We got to spend some time visiting the southwest of America this month and I took advantage of this time to do some reading for fun.
Andy Weir's Project Hair Mary was a fun, short and couldn't put it down. I was excited to find out that it was being turned in to a motion picture. Directed by Phil Lord and Christoper Miller (Mitchells vs the Machines, Spider-verse, Lego Movie) and Cinematographer Greig Fraser (Rogue One, Dune, The Batman) Kinda excited to see how the bring this to life
This year, I was fortunate to partner with the Volunteers of the Burbank Animal Shelter, or VBAS, in an annual Ruffly Drawn fundraising drive. Participants donate a minimum of $25 along with a picture of their pet (or any pet they choose). The image is then shared with a team of artists who draw, paint, sculpt, or use any medium they prefer to create a unique piece for the gift giver. It's a bit of a fun mystery, as you have no idea what level of artist you will be assigned. I must admit, I'm a little rusty, so I hope the recipients enjoyed my creations. It was excellent practice for both my drawing skills and my knowledge of Procreate—two areas where I need to invest more time.
I focused on trying new styles each time and exploring different ideas and tools, looking forward to next year and seeing how Ive improved. I worked with some great caring people and helped out some of our less fortunate furry friends
This year we were invited to speak at LightBox Expo in Pasadena and talk about the visual approach for Jurassic World Chaos Theory. The focus was about the visual style to story telling, why we made certain decision from a design stand point as well as lighting and comp elements we added to enhance our story. It was incredibly rewarding to engage with the artists, students, and fans of the series. Always an honor to be included with this group of talented artists.
A fun interview that I was honored to be a part of with the creative leadership of Chaos Theory! This is an incredible team, possessing all the institutional knowledge, kindness, and talent one could possibly ask for.
Whoa! What an honor to be included in Animation Magazine's 2024 Rising Stars of Animation! We all experience imposter syndrome, even when accolades like this come our way. A heartfelt thank you to Animation Magazine for considering me, and to DreamWorks Animation Television for providing me with the platform and trust. Congratulations to my fellow 2024 Rising Stars!
I had the fortune to be part of a Master Class taught by Animator and Director Reza Riahi, as he explained the process involved in creating his film "Le Musicien." Reza guided us through the pitfalls and best practices for creating the artwork and assembling the 2D puppets for the stop motion film. You can read more about Reza Riahi here and see the "Le Musicien" trailer!
I went to visit Cristina in Tanzania and we casually decided to walk up and check out the top of Kilimanjaro. NBD. It was a little chilly but what a view! 19,341 feet up, 7 days up and back.
Story first, production friendly
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