are some wonderful storyboards from Pixar's UP. With the amount of storage space on Blu-rays now, it would be fantastic if Disney could have an option to view the film as a full screen Animatic (animated storyboards). And I'm not talking a small little pop up window, I’m talking full screen... As you can see, from these delightful storyboards it would be great to see that happen.

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

Andrea Spada Interview

2009-05-06T11:12:00.002-06:00

Andrea Spada: Character Designer / Animator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Adobe Photoshop and Colored Pencils.

The Art of Monsters vs. Aliens

2009-04-28T10:00:00.011-06:00

It's a bit late, but I wanted to show everyone how awesome this book was. Make sure you view the video in HD

Click Here to buy it at Amazon, they have some books for $24.

Brittney Lee Interview

2009-04-25T11:15:00.003-06:00

Brittney Lee: Designer/Animator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HER GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop, Watercolor, Ink, Gouache, and Collage.

Erich Sokol

2009-04-24T17:24:00.009-06:00

One of my favorite artists is Erich Sokol. His character design, storytelling, and colors are just amazing. Sadly Erich died in February 2003. His artwork and books have gone way up in price but you can still see some of his work on the internet. I have links to download many of his pictures…a total of 58. Due to the amount of pictures and their large size, I have decided to put them up on Rapidshare for all to download. Some of the pictures you might have seen on the internet and many that you may not have.

So click on the links - which will take you to the download area. Then click on the free user button on the left, below the speedometer. Then wait for the 30 seconds countdown after which the download button will appear. Finally click on that and your download will start. It’s free, it’s fast, and very safe (no viruses or adware).

http://rapidshare.com/files/222593163/Erich_Sokol_Day_1.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/223324082/Erich_Sokol_Day_2.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/223828647/Erich_Sokol_Day_3.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/223828648/Erich_Sokol_Day_4.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/223828649/Erich_Sokol_Day_5.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/223828650/Erich_Sokol_Day_6.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/223828651/Erich_Sokol_Day_7.zip

I hope you enjoy these as much as I have.

Lindsey Olivares Interview

2009-04-15T10:47:00.002-06:00

Lindsey Olivares: Student At Ringling
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HER DESIGNS
Media: Prismacolor Colored Pencils, and Adobe Photoshop.

The Character Design Forum

2009-04-07T18:25:00.007-06:00

The first Design Challenge was posted, but there’s still time to accomplish it, here’s the information about the challenge.

Have you ever seen an animated film and wished you could re-design a character or two? Well this is the Art & Design Challenge for this month.

Re-design Roger Rabbit and/or Jessica Rabbit from the movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Post all of your Pictures in the April 2009 Art & Design Challenge thread by April 30th, and then at the first of the next month (May 1 - May 3) all members will vote for the best Re-design. Both professional and non-professional can participate in the challenges.

Here are the rules... Roger needs to be a white bunny, and Jessica needs to be a tall red head (if you color it, that is). Remember to keep the characters in the same art style as the film. Other than that, shapes, sizes, and what they are wearing can be up to you.

If you want to participate in the challenge, or view everyone’s designs in the thread, hurry and register here… http://characterdesignforum.forumotion.net.

Ame Vidal Interview

2009-04-04T10:37:00.001-06:00

Ame Vidal: Animation Artist
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Adobe Photoshop.

Awesome! Damon Bard sculpts as well as answers reader's questions.

2009-04-01T09:04:00.007-06:00

Betsy Bauer asks…
Damon,
What is your process like? Do you begin your sculpture with a wireframe/tinfoil and gradually build everything up all at once, or do you tend to work in "pieces?" How long does it normally take you to complete one sculpture?

Betsy,
I normally start with an aluminum wire armature to set the pose and hold the sculpture upright. I then gradually build up everything at the same time to keep the whole thing cohesive so nothing gets left behind. Also, sometimes I build things in pieces like for stop-motion puppets. Usually, depending on how refined/detailed a sculpture is, it can take a matter of days to weeks. It just depends on what the sculpture is for.

Caio asks…
What kind of deadlines do you have? Do you work directly with a character designer? And if so, after you get the designs, model sheets and stuff what's usually the deadline time you've got to accomplish your work? I don't understand too much about sculpture for the entertainment industry so it'd be nice to know a little more.

Caio,
Deadlines vary. Sometimes I have to finish something in a few days, other times I may have a few weeks. Again, it depends on the sculpt and what it is for. A quick take on a character or a sketch can take a few days and if we really want to nail the design in the sculpture and have a solid detailed maquette it can take several weeks, so it depends. Yes, I work directly with many other talented and gifted designers and on a lucky occasion I am the only person on a character's design especially if it is for a stop-motion project since it is the puppet sculpt that is the final rendition of the design that everyone will see.

Lel asks…
How did you learn Maquette sculpting? do you always need specific design instructions or are you able to just design a character as your making it? what are stop motion puppets actually made out of?

Lel,
I learned Maquette sculpting by working with clay since I was very young. I also took some workshops or classes and was exposed to other artists and asked them how they approached what they did. I learned alot that way and by trying things on my own.

No, I don't always need specific design instructions but a character description helps. Sometimes I just have that, other times I have just one drawing, and then there are times when there are dozens. It really doesn't matter to me if I have almost no direction or if I have very specific drawings that I must follow. I just try and work with what has been asked of me and with what I been given. I like having less information at times since I can explore design options and have things be more spontaneous. It's fun that way. Stop-motion puppets can be made of a variety of materials from plastics, rubbers, metal, fabric, clay, wood, really whatever works since it is dictated by what the character is and how you want it to look.

Fabián Fucci asks…
Does remakes (maquettes that have to be done again) happen for sculptors in the way they happen to animators? If so, how do you handle changes or modifications in your sculptures?

Fabian,
Making changes is part of the process of sculpting. As I am working, we may notice that things need to be altered like if the arms are too short, or the head is too small or too big, but if the changes are too extreme or if it has gone all over the place I will usually just start a new sculpture and work it out from there. But yes, I have started sculptures over many times. It can be a great opportunity to get a fresh start on something that has not been working or if you want to try a slightly different version of a design.

Cannibalistic Cacti asks…
I've noticed most of your sculptures have some rather delicate details. Is there a certain technique you use to get it right, or is it a lot of trial and error?

Cannibalistic,
Steady hands and sharp eyes are my best allies when it comes to detail. Also, small dental tools can help when my hands can't get into a small area. So, in a way, it is alot of trial and error to see what works for me.

Garry Mike David asks…
Hi Damon!
Once you finished a sculpture, do you let go of the sculpt or do you still supervise in later stages of the desgin-pipeline?

Garry,
Once I have finished a sculpture I sometimes do just let it go but I have also supervised the designs in later stages of the design pipeline to ensure that the design stays on model and that it doesn't change too much if we need to make compromises for whatever reasons.

Silent Cookie asks…
Will you be selling any of the maquettes you've created for Dreamworks?

Silent,
No, I do not sell any of the sculptures I have done since the sculpts and designs are owned and copyrighted by whatever studio I have done the work for. It is referred to as “work for hire" and you basically have no rights whatsoever to any of the images that you create unless it is stated otherwise in your contract or something.

BERGGEIT asks…
Do you use any digital sculpting software (i.e Zbrush, Mudbox) before starting on the actual maquette sculpt? How long have you been working as a sculptor?

Berggeit,
No, at this point I do not use any digital sculpting software in my work. Currently, I am looking into incorporating that process into my workflow but I need to become more familiar with the software. I have been working as a professional sculptor for about 20 years now.

Dave asks…
Hey Mr. Bard!
What are your inspirations? And what’s your favorite part of your job?

Dave,
My main inspirations are movies, art, science, astronomy....things that cover broad ideas with creative solutions. The favorite thing about my career is that it is my career and I get to do what I love to do. It sounds a little corny, but it's a dream come true.

CMAC asks… What are some of the more difficult issues that arise while translating a 2D design into a sculpture? In general how many passes does it take you to arrive to the final end design? What does it depend on?

CMAC,
One of the more difficult things in translating a 2D design into a 3D design is if there are too many drawings. They can sometimes contradict one another and you have to make choices and decisions that work best for the sculpture and the design. On how many passes it takes, sometimes I can nail a final design on the first or second try but other times it can be dozens of passes before it gets there. It just depends on the vision of the director and/or how many changes are requested.

Thanks for all your questions everyone, I enjoyed answering them.
Happy sculpting!

Thank you so much Damon for taking the time to answer all of these great questions. We will have to do this more frequently. And thank you to all who asked those fantastic questions.

To see more incredible sculptures from Monsters vs. Aliens as well as sculptures from several other animated films go to his website at http://www.bardsculpturestudio.com/

Tony Merrithew Interview

2009-03-17T06:55:00.003-06:00

Tony Merrithew: Sculptor/Animator
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Oil based modeling clay.

The Art of Bolt Video

2009-03-09T18:41:00.007-06:00

CLICK HERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS BOOK

The Art of Bolt

Claudio Acciari Interview

2009-02-27T17:56:00.001-07:00

Claudio Acciari: Animator, Designer, and Comic Book Artist.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Adobe Photoshop, Black Pen, and Acrylics.

Dan Panosian Interview

2009-02-17T11:57:00.002-07:00

Dan Panosian: Comic Book Artist, Illustrator, And Concept Artist
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Adobe Photoshop, Colored Pencils, and Copic Markers.

Coraline Maquettes Over At Damon Bard's Website

2009-02-06T12:55:00.006-07:00

With Coraline coming out today, Damon Bard has put up loads of pictures of all his Maquettes he did for the film. I was able to ask Damon a few questions about his work on Coraline (see below the pics). To view more of Damons work, go to his website at http://www.bardsculpturestudio.com.

Damon how many sculptures did you do for Coraline?

I did quite a few sculptures for the film. I don't remember how many, but a big chunk of it is on my site, it was alot though. I was involved with the project for about 3 years on and off.

The delicate shapes in those characters are amazing. Was it a challenge creating some of the sculptures?

Part of the challenge is the delicate shapes. Also, getting in tune with Henry Selick (or any director) can be challenging as he is very demanding when it comes to what he wants. Another challenge is the engineering of the sculptures for the puppet fabrication, making them functional for the animators to animate, and easy to maintain and replace parts that blow out during shooting. Basically, every character in a stop-motion film has its own unique set of problem solving challenges that need to be met in order to make a functional puppet. And all that is just with the characters, the sets and environments are a whole other animal. They also require demanding creative approaches that will impact the puppets once they get on stage. The biggest challenge in a film of this magnitude, with so many physical objects being made that have to work together, with literally tens of thousands of engineered parts, is that it all has to be planned out to go as smoothly as it can go. That as a whole is a tremendous challenge for every department, and everyone has to work together. Personally, I love that kind of a challenge. Stop-motion films are one of my most favorite types of projects to work on and it's fun to have to figure it all out.

Is this your first time stop motion animated film?

No. I have worked with Henry on many things since James and the Giant Peach and on various television commercials that require stop-motion puppets. It is a very comfortable medium for me to work in.

Did you approach your work any differently because of it being stop motion?

Yes, as I mentioned above stop-motion puppets require a huge amount of work, time, and planning to come to fruition. The sculpting process is the same but the foundation of the character/puppet building process is the maquette, that is the beginning. You have to know how the puppet will work once it is finished, even before it has been made. After that, a puppet sculpt is done based on the maquette and is engineered so it can function properly as a puppet and pave the way for the rest of puppet fabrication processes. It's like working in the present and in the future at the same time. The way I approach it deviates almost immediately from the start.

Damon, what do they do with all your sculptures once the film is done?

The original clay sculptures are destroyed in the mold process but the casts of the maquettes are either stored, on display at the studio, or go on tour. The same goes with the finished puppets. Sometimes puppets, parts, or sets are given to a few lucky people at the end of a film too. I have been fortunate enough over the years to receive a few special things from past projects. :)

http://www.bardsculpturestudio.com.

Shannon Tindle Interview

2009-02-05T16:30:00.003-07:00

Shannon Tindle: Visual Development/Story Artist
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS DESIGNS
Media: Cintiq, Sketchbook Pro, Modbook tablet, Adobe Photoshop, Precise V Point pens, Colerase pencils and Pantone Markers.

Mark McDonnell Interview

2009-01-27T20:17:00.002-07:00

Mark McDonnell: Character and Layout/Background Designer.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop.

David Colman's Doodles Volume 2

2009-01-14T20:31:00.009-07:00

Hi everyone.... I want to let everyone know about David Colman's new book.

Below is some information from David about his new book.

David Colman’s Doodles Volume 2 is here!! Volume 1 was a big hit and is sold out, but Volume 2 is even bigger, in full color and a hardcover. Over 100 pages of my animal sketches, character designs, paintings and even production work from my time at Sony, Cartoon Network and many other studios. This book is now available for pre-order. All pre-orders made through the davidsdoodles.com store will receive a signed copy of the book with a personal sketch from the artist. Order it today to get this one time offer…… Once February hits the personal sketch offer is off the table.

All preorders will ship 2nd week of February but your patience will be rewarded…I am very proud of the quality of this book and kept my price @ only $20 so many more can enjoy it….. and @over 100 pages it is definitely worth it for all my dedicated fans.

My next several postings are samples pages of the book….check it out…..

PLUS, my new site has launched…containing tons of new work and I am very proud of it… It now has a professional look and I want to know what you all think…..there may be a few changes over next week or two but its set to go…Plus, my shirt line is now available on the site, previously only available @ conventions. The only thing still exclusive to the conventions are the limited edition signed prints….

www.davidsdoodles.com

enjoy!

The Art of Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa

2008-11-16T16:25:00.007-07:00

With the fabulous feedback I received from creating a video for The Art of Kung Fu Panda book, I decided to do one for The Art of Madagascar and continue to do it for other "Art of" books that I think may be worth getting. The Art of Madagascar has 160 pages with a lot of good character design art inside. I bought mine for $29.70 at Amazon here The Art of Madagascar . In the stores your going to have to pay $45.

Anyway I hope you like the video... Remember, this is just a fraction of what is in this book.

Click on the link here... The Art of Madagascar

Happy Halloween Everyone

2008-10-31T12:23:00.019-06:00

I am still chopping away at the new blog and getting it all ready. I feel like I have been neglecting this one... sorry about that. I have been testing new things out with the HTML and figuring out how I am going to display the many images rather than the normal blog-way. Anyway I hope everyone is having a safe and fun Halloween. Here are some of the wonderful designs from The Nightmare Before Christmas, I hope you like them.

One Big Reason For Getting Kung Fu Panda on DVD or Blu-ray

2008-10-17T15:16:00.010-06:00

via The Art of the Title Sequence

Click on the link here for the ... The Kung Fu Panda/Secrets of the Furious Five DVD
Click on the link here for the ... The Kung Fu Panda Blu-ray

Also... I have been working on a new little Blog. It's not ready yet, ( So it is blocked right now) But I am sure everyone will be interested in the link address... http://modelsheets.blogspot.com/ There is a lot more to come, and I 'll be posting another interview very soon.

Bobby Pontillas

2008-09-28T17:18:00.001-06:00

Bobby Pontillas: Animator/Character Designer.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop.

Darren Rawlings

2008-09-20T11:48:00.002-06:00

Darren Rawlings: Comic Book Artist.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Faber-Castell Brush, Prismacolor Markers, Adobe Photoshop, Flash, and After Effects.

Octavio Rodriguez

2008-09-13T20:20:00.002-06:00

Octavio Rodriguez: Storyboard artist at Nickelodeon.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop, Sketchbook Pro, and Painter X.

Louie del Carmen

2008-09-06T11:57:00.002-06:00

Louie del Carmen: Storyboard Artist At DreamWorks.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Watercolors, Acrylics, Oils, and a Wacom Cintiq.

Pascal Campion

2008-08-16T12:31:00.002-06:00

Pascal Campion : Animator / Illustrator.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Flash MX and Adobe Photoshop.

More Pics From The Princess And The Frog

2008-08-08T17:50:00.003-06:00

Ben Balistreri's "Seaweed and the Cure for Mildew"

2008-07-12T13:39:00.011-06:00

Its Comic Con season and I know that a lot of you are getting excited to go. So to help get people even more excited, I wanted to let everyone know about Ben Balistreri’s new book "Seaweed and the Cure for Mildew". Even with his busy schedule at DreamWorks as a story artist, he had time to answer a few questions about his awesome book…

Ben when did you first think of the story for this book and how long did it take to create?

I was on vacation in San Diego and was enjoying a drink or two at the Tangiers Bar, which had a very "Casablanca" feel to it. I had been thinking of creating my own comic for a while, and this bar really inspired me. (Or I guess it might have just been the beer...) In any case it set the wheels in motion and I set about writing the story. That was about 9 years ago.

So what was the process you went through in creating your book?

I originally wrote an epic, that if completed, would have spanned seven books. It was a total mess. I showed that script to a few friends and most replied with dead silence or quickly changed the subject when I asked what they thought. I got some really great notes from my Dad (who has excellent story taste) as well as a good friend of mine, (and an amazing storyboard artist), David Prince. Their notes really centered on simplifying the story and making ideas clearer. I went through a few attempts to fix what was there but eventually threw the whole idea out and started over with a very simple idea of a pelican who was trying to find a cure for his crippled wings.

The second go-round I kept the script to a basic outline and figured I would "write" it with the drawings, as that felt more natural to me. I drew and hand-inked the pages and then did the color in Photoshop.

What's going to happen in the future; do you plan on doing more?

I planned on only publishing one book with one story but it's taken so long that I decided to split the story into two books. Luckily the halfway point made for a nice break which, though the story's not finished, there's no annoying cliffhanger.

The second book is fully written and drawn and now just needs to be inked and colored.

Do you have more stories you would like to tell with different characters?

Absolutely! Creating this comic has been so fun and rewarding that I can't imagine not doing more. Seaweed and Poisson's story will be done at the end of book two, "The Devil's Cookbook". After that's finished, I have plans for doing a story set in World War II.

Not only did you come up with the story, and pencil it, you also inked and colored the whole thing too. What were some of the difficulties and/or enjoyable experiences you had doing it by yourself?

Writing dialog and coming up with the story were the most challenging parts for me. I tried like hell to make the characters all speak with their own unique voices and spent a lot of time trying to make them likable. I wanted Seaweed to be a cool Humphrey Bogart "type" who even though he has a problem to overcome, he doesn't seem like a loser or a standard underdog.

I spent most of my career working in character design, so drawing backgrounds was a real challenge as well. My favorite artists, Uderzo and Andre Franquin, draw every detail to perfection. There's no slacking off on elements that the artist was too lazy to research or draw properly. I worked toward that kind of discipline for my book. I went on "location" scouting trips to take reference photos. I built a model of a tug boat so I could draw some tricky angles on Seaweed's boat, "The Salty Sugar", and otherwise spent a lot of time drawing and re-drawing all those details that I otherwise would be too scared to attempt.

Color frightened me as well. I was used to laying color down on individual characters but combining them on a background and then thinking of the color on a whole page was intimidating. I thought early on about going mono-chromatic but I didn't think that would help the story and I didn't want to take the "easy" way out. Thank God for Photoshop and the "hue/saturation" bar. This book would be a complete disaster without the ability to simplify the color from my first pass. Some pages got very discouraging and needed a lot of time and adjustments to get them to not look awful. I found that when something wasn't working, it was usually because I was using too many colors and needed to simplify. The same lesson I learned when writing the story.

As far as "enjoyable experiences" - just creating something that was 100% my own was unbelievably rewarding! There were so many exciting moments that I could write for days about all the fun times. In the end there was no bigger thrill then getting that first advance copy and smelling that wonderful smell of freshly printed ink! That may have been the greatest smell I ever experienced!

I am really happy to hear you plan on printing your book 12" x 15", full – color and in hard cover with a cloth spine. Were you inspired by the European comics?

They were my MAIN Inspiration! In particular, I have some limited Tirage de luxe albums that are all oversized and the quality of the paper and the printing treats them as the breathtaking art that they are. People who have seen "Seaweed and the Cure for Mildew" are being blown away at just how big 12 x 15 inches really is. It makes the book stand out and I think provides a much more thrilling reading experience.

Some of my favorite European BDs are EVERYTHING by Andre Franquin, although "Spirou et Fantasio" is my favorite, (try finding "Le Nid de Marsupilami" or "Le Voyageur Du Mesozoique"), a couple of standouts from the series.

If you're looking for an English translation of a Franquin book, good luck! The only one I've seen is "Z is for Zorglub" published by Fantasy Flight Publishing back in 1995.

All Asterix comics are priceless works of art! A lesser known but equally brilliant series by Uderzo and Goscinny is "Ompa-Pa". There is an English translation available that you can occasionally find on Ebay.

I love "Tin Tin" by Herge, "Benoit Brisefer" by Peyo, "Lucky Luke" by Morris and Goscinny, "Gil Jourdan" by Tillieux, "Les Innommables" by Yann and Conrad, "Blacksad" by Canales and Guarnido, "Soda" by Gazzotti and Tome, Batem draws a beautiful "Marsupilami" series, "Belladone" and "Les Echaudeurs ds Tenebres" drawn by Pierre Alary, "Spoon et White" and "Polestar" by Leturgie, "Green Manor" by Bodart, anything by Jean Barbaud (the greatest designer of airplanes EVER), also any book by Yves Chaland is brilliant. Tome and Janry have put out some amazing editions of "Spirou and Fantasio" ("Spirou a New York" is particularly beautiful and "Machine qui Reve" is one of my favorite comics of all time!). If you get a chance look at the amazing art of Jung Etienne on either "Gargoilles" or "Brussli". I'm sure I'm forgetting tons of awesome books but those are some that stand out.

Creating this book seems like a perfect fit for you with your incredible ability to do storyboards and character design. Did your experience in the animation industry affect your designing process in how you laid out your pages and created the characters?

Well thank you very much! That's nice of you to say. I'm sure working in animation affected the look of Seaweed, but I spent a lot of time studying what works well for the comic book medium. There's a real beauty to reading a comic that can't happen in film. The positioning of panels and transitioning between pages can mean a lot to the story. Changing the size of the panels is a great way to add power to a particular image. You can't change the size of a TV monitor or movie screen to get the same effect.

As far as design, the basic images could of course be for an animated film, but I doubt you could ever use the same varying line quality that is essential to the look of these characters. I think a comic book is the only way to showcase that.

It's got 40 pages of story and 24 pages of sketches, designs and development all printed on heavy paper stock. I am really pleased to know you will be adding those extra 24 pages of development to the book. What motivated you to add those pages in the book?

I originally thought the idea to add development to the back of the book was a bad one, because it was a reminder that the characters weren't "real". The problem I had was that I really LOVE those additional sketch pages in other books that I buy and furthermore I got a lot of requests to add them. In the end I decided that it doesn't take away from the story at all and adds a really great personal touch to the book. I filled it with some notes on my process, the steps I use to ink, character design development, and even unused character designs that got cut from the book. It's got loads of thumbnail drawings, failed attempts, and some of the blue line pages before they were inked. I printed the "making of" pages on a different paper than the actual book. It's an "unfinished" matte paper that feels more like a sketchbook and makes the book really feel like you're getting two books for the price of one!

What steps should aspiring artists take to do what you do, to get themselves started in creating their own book?

I'm not sure I can offer any great wisdom on this issue as I'm so new to the publishing game that it seems silly for me to tell anyone else how to accomplish it. Ask me again when my second book is being sold and I may have figured out something.

For those interested in self-publishing, I got a lot of my information from the book: "The Self-Publishing Manual" by Dan Poynter.

Otherwise just be passionate about the type of art that you want to make and don't give in to your insecurities about what you can't do. Keep struggling because hard work always pays off.

The biggest question is when and where can we buy it?

You can buy it RIGHT NOW!!!! Go visit www.saltysugar.com I'm also signing each book and providing a quick sketch.

Will you be selling any of the production art or any of the original pages from this book?

I doubt I'll ever sell the original pages. They are just worth too much to me to part with them. I may sell off the development sketches at some point but I don't have any current plans to do so.

Ben thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, I am so happy your book is finished, and I can't wait to read it. I look forward to seeing what you do in the future.

Thanks so much for taking the time to help promote the book and for running such a great blog!

For those of you going to the Comic Con, Ben will be at Booth #5012 (Stuart NG Books) signing books on Sunday from 2:00 to 4:00

Click Here to find out more, or if the time and place changes.

To see more of Ben's artwork and thoughts go to his Blog by clicking the picture below.

Flaviano Armentaro

2008-07-06T22:46:00.002-06:00

Flaviano Armentaro : Character Designer, Story-Artist, and Animator.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE GALLERY
Media: Wacom tablet, Alias Sketchbook Pro, Adobe Photoshop, and Pantone Tria markers .

From Concept to Final. Round 5 (Jungle Book)

2008-06-14T12:15:00.006-06:00

Shere Khan

Monkey

The Girl

CLICK HERE TO GO BACK TO THE CHARACTER DESIGN HOMEPAGE

Nicolas Marlet Interview

2008-05-29T14:33:00.005-06:00

I wanted to let everyone know that Variety.com has an interview with Kung Fu Panda Character Designer Nicolas Marlet here... www.variety.com

Damon Bard

2008-05-14T12:39:00.002-06:00

Damon Bard : Sculptor for most of the major animation houses.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS MAQUETTES
Media: Several kinds of clay, wire, wood, and paper .

Ed Ghertner

2008-05-09T10:34:00.001-06:00

Ed Ghertner: Art Director and Layout Artist
CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE INTERVIEW AND SEE HIS GALLERY
Media: Adobe Photoshop.