Jonathan Winters, Ultimate Improviser

This is Jonathan Winters, one of Robin Williams' heroes and thusly one of mine. Observation isn't just key to drawing and design, it's also key to acting choices. Winters has such a breadth of knowledge and such a keen observation of character-types that he can captivate an audience with a simple pencil case. What's great is that his eyes hardly ever change. Who said acting is in the eyes? It's in the entire character!

Every artist should know what makes their keen skills of observation possible: happy little rods and cones.

Jonesin' for some Indy IV!
Dang, I was just telling Vi that I wasn't going to use this blog for movie news, but this set pic from Indy IV is awesome! Looks like everyone's favorite whip-wielding archaeologist is in pretty good shape. Let's just hope the same can be said for the script. More information at the official website.



UPDATE: Here's the first production diary for Indy IV--awesome!

Week One of Chades Challenge III: Telescopic Placebos

The Lowdown:
Once every two weeks, a couple of artists choose one word each (one a noun, the other an adjective). The combined words form the subject of the following weeks' Chades (CHAracter DESign) Challenge. At the end of each week, all Chades Challengers post their skullduggery on their respective blogs and many a good laugh is had.


The Challenge (to be posted next Friday):
THE CHESHIRE CAT


The Challengers:
Ben Adams
Josh Billings
Richie Blitz
Lorelay Bove
Emma Coats
Scott Cook
Steve MacLeod
Leo Matsuda
Adrian Molina
Laura Jane Murphy
Vi-Dieu Nguyen
Bobby Pontillas
Moro Rogers
Joe Ruiz
Sean Taylor
Rob Thompson
Lissa Treiman
Nate Wragg

I detest reality television just as much as the next rational man, but this clip's just too good not to share. Awesome facial expressions.

WHEN CHINASAURS RULED THE EARTH



Chinese paleontologist Xing Xu just unearthed a bird-like dinosaur nearly as large as a tyrannosaur. The new species has been named Gigantoraptor (how awesome is that?) and stands about sixteen feet tall (possible ancestor of Yao Ming?). Is this astounding find a missing link betwixt dinosaurs and birds or just a parrot with severe elephantitis? You be the judge!

More on Gigantoraptor at:
nature.com

Chades Challenge III: Telescopic Placebo




This week's assignment is sure to seperate the men from the amoebas. Any complaints can be forwarded to Adrian Molina and Emma Coats, the designators of this week's challenge words. Post your placebos next friday. Till then, sketch greatly!

Week two of Chades Challenge II: Elderly Mermaids

A mermaid found a swimming lad,
Picked him for her own,
Pressed her body to his body,
Laughed; and plunging down
Forgot in cruel happiness
That even lovers drown.
--William Butler Yeats (A Man Young and Old: III. The Mermaid)

Don't forget to check out all the other fishy vixens posted by the mighty Chades Challengers:
Ben Adams
Josh Billings
Lorelay Bove
Emma Coats
Steve MacLeod
Leo Matsuda
Adrian Molina
Laura Jane Murphy
Vi-Dieu Nguyen
Bobby Pontillas
Moro Rogers
Joe Ruiz
Sean Taylor
Rob Thompson
Lissa Treiman
Nate Wragg

Sir Ken Robinson's "The Value of Creativity"
This guy is a genius. I recommend you take the time to listen to the entire lecture, there are some pretty tremendous ideas in there. I just ordered his book, Epiphone. We'll see if his ideas seem as intelligent without the british accent.

Nothing gets the creative juices flowing in the morning like some good ol' dinosaur drawing!

And this is my 'Favela Girl'. Eric Favela is like the Freddy Moore of CalArts' '06 class. And if he knows you well enough, he can draw your dream girl even better than you'd be able to yourself. I had to wait about five years, but I finally got mine.

Here are a few videos I found of James Gurney, creator of Dinotopia and one of my childhood inspirations. My freshman year of CalArts, I sent James a letter telling him how much he inspired me and that, if he had any spare sketches lying around, I wouldn't mind taking them off his hands.
James was awesome enough to write me back and attach not only a visitor's pass to Dinotopia (I think I'll holiday there this Autumn, I hear it's nice there that time of year), but several original concept sketches, including the storyboard for the last page of the book. So here's the great man himself, and a few words of reptillian wisdom.

Story challenge with Vi: "The hunter becomes the hunted"
Here's my take on the subject. If you ask me, this reckoning has been a long time coming.

CalArts first year Tom Moore had this video posted on his blog. It's Ferrofluid (liquid metal baby!) and it reminds me of Venom. Too bad the movie version of everyone's favorite Marvel baddy wasn't half as cool as this real life magnet goo.
And just for kicks, a couple other spectacular, uncanny, and all-around amazing science clips. Science rules!

Doc Ock
Electro

Chades Challenge II: Elderly Mermaids
Once every two weeks, a couple of artists choose one word each (one a noun, the other an adjective). The combined words form the subject of the following weeks' Chades (CHAracter DESign) Challenge. At the end of each week, all Chades Challengers post their skullduggery on their respective blogs and many a good laugh is had.

THE CHALLENGERS ARE:
Ben Adams
Josh Billings
Emma Coats
Steve MacLeod
Adrian Molina
Laura Jane Murphy
Vi-Dieu Nguyen
Bobby Pontillas
Moro Rogers
Robbie 'The Robot' Thompson
Lissa Treiman
Nate Wragg
and introducing
The Mighty Gerenuk

Also, he was a little late to the game, but Leo Matsuda has come in swinging with a truly sweet deformed sorcerors story. I challenge any of you who feel the urge to do so, embrace storyboarding in all its awesomeness. Go Brazil!

The theme is 'Elderly Mermaids' for one more week. So push the idea, explore the concept to its very limits, and post again on June 15. At that time, two new Chades Champions will be chosen to select the next theme. Sketch greatly!

TyrannoSLOWrus rex
According to a recent yahoo article, paleontologists built a model of a tyrannosaur skeleton to estimate its center of gravity and thusly its range of speed and motion. The study shows t-rex was probably not the lively man-about-town we see in Jurassic Park, but more of a hulky, lumbering juggernaut who had difficulty turning quickly and whose leg muscles were not large enough for fast running. To me, this means t-rex is just a little bit more like Darth Vader, and I'm alright with that! More importantly, for any of you looking to animate a therapod like the mighty tyrant lizard king, there's a handy breakdown of how dinosaurs may have walked. Science rules.

THE WIZARDING WORLD OF HARRY POTTER
I'm sure this is old news (except to those of you with exceedingly slow owls), but Universal Orlando is creating a Harry Potter theme park. How friggin' awesome is that?? The park is budgeted at over $265 million, and is scheduled to open in 2010. Here's some Kinkadesque conceptual art of the Nerd Mecca. Enjoy!

This is why I agree with Adrian that a Captain Planet movie would be awesome. I still don't think Galactus should be a storm cloud, though, that's just weak sauce.

Nate and Rob have elected our next Chades Challenge: ELDERLY MERMAIDS. Post your merfolk on your blog on Friday, June 8. Happy sketching.