Art for Hope

A little while back, our good friends at Autodesk asked if we would help support a project by VIZ Media to support the affected people in Japan when the tsunamis’ hit their homes. As you can expect we were honored and jumped at the chance to help out however we could! Dave and I both presented a piece and they will be included in an upcoming ebook published by VIZ Media through their VIZ Manga app on the Apple Store December 1st. This one is mine, but you should check out Dave’s bot too! If you think you have a little extra you can give to help those in need and love having fun art to look at, check it out! It may not be in the news any longer, but there are still a lot of people in Japan who could use a helping hand.

Below is a video of us doing some live demos at NYCC. It was a blast, and as an added bonus Autodesk was giving demos of Sketchbook Pro away with our Art for Hope images on the covers. Those guys are worldclass.

CTN-x Wow.

When we headed to the conference we didn’t quite know what to expect. We heard amazing stories from previous years but nothing could have prepared us for the grandeur of this show. Our schedule was packed pretty tight and we jumped in head first.

There are lots of shows across the country throughout the year with plenty of talent and panel talks. Yet none celebrate the art of the animation industry in this way. In depth discussions and intimate creator group sessions combine with an onslaught of remarkable creative talent from wall to wall. It’s rare in life when you can talk to one of your heroes. Now imagine meeting dozens of them day after day.

And that’s where CTN-x truly shines. You literally can’t walk ten feet without bumping into engaging talks about art, design and the industry in general. We had the supreme pleasure of talking shop with countless friends both old and new: Francisco Herrera, Tony Bancroft, Florian Satzinger, John Nevarez, Jose Lopez, Leonardo Olea, Kent Melton, Jake Parker, Ty Carter, Kohl Glass, Doug TenNapel, Steve Talkowski, James Gurney, Terryl Whitlatch, William Stout, Sue Nichols, Phil Allora, Willie Real, Stuart Ng, Colin Geller, Britney Lee, Peter de Seve, Rachael Mark, Wayne Medina and the list goes on and on. And many thanks to Tina Price for inviting us to this crazy carnival of art. We’re already looking forward to next year.

We also wanted to thank all the kind folks who came out to our talks. This was a new experience for us and you all made us feel right at home. And many thanks to Tony for keeping us in check on stage. And to the students, we’re jealous that we didn’t have a show like this while in school — soak it up!

Finally, we’ll leave you with a glimpse of madness — a climactic collaboration sketch during our last dinner in Burbank. Yeah, like we said.

Wow.

CTN Expo!

November 18th through the 20th,

Our Schedule:

Friday the 18th:

Dive into the Deep End with CreatureBox

-We’ll be discussing the ins and outs of how we got started, starting CreatureBox, and our thoughts on the current landscape for character design.
Time: 2:00 PM-3:15 PM
Location: Screening Room
Moderator: Tony Bancroft

Live Digital Drawing Demonstration

-We’ll be demoing a few crazy little critters and taking questions. Stop by and heckle Dave!
Time: 5:00 PM-5:45 PM
Location: Main Stage Digital Demo

Saturday the 19th:

Spotlight Signing Station

-We’ll be signing copies of our current Sketchbook, so please come by and check it out.
Time: 2:00 PM-3:00 PM

Creator Conversations

-We’ll be going over what it takes to get yourself ready for a career in character design for video games, comics, TV and film.
Time: 4:00 PM-5:45 PM
Location: Parlor 123

Sunday the 20th

Breakfast with Pros

-Hungry and want to chew the fat, sign up for this intimate meet up where we can talk about anything that comes to mind over a cup of Joe!
Time: 9:00 AM-10:AM Daily Grill

Panel Discussion

-We’ll be discussing the process of developing creatures with fellow panelists James Gurney, Terryl Whitlatch and William Stout!
Time: 2:30 PM-3:45 PM
Location: Panel Room
Moderator: Sue Nichols

To the Moon!

With All 4 One, we had the chance to explore a whole new set of locations. Here’s a peak at the initial layouts for the small moon orbiting Magnus. When in doubt, throw a big ol’ googly monster in the background.

CTNX

We’ve also been gearing up for our visit to Burbank in a couple weeks for the CTNX show. We’ll be doing some live demos, signings, and presentations – so if you’re in the area be sure to come by. It’s one of the best shows for animation professionals in the country. More info soon!

Wrath of the Octomoth

All 4 One has hit the shelves! Greg and I had the great opportunity to create the concept art for the project along with many of the character models. Octomoth is one of the crazy bosses that you’ll battle along the way – hold on tight!

Also, if you’d like to catch a look at over 30 pages of development art, the A4O Strategy Guide features a robust concept art gallery. Kudos to the folks over at Brady Games!