CATS.

Logo project for Careers in Animation - we basically had to 'brand' ourselves, coming up with an image that represented who we are and what we do. Here's the image that I came up with, starting with the first sketch and the digital version. My professor suggested I try it in different colors, which is just what I did.

Also, my header has a cute little fish game in it now. You're welcome. :3

Storytelling

For this intriguing assignment in my Narrative Storytelling class, we were all meant to write a short story based on one of the 'Mysteries of Harris Burdick' by illustrator Chris Van Allsburg, creator of 'The Polar Express.' I picked The House on Maple Street and wrote about a page of whimsy, inspired by 'Up' and 'Meet the Robinsons.' It was actually a ton of fun to do, so I'm posting it here. I'd love to do more with it.

"To anyone who may have been watching, the scene looked like something out of a sci-fi movie. In the morning parents would tell children they had been dreaming. Spouses would tell each other they were simply imaging things. Crazy old Mr. Finch at the end of the street poured out his entire liquor cabinet.

It had started out as a typical night on Maple Street. The streets were quiet; children had been sent to bed, parents stayed up to watch talk shows. A pale, striped cat poked around a garbage can in hopes of finding scraps. Suddenly a thunderous roar rent the quiet night, a blinding light illuminating this corner of suburbia. The cat yowled and streaked away into the shadows. The noise grew louder, the light brighter, the earth began to tremble, until the simple white house at the corner of Maple and Pine actually lifted off the ground. Trees swayed, creaking, from the force of the blast. A car was pushed into the street until if fell over on its side. A dog in the next yard began barking madly; several faces appeared in windows. The house rose into the air, slowly, steadily, rumbling like a great rocket, the white-hot intensity of the blast incinerating the yard below. No on had ever seen anything of the like on this street.

But to the Robertsons, it seemed the only natural thing to do. Quite frankly, they had become bored of their life. The same routine every day, the same streets, the same faces. It was agreed they were all thirsting for adventure. But how they would be able to afford all the travel expenses, none of them quite knew. It was their youngest son who finally suggested flying away in the house. Admittedly they dismissed this at first, thinking it impossibly crazy. But the more time passed , the more the family began to think; why not?

They began all the necessary preparations; installing rocket boosters in the basement, bolting down the furniture, converting the attic into a control room. They were astounded by how little their neighbors noticed. Perhaps they were simply that content with their own little lives. All the more reason to get away."

:)

Figure Drawing

Not a bad day's work in Anatomy.

Anatomy 1

Ongoing project for Anatomy class. I'm actually having fun with it. ^^

Summer Class

Over the summer I took a Color and Design class. These are my favorite pieces from it.

'Depth and Mood' assignment. I was sick of using the class templates, so I decided to make my own design. It turned out to be an invaluable study of depth and mood applied to storytelling. Even if I still used characters from HTTYD. ;)

Final assignment; mandala. For this we had to come up with an original design, but that just made it more interesting imo. Why cats? I dunno, it probably had something to do with the fact that cats was one of the suggested subjects. But I had fun with it. :)

Old Stuff

So, I officially have a blog now. How exciting is that. :)

I'm hoping to use this as a place to store all my art, jumpstart a portfolio, and basically get my stuff out on the Internet. For starters here are the pieces I've been most proud of ever since coming to the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

Drapery; first assignment from Analysis of Form

Still life, midterm for Analysis of Form. The boot alone took me a day to render.

Portrait. Final for Analysis of Form

Portrait of my sister, done in the spring semester as a midterm Figure Drawing project.

Figure Drawing project; a take on M.C. Escher's hands drawing hands. There's quite a story behind this one. I had just recently learned that my cat of 11 years, Sweetheart, had died. It was consuming my thoughts and emotions, so I decided to incorporate it into my drawing. Using my own hands for reference, I formed the words I wanted using American Sign Language. The drawing hand says 'I love you' and the hands being drawn say 'sweetheart.'

Final for Figure Drawing. We were supposed to include a self-portrait, a study of a master work, and something from contemporary art that inspired us. The last animated film I'd seen in theaters was 'How to Train your Dragon,' and I loved it. I decided to combine all three elements into one scene. Toothless is watching me as I draw Albrecht Durer's 'Praying Hands'.

Videos to come in a later post. :)

God bless!