Animation pencil test - Turner Internship (Hanna Barbera) 1993

I thought it would be fun to repost this little animation test from a 1993 summer internship in Hollywood. Our assignment was to show a character caught steeling cookies from a cookie jar, and "Jurassic Park" had recently been released. When everyone's tests were completed, the instructors held a literal gong show, complete with a little gong for the tests that were less-than-par. Thankfully, I survived that one!

Shortly after, I brought this pencil test along as part of my reel and portfolio to Industrial Light and Magic (ILM); they had flown me up to be interviewed as they ramped up the CG animation in "Casper". It was so awesome to meet people like Spaz Williams, who had recently built and animated the groundbreaking digital T-Rex in the aforementioned "Jurassic Park"... and there I was timidly showing this little guy to them!

After I then finished my second year at CalArts, on June 6, 1994, I was hired at Disney Feature Animation in Glendale. Ten years later, when the Florida studio was closing, ILM was one of the many studios that came down to look at prospective artists, and once again I showed them my work.

Interviewed on Pixar fan blog

What a privilege to be interviewed on Dan Taylor's blog - he really knows his Pixar merchandise!!

http://www.danthepixarfan.com/2014/09/interview-behind-scenes-of-vinylmation.html

New bus wrap

Just recently saw the latest Disney Cruise Line buses driving around WDW property, with some of my art. I penciled the ducks - based partly on the dimensional figures on the stern of the Disney Wonder - and when approved, inked and painted them digitally. I painted Mickey as well, but it was a pre-existing pose.

Pixar Creative Camp

About 7 years ago, a group of us from the Disney Design Group (from Orlando) collaborated with the talented team from Disney Consumer Products (from Glendale) to come up with a wide assortment of product ideas and rough artwork involving Pixar's film properties. This took place during an incredibly fun week up at Pixar Animation Studios, in Emeryville, CA. These are a couple of B-movie style posters I designed around some of the Toy Story characters.

Special screenings

For the 25th anniversary of Disney's Hollywood Studios (formerly the Disney/MGM Studios), some of us had the honor of being invited back to the Animation building to host private screenings of two of the films we helped create here in Florida, "Mulan" and "Lilo and Stitch". The audience consisted of current Cast Members who work at that Park and their guests, and it was a pleasure to share our experiences and answer questions about a studio that contributed so much to the heritage of the Company.

A couple of studios

Back in 1995, at the almost finished Feature Animation building in Burbank, CA (I'm the second guy on the left).

I moved to the Florida Studio in 1997, a year or two before this photo was taken. This building was finished after completion of "Mulan".

Doodles

Haunted Mansion digital model

Around that same time, I also dabbled with modeling inanimate structures in Maya - such as Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, referring to some elevations published in an Imagineering book.

3D character modeling

Before the Florida studio closed ten years ago, we were being trained in 3D animation software. One of the tutorials was of this monster, that I sculpted and polypainted in Maya.

Dust-Up in the Desert

In 2009, I did the roughs and line art for a book called "Dust-Up in the Desert", about Lightning McQueen's off-road racing adventures. I believe the super-talented David Murray did the digital paintings.

Digital color paint by David Murray.

Life drawings

Helicopter

A spread I illustrated in a Random House Step-into-Reading book, featuring the Dinoco helicopter.

Rockwell's pirate

A tight line drawing, based on a favorite painting by Norman Rockwell.

Student film - Matterhorn

One of my student films, from 20 years ago. I'd love to finish animating it someday; a good majority of it is still storyboards, and the sound and video quality is poor. I just wanted to make a fun tribute to my favorite thrill ride - the only one both conceived of and ridden by Walt himself, back in 1959. The Abominable Snowmonster, added in 1979, was nicknamed "Harold" by the Cast Members. 

This is sort of a "what if..." type of thing.

Caricatures in color

Here are a couple of caricatures that I managed to photocopy after having gone over them with colored pencils.

Trevor T. - clean-up. Big "Braveheart" fan, hailing from Vancouver. 

Jason P. - clean-up, Florida Studio 

More caricatures

Yet more caricatures from the "Fantasia/2000" days in Glendale...

David L. - assoc. producer

Cindy B. - clean-up

Vince S. - clean-up

Dan B. - clean-up

Bobsleddin'

This is an illustration I did for fun back in 2001, probably during or right after work on "Lilo and Stitch". The Matterhorn's always been my favorite thrill ride. I was actually doing a 3D drawing (the old red/blue glasses thing), and decided to just color it in with Prismacolor pencils. I had no clue at the time that, in about six years, I'd get the chance to draw characters for theme park merchandise, with some of the best artists and designers in the business.

More caricatures

Here are some more caricatures done during production of "Fantasia/2000"...

John P. - animation

Larry F. - clean-up

Jim C. - story

Eric S.

Don E. - Producer

Last drawing at WDFAF

It was about this time, ten years ago, that I did my last official drawing at Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida as it was closing; it was for "The Little Matchgirl", a beautiful if heartbreaking musical short intended for inclusion in a Fantasia sequel. It's one of the five Hans Christian Andersen classics that Disney has depicted in animation, the others being "The Ugly Duckling", "The Little Mermaid", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" and "Frozen" (based on "The Snow Queen").

Along with a little Mickey, I wrote along the bottom: "Thanks to God for the blessings of a ten-year career at Disney - my dream came true every day."

Caricatures

One of the joys of working in a creative environment is caricaturing your coworkers - usually this involves adhering a copy to a white board, and everyone signs around it for the subject's birthday or special occasion. Most of these here are from my earliest years at Disney, working on "Fantasia/2000".

This was for Roy after his knee operation.

Gabrielle

Todd

Can't recall who this was for - I believe this was an acquaintance of the director

Mike and Donnie

Victoria

Beth

Naila

Larry