Every good concept art portfolio showcases the artist’s versatility.

But many artists think they are demonstrating versatility when they are actually demonstrating a lack of focus.

It’s good ol’ fashioned fear-of-commitment.

In our ‘Paper Wings’ episode Ten Steps To A Winning Portfolio we advised that artists demonstrate specialization in favor of versatility when applying for a job in a creative “pipeline.”

Artistic specialization can drastically benefit your career as a concept artist (whether you’re a character designer, layout artist, environment painter or some other type of conceptual illustrator).

So, today, I’m going to challenge you to reconsider the way you’re pursuing your creative dreams as I debunk The Myth Of Versatility…

A Strong Concept Art Portfolio Is About TRUE Versatility.

True versatility is ALWAYS a good thing.

My own versatility has been a major plus for my career.

I went from working on Disney Fairies movies to expanding the world of Pixar’s Cars with Planes. The only things Fairies and Planes have in common are eyes, mouths and wings.

To work in animation and video games etc. you have to be versatile. But true artistic versatility just means that you have a few areas of specialization.

You acquire specialization in multiple areas with time and experience.

What’s The Job?

My friend just applied for a job as a story artist at Disney. When I looked at his work I saw page after page of beautiful, appealing character designs, some logo designs, a couple of full illustrations…

…and zero storyboards.

The work in the portfolio was great but almost completely inappropriate for a story position.

A story portfolio needs storyboards.

If he had a portfolio full of great storyboards would it be appropriate to add a few pages of character designs to demonstrate his true versatility? Sure.

Versatility is appealing when it doesn’t muddy the message of the portfolio and confuse portfolio reviewers. In this case the message should have been: “I am a talented, consistent, experienced story artist! Oh, you liked my boards?! Well, I also do great character designs! Check out these last two pages that showcase my five best character designs!”

You take responsibility for deciding what kind of job you’re pursuing and then make sure that your portfolio clearly communicates.

Don’t put the burden of the decision on the recruiter or editor who might hire you.

The kind of work in your portfolio should be the kind of work you’re pursuing.

In short, you get what you give.

Specialization & Your Big Break:

The term “pipeline” refers to the ordered process of making animation for film & TV, mainstream comics, video games etc… The “pipeline” is also known as the “production schedule.”

You will find a pipeline anywhere there are a bunch of artists working together to create a much larger final product (like a movie).

The quality of that final product depends on whether the artists in it can consistently and efficiently deliver quality.

The people in charge of running the pipeline efficiently – producers, editors – are looking for artists who can fit within that pipeline and keep it running smoothly with as little drama and disruption as possible.

Specialization = Dependability = Hire-ability.

Your portfolio MUST showcase great drawing and painting, but it also has to communicate how you could fit into a production pipeline.

Your portfolio must convince the recruiter or editor that you could very well be the best choice for the available position.

A Note To Freelance Illustrators:

Freelance illustration isn’t what I think of as a “pipeline” job like animation, video games or even most mainstream comics.

Sure, you have an Art Director and you pass the work off to the layout department but the final piece of art is pretty much the work of one artist.

Here the specialization/ generalization boundaries are perhaps a bit blurry.

There are some illustrators out there who are working steadily and they have multiple styles and they do lots of different things like logo design, web design etc…

But if you’re sending your kids book to a company that does snowboard graphics you’re probably lacking in focus and the message of your portfolio is probably very unclear.

The snowboard company probably doesn’t care that you’re versatile enough to do a kids book……that is, until you build a real relationship with them and that’s something interesting that they eventually learn about you.

And, really, the illustration rock stars are known for a personal, signature style – which brings us back to specialization.

Maybe It’s Time To Focus?

…and maybe you’ll get better jobs by demonstrating one (or a few, if you insist) areas of specialization.

Check out my resource page for Concept Artist Jobs if you want to learn more about how to have a successful career as a concept artist (or, for that matter, any other kind of creative career).

How about YOUR Concept Art Portfolio? Does it showcase TRUE versatility or is it just confusing?

If it’s confusing, what could you do to focus?

It is a sad day at DisneyToon Studios.

Many of you were inspired by my podcast interview with Disney Technical Director Pete Kranjcevich.

Pete passed away yesterday at a mere 36 years of age. He left a legacy of inspiration with his family, friends and of course, his colleagues.

He was and will continue to bring brightness to all those who know him.

Pete filled my day with a contagious positivity EVERY time we connected. He has always been an encouragement, pushing me to reach higher and follow my dreams.  He believes in me and he constantly reminded me of that.

Literally, everyone that worked with him loves him.

Pete was, most recently, working on the new TRON animated series.

If you haven’t listened to my interview with Pete, I strongly encourage you to do so.  You will, no doubt, gain an understanding of what an amazing man he was and to those who remain connected to him, despite his untimely death.  Listen and hear him inspire you with his creative passion and his “seize the day” paradigm.

I am REALLY going to miss you, Pete.

Rafael Rosado is a story artist for awesome cartoon shows like The Venture Bros. and Curious George.

Raf is one of my favorite draftsmen.  In fact, he’s one of the best draftsmen I’ve ever met. …and he’s a storyboarding machine.

Raf is also a close friend of mine. He was one of the people who encouraged me to just take the plunge and move out to LA. …and I’m so glad he did. Seriously, I could just go on and on about how humble and talented this man is…

I could not be more excited than I am now that his personal project for the last couple of years has FINALLY hit the shelves!

Click through to see some more pages from the book!

‘Giants Beware!’ is a GORGEOUS all-ages Graphic Novel from the classiest publisher I know of: First Second Publishing.

I’m tellin’ ya. I rarely see comic art that is as visceral and elegant as the art in this book. I haven’t read the story yet because I JUST received the book on my doorstep, but everything Raf has been telling me for the past couple of years is very cool.

If you use THIS LINK to buy your copy, a percentage of the sale will go to support ChrisOatley.com.

If you want to learn more about Rafael Rosado, listen to the inspiring interview I did with Raf on my ArtCast a couple years ago.

And if you like the art in ‘Giants Beware!’ you’ll probably like this interview with Cyril Pedrosa, author of Three Shadows (my favorite Graphic Novel).

Again, if you want to buy ‘Giants Beware!’, please use THIS LINK to buy your copy.

Creative people come to this site seeking inspiration.  Sure, they’re also looking for digital painting and character design content but it’s the inspiration that, I don’t know… …sort of supports it all.  It’s the thing most people bring up when we’re talking about the site.

A tremendous percentage of my private thought life is spent thinking about… …well, YOU.

You and all of the smart, creative people who have graciously subscribed to my blog, podcast and newsletter and who follow me on Twitter.

To me, inspiring people has become a craft that I strive to perfect through reading, research and trying never to compromise my insatiable curiosity.

And that’s fine, because the older we get, the more intentional we have to be to hold onto the purity of imagination. We have to help each other stay pure by being intentional about connecting and sharing inspiration.  We have to continue to make space in our hearts and minds for inspiration.

In this video, this brilliant, passionate kid demonstrates a Rube Goldberg Device that he built.  He calls his “Monster Catcher.”

Note his comfortable but determined attitude about failure and his jubilant celebration of success.

This, to me, represents one-hundred-percent PURE, undiluted inspiration.  I will, no doubt return to this video as a reminder, a source of inspiration many times from here on out.

Please share your reactions in the comments below…

You can check out the rest of the Paper Wings site if you like to make comics or if you’re just looking for more of the educational/ inspirational art instruction you find here at ChrisOatley.com!

Speaking of tutorials, I really am almost done with the next installment of my Digital Painting Demo for ‘My Sister, The Freak’

So just hang in there and it will be released soon!

Meanwhile: If you haven’t subscribed to my Digital Painting Tips Newsletter, you’re missing out.  Folks are LOVING it!  So hop over to that there Right Sidebar where it says “FREE PHOTOSHOP BRUSHES” and punch in your name and email address.

As you would assume, I’ll never spam you or give away your info.

IN THIS EPISODE ::

• 5 Tips to make the new year productive and creatively fulfilling.
• New Year’s resolutions I DON’T recommend.
• What art & religion have in common.
• How to learn to love early mornings.

PLUS: Music by Good Old War!

AWESOME LINKS:

My Daily Routine: Comics, Podcasts and Visual Development at Disney

BUY Screenwriting Tips… You Hack by Xander Bennett

Paper Wings Podcast

Wunderlist

The Dreamer Comic

Making Comics Podcast

This was the first Visual Development painting that I did for ‘Pixie Hollow Games’ (line art by Ritsuko Notani; art direction by Fred Warter).

This is an early piece of “Rumble” concept art. Rumble is Glimmer‘s partner on the storm team and the antagonist of the story.  He’s not really a villain but it was fun to be able to play with some classic “Disney Villain” qualities while designing this character.

Our original vision for Rumble was sort of a Disney Fairies version of John Travolta’s “Danny Zuko” from Grease.  He evolved into a more athletic, David Beckham type by the final film, but I’m still a fan of this original version.

Read on for more insights and detail images…

Here’s a frame from ‘Pixie Hollow Games’ that shows the final versions of Rumble and Glimmer together:

Ultimately, the character looked too villainous. I think it might have been our director Brad Raymond who said that he didn’t want the character design to telegraph “BAD GUY” too strongly. And that’s a really tough call to make. Something I’ve learned from watching our directors is how not to settle for “good enough” and to always remain open to a better solution.

…in this case, “better” was “more true to the character” and “more honest” and “more believable.”  That’s something you learn with persistence, years of experience and by surrounding yourself with great collaborators.

Something I forgot to mention in my post about Rumble’s team mate Glimmer is that their “Storm Team” costumes are made of black and white irises. A lot of the Fairies characters have costumes that are made of flower petals but this is the first time we’ve ever done a costume with an iridescent effect.

That was insanity. I became an expert on the black iris – how it changes appearance depending on the angle at which you are viewing the petals. There is always a ton of brush mileage involved in the VisDev paintings I do for DTS, but this one has more than usual.

Once I committed to that transient, speckled texture, I realized that I couldn’t get away with any significant use of the scatter brush because it just didn’t follow the forms accurately enough.  And when I tried to use the Warp tool in Photoshop, it warped the individual speckles as well. Ugh. I basically became a pointillist for a week.

I’ll be posting more ‘Pixie Hollow Games’ development art here in the near future.  Stay tuned!

CTN-X 2011 is here!

Character Design Round Table:

I will be joining three incredible artists for a Character Design round table discussion on Saturday morning from 10am-12pm in Parlor 131.

Here’s the description from the CTN:

The top 5 portfolios have been pre-selected to be critiqued live by the best character design eyes in the business. In a round table format they will discuss what works, what can be done better and give personal tips that everyone needs to hear.

Sounds like fun, huh?! Wow. I have NO idea how I ended up on the same panel as Nate Wragg, Jose Lopez and Florian Satzinger. These guys are flippin’ geniuses! I am humbled and terrified. …and I can’t wait.

My Disney Booth Schedule:

I will also be reviewing portfolios at the Disney booth on Saturday from 4pm-6pm and on Sunday from 10am-12pm.  Stop by and say hi to me and my lovely colleagues.

Stop By My Booth For A Postcard:

The rest of the weekend, I will be hanging out at booth T-47 with my buddy Jason Pruett.  I’ll be handing out postcards that feature my comic characters (a rare opportunity to get a sneak peek at some brand new prehistoric freaks) as well as my Forest Demon painting.

I am so jazzed for this weekend! I hope to see you there!

In May of 2010, I was promoted to Character Visual Development Artist as I joined the crew of ‘Pixie Hollow Games.’

Suddenly, I went from designing props and tertiary background characters to designing brand new principal characters.  …a rare and precious opportunity.

My favorite of all the new characters we created for ‘Pixie Hollow Games’ is Glimmer (shown above) a lightning fairy and a member of the Storm Team (painting by Chris Oatley based on LineArt by Ritsuko Notani).

I’ve posted some detail images below, so click through for a closer look…

I worked on ‘PHG’ for the better part of a year before I moved onto ‘Planes.’  (I have since wrapped on ‘Planes’ and I’m now working on an unannounced production.)

During my time working on PHG, I experienced an unprecedented phase of artistic growth.  I think it was the almost-holy fear that that propelled said growth. To date, there has been no professional assignment as scary and exhilarating as the call to design characters that will likely become part of the Disney legacy. Also, I love a challenge, and painting those soft, fairy-faces is an incredible challenge.

I hadn’t painted a humanistic ‘portrait’ in quite a while so I had to go “back to school.”

I returned to the study of the human face with James Gurney’s ‘Color and Light: A Guide for the Realist Painter’ and Richard Schmid’s Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting.  I also jumped on the opportunity to once again study closely the work of Malcom Liepke (some images at this link may be considered NSFW) and, of course, John Singer Sargent.

I have to thank my amazingly talented Art Director Fred Warter and Character Designer Ritsuko Notani for their gorgeous work on the production which, of course, elevated my own work. I did the painting but the character designs were definitely a team effort – as they almost always are.

More Visual Development art by yours truly coming soon!

Here’s a shot of Glimmer from ‘Pixie Hollow Games’ which airs November 19th on The Disney Channel:

| Download Video |

My friend, Dani Jones honored me with the opportunity to be featured in the first collected print edition of her webcomic ‘My Sister, The Freak’.  (Now available for pre-order at MySisterTheFreak.com)

I recorded the entire painting process and broke it up into three parts.

Part One Covers:

• How to avoid re-drawing your line art by using the Lasso & Warp Tools.
• Painterly techniques in Photoshop CS3.
• How to create an active, textural surface without over-working the painting.
• How to merge two separate styles into one.
• Why artists should spend more time in the early planning stages, before moving into the digital painting process.

Subscribe to my Digital Painting Tips Newsletter (in the sidebar to your right) and receive THREE sets of custom Photoshop Brushes that I designed as well as exclusive Digital Painting content.

Thanks to Dani for the opportunity to share my own interpretation of her characters and for always being so supportive of my various creative endeavors.

Comment & Share:

What did you think of part one?  Did you learn anything?  Do you have any additional techniques to share?

People always ask me about my daily routine.

Sometimes this question is code for or coupled-with “Do you ever sleep?” and sometimes they just want to know what my work days are like at Disney.

Although a worthwhile productivity talk requires more words than this post can hold, I’ll share about my daily routine and my life at the studio. …which will give a little insight into my disciplines for productivity.

If you have more questions after reading this, please post them in the comments below and I will respond.

I try to wake up every day at 6:30 am.

Occasionally, I cheat and wake up at 7, but since I started my webcomic, I’ve been very disciplined.

I make a pot of Trader Joe’s Organic Bolivian Coffee, work on my comic for three hours (caffeinating all the while), groom, pour another cup of coffee to go and leave for work.

My sweet wife Angie usually makes a brown-bag lunch for me so I can get the most out of my lunch break.  (…more on this in a later post.)

Occasionally, I schedule breakfast or phone calls with close friends before work. Close friends are pretty much the only ones that override the otherwise selfish guarding of my morning time.  The meaning of life is relationships, right?

Oh, and I set aside one morning a week to record The Paper Wings Podcast or plan Paper Wings content and strategy with my business partner/ co-host Lora Innes.

On a side note: If you’re trying to achieve something and you can’t bring yourself to sacrifice a little sleep, TV or convenience for it, then it’s probably not meant to be.  But the key is to not blow your life/ marriage/ friendships up if your dream IS meant to be. I have danced (more like krumped) across this line many times in my life and I have to keep my selfishness-radar armed at all times or I’ll go full-workahermit in a flash.

“Workahermit” …I made that up.  It’s a combination of a “workaholic” and a “hermit”.

I arrive at Disney just after 9:30. 

It only takes me about 8 minutes to get to work.

The first thing I do when I sit down at one of my desks (one for real drawing and one for my computer + Cintiq) is look at my work from the day before.

This might be a physical drawing or a set of concept sketches, a digital drawing, reference photos or a work-in-progress “VisDev” painting. I like to change it up a lot.  It keeps my subconscious activated. …which makes the work more enjoyable and elevates my work.

Switching media often is my most effective way to find and maintain FLOW.

I assess the work from the day before, consider the approaching deadline and plan out how much time I will spend on each unfinished element. I’ve done this for so long that I can budget my time with surprising accuracy.  When I get changes from my Art Director, Director (or John Lasseter) the schedule can change.

I have one formal meeting every day with my Art Director, Production Manager and Art Department Coordinator.

This is usually a really fun time for me because I love my colleagues. It’s fun catching up personally and professionally. (Disney attracts really good people.)

The meeting is at my desk so we can all look at my work on my own machine.  I usually navigate through the files inside of Photoshop – a “show and tell.” My AD and I will usually do a tag-team thing where we each take turns drawing or painting over the piece and making notes on things to change or add etc…

I work with them to make an action plan for the day and we set expectations, re-assess deadlines etc… These meetings can be five minutes or thirty – depending on how much there is to work on.

At the beginning of the production that I’m currently working on (not yet announced), I was designing five or six characters at once.  That was insanity.  Now that a lot of big decisions about the characters have been made, I’m more focused on one character at a time and I have even finished a few of them.

We also have at least one weekly meeting with the director, producers, the PM, the ADC and the art department.

That’s where we (the art department) do a big slide show of everything we completed the previous week.  These ‘Director Art Reviews’ are great because that’s where I get the strongest sense that I’m witnessing the making of a movie.

The process of animation is so slow that it can feel like I just come in every day to draw and paint and that’s the end of it.  When we meet together to review everything and talk about it – that’s when you see it all come together.  You get the sense that you’re a part of this big, communal effort.  It’s also where I get the strongest sense of humility because everyone’s work is so amazing…

If I’m starting a new character (my favorite part of the process) I like to change my environment.

I collect and print out my reference and go to one of the cafes at the studio or to a nearby Starbucks.  I usually just sit and sketch all day long.  Sometimes I’ll have two or three days to just explore a character.  Other times the schedule is more compressed.

I often spend the entire day painting.

After I get art director and director approval on a design (line art drawing – sometimes with tone or flat color done in Photoshop) I move onto the VisDev painting.  A full VisDev painting takes about one week per character – sometimes less.

You can see a bunch of my really polished VisDev paintings in my portfolio.

I leave the studio around 6:30 or 7.

During crunch time on a production, I will work overtime.  Or sometimes I’ll do regular time on my main production but hop over to do OT for a different production, for the marketing department or for something involving Disney Consumer Products.

When I get home, I usually have dinner with my wife and we walk our dog together. Generally, I try to use mornings for me and evenings for others (family, friends and my Apprentices at Paper Wings).  I also try to make and return phone calls in the evenings.

Lately (as I’ve been working hard to launch my comic) I have been working past 8pm several evenings a week but I don’t really like to do that.  I’m never at my best when I work past 8. At my worst, I’m grouchy, slow and easily distracted.  Unless I’m addressing an urgent matter, I’m much better off if I save it for the next day.

That’s the kind of stuff I dump into my lunch breaks…

If I don’t have a lunch appointment with a friend, I use them to address all the random stuff from personal errands to checking in on friends to scheduling Paper Wings Tweets to researching prehistoric freaks.

But I want to write a post about “How To Get The Most Out Of Your Lunch Break” eventually, so I’ll save that topic for later.

Do you have any more questions about my daily routine?  Share in the comments below.

Dreamworks Animator Alexis Wanneroy directed a really cool short documentary about Dreamworks Animation artists Sam Michlap, Nicolas Weis, Christian Schellewald, Paul Duncan, Marcos Mateu, and Nathan Fowkes. Watch the ten minute documentary using the player above.

Here’s a quote from the director about the film:

DreamWorks first personal art publication, Moonshine, was conceived as an opportunity to highlight the breath of artistic development talent at Dreamworks. This short documentary gives you a sneak peek into the personal works from the artists.

Did you watch the film? Did you get any new ideas or inspiration while watching it?

Share in the comments below.

IN THIS EPISODE:

I interview one of my heroes Cyril Pedrosa author of my favorite graphic novel ‘Three Shadows’ and the beautiful new web comic ‘Portugal’.

Cyril shares about his early days at the Disney studio in Paris and his break from animation to pursue his true calling as a comics artist.

He shares insights into his own process, his thoughts on what it means to be an artist and the development of his multiple drawing styles through experimentation and emotional connection with the story.

Plus music by Gaby Moreno!

AWESOME LINKS:

Three Shadows [ buy at Amazon and support ChrisOatley.com ]

8Comix

There’s No Such Thing As A Graphic Novel

The Illusionist (Sylvain Chomet)

Gaby Moreno

The Dreamer

My first job out of art school was a website for an engineering firm in Ohio.  I worked on contract, in-house for a summer.  A hundred people that do math all day… …and me.

In my free time I painted monsters. The engineers golfed and renovated their own homes.

There were fun-ish things about that job but, for me, it was not a dream-come-true.

Five years later I got my first job at Disney.  I worked on contract, in-house for a summer and into the fall.  A hundred people that tell stories all day… …and me.

I’ve spent the last four years here, mostly. It’s been amazing. …and none of this would have happened if I hadn’t asked for it.

THE ENGINEER’S ADVICE:

On my last day at the engineering firm, I left work early because I had an interview at a local print shop. My supervisor, who had become my close friend and mentor, said this:

“My best advice: Ask for the job.”

I thought about how my request for the job was implicit. I had submitted a resume and cover letter and was about to go in for an interview. A more direct request seemed, at best, redundant and at worst, uncontrollably awkward.

He went on: “A guy came in last week to interview for the [do math all day] position and on his way out, he turned around and just asked for the job. He said he liked this place and respected us and he really wanted to work here. He was very sincere. We were impressed with that. We’re probably going to hire him.”

Not fully understanding, I took his advice and “asked for the job” at the print shop.

I did NOT get the job at the print shop.

Remember that.

WHEN I GOT MY FIRST JOB AT DISNEY:

Four years later, my friend Steve Galgas hooked me up with some freelance visual development work for a previous incarnation of DisneyToon Studios.

To date, my only paid creative work had been my graduate stipend and the occasional nickel-and-dime freelance illustration gig.  Any assignment from Disney was a step in the right direction.

I painted two characters and then the movie got shut down. The Pixar merger extinguished all direct-to-video sequels and my Disney dream came to a premature end.

(Yes. It was another controversial, direct-to-video sequel but to be fair, it would have been a pretty good, controversial, direct-to-video sequel.)

I got paid (well), thanked them profusely and let some time pass while the merger-dust settled. A couple months later I sent a follow-up email asking for more work.

I asked for the job.

The Pixar merger had become an all-studio-overhaul, so they still weren’t hiring.  But they said they loved my work and would keep me in mind for future freelance opportunities.

One year after that they called me and asked me to do visual development on Tinker Bell.

And as I already said, I’m still here and it’s a dream-come-true. You get it. So where am I going with all this?

POLITE AND PASSIVE:

Remember the job at the print shop? The job I didn’t get?

Well, it wasn’t a job at a print shop. I don’t actually remember what sort of job it was. I just added the print shop detail so you would remember when I brought it up later… …which is now.

I don’t remember what the job was because, deep down inside, I didn’t care. And because I didn’t care, I did not engage. I was polite and passive.

Sure, there were probably a lot of reasons why I didn’t get the “print shop” job but my passivity certainly didn’t help.

DON’T JUST ASK, ENGAGE:

Did I get the job at Disney just because I asked for it? Of course not. Although I’m sad that some people seem to think it’s that easy.

I lost my way in art school and tried for two years to become a freelance editorial illustrator.

But I eventually had to re-engage my dream of working in  animation.  I don’t have time to tell you the whole story but it involves a tremendous amount of hard work,  patience, failed solutions and wastes of time. Then came the freelance gig on the movie that got Pixarated followed by another year of radio silence then, finally, the Tink job.

Just asking for the job is not enough. We have to engage and stay engaged by taking bold action to renew and realize our dreams.

“Asking for the job” is an external manifestation of the passion we have for what we do and what we can do for the company at which we are interviewing.

The guy who impressed my supervisor at the engineering firm asked for the job because he was actively engaged and had been engaged long enough to learn that he really liked and respected the firm. He didn’t come across as phony because he was sincere and passionate.

FOCUS ON PROGRESS:

This isn’t just a story for students or the otherwise inexperienced.  This is also a story for the industry vets who are phoning it in because they’re bored with their jobs or the sorta-successful freelancers who dream of making art for themselves.

Whatever your dream is, it’s probably not going to come true if you just passively wait for it to arrive or if you just sit around and complain all day.

Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with the distance or the obstacles between you and your dream. Just focus on making progress. Any kind of progress is still  progress.

Engage your dream with sincerity, passion and take the next action right now.

Ask for the job.

COMMENT AND SHARE:

What is the ONE NEXT ACTION you can take to engage or re-engage your dream?

Share that next action in the comments below.

IN THIS EPISODE:

I share THREE practices that all artists can apply to their own process that will instantly improve the quality of their finished works of art.

Also, I talk about my NEW podcast and web-community: Paper Wings.

AND… I explain how YOU could WIN a WACOM Intuos 4 Tablet by entering the FIRST Paper Wings Challenge!

AWESOME LINKS ::

Norman Rockwell’s Studies

Paper Wings Podcast Episode #5 (with WACOM Contest Information & Official Rules/ Submission Guidelines)

My recommended Sketchbooks [BUY with this link and support ChrisOatley.com!]

Here’s how to destroy an opportunity to meet with an entertainment industry professional (based on my own mistakes):

Imagine you’re finally in touch with an industry professional who can help you in your career. Maybe he’s an editor for Marvel Comics or maybe she’s a development executive at Disney who is interested in hearing more about an idea you have for an animated TV show.

You got in touch with this person at a convention or through a friend or because you have a job at the same studio. You received a response that sounds something like this:

“Sure, Chris, I’d love to meet. Come by my office and we’ll talk.”

This, my friends, is what you call an OPPORTUNITY.

…and here’s how to blow it:

“Awesome! Thanks so much. What works for you?”

It’s a reasonable question. It’s courteous. After all, this person’s time is extremely valuable – partially because they are so busy. But I’ve found that a response like “What works for you?” or “What’s your schedule like?” complicates and dissolves most potential meetings.

Too many times have I received the attention I need to move forward and somehow lost it all during the invitation.

So many potentially life-changing meetings ended this way… …before they even began.

I received some very helpful advice from a book or a mentor… …I can’t remember the source but it might be in “Never Eat Alone” by Keith Ferazzi. I’ll have to check.

When you finally have the attention and invitation of a person ahead of you take the initiative.

Of course, I don’t have to tell you not to be annoying because you already understand and apply that.

Taking the initiative is impressive and freeing to the potential mentor/ boss/ collaborator etc… where being annoying is – well – annoying.

So when you’re setting up an appointment with someone and they say something like: “Sure, Chris, I’d love to meet. Come by my office and we’ll talk.” respond with a couple of definitive options.

“Great! I have openings Tuesday at 3pm and Thursday at 11am. Do you have a preference?”

Or you might even be able to cut one more step out of the process:

“Awesome. I’ll come by your office Monday morning around 10.”

The point is: You already have the invitation. It will just confuse and stress out the other person to have to do the planning. Just take the opportunity and run with it.

They will write back if Monday morning doesn’t work for them. And even if they don’t write you back to change the plan, you’ll show up at their proverbial doorstep because they already gave you the invitation. They will either find a way to work it in (you might have to sit and wait for a few minutes) or tell you to come back later but then you’ll have something even more solid.

Whether you give them two or three choices or just one, if they are serious about meeting with you it will be much easier on them if you do the planning and organization. Some people have assistants that will set up the meeting but even the assistants have limited time, energy and patience (not to mention higher priorities).

By taking the initiative and deciding on a time or offering a couple of options, you will probably turn many more potential opportunities into real ones.

You’ll have to use your own instincts, manners and common sense to decide on the nuances of every individual encounter but just don’t put the burden on the person who is already offering you an opportunity.

Every day at 3pm I was hit with back pain and fatigue.  Coffee didn’t help.  Lots of stretching didn’t help.

I consulted the ergonomics department at Disney about creating a sit/ stand workstation and I’ve been in love with it since the day we set it up.  I used to sit all day, hunched over my Cintiq and now I stand pretty much all day, every day.

My back pain has been alleviated and I stay more focused throughout the entire day.  It keeps me energized throughout the day AND I’m burning calories the entire time!

Since I recorded an episode of Chris Oatley’s ArtCast mentioning this, many people have expressed interest in seeing exactly what my streamlined setup looks like…

I can’t post a photo online due to Disney’s “closed set” policy but I’ve drawn a diagram (above) to help you get an idea of what my workspace is like.

I work at a very tall desk, which needed a little extra boost due to my height.

The woodshop built some risers for it, so that when I stand completely straight and have my arms bent at a 90° angle my forearms rest flat on the surface of the desk or Cintiq, depending on which tools I’m working with.

I use a Comfort Crown Anti-Fatigue Floor Mat to keep my legs from getting exhausted. I stand pretty much  all day, every day.

I occasionally clear all the clutter off my chair (coat rack) and sit for an hour or two – but not very often. I highly recommend standing while you work!

Check out my entire audio explanation of the workstation in ArtCast #50 :: Digital Comics, Ergonomics & How To Deliver Every Time.

I choose to be really accessible for a lot of reasons. One result of that accessibility is the inundation of critique requests.

Unfortunately, there’s just no way I can critique the portfolios or websites of everyone who asks.

The best advice I can give for getting professional and/ or experienced eyes on your work is to build relationship and add value.

Join Twitter, the blogs and the other communities where these professionals hover. Respond and comment. Be helpful and answer questions, provide recommendations, encouragement and never pester them. That’s how you get on the radar.

After you are really on their radar, you can build a real relationship with more of the same and eventually ask for a friendly favor – a critique.

It takes time but so does becoming a good artist.

This is why we created Paper Wings and the Paper Wings Talent Exchange Program (an apprenticeship program that will be taking applications in the relatively near future).

For now, Lora and I have provided The Paper Wings Guide: Top Ten Portfolio Pitfalls as a free download on the site. Just subscribe to the Paper Wings Email Newsletter and you’ll receive a link to download the guide.

Our first series of episodes will be called ‘Ten Steps To A Winning Portfolio’ and that will have all kinds of helpful information.

Also – look for the artists who are good but less-well known or who have less people asking them for critiques. Any artist that is better or more experienced than you will be helpful in your creative journey.

…and it never hurts to just send a brief, personal, polite, well-written email with a link to your site… …maybe you’ll get lucky with perfect timing!

People are always asking me how to pitch their ideas for animated TV shows.

I usually refer them to my  ArtCast episodes about pitching (find those here, here, here and here) and the book recommendations contained therein.

Pitching – as a concept is both complex and vague and my own opinions about pitching have dramatically changed over the last two years (listen to the episodes linked above).

That said, I just listened to the BEST advice about pitching that I have ever heard.

Heather Kenyon’s presentation How To Create A Pitch Bible is great in many ways: It’s concise (only about 40 minutes long), it’s informed (she’s an experienced, credible source) and it’s current.

Thanks to the forward-thinking leadership at The Creative Talent Network, they have made many of the presentations available through their VIMEO Channel.

From the CTN-X Page:

Heather Kenyon is the Vice President of Project Development and Sales for Starz Animation, a Division of Starz Media. She is the former senior director of development, original series at Cartoon Network, where she focused on thedevelopment of animated comedy, comedy adventure, action adventure and live-action series for children 6-11 years old. Prior to joining Cartoon Network, she was editor-in-chief of Animation World Network , a leading Internet publisher of animation news, information and resources, and was responsible for managing the site’s editorial and writing efforts. Filmed at the CTN animation eXpo 2010.

Direct Link: How to Create a Pitch Bible with Heather Kenyon from Creative Talent Network on Vimeo.

IN THIS EPISODE ::

I have a great interview with my Disney colleague Akiko Crawford and her husband Duncan Crawford.  Akiko is a VERY talented Matte Painter and Environment painter who works in Visual Development like I do.

And Duncan has worked as a sculptor on Super-8 and LOST (and he talks about that on the show), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Green Lantern, Thor, Iron Man 2, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Transformers and Spider-man 3 …just to name a few.

We talk a lot about their personal paths to success and they share some insight that might get you thinking differently or in a fresh way about how to get or keep your job in the entertainment industry.

Akiko’s Site

Duncan’s Site

The Gnomon Workshop

Concept Design Academy

These new Scatter Brushes are spontaneous, stylized and sure to help you generate new and unexpected visual ideas as you paint.

(This set was previously available exclusively to people who left voicemail on my ArtCast Listener Line.)

IN THIS EPISODE ::

Lora Innes, creator of The Dreamer and I are starting a NEW PODCAST for visual storytellers called The Paper Wings Podcast! It will feature two shows per month, one focused on art and the other on story.

With passionate and efficient communication, a consistent, dependable release schedule, and a mission to advance the state of the art of visual storytelling, The Paper Wings Podcast, supported by The Paper Wings Talent Exchange Program (created to bring back the lost art of apprenticeship) is sure to fill our creative tanks (yours and mine) with high-octane inspiration.

AND:: Steve Umbleby’s career in character design takes another leap forward and the modern anthropology of a children’s story anthology reveals how any project can find it’s finish if it can find enough artists.

UPDATE: Lora has written about the new Podcast on her blog.

AWESOME LINKS ::

Steve Umbleby

Steve Hickner Talk on CTN-X Vimeo Channel

The Social Mirror :: This is the blog post referenced in the episode where Zach Bosteel comments about “borrowing a friend’s eyes.”

Illo Pond

Sam Kirkman

Denver Wagner

Christopher Tupa

Michelle Kondrich

Lee Wiley

Mark Harmon

IN THIS EPISODE ::

Ryan Jones’ first job is also his dream job. He’s a concept artist at Telltale Games where he designed stylized versions of Doc Brown & Marty McFly for Back To The Future: The Game.

Play the episode (player and download link are at the top of this post) and hear Ryan talk about his creative process, how he landed his gig as a concept artist and how his illustration background informs his design work for Telltale Games.

PLUS: Joel Dreskin, the Telltale Games Marketing Rep shares a bit about another upcoming Telltale Title:: Jurassic Park!

Use the widget in the right sidebar on this page to SUBSCRIBE to the ChrisOatley.com Newsletter and receive a set of STYLIZED PHOTOSHOP BRUSHES as a FREE GIFT!

Donate to the Comic Creators Alliance against child slavery, receive an epic wallpaper and an exclusive look at one of my new comic characters!

AWESOME STUFF MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE ::

Telltale Games

Telltale Games Store

Telltale Games On Twitter

Steve Purcell

Team Fortress 2

Ghostbusters Wii

The Clone Wars

The career of a professional creative is a difficult and obscure path.

Thus, we need our creative engines to be firing on all four cylinders. Two cylinders for the craft, two for the attitude.

Many creatives are spending time in online forums like Twitter, Facebook, Blogs, Podcasts, deviantArt etc… to fill their own emotional tanks with the undiluted inspiration they can’t find elsewhere. Each of us has the opportunity to reward anyone who decides to direct their precious attention toward us.

Sure, we can vent to our spouses, partners, trusted colleagues, friends or parents in private, but public forums are not the place for us to gripe and whine.

I’m not prescribing blind and foolish optimism, nor am I saying we shouldn’t be publicly authentic. I’m just saying that there’s a big difference between honesty and exhaustive complaining.

People are finding your most recent tweets, posts, episodes etc… all day, every day. They will come back again and again if you provide (or just help them find) what they were looking for in the first place.

Repeat visitors can become devoted fans, clients, recruiters, collaborators and friends.

I am of the belief that in any circumstance or relationship, POSITIVE invests and NEGATIVE withdraws.

Before I go any further, it must be said that there are such things as healthy negatives:

Constructive criticism, humble correction and break-ups that are legitimately “for the best” are just some of the healthy (and necessary) negatives that we encounter in life.

BUT no matter how you spin it, negativity drains emotional resources.

Positivity makes an emotional deposit, an investment.

In my mind, the kind of indiscriminate complaining that is so pervasive in most workplaces and across social networks is nothing but wild spending.

We have to continue making positive investments to keep a positive balance in our relationships with clients, colleagues, fans, followers, readers, listeners, family members etc… or those relationships could go bankrupt.

What would happen if we all decided to cut our negativity budgets?  What if we made bold, decisive, positive emotional investments in all of these areas?

The ‘Brush Tips’ Series: Short video tutorials that demonstrate digital painting tips and tricks that can save you time, increase your efficiency and support a smoother, more intuitive workflow.

This episode addresses a frequently asked question: How do I make my cool stylized texture brushes in Photoshop? It’s easy and creating your own brushes is a great way to find inspiration, new ideas and approaches to digital painting that you’ve never thought of before.

[ DOWNLOAD THE TUTORIAL VIDEO ]

IN THIS EPISODE ::

I share some listener feedback and discuss how artists can develop consistency and professionalism through fundamentals and a refusal to settle for less.  I also briefly address the ongoing debate about digital comics and I talk about a new sit/ stand ergonomic solution for my workstation.

AWESOME LINKS ::

Art & Story

Creative Independence

Build Your Own Ikea Sit/ Stand Desk :: Legs :: Top

Paul Lasaine

Barry Atkinson

Thomas James

ArtCast #38 :: Searching For Synthesis & Gestural Environments

ArtCast #32 :: Listener Voicemail: Studio Vs. Personal Projects; The Apple Tablet & Thoughts On The Future Of Comics

The older I get the more people seek my advice about Art, Story, Career, Finances (gasp), Marriage/ Relationships and even Spirituality.

This practice prospers by my insatiable appetite for the wisdom of those who have gone before me and those who are going after me.

More friendships, mentoring (both incoming AND outgoing), collaborations and conversations are just as important as the fundamentals of art and story.

We desperately need others to reflect the healthiest, most attractive parts of us as well as the pale, flabby areas that we want to ignore.

Do you have clear social mirrors in your life?

Is there anything distorting the whole truth about yourself?

Receiving the whole truth about ourselves will not only help us draw a more accurate map to our artistic and social goals but it will inspire and equip others to do the same.

I had to paint a lot of real-world, turn of the century props for Tinker Bell And The Great Fairy Rescue and these are some of my favorites.

Below are the designs for the biggest glue bottle in the world. That is because this glue bottle was made real and huge and was installed at Tink’s house in Disneyland along with a couple of other things I worked on.  I haven’t seen it yet, but I’ll be sure to post pics here when I do.  Thanks for rocking my world, Imagineers!

Some of these objects might not be as interesting as the stuff I posted last week or the stuff I will post next week, but I wanted to give you an idea of how much time and effort and care goes into things that the audience takes for granted.

Just to be clear, I believe that the audience should take these things for granted.  We’re designing worlds and the more care and detail we put into those worlds, the more believable they will seem and the more lost within those worlds the audience will become.  Nobody wants to see a movie where the glue bottle on the kid’s craft table is the most interesting thing to consider.  But when we take that glue bottle out of the context of the movie, it can become something noteworthy.

My design for the label was based on an old rubber cement label we found.  Steven Speilberg’s E.T. was often referenced in the writing of our movie so I made up the brand “Gertie’s” as a reference to E.T.

But Gertie is also a significant name in the history of animation, so it was my Art Director’s idea to make the manufacturer McKay’s cement company after Windsor McKay, creator of Gertie The Dinosaur and one of the forefathers of animation.

The next two props are found in the Father’s study.  Note the details like the ink splatter on his reading stand.

I love painting wood grain.  One of these days I’ll do a tutorial about how to get cool wood grain effects in Photoshop.

The line art for all of these props is by Ron Roesch with Art Direction by Fred Warter.  Painting by me.

Next week I post the coup de gras.  The SHIPWRECK!

In our most recent installment of the Disney Fairies series, the Fairies of Pixie Hollow travel to the mainland (rural England) and set up a Fairy Camp.

The seasonal ritual comes with the logistical challenge of transporting large stores of Pixie Dust (which fuels fairy flight) as well as Tinker Bell’s mount, a mouse named Cheese. Although I enjoyed working on a lot of period, man-made objects, I love the magical stuff the most and these props definitely have the magic.

I’m always looking for ways to “plus” the line art with my paintings. In this case, I added the spiral design on the side of the carrier.

I like the idea that the fairies just love and respect all living things so much that they would go to the extra effort of decorating what is the fairy equivalent of a man-made horse trailer.

Cheese Carrier :: line art by Ron Roesch and painting by me.  Art direction by Fred Warter.

Below are images of Terence’s Pixie Dust Carrier. This thing was a real challenge to paint. The carvings look like the inside of a gourd, but they had to emit the glow of the Pixie Dust.  The cap has a glass component through which you can see the glowing Pixie Dust.

When painting transparency, reflection and multiple light sources, one must simplify. Less is more.

Terence’s Pixie Dust Carrier :: line art by Benoit LePennec and painting by me.  Art direction by Fred Warter.

“What could be more ‘metal’ than bats and skulls?”

The question was posed to me by my my former roommate Jimmy when he was planning to redecorate his kitchen back in 2005.

I was renting a room from him so I guess he was asking-my-opinion-plus-warning-me that the existing sunflower motif was about to go. …not that I would have been unhappy with a bats & skulls kitchen…

Ultimately, the sunflower motif held its ground but “Bats & Skulls” became Jimmy’s solution for every future design problem… …his or mine.

“Jimmy, a client has me designing this mother’s day card for great-grandmothers and I’m stuck. What do you think I should do?”

Right. “Bats & Skulls.”

So Jimmy’s birthday came ’round that year and I decided to draw a bat on a skull and frame it for him. Maybe then he could move past the apparently-humiliating sunflower motif defeat that had seized his mind.

But I lost the drawing half-way through and never started over.

Years passed and a couple of weeks ago my now-wife Angie got a call from Jimmy’s now-wife Tara.

“Jimmy talks about it all the time… …how much he wishes he had that drawing of the bat and the skull that chris did for him and lost.”

Well, here you go, Jimmy. Happy birthday. I love you. I hope this goes well with your sunflower kitchen.

This is an experiment. I’m writing this post in the hope that we can generate some lively discussion. It’s time for some controversy.

MY QUESTION :: There are a lot of beautifully-designed movies with bad stories out there. In your opinion, why?

I don’t think that the highly-trained, highly-skilled visual artists outnumber the highly-skilled, highly-trained writers. If so, what do we do about that?

Sure, the storytellers get messed with by out-of-touch managers but almost everyone wants to tell a good story. Even still, why doesn’t the art get messed with just as often as the stories do?

Or is a good story just a more elusive goal than good visual design?

This is something I’ve been mulling over in the last few days and I really want to hear your thoughts. Please share in the comments below.

To a human, it is a revolutionary convenience, but to a fairy it is a hostile environment.

Here are some of the set designs that I painted for the antique car that is featured prominently in the girl-power finale of Tinker Bell and The Great Fairy Rescue which is now available on DVD & Blu Ray.

It was a very compelling assignment. I worked with expert draftsman/ model builder/ sailor Ron Roesch to create an amalgam of several turn of the century vehicles. (Art Direction by Fred Warter)

Throughout this assignment I learned a lot about cars and the general history of the automobile. Ron knows how things work and thus this car is so precisely designed it would almost run if anyone went to the trouble of actually building it.

While Ron and I worked together, he even explained to me how one concocts moonshine. Moonshine is, in fact, NOT featured prominently in the finale of Tinker Bell and The Great Fairy Rescue.

It took weeks to design. My brains melted as we worked out all of the moving parts. I reconciled the design from every angle: top, left, right, front & bottom views (plus the firewall & steering mechanism which are shown above).

(Remember my disoriented tweets about my walk through the empty halls of the studio and my involuntary burst into song? “You can fly, you can fly…” Yeah. …that was then.)

I also did the Vis Dev painting for the undercarriage of the car, which is a set that is featured near the beginning of the film (not shown here).

I will continue to post my work from the movie in the coming weeks.

Needless to say, I’m very proud of the work we did on this film. I think the movie is our strongest one yet. …and I happen to know that the best is still yet to come.

Exciting times at DTS, my friends…

IN THIS EPISODE ::

I speak with Jerzy Drozd (creator of The Front) and Thomas James (creator of Escape From Illustration Island) about a recent discussion that has been taking place here on ChrisOatley.com regarding personal projects and how to actually finish them.

AWESOME LINKS ::

To Pitch Or Not To Pitch

Chris Oatley on Formspring.me

The UP! Fair

Jerzy Drozd

Escape From Illustration Island :: Books & Audio

The Dip by Seth Godin

Tribes by Seth Godin

The Long Tail by Chris Anderson

Free: The Future Of Radical Price by Chris Anderson

Zach Bosteel

Denver Wagner

Axe Cop

If you have iTunes installed on your computer, you can follow THIS LINK to the iTunes store and leave positive feedback in the “Customer Review” section.

The music heard on Chris Oatley’s ArtCast is provided by Storybook Steve and Kangaralien.

A few of my Disney colleagues attended a painting workshop that was taught by Jedi Master Dan McCaw.

One of them (I’ll call him Joe) was expressing how hard it is to find time to do personal work and grow artistically while managing the demands of life, career and family etc…

Someone suggested that Joe wake up an hour or two earlier each day to make room for painting, sketching and other types of personal artistic growth and expression.  Joe had tried in the past to do exactly that but had not found the motivation.

Allegedly, Mr. McCaw said to him: “It’s because your desire has not yet outweighed your frustration.”

Now Joe gets up an hour or two early on most weekdays and even on weekends to paint the view from his back yard. It’s accessible, it’s consistent and he’s making some beautiful paintings.

While I don’t recommend doing anything physically/ emotionally/ relationally unhealthy, the point is, as we grow up, we take on more responsibilities and so we have to become less accidental and more intentional with our time.

What frustrations are all too familiar to you? How can you make time and find motivation?

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Sharing your heart, will benefit everyone who reads this.

I recently created an account at Formspring.me where you can ask me anything.

Austin Harrell asked a great question today – one that I get asked quite often.  I thought I’d share my response here on the blog. Please comment. I want to hear your thoughts/ opinions and follow-up questions.

Hi my name is Austin L. Harrell and I been working on a movie script. Do you know anybody I can pitch it to?

My advice for anyone wanting to pitch scripts or ideas to studios is as follows: Don’t pitch. Make it yourself and create an accompanying trans-media fan experience online.

Now, I know that for most feature film scripts, it’s an impossible task to make the whole thing yourself. So do the next best thing and start with a more ‘makeable’ version.

For instance, you can make a short film version or a graphic novel version or just write a good ol’ fashioned novel version. In any case, release it online in small dispensations.

If you go with a text-only novel version, you can also make an audio version and release it chapter-by-chapter as a podcast. If you do a short film, then expand the media experience with short ‘making of’ videos, interviews, audio/ video blogs etc…

Then, use the distribution & marketing strategies that are explained in books like ‘The Long Tail‘ and ‘Free: The Future Of Radical Price‘ by Chris Anderson and ‘Tribes‘ by Seth Godin.

You are much more likely to get your project in front of an audience (and that audience would likely include industry folks) if you just make it yourself and get it out there.

If you end up with an original, innovative, engaging, quality project and about 1,000 true fans the studios will probably come to you. Just ask Axe Cop.

Thanks for writing, Austin. Great question.

“We have the opportunity many times a day, everyday, to be the one who listens to others, curious rather than certain.” – Margaret J. Wheatley

Creativity and humility are inextricably linked.

To curse ourselves for our failures and weaknesses is to sabotage to our own artistic growth, our inspiration, our careers, our performance in art school and our very passion for art.

Our failures and weaknesses become invitations to true creativity when we consider them as open doors through which other people can enter our lives to help, to teach and to challenge.

Artists are often sensitive and take hard truths even harder than normal people but a hard truth is still a truth.

If the voices of the past and to the voices in your life come from people who have earned your trust and truly want the best for you, then listen and receive.

And remember that if you’ve previously shut them out, you may have to invite them to speak again.

Click here to read more from Margaret Wheatley.

I did the title card painting for a new Disney Fairies short called Say Cheese.

We were attempting to blend the classic art deco look of the title cards for many classic cartoons (Disney, WB, UPA, MGM etc…) with our Fairies style and I am very pleased with the result.

You can watch the short here.

Line Art by Ritsuko Notani. Art Direction by Fred Warter. Directed by Dan Abraham.

IN THIS EPISODE ::

This one has a bit of a slow start (some heavy editing helped quite a bit) but it has a big finish: How I avoid burnout. I explore every possible creative block that I can think of and provide some practical advice for how to stay focused and fruitful during creative droughts.

Also: I talk about the NEW ChrisOatley.com which will be launching very soon and I make an apology for an insensitive comment I made in Episode #47.

PLUS: A new song from Storybook Steve.

AWESOME LINKS ::

Zach Bosteel

Escape From Illustration Island

Art & Story

David McClain

Location Independent

Storybook Steve’s Site

Storybook Steve Album Art by Chris Oatley

Preview and buy the new Storybook Steve album here.

If you have iTunes installed on your computer, you can follow THIS LINK to the iTunes store and leave positive feedback in the “Customer Review” section.

The music heard on Chris Oatley’s ArtCast is provided by Storybook Steve and Kangaralien.

As you might guess, I find myself giving portfolio and career advice to animation industry hopefuls all the time.

There’s always a list of questions about the objective aspects of the portfolio like page count, layout, type of book, captions and the location of a homemade mediocre logo but none of that really matters… …not if the art is good enough to get the artist hired.

A slick presentation can’t hurt but to me it seems that the amount of creative, financial and emotional energy being spent on the portfolio is grossly disproportionate to what is spent on the craft.

What almost everyone outside of the animation industry doesn’t seem to realize is that ultimately, it’s great work that wins a break and it’s being great to work with that wins a career.

There is no magic recipe for a winning portfolio but hopefuls world-wide can clear their minds, take heart and rest easy if they just commit to the long-term cultivation of what’s inside the body and what’s inside the book.

So, Dear Industry Hopeful, start living like you already have the career (excepting the financial aspects, perhaps) because nobody that truly loves the craft or their career is thinking about page count.

I did the title card painting for a new Disney Fairies short called No Croakin’ Around.

We were attempting to blend the classic art deco look of the title cards for many classic cartoons (Disney, WB, UPA, MGM etc…) with our Fairies style and I am very pleased with the result.

You can watch the short here.

Line Art by Ritsuko Notani. Art Direction by Fred Warter. Directed by Arturo Hernandez.

Disney has released three exciting Fairies-related videos as a promotion for our upcoming release: Tinker Bell and The Great Fairy Rescue (available on DVD and BluRay September 21st).

You can now watch 8 minutes of the film, a new trailer (newer than the one that was released on the Alice In Wonderland DVD/ BluRay).

In the 8 minute segment, you can see a few of the props and pieces of the set that I worked on. I worked on all of the porcelain fairy figurines in the scene but the one featured in the painting above is my favorite.

I will go into more detail about my contributions to The Great Fairy Rescue when I record my audio commentary as an episode of my podcast sometime in September.

The ‘Brush Tips’ Series: Short video tutorials that demonstrate digital painting tips and tricks that can save you time, increase your efficiency and support a smoother, more intuitive workflow.

Two basic layer and group masking techniques that allow the artist to make significant changes to the overall silhouette of a character without erasing or deleting any prior work.

If you have iTunes installed on your computer, you can follow THIS LINK to the iTunes store and leave positive feedback in the “Customer Review” section.

The music heard on Chris Oatley’s ArtCast is provided by Storybook Steve and Kangaralien.

“You have to really want it.”

Many of us take this statement to mean that we that if we just wish harder, we will wake up one day to a personal creative renaissance, a new, inspiring career or an impressive level of skill.

…but wishing is NOT the same thing as wanting.

We can’t expect anything to change if all we do is complain about our current circumstances and fantasize about a more creative occupation.

Wanting means working.

Most of us can actually do something in response to our occupational frustrations but we have to stop complaining, burning time in front of the TV, attempting to satisfy our creative hunger by buying stuff and obsessing over the “competition.”

It’s time to build something real and most of us already know where to start.

Art is not the default career for anyone I’ve ever met. I think that’s because artistic success is so intangible, even for artists who make a lot of money or gain recognition.

But if the path was chosen by us and the standard for success is uniquely self-defined, why do we repeatedly empty our religion and submit to the same kinds of boring rules and rituals that we are supposed to subvert?

The compulsion to improve the portfolio, network with the right people, update the blog and fill up the sketchbook can get wearisome if not devastatingly guilt-ridden.

Try some new approach to making your mark, find the creative angle and start playing again so you’ll remind yourself of why you picked up the pencil in the first place.

We have the rare privilege of working in a medium that is inherently fun, regardless of a day’s particular struggle.

Art is indeed a discipline but the word “discipline” is NOT a synonym for “punishment.”

The conundrum of every nascent career is, “Lack of experience = no job = lack of experience.”

But we now live in the age of “keyless entry.” Getting hired is less about recruiters and resumes and more about you, the “living logos” that stand for creativity, integrity and drive.

You will pass through the walls of a company or studio like vapor floating in the atmosphere of information (via word of mouth and the internet) and eventually, you will solidify.

Market the impressive project that you finished this year to a hundred people and repeat.

Find someone who has experience and buy them lunch during which you talk a little, ask questions and listen a lot.

If you focus on relationships and creating your own dang experiences, the conundrum no longer applies.

IN THIS EPISODE ::

Steve Umbleby is a long-time friend of mine and a frequent collaborator. In pursuit of his dream of working as an animation storyboard artist, he moved to Los Angeles and got a job in the industry three weeks later.

Steve shares his story and we reflect on the history of our friendship.

AWESOME LINKS ::

Steve Umbleby’s Site

Steve Umbleby’s Blog

The ArtCast Network

If you have iTunes installed on your computer, you can follow THIS LINK to the iTunes store and leave positive feedback in the “Customer Review” section.

The music heard on Chris Oatley’s ArtCast is provided by Storybook Steve and Kangaralien.

IN THIS EPISODE ::

Steve Galgas is a long-time friend who, like me, is interested in almost everything.  He is a great concept artist and illustrator.  His currently-on-hiatus webcomic “Mr. Grant” is gorgeous.

He has worked for Pixar, Liquid! and now he works for a great young social games company known as Playfish.

Steve and I discuss his career (including some of the goings-on behind the scenes at Pixar), sustainability in web content like webcomics and animated webseries and we engage in some fresh discussion the relationship between traditional hand-drawn and CG animation.

AWESOME LINKS ::

Steve Galgas

Mr. Grant

If you have iTunes installed on your computer, you can follow THIS LINK to the iTunes store and leave positive feedback in the “Customer Review” section.

The music heard on Chris Oatley’s ArtCast is provided by Storybook Steve and Kangaralien.