BG and Layouts

Some thumbnails and layouts for backgrounds, including some character staging and color studies:

I love concave perspective!

But I will put up some fully-rendered BG's in the future - involving more styles as well. Can't wait!

Toon Cleanup

Characters . . . in the clean (and some in color):

For this page of my updated print portfolio, I tried to put emphasis on the more current cartoon styles in American TV. Either way, I plan to diversify even further on my next update. . .

Props and vehicles:

The same thing goes for style on this one. The 'scorpion buggy' is my favorite (a personal creation). But I can't believe I forgot to draw a rocket ship to go with that ray gun!

Toon Sketches

Cartoon characters, in the raw . . .

These are but a few of what I'm planning to put out. Some old, some new; all the same, they're all my characters. So. . . no touchy! But they'll be time for 'fan art' as well, with proper credit going where credit is due. And, as long as the credit thing is honored, I always welcome fan art of my own work - hint, hint.

Animal Drawings

The other part of the life drawing section of my updated portfolio, involving the non-human variety:

. . . and, again, there will be more!

People Drawings

Great to be back!

Starting off again with some quick sketches and gestures of people, both on-location and in-studio. First part of my newly updated portfolio, version 1.0:

. . . and there will be more!

Web 10.2010 version 2.0

Just dropped in for a little update. Above is the backdrop I'll be utilizing in my new upcoming website. Who knows? I might just finish this one by the end of the year.

Emphasis on doodles: some of the stuff you see in the backdrop made their way towards canvas and/or wood panel at some time or another.

Here's how:

Doodle sketch #1: "Meaty Geazer" got redone quite well into "Slave to Nourishment." (2007; 11" x 28." Acrylics on wood panel). I might as well continue a series in this vein. (Yes, I'm aware I've misspelled "geezer." And the puns...)

Doodle sketch #2: "Some Girl I Drew on the Corner of Sketchbook One Afternoon in Intermediate Animation Class" found new color (and direction) in "La Blue Girl/ Club Free Spirit." Experimental at best. (2004; 24" x 18." Acrylics on canvas.)

Other elements include: Danny the Squirrel, a semi-developed character who has been voiced by Nathan Lane (unwittingly) in an animation lip-sync test. The storyboard panel on the lower-right corner starts off the saga of Noirabella, a series idea I had a while back which needs more polishing up to see any light of day.

That's all you get to know.

"Soon" means "never" in Hollywood, so I'm not going to be jinxing anything if I say I plan on finishing my website real pronto. Rest assured that I'll be posting up results as and/or if things get done.

Adieu,

- Louie D.

"An animator's best friends are his doodles." - Chuck Jones, Chuck Amuck (1989)

Jammin' with Schubert (Blogger Avatar)

I love Schubert. His "Unfinished" Symphony (No. 8 in B minor, for those keeping track) is always a favorite of mine. The above caricature illustrates me in one of my symphonic frenzies. I know it's a couple of years old (notice the date), but not much has changed; I still twirl around my # 2 Ticonderogas at the sound of a symphony - even an unfinished one. (Pun!) The bass clef and notes (behind my big head) were taken from the actual score. It's the same melody you hear when Tom Cruise is fooling around with his fancy super-computer in the movie Minority Report, if you're wondering.

Like a conductor waves his baton to make an orchestra come alive with sound, so does an animator with his pencil, bringing life to an otherwise lifeless drawing on a piece of paper. I was always of the opinion that, if music and animation aren't somehow married to each other, at the very least they'd have to be sharing a bed over the weekends. Something incredibly orgasmic is happening between those notes/frames. And no, it's not a blur 'tween.

Anyway, before I analogize any further, enjoy my new (old) avatar!

- Louie D.