Master Ox puts the final touches on their team effort to neutralize the Woo Sisters. After which the three masters enjoy a new found moment of esprit de corps.
Love your boards Mr. Shelton. Very dynamic drawings. Do you just draw straight on the cintiq or do you have outlines that you draw over on different layers?
Thanks, James. I almost always draw direct to the Cintiq. Though on occasion I have scanned thumbnail drawings into Photoshop and used them as rough templates for the final shots. It adds a step to the process (cutting, pasting, re-sizing...), but might be worth it if your thumbs are well thought out. Hey -- whatever helps you overcome the inertia of starting a scene can't hurt.
your boards are brilliant man! Clear and great to look at! I'd love t o see more of your character design work too! That stuff is humbling! Keep posting!:)
Love your work! My daughter is a senior in high school and wants to be a computer animator. What school did you go to? What schools do you recommend? We are looking for advice from a pro like you. Thanks!
I went to California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) at a time when there was no such thing as a computer animator. The animation program was centered on traditional hand-drawn animation in the Disney tradition.
As a parent I would say, look for the most bang for your buck. Tuition at these private schools is quite high, 30-40k a year. No one wants to enter the work place with a 100k+ in unpaid loans. If your set on getting a degree, consider a state college or JC while you’re learning the basics or just getting your prerequisites out of the way. Why spend top dollar to go to an art college and study, the French revolution or Algebra? You might also want to look into private unaccredited schools in your area that offer night classes from professionals in the industry.
Basically, learn what you need to learn and get out! A degree in this business is worthless unless you want to teach. It is your portfolio that carries the most weight -- talent trumps a degree. I attended Cal Arts for 3 years, after which I was offered a job at Disney and took it -- no degree. Some of my colleagues went for 2 years or less – one even went for only 6 months!
If money is no issue, then by all means, go to the most prestigious 4 year school can get into! Ringling College of Art and Design has a good reputation for computer animation.
Thanks Toby! I have a friend whose daughter, Lindsay, went to Ringling, and now works for Disney. My friend said that big employers like Disney shop at Ringling and at a school in San Francisco (I forget the name). I was afraid to send her anywhere else, for fear she would never find her dream job. But for us, money IS an issue...Ringling would cost us 50K a year, and we are scratching our heads about where all that money would come from.
We live in the Indianapolis area.
It is refreshing to hear that you got a job before finishing your degree. That's really cool. You certainly are talented. Your drawings look fast, fresh, strong, and full of life.
Yes, Disney and Pixar do recruit from these schools. In all fairness I was recruited by Disney from Cal Arts myself. But at that time, Cal Arts was THE ONLY PROGRAM of it's kind in the world; and the animation industry was stagnant -- dead on the vine. Neither of these things are true today. Not going to a "Big Box" school means you'll have to do a little more work to get noticed. Rather than the studio coming to you...you'll be going to them. By the way, DreamWorks is good about casting a wider net to reach out to multiple schools.
Remember too, students from ANY college can apply for summer internships at all the major studios. So long as you are studying in the appropriate field.
Were ever you go it's important to become part of a creative community, to see other people's work as well as get feedback on your own. This is were college is most valuable, but look in to online communities as well.
Hi Toby, I'm an aspiring storyboard artist and your work is my ultimate favorite out of all the storyboards I've ever seen. It's become a ritual for me to go through your blog before I do my own boards and I had a small question is regards to your technique: Do you draw on a 3 panel sheet provided to you by the studio and then crop them out as individual frames for your blog? Or do you draw your stuff one panel per page? (probably unlikely)
Also, did you create your own brushes in Photoshop or do you share pre-set brushes with a co-worker? (and if so, can I download them somewhere for myself?) The charcoal-shading-effect brush in particular is what I'm after. Although your main inking brush is gorgeous too.
Your the best, keep making beautiful drawings. Your skill level is where I raise my standards.
I draw my panels one at a time on a Wacom Cintiq using Photoshop, so there's really no "sheet" or "page" to speak of, only a screen. When I want to check the cutting or flow of my boards, I toggle through my panels in slideshow fashion using a program displays previews of PSD files. Most folks here at DWA use Adobe Bridge for that, I use IView. You can also see your panels displayed in rows as large thumbnails in these programs, like a digital storyboard.
As for brushes, yes I do create my own. However, the China Marker brush you speak of was given to me by a colleague. I don't have my brush settings available for download at this time, but I'll consider doing so when get a chance.
A sampling of your brushes would be amazing! I know the tools don't make the artist, but it'd be great to play around with what has worked for you :) I'm a huge fan of the china brush that you've used for your Tangled boards, and uh pretty much all your stuff haha
sweet. love seing these, can't wait for part 5!
ReplyDeleteyou handle these boards so well.
ReplyDeleteAwesome!
ReplyDeleteAmazing boards Toby.
ReplyDeleteLove your boards Mr. Shelton. Very dynamic drawings. Do you just draw straight on the cintiq or do you have outlines that you draw over on different layers?
ReplyDeleteThanks, James. I almost always draw direct to the Cintiq. Though on occasion I have scanned thumbnail drawings into Photoshop and used them as rough templates for the final shots. It adds a step to the process (cutting, pasting, re-sizing...), but might be worth it if your thumbs are well thought out. Hey -- whatever helps you overcome the inertia of starting a scene can't hurt.
DeleteI really admire your shape design and economy of line. Very inspiring!
ReplyDeleteyour boards are brilliant man! Clear and great to look at! I'd love t o see more of your character design work too! That stuff is humbling! Keep posting!:)
ReplyDeletegreat work! great action!
ReplyDeleteLove your work! My daughter is a senior in high school and wants to be a computer animator. What school did you go to? What schools do you recommend? We are looking for advice from a pro like you. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI went to California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts) at a time when there was no such thing as a computer animator. The animation program was centered on traditional hand-drawn animation in the Disney tradition.
ReplyDeleteAs a parent I would say, look for the most bang for your buck. Tuition at these private schools is quite high, 30-40k a year. No one wants to enter the work place with a 100k+ in unpaid loans. If your set on getting a degree, consider a state college or JC while you’re learning the basics or just getting your prerequisites out of the way. Why spend top dollar to go to an art college and study, the French revolution or Algebra? You might also want to look into private unaccredited schools in your area that offer night classes from professionals in the industry.
Basically, learn what you need to learn and get out! A degree in this business is worthless unless you want to teach. It is your portfolio that carries the most weight -- talent trumps a degree. I attended Cal Arts for 3 years, after which I was offered a job at Disney and took it -- no degree. Some of my colleagues went for 2 years or less – one even went for only 6 months!
If money is no issue, then by all means, go to the most prestigious 4 year school can get into! Ringling College of Art and Design has a good reputation for computer animation.
Good Luck to your daughter.
Thanks Toby! I have a friend whose daughter, Lindsay, went to Ringling, and now works for Disney. My friend said that big employers like Disney shop at Ringling and at a school in San Francisco (I forget the name). I was afraid to send her anywhere else, for fear she would never find her dream job. But for us, money IS an issue...Ringling would cost us 50K a year, and we are scratching our heads about where all that money would come from.
ReplyDeleteWe live in the Indianapolis area.
It is refreshing to hear that you got a job before finishing your degree. That's really cool. You certainly are talented. Your drawings look fast, fresh, strong, and full of life.
Your advice sounds really good. Thanks so much!
You're welcome.
ReplyDeleteYes, Disney and Pixar do recruit from these schools. In all fairness I was recruited by Disney from Cal Arts myself. But at that time, Cal Arts was THE ONLY PROGRAM of it's kind in the world; and the animation industry was stagnant -- dead on the vine. Neither of these things are true today. Not going to a "Big Box" school means you'll have to do a little more work to get noticed. Rather than the studio coming to you...you'll be going to them. By the way, DreamWorks is good about casting a wider net to reach out to multiple schools.
Remember too, students from ANY college can apply for summer internships at all the major studios. So long as you are studying in the appropriate field.
Were ever you go it's important to become part of a creative community, to see other people's work as well as get feedback on your own. This is were college is most valuable, but look in to online communities as well.
Hi Toby!Always LOVE your work!So inspiring!
ReplyDeleteI have a question,if language is not a problerm ,is there any chance to get a job in those big studios in US as a foreigner?(Chinese? )
Hi Toby, I'm an aspiring storyboard artist and your work is my ultimate favorite out of all the storyboards I've ever seen. It's become a ritual for me to go through your blog before I do my own boards and I had a small question is regards to your technique: Do you draw on a 3 panel sheet provided to you by the studio and then crop them out as individual frames for your blog? Or do you draw your stuff one panel per page? (probably unlikely)
ReplyDeleteAlso, did you create your own brushes in Photoshop or do you share pre-set brushes with a co-worker? (and if so, can I download them somewhere for myself?) The charcoal-shading-effect brush in particular is what I'm after. Although your main inking brush is gorgeous too.
Your the best, keep making beautiful drawings. Your skill level is where I raise my standards.
-Dennis Moric
Thank you, Dennis.
DeleteI draw my panels one at a time on a Wacom Cintiq using Photoshop, so there's really no "sheet" or "page" to speak of, only a screen. When I want to check the cutting or flow of my boards, I toggle through my panels in slideshow fashion using a program displays previews of PSD files. Most folks here at DWA use Adobe Bridge for that, I use IView. You can also see your panels displayed in rows as large thumbnails in these programs, like a digital storyboard.
As for brushes, yes I do create my own. However, the China Marker brush you speak of was given to me by a colleague. I don't have my brush settings available for download at this time, but I'll consider doing so when get a chance.
A sampling of your brushes would be amazing! I know the tools don't make the artist, but it'd be great to play around with what has worked for you :) I'm a huge fan of the china brush that you've used for your Tangled boards, and uh pretty much all your stuff haha
DeleteAwesome Stuff! Very inspiring! Thanks for posting.
ReplyDeleteWoah! Very inspiring looking at all those boards. Beautiful work
ReplyDeleteIncredible work, very inspiring. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI think these seq looks a LOT COOLER than the final product; just sayin'
ReplyDelete