Rodney Draws

[Rodney]

Members of this forum have inspired me so I thought I'd post some drawings.
Here's a tip of the hat to someone who inspired me today when he posted his artwork.

My apologies to Moneyguns. I've taken a lot of liberties with his character as I didn't know a lot. The orignal motivation to draw him was to see if I could simplify the design to make him easier to animate. In the process of drawing I got lost. Its been years since I had this much fun.

The original can be found here (http://donbluthanimation.com/forum/showpost.php?p=5320&postcount=24)

Thanks for the inspiration Moneyguns! :)

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2009/07/capn_mg2-222x300.jpg

[Rodney]

Here's the original sketch before corrections and coloring.
I was finding so many errors I was tempted to start all over again.

"Monkeyguns"... how did that slip in there!?! ;)

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2009/07/moneyguns_small1.jpg

[Moneyguns]

Wow...
Ok when I first saw that I just looked at the picture with my brother when we were about to play Super Mario World. I said, "Hay that looks really familiar.....HEY! What the heck!" :laughing:
Oh man that blows me away and is creepy at the same time.:laughing:
Nice work!
It's so weird to look at that knowing I created that and seeing it in a different style. It's cool that you used my drawing.
Oh, and my real name's Samuel Garn if you want to put that.

[Rodney]

Samuel Garn.
That sounds like an Action Hero. ;)

Thanks for the kind words Samuel.
My name is Rodney Baker.

As I was drawing this guy I couldn't help but wonder about his background.
How'd he get that cyber eye. What's up with the hand?

Not knowing you could say this sketch is something of an interpretation from someone who has heard of few of his tales. Perhaps after hearing a tale by the fire by an old man who has sailed with him, or knew someone who knew someone who thought he recollected. Of course for such a recollection it might pay to exaggerate even more and emphasize one particular characteristic of the character. Perhaps...

All you kids gather 'round.
I got another story to tell.
Cap'n Moneygun. <spits> Now, he was one tough sailer...

[Moneyguns]

Samuel Garn.
That sounds like an Action Hero. ;)


It is an Action Hero.;)


All you kids gather 'round.
I got another story to tell.
Cap'n Moneygun. Now, he was one tough sailer...


That's pretty good, I like the sound of that.

[Rodney]

I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this but it seems like I'm moving toward a Daily Doodle kind of thing.

I may just keep the daily doodle on a blog and link in the more relevant images. My goal would be to get away from the random stuff and move toward capturing the essence of Don Bluth.

In the meantime...

One of the first things I remember drawing as a kid of 5 or 6 years old was a horse's head. I remember it quite distictly. I was facinated by the lesson of drawing horses. It was from one of the old Walter Foster books a relative had given me. I also remember wanting to be a Cartoonist when I saw the Preston Blair book on Animation too but I don't think I got that book until much later.

At any rate, I'm not into drawing horses really but every now and then that head horse shows up again. I never draw it as realistically as the lesson did but I know for a fact that lesson sank deep into my brain.

A few things I still haven't learned very well:
- Use reference. The drawings will look a lot better.
- Maintain your scanner. Digital cameras don't scan very well.
- When you get a book on drawing horses when you are a kid draw more than just the horses head.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2009/07/horse.jpg

[marji4x]

That is definitely a horse! I love it, it's a beautiful drawing. And I love the last tip, I'll keep that one in mind, it is sound advice! ;D

[Rodney]

That is definitely a horse! I love it, it's a beautiful drawing. And I love the last tip, I'll keep that one in mind, it is sound advice! ;D

Thanks Marji!

There are some lessons that definitely stick with you over the years.
I'm sure your experience is the same.

Looking back to the kid I was then I knew I needed to draw those other pictures but I got caught up in 'but I don't want to draw horses... I want to draw cool things'.

Fatal flaw there.

If there is something that you feel you CANNOT draw... attack it.
If you don't like to draw hands... draw hands until you are sick of them.
If you can't draw feet... draw a character with six of them and four hands.
If you can't draw anatomy... um... use reference. ;)

Something like that anyway.

[marji4x]

I completely agree!

I drew a lot of dogs...and my mom looked at a horse I had drawn once and told me "It looks like a dog" She was right! But I still got mad ;)

[Rodney]

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2009/07/maleficent.jpg

As my interest first started to expand toward animation I tried hard to discover how the animator's performed their craft. So not having a clue, I soldiered forward and set out to create a few animation cels!
After all wasn't that how Disney did it?

Not having the proper tools or common sense to seek expertise I opted for pencil and paper tranferred to plastic overlays. Once the drawings were transferred to the overlays I carefully painted on the backs of the overlays with acrylic. Having opted for a red (more of a magenta?) for the overlays, which was a few pennies more expensive than black, I found I had to paint on the front to bring out the other colored lines.

It was tough going but superb fun!
Look Ma, I'm a Disney animator!

Sadly, as cool as it was to me at the time... it still wasn't animation. ;)

[Rodney]

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2009/07/Acrylicback.jpg

The back of the plastic overly with acrylic paint reveals the timeless secret.

Little did I know at the time but in the next few years digital paint would make painting cels in this manner all but obsolete.

All I knew was that I had discovered the secret and that was more than worth the effort to me.

I learned a lot during this exploration.
By personal experience I discovered the age old problem with painted cels of mixed colors not always matching up correctly. At the bottom of the cel I left a small unpainted sliver that showed through in the frame. Filling that gap in after mixing a new batch of Maleficent Purple resulted in a darker tint.

When I read animator's discussions of the benefits of the move to digital painting I don't have to imagine what they meant.

[Rodney]

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2009/07/copyofpaintedbackground.jpg

I had given away almost all of my cel-tests shortly after creating them. I was surprised to find this still around as a set. The background here is a black and white copy of the original painted color background. I'm not sure but I think I still have that somewhere.

Of course this background and characters were painted while referencing the orignal art from the classic film.

It goes without saying that Marc Davis's Maleficent is an incredibly memorable character.
She made selecting her as my first cel-test impossible to resist.

[marji4x]

Wow, this is neat! I think I did Peg from Lady and the Tramp but I hadn't figured out about painting on the other side...so it was much messier ;)

this came out really nice, I love the red lines hehe.

[jeremyhopkins]

Your cel paintings are very cool! I tried painting a cell once and it gave me an appreciation for the talented folks in the ink and paint department. Thanks for posting your work!

[dartzy]

Years ago I had my first experience with cel painting. I was part of a business team called Animated Images that produced the limited edition cels of the characters of TTV's Underdog and Tennesse Tuxedo. Each edition had 250 pieces and a few Art proofs. When we started the project, I designed and was suppost to paint each one...boy..its alot hardier that one would think and very time consuming. We ended up hiring a lady from NJ (Thanks Rose!) that had painted cels for some of the big studios years ago and boy, she was fast!!! I couldn't believe it. And the limited pieces were larger than regular 12f cels....but it was an experience...I hope to do it again soon with a project Im working on for the last few years. We shall see...

Kelley

[Rodney]

this came out really nice, I love the red lines hehe.

Mari,
I really wanted to use color copier to transfer all the colored lines but either you couldn't get multicolor plastic overlays from the copyshop at that time or it was too expensive. (This would have been around 1990(?) I'm trying to remember)

I do distinctly remember around that time or shortly thereafter seeing Don Bluth cels with beautifully colored lines. That was the level I aspired to.

Thanks Jeremy,
It was an education.
I'm sure this was a major factor in purchasing my first PC (386) because of the potential I saw for scanning in artwork and digitally painting. Of course I wanted a Mac because it was known for its graphics but it was a little more than I thought I could afford. I must confess I learned a lot more about computers by owning that PC.

Kelley
Talk about living the dream! :)

It'd be such a revelation to watch someone with the proper expertise paint a cel. ...and Underdog!!! He's such a classic icon. IMO hand drawn animation suffered a severe loss when they opted for live action on his movie.
Note: I haven't seen your underdog image yet because it hasn't yet been approved for viewing.


Its a shame we don't know more about some of these artisans that worked exclusively behind the scenes. If there were 'Nine old men' in the Walt Disney Studio stable there surely must have been a 'Ninety nine old women' of the ink and paint variety.

I believe the only 'Rose' I've read about in ink and paint was Rose Dibacci. Of course there's been dozens upon dozens of roses who nurtured the traditional art from out the ink and paint department over the last century. A few thorns (those ink and paint guys!) mixed in for good measure too.

Regarding your feature, I think you are referring to the one about wolves?
I keep seeing bits and pieces. Definitely enough for me to be intrigued.


Thanks everyone for relating your experiences.

[Rodney]

Okay... this is not my work and its definitely not drawing.
It may provide a glimpse at why I don't seem to devote much time to my own art. I love helping people who don't know anything about computer animation grow to where they can producing work of this caliber.

'Scarecrow of Oz' (SO) is the sequel to 'Tin Woodman of Oz' (TWO), a feature film that the Animation:Master community completed just over a year ago. For SO there aren't nearly as many people working on the film but those that have stuck with it have got their fair share of talent and heart.

I'm certainly proud of them. :)

Thus far Act 1 through Act 2 Scene 8 are mostly finished.
Here are a few frames from the story thus far.
All modeling, rigging, texturing*, animating, rendering and sfx has been created with my favorite computer program; Animation:Master. *Some textures created in Photoshop of course.

If any of these guys/gals find themselves with loads of free time I'll definitely encourage them to hang out here and learn more about the art of traditional animation with Don Bluth. So many priorities so little time.

If anyone is curious about the storyline, characters or artists that have contributed to the images below just ask.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2009/08/filmstrip1.jpg

[arif]

If there is something that you feel you CANNOT draw... attack it.
If you don't like to draw hands... draw hands until you are sick of them.
If you can't draw feet... draw a character with six of them and four hands.
If you can't draw anatomy... um... use reference. ;)

Something like that anyway.[/QUOTE]


Dear Rodney
hahahahah....:laughing:..i really like your comments.....you know what??Horse is a really tough to draw...i didn't know how to draw it....when i sat down thinking of it..i thought i cud not do it anymore...but, one day,i promised myself....i must draw horse...lots of people draw horse...why not me??..they are human...i am human too....hhaahhaahaahaa...then, i tried to learn its anatomy first...then add flash and used the basic form...bingo...my horse came looks real horse on paper.....for the that time...i believe that everyone can do anything if he tries......
and...my final comment to you....you are my friend...as you are really inspired people....people needs inspiration to go ahead along his path...

Thanks friend....

Arif:rolleyes::laughing::

[Rodney]

Thanks Arif for the kind words. That means a lot.

I saw your horses and planned to comment on them as I found the time.
Rather than comment here I'll wait and do it in your gallery where the drawings are. Feedback is important but useful feedback takes more time, so hopefully I won't take too long in responding. Know this... they are wonderful drawings.

As amazing as he is, Don Bluth just one person. It helps if we as peers support each other so he has more time to work his magic on us. We all learn differently and see things from varying perspectives. As we learn new things about the art of animation, however seemingly insignificant, its important for us to pass it on.

[dlpwillywonka]

I like that throne Rodney.

And is it just me or do alot of Animators love the story of Wizard of Oz?

[jeremyhopkins]

Awesome! Great to see you guys so motivated!

[Rodney]

And is it just me or do alot of Animators love the story of Wizard of Oz?

I must say at the beginning I wasn't exactly thrilled about the prospects of making an Oz film. My understanding of the characters and world of Oz was limited to the MGM film.

It didn't take long however for the characters and story of 'Tin Woodman of Oz' to win me over. I can attribute this to the fine work everyone one did on the characters in the film. Whereas before they seemed completely imaginary to me now they're more like old friends. I've grown to like the citizens of Oz considerably since then.

Perhaps the most difficult part of the second film has been adjusting to the change in voice casting (the original voice actors were unavailable). Once you get use to the voice of a particular character, seeing them look the same but hearing another voice come out of them isn't easy to accept.

[dartzy]

Kelley
Talk about living the dream! :)

It'd be such a revelation to watch someone with the proper expertise paint a cel. ...and Underdog!!! He's such a classic icon. IMO hand drawn animation suffered a severe loss when they opted for live action on his movie.
Note: I haven't seen your underdog image yet because it hasn't yet been approved for viewing.
I believe the only 'Rose' I've read about in ink and paint was Rose Dibacci. Of course there's been dozens upon dozens of roses who nurtured the traditional art from out the ink and paint department over the last century. A few thorns (those ink and paint guys!) mixed in for good measure too.



Rodney, you said it isn't approved for viewing?? what do you mean? Is there something I have to do??

Thanks for all the kind words.

Kelley

[Rodney]

Rodney, you said it isn't approved for viewing?? what do you mean? Is there something I have to do??

If you can see it then perhaps its something on my end but the text next to your attachment says, "attachment pending approval".

Here's my take on it. Dave or someone else can provide their official take:

The attachment approval is an indication of a forum setting requiring a forum moderator to approve a post or attachment before it is displayed. This is to keep unauthorized usage of attachments to a minimum, conserve server space, etc. etc. There is really nothing you can do short of contacting a mod/admin and asking for approval or waiting for the approval.

For my part and I believe the part of many others here in the forum, we've found other places to host our images so moderators don't have to approve and no one has to wait. As you might expect, if every image in the gallery needed approval there might not be as many images, moderators would be very busy approving images and we'd still have to wait for it. Finding an external host for your images and linking to them appears to be an acceptable solution in this case.

If it makes you feel any better, I can't attach without approval in my gallery either.

Edit: A note about 'Jarvis Arts' and your experience... might I just say... WOW! :)

[Moneyguns]

I like that throne Rodney.

And is it just me or do alot of Animators love the story of Wizard of Oz?

I don't.:)

[Rodney]

I don't.:)

Oh oh, a contrarian. ;)

I am curious, have you read any of Baum's about Oz books?

I haven't read that many but the ones I have I liked.

From a historical perspective when the Oz book's were first released they were quite the rage. Long before MGM created their colorful film the world of Oz had already inspired stage theater adaptions and movies.

One must also remember this was an age long before television.
It was back in a time when most people never ventured far from where they were born unless traveling in the worlds they discovered in the books they read.

When Dorothy was transported from the plains of Kansas to the wonderful world of Oz the reader was transported with her. Books created prior to this usually had no color unless an artist personally added it to the pages. Here the color was a vital part of the story and helped introduce readers to a wide variety of strange and wonderous creatures.

Its rather hard for us to imagine the impact Baum's mysterious land of Oz had back in those days.

[lavallelee]

Where are the drawings this page has no drawings :(

[Rodney]

Where are the drawings this page has no drawings

I'm on the road so its hard to upload images right now now but hopefully I'll be able to do just that in a few days. I manage to draw something on paper every day which I'm enjoying tremendously. There's nothing quite like the feel of graphite on paper.

[arif]

There's nothing quite like the feel of graphite on paper.[/QUOTE]

i agree with you Rodney....sometimes i used wacom board...but, when i draw on paper it gives me lots of pleasure..as because i can hear the sound of pencil when it contacts on paper......

Arif:)

[Moneyguns]

Oh oh, a contrarian. ;)

I am curious, have you read any of Baum's about Oz books?



I've only read one book in my whole life and I don't even remember what it was called.

[Dave]

I've only read one book in my whole life and I don't even remember what it was called.

That's too bad! Literature will illuminate your life.

[Rodney]

I've only read one book in my whole life and I don't even remember what it was called.

That one doesn't count.
It had pictures.

[Benjy]

That one doesn't count.
It had pictures.

Now that was funny... That comment made coffee come out my nose!

[Moneyguns]

That one doesn't count.
It had pictures.

For your information it did NOT have picture's and the only reason I read it was because I thought the story was going to get better.(it didn't)

I've tried reading book's but I just have a hard time getting interested in them when I start. I've wanted to because I know it's good for your imagination.

Basically reading's my weakness.

[jeremyhopkins]

I think the breakthrough for me was the introduction of a prop for the character to interact with. The props may not always be in the hand but they do tend to be around there somewhere. I've found having a purpose in mind really helps to refine the gesture.

I look forward to seeing your breakthrough drawings as well! I'm still learning so anything you've figured out and are willing to share, I'd love to see it. Thanks!

[Rodney]

I didn't realize it'd been so long since I posted a drawing. Yikes!
Some may have seen this one elsewhere in the forum but I thought I'd include it here for completeness sake.

Inspired by Don's video drawing of his young lion.
In a (very small) way this is related to where we left off with my thoughts on props.
When viewing Don's video I kept thinking there needed to be a honey pot (or two or three or ten) in there somewhere.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2009/12/younglion91.png

[arif]

hahahahahhahaha..excellent Rodney.....you have made this drawing excellent.....and great to see that you are posting on your thread again and promise that you wont stop drawing like that. keep posting more.......................welcome back.....i really missed your comment......

Regards,
Arif.

[Rodney]

Thanks Arif,
My life seems to be incompatible with drawing at times but I still keep plugging away at it. I've been drawing a little and will keep at it every chance I get.

I'm currently drawing some of the folks I work with and that's turning out to be quite an interesting experiment. (If you get a chance to sketch people around you I highly recommend it).

I have noticed most of the artists and animators I am inspired by tend to be fairly good caricaturists.

[jeremyhopkins]

Yeah this is great! Nice way to push yourself by coloring it. You get a good idea of shape, form and silhouette. Very inspiring and nicely done - thanks for posting!

[Rodney]

As I don't currently have access to a scanner I've taken to snapping digital photos of my drawings to get them into the computer. I've been interested for some time now in the hue, tint and shading of things and (for simple testing and experimentation) the digital images from the camera are good enough to play with.

Several years ago I worked out a quick method of quickly sketching ideas and getting them into the computer (of course now they have Cintiqs and such to do this). The process is:

- Draw on a dry-erase board
- Erase and refine as necessary
- Take digital photo
- Manipulate in computer

While this might not be the most effective method for getting to final artwork I found this significantly increased my ability to get ideas flowing. It helped me spend less time thinking about minute details and more on... simply drawing more.

Another aspect of this that proved fun and useful was that inevitably I'd want to adjust something later in the computer; scale up a head, reangle an arm or remove unwanted stuff.

While a little messy I recommend this process.
Buy a little white board and draw on it in front of the TV.
If you sketch something you like... take a digital photo of it... but then erase it and move on. (You can animate this way too... but I'm not sure I'd recommend it. Its hard to inbetween between two drawings you've already erased on your whiteboard!)

Something this also helps accomplish is to release you of holding on to any one idea or drawing too long. It can be painful to erase a drawing at first... but in time... you simply draw on.

(random thoughts)

Edit: I suppose if you set up a video camera over the whiteboard you'd be able to save all of your drawings but I think that defeats the original purpose a little.

[Seth]

Hey Rodney,

I keep meaning to comment on your work....and then I forget to.

Sounds like me.
Anyways, I love your work. The Lion is really good. I'm jealous of how well you drew his arms and hands! I'm really bad at those. :rolleyes:

If I understand right, you draw on an eraser board and than color it on the computer? That's a really cool idea that I never thought of before.

[Rodney]

Thanks for the feedback Seth!


If I understand right, you draw on an eraser board and than color it on the computer? That's a really cool idea that I never thought of before.

Well... I'll draw on any scrap of paper laying around if I think it'll get the drawing out of me. ;)

Yes, the technique in question here is one that I discovered a few years ago and it did wonders to get me drawing again. There was just something about drawing quickly on that dry erase board that kept he ideas flowing. Being able to quickly erase and fix elements of the drawing or start all over from scratch got me more in tune with having some form of a goal behind my drawing. (At the time I was trying to capture cartoony-likenesses of people at work for mockups of comic book covers)

As I was on the road and wouldn't have been able to effectively use a scanner even if I had one the digital camera was my stand in for a scanner. Snapping a digital photo of the eraser board drawing however made it easy to get the drawing into the computer for digital manipulation. A head from one drawing might find its way to the drawing of a different body.

Note to anyone using this technique: Its generally better to be back farther away from the whiteboard with the board at a slight angle. This will keep the flash from showing up reflected in the drawing. Zooming in tight from farther away (as opposed to having the camera close with no zoom) tended to result in clearer lines from the drawing.

It should also be noted that at the time I also had a stylus for digital drawing. While I enjoyed drawing with that stylus theres nothing quite like drawing with a pencil or pen... and boy did that dry erase marker make sine nice smooth lines! (It also saved a lot of inking on the digital side)

[Rodney]

It occurs to me that there are some other reasons why I think its a good idea to draw on dry erase boards... here is another one:

Drawing is by and large a solitary activity.
Short of portrait and caricature artists most artists tend to work alone in seclusion.

Drawing on whiteboards helps to break you out of this mode and forces you to display those drawings to the public. The feedback you get may be good or bad... and that feedback is important.

I mostly draw for personal satisfaction but I know I need feedback in order to improve my drawing.

Of course there are other thing you can do to keep your drawing activities from being so solitary; attend drawing classes, play 'Quick Draw' at parties, collaborate with other artists on a drawing or set of drawings...

[Seth]

Rodney,

Post some new pictures, or I will vaporize you with my special powers! (I can do that ya know!) :laughing:

No seriously, your work is awesome and I've been dying to see some more. You're very talented, and I especially like your dry-eraser drawings.

So get to work! ;)

[Rodney]

Thanks for the encouragement Seth. It's much appreciated.

I should have some time over the next few weeks to take pencil to paper.

Of much interest to me... I finally caught up with the DVD I left at home six months ago: Don Bluth's Video tutorial "The Bouncing Ball". What a treat watching that has been... I'll be buying more videos from Don.

Over the next few years I'm going to see what I can do to help the stars align and spend some quality time DOING this thing called drawing/animation more than just watching and learning from the sidelines.

Animation is a spectator sport from some of us and make no mistake, I really enjoy seeing others art. Up to this point, exploring the process of animation has been as much fun as the art. I get really excited when I think that I too can produce some of that moving artwork. Then my 10 year old daughter shows me her 10-second-drawn flip book drawings and I get a refreshing glimpse of the powerful potential of the animation artform.

...and of course, drawing and doodling is personal, relaxing, enjoyable and rewarding and helps me deal with life's complexities and keeps me from completely losing my marbles. ;)

[Rodney]

I didn't do a line of drawing today but I did do some 'mental sketching'.
Afterward I found that reviewing one of Don's videos made even more sense.

If you haven't viewed this video I hope you'll take the time today.
If you have viewed it hopefully the lesson will sink in even deeper.

Don Bluth on Volumes and Shapes (http://donbluthanimation.com/tips.php?c=2&t=106)

In addition to the very practical lesson for animation what really sunk in was a deeper appreciation of how the use of volumes and shapes also translate to better still drawings/illustrations and CG animation. The essential goal in this case being to set up an opportunity for change and to exploit that opportunity through the design and structure of the object, its character and its weight.

Well... I did say it was 'mental sketching'.
We'll see how that translates to paper. ;)

[Rodney]

Now this'll be embarassing...
But if I can still have an expectation of improvement I'll still be enjoying even the embarassing moments.

Elsewhere in the forum I've been writing about my experience watching Disney's new movie 'Princess and the Frog'. Today I got to see it with my family.

After the movie we drove away with my wife driving and me reaching for my sketchbook. I thought I'd see how well I could draw these new Disney characters from memory. I've got to admit, mine look more like those cheap imitation Disney videos you can buy for a dollar on DVD. You know the ones, those that have the title and the characters prominently displayed on the cover but very obviously have nothing to do with Disney.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2010/02/PatF-Getting-to-know-the-Characters_sm.png

So, here are my attempts to remember the characters matched with the closest poses I could find to them on the internet. Its easy to see why the artists who drew the real deal on the right work for Disney. Talk about tremendous talent. Now imagine those images moving! (Not mine silly... theirs... Eek!)

My take… more than a little embarassing but in little ways that keep me going I’m proud of what I did remember of the characters. It was tough going as I couldn’t visualize them in my mind. They were more of a general feeling almost as if cued by the audial senses... the more I could hear the character's voice the closer my pencil seemed to feel them out. So, I went scratching and scraping… searching in the lines on the paper for the characters. Interestingly, after looking at the real characters I was amazed that I had remembered some interesting things but overlooked some very obvious and easy to remember things. For instance:

Tiana’s tall tiara, big eyes and hair pinned up on top. (I knew I was going to get the mouth wrong so didn't even try)

Prince Levine’s huge smile (as a frog) too easy!

Louis’s proportions… totally escaped me even though I’d seen a video of Eric Goldberg as he was drawing him. My searches seemed to discover the opposite of the required feature in almost every way. (Mine looks more like a dinosaur? Maybe?)

Ray’s big round eyes… classic Disney all the way.

Doctor Facilier’s skull and crossbones and feather in his cap (I knew something was there in that hat… I recalled 'playing cards' instead).

So, there is my introduction to drawing Disney's PatF characters.
I'll be drawing them again and keep on drawing them until I can properly 'see' them.

[arif]

ohh...Rodney..................your memory is too sharp to remember.you drew all of the characters after seeing the movie..!!!..if i have that kind of photocopy in my brain....and a projector like Don......hahahahaha..then,i would be the king...hahahhahahaa

[Rodney]

Arif,
I wish!

I often read of people being able to visualize what they are about to draw and really have little experience with that. I almost never see what I'm going to draw... and am convinced this is not a good thing for me.

Don has suggested that its good to go away (into a quiet and perhaps dark place... maybe with a little classical music playing). I need to try that someday soon as I'm sure that will do wonders for my visualization.
Life right now is a bit too chaotic for rest and relaxation.
Its part of the military life... sleep when you can... or else you might as well stay awake.

To those looking in from the outside my doodles may look like utter failures but I see them as mere placemarks and references. With enough time and interest invested any drawing can be made. If I may be allowed to be this naive in my early learning stage, what I find mostly lacking is an adequate understanding of how the original drawings were made. A thorough knowledge of a particular character's construction (its underlying framework) will understandably be lacking at this early exploratory stage.

I have something of a fatal flaw... I like to draw from memory. Even if the visuals I'm not particularly seeing... at present it's more 'feeling' in the hand than 'seeing' in the brain. Gotta have that patience Don was talkin' 'bout... I working on it!!!

We are all learning... slowly learning... day by day by day.

I should note here for those interested that Jeremy's 'Draw and Compare' exercises have been a recurring theme in my head these days. I understand the purpose and need for greater detail and see how it will teach the brain to stay on model. For now I'm just not quite at that stage.

For those that are there, I highly recommend these Weekly Exercises (http://donbluthanimation.com/forum/showthread.php?t=551).

[jeremyhopkins]

Yes, what I enjoy most about the studies is there is no place to hide. It either works and fits the character or it doesn't. I know how easy it is to hide behind style but I compliment you on your studies and your journey as an artist. That is what counts in my book :)

[Rodney]

Thanks Jeremy!

Had some quality time while traveling today to study the characters from 'Princess and the Frog'. I spent most of the time on what I consider the fun characters (like Dr. Facilier) but after returning home I thought I would try to spent time exploring a few areas of less interest to me.

Momma Odie and her snake weren't immediately appealing to me so my interest in drawing them took a back seat in prioritization for drawing. Here is my initial attempt to correct that oversight while studying the mind and talent that is the modern day legend, animator Andreas Deja.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2010/02/MamaOdie000.png

By way of self critique... I posted some suggestions to Lavalle the other day about the effect of tracing that can slip into drawings when we allow forms to merge when they should overlap. Unfortunately, I also see some of that very thing in this drawing. I think this is most pronounced in how the hat fails to appear to be actually sitting upon her head and has in some way actually merged with her. This invites the eye to see the drawing in a 2D plane and destroys the chance of seeing the characters in the depth of a scene.

Am I overlying analyzing this? Most definitely. Its a requirement in order for the lessons that I must learn to get lodged inside my pea sized brain.

[Rodney]

Here's a character that appeared while sketching with the idea to draw something anime-themed.

I call her 'The Forecaster'. Not only can she throw those cards with devastating results, she can also tell your future with them.

There were several things I really had fun with in this little doodle:

1) My ten year old daughter assisted me in coloring this. She was really getting a kick out of using layers on it. She really picked up the technique quickly.

2) I enjoyed designing the frilly clothes this character is wearing. (Japanese girls seemingly have no method to their madness in clothes at times but they always grab your attention)

3) The hair was fun but I consider it a failure... it really doesn't look like anime hair (Reason for failing: I have reference all over the place but didn't use any!). While drawing this I did come up with a plan for how to better deal with the style the next attempt I make should I ever return to this character.

4) I had a lot of fun imagining who this character is. I experimented with several variations in color and tweaked here and there... then started adding useless (but fun!) details as evidenced by the eventual addition of the tattoo on her arm/wrist.

Self Crits/Internal Dialogue:
1. Color can be a crutch. Where possible its probably a good thing to at least initially stay clear of it. Get the drawing where it needs to be... finish it. Then add the color.

2. Don't unnecessarily cut off your chacter at the legs/ankles/hair. Short of being lazy... or not being able to draw feet... why would you want to do this!!?

3. Get on with the program... stop doodling and animate these characters!!!

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2010/03/AnimeForecaster.png

[Rodney]

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2010/03/Baseball000.png

Today's most successful sketch?
(Had no real goal in the sketch until the character began to emerge from the pencil)

After the initial lines were hastily and haphazardly placed the thinking behind this guy was to design and refine him into a character that would be fun to animate. As an added benefit he could also be a setup for other animation exercises... pitching a ball... swinging a bat... running... jumping... doin' dis and doin' dat.

Self Crit/Internal Dialogue: Those huge feet could be problematic and hard to animate.

[lavallelee]

im diggin The Forecaster character

nice details, i dare you to animate her, lol

[Rodney]

nice details, i dare you to animate her, lol

I'm glad you said that because I really do want to animate her.
That may be just the thing I need to motivate me to get 'er done.

It'll likely take a few days to set aside the time but... to quote Casey Junior (from Dumbo) as he's working his way up that really steep mountain:

I think I can.
I think I can.
I think...

[cue card: "Well be right back after a word from our sponsors."]
[cue commercial]

[arif]

Ohh,,,Rodney...it is very nice character....i like him...sorry, i didnot see it before....

Regards,
Arif

[Rodney]

Ohh,,,Rodney...it is very nice character....i like him...sorry, i didnot see it before....

Thanks Arif! I'm going to try to animate or at least in the short term thumbnail pose him too.

With me the problem is that if I put down my pencil it can be awhile before I pick it up again. Perhaps the secret of life is to never let go of that pencil...

[joedorsey]

I like "The Player" the best. I don't know why, but I keep looking at his shoes. :D

[Rodney]

I don't know why, but I keep looking at his shoes.

I'm not sure but I believe they are very expensive shoes.

You bring up a very good point here that I did not attend to.
Perhaps in this image the viewers eye should first go to the face, then to the ball? Hmmm... you may have clued me in to something I need to study a bit more.

[Seth]

Hey Rodney,

I have been extremely busy in prison.....*cough cough* I mean work (hope my boss doesn't see this) and haven't had a chance to comment. But wowee! You've been drawing like a mad man lately! I guess I don't have any reason to vaporize you with my special powers anymore. Anyways, keep posting. I'll be watching. :)

[Rodney]

Thanks for the views and encouragement.
An extra special thanks to Seth for not vaporizing me.
...and you've conserved your special powers as well!

In the realm of new excuses I've never bothered to use before...

Somehow I managed to injure my shoulder and over the past few days the pain intensified considerably. You know the kind... the one that you don't have a clue what happened to you but you've got the pain to prove it? It started as a mild pain and kind of grew and grew and grew. Finally tThe pain was intense enough that it became too difficult to concentrate on using the computer. I couldn't even get myself to put pencil to paper. Now that is the definition of 'miserable'.

Isn't that the way it works... a nice relaxing weekend ahead of you with nothing scheduled to do. Lots and lots of time available for drawing. What could possibly go wrong?

Sigh.

On the positive side, at least I got a few days break away from the computer which is always good.

At any rate, I'm feeling much better now and I'm ready to get back to it!
(Right after I catch up with what has been going on in the community)

[Sidney]

Yikes, I hate that kinda pain.
I usually get the pinched nerve pain that shoots across my entire shoulder, neck, and back.
No sure what causes the onset because as far as I can tell it happens when ever it so chooses regardless of being stressfree or having not endured any known injury.

I have come to understand that it's probably from the way I sleep or the bed itself.
Strain and discomfort after waking up may be a good indication but who knows...

Glad to hear you're doin' better though. Always a good thing.

All the best,
Dave

[Rodney]

Thanks Dave.

I find I really can't complain. There are people who experience pain almost every day of their lives and I've no experience like that with which to compare. I can certainly sympathize of late. (It is however rather hard to gauge the degree of someone else's pain)


I have come to understand that it's probably from the way I sleep or the bed itself.

You know... I haven't ruled that out. It may in fact be my bed.
Sometimes I think it'd be more comfortable to sleep on the floor.

[joedorsey]

You know... I haven't ruled that out. It may in fact be my bed.
Sometimes I think it'd be more comfortable to sleep on the floor.

I've had the same issues in the past. Once I got rid of my old flattened out pillows, I felt so much better from then on. We bought a new bed a few years back, that was a big improvement too.

[Rodney]

Oh Oh... it's been a very long time since I posted anything.

Here is a collection of thumbnail sketches I posted for this week's Seminar.
I'm trying to hone in on who exactly Jake is:

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2010/06/JakeTest_sm.png

Top Row
1. Jake plays with a ball of string
2. The ball gets harder to push as Jake collects more string
3. Playing with string isn't an easy thing

Bottom Row
4. Landing on a sidewalk
5. Evading danger (Perhaps a villager was about to step on him)
6. Introduction Time!
7. From his perch high atop a brick building Jake doesn't like what he sees

[arif]

ohh!!..Rodney..............you are back......:laughing::laughing:

nice Jack Drawings:)...i like them ...hope, i will start soon......:)

Regards,
Arif

[OwenWelsh]

Cool! Nice sketches!

[lavallelee]

i really like the ball of string idea, great drawings! :D

[joedorsey]

Great to see your drawings again. I like the personality in Jake.

[Seth]

*Clap Clap* Encore, ENCORE!

Very nice drawings.

[Rodney]

With sincere apologies for messing with such cool characters...
This one is for Arif, who continues to inspire me.

After drawing these two characters I felt they should meet so I scanned the drawings in and started tweaking digitally. The attempt at coloring was mostly to hide my bad drawing underneath.

Keep on keepin' on Arif!

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2010/06/arifs-characters-meet_sm.png

[Seth]

That's great, Rodney! Love the shading. What program did you color it in?

[Rodney]

Thanks Seth!


What program did you color it in?

Corel Photopaint. That's Corel's version of Photoshop.
I'm rather partial to Corel as I've been using Coreldraw and it's suite of applications since v3.

[arif]

ahh Rodney...what have you done!!!!!..hahahahahhahahahahaahh...very coollllllllllllllllllllll.i didnot know that my characters inspire anyone to draw...wowowowowow..i am so glad....your inspirational drawings are inspiring me to draw them again.... ..

Thanks for inspiring me all the time.:laughing::laughing:

Regards,
Arif:)

[Rodney]

Arif,
I -tried- to draw them but you've got to teach us how to draw (and animate) them right! :)

[arif]

Arif,
I -tried- to draw them but you've got to teach us how to draw (and animate) them right! :)


AHH!!!...you are kidding.....ahhahahahahahaahah

[jeremyhopkins]

Beautiful color choices and nice drawings! Really cool to see this kind of collaboration!

[Rodney]

A belated 'Thanks' Jeremy!


I'm attempting to keep up with a sketchbook of sorts as I travel to the U.S. enroute to the Masterclass and to visit family. I now in a terminal at Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan where I managed to log in to post this.

Here is the first drawing I did in my little sketchbook a few hours ago, drawn looking out of the first airport's window while I was waiting to board the plane.


http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2010/07/Departures_sm.png

The book has 184 pages and thus far I've got three pages filled...
(Don't worry... I won't be posting EVERY doodle/thumbnail/sketch!)

[arif]

haahahhahha...keep posting Rodney....we can see that where are you now from the drawings.....hahahaaha:)

Regards,
Arif

[joedorsey]

Rodney,

It's so cool you're coming all the way from Japan. Don't worry about showing all your doodles. I'm very interested in hearing everyone's experiences at the Masterclass.

[OwenWelsh]

Rodney I like the painting you did for Arif. Very cool!

[Richard Willimot]

Nice sketch Rodney and bon voyage. It'd be cool to see sketches of some of the people you encounter along your journey.

[Rodney]

It'd be cool to see sketches of some of the people you encounter along your journey

I'm not sure it'd be cool to see *MY* sketches of people encountered but I definitely agree that I need to be drawing people. I'm working on it! Thanks for the suggestion and focus.

I've had lots of time to sketch since I last posted.
After leaving Tokyo enroute to Seattle... we had to return.
Spent the night in a hotel and now I'm back in the airport ready to go again.
We'll see how it goes.

I'm very glad I started out a few days early...

Can't post pictures at the moment as my cellphone/camera just went dead.
Apparently I packed my chargers the checked baggage I don't have access to.

Yep... just another day in the adventure! :)

[Rodney]

Yikes... haven't posted anything here since the Masterclass.
I should do something about that.

This is a page o' information inspired by John Beggs recently posting one of his latest sketches. I've tended to stick my nose up in the air a lot about techniques such as using a grid to draw with but the fact remains that its a very useful methodology and the grid works in many ways not immediately evident.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2010/09/DrawingWithAGrid_sm.jpg

While I recommend actually drawing or overlaying a grid over an image initially to let the principle sink in, after getting use to the method and once the eye has been trained, most artists will discover they can skip the grid drawing stage and dissect images in place. Once understood, the grid can more easily be manipulated to assist in creating complicated layouts and reproductions on paper and in three dimensional space.

[frankenart]

cool stuff here,bud.

[akkushisu]

Very informative, Rodney! Next time I need to work on a large scale image, I'll give this grid technique a try and see how it goes. Thanks for the advice, friend! :D

[Rodney]

Very informative, Rodney! Next time I need to work on a large scale image, I'll give this grid technique a try and see how it goes. Thanks for the advice, friend!

I hope I haven't misrepresented or simplified the technique too much!

The number of gridlines of course can adapt to the needs of the image but my thought is that even numbered squares work best for judging the degree of symmetry. For mirror images you can of course just draw the right or left side and then flip the grid.

It should also be noted that when drawing you need only apply the grid to areas where its use is needed. An image may consist of a larger grid with the more detailed parts of the image overlaid by squares divided into even smaller grids.

One example I didn't mention... grids have long been used to transfer images from paper to a material surfaces such as granite for the purpose of sculpting.

Before the laser scanner... there was the grid. ;)

[Johnny]

Yikes... haven't posted anything here since the Masterclass.
I should do something about that.

This is a page o' information inspired by John Beggs recently posting one of his latest sketches. I've tended to stick my nose up in the air a lot about techniques such as using a grid to draw with but the fact remains that its a very useful methodology and the grid works in many ways not immediately evident.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2010/09/DrawingWithAGrid_sm.jpg

While I recommend actually drawing or overlaying a grid over an image initially to let the principle sink in, after getting use to the method and once the eye has been trained, most artists will discover they can skip the grid drawing stage and dissect images in place. Once understood, the grid can more easily be manipulated to assist in creating complicated layouts and reproductions on paper and in three dimensional space.


Rodney
The grid where you are showing it is warping reminds me of M. C. Escher. Really like his work.
Here's a link about some of his grids (math)
http://im-possible.info/english/articles/escher_printgallery/
and here
http://www.tiac.net/~sw/2005/05/escher_grid_2/
and here is a pdf
http://www.msri.org/people/members/sara/articles/siamescher.pdf


And a search on Goggle - Escher Grids should turn up some cool images.

[Rodney]

Thanks for those links Johnny!

It's funny you should mention Escher because just this week I had grabbed and downloaded that one particular grid of his (via your first link). I don't recall what webpage it was on though. M.C. Escher sure had a lot more patience that I do in drawing... and his work is his evidence!

For awhiile I was downloading just about any type of grid that I ran into but (as I often do) I get sidetracked. Occasionally I still find a particular grid or guide that is worth exploring... and there I go getting lost again.

I wish I had more time to explore such things.
Here for instance is the beginning of an exploration into the work of Carl Robert Giles, whose sense of design and storytelling I find utterly compeling.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2010/10/Drawing-with-Grids-Analyzing-the-Work-of-Carl-Robert-Giles_sm.jpg

There is much to like about Carl Robert Giles and it's interesting that he was involved in animation in it's early days (back before Walt Disney became famous). I wish I knew more about those formulative years as I'm sure it did much to strengthen his cartoon drawings, for which he became a famously household name in the UK. He hadn't lost his interest apparently as he provided layout for some animation in his latter years.

If I can find my notes I'll post some of his unpublished studies that show how he used grids wherever it suited him and left off using them where they weren't needed.

[Seth]

*Sigh* I'm not a big fan of those grids. But I think they are a big part of art. More than I want to admit that is. My Art School has rammed that grid down my throat since day one, and I don't think they're very happy with how little I use it. I guess I just need to be more disciplined.

How often do you use it, Rodney?

[Rodney]

Seth,

I only use a square grids when absolutely necessary but I tend to use Arcs, Paths and other Guidelines extensively. I've started to use rough perspective lines (loose gridlines) a lot more since seeing Don's particular mastery of them. If you think back to the Masterclass that Path was in effect just a linear grid. We often use grids without even knowing we are using them.

You don't always need to draw them. Sometimes the grid is just imagined and put down on paper. But when working in perspective we want to be crystal clear.

I just used lines instead of grids (didn't need to draw the whole grid) to eyeball Winnie stepping forward today:

http://www.donbluthanimation.com/videos.php?showvideo=522

The basic rule might be to use a grid (or gridlike element) when you require a measurement.
I'd like to use them more because when I don't I'm mostly guessing.

Make the grid work for you, not the other way around. :)

[Rodney]

My Art School has rammed that grid down my throat since day one

I've never had any formal training on grid or perspective use but many years ago I noted it's use by some of my favorite comic book artists. I may not have known much about perspective but I knew those funky gridlines were in my future.

If you've got any stories or lessons to share regarding your instructors approach I'm all ears.

[Seth]

I've never had any formal training on grid or perspective use but many years ago I noted it's use by some of my favorite comic book artists. I may not have known much about perspective but I knew those funky gridlines were in my future.

If you've got any stories or lessons to share regarding your instructors approach I'm all ears.

Oh boy. I've gone over so much stuff since I started. The grid was what I learned my first day. Let me go back and look at my text book and see if it jogs my memory about anything useful.

[andrew sharp]

Wow those grids are realy cool thanks for sharing Rodney:)

[lavallelee]

very cool rodney, i really like the animation when she stretches out the paper

good job!

[Rodney]

It's been so long since I updated this gallery page it was hard to find!

The next few images are of secondary characters created for possible use in Seth's World. Wouldn't it be cool if they featured along side his title character 'Belinda'?

The whole reason for the existence of these guys was as a way to relieve the viewer from the intensity of some of the more serious scenes. Just when things are at their grimmest, these guys have a tendency to rush in and then rush out of the scene. They never seem to get their bad guy but hopefully leave the audience laughing. Then the more serious plot can settle back in as the main plot ramps up again.

There are many ways of fulfilling this function in an animated film but this one is designed to introduce and periodically reintroduce some secondary personalities and fill out the cast of characters. The quickness of their entry and exit is designed to do this without unnecessarily interupting the pace and focus of the main characters, while the trick is to weave in elements that augment and deepen the main story.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/04/KeyframeKats000_sm.jpg

[Rodney]

Here's a drawing of a real environment that might serve as prop/background.

When visiting my wife's family homestead I was captivated by this old building and decided I should draw it. I used the excuse that it'd make a great reference for use in the backstory of the story's villain, who has an interest in all things related to samurai.

This building was so old it didn't stand much of a chance against Japan's recent Earthquake and has reported fallen down. This drawing, and I assume a few photos may be all that remains of the place.

So... it's a pencil sketch quickly colored in Corel Photopaint.

http://funnypages.5pointpatch.com/download/file.php?id=36

[Rodney]

Here is a guardian of sorts to an ancient Mayan city.
Not sure how much I can say beyond that.

This is a thumbnail drawing created from a thought I held in my mind for about two weeks. I finally decided to draw the thing to get it out of my head. The posing is much as I imagined it but the detail isn't as Mayan as I hoped. If worth pursuing I'll break out the reference and refine it.

There is still much to be decided about this thing... it was first imagined as a giant stone creature with the average character being no taller than one of its legs. Reportedly there are many more stone giants where this one came from...

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/04/Totem_sm.jpg

[Rodney]

An early attempt to find and nail down the look of the villain...

http://funnypages.5pointpatch.com/download/file.php?id=40&mode=view

[Rodney]

...and experimentation making him more animateable and approachable... um... yeah... er... no...

http://funnypages.5pointpatch.com/download/file.php?id=41&mode=view

Seth nixed the beard while wearing a suit and tie (but liked it when he's dressed in samurai fashion).
The pony tail (not seen here) will likely stay.

[lavallelee]

http://funnypages.5pointpatch.com/download/file.php?id=41&mode=view



i like the expression on the left the best, nice lines too :)

can i have a go at this character? *goes and draws*

[Rodney]

can i have a go at this character? *goes and draws*

Please do. The more the merrier! :)

[C. Siemens]

The stone guardian looks really good!
It reminds of of what I've heard about The Emperor's New Groove when it was still supposed to be this big epic called Kingdom of the Sun. In it, the hero was supposed to have a little stone statue sidekick (at one point to be voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger). Since your design has such a huge head in relation to its body it appears small on its own. I think it would be extremely funny if the guy was small but completely boisterous and overzealous in spite of his tiny stature.

[andrew sharp]

These are awesome man, post more please:)

[Rodney]

The stone guardian looks really good!
It reminds of of what I've heard about The Emperor's New Groove when it was still supposed to be this big epic called Kingdom of the Sun. In it, the hero was supposed to have a little stone statue sidekick (at one point to be voiced by Arnold Schwarzenegger).

Thanks. You know, I'd love to see more of the early version... I did see quite a few character designs for it online but I'm sure there was tons of design work that will otherwise never be seen. I feel the same way about Disney's 'Black Cauldron'. That's a movie that is universally despised and largely because of that alone interest in the artwork and animation is almost non existent. That's too bad.

I'll go out on a limb and predict for the future one of the key attributes of hand drawn animation will be that audiences can go in and view *all the work that went into the production up close and personal. The whole thing hits critical mass when the Disney Vault opens for virtual public viewing in 2040. Yeah... gonna get me a subscription to it. ;)


Since your design has such a huge head in relation to its body it appears small on its own. I think it would be extremely funny if the guy was small but completely boisterous and overzealous in spite of his tiny stature.

I like how you think! :)


*No, not all of the work but a very large percentage of it. All on display in a virtual museum sort of fashion.

[Rodney]

One of the first drawings done of these guys...

http://funnypages.5pointpatch.com/download/file.php?id=20&mode=view

[3ddrew]

Hey Rodney!

I'm enjoying these Keyframe Kops characters! All the characters and even the vehicles have a lot of personality going for them! I'm really digging the big feet, the goofy grin, and the concerned looks on all the kitties, as well as the patch on the tire and the license plate. Definitely great work! Keep it up, it's always a pleasure to see your work! :)

[Rodney]

Hmmmm.... interesting. These latest images aren't showing for me in Internet Explorer but are showing fine in Google Chrome and Firefox.

I'll have to investigate.

[Rodney]

With my apologies for the poor quality I thought I'd give a shout out to Owen Welsh who I haven't left any feedback for in ages. I've been noting his wonderful animation though... keep it up... I've got my eye on you every day. ;)

Here is a drawing I did of Owen at the end of the 2010 Masterclass with Don Bluth in Phoenix. I'm pretty sure it was drawn just prior to final farewells at Dave's Irish Bar and Grill.

(No, I ain't no AJ! That guy can capture a likeness in a few seconds with only a few lines on the paper. )



So here's to Owen... almost one year after the Masterclass still the hardest working guy I've yet to meet in animation.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/04/OwenDoingGreat_sm.jpg

[Rodney]

When looking at Don's drawing of his Roller Movie Theater I noticed that I had inadvertently swapped the locations of the handle and the butcher paper roll. Hmmm... There are a lot of mistakes and omissions I can live with but that's not one of them... so I flipped their locations and inverted the Evil Witch drawing and looks like its' good to go. (You can see them correctly positioned in the top two images below)

I've compiled a few alternate views to show my approach to building basic models like these in Animation:Master. All total the model consists of only 118 patches and many of those could be removed without effecting the look of the model.

If this theater were to be animated I'd probably only rig the handle to turn and fake the movement of the images to make it appear the images on the paper were scrolling. If the animation had to be closely scrutinized I'd probably rebuild the whole model and use animated decals on the paper scroll.

All in all it was a fun exercise and it makes me appreciate what Don and Fred did with the real Rolling Movie Theater all the more. :)

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/04/DonsRMTmoreviews_sm.jpg

[Rodney]

This latest (cel setup) is a slightly modified version of one of Seth's earlier drawings. Posed a little differently and a little cartoonier perhaps but hopefully still recognizable.

I've written a little more about the character, the drawing and the historical aspect of the registration holes used to make the image look somewhat authentic on my blog. (Note: the cartoon style does not match with the vintage of the registration holes... which should clue those in the know about animation registration in that this is a fake. Of course the computer text does that too.)

Of course, the underlying purpose behind this whole exercise was to try to understand better how to draw Seth's characters. Still working on that...

There is a reason why the colored cel is rather jagged and rough around the edges. It's a fairly straightforward conversion to vector lines from the scanned pencil drawing which was then colored piece by piece and then further modified and composited via layers in Corel PhotoPaint.

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/04/leopardlady_sm.jpg

[Rodney]

It's been ages since I did any design work with Fonts or Logos.
Here are some of the results of today's experiments:

I had two initial targets I wanted to hit:

1) Create a Duck Tales or Indiana Jones derivative.
2) Create a logo for Belinda's adventure in the jungle.

I'm not completely satisfied with the linework and the spacing makes the jungle themed logo rather hard to read. I did dust the cobwebs off my logo making muscles and next time I'll know to spend a little more time planning my approach.

Of course if Seth doesn't like the direction of these logo... it's back we go to the ol' drawing board!

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/04/SethSnydersBelindaLogotest_sm.jpg

[lavallelee]

top left one is great, i don't know why seth doesn't like it

i think it looks great, i would want that logo for one of my toons!

[Rodney]

top left one is great, i don't know why seth doesn't like it

Seth is like an early Walt Disney whose career is pre-launch.
He is a harsh taskmaster but he's fair. Not often harsh.
...and he lets me have a break for lunch.


i think it looks great, i would want that logo for one of my toons!

I add a discount to everything I work on.
Right now I've got a huge discount going for those who attended last year's Masterclass! I'm offering 100% off if it's an known deadline (optimally within two weeks to three months, flexible but definable requirements and is supremely educational and fun. Changes after the deadline are expensive so be sure to lock that down. ;)

[andrew sharp]

Great work on the Keyframe cops great motor bike.Holly cow you do font work as well man you are multi talented dude.Gotta say upper left is my favorite:)

[Rodney]

Thanks Andrew!

I try to morph into whatever is needed for a project but that often tends to put me in the 'jack of all trades but master of none' category. Specialization is not my forte.

Here's an initial logo design for Lavalle. For those interested in learning the ins and outs of logo making, note that the name 'Slice' is especially hard to read. 'Chick' is readable but could use some more work.

When creating a logo I always consider the character and theme that it belongs but probably overthink that stuff. Sometimes people just need a logo.

Lavalle,
Gonna retry with something lower-case! ;)

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/04/ChicknSlice_sm1.jpg

[lavallelee]

I really like the colors you chose for the two characters, all last night I was drawing different poses and writing out story ideas.

Need to find some chicken and pizza gags lol. Good start Rodney!

[Rodney]

Need to find some chicken and pizza gags lol

How exactly does one do that?

(and they all answer in unison) Google!

Seriously though, chicken and pizza gags... where do you come up with this stuff?!?! :D

Once you get everything all figured out you should find an up and coming restaurant franchise and pitch this too them as corporate mascots. Either that or incorporate 'Chick 'n Slice' and watch those food orders roll in! Could be the first Pizzaria/Buffalo Wing fast food chain to feature "live" cartoonists.

[lavallelee]

haha, my gf want's to own a restaurant maybe we should set one up and call it chick n' slice! lol

as for how do i come up with these ideas, really they come out of brainstorming and doodling!

speaking of which, that monkey you made, is he your creation? i drew a side kick for him maybe we should collaborate on a monkey toon! (only if it is your creation) :p

[Rodney]

The gorilla (don't call him a monkey!!!) was created for Seth, so it's his character. He's Max Gorillason (aka Max Grill) who is the main bad guy in Belinda's world.

Talk to Seth, perhaps he's in need of a new sidekick.
Max probably threw the last one out the window.

If your girlfriend opens a 'Chick 'n Slice' I'll go out of my way to get there.
Pizza and Chicken... Hmmm Hmmm Gooey!(TM)* :)


*Thought I should at least pretend to trademark that for you.

[Seth]

Glad to see you're posting so many drawings, Rodney. Really like the cel of Ameila. She looks great colored. The logos are nice too. When I see "Belinda of the Jungle" all I can think of are Animal Skins and Giant Praying Mantis.

[Rodney]

Thanks Seth!

If I please you then I know I'm heading in the right direction.
The whole idea of 'Belinda of the Jungle' intrigues me for some reason. I have no idea why but it does. It might be that the drawings I've seen of yours with the characters set for jungle adventure really has captured my attention. When you add prehistoric sabertooth tigers and giant praying mantiseseses... the adventure grows in the imagination.

Just when I think I've got everything figured out you throw me for a loop again and you've got me eagerly looking forward to seeing more of these characters.

[Rodney]

Trying to get more of the images in my head down on paper. That way I can put other things inside my pea sized brain.

Notes:
These guys are suppose to be panthers but this is what showed up on the paper. This mistake (i.e. failure to use reference) gave me an idea... Perhaps these three wild dogs are the first to chase after Belinda but they are soon chased off by an even larger pack of wild panthers (in loin cloths even). This is the thought that calms my nerves because this image didn't quite match the idea that had formed earlier in my memory. So naturally, this must be a completely different scene! Talk about out of the fire and into the frying pan! Where the heck is Logan when you need him!

The name of the image is "Jungle Clearing" for a very good reason beyond the name of the location where Belinda is standing. The thought occurred to me that this 'Belinda of the Jungle" adventure is like one really big... and hopefully entertaining... video game. I can almost hear Logan yelling now, "Just how many stages need to be cleared in this jungle anyway!?!?"

At any rate, I should have paid more attention to my daughter Julia. I let her color the rough drawing of these 'panthers'. She didn't like blue and so she colored each one different. Hmmm....

Here, Belinda has found herself alone in the Jungles of Lemuria while a pack of Wild Dogs close in for the kill.


http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/04/JungleClearing_sm.jpg

[andrew sharp]

Cool man drawing from imagination.Great down shot awesome situation no where for her to go. The whole visualization process is a very strong tool. Have you ever tried drawing with your eyes closed while imagining its an interesting experiment:D

[Rodney]

Cool man drawing from imagination.Great down shot awesome situation no where for her to go.

Thanks Andrew!
I have to say that drawing from the imagination is more fun than drawing realistically (which for me is more like work). I admit I may have taken that to the point of laziness at times and I know it is always better to bring in reference to inform the work. I think what the difference for me is that most of what I draw/illustrate isn't designed to be finished work. It's more exploratory and focused on the idea than the finished product. My theory (it doesn't really constitute a theory but it sounds good) is that any trained monkey can select some reference and draw toward a finished work. The refinement is just that; work, refinement, rework. What is unique is within the individual.

So, an idea forms and I begin to explore it.
If I recall correctly, this drawing's genesis was in considering the situation set up by Belinda being in a jungle (presumably alone). The idea was that she was in fact, not alone. Simple ideas and concepts begin to form. The standard glowing eyes begin to appear from inside the dark recesses of the foliage. Those floating eyes in the darkness... that is an image that has been used over and over before. We owe it to ourselves to push into areas not yet explored.

The floating eyes in and of itself is a fairly straightforward drawing to get down on paper but I didn't want to just explore one moment in time. I wanted to explore animation. So those eyes... they should be moving... and when they emerge from out of the darkness they aren't just floating eyes without bodies anymore. So, we question what is going on here in this scene and discover an even greater opportunity to explore real worlds that aren't just confined to 2D planes with no depth.

If we can create 'realistic' worlds where the viewer can move around inside the scene they can usually explore beyond the limitation of what is being observed in the drawing. The artist may set up the scene but it's in the realm of the viewer's imagination where the real strength of the imagination unfolds. As the artist I may just see the drawing, but the viewer MUST see more.

The fun for me (as opposed to the work) is that as cartoonists we don't have to be overly constrained by realistic worlds. As long as we keep grounding the unreal with something real the viewer should be intrigued and with a little luck, may want to spend more time exploring.


The whole visualization process is a very strong tool. Have you ever tried drawing with your eyes closed while imagining its an interesting experiment

It's been many years (circa 1994?) since I've tried that and it definitely is a fun experiment! It's a lot like drawing with your weak hand... we learn something about ourselves when we suddenly realize we are not in full control of our senses and common abilities any more. I think it can also help loosen up tense muscles, an overly too narrow focus on a task and keep us from taking the our work too seriously.

Is it possible that through release of control we allow ourselves even greater control? Not sure, but it sounds good. I do know that it's important to take breaks from intense and lengthy projects. Take a break. Explore. Learn something new. Then we can bring that back to the work in front of us.

Thanks for the feedback Andrew.
As you can tell I like to explore the process as much as I enjoy drawing.

[Rodney]

I should have mentioned...

When laying out this scene I consulted Don Bluth.
Umm... no... I didn't exactly call him up or send him an email... I just thought, "How would Don approach this?"

At the moment I consulted Don, this layout (actually the one just prior to it to which this is a slight alteration) suggested itself. Personally, I wish I could have stuck to the original layout Don suggested. (I'm still trying to find that first thumbnail drawing where I initially tried to capture the layout)

Perhaps I should post this at a weekly Seminar so Don can REALLY tell me how he'd approach it? :)

When Don was starting out in animation he consulted his magic mirror (http://donbluthanimation.com/forum/showthread.php?p=25136#post25136).
I consult Don. ;)

[Rodney]

I'm returning to this one to make the change in predators.

Wild Dogs. Check.
Panthers now held in reserve. Check.
Belinda's hair color. Corrected. (At least I think it's suppose to be orange)

If animated this sequence should be pretty colorful.

I was tempted to put a few stray bones buried in the ground to signal that this isn't the first time this clearing has been used to welcome strangers. Just imagine those rock-shaped things are bones, okay?

If I return to this again I'll have to fix Brown's blue leg!

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/04/Recharactering_sm.jpg

[Seth]

Looking good, Rodney. Glad to see someone else draw Belinda. You got a really interesting angle in this picture. Angles are something I haven't quite grasped myself yet. Anyhow, thanks for drawing this. Can't wait to see the Panthers in loin clothes who follow

Panther: "Me Panther..... you Woman!"

[Rodney]

Thanks Seth!

When the boss is happy, life is good. :)


You got a really interesting angle in this picture. Angles are something I haven't quite grasped myself yet.

I have my days. Sometimes things fall into place.
When I get the chance I'll post the thumbnail and a few roughs on this one.
The angle was about the only thing that didn't change as I started refining the image... and even that changed from the initial thumbnail. (I still need to find that thumbnail BTW... I know it's around here someplace)


Can't wait to see the Panthers in loin clothes who follow

Panther: "Me Panther..... you Woman!"

Gah, you mean I have to actually draw those guys!?!?
Roger that. I'm on it.

[Johnny]

Rodney while doing some searches I came across a few items about grids

http://velavan.deviantart.com/art/PERSPECTIVE-GRID-BRUSH-81079329
set of grid brushes photoshop

http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/polar/
make your own and save as a pdf

set of 3d brushes here
http://www.starwalt.com/photoshop_stuff.html


a vid on how to make distored grids in photoshop cs5
http://www.pscs5tutorial.com/tutorial/Distorted_3D_Grid___Tutorials_Videos____Photoshop_ CS_5_649-649.html

[Rodney]

Very nice.

All of those links take us to some cool stuff but I'm especially intrigued by the PDF grid generator. That should be quite useful, especially if I get my brain wrapped around the numbers and orientations there.

Thanks Johnny!

[Johnny]

I came across this odd action/script for photoshop that creates Iso Grid Surrogate
http://www.ps-actions.com/action/photoshop-iso-grid-surrogate
"makes the cyan gridline stuff so you can snap for iso ratios.

conceived out of necessity for engineering px etc.

iso reference grid also included.

makes about 10000 boxes (50 by X). made for 5000x5000."

[Rodney]

Thanks Johnny. I don't use Photoshop though. I've been standardized on Corel Photopaint for more years than I care to admit. The scripts might work in Photopaint as Photoshop and it are largely the same... but I doubt it. Corelscript is a little bit different.

[Rodney]

I haven't posted anything in awhile and wanted to comment on Transformers 3 on my blog so... here's a robo:

http://blog.5pointpatch.com/wp-content/uploads/blog.5pointpatch.com/2011/08/Decepticonic_sm.jpg

He's not really meant to be a 'real' Transformer... he's just a bunch of lines put down on paper that transformed into something like a robot.

The movie had it's moments (for instance, occasionally cool robots) but if this movie represents a trend in character exploration... we are in serious trouble.

If you note the symmetry in this guy, that is intentional. I figure most things crafted mechanically tend to be symmetrical. A better drawing might have half his head blown off exposing wires and stuff (i.e. less symmetrical)

[Rodney]

This is just a note to let folks know why my blog isn't showing up these days...

I've decided to let my blog service lapse for the present and to rethink my priorities and online presence. The associated cost of maintenance with the blog and some other services was a successful experiment but probably not worth maintaining.

I need to refocus and budget for the essentials... and sustain those.

Regretfully this causes some dis-connectivity and makes it harder to post images here. I really don't care to open new accounts on photobucket, deviant etc. as I have too many unused/underused resources already. So for the present I'm debating the available options.

Interestingly, even though my blog is no longer available the images contained therein are still showing here. Rather odd but I'm glad they didn't just disappear.

It should go without saying but I'll say it anyway... Membership in Don's Club is one of those essentials and I need to renew my focus on the art of animation and on Don's instruction while I'm here.

I'm looking forward to that and... actually... hope to be posting here more often. :)

[Rodney]

Well... after deciding I didn't need a blog my decision didn't even last the rest of the day.

I have a new blog: newartofanimation (http://newartofanimation.wordpress.com/)

For my first real post on the new blog I present some work attributed to a rather unsung 'animator' by the name of Leonardo DaVinci (circa 1508):

http://newartofanimation.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/leonardo-as-animator.jpg?w=640&h=401

Can you find elements of the following principles of animation in this series of drawings?


Anticipation
Pose to Pose
Squash and Stretch
Straights and Curves (and Straights against Curves)
Line of Action
Opposing Arcs
Overlapping Action
Follow Through
Silhouette
Clarity


Reportedly, all of his peers looked at his attempts at animation and told Leo, "Don't quit your day job."

History is full of examples relative to animation.
Needless to say, I find this to be a particular interesting one.

[andrew sharp]

Leonardo DaVinci wow if olny the technology to create moving images had been around in his day. His drawings have so much life and anatomical knowlege his animations would have been intense and probably terifying.

[Rodney]

if only the technology to create moving images had been around in his day.

I agree! But...

(The following will seem to be a stretch but.. bare with me)

There is an aspect of old-world technology that still very much worth considering. We are so flooded by technology today that we don't know what from the past we may be missing.

There was something so much simpler about the technology of the times that made the volume and depth of Leonardo's gift so rich and compelling. I can't help but wonder, if he were alive with us today would he be just another guy with a dream? There are certainly those who are as gifted today.

There were a lot of tangible evidences that Leonardo was discovering in his day that we simply accept at face value today. But in gaining so much I wonder what we've forgotten of the old ways. Simple shadows cast on a wall hardly impress us these days whereas in days gone by it was considered (by some) as highly entertaining.

The constraints that we face often help us rise to new occasions.

That's a long winded way of saying... it's really hard to imagine what things would be like if Leonardo had access to the technology of today. Strangely enough, everyone still seems to be trying to catch up with his way of thinking.

[andrew sharp]

You raise an interesting point. In a youtube clip I heard a couple of weeks ago Ryan Kingslien mentioned how alot of the math for greek sculptures has been lost. A teacher once told me that Leonardo was very secretive about his drawing process. But with todays technology you can be sitting in an igloo and looking at the louvre.That blows my mind but mabey in a non productive way?

[Rodney]

I should be able to post some drawings again soon but I wanted to take the time to acknowledge the importance of those who understand how technology influences animation (and animation affects technology).

I have a short write up on my blog that tries to capture in a few words a century's worth of innovation in the field of animation and entertainment; from Winsor McCay (who started his animated chalk talk performances in 1911) to Cyber Illusionist Marco Tempest (who is performing today in 2011).

http://newartofanimation.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/centuryofchalktalks2.jpg?w=500&h=236 (http://newartofanimation.wordpress.com/2011/09/02/100-years-ago-and-today-a-century-of-animation-chalk-talk-performers/)

Give the above image a click if you'd like to learn more about these innovators.
It's a precursor to deeper study into performances historically referred to as 'chalk talks'.

I think an entire book could be written just comparing these two characters (McCay and Tempest). McCay was obviously the more talented as a draftsman while Tempest is a master of illusions.

[Rodney]

For no particular reason I smashed a bunch of screen grabs from this week's seminar into a review of sorts.

It amazes me that more people don't attend these seminars. In a way, I guess that is okay... at least for those who do attend... more time for one-on-one interaction with the legendary Don Bluth!

Wednesdays 4PM Arizona time (8AM in Japan).

http://newartofanimation.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/donbluthseminar16nov2011.jpg

[KayMartha12]

Thanks, Rodney! I missed seminar last week, so its nice to see some snapshots!

[arif]

Great post Rodney....but, it should be on General section so that viewers can easily see it....what do you think? i really want it in that section and make it `sticky`...so that it will be highlighting all the time.

[andrew sharp]

Great layout for the seminar Rodney I agree with Arif and think this should be a sticky thread always open for discussion and ideas for seminar posts:)

[OwenWelsh]

Very cool, thanks so much Rodney for putting that together! I wish we could have a thread called "I Know What You Missed Last Seminar" Perhaps someone could head that up with little recaps or screencaps... maybe this could also get more members interested in participating.:)

[Rodney]

I'll try to keep better notes than I have been keeping... sadly most of what I have is up there on that page.

I'd volunteer to head up a weekly one or two page newsletter but I'm not sure there is sufficient interest for that... then there is the question of whether or not that's something that Don and Dave want. If we go into every detail about each seminar why would anyone need to attend?

The key to our success is in going beyond the seminar... taking the lessons that Don is teaching, internalizing them, and adding that to our personal and collective work every week. Not an easy task to be sure but doable I think.

Don covers a lot in any given seminar so I am not suggesting everything he says or suggests should be incorporated into our weekly updates but if you think about it for a moment, here we have the legendary Don Bluth making suggestions to improve our work... barring holidays and such... every week! Perhaps... just perhaps... we should listen to him! :)

Of course we could spend more time bemoaning the fate of those who aren't fortunate enough to attend every week. But ultimately it is those who are fortunate enough to be there that are given a gift they can carry forward and apply that to the drawings and animation they make.

Newsletters and weekly reviews aside... all good ideas... we've got next week ahead of us.
Go. Make your drawings and animation legendary!

[OwenWelsh]

Actually I don't think we need anything more elaborate that what you did with those screen caps... I mean its really cool looking. You don't need to have anything written about the content of the seminar. The screencaps could serve as a reminder and advertisement that this is what happened last week and that there are people out there still drawing and animating and that anyone can join in to converse with Don if they want. Many artists are shy, so maybe we can help them overcome it with this little collage. Just a thought.

[arif]

Hmm...just found that there was a `wonderful` class from Don about `Negative and positive shapes and caricature. and what an explanation he has made based on Erik Larson`s notes and Walt Disney.

guys, these are most valuable teaching...

If we work for Don`s Studio, He (Don Bluth) would have been told us same thing in front of us.It is just like a virtual class.

Thousands are missing that...