William Kentridge- Drawing & Animation

William Kentridge is a South African animator who has a really unique style of creating his films. He uses charcoal and draws on these big wall panels, then steps away from the drawing, photographs it... then amazingly, he erases the drawing from the wall panel, and draws in the next frame of the animation... photographs it... and so on. (You can often see eraser marks and remnants of the previous drawings in his films.) If anything the man has saint-worthy patience skills, that's for sure! I discovered his work a few years ago at an art exhibition in Baltimore, and I've always been amazed with his quick and precise drawing skills, especially since it takes me forever to draw something accurately.

Here are some examples of his work from YouTube...



Video documentary about Kentridge and his process (Amazon, US)...
http://www.amazon.com/William-Kentridge-Certain-Doubts/dp/B000QEIZDO

Animation Tips & Tricks with Shawn Kelly

http://animationtipsandtricks.com/

... Invaluable. Bookmark it!

Bobby Beck's Take on Animation

http://www.pixelheadsnetwork.com/2008/10/21/bobby-beck-animationmentorcom-ceo-all-about-animation/

This is an awesome Pixel Heads interview with Bobby Beck, former Pixar animator and co-founder of Animation Mentor! Yay AM! He talks about life as an animator, Pixar, software/applications, creativity, and so much more. Bobby's interview and his blog are both really informative resources for animation students. Take a look!

Frank & Ollie

Recently I discovered a documentary that reflects on the lives of Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, who were animators during Disney's Golden Age. They helped to create some of my favorites, like Robin Hood (Oo-de-lally!) and the magical movie that made me wish I could morph into squirrels and fish when I was a kid (The Sword in the Stone.) The DVD is a great supplement to our AM textbook, The Illusion of Life, and I've recommended it to some of my classmates. So check it out... I bet you'll love Frank and Ollie just as much as I do!

Frank and Ollie, Amazon (US)...
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0000TAYSO/frankanolliec-20

Films that Frank and Ollie worked on...
http://www.frankandollie.com/Film_Features.html

Hola!

Hey guys! Welcome to my animation and art blog. I decided to start this after reading helpful blog postings from various Animation Mentor students and mentors. Starting in January 2009 I'll be attending the online school, and am stoked to the max!!! :-D

I don't have anything to write about or upload yet, but I am planning on sharing my animations and artwork for feedback, or posting anything that I find inspiring or informational that may benefit other animation students too. Even though the AM Winter 2009 session hasn't started yet, I have already met some of my awesome classmates online, and I think that blogging may be a good way for all of us to share what we've learned, give feedback, and keep in touch!