In celebration of Halloween

Here is a "cute horror" pic I drew.

enjoy...

Sketches 10 2008

Here are some "rough" sketches that I have been promising to post for a long time.

I have a ton of these little doodles.

Maybe I will post more later.

Enjoy!

FEAR in the Ocean

Ever go diving in the ocean?

Ever worry about sharks?

This is my artistic rendition of the FEAR we all have in the open ocean stemmimg from a dream I had. (sorry about the gore side of this image....but it is what it is in my dream........)

I am pretty facinated with sharks, especially the Great White Shark. I have always dreamed of shark diving in Australia, or Africa. One of these days when I'm rich I will do it!

But you might ask, "Will your horrific dream stop you from diving if you ever get the opportunity to dive with Great White Sharks?"

Heck NO!!!! If I ever get the chance, I'm going for it!

You only live once, right?

update: October 2008

Disney has been slow these past few weeks as we transition into another IP. We get to have fun doing our own personal creative stuff.

I have written 5 new songs on the guitar. I didn't mean to. They just came to me in a creative surge. I am going to record them soon on a mini demo for posterity.

I am a little concerned about the economy. If you aren't, then you must be wealthy or own your own house. I have a house, but I am 20 years away from owning it completely. Being in the creative/ entertainment industry will always be good for me, if people still want entertainment. It was proven that during the Great Depression of 1829, people still went to movies for an escape. I think layoffs are inevitable in every job field.... It makes me wonder if I should have majored in business, or something in medical. But then, my passion and happiness comes from what I do...and that is art....so I guess that is where I will be until it is impossible to support my family.

The recent American Economic meltdown

Here is my contribution in honor of those greedy pigs who destroyed Wall Street.
(politicians on both sides as well as the greedy banks.)

Burn baby burn......

Some recent artwork

Photoshop is an amazing software package. Here is an example of tweeking an image by using the liquify tool.

Ultimate Band

Here is the game cover for the project I have been working on for the past year. I worked as a character artist creating characters, clothing, and accessories. It was a huge project, but alot fun. I'm pretty proud to be a part of Disney. Maybe I will post more stuff at a future time.
Rock on!

Update

It's been a while since I have updated my blog. I have been really busy at Disney. We finished up the DS "Caspian" game and had high hopes for sales. Since the movie kinda flopped , so did the game. We're hoping that "Ultimate Band" for the Wii will be a better title as far as sales. Disney will release it in the next 2 months. (by Christmas) It is a fun game and I really think kids will enjoy playing it.(8 - 12 yr olds) The game doesn't really compete with Guitar Hero or Rock Band because it doesn't need periphials. You just use the nun-chuck and wii-mote. It has an awesome character creator too if I do say so myself. I was on a team of 3 dudes who built all the characters and character pieces (hats, hair, pants, shirts, etc...) for the character creator. We are glad to be done and move on to "Toy Story 3". (however, there may be a band #2 game if it does well)

Creatively, I have sort of taken a hiatus. Summers usually kill me with yardwork, family stuff etc. It's pretty overwhelming. So my art stuff/projects have sort of taken a backseat. I actually pulled some book stuff out the other night and worked a little. I have also written 3 songs.

If you feel it....ya gotta do it.

as I say....."Until I'm not...I am".

My anatolian shepherd pic

this pic looks like my anatolian shepherd.

Creepo pic

Here is a pic I drew for fun. I scanned in a line drawing and colored it in Photoshop.

Maybe I can post some more.

a new drawing

I made this today.

pic for a cowboy

I quickly drew this for a birthday program.

1000

Wow....1000 people have been to my blog.

I feel "special".

I got my anatolian shepherd a week ago. She is a handful but very fun.

Update Schmupdate

Man, I am not very good at updating.

Summer is here....which equates to long hours of yardwork. I never get much done in the summers as far as the creative work goes. Just too much to do.
I sure hope this summer isn't as hot as last summer. Man, that was a scorcher.
We have some new ducks and chickens. I am also hatching golden pheasants. (not sure if they will hatch by incubator or not) My female is also sitting on a handful of eggs that we hope will hatch as well.
My long awaited anatolian shepherd will soon arrive from Alabama.
I hope she survives the plane ride...you never know what they go through by the time they arrive into your arms. The breeder is letting her go at 6 weeks. I really like that because I want to get her to our family asap. Most breeders wait until they are 8 - 10 weeks. (that is torture!) The breeder believes that the pups are ready to go as soon as they are weaned from mama. I will start crate training her immediately. I will also intoduce her to some chickens and see how she does. I have read that they are good with pheasants...Maybe I will try that...who knows at this point.
Narnia's "Prince Caspian" game was released a few weeks ago. Our studio went to the theater and saw the movie to celebrate. Hopefully the game does well. (the movie isnt doing too bad)
Our next game should be done in a month or so. (Ultimate Band)

Sadly, I havent been drawing or writing much lately. I have years worth of creative ideas and work piling up...(a lifetime of work is more accurate).......but all I can do is all I can do.
as my book says and as my coined phrase goes, "Until I'm not...I am".

-

Last of the Nine Old Men

Ollie Johnston died on April 14th 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ollie_Johnston

He was the last living Disney pioneers who Walt dubbed, "The Nine Old Men". He will be missed.

April is nearly gone

This month is flying by me.... It is still snowing off and on. One day it is snowing, and the next day is 80 degrees. Strange weather.
I am going through my toy collection since I have had since I was a little kid. (still a kid mentally) Although my kids love my toys, I am thinking about selling them. Just another thing I don't need anymore.
I am still doing character design, as well as writing. I will post stuff as I can. (most of the time I post at work....so it is hard to get images up unless I post at home...i know....its complicated)

I have also been finishing up some songs that I have written. I'd like to get them down on professional demos. (more for posterity)

-dev

Sea Monkeys set

You know you want your own set of monkey pets.

Sea Monkeys

Man, I wanted these so bad when I was a kid. I would buy comics and stare at the joke/ gimmick ads for days. The comics always had these strange sea-monkeys. I was captivated. "Wow, I could have my own strange family of little sea creatures!". Little did I know that these sea-monkeys looked nothing like the drawings. I was so bummed when my hard earned cash was wasted on crummy brine shrimp.

The sea-monkey family is now available as a toy set. I just had to buy the family set for nastalgic reasons.

Now I have my own sea-monkeys....and they look just like the ad.

I'm a happy camper now.

Story dev/ Animation Notes

Here's a list of stuff I have learned from top notch pros.....



Devourax's "Stuff I have learned about Story dev/ Animation and Life" List

http://www.devourax.com/



Over the years I have studied animation/ character design and story development. I have learned alot. I decided to make a list of things that I have learned. It seems like we are always learning doesn't it? These key points consist of advice given by the top animators/ filmakers of our generation and before. Some comments come from the masters (Disney's 9 old men) in the animation field.



- Voice is a key part of character development.



- Make sure your character voices are strong character voices that fit the character.

(example: Baloo in Jungle Book, Mice on Rescuers etc.)



- Don't fear death in a film. Walt Disney didn't fear death in a film because it was true to life.



- When making a film, involve key contributers of the film. They will feel like more a part of the process if they can give opinions. (I love the way that Barry Gordy did this in the early Mo-town days. He would pull together a panel and they would vote on each song release.)



- Be willing to try new things. Work hard, and keep a high standard of integrity. Walt Disney had a simple- complex and sophisticated appreciation for "newness". Walt liked people who took on new things. He liked those who are daring. He admired those who were willing to try something new even if they didn't know how.



- Study live action.



- If your going to follow a leader, follow someone who will lead you to better things. Walt Disney had an air about him that made people want to please him.



- Do your best. Then when you think you've done your best....push for 20% more. Walt Disney had a knack for making the best "better".



- Inspire others. Find ways to inspire YOU. Walt Disney drew out of you what he believed you could do. He made you believe it even when you didn't know how to do it.



- Story is king! Story, Story, Story! To The Story Dept: From Walt Disney, "The world isn't made up of gags. There isn't one of you who could write a romance, lulluby, or a love affair in a picture. You have to have warmth so the audience can identify."



- The artist must believe in the project. (Walt Disney's artists believed in Walt AND the projects he was driving.)



- It is important to share knowledge and help each other on a project. The completion of a film is a BIG job. Communication, dedication, and commitment are crucial to its success.



- Be a visionary. Don't take anything for face value. Most people can't see past the end of their noses. Look for potential. Look at the bigger picture. Walt Disney always brought people up to "His" vision. He didn't settle for a low base. He was always pushing and encouraging.



- Be humble. Be thankful. We are all learning together. Walt Disney wasn't always right. He depended upon his artists and their own individual strengths.



- A wise man once said, "Follow your dreams. The world needs dreamers. Dreams make this world a better place. We need people with visions of a better tomorrow for everyone. We need people willing to risk all for the next guy. We are all here to make a difference."



- Reach your potential. "Walt wasn't a man, he was a force of nature." - Hazel George



- Study constant. Constant study. Study all you can. Study filmaking, action analysis, character, art class, etc.



- Drawing isn't enough!



- Observe!



- Realism isnt it. Drawing isnt it. Outlandish isnt it. It is believability and the ability to reach the audience! That is what matters!



- Get into the character or you will get a flat result.



- Frank Thomas loves animation because it pulls together all that he loves about life. He said, "I'm not sure I'd be satisfied just as a musician, or just as an actor, or just as something else. Animation gave me a chance to use all these interests and work them together. They all helped each other."



hope you enjoy!

I am sure I will add more.......



- dev

My personal work

You know....I have realized that my blogger lacks alot of my personal work. I spend all day modeling, texturing, designing etc........I have TONS of awesome character stuff to post. I would love to post my Disney work, however, ...I cant. At least until the properties are released....and if I get the proper permissions.

My personal work that I work on outside of Diz is also under wraps until I get closer to the completed project...so it boils down to me only posting sketches......

- sigh -

So, I'll get some sketches going....

-dev

Oompa Time

Oompas were the creepiest little dudes on tv when I was a kid. But I grew to love that movie....and those little Loompas. It's a classic that I watch every now and then with my kids.

It's funny, because the design of the Oompa is really unique. Who'd a thought green hair, white eyebrows and an orange face? I like how they all vary in size and shape too. They aren't little cloned "mini me's" like the lame version with Johhny Depp.

In fact, I can't stand the new revised "Tim Burton" hack job. It's a perfect example of idiots thinking they can do better with all the latest and greatest in CG. The Oompas in that show look stupid. The original Oompa is clever and made to last. Why did Johhny Depp destroy Willy Wonka? He made him so creepy........ And I like Johnny Depp!

Advice.....Leave the classics alone people!

If there is really a place called LoompaLand....I'm packing my bags!

-dev

heres the text to "Angry White Man"

Here is the text to the "Angry White Man" article in case the url doesn't work.
(I hope the author won't mind)

In election 2008, don’t forget Angry White Man

Gary Hubbell February 9, 2008

There is a great amount of interest in this year’s presidential elections, as everybody seems to recognize that our next president has to be a lot better than George Bush. The Democrats are riding high with two groundbreaking candidates — a woman and an African-American — while the conservative Republicans are in a quandary about their party’s nod to a quasi-liberal maverick, John McCain.

Each candidate is carefully pandering to a smorgasbord of special-interest groups, ranging from gay, lesbian and transgender people to children of illegal immigrants to working mothers to evangelical Christians.

There is one group no one has recognized, and it is the group that will decide the election: the Angry White Man. The Angry White Man comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America, from urban sophisticate to rural redneck, deep South to mountain West, left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.

His common traits are that he isn’t looking for anything from anyone — just the promise to be able to make his own way on a level playing field. In many cases, he is an independent businessman and employs several people. He pays more than his share of taxes and works hard.

The victimhood syndrome buzzwords — “disenfranchised,” “marginalized” and “voiceless” — don’t resonate with him. “Press ‘one’ for English” is a curse-word to him. He’s used to picking up the tab, whether it’s the company Christmas party, three sets of braces, three college educations or a beautiful wedding.

He believes the Constitution is to be interpreted literally, not as a “living document” open to the whims and vagaries of a panel of judges who have never worked an honest day in their lives.

The Angry White Man owns firearms, and he’s willing to pick up a gun to defend his home and his country. He is willing to lay down his life to defend the freedom and safety of others, and the thought of killing someone who needs killing really doesn’t bother him.

The Angry White Man is not a metrosexual, a homosexual or a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina — he got his people together and got the hell out, then went back in to rescue those too helpless and stupid to help themselves, often as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter.

His last name and religion don’t matter. His background might be Italian, English, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, or Russian, and he might have Cherokee, Mexican, or Puerto Rican mixed in, but he considers himself a white American.

He’s a man’s man, the kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, hunt white-tailed deer, call turkeys, play golf, spend a few bucks at a strip club once in a blue moon, change his own oil and build things. He coaches baseball, soccer and football teams and doesn’t ask for a penny. He’s the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, weld a new bumper for his truck, design a factory and publish books. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant on time so that you keep the lights on and never know what it took to flip that light switch.

Women either love him or hate him, but they know he’s a man, not a dishrag. If they’re looking for someone to walk all over, they’ve got the wrong guy. He stands up straight, opens doors for women and says “Yes, sir” and “No, ma’am.”

He might be a Republican and he might be a Democrat; he might be a Libertarian or a Green. He knows that his wife is more emotional than rational, and he guides the family in a rational manner.

He’s not a racist, but he is annoyed and disappointed when people of certain backgrounds exhibit behavior that typifies the worst stereotypes of their race. He’s willing to give everybody a fair chance if they work hard, play by the rules and learn English.

Most important, the Angry White Man is pissed off. When his job site becomes flooded with illegal workers who don’t pay taxes and his wages drop like a stone, he gets righteously angry. When his job gets shipped overseas, and he has to speak to some incomprehensible idiot in India for tech support, he simmers. When Al Sharpton comes on TV, leading some rally for reparations for slavery or some such nonsense, he bites his tongue and he remembers. When a child gets charged with carrying a concealed weapon for mistakenly bringing a penknife to school, he takes note of who the local idiots are in education and law enforcement.

He also votes, and the Angry White Man loathes Hillary Clinton. Her voice reminds him of a shovel scraping a rock. He recoils at the mere sight of her on television. Her very image disgusts him, and he cannot fathom why anyone would want her as their leader. It’s not that she is a woman. It’s that she is who she is. It’s the liberal victim groups she panders to, the “poor me” attitude that she represents, her inability to give a straight answer to an honest question, his tax dollars that she wants to give to people who refuse to do anything for themselves.

There are many millions of Angry White Men. Four million Angry White Men are members of the National Rifle Association, and all of them will vote against Hillary Clinton, just as the great majority of them voted for George Bush.

He hopes that she will be the Democratic nominee for president in 2008, and he will make sure that she gets beaten like a drum.

Amen to that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Angry white men

I had a nice 3 day weekend. Worked around the most mostly. I watched Hidalgo which was pretty cool. I made two pans of chicken enchildas and basically hung out with the family.

Political Rant:

I read this article written by Gary Hubbell in the Aspen Times.

http://www.aspentimes.com/article/2008198091324

Amen.

-dev
(angry white man)

College Shootings

It's really sad to hear of the recent college shootings where a lone gunman killed 7 (including himself) and wounded 21. It's such a shame. I get really irritated about some who react to the guns....this issue isn't about guns. This issue is about our society and the violence we have embraced for the past 50 years. Everything we watch on television is saturated with murder, adultry, violence, sex, kidnappings, and so on...... We are what we eat.
Some comments I agree with on CNN are as follows.....

Wayne Ellis of Allen, Texas : "This is a perfect example to support allowing licensed people to carry guns on college campuses and even into classrooms as well as everywhere else. This shooter would have been killed before he could have gotten off more than two shots if other people there had been allowed to legally carry weapons. As the old cliché goes: "When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." The restrictions on law-abiding citizens made them all easy prey for this or any other crazed shooter."

Jeff Tormala of Molalla, Oregon : "It's not guns. Our society has glorified violence and dysfunction for the last 40 to 50 years, and we are reaping the fruits of it. Take a look at prime-time TV today: "CSI," "Law & Order," now "Dexter." It's a lineup of the most disgusting cruelty on display for all. Video games and movies that glorify violence against innocent individuals. What do we expect? It won't end until we as a society say enough is enough."

Martin Wnuk of Friendswood, Texas : "Apparently we've become a nation of strangers. There seems to be very little in common to bond us to our fellow Americans outside of our immediate families. And some don't even have that to fall back on.
Many claim we are a Christian country, yet cutthroat competition and winning are given all the emphasis and rewards over any Christian ideal. And it also seems that things of real value are pretty much being dismissed while worthless things are assigned great value.
So it's not surprising that we are creating these seemingly soulless ghouls who are in reality desperate, lonely, hopeless and ill ... and capable of unthinkable random violence.
I have no answer to it. In a few weeks this will be forgotten, except by the fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers and friends of the slain, who will live with it forever."

Ruth Neal of Northridge, California : "I think that there are more shootings now because our children are no longer taught to accept responsibility for their actions. Parents and government are both to blame for this. Parents, because they are not willing to put forth the effort to raise their children to respect others and their right to be different. When something goes wrong, the parents will often find a reason why someone or something else is to blame for the problem, never the child. The government enforces the problems by curtailing disciplinary action in schools, cutting school funding, cutting counseling at schools and eliminating after-school programs. We have raised a generation of me-first children who give no thought to anything beyond their own wants and needs. We have become a society where one person's view can take precedence over the majority. We have allowed God to be pushed aside in favor of the minority. We have become the most violent society in the world. Until things change, we can only expect to see more horrendous tragedies in the years to come."

sad.........

but until America says "Enough!"......nothing will change.

What can we do? Stop watching it. Stop supporting those who make crappy television shows, films, music, games.

Support companies/ people that make good content. (not pointless violence)
Elect officials and political leaders who will fight against the crap.

Do it! before its too late.....

-dev

Scary times two....

I think I am seeing double scary......

More scary people...

I'd hate to run into him in a dark alley.... "Hey, Gimmie back my cheeseburgers!"

Yikes....Corky...RUN!

Um.....Corky is cool, but those creeps behind him give me the willies.

More scary people....

Need I say more....?

Things that scare me as an adult...

This has to be real.......I am traumatized by this image....but somehow, in some strange way, it makes sense. I'll keep my crowbar next to my bed in case it gets loose.

Those menacing flying monkeys

These I feared as a child...

Kids are pretty impressionable at their tender young ages. I remember that the "child catcher" from "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" scared me to death. And don't forget those flying monkeys from one of the best films ever produced, "Wizard of Oz".

Gorilla brain

Man, I have often wondered if a gorilla is smarter that we think. I mean, look at the size of his skull. He has the capacity to store alot of luggage in there, let alone an intelligent alien brain....

man, it sounds like that could be the start of a very interesting cartoon idea. "Gorilla Brain Alien's from Kolob".

You're Hot if your an Animator!

See for yourself. You're hot if your an animator.

(- sizzle sfx -)

Of course India, China, and Korea already know this.

http://spotlight.encarta.msn.com/Features/encnet_Departments_CareerTraining_default_article_HotJobsinHollywood.html?GT1=10887

Ahhhhh....a relaxing weekend

I did nothing this past weekend. Absolutely nothing. For the first time in 10 years or so, I slept, watched tv, slept, surfed the internet, and slept some more. Of course I am fighting a head cold, so sleeping is really appealing. I never do nothing. It seems like I always have something to do.

BEWARE: Rant ahead

I have decided NOT to renew my Animation Magazine subscription. I have been an avid subscriber for more than 15 years. I'm just not happy with the articles anymore. It could also be the content of shows these days. They basically SUCK. Animation Mag articles swarm around these "junker shows" and basically, I'm not interested in them. I'm really getting sick of the same ol' stuff. The same look. The same formula. The same trends. I feel like no one is setting trends anymore. Well, ok....maybe one show breaks through all the bureaucracy and becomes a surprise hit. Then everyone has to jump on the bandwagon.

These days, producers are following successful trends and scrambling to compete with the new latest and greatest. They ride the coat tails of a summer "surprise" hit. Or they rehash stuff over and over. ("land before time" part 32 comes to mind) Most shows are second rate and mediocre. Do audiences really want pointless folley? 90% action and 10% storyline? I don't think so. (and don't get me started on annoying idiot sidekicks...thats an entire rant that deserves its own paragraph....but we wont go there today.)

Also, this politically correct crap is getting on my nerves. Do we really have to have equal treatment of sexes, colors, ethnicity, cultures, etc? I feel like that issue alone quells creativity when you have to stick to makeshift rules of the television PC police. As John Stossil would say....

Gimmie a break.

Another thing, when Anim Mag made their website a pay subscription, I felt like that was a terrible idea...even though I was a subscriber and was able to read the articles. I would read something that I wanted to share with a co-worker, but I couldn't because they weren't paying subscribers. How lame is that?

So, I made up my mind. I won't be one to give them my hard earned cash for pointless and crappy articles. They can keep their magazine. Ill visit www.awn.com and keep up on the info there.

-dev

Marc Davis

I found a bunch of Marc Davis art online and though I would post a few here and there. He is such a great artist. I love reading about him in the book titled, "The Nine Old Men", by John Canemaker.

http://www.amazon.com/Walt-Disneys-Nine-Old-Animation/dp/0786864966/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1202411192&sr=8-1

Marc is one of my favorite Nine Old Men because he was so inlvolved with the innovation of Haunted House, Pirates of the Carribean, America Sings, Bear Country etc etc. He will always be one of my favorite character designers.

Oh joy..It's Tak

Tak originated in Utah at Avalanche Software. Now, he's a Nickelodeon animated IP. I think it's inspiring to know that the ip's grass roots were developed outside of Hollywood. And to think that it's now a regular on Saturday morning cartoons. way cool.

My hero

Walt is my hero. I love working for Disney because of him. I don't think my co-workers have the same affection for Walt and the amazing man he was. Most of them know nothing about him. I do because I have read countless books about his life inlcuding biographies, quotes, his vision for his movies etc etc etc . I value the things that he stood for. He was an advocate for families. His values that he stood for have an appeal families across the world. Sadly, most everything he stood for is trodden underfoot by Hollywood and mainstream america (and that includes some of Disney Co. as it is today).

Still, he will always be one of my heroes.

Treasure Planet 2

Great art.....great potential as a film....but it sucked in story development. As the movie flopped, Disney's head, Michael Eisner, whined, "Those stinkin finicky 14 year old boys don't know what they want". yeah, whatever. This is the same idiot who declared 2d as dead and screamed, "Where's my Jimmy Nuetron!!!!" when it made enormous amounts of money.

what an idiot.

Treasure Planet

Diz...this looks kinda wierd

Is this a dead Disney IP? Is it on hold? Anyone know the status?

It looks like they are going the "Gorillaz" direction. Like a combo of anime and Gorillaz style art. I don't believe we evolved from apes, but I love a good caveman.

I'm not sure if I like it yet , but I must say that I am intrigued.

Buhler...

Buhler.

Model Sheet 5