CDA

I'll be teaching storyboarding and drawing again at CDA.

Enrollment Start Date & Schedule Release = Jan. 4th, 2011
First day of Spring Term = Feb. 5th, 2011

inking demo

I do a lot of little demos in class. I usually just throw them out, or give them to students if they ask. But how cool is this, one of my students, Alex, framed my inking demo that I gave him.

Figure invention class

Well, figure invention class just wrapped up at CDA. It was a fun class, thanks to everyone who took it. I'll be teaching it again next term. I'm the guy in the middle with the tan sweatshirt. And Anthony is screen left of me in the blue sweatshirt. He was nice enough to come in and do an in class demo!

Straight vs curve

Here are some examples of how i use this. I even use it across different objects like the girls curved figure and the straight mirror.

Drawing from memory

Dave P did a nice post on observational drawing. I've been doing a lot of memory drawings lately. it's kind of fun. My buddy Anthony rides his bike to work and takes a visual snapshot of what he sees and then draws it later.I was also talking to another friend at work Chris who tries to draw things from his memory for his paintings. if he puts a truck in his painting, it's one he remembers. it's a cool trick to get more mood into your work. here are a few of them.

What you see vs what you know

I've been posting a lot of quick sketches and gesture drawings. I've been going out on Saturdays if anyone is in the LA area and wants to join, hit me up on facebook. I usually post where we go. anyways, there is a difference between copying what you see, like in a long pose, and modifying a memorized version of things in a quicksketch. the best way to explain it would be in facial features. I have a set of memorized eyes, noses, ears, etc. I don't copy the person in front of me, but say they have a large or small nose, I draw my memorized nose small or big. I also try to push any ideas I might see further. The reason I do this is, sometimes the person is riding by on a bike, or moving and you want to catch a quick pose, so it's good to not be looking at them for the stuff, but just the pose. Then you can glance once, get the gesture and then just sit and draw your drawing

Visit to Cal Arts

I recently went to visit cal arts and talk a little. Here are some photos. What an awesome school. People just hanging out in the hallways playing music. Art all over the walls, and I don't mean just drawings, but people just going nuts and trying to create art. It's a very inspiring environment and all the students are really motivated. Personally I think anyone can learn to draw by just studying, but to be able to have a creative environment like that is something that you just have to see.

Hands

This week in class we are going over hands. here is just a tiny bit of what we will go over in class. These are just concepts, I don't actually draw this analytically and step by step. This is more what I think about. I don't think there is any one good way to draw, it's just whatever works for you.

Flour sack

Legs

Here is a tid bit of the leg stuff we went over in class. If you simplify most legs, they are just a tapering tube with a little gesture. Then you can add all the surface details to make them look like different styles.

Arms

If you guys are still following along, we went over arms this week. Here is a break down of an Andrew Loomis arm. Don't get lost in the anatomy. Keep it simple.

More class notes

Here are some more notes from class

Homework for Figure invention class

For those of you following along at home, here is the second assignment for the figure invention class.

You can use the gestures to lead the eye around your image in a single illustration and around the page in a comic. as you add all your background elements in, you can put them along gestures that help lead the eye around. There are tons and tons of gestures all over your image, I only pointed out a few.

Notes for figure invention class

I've been posting a lot of notes for the figure invention class on the class blog. Here is one of the pages.

picking forms

This is a fun little exercise. For our first week of figure invention class, we went over drawing cartoon heads. I had the students break a cartoon head down into simple forms, but you can do it for anything. Try taking any object and breaking it down into simple forms. There are no right or wrong forms, but try to stick with just a ball and cylinder if you can, and a box if you feel like you have to. Try to break the same image down a few different ways. Then try to move the forms and draw the image from a new angle. As you get more advanced, you can start using more complex forms like a jelly bean shape, or more organic looking forms.

The key is not to try to connect them. Just float them next to each other. You can always connect and interlock them later.

Front vs. Back

I can't wait for Figure invention class to start on Monday!!! Also, I'll be giving a talk at Art Center in Pasadena tonight from 7:30-8:30, so if you are a student there, come say hello.

Rocket girl

cool classes

I try to take a few classes every term. This term I'll be taking Landscape painting and Vis Com at CDA. I just got done taking Danny Galieote and Leighton Hickman. Both classes were awesome!

Drawing thought process

Someone asked if I draw the construction every time I sit down to draw. Below you can see how I draw something and what I think about. I think more about the shape design and rhythm and then only use the construction if I get stuck. If you go straight to construction, it can make your drawing stiff. I go straight from this rough to the ink.

Body language

As a board artist, you want to be able to communicate what the character is feeling. A lot of times it's the opposite of what he is saying. you can use body language to show this. For example watch the way people point their feet. If you walk up to two people and they point their feet towards you, they want you to join their group. If not, they want you to leave. A person will usually point their foot off in the direction they want to go in as well. Watch people talking. If one person is late for a meeting, he will point his foot off in that direction. Here is a good book on the subject: "What Every Body is saying." by Joe Navarro

Acting for storyboarding

People can't hide their true emotions when they say one thing but feel another. Sometimes a little micro expression will come out as to how they truly feel. you can play with the subtlety in the corners of the mouth and the eyebrows.

Hair shell gap

I like to leave a little gap between the hair and the construction of the skull. Again, you can break any rule, and some designs are purposely designed with the hair painted on flat to the head, but most of the time there is this little gap.

New term at CDA

I'll be teaching a new class this term: "Figure invention for animation" as well as "Story Development for Animation" at CDA. Also, the awesome Shane Prigmore is teaching a workshop this term. Feel free to email me if you have any questions about the class. Enrollment starts Sept. 1st!

Creating habits

I haven't had a chance to post in a while because I've been busy at work. I got the chance to fly up to our northern studio, PDI, and work for a bit. There are some really talented board artist up there. But, I wanted to post something, so here goes.

Creating habits: If you want to learn how to do something, you have to create a habit. If you want to write, draw, paint, play the guitar, etc, it's not enough to decide that you want to practice. You have to create some sort of daily habit where you do it every single day. My daily habit is doing studies. Every morning before I start working, I pull out a dvd, usually animated, and do some studies. I also pull some books off my shelf at night, if I'm watching tv, and draw from those. That's my daily study habit. I don't really even think about it, I just like doing it every day. In fact, I can't draw out of my head if I don't warm up first by doing some studies. It's like I have to relearn how to draw every morning. It takes me at least an hour just to warm up. And the cool part is, you never stop learning. One day you practice hands, one day you practice poses, one day you practice, acting, composition, storyboarding, etc. You can never run out of stuff to learn.

Last Thursday class

So, I taught two classes this term at Concept Design Academy. Monday and Thursday. Phil came for the last Monday class, and we were also lucky enough to get Jeff Snow and Dave Pimentel for the last Thursday night class. These two guys are so inspiring and I can't thank them enough. Everyone walked out of the class wanting to try 10 times harder and really get their portfolios to that next level.

Last night of story class

Thanks to everyone who took the class! Here you can see guest speaker Phil Craven on the floor.

I teach this class at Concept Design Academy, if any of you want to sign up next term!

Email from Hasani Rodriguez Medina

Here is an email from Hasani Rodriguez Medina

Knees

Here is an email from Ivan (feel free to email me and ask specific questions):

Hi Rad,

I'm having trouble doing some knee (foot in general is challenging), wondering if you can do some sketch for doing some knees? I mean i'm intrigued how let's say Bruce Timm does his knees, what's the breakdown/consturction behind it.

Thank you!

Ivan

Toby shelton blog

Toby Shelton is one of the best artist I know. I learned a ton from watching him draw and pestering him for drawing tips. You may have seen some of his model sheets that I've posted before, but now he has a blog. Go check it out.

Comic Con Demo

I'll be doing a drawing demo at Comic Con this Saturday at the LAAFA booth at 11:00. Come by and say hello.

Even more construction

Inmate construction