Concept Art

I missed critique on Wednesday last week so I apologize for not having comments on my work up on my blog yet.  Amy has instructed me to write about something that interests me perhaps in the multimedia design field so here it goes!  I should have my drawings up soon, though, for comments and I would love to hear them!

Lately I have been interested with concept art for animated characters.  This is more interesting to me because I always thought I was never imaginative enough to create characters and so I stuck to learning the animation side of production, but now I am branching out and loving the experience.

Last semester I created a feature film 2D animation story concept and included concept art for the main characters in my presentation.  I was and am still proud of these guys and I am thinking of taking this project further this semester.  That being said, I have therefore been studying a lot of concept art and especially enjoy that of the "Disney Greats" as they are called now.  I have included an image of a concept drawing of King Louis in Disney's A Jungle Book, which I enjoy because it shows the process of creating the eventual character used in the film.  The use of mark making to create texture and form is very effective here.  The other is one of the hundreds of character drawings generated for Disney's Peter Pan.  This particular one is a concept drawing for the character of Tinker Bell for whom the most time was spent discovering her characteristics.  This one was never used, but the detail and attention to form and anatomy exercised in this quick sketch is remarkable.  There is subtle contour in value changes that create a sense of roundness to the form and space and solidity.  The drawing kind of reminds me of our quick gesture drawings in class, you can almost make out a long axis line if it weren't for the wings and outfit.  My goal this semester is to improve my concept art with these techniques and implement them also into my story boarding, which are also very quick sketches that have to invoke action, emotion and ideas very quickly to producers.

Photos:
http://www.dvdinmypants.com/news/09-07/jungle_art.php
http://www.disneydreaming.com/2009/10/23/tinker-bell-concept-art/

Post Numero Uno

Hi!

Amy is right, a lot has changed since my last blog post on my other blog that I had.  I am still a Multimedia Design major looking to increase my understanding of anatomy and form in relation to the design of characters.  I am beginning my fifth year at UW-Stout and hoping to graduate in Spring!  I also have a minor in business administration, which I am hoping will aid me in obtaining a better job when I leave here as firms look highly on applicants that understand the business aspects of design.

Over the summer I gave birth to beautiful baby boy named Landon Anthony (I attached a photo of him in the hospital and a more recent one).  He was born May 31 at 5:49 at 8lbs 10oz, 21 inches long and has since grown to a whopping 15 lbs and 25 inches long!  He is in the 90^th percentile for both height and weight, that just means he is pretty big, but very proportional.  I have taken care of Landon all summer along with my fiancé, Brandon, but now he is off to daycare while I am at classes.  So far he is doing very well, and winning the hearts of all of his teachers!

I am also planning my wedding this year that is to be held Sept. 10, 2011 and working for UW-Stout as an EIS student worker in Millennium Hall.  I have found, however, that I am much better at managing my time and following through on projects before they have to be done, after this summer.  I do not know if that is due to being a mother and having to be extremely organized and at my best and brightest 24/7 or if that is just a natural part of growing older and wiser, but I like it!  Not to say it is not stressful at times, and I have spent many sleepless nights wondering how I can start school with a baby, but I take things day by day and get through with every ounce of energy I have.

More recently, my fiancé and I put an offer on a house in River Falls, WI and are eagerly awaiting to hear any news about the appraisal that is now being completed.  We are going to a Twins game later this month for which Brandon is especially excited and in December we are all traveling to sunny Florida for my grandpa’s 80^th Birthday party.  Landon will be about 6 months by then so we’ll see how that goes!