And Weena Mercator as "The Hopping Woman"

Sorry I've been such a stranger around here. I'm feeling a bit stressed about finally graduating and trying to get a full time job and all that jazz, which makes me withdraw from writing about myself. I have some drawings I could probably upload, but they're kind of in a larger format which is difficult to scan. I'll see what I can do.

This last week, as part of my own personal Christmas pressie to myself, I've been watching one of the classics of televised animation, Freakazoid! This is one of those shows that renews my love of animation once again, and reminds me why I want to be in that industry in the first place. I want to be Paul Rugg when I grow up. :) I can't express how much I love this show. It's the Monty Python of the animated world. Which begs the question: why was it only two seasons? From what I understand, it's all about the demographic. It was supposed to appeal to 5-8 year olds, but it ended up being a cult hit among 18-30 year olds. Any network in its right mind would have jumped at the chance at that audience, but no the WB, oooh no sir. In any case, the series is just as funny as it was in 96'. You'd think it would be more dated, with all the OJ, Clinton, and Lady Di references, but lots of the humor was more classic than that to begin with. Like all the references to 60's B-movies, or classic horror films, or just Hollywood itself, old and new. For my next animation love fest, I think I'll track down another series Paul Rugg voiced and wrote for, Animanics. It's not as lovey to me as The Freak, but it's still one of the greats.

Don't Shoot Shoot Shoot That Thing at Me

I know I should post here more. I guess I don't because I don't know what I'd say at this point; or rather, I have a lot to say, and I don't know exactly where to start.

Drawing class is going well. I consistently draw more slowly than my classmates, but I've come to realize that it's because of my earnest efforts to improve proportion in my drawings. Even my instructor, perhaps sensing my discomfort with how slow I am, has pointed out to me on a couple of occasions that it's good that I draw slow, making an effort to place everything correctly. I wish I could have taken the figure drawing course as well, but that's for majors only and I'm not a major yet. I can't really scan any of these pictures in, because they're on huge newsprint pads. Plus they aren't all that interesting; we've been drawing blocks, bottles, cones, etc. Nothing too exciting.

At the end of this semester, I will finally acquire an undergrad degree. It's a great relief in many ways, but it begins a new chapter in my life which is the cause of some anxiety. As far as 'what happens next', I'm feeling pretty certain that I will either move to Dallas or Austin to live for a while, depending on where I get a job first. There's a wild, impetuous part of me that wants to go directly to someplace bigger and scarier like New York or Chicago. But I don't think I'm quite ready to jump right into the water like that. In a place like Austin, I can live in a big city, a city with a large artist community, but there are also a lot of people I already know there and can crash with if necessary. Even if I had all the money necessary to go to CalArts right now, I think I would want to go out and live a little first. I don't believe I can ever be a first rate artist without having seen more of the world. Besides, I need to work up a portfolio.

On the subject of CalArts, I'm still turning over in my head whether that's the right place for me. I've looked into graduate school, but honestly I can't do a graduate art degree without doing an art undergrad degree first, regardless of which school I go to. So if I MUST get a second undergrad degree, then I want it to be some place exceptional like CalArts. On the other hand, the expense of it is weighing more and more on my mind. Going to school there would be a dream, but unless I could get some huge scholarships (or save up for 10 years) it's a pipe dream. I'm already in debt from my first undergrad degree, I don't want to take out loans for a second one. Also, thanks to This Week in Tech, I heard about an extraordinary online school called Animation Mentor.com. This appeals to me a lot, because the program gives you mentors who are working in the business for the duration of your education. Not just any animators, either; we're talking animators from Pixar, ILM, and Disney. Not only that, but it's quite inexpensive. At the very least, by the end of it you'd have several contacts within the business (your mentors).

What bothers me about it is that I've never been very good with online instruction. When it comes to 'mentors', I prefer to have a physical person I can actually go to to talk with. That's one of the things I loved about the music degree - to have a mentor who's following your progress from start to finish. I like the idea of an apprentiship learning paradigm. Furthermore, Animation Mentor.com does not provide any classes in traditional drawing, and I feel that I need them.

In any case, deciding what school I will go to is still somewhat far into the future. Ultimately, though, my desire to go to CalArts hasn't waned at all. Even with the difficulties in my way, I feel that somehow there is a way and it will present itself if I look for it.

Tools of the trade.

I'm really glad I'm taking an art course this semester. In many ways, it was exactly what I needed. The lecture aspect is almost always things I already know from reading or instinct. What's really valuable about the classes is that the prof. makes us sit down and draw according to strict guildlines. For example, today we were presented with a table that had different shapes on it; the exercise was to draw all the items on the table, reproducing the proportions accurately. This is the type of exercise that I really have difficulty doing on my own. I prefer to take the easy way out by drawing the image 'generally' and then fixing what doesn't look right (even if it doesn't match what I see). I know that isn't really a way to learn anything (I'm drawing on the knowledge of what the object "should" look like rather than trying to see the image), I just have a hell of a time disciplining myself to do it the hard way. Mostly because it takes me such a freaking long time. Because I took the teacher's edict about proportion seriously, my drawing was the least detailed in the class (everyone else had gotten some shading in; I hadn't even completed sketching all the objects on the table). I felt kind of bad about it, but I know this is the necessary hurtle for me to overcome in order to become an artist. Proportion has always been a problem for me, except when I use photo-reference.

Our assignment for Monday: Draw three full page pictures, starting each one with 3-5 thumbnails. The pictures must be of buildings, and must include three other objects to communicate proportion.

My son's gotta go to art school, he's leavin' in three daaaaaays

School began today, and with it the first formal art class that I've had since Jr. High. I have a good feeling about it. Not only will it be an environment for me to practice in, it will also give some polish to my design and composition skills, something I sorely need. Our first class, after going over the syllabus, was to draw a still life in two ways: using only lines and using only values (light and dark). I think I did a pretty good job at my current skill level. I was one of the few who kept to the rule of not mixing value and line. It's a harder feat than I thought it would be. I've done exercises like that before, it's just been a while.

In other news, I've been in love with Hayao Miyazaki's latest film, Howl's Moving Castle, for the past three days. Studio Ghibli is the only studio that rivals Pixar in my affections. It's hard to say which studio I love more, because each time one of them makes a film, it tops all the films made by either studio before. I've notice that lots of old-school Miyazaki fans tend to downplay the majesty of everything he's made since Princess Mononoke. It's wierd to me, because those three films - Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and now Howl's Moving Castle - have become my favorite Ghibli films. I was never very impressed with Kiki's Delivery Service. Totoro was a sweet and beautiful film, but Princess Mononoke struck me on a deeper level. Castle in the Sky was cute and Porco Rosso intriguing; but somehow none of them reached the dark beauty of Miyazaki's more recent ventures. That's not to say that I don't love all the Miyazaki films I've seen to date (except for Nausicaa; it was too much of a disapointment after the manga - and the manga remains my favorite creative work from Miyazaki). As others have observed, even a "bad" Miyazaki flim (like a "bad" Pixar film) is so far above the creative efforts of other studios, it's hard to criticise.

Quick Sketches

Today I tried to do some quick sketches of students between class. I really wanted to be able to do complete gestures, but I find it's really hard to do foreshortening on the fly. There was one girl who was doing some interesting gestures with her hands, but I just wasn't fast enough to be able to draw it. There was also another girl with a really interesting face (which is great, because 75% of the Texas Tech female population look like clones of one another), but she was basically facing me and I have trouble drawing people when they know I'm doing it.

A little repetitive, but eh...

You may wonder why I keep putting up pics of my hand. Two reasons: 1) Drawing hands is the easiest thing for me to draw accurately and 2) I've been trying to follow the Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain exercises, and they always start with a drawing of your own face, a drawing of your hand, and a drawing of the corner of a room. So, after myself, I did the hand and room to start it out. May I mention that I hate drawing non-living things? I did the room drawing as quickly as possible, and I didn't like it much. Perhaps for a change I should draw feet next time.

Also, I spent my first day at my student assistant job. Not a particularly exciting job, but they don't mind if you do homework (or drawing) while you're there, so it's actually a good way for me to have more "free" time while getting paid and having tech experience to add to my resume. Besides building up my portfolio, I intend to have enough experience/knowledge to be able to get a job as a tech or sys admin so that I can have something to live on when I move to California (or wherever I end up moving).

Things are looking up

It's been a while since I posted any pictures here, huh? I'm not particularly pleased with the way this self-portrait turned out (looks nothing like me), but I did get a better feel for the way I was seeing than I have in the past. I had a better sense of proportions for that reason - which is why I don't understand why the picture doesn't quite *look* right, but oh well. I was given a 35mm camera recently, so I've decided that I'm going to get pictures of people in various poses for the purposes of drawing. It's a lot easier for me to draw something that still and pre-framed than to literally try to keep people or animals still for me to practice on. Maybe once I'm a more efficent drawer, such things won't be such a big deal.

On the job front, I'm happy to say that I did get the computer lab job that I wanted; you know, low pay, good experience? I decided that it would be a good idea for me to take a drawing class at Tech next semester anyway, and since I'm going to be enrolled I got that job. In fact, in just a few minutes I'm going over there to fill out my employment paperwork. Yayness.

You may have noticed, also, that my link to the Dallas Institute of Art has been replaced by CalArts and the Academy of Art. I have several reasons for changing my future school: 1) The Institute of Art didn't have any 'acting for animators', which I felt was a very important part of my education. If I can't act realistically, then my characters won't be able to. 2) CalArts especially has a very rigorous program, and you're admitted on the basis of your artistic talent. I'm shooting for the moon, here. If I really want to be a part of Pixar, I need to be tested through fire, and I know that the IA isn't going to do that. What I've read about CalArts suggests that it will. 3) I'd like to be near enough to Emeryville that I can apply for internships at Pixar as often as possible. Pixar is famous for hiring from within (Brad Bird and company being notable exceptions).

Of course, living in California presents its own problems. The cost of living is high, the cost of schooling is high, and I don't like the people that live there (no offense, Albright!). But again, I feel like, if this is what I'm meant to do in life, then I WILL find a way to make it work.