Drawing Conclusions

The Chimeran

2011-07-21T10:40:00.000-07:00

The Chimeran, a new and very exciting Project being put together by myself, Gary Kurtz (Producer Star Wars, Dark Crystal, Return to Oz) and Paul Goodenough. I am attached as Director, Gary as Producer and Paul Goodenough as Writer. We will all Exec Produce. See more details at www.thechimeran.com

Stunning visual development by Ryan Firchau

BAA Awards

2010-07-18T09:48:00.000-07:00

Felt very privileged recently to be asked to be one of the contributing artists to do an illustration as one of the awards for the British Animation Awards (BAA) The only condition is that the image must feature a sheep so I came up with this.

The Fang and the Feather

2009-06-23T12:42:00.000-07:00

http://www.purpleplanetfilms.com
We are currently developing major CGI animated films based on a full featured epic fantasy adventure story called The Legend of the Purple Planet, a trilogy based on novels by Sabina Spencer, "The Fang and the Feather", "The Hidden Amulet", and "The Infini Key". Producer Gary Kurtz ("Star Wars, American Graffiti, Dark Crystal), Production Designer Michel Gagne ( Osmosis Jones. The Iron Giant), Screenwriter Stan Berkowitz (Justice League), Commercial Licensing Director, Simon Gardner (Formaly President of Hasbro) and Director Richard Bazley (Supervising Animator, Hercules, The Iron Giant, Osmosis Jones, Barnyard).

The Making of Cool Cat

2007-10-01T11:59:00.000-07:00

The Making of Cool Cat

2007-10-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Enjoy "The Making of Cool Cat". The first half is about a Sky Plus ad and the second part is about Cool Cat.

Sky Commercial Cool Cat-movie

2007-09-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

Sky Commercial Cool Cat

2007-09-21T08:24:00.000-07:00

I had just got back from another stint of work in LA and was doing some storyboard work for HRA when Jerry Hibbert mentioned that there was a project "just up my street". The Creative Directors (Luke Williamson and Yan Elliot) at the agency were huge fans of "The Iron Giant", a wonderful film Directed by Brad Bird that didn't see box office success but has found critical acclaim and successful DVD sales. I had supervised and animated on three key sequences and the agency guys as well as knowing my background at Disney and Warner's were well aware on my work on "The Iron Giant". Firstly I was delighted at the choice of music which was integral to the idea of the ad. "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night. I had always loved their music and was very excited at the prospect of animating to this song. Following an initial meeting, some pitch work (done by Kim Burdon, Jerry Forder and myself) and a "DI" Director's Interpretation, we won the business. A 60 sec spot for Sky. When Charlotte Loynes the Producer at HRA called to confirm the job I was thrilled. This ad wasn't advertising their channel however. Sky are and have been a Carbon Neutral company for a while now. I was totally unaware of this as are most people and they wanted to get that message out and draw attention to their website with details about it. The first part of the process is to draw the storyboard and get an animatic together to show the agency and client for discussion. Whilst doing this I was also preparing the team I wanted to work on this ad. Whilst at Disney I had been aware of a very talented background artist called Peter Moehrle , especially his wonderful watercolour backgrounds in Lilo and Stitch. The backgrounds in the commercial however I wanted to look more like the spectacular paintings in Miyazaki films but I knew Peter was very capable of adapting to any style. I found he was available and he started work from my layouts. Also as the music is so upbeat and I wanted the artwork to reflect this. The end line is "The World is a beautiful place, lets help keep it that way" so the mood and atmosphere were of particular importance. To get this look I had at my disposal one of the best Art Directors in town Gethyn Davis. He was able to pull everything together on every shot and make sure all the shots looked great from the composition, the lighting and compositing. We studied the masterful shots of Miyazaki and tried to figure out what made them work so well. I would even study the landscape in motion on the Friday night train home from London to Bath and see how the hulls would pan in relation to the nearby bushes and try and take a mental picture. The evening skies with a hint of red and yellow tinge were also an inspiration for the end shot. The original sketch of the cat in the pitch had a 30s look to it so when I designed the rest of the characters I wanted to make sure the theme carried through all of them. The little triangle cut out in the eye, the rubber hose limbs. The Agency, although they liked the retro influence didn't want it to look like "an old cartoon", so the ANIME influence on the backgrounds made an interesting hybrid. What the old black and White cartoons and ANIME have in common is a strong sense of light and dark and use of shadows so I knew it would marry together well. Luke and Yan had put together a mood board (samples of other animation form other films) together with clips form "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", "The Elephant Parade" in Dumbo, Steamboat Willie and other material. All helped me get a feel for what they were after. Once I got the first animatic together we showed it to the agency and after their approval showed it in turn to Sky and ultimately James Murdock. With their final comments we were ready to go to animation. The wonderful thing about the style of the 30s characters was that we could be loose and have fun with the animation.The cats legs and arms could stretch ridiculous lengths so in one scene his arm stretches out to the other side of the road to shake some children's hands and in another his legs stretches over a lake to get to the other side. I was also lucky enough to have some of the best animators in the business available, Teddy Hall, Andy Powell, Al Gaivotto,Goeff MacDowell and Jerry Forder. Alan Bassett not only did and amazing job co-coordinating but also animated 3D elements like the Houses and Trees which bounce to the music. All in all I felt we created an ad that wasn’t preachy, got the message across but at the same time was an enjoyable piece of entertainmen

Barnyard-The Original Party Animals.

2006-11-09T14:11:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to see Barnyard do well at the Box-Office. Steve Oedekerk is a very funny and talented Director/Writer in both Live-Action and Animation and I was lucky enough to be a CG Supervisor at Omation for a year. Although animating in CGI I still liked to thumbnail a scene first and if an animator was struggling with a pose and the rigidity of CGI I would sketch a pose for reference to make it more dynamic. I still love thumbnailing. I think it is so liberating, not to worry about the drawing itself but to get your head into the character and to feel and think out the performance...if you do that the drawing takes care of itself.

Jack Frost

2006-11-02T06:27:00.000-08:00

A while back I teamed up with a couple Producers on a project that could have been magnificent, Jack Frost a book by David Melling. The BBC had made a commission but with very little financial contribution, we had to find the rest of the finance (most of it) and only ten months to do it from scratch! To me it was not do-able, (not to do it justice anyway) but they went ahead. I decided I couldn’t work for free and went to the US for a year and unfortunately the project was made poorly in India and has pretty much disappeared, a missed opportunity. The good news is that I will be doing other projects with the talented Author David Melling and I will make sure that any future project will be properly financed. Here are just a few sketches I did. At some point I will add a storyboard here.

Catch a copy of Carp DVD here!

2006-11-02T04:29:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder that Edwin Carp is now on DVD and that you can catch a copy of Carp here!

Batswings and Ponytails.

2006-10-30T14:10:00.000-08:00

A project I have been developing for sometime is Batswings and Ponytails. Another Producer tried to name it Voodoo Child but at this time I would still go with the original title.Its a bit like tring to rename Lemony Snickett a series of Unfortunate Events to Bad Luck Dude! As well as Ronald Searle I love the illustrations of Punch artist Emmet. These images are a nod in that direction.

Tommy Gunn

2006-10-30T13:48:00.000-08:00

Another personal project that I worked on a while back was called Tommy Gunn. The treatment went down quite well as a Pitch at Fox Feature Animation. It was before they really got going with Blue Sky. I love Art Deco, Erte and Tamara de Lempicka and wanted to do something in that style. I also wanted to do a short rush hour sequence within the Feature in New York to Gershwin's " Rhapsody in Blue, but like "The Iron Man" got beaten to it in Fantasia 2000!

The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe

2006-10-29T15:31:00.000-08:00

on rare occassions I will make a scupture. Wish I had time to do this more often!

One project I particularly liked was based on a wonderful book "The Ghost of Nicholas Greebe" by Tony Johnston with fabulous illustrations by S.D.Schindler.I teamed up with Howard Kazanjian (Exec Producer "Raider's of the Lost Arc", The Reurn of the Jedi") whom had bought the rights. I enjoyed making these sketches.

Moby Dick

2006-10-29T15:20:00.000-08:00

Some time ago some fellow artists and I put together a video presentation for a proposed 2D Feature for Moby Dick with a CGI Whale. Here are some of the sketches I did. When I find the video presentation I shall put it up here.

Toy Designs

2006-10-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

Part of having a business is being adaptable. After the BBC News interviews I got a call from a chap who said he had a toy company. I used to get a lot of calls and didn't take it that seriously, which I think he could tell so he slipped in that his business had a ten million pounds turnaround per year. I went done and saw him the very next day! I must have done well over a hundred toy designs for him that year.

Corsham Media Park/Bazley Films

2006-10-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

We had lived in LA for 7 years now and it was time to decide where to raise the children.I discovered that a new development was going on near Bath in the UK, one of my favourite cities and went to explore.
A military base was being converted into a media park and proposed film studio. I set up Bazley Films and got busy with clients like the BBC, Disney, High Eagle. Evoke Entertainment and Channel 5, as well as working on personal projects.

Press,Press and more Press

2006-10-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Edwin Carp on his publicity trip!

Edwin Carp - Press

2006-10-27T02:32:00.000-07:00

The Journal of Edwin Carp got press in many of the top film and entertaiment magazines including Variety but the most exciting moment was to get the cover of Televisual. That alone justified the sponsorship of Macromedia.

Flash 5 Cartoons and Games

2006-10-27T02:09:00.000-07:00

Whilst making Edwin Carp I e-mailed the authors of The Flash 4 Bible and was asked to contriburte some material. I was then asked to write some chapters in Bill Turner and James Robertson's book "Flash Cartoons and Games".
http://www.amazon.com/Flash-Cartoons-Games-x-Design/dp/1932111573/sr=8-3/qid=1161939690/ref=sr_1_3/002-8266812-3348035?ie=UTF8&s=books

The Journal of Edwin Carp-The Film

2006-10-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

The Journal of Edwin Carp

2006-10-26T02:41:00.000-07:00

To animate the project traditionally in 2D in my spare time would have taken many many years. In the meantime the Internet had just taken off and a popular program for designing web sites was Macromedia’s Flash. I decided to explore the software and downloaded a trial version. At the time it had been used for very simple animation son the web but nothing more. I drew on a Wacom and found that I could get all the thicks and thins necessary to capture Ronald Searle’s style and was hooked. I started animating a scene per night and that way I reckoned I could do the film in a year. Here are some stills.

The Journal of Edwin Carp-The Beginnings

2006-10-26T02:20:00.000-07:00

After years of working on other people’s films it was time to break out on my own. I had read a book illustrated by my favourite illustrator Ronald Searle called The Journal of Edwin Carp so I decided to board out an idea. It had elements of Mr Bean, Monty Python and Some Mother’s Do ‘Ave ‘Em. The only question was how was I going to get it made? Also after doing so many films with zany "in your face" humour I wanted to do something with a bit more charm even if it was against the trend.

Osmosis Jones Screenshots

2006-10-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

By this time I was getting the hang of it!

Osmosis Jones

2006-10-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

The Animation World was changing. Toy Story had recently come out and had taken the industry by storm. We had hoped that The Iron Giant would but due to poor marketing it did not have good box office. Omosis ones was an interesting hybrid of Live-Action CGI and 2D animation. It was a "buddy movie" in which the two main caharcters are forced to work together and of course dislike each other and do not get along. Osmosis Jones was a blood cell whos job was to literally police the body. Drix was a pill taken by the main Live-Action character (Bill Murray) whose job it was to destroy a virus that had gotten in the body. I was cast the character of Drix and initially it was going to be in 2D. However as I designed him his rather rigid looking pill shape with a cross on would have been a nightmare to draw and having seen what had been done with the Giant on The Giant it was decided we should try CGI. I did a test scene and suddenly I was the Supervising CG Animator on the character. I had a few months to learn Maya and get up to speed as well as supervise 10 CGI artists!I would still thumbnail scenes and do sketches and still do to this day! Here is a mixture of CG work and sketches.

The Iron Giant

2006-10-25T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well yes Warner's were making a film called The Iron Man (later called The Iron Giant) and it was being Directed by Brad Bird. Brad I knew had Directed a brilliant animated short years ago called Family Dog and had also written the script to Batteries Not Included, both great films so I went over and checked it out. Brad pitched me one of the boards and I could immediately see the entertainment and character. They offered me a Supervising Animator role and even though I was to leave Disney never regretting becomming a part of this magnificent film. I animated and Supervised three sequences and here are a few of those drawings.

The Iron Man

2006-10-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Whilst on Hercules a friend called to tell me about a new movie happening over at Warner Bros. called "The Iron Man". Surely I said it must be based on The Iron Man Comic in the USA and not the Iron Man by the British author and Poet Ted Hughs. About 8 years before I had pitched a version of this to Don Bluth and he had turned it down. (See rough model designs).

Demetrius

2006-10-25T10:09:00.000-07:00

Last but not least Demetrius. Although an incidental character still a lot of fun. One time I was at a Mexican fast food restaurant Pacito Mas on Barhnam and saw a portly figure walking across the car park. A child rushed across to him to get his autograph whilst I waited my turn. I had literally animated a scene of him the day before and he was delighted to meet me. In the case of the other two characters I had met the actors in the recording session but in this case the voice had already been done. I was delighted to have him stop by my office a year later to say hello whilst doing voice recordings for Tarzan.

Alchmene

2006-10-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

Alcmene was quite a task. The hardest characters are always the more straight characters. I must also empahsise that these look nothing like my mum!

In colour

2006-10-25T09:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a few in colour, markers and gouache.

Amphitryon Early designs

2006-10-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the early concepts for the father. I have to confess influenced by Milt Kahl.

Hercules

2006-10-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

On completing Pocahontas I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of the Lead Animators on Hercules. John Musker and Ron Clements had Directed The Little Mermaid and Aladdin and needless to say I was very excited about the prospect. Alchmene and Amphitryon were the Earth parents. I also did another incidental character called Demetrius voiced by Wayne Knight.
We all as artists draw from what we know, our experiences, which are all unique. As a boy I had often drawn my Dad and caricatured him. I explored a multitude of designs and eventually with an influence of Gerald Scarfe came up with what I thought was right for the character. On visiting the studio my parents saw the drawings up on my wall and Dad exclaimed "my goodness it’s me!" I looked and there it was, I hadn’t realised but I had done a caricature of my Dad and it had just come out naturally.

John Smith

2006-10-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

I found a couple colour stills of my scenes on the Net

I had been working at Don Bluth studios in Ireland for three and a half years when I got a call from Disney.I had written to them and enquired about the opening of the Paris Studio. They wanted me to go to LA and I jumped at the chance. I knew that I was to be working on Pocahontas and was delighted when I got there to find that I would be working with John Pomeroy whom I considered and still consider to be one of the best draughtsmen I have ever seen. Pocahontas was a very demanding project as the characters were so realistic. Here are just a few of my John Smith drawings on Pocahontas.

Anatomy

2006-10-25T02:25:00.000-07:00

These were done in Steve and Glen's classes.

Life Drawing

2006-10-25T02:11:00.000-07:00

Whilst at Disney I would frequently go to the life drawing classes they would have at lunchtimes. It was a good time at Disney, it felt almost like a University where you could study,learn and grow as an artist. The Life Drawing tutors were some of the best in the World and included Steve Houston, Glen Villpu and the wonderful Walt Stanchfield. The balance in teaching was perfect as whilst Steve and Glen concenrated on classic anatomy and form Walt would concentrate on quick gestural drawing and drawings that tell a story. All very different ways of approaching a subject, all very valid. My god these were exciting times. I wish I had more sketches I could find to do tehm justice but these are what I can find for now.

Cowboy

2006-10-24T16:50:00.000-07:00

On a trip to Vegas we took a trip on an old train. There was a mock hold-up by some cowboys. My son who was dressed as a cowboy and holding a toy revolver found it all pretty exciting. I said shoot the cowboy and when the cowboy came on with a load roring voice my son passed the revolver to me and said "you shoot him!". Well I was quick on the draw (pardon the pun) and did this instead!

David Hyde-Pierce

2006-10-24T16:39:00.000-07:00

One day I am in a recording studio. We are recording David Hyde-Pierce (Miles in Frasier) for the voice of Drix, a character in Osmosis Jones a Wrner Bros Film. I was the Supervising CGI Animator on that character. What I wanted to do was make observations of David at the recording and look for mannerisms, expressions and any peculiarities to him that I could use in my animation. Finding my self running out of paper I grab a menu for our lunch and did this sketch on the back. You can see the type of the menu showing through from the back!.

Traveltown

2006-10-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

I often used to take my two young sons down to Traveltown. A place where a group of enthusiasts had restored old steam trains and carriages. It lies by the freeway between Burbank and Glendale in LA.

Sunny Britain

2006-10-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

Most holidays at this time were trips to Britain. One of my pet hates is crowded beaches on a sunny day in Britain and lying in the sun all day. Bored I would get my pen out and take it out on however would be passing.

holiday at home

2006-10-24T16:25:00.000-07:00

whilst living in california I would come back to the UK on holiday and view my home country with fresh eyes.

California

2006-10-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

One of my favouraite places in California was Cambria, half way up the cost from LA to San Francisco. Here is a quick sketch on the beach. I am sure the seagul took off in a few seconds! The shading effect on the branches was done with a thumb and some spittle!

Young Matthew

2006-10-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

Inspired and working at Disney I took my pen everwhere. One of the hardest subjects was my young son as of course he would never stay still (but the sense of speed in which you had to do the drawing would make for interesting sketches). Even when he slept however he would move. Here are a few sketches.

My wondering pen

2006-10-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

People, animals, buildings, all are fair game with a pen. This is a view in Topsham. A very peaceful little village in Devon. The architecture has a very Dutch flavour.

I pulled over to the side of the road and made this sketch. No pencil work or undersketch. Straight in with pen! Drawing directly with an ink pen forces you to be bold and make choices without fudging too much. It also means you can see the thought process of the artist as he explores, makes choices and changes his mind. I find it soulful and "un-computer like"!

Drawing Conclusions

2006-10-24T15:30:00.000-07:00

What makes us want to create? To make marks on paper and seek the approval of others?Whatever it is it is a strong compulsion and it is something many of us have. All I know is since I was very young I wanted to draw and haven't stopped since (well except when I am animating in CGI!). When I grew up there weren't the distractions of video games, playstatons and PSP's and being raised in the countryside in devon meant you had to create your own entertainment and games and my favourite pastime was drawing. I wish I had more scanned in but when I get a chance I will. Here are a few I can share.