Saturday, December 27, 2008

Two-Headed Bug




You may see life as one two-headed monster and want to run. But don't judge too quickly, you may find out that things are better than they seem.

Last week I spoke at The 2008 Art Institute of California - Los Angles Graduation as the commencement speaker. It was a lot of fun. I met a lot of talented students and teachers there.
Often, parents ask me about their kids that are interested about the arts and whether or not this is a good time for them to be pursuing an arts career. My answer is always: If someone is passionate about their art, and will work hard, there has never been a better time in human history to be an artist!

Think about it, for years and years it was only a select few who got to choose what artwork the world would see (Magazine editors, movie executives, etc.) But now those barriers are crumbling and you can create and market your art all-online. Not only can you sell your work, but also you can talk to those people that are buying it! It’s amazing. This combined with a renaissance in virtual worlds and video games, creates an environment ripe with opportunity. So congratulations to all of you graduates. I can't wait to see what you create!

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Poem: Clean-Shaven Santa


There is something special that happens on Christmas morning that only happens once a year. Simultaneously everyone pauses for a moment. Now for some that moment is for faith, others it’s for family, and yet other its just because everything is closed and there is no where to go. But take a drive in LA Christmas morning and it becomes clear by the lack of traffic; People are still and with people they love. It’s an amazing thing. When people love collectively you can feel it like a single drop red dye dropped in white liquid. You can feel it swirl everywhere and create an atmosphere that is unique for that moment.

This poem does not reflect any of that. I was thinking about Santa, and it occurred to me that he wouldn’t be Santa without his beard. Think about it. If you saw a skinny guy dressed in green polka-dot spandex and he spontaneously grew a big bushy white beard, he would instantly remind you of Santa. Clearly it is his most defining attribute. I thought it would be fun to turn his beard into a character. In this case, a magical pet.

I hope this blog finds you happy, healthy and full of joy.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,
David

Friday, December 5, 2008

Poem: Pin Strike


I have only been bowling about 8 times in my life. Its fun, but its not one of those activities that occurs to me to do out of the blue. But for 95 million people in the world, the art of rolling a ball and knocking down pins, is a regular hobby. Its strange, but understandable. It takes skill, it's social, and people have been doing it for around 2400 years. That's right! Its been around a long time.

Originally, the illustration for this poem was going to created in a 3D application and rendered out with beautiful shadows and reflections. This was because instead of the kids standing in fright, the original image was going to be of the pins attacking in a similar formation. 3D bowling pins with eyes would have been a fun thing to see in a realistic style. However, as I was sketching out ideas, I realized that this didn't really sell the punchline of the poem. Changing the attacking pins to scared kids made me laugh as I drew it and I knew it was the right thing to do..