Animation Prop Design.

I also design props for animated shows. These (semi-cleaned up) designs were for the animated series "Wolverine & the X-Men". The Futuristic Rifle, the Cerebro Core, and the (Arc-Angel) Medical Apparatus with Tentacles were only a few done for the show. The Core design was discarded for a smaller, compact and less interesting version. A couple of my favorite designs (not pictured here) were of the X-Jet and the Sentinel Robot under reconstruction. They were actually a collaboration with other prop and character designers. Otherwise, prop design involves drawing a lot of everyday mundane objects, ... but once in awhile, the occasional spaceship or robot pops up.

60's Revisited Part Two

Here's another gouache painting in the series that was 4 x 6 inches in size. The bridge in the background was originally supposed to be the Ambassador Bridge linking Detroit to Windsor Ontario but I left it more abstract so that it could be a bridge to any big city. The illustrator Bob Peak was the main influence in my work at the time.

The 60's Revisited

I'm going back to an art piece that was inspired by the Boy/Girl/Car illustrations of the 1960's.

I did this one in '96 following a few earlier pieces in Detroit to round out the series. I may even revisit the genre on a larger scale with acrylic on canvas instead of gouache on board. This painting was done 3 x 6 inches in size.

Game Box Art

Ayzenberg in Pasadena is one of many game advertising design companies who hire sketch artists like myself to visualize ideas to fit into graphic layouts. It's actually a collaborative effort and a bit of an assembly line with the account executive bringing in the job and corresponding with the client and the designer (more like an art director) designing the logo, the packaging, and advertising campaign. With Dungeons & Dragons Online, I drew the characters and environment separately and the designer composited the elements to fit into the layout. This is one of many drawings that are part of a separate portfolio and representative of that creative process.

Cocoa Krispies in Morocco!

The director's idea behind this commercial was to match the locale of "Indiana Jones". It was particulary fun since movies are my main point of interest. I just finished "Spawn; The Animated Movie" and received a call to do two spots for Cocoa Krispies. The other took place in the Himalayas and featured petraglyph caves filled with cereal and stalagmites filled with milk. This Morocco commercial was re-worked for a storyboard agency.

TV Commercial Boards

Television commercials have quick turn-around deadlines, leaving no room for mistakes. In the case of Digital Domain, specific guidelines were set forth in advance for camera and post production effects. My job was to visualize the director's idea concepts for the "Citgo" spots with imagery depicting perpetual motion and transmogrification. The boards were then presented by the director as a campaign pitch to the client.

Jeep Ad Concept

Storyboard agents and agencies always want the latest bit of artwork or samples from their artists to show clients. Usually, I use existing TV commercials for samples, but, in this case, I created my own. This Jeep ad concept was painted traditionally with gouache and digitally with Photoshop. It's been an on-going project for a number of years now which explains the vehicle's design change from frame to frame. This is the latest version of that ad.

Visual Development

My contribution to Disney TV Animation consisted of designing props, background layout, character, and storyboards. Exposure to other artists and creative people nurtured my interest in pre-production animation design and its process. It was my initiation into the field.

"Live-Action" Television

TV mini-series and pilots were also booked through various storyboard agencies. For"live-action", staging, camera set-up and lighting for the sequence is emphasized. The Larry Levinson Production of "Supernova"was through Motion Artists agency.

Space Fish

This was not actually a job but a wedding gift to friends I met and worked with during the production in Hawaii. Jean
Giraud or "Moebius" was the influence I saw in my friend's work.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

Hironobu Sakaguchi created the popular game series and was developing a feature animated film (not related to the games) in Honolulu, Hawaii. In keeping with the director's story concept, I provided visual hints and story direction ideas with emphasis on mood and lighting. This scenario was one of many I presented to Square USA (now Square Enix).