“Practice by drawing things large, as if equal in representation and reality. In small drawings every large weakness is easily hidden; in the large, the smallest weakness is easily seen.”
Saturday, 29 October 2011
Life Drawing: Male 18/10/2011
“Draw as much and as often as you can. When drawing lies fallow, the skill diminishes.”
Gene Black
Gene Black
Thursday, 27 October 2011
Film focus: The Nightmare Before Christmas
“An eerie world of imagination comes to life before our eyes”
The Making of Tim Burtons the Nightmare before Christmas
The Nightmare before Christmas is one of my favourite Disney films of all time, bringing stop motion animation into the limelight.
Part 1/3
The Making of Nightmare before Christmas 1/3 accessed 09-10-2011 12-28pm
Part 2/3
The Making of Nightmare before Christmas 2/3 accessed 09-10-2011 12-28pm
Part 3/3
The Making of Nightmare before Christmas 3/3 accessed 09-10-2011 12-28pm
It took 100 artists and technicians, 13 animators, over 100 camera operators, puppet makers, set builders and prop makers 3 years from start to finish to produce Tim Burton’s vision. Using 19 sound stages, 230 sets and hundreds of individual puppets.
Through the hard work of all these people the film won Best Fantasy Film from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA in 1994.
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| https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEity069Q5K_Z9I8gw6y3w34edwrPrAFIfUfKEeKRhuMoXnuLn5RXucN9EAfhsOlNx_P_S9nZoSaHyTZD72oPQv-vMsCviiPN4vuIGwZmclADf1JsuutD8smN1peAa1VlsrUYid0wwAVJj8/s1600/ortho_shot+copy.jpg Nightmare before christmas set sketch accessed 9-10-2011 6-38pm |
The basis of the film came from Tim Burton’s original poem and artwork entitled The Nightmare Before Christmas. Using the artwork, the art department created characters, sets and locations that coincided with Tim’s original drawings. Tim Burton was head of the visual team so in one sense could take on the title Production Designer, though he never did.
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| http://animationarchive.net/Non%20Feature%20Films/The%20Nightmare%20Before%20Christmas/Concept%20Art/PDVD_168.jpg Nightmare before christmas jack skelington accessed 9-10-2011 6-30pm |
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| http://animationarchive.net/Non%20Feature%20Films/The%20Nightmare%20Before%20Christmas/Concept%20Art/PDVD_400.jpg Nightmare before christmas gate concept accessed 9-10-2011 6-33pm |
This film, like many, relied heavily on the use of storyboards in the Pre-production stage to save time and money by planning out the whole film before any filming began. Joseph Ranft was the Storyboard Supervisor and with his storyboarding team they drew scene after scene of storyboards, many scenes containing several shots, until they had the full film, accompanied by voice over’s and music. This method of planning a film before shooting allows the director to see his vision before any filming begins and allows any problems to be solved quickly saving hundreds of thousands of pounds.
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| http://s3files.core77.com/gallery/images/2008_NY_toy_34.JPG Nightmare before christmas set model accessed 9-10-2011 6-36pm |
The look of the film was taken from Tim’s original sketches- the entire set was covered in plaster and then etched into, creating cross hatching and texture so it looked like a living illustration.
Tim had a strong emphasis on colour and told the set designers that the only colours they could use in their colour pallet for Halloween Town were black, white and orange. This emphasis on narrow colour choices created the scary look of the town which fits perfectly with the overall theme.
Post-production techniques were also used to add snow, smoke, shadows, fire, electric bolts and floating ghosts.
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| http://home.comcast.net/~wardandandrea/treehouse.jpg Nightmare before christmas set accessed 9-10-2011 6-36pm |
Monday, 17 October 2011
Life Drawing: Female 12/10/2011
"It is through drawing that masters are first revealed; through drawing that they live and prove their value, whatever variations they may impose on their talent."
Gerard Bauer
When I was younger I used to copy characters from one of my video games so from a young age I was used to drawing the female figure- as a result I found the female life drawing session much easier then the previous male one. I am much more familiar with the body shapes and curves of the female form.
This first warm up sketch is a little inaccurate but i think it is an improvement on the male form i drew at the first drawing class.
The last four images I think are some of the best I have drawn. Because I already had a basic knowledge of drawing the female figure i found the session much more enjoyable.
Life Drawing: Male 11/10/2011
"Do not fail, as you go on, to draw something every day, for no matter how little it is, it will be well worthwhile, and it will do you a
world of good."
Cennini
To help improve my drawing ability I’ve joined a life drawing class at uni. The idea behind it is that you learn to look, and then draw what you see rather than drawing what you think you see.
The first few minutes felt very weird. I was sat in a room with 20 other students all drawing a naked person. Not something I had done before. But after a while it didn’t feel so weird and I almost forgot that there was a naked person there because I was concentrating so hard on my drawing.
My first couple sketches were quite poor. They were not very accurate and the proportions were a bit out, but the idea was just to get warmed up and focused.
The next few images were longer 20minute poses and this time we had to focus on accuracy but measuring the model with you pencil at arm’s length.
My sketches greatly improved with this new measuring technique and I am actually quite proud of how some of them turned out.
Tuesday, 11 October 2011
My Inspiration
"A good design can feel like something you have always been waiting for without knowing."
Paul Huizinga
Here is a collection of images from various films which I really like the designs for, and when I watch them they spark my interest and imagination.
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| For me A Bugs Life is one long comical play on nature. I love the way they use natural objects as bits of furniture; whether its leaves as walls to mushrooms as lamps. It shows true creativity and imagination in environmental design. http://90.146.8.18/bilderclient/PR_1999_bugslife_001_p.jpg A bugs life accessed 11-10-2011 12-41pm |
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| The 1951 version of Alice in Wonderland is by far my favourite adaptation of the classic novel. This image shows a scene in Tulgey wood. The trees join together creating pathways and walls throughout the forest and with their unusual colour variations they create a very interesting environment for the character to walk through. The idea of an enchanted forest is very interesting to me. http://cf1.imgobject.com/backdrops/584/4d5fec6b5e73d60c5a002584/alice-in-wonderland-original.jpg Alice in wonderland cartoon tolgy wood accessed 11-10-2011 12-42pm |
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| The 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland by Tim Burton takes the idea of enchanted woodland to a whole new level. This scene where the characters walk through a forest of gigantic mushrooms and twisted branches is truly magical. http://movienews.ro/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/alice8.jpg Alice in wonderland giant mushrooms accessed 11-10-2011 12-43pm |
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| Another image from the 2010 version of Alice in Wonderland. This time it shows the character interacting with some giant flowers. The concept of giant talking flowers looking down on humans is interesting because of the role reversal. Alice in wonderland is a great film for weird and wonderful which gets my imagination going. https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiedfnR5ikeN7M7NfEuk1N_FbEZeS9ZcF1bHpIrVdvTVGX94i_5Td3znhRmNkRET41sjp3umatoyLhnfA2orR8fZyIq1ZIuhMnyY_xE4HLzJ0pOnqlRiPvJuvY2MBFVIC24scx-BZE3TU/s1600/alice_in_wonderland03.jpg Alice in wonderland giant flowers accessed 11-10-2011 12-43pm |
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| Again with the weird and wonderful is Coraline. Taking place in two worlds; the dull normal world and an alternate world, the alternate world is by far the more exciting with vivid colours, distorted perspectives and strange creatures. I love the weirdness of this films environments. http://www.fondosparapantalla.com/albums/fondos-cine/Coraline-007.jpg Coraline accessed 11-10-2011 12-46pm |
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| I love the character that James and the Giant Peach has. Its similar in style to Coraline in that it uses Stop Animation but advances in the industry have allowed Coraline to come out with a much crisper finish and higher quality of animation. Having said that however, James and the Giant Peach I feel comes alive because of its quirky roughness. http://images.alphacoders.com/107/107143.jpg James and the Giant Peach accessed 11-10-2011 12-44pm |
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| Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe has some of the most magical environments and set designs I have seen. From mysterious English manors to frozen Ice palaces. Even I would love to run around the sets for this film! http://jollyblogger.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/narnia.jpg Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe lampost accessed 11-10-2011 12-38pm |
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| Nausicaa of the Vally of the Wind is an Anime with art direction Mitsuyoshi Nakamura. This animation has some beautiful visuals so that each scene almost becomes an epic painting. http://download.minitokyo.net/Nausicaa.of.the.Valley.of.the.Wind.516772.jpg Nausicca of the Velley of the Wind accessed 11-10-2011 12-45pm |
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| In my opinion Nightmare Before Christmas is Tim Burton's greatest film. The sets have so much character in their 'illustrated' style, the characters are so varied, the songs are amazing and overall it comes across as an excellent film. http://images.fanpop.com/images/image_uploads/Halloween-Town-nightmare-before-christmas-226842_717_438.jpg Nightmare Before Christmas Town Square accessed 11-10-2011 12-39pm |
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| The iconic hill set from Nightmare Before Christmas sums up the entire styling concept for this film. http://images2.fanpop.com/images/photos/3000000/The-Nightmare-Before-Christmas-nightmare-before-christmas-3012404-1280-960.jpg Nightmare Before Christmas hill accessed 11-10-2011 12-39pm |
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| This heavily stylised adaptation of Peter Pan would not look out of place in the animation section of a Blockbuster. Its strong colours, stylized environments and magical creatures make this film stand out for me above any other peter pan film. http://www.artwallpapers.com/movie/data/peter_pan_movie/03/peter_pan_movie03.jpg Peter Pan accessed 11-10-2011 12-40pm |
Friday, 7 October 2011
Interview with a Production Designer: Roger Ford
“...One of the characters is the building...”
“So, in a sense, when we tried to develop the exterior of the castle, I'm trying to put a character into the movie and make it reflect the Telmarine culture. It's imposing in
its own right.”
George Miller and Roger Ford
Here are some examples of work by the Production Designer Roger Ford. I am particularly interested in his work he did on Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Narnia: Prince Caspian and Peter Pan. George Miller and Roger Ford
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| Roger Ford- Production designer for Narnia:Prince Caspian http://www.narniaweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/4635-400x226.jpg accessed 07/10/2011 2:11pm |
Written interview: Roger Ford, production designer for "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"
Accessed 07/10/2011 12:03pm
I find his set designs for the Narnia films very creative and just seeing images of them gets my imagination excited. He mixes the ethereal snow covered forests with the ice laden palace of the white witch to produce an incredibly diverse setting for a classic children’s story. He was nominated for the Excellence in Filmmaking award by the 2006 Australian Film Institute and the film The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe won Best Family Film in 2006 at the Broadcast film Critics Association Awards.
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| Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Magical Narnian Forest http://www.dan-dare.org/FreeFun/Images/CartoonsMoviesTV/LionWitchWardrobeWallpaper1024.jpg Accessed 7/10/2011 1:24pm |
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| Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe http://uk.movies.ign.com Accessed 7/10/2011 1:30pm |
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| Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Cair Paravel Concept art http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/tumblr_l5rva3IJFB1qc1m43o1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJ6IHWSU3BX3X7X3Q&Expires=1318075748&Signature= TgFfOuodLt4ceCryeZfxtJoQwRg%3D Accessed 7/10/2011 1:32pm |
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| Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Witch's Castle http://www.stardusttrailers.com/scheda_wallpaper_read.php?id=876&titolo=The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe&id_wallpaper=6675 Accessed 7/10/2011 1:29pm |
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| Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Aslans How http://uk.movies.ign.com Accessed 7/10/2011 1:38pm |
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| Narnia: Prince Caspian Concept Art http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=36746&offset=10 Accessed 7/10/2011 11:17am |
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| Narnia: Prince Caspian Dancing Lawn: Concept Art http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=36746&offset=10 Accessed 7/10/2011 11:15am |
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| Narnia: Prince Caspian Cair Paravel Ruins http://narnia.wikia.com/wiki/Cair_Paravel Accessed 7/10/2011 1:31pm |
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| Peter Pan Reacuring two-tone colour scheme http://www.scenicreflections.com/files/Peter_Pan:2003_Wallpaper_JxHy.jpg Accessed 7/10/2011 1:34pm |
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| Peter Pan Stylizing: almost paint like designs http://imageshack.us/f/220/2kd6sgxs1nsu4iawudgk003.jpg/ Accessed 7/10/2011 1:36pm |
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| Peter Pan Two-tone design http://outnow.ch/Media/Movies/Bilder/2003/PeterPan/movie.xl/02.jpg Accessed 7/10/2011 1:34pm |
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| Peter Pan Colourful environments heavily stylized and colour enhanced http://twilightswarden.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/peter_pan_12.jpg Accessed 7/10/2011 1:37pm |
Wednesday, 5 October 2011
Empire: A look around Pixar Animation Studios
“It’s Pixar, the coolest place on the planet” Chris Hewitt
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Pixar animation studio accessed 05-10-2011 04-20pm |
Accessed 05-10-2011 3:47pm
The above link is a short documentary by Empire Magazine, looking around Pixar Animation Studio in Emeryville, California. Chris Hewitt interviews some of the members of Pixar who were involved in their latest release UP, including Pete Doctor who was the Director and Screenwriter.
I am a huge fan of all things Pixar and it is my dream to one day work for these giants of animation magic.
Interview with a Production Designer: John Myhre
"Its all about Story telling" John Myhre
This video is an interview from the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con, with John Myhre who was the Production Designer on “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides”.
He starts off by briefly explaining what his role was as production designer was in the film and how exciting and creative this job is. It’s so good to see someone really enamoured with their work and as this is the job I want to go into one day it’s really inspiring and fills me with excitement and anticipation for projects I may get to work on one day.
It’s an interesting video because Myhre goes into detail on how he came up with the concept for the ship sailed by the infamous pirate Blackbeard, the Queen Anne’s Revenge. Many details go unnoticed by the audience but it’s very interesting hearing where certain elements of the design come from; for example the menacing skeleton on the bow of the ship where the figurehead should be, holding a spear and a goblet, is taken from motif that appears on Blackbeard’s flag:
I will investigate more of John Myhre’s work.
Blackbeards ship showing skeleton motif
accessed05-10-2011 11:39am
Blackbeards ship2
accessed 05-10-2011 11:40am
Blackbeards flag and skeleton motif
accessed 05-10-2011 11:41am
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