Here's the Pooh-Ppp . . .

Here is a collection of some small & very quick sketches of "Winnie the Pooh" (Pencil & Whiteout).
There was a time during my employment at the Disney Stores when management responsibilities & work load, kept me from doing what I loved . . . illustrating.
So to combat this trend, I would take an hour before each work day to sketch out these little thumb nail illustrations. Since the larger projects were just too big to fit into my busy schedule, I decided to work at a size I could complete.
These little successes were just what I needed to fulfill that desire to stay in touch with my creative roots, while filling a growing void. I have tried to keep this practice going till today. Since life will always continue to throw things our way, we just need to adjust the scope of what we can actually accomplish. Don't loose heart, just organize your goals into manageable steps.
I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to jot down a few thoughts about "THE STORES". Through collaboration, a great deal of growth came to me in my employment there. I had gained some very dear friends in the process. I had the privilege of learning under some very talented, insightful & patient individuals, from my bosses (Designer-Directors, Mentors): Ed Rodriguez, Jason Bahret & Bob Prado; to some of the most inspiring co-workers anyone could ever hope to work along side, with: Chris Schnabel, Ben Butcher, Kevin Kidney, Jody Daily & Joel Andrews, to name just a few.
The priceless reward from working in this kind of environment, is that you gain so much creative growth through the personal guidance you received from your teammates. We helped each other out over any area of difficulty. We shared techniques, creative insights, love for art & artists (old & new). For books & toys (man the money we spent, but the libraries we gained). There is a strong sense of family that develops, which lasts beyond the actual stay there as an employee.
As I get older, I realize more & more, the importance of maintaining these relationships. Not so much for the creative support, although that is ALWAYS present, but more so because they have become an important part of my life. We live, we share, we create & are hearts are filled. Art may be an individual adventure, but its personal value is increased ten fold when it is shared with others.

Enjoy!

Reflections of Pooh . . .

This series of work was for a freelance job I got from Disney Art Classics. It was a limited print run for a poster called "Reflections of Pooh".
The work shown here is from the early roughs, to some of the cleaned line art. To the watercolor painted color key & the render test to verify the final technique.
This final technique was a last minute change requested by the Art Director, who liked the style of a very early comp I did at the beginning of the project. I was not originally planning on such defined ink lines, but in the end, it was a great call.

A Lil more Pooh for yah . . .