My final Story Auction piece

"Nina Light Reading" was done in Gouache on pastel board. My thanks to Ted Mathot for giving her a good home and that very generous contribution.

I love a nap. The auction was held last Friday and it was a roaring success. I've been very busy of late and yet it's a good busy--the only kind I welcome. Somehow with even less time than usual I managed to help out in the Story Auction and make pieces for it. Of course I drove Shannon Ryan mad (she's our Story manager on UP and shoots lazers from her red haired head). But that's part of the fun I was talking about. She's gonna kill me next week.



It was a blast. So much fun. It was like a fiesta and people attending were having such a great time, some even remarked that we should do this more often. If it wasn't so hard to organize alongside work we probably would. At the night of the auction this piece had the single highest bid during silent auction.



My thanks to all of Pixar Story for being the stars of the show. You guys and gals ROCK! All of the volunteers who traded in more extra hours of their free time to organize and run all the details of the show. You are all rock stars. To all who participated by buying art, appreciating it and making the event a grand success, thank you, thank you!

More details and pictures to come.

Nina Flying

I'm musing on the graphic design of a card or a cover here. A last minute impulse to try. Watercolor and pen on Arches paper

A second auction piece. I've not been making artwork to show for a while and, just like anything I do, it takes some time for me to warm up. As a story artist my work is done in intense bursts yet I must also regard it as disposable. A conundrum about the job. You have to invest in it for it to be any good but detach from it soon as it's had it's day in the sunlight. Either half isn't easy to do (I don't even think about that, the job's a blast).

So, switching from "Nobody will see this" to "I'm putting this on the wall for all to see" can strip the gears some. It doesn't help that we draw digitally on a screen. No actual paint, graphite or ink. This auction keeps me in shape for a larger piece I have to work on. There's a project we're working on for this year that I have to have done in a month. More on that later.

Barefoot Medusa

Watercolor, gouache and pencil on watercolor board. Image links to a larger view.

An Auction Piece. I tried many studies of what to do after Ted Mathot suggested I try a companion piece to the Crystal one I did for the Emergency auction at Maverix. I had two false starts and this one was a study I had come back to after the rather tepid first tries.

Medusa, she of the Inhumans (careful of the hair, can give Reed Richards a run for his money, prehensile wise),queen to Black Bolt. Hey, I just remembered that I did a black bolt a while back for something...Oh, yeah, it was someone's sketchbook. I colored it on Photoshop. I did post it on the Drawing Board.

Anyway, this is a piece for an internal art auction to benefit our about to be born Story Pod. We're generating funds to furnish a corner of the building we can call our own. We've a name suggested by Brenda Chapman: Joe's Place, after Joe Ranft.

We've got the whole membership of the Pixar Story department generating art. I'll ask permission to post some as we progress.

Medusa
Black Bolt
Crystal

Coffee boots drawing

This scan's color is a bit off. It's warmer than this, I swear. Too lazy to color correct. Sigh

Happy Birthday. It was Don Shank's birthday (an old man. I'll let him disclose it hisself). Raquel, his beautiful wife (and expecting a little bundle soon), invited a bunch of us over at the Emeryvillle Trader Vic's for some Mai Tai's and good company.

I've been meaning to give the Shanks a gift and this is a good opportunity. I used a gray pastel board for its tooth and then leafed through a design mag for color.



I knew she had to be framed by the chair (value call) and then I got the blue (a Herbert Leupin poster) first. I remember a Van Gogh painting of his mother I saw at the Norton Simon years ago that still haunts me. It was a study in green.

I didn't look the image up, not wanting to get sidetracked but went with the green for her big skirt. All the rest was just feeling it through. It could all have fallen flat but somehow it kept together. I really like how this turned out and I had a good time making it.


You know, I came really close to that green, just from memory. I just looked that image, "Portrait of Mother," up for this post tonight and that green...man, I love how this mystical stuff works.

I handed it to an appreciative birthday celebrant knowing it's going to a good home. Some days a drawing just comes off nice and smooth. Wish I could have more of those.

Shank Pile
World of Kane on Herbert Leupin

ITH* Creature

Made in Photoshop CS2. Custom brush, color halftone screen. I'm sure I'll find more of the ITH's friends throughout the year. He'll pop into Nina's story for sure.

*Inexplicable Talking Head. I've been seeing this thing in my head for a couple weeks now. I don't know why and ,more curious, don't know why I can't shake my fascination with it. So today I started my day with a short to-do list and put him on it.

I attempted to shape him as best as that nagging mind picture can get me. I don't know if any of you are like this but I can see this drawing, literally, in my head. I've learned over the years that I should shape the actual drawing by keeping my mind's eye on this image and not be distracted by my hand's inclinations.

I think I got it very close to how this fella looks. Feels good to get him out there. I was also musing on a few things overnight and this meandering phrase came around. Sounds like something he would say as he sips his red. Though I'm not sure how he could sip anything, really.

On a side note: Just been through a screening on reels of "UP" and I'm exhausted. I've been making animated feature reels for over thirteen years and it doesn't get easier. The movie's doing quite well and it's one I myself can't wait to see on the screen.

This is my decompression day. And, for those of you who know me, I'm here at work when I could have a day off. Busman's holiday. That and an espresso makes it.

UP (film 2009)

Nina starts the year

Photoshop drawing and color. Low-rez with a customized brush then scaled up. Something Don Shank showed me.


Monthly drawing? Maybe not a bad idea to have a regular drawing post, eh? I can gather enough for a calendar? The storms over the weekend had forced us to hole up in the house. I need to get the hybernation cobwebs out. Heck, need to work out.

My thanks to Claudio Acciari for continuing to post on my humble Oekaki board. He's such a consumate draftsman, it's not even funny. While you're at it, check out my very own Oekaki board. We've been losing comments to the ether lately and I've no idea what triggers it. I hope it fixes itself in the long run. I also posted the simple password for comments on the top of the page (under the banner of my oekaki page). That's just so the spam bots don't thrash my board with mindless ads for vulgar items. Sheesh.

while you're at it, maybe you want to leave a drawing on that there drawing applet--it's really quite a versatile drawing program for something free online. Most of the controls and options you would have been used to in other drawing applications are there. I can even custom make a brush. Too bad you can't save it permanently.



Claudio Acciari

OekakiBBS tutorial. I really should go through this myself(though that scary image can hinder the faint of heart).Scroll down the page for a call-out of all the tools.

Paperbiscuit OekakiBBS--in case you can't see the banner in the sidebar linking to the site, heh.

Happy Holidays 2007

Mostly done on my Oekaki board. I brought it in to Photoshop, hoping to jazz it up. Didn't really do much--just touch ups. But do check out the OK BBs link on the side bar.

Wishing you all the best. Have a happy and safe holiday. This is an Oekaki drawing, something I haven't done in a while. The java applet seemed to be working better in my Safari browser (though still not working in Firefox) since an update on my java came around. Good to be drawing.

It was a good year. I travelled to many wonderful places (I also have so much back log of posts--from the Italy, France and Philippine trips) and so glad to have met so many good people. I hope to see them all again soon.

Be well and here's to the new year, may it bring you all peace and happiness.



Paper Biscuit Oekaki Board

Drawing on feeling

Just close enough. Sometimes ya just gotta draw it out. Waves of feelings can make you draw. I don't have time and yet it was there, might as well. Get it out. This isn't it. But this is what showed up. Just sharing.

Sketchtravel: Page colored and done

Above image is cropped but it links to a larger view. See? It takes a while for me not to be all shy about showing bigger images but I come around.

PENCILS DOWN! Well, you have to stop, push away from the drawing board and say, "That's it! Anything I can do to this from here on will have to be conjecture."

As always I am liking the work more and more the longer I stay away from it. Dice Tsutsumi and Daniel Lopez Muñoz saw it first as I was scanning it for my files (it goes away, see. I'll not see it for a long while). They were very nice and made me feel real good about the work. Artists, we're forever chastising ourselves for not being better and better every time out of the gate. Or is that just me? Shrinks are expensive, fortune cookies are free.

Anyway, my thanks to all involved and the book is now about to be handed to the next person in line. Dice will arrange the photo shoot of that hand-off. Onward!

Sketchtravel
Sketchtravel Blog

Sketchtravel: My page in progress

The finished pencil page. Color will be added.

Backstage. Deadlines are great motivators. I had the one weekend to finish and that was it. Things will get busier, what with the Italy and Paris trip just around the corner. And I'm wary that the idea I had might just turn into mud as I try to realize it. The window of two days got whittled into one day, then into an afternoon. Actually a handful of hours.


Marker study on a pad of Muji newsprint from Japan

Start already! I had a thumbnail I worked up weeks ago, even before Enrico had the Sketchtravel book. I like it, it should work. Next was to do a rough on tracing paper to work out the composition.




That rough done, it seemed that it could hold together. The meter is running. Oops, we gotta run! We're due at Pixar to welcome our close friends to a Ratatouille screening in the best screening theater in the east bay. The sound in the Pixar theater is just truly amazing. You are forever spoiled for any other theater experience. Well, after leaving our guests there I really should be getting back to my drawing. But, well, you gotta have coffee, right? Off to Peets on Piedmont Avenue.



I used a coffee press for the composition but this coffee urn had so much character, so in it goes

They have a collection of antique percolators and coffee urns. I've taken many photos of these over the years but I don't have time to hunt through my un-tagged photos in my computer. I took a snap of one that catches my eye. Then I was thinking, hey, I'm a little sore from working out last week, when was the last time I had a good steam? We schedule a steam in the early evening--just to relax the anxious drawing brain.



I also collect these large wood block letters, likely used for headlines, and I thought it looked neat and complimented the urn. Seemed like fun, so in it goes.

Back to work. Oh, look at the time. I trace the drawing onto the page. I can't see the page too well, I should go outside to the back patio to draw. Natural light. Okay, now I can draw it for real. Pencils, HB, 4B, 6B. I'm careful not to smudge the page with my hand. Oh, fudge, look at the time. Honey, we gotta go. Time for the steam!




Ahhh, that made me sleepy. It's an hour later. Man, I gotta hustle. The light is dying in the backyard. I watercolor the coffee urn with a round sable and let the colors puddle and dry on their own. Takes time. I run inside to finish coloring.

Then it's a lot of staring at it.



After a great deal of squinting I grab the pastels to unify the whole thing. The focus of the piece is pulling to the left. It has to be all about Nina. That's what the pastels do. I do a lot of retouching the pencils and chase down some smudge I made of touching wet color. It seems to be holding together, but I do the diligence of touching it up here and there. By the time it's time for bed I will have resolved to wait till daylight again next day to truly judge it.

The finished piece in color to be posted tomorrow.

Lookout! It's Bill Presing!

That Greta design sure is awesome. Look at that chiseled goddess face!

BAM! Loud sound effects seem fitting here. After all it's the arrival of our esteemed comrade-in-arms, Bill Presing to the world of artist blogs, . He of the bare knuckles, don't-tell-me-the-odds, head first style of visual storytelling; exemplified in his stellar book about smashing nazi's, compellingly titled, Rex Steele, Nazi Smasher.

It took him long enough. He saunters into my room one day just this week, with that cat-had-canary-snack smile and says,"I made a blog." This after years of my prodding for him to jump in, he blindsides me. Typical. And it's very aptly titled, Daily Peril. Genius. But just in time, I say. He's got one big doozy of an offering coming your way this summer at Comic-con. I'm not telling. Go visit his site and check out the intitial offerings.


This is a detail of one of the illustrations posted in Bill's site. Go there to see da whole girl. I dare ya.

He sure can draw them babes, that Presing. Not bad for a hard drinking, cigar chomping former Jersey truck driver. Go ask him to about his trucker travails at the con. Remember to duck right after. Bam!

Daily Peril

Sketchcrawl 14 and auction a grand success!

I'm a little behind on my post but here it is. Coit Tower, Sketchcrawlers lazer sighted on their targets.

Hurrah! Congratulations to all who participated in Sketchcrawl 14 and auction benefiting Emergency. There was such an air of anticipation on the Saturday crawl, our Emergency reps were there to send us off and hand out information to all about the Emergency mission. The hike to and up the Filbert Steps is always invigorating, I love seeing the reaction of people who've not been before. It is so worth climb. The Coit Tower perch offers quite a view but as always the best targets are fellow crawlers--they stay so still as they draw.


We were over 80 strong! We looked like protest rally, all we needed were placards.

We ended up at in China town after a lunch break at Washington Square. The last hour of the crawl that afternoon is our traditional sharing of the sketchbooks. My favorite part because we see so many styles and modes of expression. It's all great. Thanks for sharing, everyone.

AUCTION TIME! Sunday. The crowd started arriving promptly at five and with the array of over 90 pieces of artwork to choose from it was tough--you can want a lot, you know. I personally bid on about ten pieces. It was fun and, as anticipated, competition was fierce.


One highlight of the night was a sketch of Carmen Ngai I did on the spot and taped next to the framed works. It immediately started getting bids! My thanks to Carmen for being such a good sport.

The frenzy kicks in as the clock is counted down to the end of bidding. Man, there was some stiff man-to-artwork guarding going on. Derek Thompson did a great job as M.C. and Mike Murnane carried it all home as auction master bringing the final bids on the most contested pieces to their final higher bids. I won master Tadahiro Uesugi's framed beauty as well as Manuel Arenas'. See my happy mug in Sho Murase's blog here.


Marshalling sketchrawlers through our whole day trek is fun, though I did do less drawings this time. I promise to get more done next time.

Our thanks to all who participated on both days as well as everyone who contributed to our fundraiser. We appreciate all your help and it sure was a fun way to help out for a good cause and we hope you had as grand a time as we had putting this all together. Special thanks to Maverix for being such a well-oiled and dedicated crew, it was so awesome to be working alongside you guys. Noelle Page and Carmen Ngai (Official Sketchcrawl Babes) for keeping us organized as well as always being there for us. Take a well deserved bow, everyone!

See you all at the next Sketchcrawl!

___________

For a full report visit Enrico's blog for more details on both days here, here, and here.

Emergency
Maverix Studios
Sketchcrawl 14 Forum

Fantastic photos by Bosco Ng here.

Nina Sleep Pattern

Drawn to sleep. I've been having better sleep of late and counting my blessings. I've been afflicted with a sleep disorder most of my life and when I was a child it used to terrorize me all morning. By sunrise I'd feel rescued. Then I would dread the sun setting knowing that night was coming and it starts over.

This explains why I follow the adventures of a character who shares my malady. I know it so well. But with a good regimen of exercise and focusing on modifying my old stress responses I seem to have gained an upper hand at it, after all these years.

Although I've lived long enough with it to know not to declare a victory outright. I've experienced many lapses in episodes over the years only to see them come back with a vengeance.

Drawing helps. So, here's our girl in a rare nap. She looks so tired and likely fell asleep during the day--messing up a job opportunity. I wonder what she's dreaming right now.

Sketchcrawl 12

Driving the van and snapping a photo of the bay as I drove to the city. I'm late!

Weather Proof. That's what all the Sketchcrawls seem to be. Enrico and I don't have a crystal ball to check out the weather that far ahead. Come close to being rained out a couple of times. Come Saturday morning the low dark clouds weren't going away. But even with all the storm's hugger mugger the Sketchcrawler's luck held out, we didn't get rained on!

That is, not after all the Sketchcrawlers had done all the drawing to be had at the SF Zoo. Congratulations to all who made it! Everyone came bundled for the wind, rain and cold, clutching drawing books and drawing implements. I mean, a day like that is what sleeping in was invented for. But not us, really proud of everyone's drive to capture the day in drawing.

The highlight was the feeding of the big cats at 2 p.m. Man, those things are huge! The pictures don't communicate how massive these animals are. All that muscle and heft, scampering back and forth waiting for lunch and growling for seconds. This one was eyeing me as a snack as I drew him.


Look into my eyes. You are feeling very relaxed. So relaxed, in fact, that you want to climb into my cage after that drawing. Bring a friend or two while you're at it.

I didn't get much drawing done myself (I was an hour late. Heh, sheepish). But I was so ready for it. After all the pressures of the last few weeks I needed to get out there. This is my first time at the SF Zoo, and I must say it's a great place to visit (I made a note to come back and get sketches of those I missed). Nancy Lorenz sent us this collage she shot of these impressive specimens (the lion pic was hers, too. Thanks, Nancy!). Really good shots, the zoo should use this for a brochure or sumpin'.



Here's a few of my offerings. But do visit the Sketchcrawl forums for an update on how the whole world (seriously, I kid you not) did on the same day. Very good work, everyone!






Sketchcrawl Forum
Sketchcrawl Blog
My photo collage here.
San Francisco Zoo

Palace of Fine Arts Sketchcrawl

I survived Sketchcrawl 9. That was the t-shirt idea we came up with as we huffed and puffed our way back from the Palace of Fine Arts. We all earned it, I tell ya. And what troupers we had. No one treks up and down San Francisco streets like loyal Sketchcrawlers. And doing this on Earthday made it all the more appropriate. My thanks to all who made it and the offer still stands that if you were with me on our crawl--you know who you are--and would like to have a copy of Frogg's Lament just send me email and I'll fix you up.




I really should have drawn more people but the features of the Palace was so enticing...well, I took on too large a scope to draw and paint. Took two sittings. By the time I got to sketching people it was almost 4 p.m. Next time I'll try to limit the appetite. I'll have to come back and take those corinthian capitals on again.





Sketchcrawl Forum
Sketchcrawl Blog
Enrico's blog

Da Drawings

The Buddha at Kamakura. A train trip and a hike to visit the old boy. He is huge and quite a sight. He sat very still for this portrait.

Sketching on the trip. These are the sketches done while on our merry way. Drawing in trains is surprisingly manageable (man, most of the trains don't even make noise. We might as well have been skating on ice rather than rolling on wheels). Of course one has to be even more nimble with the drawing.


When in Economy and not in a window seat, one has to make do with the view facing front. In this case it was the small t.v. screen which shows the camera view from the front of the plane. Pretty clouds up there.


My train victims. Drawing victims, that is. They now populate my sketchbook and blog (insert stock villain laughter here). The girl at lower left was just one passenger apart from me and I was blatantly drawing her. At one point she curled her nose but did not flick me a look though I was very obviously drawing her. That's resolve, man.


More train drawings. The girl was with her boyfriend and she was obviously enamored of him because of the way she talked and looked at him. Ahhh, young love. Ain't it grand?


Clothes make the man. This guy's attire had some personality, though I had a crappy vantage point. Color would have helped but, hey, I was on a moving train, alright? One cannot be too picky in street sketching.


This girl could easily have won an asian Kate Moss contest. I didn't do her justice in the sketch but I think it's close. She was with her mom at Narita having a snack before the flight. She noticed me drawing her and I think she became more animated after that. Very charming young lady. That coat she was wearing was also quite a statement and not the usual.

Oh, and I did Sketchcrawl drawings, too. I wasn't lazy, or anything. Those images are up on the Sketchcrawl forum. Check out the bounty of drawings done on that day in Japan as well as the rest of the world.

Sketchcrawl Forum

Alcatraz Crawl sketches

Da Sketches. The payoff in these Sketchcrawls is having a gaggle of artists around you out in the sun doing our drawing thing together! A sort of momentum and goal is set, though no pressure. I can't define it yet but somehow everyone is energized--I mean, you could really do this on your own, in your own pace and likely get some drawings, but in the Sketchcrawl setting we all seem to hit a productivity surge en masse.

After the initial warm up some people really took off--you know who you are--Amelia. Jason Katz did an impressive array of impressions--if you ask to see them he'll have disclaimers or even demure. Don't let him get away with it, those drawings were heavenly. Tadahiro's sketches seemed like they were the drawing structure for the future illustration masterpiece it will be. And, yes, he did say that he intends to finish them back in Japan. I wish I can talk about everyone in the crawl but space and you all's patience will be tested. So, no further ado, the drawings:


The dock had this building that had amazing light and shadow just asking for it. So, a bunch of us drew and painted the heck out of it.


The green roofed building. That's not paint. It's moss. Great color and patina. That door on the roof drops off to...no stairs. Crafty practical jokers, these Alcatraz architects. And the inmates, they laughed and laughed...


As always, Sketchcrawlers themselves make great subjects. They hold a pose just enough time for them to finish a drawing. Consequently, that's when you finish yours.



I liked the blown up detail of that tiny drawing on the bottom. She was way above me and I had only a few seconds before she moved away. The translation up close is not bad, I think.


Another blow up of a sketch. The immediacy of the moment creates these washes that dry to a nice craggy finish. Very little touch ups after the initial lay of colors. All those chinese calligraphy classes seemed to be rubbing off. One can only hope.

Sketchcrawl with Tadahiro Uesugi! What a treat!

Sketchcrawl Alcatraz. The most prominent feature of our days, Enrico and I, recently has been how we've managed to overschedule ourselves in our extra-curricular activities. Reason dictates that one must have modest goals. Fortunately for us we don't know what "modesty" means. Not while Tadahiro Uesugi's visit seemed to scream "Sketchcrawl!" to celebrate the event. And why not do it in Alcatraz? Why not, indeed!

We had a blast going and sketching alongside Tadahiro-san. Now, I know that that is surreal and don't think I don't do a double blink just to come to grips that he's here and drawing, hiking and being a great sport about our little social drawing experience. And the weather! We easily could have had a socked in day or even rain, but lo, behold! A sunny day! Skechtcrawl in San Francisco has not had a bad day. Angels smile down on our crawlers.

Our thanks to all who showed up to the Alcatraz Crawl. Special thanks to our film crew: First Girl/producer Noelle Page, the ever golden Kathy Ringgold and sensational Suk-Won Park (filming? What's this? We'll fill you in later). It was another successful day out drawing. We didn't get together as usual to pass our sketchbooks around over dinner because of above mentioned schedule pressures but we'll make sure to do our regular sized crawl next time. Give yourselves a hand!

Enrico, Father Sketchcrawl hisself's Forum on our day at Alcatraz. Drawings! From all over the globe. While you're at it check out the other crawls this past year.

Link to Enrico's very excellent and instant blog posts of Sketchcrawl Alcatraz for more pictures. Part 1 and 2

And here is my meager photo string.