Timbuktoons Studio

Carlos Grangel at CTNX 2011 reveals insights into his character design process for films such as Corpse Bride, Shark Tale, Kung-Fu Panda, How To Train Your Dragon and more.

I’m a character designer and concept artist before I’m an animator or producer, so I was thrilled to write a post about character designer Carlos Grangel’s CTNx workshop.

I love his approach to designing characters and the collaborative effort of everyone at his studio.

A huge bonus in this session was that it was moderated by Jill Culton (see credits below) who knew just what to ask to ask Carlos to draw out statements packed with amazing insight.

(From CTNx’s Website)
Carlos Grangel, character designer and studio owner
Carlos Grangel (IMDB) is a Spanish-born character designer for animated films. Carlos started as a character designer at Amblimation-Universal Pictures in London, and worked on “We’re Back: A Dinosaur’s Story” and “Balto”.In 1995 he started designing characters for DreamWorks movies “The Prince of Egypt”, “The Road to El Dorado”, “Spirit”, “Sinbad”, “Shark Tale”, “Madagascar”, “Flushed Away”, “Bee Movie”, “Kung Fu Panda” and “How to Train Your dragon”. He owns Grangel Studios along with his brother Jordi.

Original creator with Tim Burton for the characters on “Corpse Bride”, also worked on “Pirates” and “Hotel Transylvania” for Sony/Aardman Pictures and “Why I did (not) Eat my Father” for Pathé/Boreales, he contributed designing characters for various shortfilms like “Alma”, “Passage”, “The ClockWork Clone” and “The Periwig Maker” that was nominated for the Academy Awards Best Animated Short.

Moderator Jill Culton, writer and director
Originally from Ventura, California, Jill Culton (IMDB) is a graduate from the California Institute of the Arts where she was one of only five women in the character animation class of 1990.  Now, twenty years later, Culton has a thriving career in the field of computer feature animation. Having worked as an animator, character designer, concept artist, storyboard artist, Director and Executive Producer, Culton is one of the foremost talents in her industry today. She has worked for ILM, Pixar, and Dreamworks where she is currently.

Rather than list the questions Jill asked Carlos, I categorized key elements of his answers into 4 key categories: Process, Artistic Development, Studio/Business, and Features. There was so much here that I had to split it up into 2 posts. The first covers the first 3 categories and the second post will be dedicated to the key feature films Carlos has designed characters for.

PROCESS
Here are some facts and quotes regarding Grangel’s design process.

Stage 1: Shape Language and Silhouettes
In this first stage Grangel said that he looks at shapes, proportions, and costumes and how they interact.
In the sample he showed it seemed to be 40-50 designs. Grangel pointed out that he works from the outside in, focusing first on the negative space and silhouette, before adding the key inner details.

Stage 2: Medium Stage
In this stage he showed many detailed versions of a character.

Stage 3: Final stage
Grangel usually provides a few similar versions of the final character, but he shows the client/director the whole process to explain how he arrived at the finals. Hey pointed out that many times the director ends up choosing an earlier version.

Other comments included:

• “I switch techniques a lot and I try to pick the best medium to present designs for that movie.”For example, he developed some Po (Kung-Fu Panda) studies in Chinese ink on Chinese rice paper, basing the style on Chinese art.
• “I like to start with a mid tone.” (Hence the use of cereal boxes for Corpse Bride.)
• When asked how long it takes to do one of the character shape line ups Grangel replied, “About a week.” Continuing, he said, “You have to let it (the batch of loose/rough sketch designs) cook in your brain a couple of nights, then your brain will digest everything. Then it will come natural. I don’t see the first day. I’m to close to the paper, but the day after some of the more interesting designs are going to pop out.”
• Regarding his thought process, Grangel explained, “I try to put passion in everything I do.” He also mentioned that, “You create the very best where you are most happy. You have to find your space.” (this also tracked with some of Vignali’s statements (http://timbuktoons.com/2011/11/marcelovignali/) about getting into the zone.)

ARTISTIC DEVELOPMENT
When asked how someone should become a character designer, Grangel replied, “I don’t know what to tell you. I didn’t start out wanting to be a character designer.” He also pointed out that he developed into a character designer as those opportunities arose. Now it is his specialty.

Other insightful comments about artistic development included:

• “I wanted to work with anyone at the studio who would make me better. If you are a sponge you will get better.”
• “Don’t copy things. The best way is to find your own way.” (This tracked with Vignali’s statements [15 Things I Learned From Marcelo Vignali] about not following convention.)
• “I study from real life and observe a lot and I look at a lot of art books.”

Grangel pointed out that he is influenced by nature/reality as well as art in general.

• “I didn’t go for comics or illustration. I went for everything: photography, paint, sculpt, architecture…”
• “I went to museum or art exhibit every week. It was mandatory. (personal note: I did this at the Corcoran school of Art and Design in Washington, DC. I had one class where we went to a studio or museum every week, and one class where we worked in a different medium every week. I appreciate those classes much more now, I didn’t appreciate what a great opportunity that was.)
• Grangel continued saying, “I wasn’t into animation that much.”

Grangel also pointed out the collaborative nature of animation and how it helps artists develop. Hey said, “There is individual achievement in illustration, sculpting or painting, but animation is collaborative by nature.”


STUDIO/BUSINESS
Carlos owns a studio with his brother Jordi called Grangel Studios in Spain. They have been in business for 22 years with great success in the US as well as in Europe (particularly in Spain). His brother runs the commercial side including, merchandising, mascots, commercial side. He is also a great sculptor and supervised modeling on Corpse bride.

His brother and the rest of the team help with: research, sketching, preliminary studies, logo design, presentation, adding texture, and producing commercials.

Grangel said, “I do the final transformed style to be presented. The better you can present the better you can sell your designs.”

Because of their holistic treatment of character development and branding, Grangel Studios has also had the opportunity to design several posters for Dreamworks movies.

When asked about the advantages and disadvantages of owning a studio, Grangel replied, “I would suggest not to grow too much. I never fire anyone. I don’t like that. Just keep it small and try to achieve the best quality you can. The clients will keep coming.”

So much about Grangel’s work process and business philosophy synced with my thoughts and how we do things at Timbuktoons. One of my favorite quotes is from Disney/Pixar’s John Lasseter who said, “Quality is the best business plan. period.”

As far as disadvantages or difficulties, Grangel said, “If you have a gap and you have to pay your staff, that is the worst situation you may have.” Many of the studio heads in the CAO workshop (Chief Artist Officers Workshop: Part 1) commented on this as well.

During a discussion on preliminary studio meetings, Grangel stated comically, “I will say that after 3-4 weeks of all these meetings that I could scream and kill someone. So it’s better for me to stay 2-3 weeks over here then go back to Spain to work quietly in my cave. I like to produce. I like to be on the table.”

About longevity and enjoying his career Grangel said, “I don’t work weekends anymore.”

For more information go to: http://www.ctnanimationexpo.com/carlos-grangel-3/

Read Part 2 as we unpack interesting facts and highlight key feature films which Grangel has designed characters for.

Steve Hickner has spent the past thirty-two years working at some of the most fabled studios in animation. In the CTNx workshop, "Building Your Career from Getting In to Getting It All," he shares about how to become and stay relevant in your career in animation.

As with any life goal or aspiration, anyone can start, but staying in and finishing well is what’s important.

In the CTNX workshop, “Building Your Career from Getting In to Getting It All,” industry veteran Steve Hickner shares a wealth of wisdom and experience about how to become and stay relevant in your career in animation.

Steve asks the question, “What happened to all the people that started when I did (32 years ago)?” He noted that there were few of his original peers who are still in the industry, with the exception of his friend and colleague Tina Price (Founder of CTN), who entered the field the same year Steve began his career in animation. He went on to share a wealth of information that anyone in the animation industry would love to hear.

(From CTNx’s Website)
Steve Hickner has spent the past thirty-two years (since 1979) working at some of the most fabled studios in animation including: DreamWorks, Disney, Amblimation, Aardman, Hanna-Barbera and Filmation. He has worked on such films as: American Tail II: Fievel Goes West, We’re Back! A Dinosaur Story, and Balto. His director credits include Bee Movie and The Prince of Egypt. In addition, he has contributed to such feature films as Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, The Little Mermaid, The Great Mouse Detective, Antz, Shark Tale, Madagascar, Over the Hedge and others. His television credits include such favorites as He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.

At the opening of the workshop Steve shares some funny and real stories of famous Hollywood actors lives before they had their big break. George Clooney, for example, was in 15 failed pilots before getting a decent gig. He used to make calls pretending to be his own agent, and didn’t have a real agent until he was on ER at age 35.

“This is part of the game,” says Steve. “There is a struggle to get in. It’s hard.”

Here are 5 Rules Steve hits on and key points that jumped out at me regarding each rule. (Notes: I’ve included quotation marks wherever a quote is cited verbatim. Because of the casual nature of the workshop presentation, I combined and reordered some of the information for organizational flow.)

Rule #1: Know the Players in the Field

• Know the key players and their filmography.
• Steve clipped Disney executives pictures from trade magazines and made a chart on his wall of names and roles as each new person was hired. This helped him recognize them and proved to be pivotal years later when many of them left to go to Dreamworks (where Steve currently works).
• He did the same thing in London during production of American Tale II.
• When Steve was at Disney, he came in at 6:30am and even though he was just an in-betweener (working on the Black Cauldron), Jeffrey Katzenberg knew him by name because he saw him early every morning in the parking lot.

Rule #2: You Must Become A Student of Your Discipline

• Watch the classics. Know your field. Make it a lifelong commitment.
• “You are a product. You have to sell yourself.” (Personal note: I’ve seen this first hand as we’ve pitched shows to studios. You are pitching yourself WAY more than you are pitching your IP!)
• If you are a college student, take advantage of this season of life. You will never have the opportunity to dedicate so much time to your craft as you do now (before you marry, have kids, etc.).
• His first day at NYU Film School he realized how well seasoned the other students were. “If you can’t find the weakest guy in the room‚ it’s you! You don’t want to be that guy. Because that guy is the first guy out!”
• Discipline means you have to study. (Personal note: Discipline is agrarian, not microwavable. You plant now and harvest later. You have to sacrifice. The pay off comes after the pain.)

Rule #3: Know the Culture

• People in the industry will talk in short hand. You need to know history. If someone says, “Real Steel is Rocky meets Transformers,” you need to know what that means.
• Everyone says “No” in Hollywood. You have to persevere. You have to do what it take to move the needle from “No” to “Yes.” Breakdown every reason someone might say “No.”
• Alpha achievers…decision makers in Hollywood have egos. Be sure to let them talk about themselves.
• Don’t be difficult to work with.
• Don’t think a studio will be around for ever. He cited Tom Sito who said, “Every studio is 2 flops away from being out of business.” Most places have a shelf life.
• Don’t miss deadlines! “If you deliver, you will start separating yourself from your peers. If you say you’re going to do something and do it, you will start to separate. Drive and ambition are the gifts you give yourself.”

Rule #4: You Must Have Skills That Are In Demand

• Go to school. The national unemployment rate is around 10% but for those with a college degree it is only 5%.
• Constantly be a student of your field. Reinvent yourself every 3-5 years. “In five years time, if you’re doing the same job you were doing five years previously you are on the road to extinction.”
• “If the ship is sinking, bail out. This is not the Navy.” Find relevant skills.
• “Only 6 of 30 films (Transformers, Hangover, FastFive, Cars 2, Kung Fu Panda 2 and SpyKids 4) last summer were seen by more people under 25, than over 25. That’s a monumental shift. For years movies were made for 14-22 year olds.”
• The movie industry seems to be leveling or even declining. Age demographics show movies core demo (14-22) moving from cinema to gaming for their entertainment. Gaming is becoming more narrative because of this. Call of Duty 3 made $850 million in 1 week. This is unprecedented.
• There’s a bigger market for animators now than at any other time. He predicts the bulk of the work will be CG (because of the combination of CG films and games.)
• He saw the 2D decline at Disney after Lion King. After working as a director on Prince of Egypt he went to work for Aardman to have something additional to 2D on his resume, then he storyboarded on SharkTale to break into CG.
• “Be the canary in the mine shaft. Watch what’s going on in the biz.”
• Steve also hit on the current state of the economy (as did the CAO workshop leaders [link to previous post]). He only worked 10 weeks in 1982 after the recession of 1981 created a 10% unemployment rate in California. He mentioned that (at the time of the CTNx 2011 workshop) the unemployment rate in California was at 12%.

Rule #5: Follow Opportunity, Not Money

• Work hard and bide your time. Wait for the right opportunity. I built my whole career this way.
• I would work hard then ask for an opportunity, even if it had less pay. The opportunity is more important than the pay.
• Surround yourself with the best people you can find.
• Take opportunities where you are the “last chair in the band” (referring to his high school days trying out for the school band) so you have plenty of others to learn from. If you have a choice between being the top guy in the “B” band and the bottom guy in the “A” band, pick the latter.

I really enjoyed this workshop from Steve Hickner. One of the things I love about CTNx is that you get to hear a variety of perspectives from different artists and industry veterans. The key things they all have in common are a love for their craft and a determination to persevere and succeed regardless of any barriers to entry. I’m thankful that they choose to give back by sharing their wealth of knowledge and experience!

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)

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.

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