RUNNING WITH OTTERS

Realized I hadn't posted anything in a while so did this little drawing.


-Hat

POKEMON INSPIRED PIECE

Following up on the last post, here's a little piece I did inspired by Ken Sugimori.

I did a version that I had shaded, but liked this one with the flat color better.

-Hat-Man-Do

KEN SUGIMORI; POKEMON PERFECTION

When I heard they were making a whole new generation of Pokemon I was pretty excited. I've been a fan of the franchise for a long time due in most part to the artwork and character design of lead Pokemon artist Ken Sugimori.

This guys is amazing. The amount of character he can convey in a single pose is mind-boggling. There are certain Pokemon he has designed and posed to an extent such that you know all you need know about that particular character from one drawing.

He has crafted, with Pokemon in particular, a style that is beautifully minimalistic yet complex at the same time, specifically in the anatomy, which contains brilliant subtleties all while maintaining the overall appeal. The hierarchy of details in his designs is unmatched. He has an uncanny ability in understanding where high volume areas of detail, as well as low volume areas, need to be in order to suggest types of fabric/skin/fur all without drawing attention to itself and distracting from the overall harmony of the design.

When I saw the 5th generation of pokemon I was, to say the least, underwhelmed with most of the designs. It's not that they were bad per say, it had more to do with the concepts behind a majority of them which seemed somewhat questionable for what I knew as 'Pokemon'. However, I got over my initial uncertainties about them, and at this time most of them have grown on me. So I decided to draw a few.


-PokeHat

NEIGHBORS FROM HELL BOARDS

About a year ago I had the chance to board a sequence for 'Neighbors from Hell'. I recently found the clip I boarded online and figured it'd be ok to post the work I did. The show was awesome to work on. I like the designs a lot and I had a lot of fun drawing and posing the characters.

I think I've gotten better at drawing since having done this sequence and I can see things that I would have drawn differently, but I'm pretty happy with the shots and the flow of the sequence.







Below is the clip, the first 35 seconds is the stuff I boarded. The animation team did an amazing job matching and enhancing the poses and shots I boarded.



I'm not sure what happened to the show... I think it got canceled? I don't have a TV so I never saw it, did anyone see it?

-Hat

PIMENTELL ME TO DRAW

I recently had the pleasure of catching up with my good friend, mentor and all-around awesome guy Dave Pimentel. This past year has been quite a challenge for me artistically. As I began storyboarding on my first animated feature I came to realize very quickly how far I needed to go in terms of drawing ability in order to get my sequences up to par with the other incredible story artists at the studio.

Reconnecting with Dave and listening to him talk made me realize how much fun drawing can be... and should be! He has reinvigorated my passion for drawing and inspired me to strive to get better. Dave is one of the main reasons I am where I am today and I owe much of my success to him.

I've taken Dave's words to heart and been drawing at every chance I get, even going as far as sketching during cereal break at the studio. Below are some doodles from said break;

Some 1 and 2 minute gesture drawings;

Random sketch book page;

A couple caricatures I did for and of some dudes at the studio;


If any of you ever get the chance to attend a Dave Pimentel talk or class DO IT! You will not be sorry.

-Hat

SCREAMING CONTEST

They are having a screaming contest, for keeps!

-Hat

20!! THE INAUGURAL BLOG-URL

Hi

Happy new year!

Thanks to all the peoples who stopped by my blog this past year, you are awesome. I hope this year I get a chance to meet some of you that I only know by artwork.

May all your dreams come true, and all that is true become a dream... not sure what that means but it sounded good.

-Hat

MONOCHRO-MANNY'S

Random Manny's

MONO-KHAN-MATIC

Just a buncha random Khan doodles.

MANNY AND KHAN DOODLES

I been drawins Manny and Khan quite a bit lately, as me and Joe-dawg are working on some new Chronicle comics. These are some warm up doodles I did. Hopefully we'll have something to post soon.



-Hat-Man

OOGELY BOOGELY

Just a random little doodle I did during the day.

BIANCA-LLAMA AND BEAVER BOY 2

The new adventures of Bianca-Llama and Beaver Boy

(Add your own sound effects, it makes the drawing better).

-Hat

BIANCA-LLAMA AND BEAVER BOY!

The residents of super-cube as animal themed super heroes. This is just one of those drawings that gets made after I say something stupid at the studio.
Note: The Bobcat is a super-villain

_Hat a.k.a Beaver Boy

MANNY AND KHAN COMIC STRIPS- VOL. 2

A few more M&K strips. We actually made these about a year ago with the intentions of creating a weekly comic, lest me and Joey got busy with other shtuff... But Joey did such a kick-ass job inking and coloring these, I feel obligated to post them. And with the impending end of the calendar year it feels like a good time seeing as how the first two strips deal with Manny and Khan's new years resolutions;



Hope you enjoyed the antics of these idiots.

_Hat

KHAN POSE

Found this old doodle I did of Khan that made me laugh, so I cleaned it up real quick...

_Hat

MANNY AND KHAN COMIC STRIPS

A couple a' Manny and Khan comic strips me and Joey made;


-Hat

DOODLE DUMP

I was talkin to Joey about a little project he's workin on, when I realized I hadn't really sat down and just 'drawn' in a long while. Doin boards for a studio takes up most of my time, but I was inspired by Joey to sit down and draw. Eventually I ended up with these three characters below.

There was something about rich pets that I thought was funny.


I Made a comic strip with a couple of them.


Below are some yeti doodles I did for Joey... you can never have too many yetis. You should check out his blog to see some of the awesome stuff he's doing.


Lasty, a caricature I did of our Head-of-Story of Mad3, Rob Koo. He has a blog, but it's mostly just pictures of his plants and fish.


Peace

-Hat

Oh yeah, my old high school did an interview with me recently, and posted it on their website. If anyone is interested in hearing me talk about my life's journey thus far check out the video below. If not, DO NOT WATCH THE VIDEO, you have been warned.

STUFF I'VE LEARNED ABOUT STORYBOARDING: EPISODE #5

Motivating the Camera: Part 2.

Continuing with the previous post, these examples revolve too around motivating the camera, however explores more "what they are saying visually".


The next three examples are all slight variations of the same scene, each exploring a different approach in regards to the progression of information that is revealed to the audience, and consequently the effect it has on them. Please note that none of these examples are any more "right" than any other. They are merely different takes on the same scene. Their purpose is to show how slight variations in storyboards (and ultimately film) can produce vastly differing ideas/moods. Ultimately, it would all depend on what the script calls for or what is necessary of the scene to determine which of the following (if any) would be suitable.



I think the most important thing to take away from this concept of 'motivating the camera', is just to try and be conscious of the decisions you are making in your storyboards. Try to understand what you are actually saying visually, what information you are revealing to the audience (and when) and what effect it will have on them. Thinking about these things as you board can really help enhance a sequence and 'sell' an idea in the storyboard stage.

On a side note: None of these tips/theories/methods I've discussed are "rules". They are by no means absolute. There are no 'right' or 'wrongs' with storyboarding, as I've stated before, simply ways that work better than others at achieving desired responses. As much as I use these principles and incorporate them into my own sequences, I find myself quite frequently deviating, or cheating, or bending these ideas. I rely much more on the 'feeling' of a sequence as I board. Boarding panels and flipping through them to see how I 'feel' watching it, to see if the cuts are smooth, or if something doesn't 'feel' right. So take these tips for what they are worth, simply tips, tricks and principles I have found to be sucessful.

-Hat

STUFF I'VE LEARNED ABOUT STORYBOARDING: EPISODE #4

The next couple posts revolve around 'motivating the camera'. What is motivating the camera you might ask? Good question, you get a gold star.*

Motivating the camera is a simple technique of using visual cues to set up a cut or camera-move and in doing so, ease the audience into a new shot or new information.

Below is a simple example of how utilizing the above theory can have a huge influence on the overall feel/continuity of a sequence.


I think I made it a bit overly-complicated. Just look through each of the examples and feel the difference.

Basically: Use a character's eye line to motivate a cut. It helps ease the audience through the cut and into new information. (While also putting us directly in the character's shoes)

There are many other ways to motivate the camera. Below is a short sequence I've boarded out with various examples all strung together. The idea is to create as much continuity within the sequence as possible, making everything clear and easy to follow.

Below I have pointed out the specific methods used to motivate the camera.

So as per the above sequence, ways to motivate the camera;
- Using a Character's eyeline/P.O.V.
- Having a character move on screen and adjusting the camera accordingly.
- Having a character exit frame.

There are other ways not represented in the above example, for instance;
- Having a character enter frame. (This will be illustrated in a future tip sheet.)

I think ultimately what it comes down to, specifically for 'cutting', is the fact that a 'cut' is not natural, it doesn't happen in real life (unless you take really long blinks). Obviously we have seen enough film/television that we are accustomed to 'cutting', nevertheless, anything you can do to smooth out the transition will only help create and maintain the continuity of your sequence.

To be continued shortly...

* Gold stars are neither gold nor stars and consist almost entirely of your imagination.

THE STORY OF SUPER-CUBE

This is a quick little comic retelling I did of a recent monumental event to transpire at the studio.


As mayor of super-cube my responsibilities include:
- making of the mayoral crown
- wearing of the mayoral crown

Super-cube is the greatest idea I've ever had.

-Mayor McJewburger

I MISS HIM

My Cubie was having technical difficulties with his computer today and had to move to a different cube to work...


I hope he comes back soon...

STUFF I'VE LEARNED ABOUT STORYBOARDING: EPISODE #3

More storyboarding cheat sheets. This breakdown has to deal with screen direction, specifically characters moving in and out of frame.





The folks over at The Art Center blog were nice enough to feature these little breakdowns I've been doing. Check out the blog if you've got time, there is a lot of great information there from a lot of incredibly talented industry professionals.

-Hat

STUFF I'VE LEARNED ABOUT STORYBOARDING: EPISODE #2

Because of some nice comments on the previous post, I thought I would squeeze out number 2: Maintaining Screen Side

Note: there would obviously be more panels if this was flushed out, to play up the acting and also hook up the action. And on the last panel, I would probably frame it more centered while the female is farther away and then adjust right as she walks towards camera.

This is a simple theory of cutting that can easily help create a sense of continuity within a sequence and or exchange. The idea is not exclusive to 1 character interacting with another. The same principle can be used between 2 different groups of characters, or even a character and an object (Ie. A telephone. A man waits anxiously for a very important phone call).

The example above is a bit rudimentary for the sake of demonstrating the concept. More realistically, you will have characters moving around as they interact. In this case what we can do is create multiple patterns to track the exchange. The important thing to focus on when trying to handle multiple staging set ups is making sure the audience clearly sees our new staging occur. The simplest way to achieve that is by having characters physically cross paths on screen;

As long as you continue to establish any new screen spacing, the sequence should maintain a certain level of continuity that will allow the audience to follow along quite easily.

-Hat

STUFF I'VE LEARNED ABOUT STORYBOARDING: EPISODE #1

Here are a few quick little tip sheets I put together for some of my friends who are currently doing storyboard tests and looking to get into boarding. I thought they might be worth posting here.






I think the most important thing to remember with storyboarding is that; anything and everything we can do visually will invoke a specific response from the audience. The key is to determine what exactly you want the audience to feel and then find the best way visually to achieve that reaction.

I hear a lot of people say "You can't do that cut" or "You are breaking the 180 line, you can't do that".... well obviously you can do it, because if you can draw it, you can do it. It's not that you "Can't" do something, it's that that "something" is confusing the audience, or isn't visually pleasing. Which are both appropriate critiques of a jump-cut or breaking the line, however not so much if that is the desired effect you hope to have on your audience.

There are no "right" or "wrongs" with storyboarding, only ways that work better than others. Figure out what you want to convey in a scene, and find the best way to present those ideas to your audience.