Thursday, August 09, 2012

Drawing inspiration

Back in 1996 and 1997 before I started my own school I was teaching at a friend's place. It was called Associates In Art and located in Sherman Oaks, California. At the time it was probably the most happening art school in all of America thriving off the animation boom that was in full gear in LA. This was a demonstration in the Visual Development class I instructed. It was painted in watercolors. She was based on a girl I knew who liked to dance at local clubs I attended and I used her as a model of sorts dressing her in an exotic way.  


Today's class in VisDev at the Academy offered me an opportunity to draw with my students. Some of the concepts they were working on were fashion oriented and reminded me of this composition above so I though I'd pick up on the theme and sketch out a few more ideas.





Another fun day creating with a great group of talented individuals who help make the educational experience an exceptionally good time.  


2 comments:

fanimation said...

I like them all Charles but, the last one is my favorite! In all your work, there is a life, and a sense that the characters are thinking. I sometimes have trouble capturing this in my own work. I'm working on fixing that!

Charles Z said...

Thank you John. When I come up with character concepts I treat the design as if it's an individual I'm getting to know. I see it as a personality. I think about what they're like on the inside. What they're feeling and what they're trying to say. I look to the character to communicate emotion and thought. I aim to make them believable to the viewer as something that's alive and wants to connect with whoever's looking at them.