PBCB STUDIOS

EVA ZIESEL

2012-01-16T15:43:00.000-08:00

Sad to read about Eva Zeisels recent passing. Big fan of her design. She was a leading designer in Soviet Russia from 1932 until 1936, survived Stalin's purges and narrowly escaped the Holocaust.

Eva Zeisel

November 13, 1906 – December 30, 2011

from the New York Times Obituary - By William L. Hamilton

Eva Zeisel, a ceramic artist whose elegant, eccentric designs for dinnerware in the 1940s and ’50s helped to revolutionize the way Americans set their tables, died on Friday in New City, N.Y. She was 105.

Her death was confirmed by her daughter, Jean Richards.

Ms. Zeisel (pronounced ZY-sel), along with designers like Mary and Russel Wright and Charles and Ray Eames, brought the clean, casual shapes of modernist design into middle-class American homes with furnishings that encouraged a postwar desire for fresh, less formal styles of living.

“Museum,” the porcelain table service that brought Ms. Zeisel national notice, was commissioned by its manufacturer, Castleton China, in conjunction with the Museum of Modern Art in New York, which introduced it in an exhibition in 1946, its first show devoted to a female designer.

Ms. Zeisel’s work, which ultimately spanned nine decades, was at the heart of what the museum promoted as “good design”: domestic objects that were beautiful as well as useful and whose beauty lent pleasure to daily life.

“She brought form to the organicism and elegance and fluidity that we expect of ceramics today, reaching as many people as possible,” said Paola Antonelli, a curator of architecture and design at the museum. “It’s easy to do something stunning that stays in a collector’s cabinet. But her designs reached people at the table, where they gather.”

- continued

INSIDE BOOK JACKET DESIGNS

2012-01-14T22:21:00.000-08:00

GOODBYE 2011

2011-12-31T23:18:00.001-08:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2011-12-19T22:36:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

The Briggs Family 2011

Hope everyone is safe and well in 2012

The best part of this photo is right before I took it I put my youngest son's shoes on - It was only until after I saw the photo did I realize I put them on the wrong feet.

Mural by Chase and Bue

WANDERING

2011-12-18T18:51:00.001-08:00

Went wandering in the forest this weekend!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2011-12-18T11:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday ChickPea!

5 years as my close friend and confidant!

10 YEARS

2011-12-07T09:02:00.001-08:00

I don't know how this woman has been
able to put up with me for 10 years -

She's a pretty amazing person.

PREP and LANDING - NAUGHTY VS. NICE

2011-12-05T15:52:00.001-08:00

I helped out a little on the new Prep and Landing that airs tonight - Check it out if you can!

Prep and Landing Naughty vs. Nice : Monday, Dec. 5, 8:30/7:30 c on ABC.

Here are a couple of my boards -

Official webpage

Lorelay Bove's poster -

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2011-11-05T21:09:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to my other little knight! Sir Luke!

MORE/REAL Stylus Cap

2011-11-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

Love it - so smart

HALLOWEEN 2011

2011-10-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

These Halloween Ornaments were done for the Micro Gallery at work. The charity for this event is the Alport Syndrome Foundation.

CHARACTER DESIGN BLOG

2011-10-14T14:47:00.000-07:00

Randall Sly asked me a few questions on the

Character Design Blog

However, I asked the questions be tailored more for story because I don't consider myself a character designer. Character design is really, really hard and there are a LOT more men and women leagues more talented than me. Check out Joe Moshier, Shiyoon Kim, Nico Marlet, Tony Fucile, Jin Kim, Bill Schwab, Brittney Lee, Chen Yi Chang, and Dexter Smith just to name a few.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2011-10-10T09:54:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my little knight! Sir Leo!

Steve Jobs 1955 - 2011

2011-10-05T21:32:00.001-07:00

I had a rare opportunity to pitch a movie outline to a group of men that included Steve Jobs a couple of years ago. This was after he had returned from medical leave so he didn't say a lot but greeted me kindly. He sure seemed like a really good man. He was an incredible champion for animation and design and a pioneer in technology. My heart goes out to his family.

SKETCH

2011-09-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

from a Friday meeting

SCRIBBLES

2011-09-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

Done while watching His Girl Friday

I don't know why, but I like videos like this.
Sometimes I'm a bit of a sap.
There's a lot of great stories in here because each of these pearls of wisdom are attained through growth, taking risks, making mistakes and learning from life's choices.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY VANCE GERRY!

2011-08-21T23:43:00.001-07:00

Vance Gerry is easily my favorite story artist of all time. I'm constantly inspired by his work and in awe of it. I wish I could lay down an image in as few and simple strokes as he did. We've been celebrating the great story artists birthdays at work and on Friday pinned up a ton of Vance's work and a bunch of guys brought in originals from their personal collections.

For some more amazing samples of Vance's work make sure and check out Ed Gombert's memorial blog!

http://vancegerry.blogspot.com/

LA CUCARACHA

2011-07-26T13:45:00.001-07:00

WITCH

2011-07-18T23:05:00.001-07:00

STUFFED ANIMALS

2011-07-14T22:00:00.000-07:00

Winnie the Pooh opens this weekend! I'm not going to lie - I didn't grow up reading or watching Winnie the Pooh so I was never a fan but when I was asked to help out on the movie I decided to take a crash course in everything Milne. I read some books and watched as many movies as I could access and I discovered a new appreciation for the classic works. My good friends Steve Anderson and Don Hall made an amazing film that stays true to the innocence and charm of the originals and I'm proud to have an additional story credit on the new film.

Here's a panel from one of my sequences in which I tried to emulate the classic book interior -

It's a really fun film that is unique from everything else out there - Take the family and enjoy it!

Animation building mural by Paul Felix -

While at Jersey Mike's sandwich shop in downtown Burbank one day the guy behind the counter noticed my Disney debit card and asked if I had worked on the new film - I thought it odd coming from a guy like him but after saying yes he then revealed his tattoo! WHOA - hardcore fan!

Also this weekend is an opening of Elizabeth Higgins O'connor's work who I really dig!

It can be seen at Charlie James Gallery

ANNECY RECAP

2011-07-01T16:56:00.000-07:00

Since I've been back I haven't had a second to stop! The film I'm on is gearing up for an in-house screening and it's go time! I'm really excited about the project and can't wait to share it with the world. I'm continually inspired by the people coming on board to help make this thing! Paul Felix alone as an Art Director will make you step your game up!

But, this isn't about that - this post is about Annecy! I wish I could have done more sketching - especially my last day when I went to Chamonix. Here are some of the ones I managed to get in. The last one was drawn on a paper place mat at a small cafe late in the evening - it got crazy when a young couple tried to dine and dash but then were chased down by some of the wait staff and their thug friends!

- Annecy is amazing. The enthusiasm for animation is overwhelming. It's an animation mecca and any true animation fan should make the pilgrimage to attend it. My first day there was more or less getting acquainted with the town, registering for the festival and trying to remember where my hotel was located.

My second day consisted of a talk with Mike Giaimo, Clay Kaytis and John Kahrs on what a day is like at the studio. I gave a weird presentation that I'm sure anyone of importance from the Disney Corporation or only french speaking attendees would be thoroughly confused by. That night I attended the opening ceremonies and couldn't stop laughing at the hundreds of paper airplanes being thrown trying to reach the stage and the strange bubble popping sound as films are about to begin!

Here's video inside the theatre before it was even filled!

The next day was portfolio reviews and a presentation on the Art of Story. I showed a bunch of classic Peter Pan, Jungle Book, Cinderella and 101 Dalmations boards as well as some new stuff from Tangled and Winnie the Pooh. Man, I love this drawing.

I really enjoyed hearing Mike Giaimo talk about Visual Development and Clay and John on Animation. These guys are the future of animation and any kid who wants to get into animation should study their ways! I tried to go to all of the independent shorts programming and the making of studio shorts that included: La Luna with Enrico, Nessie with Stevie and Kevin, Ice Age's Continental Crack Up short with Carlos Saldanha, and the Warner Bros. shorts with Matthew O'Callaghan.

I was blown away by each of them. Really loved the classic Disney shorts, Loom by Polynoid, Big Bang Big Boom by BLU, Trois Petits points and the Amazing World of Gumball by Dandelion Studios.

It was fun to to see the studio share Nessie with people and found the Warner Bros. shorts very amusing but I reeeally loved Pixar's La Luna. It's one of their best shorts. To hear Enrico discuss it and the thought process behind making it was really something. Thanks to Enrico for making a really touching, poetic piece! Love the crescent shapes in the eyes!

We took one night and went up into the mountains to enjoy dinner at Chalet le Pricaz. Words cannot describe.

One of the best parts of Annecy was meeting the incredible people and discussing animation. Met some really great professionals and students whose work really impressed me like Oliver Kurth, Mark Sperber and Carla Veldman (who was wearing earrings made from her wisdom teeth!) and also chat with people whom I only know by e-mail or blogs! Thanks for coming by and introducing yourselves!

Disney hosted a fun barbecue. A lot of people showed up including the French Ambassador and U.S. Ambassor to France! I will admit though, France, you've gotta learn how to barbecue! - I don't know what that was. Although, I got quite the chuckle at one point when I was talking with a french woman and told her I was originally from Texas she fired finger guns into the air and said "yee-haw!, yipee ki yay!"

I attended the closing ceremonies where the director of the festival, Serge Bromberg rode up on stage on a horse! WHAAA!?! it was so weird and it's one of those moments where you sense things are about to go horribly wrong but,... it didn't. He managed to keep the beast calm amidst all of the camera flashes and cheering. Congrats to Joann Sfar for winning beast feature!

My last day was spent in Chamonix in the French Alps and it is quite the sight.

What an amazing experience. I was happy to come home to California but I would recommend anyone to go to Annecy - eat cheese, drink wine and enjoy animation!

http://www.annecy.org/home

ANNECY - GOBELINS

2011-06-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

I had an amazing experience in Annecy at the Animation Festival. I'll post images and a couple of drawings when I get a free second. In the mean time here are some amazing intros the Gobelins students did to introduce the films - it was a real treat to see these released throughout the week.

ANNECY 2011

2011-05-23T16:13:00.000-07:00

I'll be at the Annecy Animation Festival this year to give a talk on story and review portfolios but I'm really looking forward to being inspired by the amazing work being done and meeting the creators! Le Chat du Rabin by Joann SFAR is being screened! I've never been to Annecy before - If anyone reading this blog has been please send me any recommendations on things to see and do! and if you're going to be there please let me know so I can meet you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOE AND BURNY!

2011-05-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

Caricature by John Musker

This week at work we hung up a bunch of Joe Grant's work. Some of the guys that worked closely with him brought in original drawings, pages from his sketchbooks and shared stories for everyone to hear. Joe was just one of those amazing story minds. He had so many great ideas and was never afraid of change. I'm really glad I got to meet him and have a few conversations with him before he left this world. He's been gone 6 years now but he continues to inspire me.

We also celebrated Disney Legend Burny Matinson's birthday.
He started at the studio in 1953! He's an amazing guy to have in the story department - Happy Birthday Legend!

WINNIE THE POOH

2011-05-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

Looking forward to the crew screening of Winnie the Pooh tonight!

Mural by Paul Felix

GALLERY SHOWS and NONSENSE

2011-05-06T22:19:00.000-07:00

Two great gallery shows are happening at work right now.

If you don't know about the story departments Micro Gallery go HERE for more info.

We had a show to help raise funds to help the earthquake victims in Japan. In total we raised over $3,400.00! and the studio is going to match it! It's an honor to work among people that care this much about others.

Here's my meager offering with a portrait of Osamu Tezuka included!

Photos of the auction.

There's also a great show of Glen Keane's original work right now in one of our hallways. It ranges from original sketchbook drawings and watercolors to animation drawings. I have to leave 30 minutes early if I have a meeting that involves me going through this hallway. You can't help but sit and stare.

I forgot to share this - after Tangled wrapped the studio gave us these custom made beer steins. Pretty cool! - I drink out of mine every night!

just some random photos around my house

and finally, I was on the Sunset Strip last weekend when I accidentally ran over a rat trying to run across Sunset Boulevard. Two minutes later I saw this:

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T23:11:00.000-07:00

.......my poor Leo

SKETCH

2011-04-13T18:07:00.000-07:00

DEAN KAMEN

2011-04-06T20:53:00.001-07:00

One of my heroes.

An amazing inventor

I wish there were more people like him in the world today.

DEKA RESEARCH

SEPTEMBER 26, 1948 - MARCH 10, 2011

2011-03-10T22:17:00.000-08:00

NEW YORK NEVER SLEEPS

2011-02-22T23:30:00.000-08:00

SKETCH

2011-02-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

red riding hood sketch done during a meeting

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL PEET!

2011-01-29T11:37:00.000-08:00

Today is legendary storyman/children's book illustrator Bill Peet's birthday! Yesterday at work we had a celebration to honor the man and his work. We brought in originals we owned, pinned up a bunch of his drawings, the Animation Research Library brought over a bunch of his work from Dalmations, Susie the little Blue Couple and Alice in Wonderland and we all toasted the man whose work we admire. The originals were really inspiring to look at! Here's a couple of photos before the event.

Happy Birthday Bill Peet!

15 YEARS!

2011-01-27T13:30:00.000-08:00

I celebrated my 15 year anniversary at the studio yesterday!

I started in 1996, was 20 years old and was trying to figure out how to draw- now it's 2011, I'm an old man and still trying to figure out how to draw! What an interesting ride it's been so far - let's see where it continues to go......

AQUAMAN AND HIS OSTRICH JACKET

2011-01-12T11:57:00.000-08:00

Someone got an ostrich skin jacket for Christmas and wasn't afraid to wear it! I went to the Long Beach Aquarium over the Holiday break and while there did a quick sketch of a guy wearing an ostrich skin jacket - wow! Good for him! - bad for Ostrich. Just found time to color it.

I love aquariums!

WINDOW

2011-01-11T15:51:00.000-08:00

The view from my desk.

SCRIBBLES

2011-01-05T22:27:00.001-08:00

X-RAY PIN UP CALENDAR

2011-01-02T10:41:00.000-08:00

As strange as this may be.... it's actually a great anatomy teaching tool! More images - here EIZO medical imaging high precision displays for the examination and diagnosis of radiographs. Whereas craftsmen are showered with pin-up-calendars at the end of every year, this kind of present is less popular among medics. EIZO breaks this taboo. This pin-up calendar shows absolutely every detail.

Advertising Agency: Butter, Berlin/Duesseldorf, Germany
Creative Director: Matthias Eickmeyer
Art Director: Nadine Schlichte
Illustrator/CGI: Carsten Mainz
Copywriter: Reinhard Henke

The Print Ad titled July was done by Butter. advertising agency for for Eizo in Germany. It was released in the May 2010. Business sector is Business equipment & services.

ALEX TOTH

2010-12-31T09:33:00.000-08:00

Oooo - I know what I want for Christmas next year already!
First volume comes out in March!

Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth

Q POP

2010-12-19T21:54:00.000-08:00

While getting curry in Little Tokyo tonight Christin and I stumbled into a little shop called Q POP. It's owned by Chris Mitchell and it's very cool - we bought a little plush by Douglas Gauthier. If you're in the area check it out!

Photo by Elliot Trinidad

LUCA BARCELLONA

2010-12-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

I want this talent.

THE SUPER BIG MICRO SHOW

2010-12-11T10:37:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the Micro Show at Nucleus Gallery

Opening Reception / Dec 11, 7:00PM - 11:00PM

Little Wiener - 4 x 6

Francis Schmidt - 5 x 7

14 Actors Acting - NYTimes

2010-12-10T10:22:00.000-08:00

This is pretty cool:

14 Actors Acting

THE SUPER BIG MICRO SHOW

2010-12-08T17:43:00.000-08:00

This Saturday is the Micro Show at Nucleus Gallery
Opening Reception / Dec 11, 7:00PM - 11:00PM
Micro Gallery Blog

Here's my piece - actual size:
NO, it's bigger than that! but to see it you'll have to go to the show!
I have two pieces, titled : "Little Wiener" and "Francis Schmidt"

Spread the word and you could win an original Mike Gabriel!

Also, House Industries is having a show at Heath Ceramics the same night!:

House at Heath Los Angeles

Place: Heath Ceramics, 7525 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, Calif.
Opening: December 11, 2010, 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Live music at the opening by The Mattson 2
Custom screen printing at the opening by Fresh Pressed
Exhibition Runs from December 12 through December 31, 2010

Custom koi-drawn freight sleighs fully loaded with holiday treasures are now arriving in Los Angeles for our December exhibition and shop at Heath Ceramics. Carefully-curated House Industries alphanumeric installations combined with the Mattson 2’s tremelodic aural stylings and Fresh Pressed’s mobile squeegee wizardry will make this an opening night you won’t want to miss. And be sure to earmark your gift budget for exclusive House objects including Heath number tiles, flour sack towels, hand-printed plywood screens and a fresh transcontinental migratory spawn of our one-of-a-kind wooden koi. The show opens at 4:00 p.m. on December 11 and runs until December 31.

KEVIN NELSON

2010-12-03T18:04:00.001-08:00

Go visit Kevin Nelson's blog for a strong swig of inspiration!
http://artofkevinnelson.blogspot.com

SUPAKITCH AND KORALIE

2010-11-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

Wall painting by Supakitch and Koralie at the VÄRLDSKULTUR MUSEET GÖTEBORG / SWEDEN with the support of POSCA

TANGLED

2010-10-27T22:00:00.000-07:00

I got an additional story credit on Tangled eventhough I only did a tiny fraction of the work that Mark Kennedy and his story crew did. They did an incredible job and my good friends Nathan and Byron made a film that's a lot of fun. I was really, really blown away by the character animation in it. Any animator or aspiring animator needs to watch the film for the amazing acting in it - Go see it November 24th!

Here's a couple of my boards -

And some of my favorite Visual Development pieces of all time were created by Kevin Nelson -

All images copyright Disney Animation

IRA GLASS SKETCH

2010-10-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

Ira Glass was at the studio the other day giving a talk and meeting with the story artists. Here's a sketch I colored up after the talk

ANIMATORS OF TANGLED

2010-10-12T18:02:00.000-07:00

This is a fun video by Claudio de Oliveira.
Too much talent in one video!

Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No by James Blagden

2010-10-07T21:03:00.000-07:00

I like the style of this

MICRO GALLERY SHOW

2010-09-19T13:11:00.000-07:00

The Micro Gallery Blog

We have a little space at work that was turned into a Micro Gallery. Every 2 - 3 months a theme is presented and pieces no bigger than 6" x 6" are created and displayed. It's a fun event in the story department and it's gotten so popular there is going to be a show at Nucleus Gallery!

One of the themes was alcohol - here's Josie Trinidad's Manatee's and Chris Williams' St. Ides:

The show will be at Nucleus Gallery in Alhambra on December 11, 2010!

Here's more information:

The modest origins of the Micro Show began with a group of artists working at Disney Animation. Creating personal, bite-size works of art was a respite from their daily creative grind. Eventually they gathered all the pieces and exhibited them in a micro-sized nook at the end of a hallway, and the Micro Gallery was born!

Diverse micro exhibits, which popped up now and again to the delight of all, helped to not only fund their thirst for adventure but also raise money for local causes. Nucleus is excited to present the most macro of the Micro Shows featuring over 75 artists from Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks and more, and will all but wallpaper our upstairs Atrium gallery with micro-sized works of art!

Featuring both traditional 2D and 3D media, this exhibit is sure to be a fun-filled show, not to mention an inspiring look at the extraordinary talents behind your favorite films!

RETNA and EL MAC - Of Our Youth Mural

2010-09-02T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here's a video documenting them painting the Of our Youth Mural located in Culver City. I always dig their work, beautiful calligraphy from Retna and El Mac is like Sergio Toppi with spray paint.

More work here:
http://mac-arte.blogspot.com/
http://www.digitalretna.com/

The imagery and text used in this mural was inspired by their time spent at Skid Row, while painting their previous mural. The artists met a man by the name of Ralph Woodruff aka Chato and were inspired by this man’s past hardships, experiences and overall outlook on life. His ability to recognize his mistakes and atone for his sordid past was something that resonated with RETNA. The text which reads, “So today I’m trying to change a few things to rectify the situation of my past. So today I’m looking towards the future (of our youth highlighted)” is a quote taken from their conversation.

SKETCHES

2010-07-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

While in San Diego for Comic Con I got to visit the San Diego Zoo for the first time. What a great place! I haven't drawn animals in a long time (which is my excuse for why I drew them all in boring poses) but here are some of my sketches:

I had a great time at the San Diego Comic Con. I was only there briefly but was really happy to see some good friends. I picked up a bunch of books but was really excited about two of them - Check them out!

Jillian Tamaki's - Indoor Voice

Stephen DeStefano's - Lucky in Love: A Poor Man's History (vol. 1)

Oh Comic Con.....

COMIC CON 2010

2010-07-22T10:21:00.001-07:00

PRES ROMANILLOS

2010-07-19T11:01:00.001-07:00

Leukemia took an amazing animator, friend and animation mentor this weekend but it can't take the inspiration and beautiful drawings that Pres left us with. One of the first animation tests that Pres helped me with was with Jiminy Cricket 15 years ago. Rest in peace Pres and I hope we get to work together again some day.

COMIC CON 2010

2010-07-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

Comic Con International July 21 - 25 San Diego, California

If you're there and want to trade a sketchbook let me know.
I'm hoping to finish my 2010 Vol. 5 sketchbook in time!

TICK TOCK TALE

2010-06-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

If you get a chance - go see Tick Tock Tale! Directed by my friend and really talented artist Dean Wellins - should be playing in most film festivals. More info here - Tick Tock Tale

TOBY SHELTON

2010-06-27T14:01:00.001-07:00

Not sure why I drew him so angry (probably based on a drawing I did during a loooong story meeting) but anyways, he's one of the most talented guys I've ever worked with. Check out his blog for a punch in the face of inspiration and an education on how to draw!

Toby Shelton's - BLOG

Here's a great panel from him on Princess and the Frog.

BADGE

2010-06-24T21:03:00.001-07:00

I just found this stuck in one of my books from a while back - pretty cool! Go see Toy Story 3 - it's a really great film! Congratulations to all my friends up north that worked on it.

RACING DREAMS

2010-06-17T09:27:00.001-07:00

One of the best films of the year -

RACING DREAMS is a poignant and fascinating look at three kids who dream of one day racing in NASCAR.

Academy Award nominated director, Marshall Curry (STREET FIGHT)), takes us into the lives of Annabeth (11 years old), Josh (12), and Brandon (13) as they compete for the World Karting Association’s National Championship. Clocking speeds of up to 70 mph in extreme racing karts, these young racers hope to follow the scores of great NASCAR drivers who got their start in racing’s version of Little League.

Josh, who started racing when he was five, is bright and focused beyond his years. He studies both the driving and the interview styles of NASCAR drivers, and he understands that success in this sport requires professionalism above all.

Brandon is funny and charismatic, but his hot temper often leads him into trouble. He is gunning to win the championship that he lost last year when he was disqualified for rough driving. With a difficult home life, racing for him is as much of an escape as a passion.

And Annabeth, the talented daughter of a retired racecar driver, spends nearly every weekend at the track, and struggles to balance a love for racing with a desire to be a regular kid.

As they race their way through the year-long Championship series, they also navigate the treacherous road between childhood and young adulthood. In intimate, heartfelt moments—some dark, some funny—we see them battle with family dysfunction and economic hardships, celebrate young romance, and struggle to figure out who they are.

SKETCH

2010-06-09T13:42:00.000-07:00

R.I.P.

2010-06-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

Don't let Dennis Hopper steal your thunder.

SKETCHES

2010-05-20T17:20:00.001-07:00

How about some recommendations!

Two great books to check out -

And Here's the Kicker: Conversations with 21 Top Humor Writers on their Craft

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

and this at Nucleus Gallery!

PECK N PAW AND THE BLACK MIRROR

2010-04-22T14:19:00.000-07:00

We have big plans for our next book "Where is Dead Zero?" but knowing our animation schedule we knew it wouldn't come out this year for Comic Con. Last year we were approached by our friends in the Visual Development department and learned they were doing a book this year so they'll be taking our booth this year at Comic Con! It works out perfect - Their book is going to be amazing with some incredible talent in it!

visit their site to learn more: Peck n paw and the Black Mirror

We are proud to announce, that this year at comic con 2010, the Visual Development team at Disney Feature Animation has begun to put together their own anthology of completely original artwork, titled "Pecknpaw and the Black Mirror."

We hope to see you at comic con! Come over and meet the artists and pick up a copy!

List of participating artists

Bill Schwab
Danniel Arriega
David Wormersley
Doug Rogers
Justin Cram
Jeff Turley
James Finch
Kevin Nelson
Lorelay Bove
Mac George
Mike Gabriel
Paul Felix
Raffaello Vecchione
Scott Watanabe
Shiyoon Kim
Victoria Ying

With additional Pinups by
Bill Perkins
Britney Lee
Claire Keane
Jim Finn
Jin Kim

PRES ROMANILLOS

2010-04-15T22:01:00.000-07:00

Pres Romanillos is my friend and was my mentor in animation when I started at Disney. Walking into his office was always inspiring because it was covered with incredible drawings . He has recently suffered a relapse of leukemia and is in the hospital awaiting his second bone marrow transplant. To help him out his friends are putting together an art auction for his benefit.

Please help him - more information here:
http://www.pres-aid.com/

2010 EISNER AWARDS

2010-04-08T20:45:00.001-07:00

We're really excited and honored to find out today that "What is Torch Tiger?" has been nominated for the best anthology of the year award and Nathan Greno has been nominated for best short story for his story entitled "Gentleman John."

Congratulations all involved!

From the Comic Con website:
The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards are considered the "Oscars" of the comic book industry. They are handed out each year in a gala ceremony at Comic-Con International: San Diego, the largest and oldest comics convention in the United States.

MEETING NOTES

2010-04-06T15:04:00.001-07:00

KUROSHIO SEA

2010-03-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON

2010-03-27T23:54:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to my good friends at Dreamworks on a really great film. Go see it!
- and here's a funny commercial with Chris, Dean, and Murray!

SCRIBBLES

2010-03-14T11:06:00.000-07:00

I was at Robert McKee's Story lecture the last three days. If you're into storytelling and haven't been, It's a great lecture and I highly recommend it. This is my second time going to it and it really gets me excited to discuss, watch, read and tell stories. Anyways, while I was sitting there listening I just scribbled pages and pages of doodles. Here's a couple of them!

The Endless Night: A Valentine to Film Noir

2010-03-03T21:05:00.001-08:00

IT'S ALL GOOD

2010-02-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

Matchbox Portrait - Awryon Redson

SKETCH

2010-02-17T21:10:00.000-08:00

BEATS by Dr. Dre

2010-01-28T20:50:00.000-08:00

- Thank you Dr. Dre! I love them!!!!

Beats Headphones

HELP THE HODGES

2010-01-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

Tim Hodge and I worked together at the Florida studio, he's a really good guy and there's a great animation auction going on right now to help out his son.

Go here for more information - Help the Hodges

Mr. Randolph

2010-01-16T19:14:00.000-08:00

This is a page of designs I did of a character named Mr. Randolph that the talented Leo Matsuda created.

Princess and the Frog Interview

2010-01-12T20:35:00.000-08:00

Mama Odie Song / Dig a Little Deeper - rough thumbnails

I met Karen Lloyd over Christmas and she asked me to do an interview for her story blog. She's an awesome board artist and she's also super nice so how could I say no!

It's a two part interview but be warned - Me not draw so pretty.
Part 1
Part 2

IMPROV GESTURE CLASS

2010-01-05T18:45:00.001-08:00

We have a great drawing class at work for story artists that focuses on capturing the acting and the pose rather than studying anatomy. We have two improv actors come in and act out scenes that we come up with. They never stop moving and while they're improvising we try to capture the pose and the story. I like to take it a step further and try and capture the pose but also draw the character I see in my head while they're acting. It's great practice for both the artists and actors. Here are a couple of my scribbles:

Check out my friend Aurian Redson's drawings too - awesome! -

2010

2010-01-02T17:57:00.000-08:00

'Tis too late, 'tis too late to retreat! Charge!
Ode for St. Cecilia's Day - Handel

2010 begins - Happy New Year

Barry McGee at Deitch Projects in Pasadena

BOOK AND A BIRD

2009-12-31T17:05:00.000-08:00

These are pretty cool:

The Storyboard Book

I love good design - I dig these amazing birds from Hannah Turner.
Perched nicely next to my Eva Ziesel Ceramics.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - TO ME!

2009-12-17T00:15:00.000-08:00

The perfect gift - He's exactly what I wanted! - My wife ordered him off of Amazon for me! Free shipping!

His name is Leo Rothko Briggs!

THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG

2009-12-11T07:01:00.000-08:00

Opens today!

A lot of blood, sweat and tears from an incredibly talented group of people went into the making of this film. Yeah hand drawn animation! - grab your family and go see it!

SKETCHES

2009-12-02T21:26:00.001-08:00

Micmacs a Tire-Larigot

2009-11-22T20:31:00.000-08:00

Jean-Pierre Jeunet's new film -

CTN Animation EXPO 2009

2009-11-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

I'll be at the Creative Talent Animation Expo this Saturday from 2 - 4 at the Disney Animation Booth. Swing by and say hello!

SEPTEMBER

2009-09-12T10:40:00.000-07:00

The First Collaborative Exhibit of Mac and Retna
http://mac-arte.blogspot.com/
Vagos y Reinas
September 26 - October 17, 2009

Robert Berman Gallery
Bergamot Station Art Center
http://www.robertbermangallery.com

__________________________

Have you ever been to the Secret Headquarters?
http://thesecretheadquarters.com/

__________________________

Tenny Chonin started a new gallery! - www.suspendedanimationgallery.com

SANDRO CLUEZO

2009-08-18T22:09:00.000-07:00

Need some inspiration? - Check out the insanely talented Sandro Cluezo's blog!

http://inspectorcleuzo.blogspot.com/

PRINCESS AND THE FROG - DECEMBER 11

2009-08-09T11:15:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all of the Animators and Clean up crew on their great work on this film!

VANCE GERRY BLOG

2009-07-28T19:09:00.000-07:00

My new favorite blog: The Vance Gerry Blog

Thank you Ed Gombert.

WHOA

2009-07-28T17:47:00.001-07:00

Ponyo U.S. Premiere

David Mazzucchelli - Asterios Polyp

2009-07-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

As my friend Michael LaBash would say - "it's Mozzu-kelly! -"

I became a fan of Mazzucchelli after he did Batman Year One because I immediately could see an influence of two of my favorite Comic artists style in his work: Toth and Sickles. Later, when I was just beginning to get into story I was inspired by a short comic he did in a Marvel Fanfare. It was drawn with great simplicity and I knew that was something I wanted to achieve in my storyboards. Then his Rubber Blanket story titled Big Man came out and it really blew me away. A grittier style but with the same simplicity and a very limited tone. I noticed in all of these stories you could "turn of the sound" or remove the dialogue and you could still read the story just based on the images. A great visual storyteller.

I slipped into House of Secret's yesterday and purchased his new book titled - "Asterios Polyp." I started reading it and couldn't put it down - it's wonderful. This is a true graphic novel. Not just a collection of comic book stories or an extended comic. It's a novel in the visual narrative. Mazzucchelli does a masterful job in luring me in and making me believe in these characters and invest in them. A story that dives into one man's life and makes you understand why he ticks. "It's just a matter of paying attention - " and Mazzucchelli does, from every choice of line, acting, color/tone, dialogue bubble - every detail is well thought out. There are some great panels that flow from one to the next very much like Will Eisner's used to do. Very well done and I highly recommend anyone to buy it.

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN

2009-06-09T14:36:00.000-07:00

RABBIT

2009-06-03T11:34:00.000-07:00

This was a drawing I did for my trainee a long time ago.
I have little patience and I'm not a very good mentor.

CHICKPEA

2009-05-23T19:16:00.000-07:00

This was an early design for a character I was going to use in my Torch Tiger story. I ended up deciding to save it for something else.

UP

2009-05-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all my friends and colleagues up north!
A really tender film with a lot of heart. Go see it!

WHAT IS TORCH TIGER?

2009-05-17T20:35:00.001-07:00

Torch Tiger is finished! We had a party at work to celebrate all of the pages being turned in - and it looks incredible! This book is even better than Rocket Johnson and it's 216 pages! Now we ship the files to Transcontinental Printing. They're great to work with and if you're new to the printing process they really guide you through it. I'm looking forward to working with them again. If you ever need a printer contact Andre Martin and tell him I sent you!

MEXICO

2009-05-16T17:24:00.001-07:00

SAN DIEGO COMIC CON 2009

2009-05-11T19:32:00.000-07:00

"What is Torch Tiger?" is the follow up to the wildly successful "Who is Rocket Johnson?" A graphic novel anthology being self-published by Walt Disney Animation Studio's Story Artists and Directors. It's an all-ages book in which every artist answers the question: "What is Torch Tiger?" It will be sold exclusively at booth 2302 in San Diego (http://www.comic-con.org/) and is a limited edition of 1300 copies.

Cover painted by:
Paul Felix

Artists contributing stories:
Steve Anderson
Aaron Blaise
Paul Briggs
Kevin Deters
Rob Edwards
Mike Gabriel
Nathan Greno
Don Hall
Byron Howard
Trevor Jimenez
Mark Kennedy
Joe Mateo
Nicole Mitchell
John Musker
Jeff Ranjo
Aurian Redson
Jeremy Spears
Lissa Treiman
Josie Trinidad
Chris Ure
Mark Walton
Dean Wellins
Stevie Wermers
Chris Williams

Featuring pin-ups by:
Andreas Deja
Andy Harkness
Jeff Turley
Jin Kim
Shiyoon Kim

For more information please visit: www.torchtiger.blogspot.com

-Paul Briggs

WHAT IS TORCH TIGER?

2009-05-10T22:05:00.000-07:00

San Diego Comic Con 2009!

Watch the Princess and the Frog Trailer in High Definition - HERE

LET'S DO NOTHING - TONY FUCILE

2009-05-10T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a cool looking book by animator Tony Fucile -

Let's Do Nothing

Watch a short animated advertisement for it - here

An interview with Fucile - here