The Bad Client Diet

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Nobody walks into Whole Foods and says: “Wow, this organic grapefruit is pricey. I work for a non-profit so can I have it for free?” Nobody walks into Jiffy Lube and says: “I know an oil change is $30 but I don’t have the budget for that. How’s $5?” Don’t Be A “McIllustrator.” Your art has [...]

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Become A More Confident Painter and Tricks With The Lasso Tool :: ArtCast #57.2

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This is PART 2 of a 2-part Digital Painting Tutorial Series. The series features a time-lapse recording of the entire painting process which took a total of about 6.5 hours in real-time. Concepts Covered In Part 2: Combine the Gradient Tool & Lasso Tool in Photoshop for time-saving digital painting techniques. Feathering/ Sharpening effects with [...]

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The Hudson River Painters Vs. The Texture Monster :: Digital Painting Tutorial

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The painters of The Hudson River School used tons of Texture but they kept it under control. [Painting: 'Among The Sierra Nevada Mountains', 1868 by Albert Bierstadt] [click here to see the hi-res version] The Texture Monster Is On The Hunt. We all must remain watchful for no painting is completely safe. When The Texture [...]

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5 Common Pitfalls Of Concept Art & Illustration Portfolios

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I’ve said it before: The onlyway to truly succeed in a creative career is to do great work and be great to work with. If you craft a strong concept art/ illustration portfolio it will demonstrate both of these values at the same time. And that strong portfolio will dazzle any recruiter or art director [...]

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Creating Animated TV Shows for Disney & Cartoon Network :: Live Q&A From Denver Comic Con 2012

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LIVE At Denver Comic Con 2012! The good folks at DCC 2012 invited me to join this panel discussion and share my perspectives on the future of the animation pitch! I was proud to represent the online community of visual storytellers but as you can see in the video, I was a bit intimidated to be [...]

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Is Your Concept Art Portfolio Versatile Or Just Confusing?

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Is your concept art portfolio versatile or confusing? It’s easy to tell when it’s someone else’s work but it’s much more difficult with our own. [ Painting: 'Girl Before A Mirror' by Pablo Picasso ] Every good concept art portfolio showcases the artist’s versatility. But many artists think they are demonstrating versatility when they are [...]

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Six Common Pitfalls Of An Animation Pitch

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I have heard countless pitches from artists with ideas for animated TV shows. Usually, a pitch is unoriginal or derivative or it’s just a string of pseudo-interesting concepts but there’s no story. Sometimes a pitch has a snappy set-up or an interesting main character but it goes flat and formulaic in the “potential episodes.” And [...]

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When Successful Artists Give Bad Advice

One of the most successful illustrators in the world recently published a blog post that contained what I consider to be philosophical poison. From what I can tell, this artist means well. When I met him in person he was very kind to me and very encouraging. He is widely respected within the field of [...]

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How To Make An Animation Pitch Bible That Sells Itself

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People are always asking me how to pitch their ideas for animated TV shows. Although it’s not 100% necessary depending on your reputation as a content creator, for those starting out it is absolutely vital to have a GREAT animation pitch bible. So I have compiled the best content from all across the web and [...]

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Artistic Growth Is NOT A Goal & How To Become An Early Riser :: ArtCast #58

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In This ArtCast :: 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! Artistic growth is NOT a goal. But a full sketchbook is… -Tweet This Quote [...]

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Disney’s ‘Pixie Hollow Games’ Visual Development Painting: Rumble

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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 [...]

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Disney’s ‘Pixie Hollow Games’ Visual Development Painting: Glimmer

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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’ [...]

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Disney Portfolio Reviews & Character Design Panel at CTN-X

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CTN-X 2011 is almost 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 [...]

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Perfecting Your Drawing With Photoshop Warp and Merging Different Styles! :: ArtCast #57.1

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This is part 1 of a 2-part Digital Painting Tutorial Series. My friend, Dani Jones honored me with the opportunity to do a Pin-Up for the first, collected print edition of her webcomic ‘My Sister, The Freak.’ This tutorial series features a time-lapse recording of the entire painting process which took a total of about 6.5 hours in [...]

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My Daily Routine: Comics, Podcasts & Visual Development At Disney

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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 [...]

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Dreamworks Animation Artists Featured In Short Documentary About ‘Moonshine’

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This short documentary gives you a sneak peek into the personal works from the Dreamworks Animation Artists.

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