Hello Big Wide World

Okay, I finally did it. I started a blog for my work. I've been an artist my whole life, and recently have decided to focus my efforts on drawing for cinema. I've decided this after taking a course on the subject at my alma mater, the Academy of Art University. The class, called drawing for film, was taught by art director Anthony Christov of Pixar. I found that the thinking involved in filmmaking was such an interesting challenge. It's all about making things readable on the screen and giving your drawings depth beyond just another pretty picture.

So anyway, here's my first painting to be posted.


This was inspired by a Usagi Yojimbo comic (written by Stan Sakai, comic artist extraordinare). It was I believe issue 35, were Usagi recounts how his Lord Mifune seemly came back as a ghost to save Usagi from a demon. The image of the spirit of Lord Mifune, still pierced by arrows, yet still a powerful figure stuck in my mind. I really wanted to do something with it, and this painting is a result. I usually don't work in color, but today I decided I wanted to after I saw some of late Japanese film director's Akira Kurosawa paintings for the film Kagemusha (yes, I'm interested in the saumrai culture okay?).
I usually do a lot of thumbs before commiting to one, but I did only one for this (which would probably be considered a mortal sin for some). I felt I got it right the first time, and with classes, working, moving, the holidays, I've been under considerable time constraints. But anyway, here's the thumb.



The only real change I made was to make the pile of bodies bigger to emphasize that this is a killing ground. Other than that, I tried to stay true to the thumb. I hate to say it, but I feel some parts of the thumb are more successful than the final. For example, the thumb has a better sense of atmosphere and depth than the final. Grrrrr.....I hate it when that happens!