Marcos Mateu-Mestre

Two more drawings

2012-01-31T14:54:00.000-08:00

And two more drawings I did for the same show

Puss In Boots nominated

2012-01-24T14:38:00.000-08:00

So, nominated to an Academy Award it is! Congrats to all the team and best of lucks.
Here are another two sketches I did for the show...more to come.
Great rest of the week everyone.

...And more PIB

2012-01-13T11:14:00.001-08:00

So here are 3 more pieces I did for the show, composition ideas for the same story moment.
Good weekend to everyone!

Puss In Boots

2012-01-10T10:22:00.001-08:00

Wow! It's been a while, and incredibly busy lately. I hope everybody is doing great in this New 2012.
Here are two of the many images I developed in the time I worked doing visual development for the fantastic Puss in Boots!

CTN Burbank 2001!

2011-10-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

One more year Tina Price and her team have put together another fantastic CTN long animation weekend (Nov 18-20) for all of us to enjoy. The list of talent that will show up for the event is incredible and I will be fortunate to share some of this time on Saturday Nov 19th at noon (from 12-1 pm) on a one hour signing session of my book 'Framed Ink', where we can also have time to chat in this great location (see link for more details on the whole weekend).
Hope to see you guys there!

Kings and Vikings

2011-10-22T10:41:00.001-07:00

These are from some older projects I worked on while back in Spain, in the early 2000's.
The first piece comes from a feature show directed by my friend Antonio Navarro called 'The Three Wise Men', in which I got credited as art director. This is one of the early inspirational illustrations I did for it.
The other two are from 'Asterix And The Vikings', also lots of fun to work in with the great crew from A-Film in Denmark. Some of you will notice I already posted some pieces from this show in the past.
I hope everyone is doing great.

Moonshine on Vimeo

2011-10-03T07:15:00.000-07:00

Alexis Wanneroy and Christophe Lautrette recently put together a video with interviews with some of the artists from Dreamworks who participated in the making of 'Moonshine', a publication with some of their (our) personal artwork.
The project was originally put together by Christophe and Pierre Olivier Vincent a few years ago and finally saw the light about a year ago now.
Enjoy the video!

Burrufu

2011-09-16T15:59:00.000-07:00

Check it out, my friend (and great storyteller) Alberto Corral has just put a new children's book out there called "My Monster Burrufu". The story is his and the illustrations are Alessandra Sorrentino's. Fantastic duo!
Here is the link to the book in Amazon.

ComiCon aftermath, and sketch

2011-08-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

Busy busy lately, but still here is a sketch I recently did, at least to keep the blog breathing!
ComiCon went great, both DSP and LAAFA booths busy and exciting.
I met Jim Steranko and Bill Sienkiewicz, couldn't ask for more after shaking hands that have produced such fantastic and inspirational artwork for so long!

ComiCon San Diego 2011

2011-07-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,
I'll be at San Diego ComiCon this year on Saturday 23rd, first at the LAAFA booth between 11:00 and 11:30 am for a demo and Q&A, and right after that (between 12:00 and 2:00 pm) at Design Studio Press' stand (Booth 1701, inside door marked B2) signing copies of 'Framed Ink'.
I hope to see you all soon!

'Framed Ink' lecture at LAAFA

2011-06-08T14:39:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this really is a long notice, I will be giving a lecture on composition for visual storytellers based on my book at the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art (LAAFA).
It's a great place where I have taught composition classes before, so I hope I'll be seeing you there on December 1st.

Night Creatures

2011-05-12T07:12:00.000-07:00

The main characters and one location panel from 'Sunset on Hollywood'.
I keep reposting these from very time to time, but they bring me back good memories, and I have no time to do new stuff lately!

The Aviator

2011-04-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

And she's all ready to go, high up in the sky.
It actually is an oldie, from 2003, portfolio piece back at that time.

Somewhere

2011-04-10T20:56:00.001-07:00

Somewhere in a castilian-italian landscape, I figure if such blend existed it could look something like that.
Happy spring break everyone.

This time...

2011-04-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

...I got inspiration from pictures of some people in the news, and then took it from there.
Thanks to everyone who attended the lecture at Pasadena Art Center! such a great place to be at.

"Ok, here is the idea..."

2011-03-31T06:00:00.001-07:00

"...These are the tickets to Greece. Once there we go to the beach, any beach...and then, we do the 'CD cover thing', you know, beauty on the front, creative muscle in the middle, and then the percussionist at the very background, looking really absent, like he's so cool he don't need all that".
Anyway, an homage to these nearly extinct CD's. I'm finding it difficult to replace my old (and finally broken down) CD player these days. Not so long ago the choices when it came to this were practically endless, now you are lucky if you find two different models on a sorry shelve at the very en of the store... (no somos nadie, indeed).

Swords, ink and other things

2011-03-29T03:05:00.000-07:00

Basically what the title says.
On another note, it looks like we are heading for some seriously nice weather around here, at least for the rest of the week.
Enjoy!

Lecture and book signing at Art Center (Pasadena)

2011-03-22T14:15:00.000-07:00

On April 5th, between 1-2 pm. I'll be at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena for a -lecture and "Framed Ink" book signing- event. So if you would like to attend and have the chance to do so you can also let them know at Design Studio Press's Facebook page.
I hope to see you soon!

Venice (+Update)

2011-03-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

In these days when following the daily news is upsetting and dramatic, and while just hoping all the best for this planet of ours and all species on it, here come two sketches. One of them after one of my visits to Venice, Italy, a number of years ago.
I hope everyone is fine.
---
UPDATE: I have just seen online the 'give2asia blog', in which anyone can make a donation that will go a very long way. Please take a moment to visit the site.

Pub Life

2011-03-13T06:09:00.001-07:00

'Hanging around the pub in the afternoon'. Inspired by the Agatha Christie novels I used to read (one after the other) when I discovered them through a friend in my early high school days. By the way, if you haven't seen all the cover art Tom Adams did for them along the 60's and 70's you should take a look. They were oneiric images based on actual elements that appeared in (or somehow were related to) the story. Enough to insinuate what was going on but never giving you enough so that you would have an actual idea of how all those elements would relate within the story.
Good rest of the weekend everyone.

"No place like home"

2011-03-06T12:14:00.000-08:00

Here is an image that came to my head this morning thinking of my home town. It is not a particular street, alley or corner, but it certainly feels like it could be any one of them in what is called 'casc antic', or 'old town'.
Most buildings there are from the 1700's 1800's, and were mostly inspired and designed by italian architects of the time. In fact, walking around these streets one can see the resemblance with certain secluded areas of cities like Venice.

Sittin' on the dock of the bay...

2011-03-02T06:35:00.000-08:00

And I wander ...doing what?. Looks like shady stuff to me.
The rest are a little bunch of people making funny faces.
Happy Wednesday everyone

Even gunmen need a haircut...

2011-02-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

...From time to time, just like this fellow here.
Then again, one more drawing on shooting guns. I hope this phase it's not going to go on for too long, although it's being fun in the meantime.

Guns, and No Roses

2011-02-19T12:40:00.000-08:00

Here comes one of people mostly shooting guns around ...nothing like that to start off a weekend!
In fact things got already very interesting Thursday night. Jason Scheier invited me to give a lecture on composition for his pupils at Art Center in Pasadena. It was fantastic to interact with his team of highly motivated young talent, I certainly did have a great time as well as the opportunity to answer some very interesting questions related to the theme!

2006, and looking for a face

2011-02-14T03:14:00.000-08:00

Before I went ahead with my online 'Hollywood on Sunset' I was looking for a face for my main character. At the end she didn't look like any of these here, but at least they got me started on the path I was looking for.

Long time no see...

2011-02-06T06:51:00.000-08:00

...Indeed, Busy, busy lately but here we go again.
Talking about "long time no see", here are a few images of Culver City, where I lived for a few years while working at Sony Animation. These are part of our lunch break sketch routine, we did a lot of that and it certainly was a way to practice and to get to know the area better while paying attention to every detail.
The one with the red canvas in a place called 'Santa Maria Bbq' or something like that, one of our favorite places at the time seen here from another restaurant across the street. The 'fire house' of the city (in white), and finally (in red brown) a location I believe they recently reconverted into 'something', location that at some point in the 80's was used as a stage for some scenes of the original 'Tron' (the video game arcade I believe).
'Talk soon.

Preliminary ideas

2011-01-25T04:03:00.001-08:00

So this are some drawings and sketches I did before the one featured in my last post. I guess I should have posted them 'before' last then. Anyway, ...here they come nevertheless.

Going 1700's

2011-01-15T10:45:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I wish I had the ability to go back to prior historical periods and see first hand what they -felt- like. In my many years of working as an illustrator and graphic novel artist I had (enjoyed immensely, actually) to dive into reference sources so that I could visualize as accurately as possible how other moments in our history looked like. But that's never enough, it's not only about the visuals but also about being as close as possible to how everything worked, what sort of logistical and circumstantial issues did our ancestors run into not only in their exceptional moments but daily, how things smelled (well, this one might not have been in the top of my list), at what pace things happened, how science, religion, etc influenced the way they lived. All these would have affected how they moved (literally) around regularly.
Anyhow, more on the 'fantasy' side now, here are these two fierce fighters getting down to business and trying to clarify, whatever it is they need to clarify, for good.
Great weekend everyone.

Face Off

2011-01-08T18:21:00.000-08:00

As it happens from time to time (as you also see from time to time in this blog) I feel the sudden need to fill up a page with characters' faces. I guess there is a therapeutic side to it.
I hope all is going fine with everyone.

Voices from the past

2011-01-03T05:34:00.001-08:00

So welcome 2011.
And while looking forward to the future, here are some images evocative of other past times. The first three are out of a design job I did in 2004 for 'Ghost' Studios in Denmark, one general view of a ghostly hall and two magnified details. The other one, a 'two character' quick inspirational sketch for 'El Pacifico'.
All the best for this New Year!

"Toto Sapore" 2001 (© Lanterna Magica)

2010-12-29T05:43:00.000-08:00

In 2001 I got contacted by Lanterna Magica and Maurizio Forestieri (in Torino, Italy) to design a film based on a traditional napolitan story called Toto Sapore. It was great fun to create all the visual language for that film. Here are a few samples of that, four interior and exterior architectural studies for some of the characters locations.
And we are wrapping up a year... Happy 2011 to all of you!

Crimea?

2010-12-22T19:47:00.001-08:00

Again like in the 'Near Miss' case, since I spent quite some time going about details, here is the full illustration plus a few close ups.
I don't know if this will be my last post before Christmas... but just in case it is, Merry Christmas everybody! I hope you enjoy this time of the year in a nice and safe place with your loved ones.

Saying Hi

2010-12-21T12:00:00.000-08:00

Just an improvised sketch to say 'Hi' with. It's been hectic around here lately, not much time to dedicate to this blog. Hopefully things will get a bit more relaxed around Christmas.
By the way, if you live in Southern California I hope you are managing to stay dry!

Crowd

2010-12-09T17:52:00.000-08:00

This crowd passed by my Cintiq. Next thing I knew they were gone...
(The more it goes, the more I love this tool by the way)

Near miss

2010-12-03T19:46:00.001-08:00

Near misses, how many of these do we have in life?... Hopefully none as dramatic as this one.
I spent quite a bit of time on the detail here, so I include the magnified sections to have the feeling it was actually worth it!
Have a good weekend everyone.

Whispers

2010-11-28T09:47:00.000-08:00

Things one can run into when walking around at night...
Hope everyone is having a great weekend.

Runaway turkey?

2010-11-23T22:22:00.000-08:00

They call him Mr. Panics.
Anyway, maybe he just saw the turkey he was going to have on Thursday break away from the cage and make a run for it? ...don't blame him (the turkey I mean). Whatever it is, it looks like the guy had better days.
-Happy Thanksgiving everyone!-

Reading

2010-11-20T05:47:00.001-08:00

Eyes reading other eyes, ...and going to take action next.

Swords and daggers

2010-11-16T18:44:00.000-08:00

A bunch of mean spiritet people... or maybe they aren't?
At least one of them is armed though, we know that.

Huntington / Culver City (more memories)

2010-11-12T20:51:00.001-08:00

The peace of Huntington Gardens in Pasadena on a February morning in 2009, and lunch time sketching in Culver City two years before that. Two very intense experiences indeed...:)

Old project, new review

2010-11-05T07:49:00.001-07:00

Years ago I already started with the idea of writing a book on composition. This double page spread is a sample I did back in 2003 while exploring ways and options for the project, pretty much establishing the basic principles I would eventually use in 'Framed Ink'. As you can see though it was based on the idea of illustrations, not so much on 'continuity/narrative art', as it ended up being.
By the way, Fernando Caire from CGChannel wrote a really nice review about the book on his blog just yesterday. Thanks Fernando!

Pirates!

2010-10-31T09:53:00.000-07:00

Also during the Sony days, Marcelo had a great idea, let's do a comic book together, one page at a time, one continues where the other one left the story! It was Marcelo, Armand and myself, we had lots of fun for quite a while with this pirates story called 'El Pacifico'.
Here are some character sketches I did for the story, plus the first panels of my contribution to it.
(Dinga-Man character © Marcelo Vignali 2010)

Seated

2010-10-26T02:44:00.001-07:00

When at Sony we spent many many lunchbreaks with Marcelo and the sketchclub guys drawing people, ...some were passers by, some were in line to order lunch, some were already seated and storing enough energies to face the rest of the day properly. Here are a few that fell into this last category.
The second image is a little fragment of one of the pieces I have in 'Moonshine'.

Moonshine!

2010-10-20T20:05:00.000-07:00

So it is out there! Moonshine is the book that Dreamworks Animation has helped put together after a fantastic initiative by production designers Pierre Olivier Vincent and Cristophe Lautrette (Angela Lepito being the link with production) to gather the personal works of a bunch (47!) of us at the Studio's visual development department. The publisher is again Design Studio Press, and the presentation is, also again, up to the great standards of their art books. My admiration as well to everyone involved in the original concept and materialization of the project, it is a tremendous job to combine the efforts of so many people for a common purpose such as this, and to come up with such a brilliant final product!

Academy of Art University lecture (San Francisco)

2010-10-17T20:09:00.001-07:00

It was great to be there last Friday 15th from 4:00 pm on (...we went all the way up to 8:00!).
A few weeks ago I got a nice invitation from teachers Daniel Cooney and Chuck Pyle to give a 'Framed Ink' lecture on composition for the pupils of the Center. I had heard of the Academy so many times but never actually been there, so I was certainly not going to miss on the opportunity. Great turnout on such a great theatre on a Friday night. Thank you guys again.
(In the pictures: Daniel, the wild group of pupils that actually stayed until the last minute, and the location).

?

2010-10-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

Just don't ask me what these two are doing!... any ideas? :)
(Btw, it was like back to summer today here in L.A. Nice...)

New book reviews

2010-10-07T20:22:00.000-07:00

I very recently got two new reviews on "Framed Ink", from 'Parka' and Charley (Lines and colors). Thank you guys!

Also posting today, two new shots from our last visit to CA 92328 this last summer. We almost did melt...

The Box

2010-10-04T10:55:00.001-07:00

And the box seems to be hers forever now... let's see.
The page with the faces started off as ..."I'll draw a face here". All of a sudden there were dozens of them. I did get carried away!
Great week ahead to everyone

Getting there

2010-09-27T14:00:00.002-07:00

The two pages before last. The nightmare seems to be close to over...

LAAFA sessions - UPDATE

2010-09-19T10:00:00.001-07:00

Just finished a five sessions course at LAAFA on composition for visual storytellers yesterday based on the book. It was a really cool group of students, some of them already professionals, which were a pleasure to interact with!
I'll be starting another set of (8) sessions on October 9th on the same subject. Hope to see you there!

UPDATE- The classes will start on Saturday, October 23rd. Thanks!

Comics n' movies

2010-09-13T06:56:00.001-07:00

More Hollywood trouble, conquistadores and vikings for today.
First, two more pages of the comic story ...two less to go! and getting closer to the end of it.
The two shots of the horsemen in the jungle come from what used to be called 'workbook' in the good ol' days of 2D animation. They are Tulio and Miguel riding Altivo in their search for the mythical City of El Dorado (Dreamworks).
Finally, an interior layout shot I did for 'Asterix and the Vikings' (A-Film). This one belongs to the Chief's kitchen, all drawn in separate layers to make things easier for the animation process.

Death Valley

2010-09-07T05:02:00.001-07:00

Quite a place. I had been there several times already in the late nineties (first with my wife this last weekend). On Sunday we were told at some point at the Furnace Creek store, it was 124 ºF (51.1ºC) in the shadow... Who needs the sun anyway!
I remember another time that I was at the same store, I believe it was in 1998, it was even hotter, around 3 pm we came out of the place and got a taste of how a sudden raise of approximately 50ºF (30º C) in temperature tastes like, as we were coming out of it.
Anyway, honestly, ...incredibly beautiful place. The sense of space, silence, and subtlety of color and shape everywhere around you is hard to believe and surpass. We were saying that 'I hope some day they bottle Death valley silence, because I'm going to buy it'.

-(1) Sand Dunes (Stovepipe Wells)
-(2) Zabriskie Point
-(3,4) Bad Water (notice the tiny figure in the horizontal shot)

Corridors of mystery

2010-08-30T06:49:00.000-07:00

Her strong will and enduring of all sorts of tricky situations finally starts paying back! will she make it all the way through the end though? ...more to come (but not -many- more) in next posts!!
As far as the sketches is concerned, these were made in Palm Springs and Culver City some time ago now.

Shipment on the way - UPDATE-

2010-08-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

I just got this email from Amazon. Exciting! (I ordered my own copy of the book so that I would know exactly when people started receiving theirs)

"We have good news -- the order is now being shipped! You should receive a shipping notification shortly, within the next business day, for the following item(s):
"Framed Ink: Drawing and Composition for Visual Storytellers"

Rock 'n roll! :D
--------------------------
--------------------------

-UPDATE-
As Brian (cromasketch) is mentioning in his comment the shipping of the book to the people who ordered it from Amazon slows down from time to time. I apologize for this fact, which in itself implies good news as the book is selling fast and they run out of it intermittently, as I see after talking to Amazon last night.
I want to thank you all again for your understanding of the situation. If you guys have the chance, please let me know when you start receiving the copies.
Thanks a lot!

Wait! they are heading for the third actually..

2010-08-24T08:18:00.001-07:00

Stakes are getting higher, literally

Second floor it is

2010-08-17T09:10:00.000-07:00

More action, plus some of the original sketches I did back then as inspiration for the character an her Hollywood apartment.

Goin' up?

2010-08-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes taking a step up in life is not necessarily a good thing...

Meanwhile, back in Hollywood...

2010-07-31T06:24:00.000-07:00

...Life goes on for Miss Trouble.
Also, I just got the latest issue of CHT (comic / historietas / tebeos) this time dedicated to Hal Foster's 'Prince valiant'. Incredible work by this team, once again, displayed along 100 beautiful pages!
I hope summer is treating everyone nice.

San Diego 2010!

2010-07-24T21:59:00.000-07:00

Just back from San Diego Comic-Con. It was great, certainly always an occasion to meet up with friends and also to finally put faces to names I heard so many times or that, so far, I had only been in touch with through blog or email.
So thanks to everybody who showed up and specially the 'Design Studio Press' guys that put together once again a wonderful stand for everyone to enjoy.
The signing of my book went great, and I'll say that today Saturday around early afternoon the supplies of 'Framed Ink' that were available for this festival got sold out. Right now they are taking orders for August, when the book will be finally released.
It was a pleasure to talk with everyone and share the interest we all Comic Con nuts share on everything related to comics and movies in general!

Photos (left to right, at the top): Tinti Dey - Scott Robertson - Alfie

Great news

2010-07-21T16:40:00.000-07:00

I just got a phone call.
After all and thanks to the efforts of DSP and the printer, 'Framed Ink' will be ready and available for sale during the San Diego Comic con. So if you guys are around it will be great to see you there, I'll be at booth #1701 on Saturday 24th between 1pm and 2pm, when I'll have a book signing.
Thanks everyone again.

Summer days

2010-07-17T06:07:00.000-07:00

The always handy staircase to the top floor...
As far as the car on the road, it's a concept illustration I did time ago for a personal project.

I hope everyone is enjoying summer.

Catching up

2010-07-08T07:39:00.001-07:00

It had been a while since the last time I posted any pages of the 'life and miracles' of our customer department attendant turned secret agent in one single night, ...so here are two more!

Book release announcement

2010-06-30T20:57:00.001-07:00

Thank you everyone for being with me on the road to 'Framed Ink' becoming a reality!
My publisher, Design Studio Press regretted to announce today that there will be a slight delay in the books arriving to the U.S.
They are phenomenal in making sure they get only the most exceptional products into your hands, and for that I'll say they had to be patient with the printer while they manufacture a book of the highest quality.
Although DSP unfortunately will not be able to provide a finished copy of the book to you at Comic con 2010, they invite you to look through a preview copy there, and receive 25% off of your purchase of 'Framed Ink' while getting an autographed illustration print from the book from me.
So please visit with me during Comic con 2010 at booth 1701 on Saturday 24th between 1PM and 2PM. Any books purchased at the show will be shipped for free as soon as the books arrive into the States in August.
Sorry about the inconvenience and ...I will see you very soon in San Diego!
Thank you.

(By the way, all sorts of news, updates and miscellaneous about the book usually appear in my other blog, exclusively dedicated to it).

----------------------

Gracias a todos por compartir el camino hasta el estreno de 'Framed Ink'.
Mi editor Design Studio Press me acaba de comunicar que habra un pequeño retraso en la llegada de los ejemplares a los Estados Unidos. DSP son excelentes en presentar al publico solo los productos de la mejor calidad, y en este sentido hay que decir que el trabajo con el impresor ha sido mas largo de lo previsto con tal de conseguir este nivel que siempre requieren.
Aunque desafortunadamente DSP no tendra disponibles para la venta general ejemplares de mi libro en el ComiCon dentro de unas semanas, os invitan a ver de primera mano un ejemplar final de muestra, un descuento del 25% al comprar alli 'Framed Ink', y una lamina de una ilustracion del libro autografiada por mi.
De modo que estare encantado de veros durante el Comi con en el stand 1701 el sabado 24 de Julio entre la 1 y las 2 de la tarde. Los libros comprados alli seran enviados gratis tan pronto como las copias lleguen a los Estados Unidos en agosto.
Sintiendo el contratiempo, espero veros pronto en San Diego!
Gracias.

(Por cierto, todas estas noticias y mas sobre el libro van apareciendo en mi otro blog, dedicado exclusivamente a Framed Ink)

Movies movies, 2 (& update)

2010-06-26T06:34:00.000-07:00

-In 1998-99 we worked on 'The Road to El Dorado' where our cameras followed Tulio and Miguel, through the cities of southern Spain first and the jungles of Mexico later on.
I also did a lot of workbook in that production, but what took the most of my time was leading the team that designed the lighting for the whole film. We used warm gray Pantone markers and whiteout on paper for that, and the only adjustment we could do to our artwork, if we thought we needed to, was playing a bit with the contrast with the use of the photocopy machine. It was definitely a more time consuming process that would be nowadays with all the technology available!
The first sequence of drawings reflects the moment in which Tulio and Miguel make it to the Golden City through a concealed passage, with the help of Chel.
-The shot of the construction site (The Prince of Egypt) depicts the oppressive atmosphere of the people in it, playing with the heavy, vertical shapes of the columns on top putting visual pressure on the 'tiny looking' characters underneath.
-Finally, a workbook sketch for a scene during the 'chariot race' sequence at the beginning of the film, trying to establish the dynamics of the moment and the hot lighting of the location.

UPDATE: My friend Jesus Duce has just surprised me in his wonderful blog 'Pecios' posting up a really old work of mine. A short graphic novel (full story) that dates back from 1985. It was originally published in the magazine 'Creepy' (Toutain Editor).
Thanks Jesus!

Movies movies...

2010-06-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

Three shots from The Prince of Egypt.
The first one I did back in 1995 shortly after we got started coming up with visual ideas for the movie. As we were getting ready to start layout at some point the studio needed to see on paper how the movie could look like and how the drama of the story could be reflected on panels. This was one of the compositions I came up with trying to visualize the claustrophobic life in the construction site.
The second shot is a design I did once in production, one of many for the cloud formations above the Red Sea right before Moses parts the waters.
Finally a dramatic scene by the shore as they are caught between the ocean and the troops chasing them, with an indicated camera move for what we used to call 'workbook', a part of the process between storyboard and actual layout in which we would refine the compositions, lighting and camera moves, both as individual shots as well as in continuity.

'Drawing with light' classes

2010-06-11T07:07:00.001-07:00

Good morning everyone. From August 14th and for 5 Saturdays I will be teaching a class at the LAAFA (Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art) on drawing storyboard and graphic novel panels with light.
We will work from model and photographs, and we will also analyze actual pieces of artwork to decipher all technical and theoretical aspects of it.
The Academy is located at 16296 Saticoy Street in Van Nuys (818-708-9232) and, if you would like to know more details, please click on the link.

So, to the ones that want and can make it, I will see you there soon! :)

Some widescreen shots

2010-06-08T09:14:00.000-07:00

I hope I didn't post these time ago. Anyway, here are some of the shots I was going through these last days. They were originally taken in the more traditional camera 'squareish' format although, as I usually do, cropped the living daylights out of them to take them where I thought they needed to be ('widescreen' is the word!). The yellow cab one is somewhere in San Francisco, three people in a hurry to get out of the beautiful Huntington Gardens (Pasadena), one of the film sets of 'Devil in a Blue Dress', and another Huntington gardens shot ... a la Maxfield Parrish.

Palm readers and mystery houses

2010-06-03T21:52:00.000-07:00

Back now to where we left the graphic novel.
Our heroine finally got her wish come true and was definitely present the moment the undercover envoy got inside the palm reader's office to gather vital information in order for the operation to proceed... After that point, things were to get uglier. And uglier. (On a curious note, the first date of publication of page 22 was Halloween 2006, which I thought was an interesting coincidence given the visuals and story theme of it).
Also, one more view of the ghost house design I did for 'Ghost VFX'. This time it's the entrance hall.

More 'framed ink', ...and a ghost house!

2010-05-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

So, three pieces before the weekend:
.The two in black and white are still from 'framed ink'.
.The color piece is an illustration I did years ago for a project my friend Aksel Studsgarth put together in his Copenhagen based company, Ghost VFX. The designs were about an abandoned house, exterior and interior. This one is from the kitchen, with all its 30's appliances and details. Fun film to work for!

FRAMED INK (book coming out, soon!)

2010-05-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

'Design Studio Press' is going to present my book this coming San Diego ComiCon (end of July), and in bookstores and online at the beginning of September this year (available for pre-order in Amazon now). It's called "FRAMED INK, drawing and composition for visual storytellers", quite a self explanatory title :)

128 pages, 230 black and white illustrations (some posted here today and a few more to follow) as well as many diagrams, with text explaining all the thinking process behind the art, exploring the areas of visual storytelling for both film and graphic novel (with all its similarities -and- differences) using light and many other devices to deliver the effect a shot or sequence require, plus thumbnails on the lighting and dynamics used in each example.

Thanks again to everyone that has generously supported the making of this book, and I hope everyone that gets a copy will have as good a time going through its pages as I did working on it!

------------------------------------

Mi libro 'FRAMED INK, drawing and composition for visual storytellers' (titulo que define bien el contenido :) todo en ingles de momento) se va a presentar a finales de Julio en el ComiCon de San Diego (por 'Design Studio Press'), ha sido un año de mucho trabajo pero al final la criatura echara a andar dentro de poco en librerias, y online a traves de Amazon, en donde ya esta disponible para reservarlo.

128 paginas que contienen 230 ilustraciones en blanco y negro y 166 diagramas, con texto explicando en detalle el proceso de creacion de cada uno de estos ejemplos que analizan como componer imagenes con el proposito de narrar historias.
Se exploran los campos de la narrativa visual para cine y novela grafica (con todas sus similitudes -y- diferencias) usando iluminacion y muchas otras herramientas para transmitir los efectos tanto visuales como psicologicos que la escena o la secuencia requieren, asi como esquemas que sintetizan dicho uso de la iluminacion y lineas de dinamismo en cada uno de estos ejemplos.
El capitulo de novela grafica complementa todo ello hablando de las particularidades propias del campo.

Desde aqui gracias de nuevo a toda la gente que ha mostrado su interes y apoyo a este libro, y espero que los que lo lean se lo pasen tan bien como yo me lo he pasado trabajando en el!

Un saludo.

Now we are getting serious

2010-05-17T07:03:00.001-07:00

Don't we all know how it feels when a secret agent sends us out on a dangerous, undercover, mission? Well, ...we are there with you one hundred percent young lady!! (Go get 'em tiger)

Renaissance 2010

2010-05-09T21:27:00.001-07:00

That time of the year again!. Good old Irvine here we come.
The Renaissance Faire once more in all its cool craziness, heat, fun, noise and dust. As my fiancee Alfie was saying, by the time we were leaving we were 'one with the ground, the only difference was that we were not being stepped on'.
Couldn't be more right!

And the chat goes on... + Vikings in the storm

2010-05-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Somehow Miss Trouble got herself into an SUV with two secret service agents, and being demanded to do a lot of explaining.
The storyboard was an idea for the opening of 'Axterix and the Vikings'. The longship caught in the middle of a terrible storm, appearing and disappearing behind the huge waves, all of it spiced up with a lot of blinding lightning.

"...That's all you need to know"

2010-04-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

"To live and chat in L.A."
The spanish lady is a drawing I did in Spain time ago, portfolio piece as they say...

New friends

2010-04-22T05:13:00.000-07:00

Things are becoming more interesting than she wished for, but that's what you get when you chase weird people down funny alleys. Or isn't it.
The other two are character designs for a graphic novel, back in 2002.

Noticias 'C.H.T'

2010-04-16T03:32:00.000-07:00

Acabo de recibir el # 1 de la revista CHT (Comic-Historietas-Tebeos).
Gracias amigos por esta revista de gran calidad tanto en su presentacion como contenidos, con una gran seleccion de los mejores trabajos y nombres como Alberto breccia, Jesus Blasco, Gianni de Luca etc.
Sencillamente extraordinario!!

Adventure lands & projects

2010-04-13T08:48:00.000-07:00

Time for adventure, a number of characters I designed for a graphic novel long time ago. It included both european as well as exotic (from a european POV that is) lands! The other is a panel I did for the Pirate story called "El Pacifico' with my friends Marcelo Vignali and Armand Serrano.
On another note, these days I'm very busy putting together the final touches of a project of mine coming out soon. It's been an intense and exciting year I'll say!

?

2010-04-08T07:16:00.000-07:00

Nothing like a new character coming from around the corner right before midnight, when the night is still young

More adventure!

2010-04-01T09:46:00.000-07:00

...The streets never sleep...

Flying Dragons!

2010-03-31T11:48:00.001-07:00

Always happy to see a really good movie, specially when so many of my incredibly talented friends have worked on it and made it the reality it is today. It was epic in its making and this reflects in every frame. Go see "How to train your Dragon" and... enjoy!!

Going widescreen

2010-03-29T04:39:00.000-07:00

Going cinematic today.
Can't remember where I took the desert shot, could be anywhere along California, Arizona or New Mexico during my L.A.-N.Y. coast to coast drive in May 1999. Anyhow, always a favorite.
On a more refreshing side, two water shots, incredible Venice in incredible Italy, and back home, 9:30 a.m. on an early summer day.

2 + Unfinished

2010-03-22T06:51:00.001-07:00

Quite a bit of material today, two pages of the story (more than 3 years old now) plus an unfinished illustration I started about two years ago and for some reason it just never went further. Nostalgia Avenue... Anyway, I thought it could be nice to post up a rough piece now and then.

2003-2004

2010-03-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

Back then I spent a year and a half working for 'Asterix and the Vikings'. True pleasure. Good film, good team.
Here are two pieces, a down shot on the gauls village center square (ready for one of their brutal parties), and one of the many hundreds of designs I did for the vikings, this one a view form the jail area that I believe didn't make it into the movie.

And the beat goes on

2010-03-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

The line that should have never been crossed...
And also! three drawings from the old days with Moe and the gang at Daphne's in Culver City, when wining, dining and drawing was all one -and- the same!

Close call

2010-03-03T21:41:00.000-08:00

Here we are again, one more week. I hope all is fine with everyone.

The patrol

2010-02-24T18:59:00.000-08:00

This is the moment of either letting go or ... not at all.

Toto Sapore

2010-02-22T05:22:00.000-08:00

Here is one of the many hundreds (and hundreds, and hundreds!) of designs I did back in 2001-2002 for an italian film called "Toto Sapore", produced in Torino by Lanterna Magica and directed by Maurizio Forestieri.
This was the king's castle and palace, with all the colorful flags a royal from that time (1700's) would have like to have and display.

Following trouble

2010-02-18T06:24:00.000-08:00

She just had to go to the back alleys... why, oh, why.

This is getting serious

2010-02-09T20:18:00.000-08:00

Moving on, it's two for one today :)

In the meantime

2010-02-03T09:27:00.000-08:00

For the sakes of variety, here comes an illustration I did some time ago (-the graphic novel adventure to be continued very soon!-). I had been working on a Cintiq for a while back then and I was discovering how amazing this tablet can be. I couldn't recommend it more. Nowadays any tool that lets you work fast, correct fast and edit fast is definitely more than welcome!

Trying to stay away from trouble...

2010-01-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

I've just seen this on a blog

2010-01-23T11:10:00.001-08:00

For more info go
http://www.altadenablog.com/2010/01/missing-girl-cassie-15.html
Thank you guys

Bad moves

2010-01-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

It's all yours now

2010-01-16T04:16:00.000-08:00

Asking the wrong questions

2010-01-10T20:43:00.000-08:00

3 YEARS ??? -Three years-

2010-01-06T21:33:00.000-08:00

Well, it -will be- three years in March that I published in this blog the last page of Miss Trouble's adventures (started on September 25th 2006), the online graphic novel that inspired and started the site originally. So I thought... it would be fun to post it up again little by little (obviously intercalated with other works). The story was improvised as it was being drawn, the only premise being 'L.A. girl decides to get out of her apartment one evening and things start happening'.
So here is what happened to her...

SEASON'S GREETINGS!

2009-12-20T17:29:00.001-08:00

Time availability

2009-12-04T08:50:00.001-08:00

I like keeping my blog active, although then again the time available to produce new stuff is limited right now so, here is another piece that's about... a year and a half old? That's how long these two have been going at it! (they will never learn)

Some life drawing

2009-11-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

For variety purposes. Those were great sessions with Karl Gnass, and Marcelo and Noelle sketching like there was no tomorrow!

Lunch time line-up

2009-11-03T07:26:00.000-08:00

A bit more recent artwork today. These drawings are from my lunch time trips at Sony with the 'Sketchclub' gang, hunting for types and characters who would spark our imaginations up a bit. Sweet memories!