Posts Tagged ‘art’

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GUEST BLOG: Jozef Szekeres

by Colleen Doran on October 17th, 2010
Posted In: Creator Resources, Art How-To, Blog, Colleen's Work, Culture, Film and Television, Blog, Guest Blog

Jozef Szekeres is a very talented artist, cartoonist and animator. His credits include co-creating Wavedancers, as well as work on Joseph Michael Linsner’s Dawn, and Erik Larsen’s Dart miniseries.

Jozef spent many years as an animator and director for Walt Disney Animation in Australia.

He was a senior animator on several video features: Aladdin: King of Thieves, Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp’s Adventure, Peter Pan II: Return to Neverland, and Jungle Book II. Jozef also sculpted maquettes of the lead Disney characters for the studio.

He has a a very impressive list of conceptual design credits, and line of outstandingly gorgeous dolls. He’s also the artist for the upcoming Black Mermaid Productions comic Elf-Fin. Which is made of all kinds of gorgeous, and which you will want muchly when it comes out. It is a fully painted series about mermaids, written by his partner Julie Ditrich, who has also written guest blogs at A Distant Soil.

Here is their Facebook group page for more art and updates on Elf Fin.

Late last year, I was hired to do the conceptual designs for a television show co-created by Greatest American Hero actor William Katt. Don’t miss the chance to meet him at a convention; he’s an absolute delight!

Like many projects in development, this one is in the hands of the producers. So, I can’t show you any art.

However, I often show my work to very close pro friends for their opinion, and with Jozef’s kind permission, I present his letters of comment to me.

Some of the comments don’t really apply: Jozef was under the impression I was designing for animation. I’m not. But the observations are interesting, and you may find them of use. It’s great that he took the time to go over the work with me. I truly value his expertise.

I know some artists get testy and don’t want to discuss their work with others, but I love to learn. And since animation isn’t my forte, I learn a lot from Jozef. I hope you will, too.

Hi Colleen,

These are marvellous illustrations, what lovely designs. What is their usage? For live action costume designs or for animation models?

As character costume designs for live action film, they’re fantastic. As 2D modelsheet guides, they’re still about a step away from the construction instructiveness an animator would need to stay “on model”. If this was for animation, I’d say another in-house lead animator would reinterpret them for model-sheet readiness.

What the aim is when an illustrator is brought on board to design for 2D, is to get a sense of their personal style in their character design architecture/structure. The idea is to break down the style (the “how to” of it) so that the animator can recreate it to work within that style again and again for the project.

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Sandro Kopp at Brachfield Gallery

by Colleen Doran on October 6th, 2010
Posted In: Blog, Culture, Fine Art

The handsome and talented Sandro Kopp will exhibit at the Brachfeld Gallery, Paris France, from October 23-November 12, 2010.

If you’re in Paris, go see. Sandro’s a fine artist and delightful company.

Brachfeld Gallery:

Sandro Kopp-
Not a still frame (hybrid)

October 23rd to November 12th, 2010

78 Rue Des Archives
75003 Paris
France

Opening Friday October 22nd, 19:00 – 22:00

http://www.sandrokopp.com/34.html

www.brachfeldgallery.blogspot.com

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2011 Mentoring Program for Immigrant Artists

by Colleen Doran on September 15th, 2010
Posted In: Blog, Creator Resources, Creator Resources, Education

Applications Are Now Open for The
2011 Mentoring Program for Immigrant Artists

DEADLINE: Friday, October 15, 2010

NYFA’s Immigrant Artist Project is pleased to announce a call for applications for the fifth year of our flagship Mentoring Program for Immigrant Artists.

The 2011 Mentoring Program will pair approximately 20 emerging foreign-born artists with established artists from the 2010 NYFA Fellowship Program and the folk arts community. These artists will act as one-on-one mentors to their immigrant artist mentees for a period of six months, assisting them in gaining broader access to the New York cultural community by sharing ideas, advice, resources and experiences. Mentors will also guide mentees in achieving one or more specific goals such as composing an artist statement, researching potential venues for showing their work, or completing a grant application. This cycle’s Mentoring Program will take place from January to June of 2011.

Applicants are open to apply in the following artistic disciplines:

Choreography
Folk Perfoming Arts
Music Composition
Painting
Photography
Playwriting/Screenwriting
Video
In general, only artists who work in these disciplines are encouraged to apply; however, an applicant can make the case for working with a mentor in a different discipline.

This is a selective program that is free of charge to accepted participants. The first four cycles of the Mentoring Program were very successful with many participants citing advances in their careers and forming lasting bonds with their mentors and other participants. We look forward to seeing what new partnerships will take form through this year’s program.

We ask that you kindly forward this information to your colleagues, constituents and others who can take advantage of this opportunity.

Mentee applications are due Friday, October 15, 2010, with work samples postmarked by that date. For more detailed information on how to apply, please visit the Mentoring Program page on the NYFA website. Please carefully read the information in this mailing and on the Mentoring Program page before filling out the application.

We will also hold an Informational Session on how to apply to the Mentoring Program at NYFA on Thursday, September 30th, at 6pm. Please email to RSVP.

Eligibility: all applicants must meet the following criteria

Live within the New York Tri-State metropolitan area (NY, NJ, and CT), and are available to meet their mentor personally for a total of at least six hours and attend three group meetings in New York City over the course of the six month cycle (January–June 2011).
Were born outside of the U.S. (Those born in Puerto Rico, Guam, and U.S territories may apply).
Attended at least K – 8 schooling outside the U.S.
Have been actively working and pursuing a career as an artist within the range of 1 -10 years in the U.S.
Identify one or more clear goals to accomplish over the course of the six-month mentorship.
Submit three work samples of recent work produced in the past two years.
Are NOT currently enrolled in a graduate or undergraduate degree program.

Expectations for Mentees

To set realistic goals achievable within a short term program.
To be responsible and take initiative in your own experience; “you will get out of the program what you put into it.”
To participate fully in a one-to-one relationship designed to facilitate personal and professional growth as a working artist.
Please contact the Immigrant Artist Project via email or call Karen Demavivas, IAP Program Officer, at (212) 366-6900 ext. 249, with any questions.

IAP Event Reminder

As part of its Cultural Community Events for Fall 2010, the Immigrant Artist Project is thrilled to collaborate with the Asian American Arts Alliance on “Produce It Yourself: Plays” a lively conversation about producing a play in NYC today. This event will be held tonight at 6:30pm at the Asian Americas Writer’s Workshop. General admission is $10 and only $8 for the mentee alumni of our flagship IAP Mentoring Program.

Funding Support

NYFA is grateful to the Deutsche Bank Americas Foundation for their generous support of the Mentoring Program for Immigrant Artists.

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This is Not 0′s and 1′s

by Colleen Doran on September 1st, 2010
Posted In: Blog, Creator Resources, Culture, Culture, Fine Art

This is not cochineal, and lapis lazuli, and Indian lac, and alum, and linseed oil.

The human being who made this image is not chlorine, and carbon, and magnesium, and sulfur.

This is not 0′s and 1′s.

The copy of this art is not 0′s and 1′s.

The extraordinary human experience of art is not 0′s and 1′s.

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Photo Reference as a way of life

by Colleen Doran on June 4th, 2010
Posted In: Creator Resources, Art How-To, Blog, Colleen's Work, Culture, Comics

This post explains why cartooning is sometimes at its best when the artist doesn’t rely on photoreference. (EDIT: I have not read the comic. But the article makes valid points based on the examples.)

I use a lot of period reference for my work, because on projects like Gone to Amerikay, I must present a convincing picture of a particular time and place. But I use little photo reference for the figures. My custom is to reference the figure photo for no more than the initial rough sketch, after which I toss it and draw from memory.

Some years back, I tried heavy photo reference for my figure work, and not only do I don’t think it improved my drawing or storytelling, it made me neurotically concerned about using reference. Eventually, I became so dependent on photos, I convinced myself I could not draw without them. It took me well over a year to wean myself off the crutch.

I know some cartoonists who never draw without tracing. I’ve gone back to my custom of using reference and then drawing something which looks almost nothing like the reference. I am so much happier.

I think that the rise of computer graphics has decreased the impact of realistic images. Almost anyone can scan in some photos and use filters to make a comic book. Almost anyone can learn to use a Poser program.

One of the interesting things about SF fans who dabble in comics reading is that they often love highly rendered, illustrative comic art no matter how bad the storytelling is. I once heard a woman go off on a painter because you could see his brush strokes.

Comics fans are far more likely to appreciate design, line, and storytelling style.

This is a problem publishers need to consider when they try to market comic adaptations of books to people who are not comics readers: they need to take into account how differently non-comics readers process the pictures.

People who have no understanding of comics won’t notice the lousy lettering in the Twilight manga (and will become hostile when you do, you comic book nerd,) or the stiffly rendered figures and forms and very bad storytelling in some of those other novel adaptations.

But a non-comics reader will look at lots of color or hatching and they think they are looking at Great Comic Art.

Word balloon placement, storytelling…it’s like trying to explain pitch to someone who is tone deaf.

Work Bird swoops in. I must flee.

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