BLOG : Overheard in New York

This blog is marvelous and funny and fairly self explanatory. Who could write this stuff? Maybe Joseph Mitchell...

Please visit Overheard in New York.

BLOG : Do it for the fat lady

One of the best times I've had in animation was developing films with Jay Kim--and wow did he set the pace. At Sheridan College we developed a bunch of films and came up with some rich material; one of the closest relatable experiences is working here at Pixar. Iron shapens iron, as they say.

Jay is one of those rare people who seems to have a natural intuition for doing things right. His drawings at their best have what is rare and precious: sincerity, sensitivity, and, something he'd describe as insight. He was a big influence on me and a number of my peers, and he deserves all the best! Here is a bunch of his work from college, and a couple years beyond; please check out his blog and encourage him to ROCK OUT! (not that he needs any help).

Please visit Jason Kim.






All awesomeness by Jason Kim

BLOG : the Sartorialist

All photoshop.
I wanted to highlight a few of the blogs I find regular inspiration in. Here, the first! :

The Sartorialist. Fashion photographer Scott Schuman showcases people he sees on the streets of New York and across the fashion world in whom he finds style inspiration. It's appealing and challenging, and it makes me miss New York a lot. Every post is about freedom, design and the meaning of style; I can't get enough! If you see me in a tie, this is why.

Please visit The Sartorialist.


All photos by Scott Schuman.

27

Ah! March 15th already.

The Fourth of March

After the Vogue Pattern Book, October-November 1954. Gouache.

The Third of March

After Harpers Bazaar January 1953. Gouache.

The Third of March

After Young Viewpoint, Harpers Bazaar January 1953. Gouache.

Tuesday Gesture Class

Class with Tom Gately is a weekly highlight — above all else, it's fun! But it's also challenging: he makes you push yourself. Tom's instruction tends to center on representations of weight, force, clarity, and performance, concepts which aren't always easy to internalize or track. But this is why we show up week after week! We want to get our hours in and learn from Tom's best practices.

To start with, one begins by asking who the character is and what they are doing. How do they feel? Where are they placing their weight? Does the overall image have a focal point? Is there perspective that could be used more effectively? Proportions that could be pushed? Angles? Shapes? Opposing forces? Tensions that could be emphasized? In so many words, how can we use the model to guide us towards a figure drawing?

In other classes, attention to form and structure has meant planes and anatomy, attention to character is limited to costumes and props, and attention to caricature has only meant distortion.

At Pixar, what Tom asks is that we take what's in front of us as a springboard for performance. Performance is the thing. When we have this in mind, the model's pose becomes something to progress from and each of our drawing choices becomes an opportunity to tell a part of a story. In short, we begin to draw from life by taking a point of view. And then? We have fun and we push it!

These are old links, but here are some incredible sketches from my colleagues and friends:

James Robertson
Louis Gonzales
Alex Woo
Rob Thompson
Enrico Casarosa
Adrian Molina

saturday morning sketches

American Vogue, April 1955.