Former Disney animator and character designer Tom Bancroft has released his second art book, "Character Mentor: Learn by Example to Use Expressions, Poses, and Staging to Bring Your Characters to Life". His first book, "Creating Characters with Personality", was an excellent primer on character design. This follow-up takes things a step further, focusing on how to add life to your...
Lately I just can't seem to get out of the courtroom. No, I'm not in any legal trouble. But around the same time I was working as a courtroom sketch artist for the Amy Senser hit-and-run trial, one of my regular clients hired me to do some animation that was, coincidentally, set in a courtroom. I can't reveal much about that...
Recently the Goldfish Swim School chain approached me looking for a new mascot to use in their promotional materials, signage, and merchandise. They wanted something cute and kid-friendly that could also be posed or dressed up to fit various situations and themes. Here's a few of several rough character design thumbnail ideas I played around along with the final mascot...
A couple of years ago I was hired by the owner of a small food company to design a mascot for a new line of chocolate covered cashews. His idea was to call them "Chocolate Covered Elf Ears", since the shape reminded him of the ears on a small elf and he thought it would be a fun way to...
Tonight I'm flying to California for the CTN Animation Expo. Can't wait! Before I leave I wanted to post a few items of interest: 1. Update on my freelancing presentation. I'll be giving a talk at the Expo on Saturday, November 19, 4:30pm, called "Be Your Own Boss: Freelancing Tips and Tricks". In an earlier blog post I said the talk would...
I've gone through the PDF versions of all my portfolios, weeded out some old work and put in some fresh. I've also updated the "About me" page. You can download them at my website or with these links: Character Design Portfolio 2011 Toy Design Portfolio 2011 Illustration Portfolio 2011 Comp Art Portfolio 2011 Enjoy!...
