blog
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107. put down guide layers
July 3, 2024
don’t be afraid to put down some pencil lines
add a layer of colour and paint over it with another
allow yourself to iterate over your own work
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106. the rule of 1, 2, 3, 4
July 3, 2024
I found this in a book on writing but I think it applies to all forms of art
1 is whole
2 are contrasted
3 is a complete trinity
4 implies endlessness
for example
1 tree is simple and complete - think of a Christmas tree
2 trees are compared…
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105. pencil marks follow texture lines
June 29, 2024
this helps establish volume in a drawing
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Fundamental drawing exercises to study form
June 22, 2024
I’ve been carrying a notebook in my back pocket for the past couple months, just a dollar store book with a nice blackwing pencil tucked in it and a pocket knife on my keychain to sharpen it
My goal has been to just draw every day, have fun and learn…
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104. work backwards from perfection
June 20, 2024
this is a thought I’m still chewing on.. what if instead of creating art and seeing where it goes, I find perfection first and just make that
Using AI has influenced this way of thinking. the end product seems more important than the journey of making it.
why spend countless…
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103. notice beauty in your art
June 20, 2024
in a past blog post I talked about how sketching is like carving with light
Today I was drawing skin on a man’s face and noticed there is a sculptural element. Like I’m not just carving, I’m molding clay to fit the shape of the man’s face. Yes, light and…
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102. a healthy dissatisfaction
June 15, 2024
balancing the love for my work with the criticism I have for it is important
this video on improving as a portrait artist encourages me to have a healthy dissatisfaction with my work to this point. I feel proud of the moments of brilliance in my art to date and…
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101. inspiration keeps coming
June 12, 2024
as a kid I was terrified that I would stop being myself. one day I would become normal and lose the spark that made me
growing older I did change. You have days where you are bored or exhausted or too much “fun” and unhealthy with drinking or joking at…
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100. a portfolio is for “S-Tier” work
June 5, 2024
when you look at an animator’s portfolio, you very quickly can tell if they’re good, great or bleh. So it’s important to put your A++++++ work up front! This means killing some darlings
Today I’ve been slashing away at my portfolio and turning videos into gifs for an easier watching…
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99. when 3d animating, make it real
June 5, 2024
While animating a man slipping on a banana peel, it’s tempting to use shortcuts that look good from a specific camera angle
avoid these shortcuts!
Instead I animate the scene “for real” which means the man actually steps on the banana peel and falls, sending the peel flying. This gives…
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98. people aren’t patient
June 5, 2024
People aren’t patient. I used to make long videos that slowly reach a crescendo - this still works at festivals where the audience is trapped but not on Tiktok or portfolios. You have to put the action right up front
Right now I’m upgrading this portfolio and that means taking…
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97. go through the window!
May 28, 2024
I’m animating a bowling animation where a pin gets drunk and falls out a window. Initially I had the pin fall out the window while the camera stays inside but why
Let’s push the camera out the window and enter free fall with the pin. It’s so much more crazy…
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96. frankenstein drawing!
May 15, 2024
I made up an art exercise that I’m sure other people do all the time because I saw it in a book but I at least came up with a cute name for it. It’s called a Frankenstein sketch!What you do is grab a notebook and a pencil, and go…
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95. what story are you telling?
May 15, 2024
the stories we tell about our lives go on to shape our lives. this is definitely true for me - I’ve always been able to “brainwash” myself into doing things by accepting a story
I realized today that the narrative lens I’ve been seeing my life through is disjointed. I’m…
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94. hit record
May 12, 2024
Stop starting from scratch! Stop overplanning and overstudying and overbrainstorming. Just GO
Record a song and make a music video for it! Draw a comic book story. Write a short story. Film an educational TikTok for artists.
There is some resistance here! What if my song is bad? Shouldn’t I…
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93. life doesn’t last forever
May 12, 2024
This video is an interview with the writer of Battlefield Earth, often considered the worst movie of all time
He was a young writer, afraid of failure, afraid that no more jobs would come, so he took a big paycheque to write the script, and it spiralled out of control.…
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92. push ideas further
May 7, 2024
to “push” is a term in animation, drawing and design. The point is you go further into what makes something unique
Why push an idea?
Pushing is the act of going further. You see it in character design a lot. A pointy nose could be LONG like a carrot. A…
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91. think like an alien
May 7, 2024
I saw this advice in a sketching book, like an alien Dash 💨 one who has never seen a person‘s face before, isn’t used to the third dimension. without norms, an alien sees things as they are
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90. less is more
May 6, 2024
the great artist does not spend more time or put more lines down. they put the right lines down
focus less on nailing the details or making everything perfect. simply sketch and explore. get comfortable and use materials! explore and discover your style. push yourself to draw outside or animate…
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89. do quick studies
May 6, 2024
instead of drawing one thing for an hour, draw a bunch of things!
that process of shading things in is fine but the learning comes from quick sketches and experiments
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88. pour emotion into your art
May 6, 2024
I tend to hold back and focus on technical skills until some random day i get tipsy and pour my heart out
just do that! let loose. Open yourself up and open your heart up because life is too short and this is all that we have and you’re dying.…
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87. be ok being bad at stuff
May 6, 2024
allows you to try and not care about the the immediate work being good. funny enough that amateur work can be great
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86. sometimes you throw away work
April 8, 2024
I spent a great deal of time making a scene and the project changed. It’s hard to let go of the project. it’s hard to change. It’s hard to face the limits of my skill
But here I am, employed and focusing in. It’s a good job. I have to…
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85. embrace breaks
April 5, 2024
u need rest and to prep mentally. don’t feel guilty! enjoy
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84. buy 3d models
April 5, 2024
saves time
