Haida Story: Story Scenes

Story Scene Thumbnails

Here are the storyboard ideas from my final project for "Drawing for Animation" class at CCA. The story takes place on Queen Charlotte Island, British Columbia (the island now called 'Haida Gwaii'), and features a Haida family -- a father (Elan) and two daughters (Enola and Dena). The youngest daughter, Dena,  is a shaman; she is endowed with special powers to heal others and commune with animals. She is seen here receiving a baby puffin. A kayaker is lost at sea in a storm, and the Haida family help rescue him from certain death. Hopefully I will develop the story more, and possibly create an animated short or animatic of the story.  The story was inspired by my 2008 trip to Alaska. Stay tuned for updates, please!

Gesture Drawings

These are 2-5 minute sketches from my "Drawing for Animation" class at CCA, Fall 2011. Featuring student models in rented costumes.

Villa Celle

Last year I had the opportunity to spend several days visiting the contemporary sculpture collection on the grounds of Villa Celle (Fattoria di Celle) near Pistoia. Each of the thirty sculptors was invited to choose a place in this Tuscan hillscape, as a point of departure for his or her work, work to be conceived on site. The sculptures themselves were on the scale of elements in the landscape--some discreetly nestled in a grove of trees, others monumental, bright and sprawling, on hillsides or along riverbeds.  Many seemed part of  nature, reflecting the shadows, light ,color and weight of their natural counterparts. An awesome twenty-meter concrete shard, now moss-covered, sprung from a group of oaks at the side of the path. One is not sure of its meaning, yet it evokes thoughts, and calls attention to the surrounding natural features and adds to their significance.  These sculptures were not only pieces to be admired or pondered, but in many cases were functional architectures with implications for use. The themes were “architecture as instrument, water architectures, hills and amphitheatres, Zen gardens, the architecture of ruins.” From a marriage of site and construct, from a symbiosis of muse and artist, grew the seed for a composite architectural work, that would become nature’s own.

Degas as an animation influence

Edgar Degas' artistic methods, expression, and subject matter align his work and process closely with that of contemporary 2D animators. Primarily interested in painting figurative scenes that capture contemporary Parisian life, Degas kept notebooks containing studies of hands, architectural features, mise-en-scene, ballet dancers, horses etc. that he would use as references for his paintings. According to art historian Linda Bolton, Degas "believed in committing a subject to memory through repeated drawing", a technique that enabled him to complete works through informed imagination rather than direct observation; he was also one of the first artists to use a camera, which he used to obtain reference imagery. In studying his use of pastel and pastel over gouache, animators can learn mixed media techniques that convey expression of line and movement. Beyond technique, Degas' innovative work dissolved boundaries for what is considered "appropriate" subject matter in art, and works like "After the Bath" and "At the Terrace of the Cafe" show that even the quotidian can be fascinating and emotive.

Thoughts on the work of Tyrus Wong, Disney artist

Chinese-American painter, visual development artist, and illustrator, Tyrus Wong created a novel visual style for Disney's stunning animated feature film, Bambi. The contribution of his unique artistic vision led directly to the success of the film, and helped expand the perception of animation as an art form. His watercolors and pastels combine an impressionistic vision of nature with traditional Chinese landscape painting and compositional techniques. I believe Wong's artwork style is effective when applied to feature film background painting because it elicits the sensation of being in a specific environment (in this case the forest setting of Bambi) without forcing a detailed realism. This approach works well because it reflects, to some degree, an accurate representation of our own visual experience - as we scan our environment some areas are always out-of-focus due to depth-of-field and peripheral vision constraints. If detail is minimized, and the volumes reduced to an abstraction of light and shadow, the artist can achieve a look of ambiguity and mystery that is so attractive to the human mind.

The influence of filmmaker/animator Miyazaki

Japanese director and animator Hayao Miyazaki's films are inspiring illustrators and animators around the world. The importance of Miyazaki's animation lies in his unparalleled ability to capture all the ephemeral qualities of life--whether illustrating the subtle atmospheric shift of fog rolling into a bay, or a heroine's transformation in a moment of discovery and delight.  In a Studio Ghibli film, the action pauses to allow for delicate moments of wonder and grace. These scenes are conveyed with beauty-- brilliant colors, unique perspectives, perfectly framed compositions and special dynamic effects, all contributing to a sense of drama. The broad themes of his films reflect a concern for the environment (films often include illustrations of man-made pollution and its effects), the tension between man and nature, discovery and transformation of the human spirit. Masterfully creating imaginary worlds, Miyazaki invites the viewer to share in the excitement of life's myriad possibilities. Perhaps Miyazaki's most important contribution to society is one that concerns the environment. Beyond the superb technical and artistic execution of the animation production, a Miyazaki film helps viewers, many of whom are children, appreciate our planet's gifts and foster a sense of responsibility for preserving its fragile natural resources.