Dream On Silly Dreamer is a fascinating documentary about the rise and fall of modern Disney animation, told from the point of view of the animators who lived through it. I've blogged about it before, but here's a summary: The film starts with the "renaissance" of Disney animation in the 1980's (i.e. The Little Mermaid), moves on towards the...
One of the more challenging aspects of freelancing (especially if you are just starting out) is figuring out what to charge for your services. Different clients have different budgets, and they will be using your artwork in different ways. How do you know what your fee should be for a greeting card illustration? What is a reasonable royalty for a...
As my regular blog readers know, I'm taking a character design class online from Stephen Silver over at schoolism.com. I've been posting my work from each week's lesson here on the ol' blog-o-rama. So far I've designed a character (Dr. Jeckyll) for a pretend "Jeckyll and Hyde" movie, starting with thumbnail silhouettes, then concept sketches, final clean-up, and then turnarounds. This...
Saw this on the Drawn! blog. I don't know if they even make Sugar Crisp cereal anymore, but for a character designer like me its fascinating to see how the cereal's mascot has changed over the years. (The link takes you to a blog by Dan Goodsell.)...
I generally try to keep this blog about art-related topics, but every once in a while something completely unrelated grabs my attention. Please indulge me. Do you ever look up at the stars and wonder, "How did we humans ever get here in the first place? Were we created by God, or did we evolve on our own from a puddle...
As much as I enjoy making my living drawing pictures, it's important for me to remember that freelancing is still a business. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm a business person first and an artist second. If I don't, I know I'll be headed for a train wreck. Artists are creative and free-wheeling by nature. The discipline...
