New Blog

I've stopped using this blog.

Check out my new blog: thebigcountry.tumblr.com

-NGC

Here's a sketch I did while brain storming for Kid Minotaur. It's supposed to be a Dutch Demon... I guess it is.

Bar People.

I like to go to bars. Even though I don't drink very much, bars are great places to anonymously draw people.

These were all from one bar in Culver City, CA.

Life Drawing.

I went to life drawing last night a brought my markers along, this is one of the drawings I made:

Favorite Movies

This is a little break from the usual posting of artwork. Instead I'm going to make a list of my favorite movies!



1. The Circus - Charlie Chaplin (1928)

While hardly Chaplin's most acclaimed or well remembered film, it is my favorite film of all time. As with all of Chaplin's films, The Circus is filled with emotion. The love story between Chaplin and Merna Kennedy is simply heartbreaking. Chaplin manages to make the audience laugh and cry for the ever-affable Tramp. The ending to this film is one of the most poetic moments in film history. While Chaplin's equally excellent films like The Gold Rush and City Lights are considered his classic films, The Circus is Chaplin at his most pure. When I want inspiration; I watch this film, it never fails.



2. Raiders of the Lost Ark - Steven Spielberg (1981)

I saw this film when I was about five-years-old. My father bought it on VHS and let me watch it with him, and while I don't remember the first time I saw it, Raiders would be a staple of my weekends all the way through elementary and middle school. I have seen this film over 100 times, probably over 200 times ... I've lost count by now. Despite being a childhood obsession, Raiders is simply great film making. Every inch of the frame is used, the characters are captivating and the story is enthralling. I still watch it quite regularly... I even have the bullwhip and hat.



3. Play Time - Jacques Tati - (1968)

Such a offbeat and beautiful film. There isn't much of a plot to Play Time, instead it is simply an exercise in observation. Even though it isn't quite 'laugh out loud' funny at first, this film is one of the funniest ever made. Play Time simply follows Monsieur Hulot around a gray and modern Paris. During the film he runs into a beautiful American tourist, meets up with an old army buddy and causes chaos in a swanky night club. It has perhaps the greatest production design in any film. I can't really say anything to give this film justice... GO SEE IT!



4. A Serious Man - Joel and Ethan Coen (2009)

My favorite Coen Brothers film. A Serious Man takes a bizarre look at an ordinary story that is somehow laden with religious, scientific and philosophical themes. It is a deep film, on the same level as Barton Fink. It wasn't much of a box office hit, but it made quite an impact on me.



5. True Stories - David Byrne (1986)

Simply marvelous. David Byrne (of the Talking Heads) takes us on an informative trip through the fictional town of Virgil, Texas. Although it doesn't have any recognizable story structure, the visuals of the film make it absolutely stunning. Spalding Gray makes a great appearance in this film as the town civic leader. The film is also a heartwarming, non-judgmental look at small-town America. Not bad when you consider the Talking Heads song The Big Country wherein Byrne says: "I wouldn't live there if you paid me to".


Well, that's my top 5!

I'll be putting more cartoons up soon.

Storyboarding is a time consuming process.

For those of you who don't know, my goal is to be an animation story artist. I've been working on a few storyboards to buff up my portfolio in time for the Pixar/DreamWorks/Blue Sky/Disney internship/apprenticeship deadlines.

It takes a lot of work to get good storyboards. Below is an image from one of my boards about Crusaders looking for treasure. It's pretty cute and funny, I love it because it gives me a chance to pay homage to my favorite adventure movies in the form of a cartoon.

Girl in the Rain

I drew a picture of a girl in the rain.

Kid Minotaur in 3D.

I started making a CG Kid Minotaur, I'll post more as it develops, he's looking pretty cool so far.

-NGC

UPDATE - 5:30pm

It took less than an hour! Here's a more complete model:

Kid Minotaur Design.

More Kid Minotaur drawings. The KM comic itself is in B&W but being an animation student, I couldn't help but do a color character design.

Here's a promo comic for Kid Minotaur. Click to view it in full size!