#ctn animation expo

I made a quick video from this past weekend at the 6th annual CTN Animation Expo! :D

It was wonderful to meet so many people and see all my talented friends in one amazing place. <3

November 21st-23rd. Burbank, California

“Uh…Hello…I’m Elwood!…El-Wooooood! What’s your name? What are you?”

Oh! Guys! I’m gunna be at CTNX. Come swing by table T119 and say hello!

Hi everyone!

Some folks asked me to post my processes for these ortho things, so here I go…

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So the needs are : Something mysterious escaped from a secret lab facility. Design an ortho that not just gives modelers, bg painters, and board artists an idea of the space but also incite a mystery. What kind of people inhabited the space? What was its history? What were the people working on? How and why is this facility now in shambles?

First I quickly doodled ideas on a sketchbook with the needs in mind. It’s always nice to know where I wanna go before I start. I tried to really take my time with this phase. I did research, I explored a butt load of ideas, I designed inside the box then design outside the box.

Next, I made a rough sketchup model. I tried to be as descriptive as possible and focused on creating a path for the eye. I populated the scene with props even if I felt I could draw the prop freehand. It saved time and energy in the long run. And yea, sure I’m a fan of using sketchup for this type of stuff, but I highly recommend to try it freehand with perspective if this is your very first ortho rodeo. The fundamentals you learn building something from nothing without the aid of a 3D program is hella good for you.

I then draw on top of the model as any times as I need to but I didn’t just trace everything willy nilly. I improvised as I traced. It’s like when you’re jamming in a band and your bass player is holding a great grove. I don’t just play the same exact shit he’s playing, I solo on top of it. I let my soul do a little singing here. I believe having a strong foundation works wonders when exaggerating and generating designs with personality.

Alright, so now I have an awesome line drawing. Time to add value. The eye craves this stuff. Highest value contrast is where the eye wants to go to. This is where I played around with lighting and drama. At this point I’m glad I’ve made it through half the battle.

I then roughed in the local colors with a general palette in mind. Everything is subject to change so do your best to cut everything into different layers. I wanted to wanna give myself the option to quickly alter the hue, value, or saturation of any given layer without stressin’ about re-paints.

Lastly, I used my knowledge of painting to finish the piece. I tried to really hone in on the storytelling and to not noodle around. Every time I thought I was done or satisfied, I checked with both my story notes and my old school notes then checked back with my piece. How can I improve it? How can I get from 80% there to 100%? Can I improve the lighting to emphasize the mystery? Is there a prop that needs to be added to improve the storytelling. Is there a prop I need to remove that detracts from the storytelling?

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I hope this was helpful!

Dr. Crumb is self centered, mad, and loveless creature. Slimy and sweaty. He represents the dark side of blind ambition, recklessness, and disregard for life. He wanted to engineer the ultimate weapon but what he ended up creating was something so much more.

When it comes to mad scientists, there really isn’t a more brilliant character than Herbert West from Re-Animator. (If you haven’t seen it, you absolutely must!)

Jeffrey Combs, who plays West, is the inspiration for Dr. Crumb with just a sprinkle of Willard (Crispin Glover)

So uhhh… Ashes is a *deep inhale* new wave, generation x, post-punk, art rock, goth rock, non-conformist, occult enthusiast. *exhale*

In all seriousness, his design was the most fun but also the most challenging to execute. JEEZ! Do you know how many times I made myself listen to In Between Days just to get into the right head space to design this guy????!!!!!
I never ever ever wanna hear that song again.

He goes by Ashes even though that’s not his real name. It’s Ashton. But OBVIOUSLY Ashton doesn’t conjure up lonely nights in a graveyard reading Edgar Allan Poe by candle light.

Ah but do you know what he REALLY REALLY doesn’t want you to know?

…He’s Elwood’s older brother.

It starts with a simple idea with a bunch of scribbles. A boy, his older brother, and his best friend meet a mystical creature in the woods. 

And then it takes a little self reflection. What was it like roaming the woods with a youthful mind overflowing imagination and a heart glowing with wonder? What experiences can I draw from my own boyhood (which feels like many years ago) that can inspire their journey? 

And most important of all: What do I want you to feel?

CTNx is a few days away! This year I’m honored to be participating in a few panels! 

Title: Going Beyond Your Animation and Vis. Dev. Training
Date: Nov 21st
Start Time: 02:15 PM
End Time: 03:00 PM
Venue: Hall C
Guests: Trevor Spencer , Yingjue Chen , Brenda Chapman , Jake Parker , Mingjue Helen Chen , Andrea Fernandez , Lissy Marlin

Title: Lissy Marlin Illustrator and Designer Conversation with Creators
Session Name: Conversations with Creators
Date: Nov 22nd
Start Time: 03:00 PM
End Time: 03:45 PM
Venue: Parlor 125

Come say Hi, ask questions and/or get Career/portfolio advice!
Really looking forward to seeing you there! I give free hugs <3