Will be posting again soon

I am in the middle of a move and will be posting again soon.

Lesson # 7 K.I.S.S.

"Keep It Simple, Stupid" is a great adage in any profession, but can be particularly helpful in the crazy ass pursuit of 24 frames per second (30 video , of course). Keeping animation simple can allow for some valuable pocket change (under budget), it helps you focus the project, and it makes your project easier to cross the proverbial finish line of "done". "Keep It Simple Stupid" is not a limitation, it is an anchor, a parameter, a goal. It isn't a limit to creativity for all creatively has some limits, it just can keep your little tush grounded.

Is it always true? Hell no! Complexity in the right hands can be amazing eye candy and can break new animation ground but it takes an extraordinary effort and a fine tuned control to keep it from being a visual car crash. It is also a trap. I have come across many artists who believe that only through a massive maze of creative ideas and techniques can artistic nirvana can be achieved. Unfortunately for those who believe the only valuable artistic pursuit is the pursuit of the nearly impossible, they are still lacking and what they lack is simplicity. The directness of the punch in the face moment.

Keeping it simple embraces a broad audience and usually is not about visual fluff and butter, it is direct and clear. No matter what your experience level or talent, "Keeping It Simple Stupid" will keep you from failing, missing deadlines, pulling your hair out, long hours, and that overwhelming feeling of "Why the hell did I make this so complicated".

Lesson #6-Hugh Valentine

"You never remember how long it took, you only remember how good a job you did."-Hugh Valentine.

I have never come across a better way to conduct my artistic symphony than this bit of animation wisdom. Hugh Valentine was a great animation cameraman who carefully and methodically shot my first film, "Lazar" and when he uttered these words to me they burned in my brain like a hot brand on cow's ass.

The obvious point of this statement is that there is nothing worth doing unless it is done well and this is especially true in animation. Why spend weeks on a project that you "phone" in, there is just no point to wasting that much life without a payoff.

THE FREAKING TRUTH #1-RISK

Is being an animator "risky"? Any artistic pursuit is a risk, if you haven't noticed yet the world is not run by artists, it's run by corporations, money, government, and numbers. Artist don't fit in those environments and are usually vastly misunderstood by the accountants and CEO's of the world. But remember one thing, everything is designed, so therefore, everything needs a designer. If you have the stuff, you can get the work, if you get the work, it was probably worth the risk?

RANT #1-FINISH

If you want to be a "name" in this business than you must finish something. There is no other way. Saying you have a "great idea" for a film does not qualify. Saying you could do better than this film or that doesn't cut it either. Finish. Sure you can be valuable a dependable chap worker bee, but the the real gut check comes from putting yourself out there like a naked cheerleader.

"Finishing" is a talent all by itself. The process of being "done" is one of the most slippery judgments an artist ever makes. Knowing when to stop, knowing when a piece is finished takes commitment to a vision, a firm understanding of the medium, and a kinetic knowledge of self (as you grow as an artist so does the "finish" line change). Most of all "finishing" takes guts.

Too many artists fall in love with the paralyzing embrace and misery not "finishing" provides. It is safe to never be finished, your piece will never be judged or enjoyed and you can play the torment genius forever. "Never being good enough" is as much a personal trepidation as it is professional observation.

The only tangible advice I can offer is practice. Practice "Finishing". The more projects you complete the clearer the drinking water becomes. Take sips, don't gulp, never guzzle and avoid the Koolaid.

Introducing "RANTS".

Included in this blog will be a section I will call, "RANTS". "RANTS" will cover a wide range of topics concerning the art and animation business and will be authored directly from the long and twisting road of my experiences. I have been in the art business for over 30 years and I have a vast supply of "hot air" that can be expelled for the good of all instead of expanding my own ego filled balloon.

"RANTS" are meant to be based upon observation, more than a method of "blowing steam" as the name would suggest. They are meant to educate, enlighten, and inspire, and that's directly from the ego balloon itself;)

Lesson #5 "Good, Fast, or Cheap"

"Good, Fast, or Cheap." Pick two because you can't have all three.

That's the saying and I would classify it right now as indelible as an india ink stain on a linen shirt. Throughout my career, I have found this adage to be impeccably true.

Here is how it works. You are approached with a creative project and the producer doesn't have a ton of money (cheap), the producer also informs you that they need the project finished yesterday (fast). Can you make it "good" too? The answer is "no way in hell." You have no time and no money, you will be lucky to get the project done let alone make it "good". P.S. "good" is hereby defined as the best you can do (just to make it clear).

Let's tackle another example. A producer offers you a job that needs to be good, but also needs to be cheap. So it cannot be fast, right? The producer needs to be informed that in order to make this job both good and cheap that you need time to accomplish this. P.S. this has nothing to do with whether the job is worth taking.

A producer wants a job that is both good and fast, well if they come up with the cash (not cheap) you can hire the best talent and the problem of speed and greatness is tucked away in a nice cozy bed after the best party ever.

I have used this adage to explain my position to a producer many times and it has never failed to directly describe the issue of time, money, and quality. I have been able to explain to a producer that "good" cannot be fast and cheap and that they must not care enough about their own project without insult. A very valuable tool.

Embrace this adage, it can save you.

Lesson #4-Sketchy Memory

So you want to be an pencil pusher and you want to know where to start. Besides buying a pencil knucklehead, buy a sketchbook and carry it wherever you go. The biggest lesson here is never lose a creative moment or idea. When I was a young knucklehead myself I cannot tell you how many times a creative idea knocked on my door, introduced itself quietly, played around in my dizzy little head,and left as soon as my meal arrived. I would converse, chow down, become distracted and poof, that creative idea was soon forgotten and probably playing footsie with some other creative (ever see an idea you had being created by someone else, read Jung). That is the absolute worst feeling, knowing you had something special and then losing it to the concrete abutment of a meatball sub. So now, mainly due to a sketchy memory, I now carry a sketchbook everywhere. I jot, doodle in personal wonderment at just how creative I am. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy.

Lesson #3-Animated Wisdom

Over my animation career, I have gained some wisdom that just might make your animated adventure a joyous romp in the cool wet grass of a hot summer night or at the very least keep you from playing "wack a mole" on yourself. I will be discussing these wonderful little insights in more detail in this blog, but for now here are is a list of the standard operating ideals.

1. Good, Fast, Cheap, pick two, because you can't have all three.
2. You never remember how long it took you only remember how good a job you did.
3. "K.I.S.S." (Keep It Simple Stupid), "Less is More".
4. It's about making "decisions".
5. Make yourself laugh first.
6. Get some sleep.

Lesson #2-Draw, Draw, Draw.

It is really basic, the more you draw the better artist you become. Wow, so simple and yet so wise, how do I do it. It is the sure fire underwear bomber way to get there. I can tell you from personal experience that drawing everyday is not enough, but it's all the time you got. So draw, draw, draw.

Even when I don't feel like drawing I do drawing exercises, drawing circles and straight lines, drawing simple shapes and trying out different tools (see above knucklehead). I am always amazed at how most young artists don't take the time to learn how to make "marks". They don't bother to learn the language of the brush, or pen. All they try to do is finish a drawing, not learn how to finish a drawing or experiment with different ways to finish. The better your skills the better you become at creating beautiful work.

Figure drawing, gesture drawing, contour drawing, drawing with purpose, drawing off the top of your head, drawing mindlessly, drawing with shampoo in the shower, drawing yellow in the snow with "Mister or Ms. Wonderful", it all works to make you better. And if you want to be an animator, you will have to be better.

I was fortunate enough to begin my animation education in the Knight Cap bar in Chicago many many years ago. Richard Williams, world renown animation genius, used to come to Chi-Town for agency pre-pro meetings and we met on several occasions talking animation, his love of music and the clarinet, while drinking beer til the wee hours. Richard had a remarkable capacity to teach and I was like a bar towel on New Years Eve sopping up every last drop. Richard taught me an amazing amount about animation and I was hooked at the tender young age of 19. I will never forget his parting advice, "Draw, Draw, Draw...

"then draw some more".

Lesson #1-The Curse

3:46 am. Against my body's better judgment, my mind begins to bang awake like an untethered shutter in a windstorm. A stream of images coalesce in my brain and begin to dance and shuffle in a gray light. These are images I have seen before and yet they are coming to me in a different form this time, they have altered themselves for my entertainment, and confusion. New characters, scenes, and story ideas advance with heavy footsteps tamping down new soil, yet I am strangely in control. I shift and play with them, taking them down different paths just to see where they will go. A part of my brain pleads to go back to sleep, asking with arms raised to do this later, but it is too late I am gone, out to lunch, playing in my sandbox. These images are part of a creative idea that I have been working on for nearly six months and they have once again come out of nowhere to play, shouting like a neglected child, "Look at me, LOOK AT ME!". And yet this is only the one tentacle of "the curse", the one that only tickles the inside of your skull, the other seven wrap themselves hard around my head and squeeze, demanding that I obey.

You have to create, you have no choice.

This is my curse. I am a creative person and I have this curse, this "have to" in supermarket parking lot spades. I am never in total control of my life and what happened this morning is a daily occurrence. I have no control over when it happens or how hard it will hit me, it just starts and I am committed to its irresistible display. I do not know if I always had "the curse" or whether it developed over time, I just don't remember and it reminds me not to worry about it, unimportant now. All I know is that it has both ruined and saved my life and without it I would be human dust.

The curse of art has brought me the greatest joy and the deepest heartache. It has granted me vision, passion, and the ability to see madness without going mad. I am now a mirror, an oracle, a guide, an entertainer and a prophet all because of the simple curse of creativity. This curse is the most important ingredient in me becoming both an animator and artist and surely fuels my faucet dripping drive to continue day by day, hour by hour.

Lesson #1 Get CURSED!