Art – Page 23 – Toren Atkinson

Here’s a preview of what I’ve been working on.

I’m trying to ink this in the traditional comic book style – with a brush (but not nibs, not yet). I’m not used to it, and I’m getting really frustrated with my inexperience, my tools and most of all my work area. I need more flat areas and though my table (graciously built by Mr Woods) is great for 90% of what I do, inking is not not of those things. It may be time to invest in a new table.

November 17, 2007

Animation As A Storytelling Device

Remember the 1978 Ralph Bakshi Lord of the Rings movie? The one where they rotoscoped live actors and then animated over them? Maybe this pic will jog your memory:

Now I have nothing against special effects when they’re done well. And if you’re entire movie is going to be special effects (such as, say, animation) then that’s cool too. I happen to love animation. But there is good animation and there is crappy animation. There is Bob Clampett Bugs Bunny and Princess Mononoke and then there is the 1990’s X-Men Cartoon and Rocket Robin Hood.

The most important part of telling a story through animation is the acting. It’s a hard sell. Animation is stylized, and good animators use that as a strength.

Here’s an excellent example of what works. Turn the sound off and watch at least the first 2 minutes of this clip. Pay close attention to the acting in the faces but don’t ignore the body acting either.

Now watch the “Not My Curse” scene between the CGI’d Anthony Hopkins and Ray Winstone here (again turn the sound off if you like):
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808728058/video/4798298/standardformat/

Now, this CGI is certainly impressive. It looks almost real! (I’m a little confused as to why you would try to make an almost real Anthony Hopkins when you actually have access to a really real Anthony Hopkins, more on that later.) It works on some levels, but on others it does not. It’s like they’ve put a veneer over the actors. It’s hyper-realistic enough to confuse my senses, but just simulated enough to take me out of the story, to prevent me from immersing myself into this world. It is art, yes, and for art’s sake it may succeed, but as a tool for filmic storytelling – it takes away. Whereas while the CGI in The Incredibles is also art, the stylized format of animation is used to service the acting, not the other way around.

Now, let me emphasize that I am judging this film solely on the clips I’ve seen on the interweb, but it seems to me that Beowulf is the Bakshi Lord of the Rings of 2007.

November 5, 2007

Pro-Con

This morning I got up early-ish to bike down to Strategies Games on Main St with the last two pieces of art for the wall-hanging. I wanted to get there as early as possible (aiming for opening at 11am) because I had two more engagements during the day, but I got there at least a half hour later than planned. Still, by the time I got there Darren was just opening the shop which I found curious. while I was there I picked up some pirate miniatures for my Freeport D&D campaign.

It wasn’t far to get down to the Heritage Hall where the Vancouver Comicon was being held. It was supposed to open the same time Strategies opened but when I got there I waited in line and there didn’t seem to be anyone taking money so I left to get some breakfast. By the time I got back I was let in and discussed Secret Comic Project #1 with the gents from Critical Hit Comics, did some drawings, picked up some local comics and some cheap comics, and bumped into a lot of friends, including an old friend who I hadn’t seen for almost a decade, with whom I worked at Duthie Books/Macneill Library Service. She was cleaning out her collection of comics and I aided her as I could with some Tom Strong, New Adventures of The Spirit, and Steve Rude’s X-Men: Children of the Atom. When it comes to inking I think Steve Rude is my #1 go-to guy. I hadn’t planned on staying long but Kevin helped me figure out what was going on with the weirdness of my timing – I didn’t “fall back” with my clocks the night before, so suddenly I had a free hour that I didn’t know what to do with! So I sat down at the Critical Hit Comics table and did some sketches.

Appointment #3 was Drexoll Games and Day Four of the d6 mini-con. I played Burning Wheel with a bunch of fellas but was kind of spacey, tired, and also distracted by the results of my miniatures buying spree. Still lots of fun though.

And here’s a little taste of what I’ve been working on lately:

October 28, 2007

Selling My Art

I took a couple hundred pieces of art to V-Con to sell. I had Joyce frame about ten or so pieces (mostly paintings) and I also brought three binders with clear sleeves in them that were filled with (mostly pencil) drawings, and one RED binder with no sleeves, just maybe a hundred drawings. The red binder says “Each drawing in this binder only $10 each.” Those were drawings I don’t care to ever see again. Not that they are all bad or anything, I just find them to be dull. Everything in the other binders ranged from $35 to $135, and my painting I went up to I think $500 on the big one. I didn’t know how to price any of them but everything I read on the internet was “don’t undersell your paintings.” So, I tried not to do that.

When I went back to V-Con on Sunday to pick them up I had a few people approach me about how much they liked my art. One guy, the auctioneer, said that they were very good but overpriced. I sold about $110 worth of art, and I believe it was from 11 of those $10 drawings. This could mean one of two things: V-Con is not the best place to sell art; or I really did overprice them.

Anyway I’m taking some pieces to Strategies Games on Main and 23rd to have hang in their gaming area in the back. I think I will leave prices off and just leave some cards or something with my contact information.

ps – World Fantasy Con is happening in Calgary next year around this time. This year it was in New York, so obviously Calgary is a little more realistic for me to approach. I think that I will go. Anyone want to come with? NERD ROAD TRIP!!! I may rent a car so I don’t have to worry about packing my paintings into a plane.

October 19, 2007

V-Pro or V-Con

I spent last night pricing scores of artworks by me.

Last year I took in some art to V-Con and a few of them were sold. Mostly stuff from the “”every original drawing in this binder is $10” binder, I think. This year, I got Joyce to frame some stuff for me (I hate framing. Hate it!) and so I had to figure out what to charge. I really had no idea and the interweb wasn’t much help. So I figure either nothing will sell and I’ll come to the conclusion that my prices are too high, or lots will sell and vice versa. Or nothing will sell because V-Con isn’t a great venue for selling art. Expect a report in a few days. I saw Jonathan Dalton set up in the dealer’s room, which is completely separate from the Artist room, so that should be interesting to see how a comic creator does in there.

The con is in Richmond so I had to take some time off work to drop my stuff of this morning. I don’t have time to attend the convention, so I’m going back to pick up my stuff on Sunday afternoon. This involved taking big, awkward containers on a packed bus to Richmond which was no fun. I was told they’d be setting up at 8am, and of course I said I’d be there around 10 (getting up before 8:53am is not for me). I even got there a little late, but still had to wait about an hour and a half because they hadn’t set up yet. And then on my way home, only one block from my house, I got puddle-drenched by a passing B-LINE bus. Which only got me slightly more wet than biking to work anyway. Damn you Hurricane Meddlesome!

September 13, 2007