The Mac Lack Hack is made from the access panel of a 2006 Quad Core G5 and a Black Brown Ikea Lack Side table.

I’m always on the lookout for creative ways to repurpose old Mac gear.

When our old quad core G5 workhorse breathed it’s last breath I decided to craft a project that combined two of my favorite things: Apple and IKEA.

Since in middle school I’ve drooled over the IKEA catalog and dogeared countless pages of their offerings of modern style for the every day consumer.

Their popular Lack furniture lineup is the epitome of minimalism- in aesthetics, function and (of course) cost. I chose to start with the Lack Side table because it would frame the G5 inlay nicely…plus at $9.99 it was a low risk option if met with a runaway Rotozip.

Below are details and notes about the Mac Lack Hack:

1. To prep the G5 piece I took off the side access panel, unscrewed the part attached to the back and had a friend with the right tools to cut off the bottom lip to match the other edges.
2. Then I used a grinder to take off the leftover screw holes.
3. I centered the access panel on the top of the Lack table and marked the lines.
4. Then I cut the marked panel out of the Lack table. Note: I used a Rotozip with the depth adjusted as little as possible for a shallow cut. I knew what was inside the table thanks to WIRED and National Geographic but was not expecting the sides to be solid particle board. Because the G5 is rectangular, the sides extended into the reinforced areas of the table.
5. The Rotozip couldn’t handle cutting the side so we switched to a Router with a straight bit set at a shallow depth. The nice thing about that was it left two ledges for gluing the G5 panel onto. The G5 panel is the same thickness as the Lack’s veneer so the honeycomb still worked well for supporting the inlay.

Keeping track of projects "up-in-the-air" on the Cloud Projects board helps us manage our production pipeline. The arrows indicate projects that have rained down...right now it's pouring.

On any given day at the Timbuktoons studio we have quite a few projects “up in the air.”

We refer to them as cloud projects…work that’s floating in the clouds but has potential to rain down at any moment.

These vary from a passing comment from a client, a profile tool we’re talking through or a proposal we sent out but haven’t heard back on.

Our low tech way for tracking those is simply writing them on a whiteboard. Why keep track of projects that may or may not happen?

In the early days we found out how quickly our production bandwidth could be stretched too thin. Projects that weren’t even on our radar would come through and suddenly we were scrambling, sometimes in just a manner of minutes.

The bottom-line is that as much as we would love all of our clients to be on the same production schedule it’s never going to happen. Everyone’s time frame is busy and it’s driven by different milestones and dates.

Keeping an eye on potential projects helps us plan wisely when thinking through our production schedule. It helps us stay ahead of when we need to crew up and down. Also, since we walk by it everyday, it’s a good reminder to follow-up on projects that are out there.

It’s not a perfect system…sometimes the rain is a light sprinkle and sometimes it can be a flood (note the picture of our cloud projects today). But it’s one way we try hard to keep margin and balance in our workflow.

Panel at the 2011 CTN Animation Expo for the "Chief Artist Officers, those CAO’s Who Create Companies and Brands" workshop.

(Click here to read CAO Workshop: Part 1) Another valuable workshop I attended at CTNx was the CAO (Chief Artist Officers) Workshop. Running a studio while being a “hands on creative” is not easy at times and it was refreshing to hear how these wildly successful studio heads balanced creativity, business acumen, shaping studio culture, forecasting, and navigating the pitfalls inherent to the animation industry.

CAO Workshop (From CTNx’s Website)
Artist-Driven Companies that are beating the odds, and finding new ways to innovate. With a general concept and stronghold supporting the long lived misconception that artists can not create or run a business CTN welcomes the CAO’s (Chief Artist Officers) of successful studios, brands and companies.

One common topic discussed by all of the studio heads, was the economy. The economy hit Timbuktoons hard in early 2009 and it was interesting to hear the similarities in how these studios dealt with the economy and how it reshaped aspects of their business and creative workflow.

Below is an overview of each company and a list of key statements that I took away from the discussion. As with other CTNx posts (Andreas Deja, Marcelo Vignali), much more was said, but these are things that resonated with me personally or that I found worth noting. They are not exact quotes in all cases but an overview of what was said.

SPA STUDIOS: CAO SERGIO PABLOS
http://www.thespastudios.com/
From CTNx’s Website:
Sergio Pablos is a renowned Supervising Animator whose credits include Disney’s “Tarzan”, “Hunchback of Notre Dame” and “Hercules”, to name a few. Animagic S.L. was born on 2004 as a small Animation service company, and then changed its name to THE SPA Studios (standing for Sergio Pablos Animation) on 2010. Since the beginning, our focus has been on producing high quality work in all things Animation, providing Production and Pre-Production services for such clients as Universal, Blue Sky, Warner and Disney, to name a few. Under his leadership, The SPA Studios has contributed to numerous Animated Feature Films, such as “Nocturna”, “Asterix and the Vikings”, “Despicable Me”and “Rio”, to name a few, as well as a long list of commercials and other short subject productions.

I love the underdog story behind Despicable Me and I really liked the design of the film so I was excited that Sergio was there to speak. It was interesting hearing about how SPA Studios was started and how they also have a long range goal to shed service work to focus on their own IP’s. I caught up with Sergio a short time later and had a chance to talk with him about how they weathered the economic downturn. We talked about how boutique studios all felt the pinch (an understatement) and the lucky one’s weathered the worst of the storm (hopefully). Here are some statements from his talk:

• We’ve done pre-production and production for Blue Sky, Disney, etc.
• We do mostly service work for 2D and 3D.
• Working on Despicable Me was a big milestone for the company.
• I worked at Disney for years then went back to Spain look for a studio to work at but I ended up starting one because no other projects seemed very good.
• I had to stop complaining and see if I had what it takes.
• I bought a company with a guarantee of 1 year production. I figured I had 1 year to sell the company but realized, “Hey, we can do this!”
• Hoping one day won’t need the service work and can work on our own concepts exclusively.
• At Disney they had 5 supervisors to tell you a scene was due Friday. We were over managed.
• I was afraid to take risks.
• Don’t make decisions based on panic.
• Plow forward and keep going.
• Among other things, running a studio means that when things go bad you’re the one who doesn’t get paid.

DESIGN STUDIO PRESS: CAO SCOTT ROBERTSON
http://www.designstudiopress.com/
From CTNx’s Website:
After graduating with honors from Art Center and founding his own Product Design Studio, Scott Robertson founded the Design Studio Press.  As a specialty publisher that focuses primarily on original artistic works and educational books this company takes pride in being “artist friendly” and believes that the more we motivate each other to take part in the creative process the better.

• Design Studio Press Makes a product.
• I was an industrial designer. Books have a low barrier to entry if you find the right niche market.
• We’ve been around for 8 years and will have 46 books in print by comic con next year.
• We have featured the work of 191 artists 16 countries.
• We try to link 1 graphic designer with 1 (comic book, visual development, or art direction) artist for each book.
• I think an artist run business can visualize the end product earlier/better than non artist led studios
• You have to take leaps of faith. You have to risk.
• Book publishing is tough. You need 10 titles to get into Barnes and Noble.

Panel at the 2011 CTN Animation Expo for the "Chief Artist Officers, those CAO’s Who Create Companies and Brands" workshop.

Another valuable workshop I attended at CTNx was the CAO (Chief Artist Officers) Workshop. Running a studio while being a “hands on creative” is not easy at times and it was refreshing to hear how these wildly successful studio heads balanced creativity, business acumen, shaping studio culture, forecasting, and navigating the pitfalls inherent to the animation industry.

CAO Workshop (From CTNx’s Website)
Artist-Driven Companies that are beating the odds, and finding new ways to innovate. With a general concept and stronghold supporting the long lived misconception that artists can not create or run a business CTN welcomes the CAO’s (Chief Artist Officers) of successful studios, brands and companies.

One common topic discussed by all of the studio heads, was the economy. The economy hit Timbuktoons hard in early 2009 and it was interesting to hear the similarities in how these studios dealt with the economy and how it reshaped aspects of their business and creative workflow.

Below is an overview of each company and a list of key statements that I took away from the discussion. As with other CTNx posts (Andreas Deja, Marcelo Vignali), much more was said, but these are things that resonated with me personally or that I found worth noting. They are not exact quotes in all cases but an overview of what was said.

DUNCAN STUDIO: CAO KEN DUNCAN
www.duncanstudio.com
From CTNx’s Website:
In a remarkable career spanning more than 25 years, visionary animator Ken Duncan has thrived with each new phase of artistic and technological development. After earning three nominations for the outstanding character performances he created at Walt Disney and DreamWorks, Ken opened Duncan Studio in 2007. With the flexibility to work traditionally or in CGI, Duncan Studio is the go-to animation studio for DreamWorks, Disney, Playtone, Focus Features, and other luminous names in the entertainment industry.

Duncan Studio first got on my radar when I saw the Legend of the BoneKnapper short (on DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon DVD release). I loved the art direction, timing, character posing, and humor and had to find out what studio created it. So when I found out Duncan was at this workshop I had to go. Here are some statements from his talk:

• We focus on quality work and have a character animation focus.
• Many studios were started by animators or other creatives.
• You need to give clients clear bids.
• 2008 was tough and the economic crash forced us to let people go after having just started the company 1 year before. It forced us to restructure to spend money wisely in a new climate.

THE THIRD FLOOR: CAO CHRIS EDWARDS
www.thethirdfloorinc.com
From CTNx’s Website:
In 2002, Chris Edwards joined a team of digital artists at Lucasfilm, that were tasked with previsualizing Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Afterwards, Edwards spearheaded the creation of THE THIRD FLOOR, an independent previsualization company in Los Angeles, in 2004.

I didn’t know much about Chris or The Third Floor since Timbuktoons is primarily a 2D character animation studio, but I really tracked with Chris’ thoughts about leadership, studio culture, and customer service. Chris Edwards and the other 5 founders all worked on the 3rd floor at Skywalker Ranch (hence the name) and wanted to build a company that had an employee friendly culture. It has now grown to 120 employees and their main clients have been Marvel and Disney. Here are some statements from his talk:

• We use mocap to mock it up in previz then go thru several iterations before finalizing our previz spots.
• Many scenes are barely touched once the assets are handed over and tweaked for final output.
• You have to build your clients on a personal level.
• You have to focus on high quality.
• Previz is fast paced. You have to be flexible and customer friendly.
• Budgets are built based on day rates per employee. That lets it be flexible/scaleable since there are so many unknowns going into a previz spot.
• We wanted to create a studio environment that was employee friendly, that wouldn’t burn them out even though it’s a fast paced industry.
• Communication is key to employee and customer relations. Over communicate. Stay Close.

(Click here to read CAO Workshop: Part 2)

Talking about animation can be hard sometimes.

Although this is a fictional account, it’s based on actual conversations we’ve had with clients, friends and family. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Timbuktoons:
Thanks for choosing us for your animation needs. We’re excited about starting your project!

Client:
Thanks! So, is this going to be like Toy Story?

Timbuktoons:
Not quite. That’s 3D, and we’re primarily a 2D animation studio.

Client:
Oh…so you can’t make stuff fly out at you? Cuz I really like that! I brought my glasses.

Timbuktoons:
I mean 3D animation versus 2D animation, you’re talking about Stereoscopic 3D.

Client:
3D stereo? Isn’t that called surround sound?

Timbuktoons:
No. Let me explain it this way. Toy Story is CG, as in computer generated. Anything that flies out at you is Stereoscopic 3D…where you wear 3D glasses to see it.

Client:
You mean your animation isn’t computer generated?

Timbuktoons:
Yes, it is. Let me try and explain it again, 3D animation is like moving sculptures and 2D animation is like moving drawings.

Client:
I want a cartoon, not sculptures and drawings.

Timbuktoons:
Ok, nevermind, I understand. You’re cartoon will be either hand-drawn…on the computer, or it’s stylized 2D graphics moving around on screen. Sometimes we’ll do 2D animation composited with a 3D camera. It’s known as 2.5D.

Client:
Ok, so you draw on your computer and think you can split dimensions. Sounds like a personal problem to me. I’m starting to wonder if part of my budget needs to go to your psychiatrist.

Timbuktoons:
Listen. You will like what we produce for you. It will make your wildest dreams come true. People will flock to see it.

Client:
Oh. So, it will be like Toy Story then. That’s exactly what I’ve been saying I want. Why are you confusing me with all that parallel dimension, stereo, and drawing on your hardware talk? I’m not into that string theory stuff.

Timbuktoons:
Sorry. Let’s get started then.

Client:
Great!

Andreas Deja, presenter at the 2011 CTN Animation Expo. Spent 30 years at Disney, currently an independent animator and producer.

Another workshop I attended at the 2011 CTN Animation Expo was the Creator Conversation with Andreas Deja, legendary Disney artist who worked on such films as: The Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Lilo & Stitch, Hercules, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and more- IMDB).

From CTN’s website:
Deja is best known as the supervising animator of some of the most memorable Disney villains: Gaston from Beauty and the Beast, Jafar in Aladdin and Scar from The Lion King. He also animated Roger Rabbit from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, King Triton from The Little Mermaid, the title character from Hercules, Lilo from Lilo & Stitch, and Queen Narissa from Enchanted. In addition, he is the current resident specialist for the animation of Mickey Mouse.

As a key player during Disney’s “Second Golden Era” and beyond, Deja shared with us from his incredible experience and insight into hand-drawn animation.

The nature of the Creator Conversations is casual, random and in a Q&A format. There were many different topics covered but here are a few key categories that I tuned into during the back-and-forth discussion. These are not all word-for-word quotes or full descriptions, but the general idea of what he was saying.

ON HAND DRAWN VERSUS CG

(His thoughts completely tracked with 2 other CTNx workshops I attended led by Marcelo Vignali and Mike Nguyen (1988 CalArts Grad, Iron Giant, Beauty and the Beast- IMDB)

• Walt Disney always added on. He never killed old mediums.
• I loved Toy Story…but I’m inspired by Jungle Book.
• There is a level of polish on some CG films that takes away from the artists touch. The slicker it looks the less I like it.
• I want to see the artists hand on the screen. I want it to be personal.
• I had a Maya tutor for 2 weeks…but this is for other people to do.

IMPORTANCE OF THUMB-NAILING

• Thumb all possibilities.
• Thumb-nailing takes the most thought and energy.
• Thumbs must convince you it will work.
• Thumbs shouldn’t be any bigger than an orange.

DEVELOPING THE ARTIST WITHIN

• Never be satisfied with yourself. Never stop growing as an artist.

DISNEY FACTOIDS

• Lilo doesn’t have teeth. There are a few scenes where she has to show them, but for most of the movie she has no teeth.
• Disney only has a few scenes of rough animation from the old classics…which is tragic. They mostly kept clean ups.
• Everything on the Deja View blog is pretty much borrowed from Disney.
• Jafar was eccentric AND subtle. Physical and still. Subtleties and holding him back is what made it work.
• A key scene in Lilo was cut. She made up a sad song that really was about her self. It was cut from the film, but it’s on the bonus disc. The same thing happened with Winnie the Pooh recently. Sometimes budget or executive decisions win out over story.

Deja left Disney in January 2011 to venture out on his own as an indie animator/producer. Be sure to check out his inspirational blog Deja View.

Marcelo Vignali, presenter at 2011 CTN Animation Expo. Vignali is Art Director at Sony Pictures Animation.

Recently I went to the 2011 CTN Animation Expo in Burbank, CA. Each workshop I signed up for had something inspiring, eye-opening, confirming, or challenging. Of all the workshops, one of the most impactful for me personally was Marcelo Vignali’s.

From CTN’s website:
For over 25 years Marcelo Vignali has carved out a name for himself in various industries, from commercial illustration, television animation, computer gaming, theme park design to feature animation — from Disney’s Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, to Surf’s up, to Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs — enjoying the reputation of being one of the entertainment industry’s top talents.

Here are some of the key things I picked up from the discussion and a few questions I had the opportunity to personally ask him. This is a random list of key statements in no particular order. There was much more he talked about but these are the things that most resonated with me at this stage as an artist. Also, most of these are not word-for-word quotes, but a synopsis of what he was saying as I franticly tried to capture the key points he was making.

ON VISUAL DEVELOPMENT

• Avoid convention and work from the source. In America, we tend to mimic someone’s style instead of going to the source and finding our own artistic voice. You have to draw from your experience.
• When drawing from a POV you have to ask what the point of view is from the perspective of a background, prop, or character.
• In 2D, the background artist sets the visual language. In CG the set and prop designers do.
• On R&D, I sketch what I want to see first, then I get reference because you need a target. If you don’t know anything about the subject you can spend hours researching things you don’t need. Yes, they might help, but most clients won’t pay for endless research hours. Also, I draw a ton of thumbnails first. A friend of mine calls them ‘menu sketches’ because I’m creating a menu of details to choose from.
• Everything about your art goes back to story.
• Sony does a different look every film.
• Simplify your design by focusing on what’s needed. Lose the rest. Clean-ups often lose the energy of the rough. Pretty people eventually lose your attention, but interesting people don’t. It’s that odd thing that stands out. When something is too polished or too resolved it loses interest.

ON STORY

• Develop your ideas fully. You can’t over think your ideas. You can over design it, but you can’t over think it.
• It’s not so much how to make a good film but how to unmake a bad one. You will hit problems.
• The biggest difference between TV and features is that in TV you CAN’T develop a concept fully. The duration and schedule won’t allow it. Features have to be 90 minutes of engaging and well thought out story to be really successful.

ON STUDIO CULTURE

• I got to Disney Animation in 1994 after being at DIC and Disney Imagineering. The culture at Disney Animation at the time was not one of camaraderie. You build camaraderie in a sweatshop where you are shoulder to shoulder. Sony is closer. Smaller.

ON DEVELOPING AS AN ARTIST

• When you sketch you should be at your most comfortable place. The Cintiq isn’t it for me until I map out and know the core of what it is I’m working on. I need to be loose on paper with nothing taking me out of the zone. I don’t use the Cintiq for initial concept sketches. I sketch on paper. Xerox paper on clip board in a chair outside is my zone.
• I forgot who I was in art school. Look at who you were as a kid when you were in the zone. You have to draw from the place inside where the 13 yr old kid is. What did you draw when you were 13?
• You have to develop your own sense of taste, your own visual language. Do only what you are good at.
• Hide details. Tease the viewer. Draw the viewer in. That’s where I am personally in my career. Comics, CG, 2D, visual story, illustration.

I’ll be sharing my notes from other workshops as well as notes from my pitch meetings in LA in upcoming posts.