INTERVIEW NOTES || Paper Wings Show #33 Interview With Claire Keane

Paper Wings Show #33 Interview With Claire Keane

Interview Notes

- Getting inside the head of the character and figuring out their motivation, becoming the character, even acting it out and thinking about life from their perspective allows you to create a more believable character.

- When you make a drawing and feel pressured by time and dive in, forcing things, making the wrong steps -- just take a breath and find out what it is you like about the project that you're doing, what it is you love about the image that you're going to make.  Find research and images and go off that, you can even just get one inspiring image, just when you start make sure you are starting from a place of joy rather than being frantic from pressure driven deadlines.  Pressure without the love and joy and inspiration part will either yield nothing, or very dull drawings.

- If I am frustrated that something isn't going right, I just need to open myself up, step back, and be open to anything you might throw out... most of the time it goes back to the concept of what I am trying to say.  If it's not working, I just need to start over, and when I do it just goes so much quicker.

- Everything I do has some big back story.  (Ex. With "Once Upon A Cloud," in the background she was reading a Carl Jung, "Man and His Symbols" book and thinking about the power of dreams and the subconscious in our wakeful hours.)

- Have a routine: run, come up with ideas, everyday.

- When you feel a story is off or not very good, ask the question: what was your point?  It needs to be clear.  What do you want to say at this very moment?  Answering that question boils it down to something you can work around and wrap your head around.

- Digital you can zoom, which leaves you in danger of loosing sight of the whole.  Put the Navigator on which acts like your peripheral vision, so you can subconsciously be aware of the whole.

- How to get out a story idea if having trouble?  What you're supposed to be doing, what you are supposed to be saying is in your desires and what you love, and if you can follow that and just let your heart guide you and your passions guide you to where you are supposed to be, you will find yourself inspired and inspiring people around you.

- Joseph Campbell Interviews also inspirational dealing with the subconscious.

JOBS:

Disney Animation Studios - Visual Development Artist

Penguin - Children's Book Illustrator (Nancy Poneski - Fantastic Editor)

REVIEW || ImagineFX | Issue 132 - March 2016

Sketch 1 by Lixin Yin

LOVED ImagineFX, Issue 132!!!  First of all, the forward, by Acting Editor Beren Neale on David Bowie and Labryinth being featured on the cover, was hysterical and especially fitting for this edition's theme of Classic Fantasy Film Art.  Reading about classic movie poster artists from the 80's and 90's (p. 40) was a fun blast from the past.  One of my favorite parts was reading about the Richard Amsel's process of creating the Indiana Jones poster art (p. 46).

I also enjoyed getting a look inside this month's Artist in Residence featuring a traditional painter, David Palumbo (p. 24), where he shares his home studio based in his living room.  He has a ton of resources at hand: a variety of camera equipment, a closet full of props and costumes, a nice traditional painting set up, as well as music on vintage vinyl records at the ready.  Loved his tip for freelancers on using physical post-it notes to prioritize jobs.

And an absolute favorite was the gorgeous tutorial by Min Yum on illustrating a Grimm Fairy Tale (p. 70).  Perhaps it was the red hair he chose to depict on the young girl that drew me in, always nice to see red heads in art not only because it is very relatable being one myself.  Additionally, I guess I'm still a sucker for Illustration!  I especially loved his ideation process starting with the thumbnails and moving into color studies before beginning the final work.  Everything about the piece and the process is delightful.

I especially enjoyed the very quick workshop on developing hue and lighting by Lixin Yin (p. 74), where he light a dark environment with two light sources, soft candle light and an unknown skylight.  I loved the details he chose to bring out especially in the fabrics and various textures.  Lastly, the entire article on creating life-filled RPG characters by Simon Dubuc (p. 76) was phenomenal.  As someone who isn't primarily a character designer, but interested in having characters in my paintings it was a great glimpse into the world of character art.  Every single tip he had was clear, to the point, and easy to understand in quickly understanding how to create a believable and memorable character.

Noah Bradley - Interview Notes

Noah Bradley Interview

Notes

GAME CHANGER
Going outside and doing plein air painting & studies of favorite landscape painters.  Did imaginative fantasy scene digital painting on the side while in school.  FREQUENCY:  1 per day (1-1.5 hours each) MORE DETAILS:  Worked on composition, color scheme, and lighting.  Took about 6 months till first ground breaking piece: first finished fully rendered environment.  Saw major progression in even one year.  One year later, took 3 months of job applications before anything.

OTHER
Tried to get new work into portfolios as much as can.
Do your own work!
Market yourself big time.  Keep online profiles updated.
Learn Business.
Learn things I wish they taught me in art school: make really good art AND show it to the right people.

SCHOOLS ATTENDED
RISD

AWARDS/JOBS HELD
Made it into Spectrum! (one year after starting daily painting)
Card art and Freelance Jobs
Dungeons and Dragons
MtG (Sent art director a post card.)

LINKS
Website
Blog

Interview With The Masters: Naveen Selvanathan - Interview Notes

Interview With The Masters: Naveen Selvanathan

Interview Notes

ADVICE

- If I don't work from reference I repeat myself too much, reference makes it believable and helps steer away from previous paintings and preconceived ideas in my head

- Have some kind of goal or direction, pick a theme - otherwise it's too open

- Master studies help

- Take Classes, join online art communities

- See something you like make a note of it so you can be inspired and motivated to paint

- Have a goal or deadline

- Still life helpful to understand how to paint surfaces and how rendering works, study in different 

lighting scenarios (5-20m)

- Takes screen shots while watching movies for color and composition and saves into reference folder

- Use a story moment for inspiration or collect from reference to get inspired before starting

SCHOOLING

San Francisco Academy of Art, MFA

CGMA - Dice Tsunami, Armand Serrano, 

Schoolism - Nathan Fowkes

WORK

Disney, Concept Artist

Sony Pictures Animation, Color & Painting Work

LINKS

Portfolio Website

Teaches at CGMA - The Art of Color and Light