the Vibe, Part Two
It's been clear and cold for the past week. Every morning a lovely sunrise, all Pepto-Bismol pink and Hot Pants Red. They say "Red skies at morning, sailor takes warning" but thus far it's just been more of the same, still, cold air and a deck covered with frost, no storms, not even any wind.
We were on the return run of our walk, coming along the cut through the woods that we always follow, when the sun pulled free of the horizon. The light came over my shoulder and spilled over the fallen leaves. Rusty leaves, pink and lavender frost on the shadow side. Beautiful.
A lesson: when in doubt, talk it over with your Art Director. Don't sit there gnawing your fingernails. 30-plus drawings later finds me a lot closer to the groove, closer still now that I've got a better idea of what my boss wants, straight from his mouth. Don't sit there in doubt when you can do something about it.
Dur. :P
I had a revelation while going through my Art Of books in search of the Vibe. It's been so long since I've lived in the world of animation that I've lost touch with my Toonish Side. Cartooning is a different way of thinking from the world I've lived in for the past decade. When I render a building, I'm trying to establish the thing's reality using all the elements that speak of that place: texture, shadow, light, shape, context. Illustration is all about illusion. You're trying to use the language of marks to make a visual statement others can "hear". Success is a function of well the marks realize all the components of the thing being drawn.
Cartooning's the reverse. It might take me ten or fifteen thousand lines to render a building. A cartoonist can make it sing in five or ten. Illustration is full spectrum. Cartooning is essence. Just the marks that are needed, drawn boldly.
Illustration permits a certain laziness. You can hide a lot of bad anatomy with technique. Cartooning doesn't cut you the same slack. If you don't know what you're doing, man, it's gonna be hanging out for all to see.
The revelation I mentioned? I think that's the heart of what's required for a "shift of style" . All forms of art, from abstract expressionist to Disney-style animation, juggle the same basic building blocks. What defines them are the elements that are stressed. Figure out the structure of a style analytically and you've got a road map for getting there on paper.
A lesson: when a shift in approach lays bare all that you need to work on, those parts of your skill set that need polishing, consider it a boon. Now you know what you need to hone. No hiding from it.
Get goin', lil camper.
We were on the return run of our walk, coming along the cut through the woods that we always follow, when the sun pulled free of the horizon. The light came over my shoulder and spilled over the fallen leaves. Rusty leaves, pink and lavender frost on the shadow side. Beautiful.
A lesson: when in doubt, talk it over with your Art Director. Don't sit there gnawing your fingernails. 30-plus drawings later finds me a lot closer to the groove, closer still now that I've got a better idea of what my boss wants, straight from his mouth. Don't sit there in doubt when you can do something about it.
Dur. :P
I had a revelation while going through my Art Of books in search of the Vibe. It's been so long since I've lived in the world of animation that I've lost touch with my Toonish Side. Cartooning is a different way of thinking from the world I've lived in for the past decade. When I render a building, I'm trying to establish the thing's reality using all the elements that speak of that place: texture, shadow, light, shape, context. Illustration is all about illusion. You're trying to use the language of marks to make a visual statement others can "hear". Success is a function of well the marks realize all the components of the thing being drawn.
Cartooning's the reverse. It might take me ten or fifteen thousand lines to render a building. A cartoonist can make it sing in five or ten. Illustration is full spectrum. Cartooning is essence. Just the marks that are needed, drawn boldly.
Illustration permits a certain laziness. You can hide a lot of bad anatomy with technique. Cartooning doesn't cut you the same slack. If you don't know what you're doing, man, it's gonna be hanging out for all to see.
The revelation I mentioned? I think that's the heart of what's required for a "shift of style" . All forms of art, from abstract expressionist to Disney-style animation, juggle the same basic building blocks. What defines them are the elements that are stressed. Figure out the structure of a style analytically and you've got a road map for getting there on paper.
A lesson: when a shift in approach lays bare all that you need to work on, those parts of your skill set that need polishing, consider it a boon. Now you know what you need to hone. No hiding from it.
Get goin', lil camper.