more for les :)

this is a special dedication to my good friend les, the first person to comment on my neeewwww blog!

sequoia color study

who is he????

im starting to sketch some ideas about what my characters should look like. right now im working on the main character, what he will look like. i haven't really done one that i feel is completely right for the character just yet... but i do have some that i think are pretty interesting. check em out. comment if you wish. i've also got some that i just haven't scanned yet, so there may be another wave posted on here pretty soon.

what's the story, Cory?

back in the 80's, or as i call them, "the glory days... of neon clothes and big hair" there was a situation where a group of loggers were prevented from cutting down an old growth forest in the northwest because it was home to a rare species of owl.

i've decided that i would tell the tale from the owl's perspective. being such a shy creature, how would an owl deal with all the attention it began receiving?

i wont say much more since the story is in such an infantile state and it generally isnt a good idea to broadcast your ideas all over the place. but i will say this: im enjoying... no, loving... some of the characters and artwork that have already developed in the two short weeks since i began the project, and i can't wait to see what turn this path takes next.

the start of the adventure

I decided a while back that i wanted to work as an artist at Pixar. It was a random musing, i wasn't even sure i was serious about it. As with anything I'm not sure of, i put it on the back burner for a while to see if it stuck around. Sure enough, my desire to pursue this goal kept getting stronger over time. So now, with my head full of crazy ideas, I'm going to start working on some plans i have to approach this dream position at this incredible studio. i feel like I'm trying to climb a castle wall. Blindfolded. With both hands tied behind my back. Drunk. Well, not the last one, because i don't drink. The point is, i'm well aware of how lofty my goal is.

Time to strategize...

While i do have a pretty good idea, i'm not 100% certain i know exactly what i will have to do in the position i'm shooting for, or the level of work i'll be expected to produce. To give myself a bit of a roadmap, i've gone online and ordered a few books that i think will help me know what i'm doing. I ordered the art of Wall-e and the incredibles, and a book full of story art from the disney archives. I also ordered a book with 20 years of lectures from Walt Stanchfield, one of disney's great animators, which doesn't relate directly to creating concept art, but should definitely include some very useful information. A few years ago my grandmother gave me a book of the art of pocahontas, which is a beautiful film and the book has already inspired me. I'm considering these my textbooks, pouring over the pages to extract any useful information about the purpose and technique of the artwork.

The other half of the strategy, to compliment the absorption of information, is to take action. For this half, i've decided to do the deed.... i'm going to conceive and visualize a story and film all my own, probably will end up doing hundreds of drawings and paintings, and eventually i will hopefully prove and prepare myself. The next entry i write will be a taste of what that story will be, the loose idea I have so far.