Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

– A couple of weeks ago, I went to a cocktail party of How To Train Your Dragon. I got to meet the Directors, Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the Producer, Bonnie Arnold, and even Mr. Dreamworks, Jeff Katzenberg. There was a good assortment of the NY anmation community present, and the “wine and hors d’oeurves” was superb. It took place at the 21 Club.

Then, when leaving the event came the best part. There was a goody-bag that contained the DVD, a bunch of picture postcards and a copy of the book, The Art of Dreamworks How To Train Your Dragon, by Tracey Miller-Zarneke.
This book is a beauty and I’ve wanted to review it since receiving it at that party.

There you’ll find artwork of all stripes leading from the roughest pencil sketch to final images from the film. Here, for example, are a couple of model sheets of the lead character and a sample of what he finally looks like.

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The book is broken into a number of chapters which are a bit peculiar, but it’s meant to lead somewhere in the end, and it does. There are an assortment of dragons displayed, there are the Vikings and the landscapes. The most interesting chapter to me, and probably most animation people, there are the samples of artwork which lead up to the final cgi work. The models, drawings and final digital artwork is all telling and seems a natural development from earlier work. 3
As I said, the artwork goes from the roughest sketch . . .
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. . . to the finished digital painting.
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There are many beautiful and original sketches of dragons.
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Dragons of all types.
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The abstraction turns into a reality . . .
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. . . the most realistic of Fantasy Illustration.
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Quite an impressive assortment of sketches.

Here’s a sample of a storyboard done which looks as though it were done by Chris Sanders. However, it’s actually by Alessandro Carloni.

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Right out of Winsor McCay

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I’ve haven’t, as yet, written about this film, but I intend to do so tomorrow. I’m impressed with this book. You can see how they got to the film on the screen.

Illustrations:
1: Simon Otto, pencil
2: Gabe Hordos, pencil
3: Ricardo Delgado, character design, pencil
4. Nico Marlett, design, pencil / Zhaoping Wei, digital paint
5: Takao Naguchi, cg model / Dominique Louis, digital paint
Simon Otto, pencil & marker
6: Nico Marlet, pencil & marker
7: Morgan Kelly , pencil
8: Nico Marlet, design / Zhaoping Wei, digital paint
9: Nico Marlet, pencil & marker
10a: Zhaoping Wei, digital paint
10b: Pierre Olivier Vincent, digital paint
11: Pierre Olivier Vincent, digital paint
12: Pierre Olivier Vincent, digital paint
13: Pierre Olivier Vincent, digital paint
14: storyboard seq 2475 -Alessandro Carloni, digital paint

Here’s Tom Hachtman‘s Thanksgiving drawing of Gertrude and Alice feasting with two children. What more to say? Have a grand day.

- Continuing the epic artpiece by Santiago Cohen takes us to part #7, and with it another possible ending. Santiago may have produced more, in which case it will continue into next week. I hope so; it’s been a treat to post this brilliant work.

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(Click any image to enlarge.)

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I’d thought the post last week of Santiago Cohen‘s auto-biographical opus had come to a conclusion. After telling Santiago I’d gladly continue it if more came, he actually produced another large continuation of the story. Great for me!

So it will go on for this and, at least, another week. The comments have been quite favorable, and I’m enjoying it. So on with the story.

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(Click any image to enlarge.)

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To see prior parts of this post:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

- It’s Monday, so that means we’re back in the world of Santiago Cohen whose Ex Vida has been occupying our blog. This is a beautifully drawn and painted autobiography Santiago has produced.

To see prior parts of this post:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Needless to say, you have to enlarge the frames to properly appreciate the brilliance of this work. As they say on the street, check it out.

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(Click any image to enlarge.)

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- Here’s another follow up to the Albert Hurter book, He Drew As He Pleased (Simon and Schuster, 1948.)

Hurter, of course, was one of those exceptional European illustrators Disney brought into his studio in preparation for Snow White and Pinocchio. Hurter, as the title implies, was the master of his own fate, drawing designs which would be used generally to further the design of the features and Silly Symphonies.

Many thanks to Bill Peckmann for the loan of the book’s pages and the arduous task of scanning these illustrations.

To see the other posts from this book: Part 1, Part 2

- Santiago Cohen has created a beautiful, autobiographical epic artwork for us all to share. We’ve seen the first three parts and continue onward, today, to Part 4.

To see prior parts of this post:
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

I encourage you to take your time with it and enlarge the images. They’re all little gems that sparkle with and against the story.

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(Click any image to enlarge.)

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- Here’s a book Bill Peckmann owns. It’s a book by Will Rogers (who was the greatest star of his time) that was illustrated by Grim Natwick and published in 1929.

I’ve decided to leave the text on the stills since you might be interested in reading it (as I was) even though it seems to cover every other double-page spread. I’ve also blown up a couple of the stills so you can get a better look. I love this period stuff.

(Click any image to enlarge)

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- Continuing with the epic autobiographical story of Santiago Cohen, this is part 3 of a 1000 picture project. The piece is, to me, a pure work of art. A strong, tightly knit story with images which are almost incandescent in their glowing color. I encourage you to look carefully by enlarging the frames and reading what Santiago has written.

To see prior parts of this post:
Part 1
Part 2

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- Sempé is one of the great living cartoonist/designers. Tissa David recently gave me this poster-sized collection of original drawings that he did for her when designing a commercial which she animated. She kept the piece of artwork over her drawing board until the spot was finished; then she rolled it up and put it away in her closet. It’s my good fortune that she cleaned out that closet.

The spot was done for R.O.Blechman‘s THE INK TANK in New York, when they were still in business.

Here’s the full poster of models:

The inks have faded a bit, and I’ve tried to make up for
that in photoshop without damaging the delicacy of his lines.

Here are some reconstructions of some of the models so you can have a closer look:

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The Charlie Chaplin character – used as the mascot for the commercial series.

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The animated Pitchman.

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Here are two QT ads done at the studio in Sempe’s style during this
time (1986-87) sent to me courtesy of J.J. Sedelmeir. Many thanks.

TIGHTROPE

MARTIN MARIETTA