Searching for Meaning, Reflecting on the Journey. . .

Sharing the Experience.

     Well, hard to believe its 2011 & the start of another year.  So many plans to make & goals to reach, both personal & creative.  Those who know me well, know this is a very important year for me. . . deep breath.  Just because you are behind the wheel, doesn't necessarily mean you can control the condition of the road you are traveling on.  Smooth or rough, it is a journey of great worth. 
     So, I would like to begin this year in the spirit which I started this blog, that of New Drawn Conclusions.  Here are a few sketches of a character, I hope over the coarse of this coming year to be able to share with you in greater detail. 
     This character, well. . . Is me.  A great technique for achieving better expression & believe ability.  He's me as an adult as well as me as a child.  There is a wealth of memories, experiences, viewpoints, emotions & beliefs that I can pull from as inspiration for each illustration of my friend here, "Brewster".  With each situation, I know exactly how he will react & feel.  Its real, its honest, its a simple discovery of self expression. There is a piece of me in every picture & countless words buried in the subtlest of gestures and in the simplest of expressions.  Driven by childhood memories through to present day experiences.
     I hope you enjoy them!

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 . . .

Disney Interactive. . .

The Dream job! I felt so fortunate to be included in such a talented group of artist & designers. I learned a great deal about layout design, creating & using curved perspective grids. A technique that opened a door to scene creation that has proven to be far more dynamic. The degree of bent perspective, great or small, has a direct impact on the look of the piece. I plan on going into this with much more detail in a later post.

Dealing with design for 3D, lighting became a very important part of the look & feel of a given scene. Not only can it make a very simple scene interesting, it helps direct the viewers eye while adding mystery & drama.
The inspiration & encouragement I received from my friends there, drove me to new heights I had never before experience. Working along side the best the industry had to offer, only increased my personal desire to be the best that I could be. It truly was a job that felt nothing like WORK!

The Dream Job!

New Creative Ventures

For many years now, I have been inspired by some very talented individuals. From exceptionally driven classmates & the instructors who guided us, to a growing family of very gifted co-workers.

The greatest growth I experienced as an artist, has been in collaborative working environments, especially where egos were absent from the creative process. And without a doubt, my years

at Disney ranks the highest in this regard. The dedicated teamwork, the genuine mutual respect, and the diverse creative influence, is something I have always cherished and have since been seeking

to recapture.

Through out my journey as an Artist & Designer, I have drawn many conclusions about my abilities, and what I wanted to accomplish. At times my conclusions were filled with doubt and others with a new found strength of accomplishment. This blog is a continuation of

that journey. An outlet for learning and sharing. For making new acquaintances, exploring new creative ventures & of course uncovering New Drawn Conclusions of discovery, ability & accomplishment.