Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Working for WalMart



It had been a fair amount of drawings under the gun but I managed to pull it off. Not only did I end up drawing all of the frames for a handful of WalMart TV spots but I also had to design out the presentation. I had the opportunity to work with an old friend, Barry Meier and LeVar Burton (yes, THAT LeVar Burton!) of Red Orange USA. LeVar was great to work with because he could communicate really effectively the shots he wanted and Barry managed to keep all of this in order too. I ran into Red Orange's executive producer, Ed Krajewski earlier tonight and he said the shoot went well. Way cool! It always does my heart proud knowing that my boards got them through a shoot and the film's in the can.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Something I'm not gonna see for awhile



It's just that time of the year. School's working all of us hard. Work is piling on, I'm going through Sharpies, layout paper, and if I see one of these this week, it's gonna be a lark at best.

Thursday, April 17, 2008

That funky ellipse smell



Why is it after all of these years my ellipse guides still smell horrible? I've had my set since my sophomore year in college and they still smell of death warmed over! You'd think after all of these years the smell would dissipate, no?

15 minute robot



Just for kicks I decided to blow off a wee bit of steam and have some fun drawing a robot within a time frame. So in fifteen minutes I cranked out this offbeat robot dude for laughs. It keeps me loose as I continue cranking on this real stuff here. Back to work now.

Freaking Out!

With exactly 27 more days until Graduation for most of my students, they're really under the gun now for a strong push to get their stuff up to snuff. Some are obviously more ready and confident than others but graduate they must.

Not only is it a strain on them but it's all we instructors can do keep them focused as we also have deadlines galore to deal with. We're freaking out just as much! As of now I'm under the gun to produce a smattering of WalMart commercials, a handful of Dodge web frames, a running strip for Daimler, a logo for an insurance firm, movie bids, and keep track of all of the other proposals for projects I've got out there in the real world.

On top of the in-class tension, some of us also have committees to serve on and subtle little things that we need to follow up on in order to make classes go smoothly. It's a tense time indeed but somehow we all will manage. Just keep the Mountain Dew on tap and a smile on my face through it all.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Rocketo... my new secret pleasure



Great graphic novel/ comic book done in a stellar style by Frank Espinosa. I found this little gem on my way back from the Roseann Hebeler Brown show in Ann Arbor over the weekend. Not that I've had much time to read this book or really soak up some of the great imagery in it, but Rocketo- Journey to the Hidden Sea is killer. The drawings are expressive, fluid and has a flair I haven't seen in a long while. The slap dash coloring of the book is painterly and yet remarkably intuitive. I'm lugging this little gem to class and recommending it to all.

Roseann Hebeler Brown



Last Sunday I attended the Ann Arbor Art Center to attend an opening featuring eleven children displaying their artwork. Some of the work was amazing; the creativity that some of these kids displayed was impressive. On the walls of the second floor were pieces emulated from classical artists as well as some really interesting design theory projects. All were bright, colorful and presented in a very professional manner. Many of the parents were there taking pictures of their children next to their mini-masterpieces on the many walls and chatted with the instructors.

I attended because these kids were the beneficiaries of the Roseann Hebeler Brown Fund. Roseann was also my graphic design instructor at CCS. Not only was she a great instructor to me, but she was an inspiration. She taught us the practicality of design and always had a smile on her face. She was by far one of the most fun filled instructors during my tenure at CCS. At times I can still hear her laughter when things got tough for us during the semester.

Roseann passed many years ago. She fought a valiant fight against cancer to stay with us but in the end God called her back home. This fund established in 2002 in her name gave these kids a chance to explore their artistic talent and passion. Seeing these kids and the work that they had up on the walls made me think that Roseann would've been proud of me for what I've accomplished (thanks to her tutelage) and for attending this opening.

Illustration Friday Pick of the Week



I couldn't be more proud. My darling wacky wife made "Pick of the Week" on Illustration Friday's site. Her... the trained Fine Art Painter too! And here I've been an illustrator for how many years? Is there any justice in the world?! Either way I couldn't be more tickled pink for her when she found out a few days ago. It's awfully nice to see her get some well deserved acclaim.

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