Whoops: I Had Too Much Root Beer and Forgot that 2021 Ended

some favorite pieces from 2021

Well, not exactly. 

But I am pushing the bounds of when it's appropriate to post a "2021 wrap-up!" 

For some reason, it's been really hard for me to summarize my experience of 2021. The year had several distinct stages, each with their own joys and disappointments. It was a very mixed bag of a year for me - one where many goals were achieved, but many dreams left unfulfilled. Although it's only a month distant, the year already feels fairly foreign to me. I was in school only a year ago! Hah. Weird to think about. 

But before I go and get too introspective, I wanted to share my favorite things I discovered in 2021. So in case you happen to be looking for something to direct your eyes (or industry awards) towards, here are my recommendations. As always, I'm not limiting this list to things that debuted in 2021, just things I watch/read/played for the first time last year. 

Movie of the Year: The Mitchells vs the Machines

This film continues the innovation and heart first shown in Spiderverse, establishing Sony's position at the forefront of the American feature animation scene. It's probably the funniest movie I've seen in a decade, with absurdly dumb, smartly utilized jokes that hearken to the directors' days on Gravity Falls. I was worried that I liked the movie only for artsy reasons (art-school protagonist, innovative use of CG reminiscent of watercolor mixed-media) but its multi-week tenure on Netflix's top ten speaks to its widespread appeal. In addition, my mom was recommending this movie to everyone she talked to, a rare and sacred honor. This movie knows how to flip between being as zany as possible during action-comedy sequences, and as real as possible during the family scenes. If it doesn't win the Oscar, I will flip. 

Show of the Year: Centaurworld

This may be because I don't watch a ton of TV any more, but I felt like this was a weak year for animated TV. Many good shows (Hilda, Bluey, Mao Mao:HoPH) were in their between-season hiatuses, with only Amphibia holding down the fort with its killer season finales. However, Centaurworld's first season stood out with an incredibly satisfying story set in an incredibly weird and song-filled world. Kimiko Glenn and Megan Hilty are just fantastic as the show's leads, providing such life to the character dynamics and the show's soundtrack. It's with great regret that I say that Season 2 falls vastly short of its predecessor and instead plays out like an awkward fanfiction dotted with decidedly un-catchy songs. I don't really know what happened there, but Season 1 is good enough, and self contained enough, to establish Centaurworld as a great offering from Netflix Animation and my pick of the year. 

Note 2: Aquaman, King of Atlantis is a STRONG runner up and since I don't think it got enough love, I'm plugging it here. 

Book of the Year: Watership Down

You can find my full review here, but this was easily my favorite book I read this year. It has such a well-balanced sense of scale - both in the physical setting and worldbuilding. Nothing feels too sprawling or extraneous, so the author gives you permission to care about each detail he provides. And these are details you're gonna want to care about - daring escapes, bunny politics, prophecies of doom(!?!) The adventure is grand, the in-world fables are highly enjoyable, and the characters are rabbits. What more can you want from a book?

Game of the Year: Villainous

Whaaaaat??? A Board game as a game of the year??? Luckily for me, I wrote this category vague enough that I can do this. Try and stop me. You can't. 

Vindictive arguments with incredulous (and imaginary) readers aside, I got so much enjoyment out of this well-illustrated game based on Disney's more nefarious cast. This game succeeds due to its balance of story and complexity. Each character/player has a different win condition based on the villain's cinematic plot. As Cruella, you'll have to search out and capture puppies across various locations. As Scar, you'll knock off Mufasa (and then enough of his allies) to secure your rule over the realm. As Prince John, you simply need to collect enough "beautiful, lovely taxes! Ah ha." All these various systems are housed within a streamlined core ruleset - uncommon for an asymmetrical game like this. Learning the different villain plots is the most complicated part, but there's enough similarities between them to make this game easy to pick up without losing any replayability. 

Newsletter of the Year: Animation Obsessive

(2021 BONUS CATEGORY!!!)

This year, as part of a general move towards the analog, I got really into newsletters as a preferred social media. (I even tried my own! Sorry for putting it on hiatus, guys) If you have an email, and are interested in animation at all, I recommend subscribing to Animation Obsessive. They provide some of the most well researched dives into the craft of animation (weekly!) This is some intelligently written stuff, nearly academic and yet instantly approachable. They cover animation of all types, from all places, and dang do you feel cultured after reading it. At times when I don't feel like an artist or I lose my faith in animation, I read AO, and instantly I'm back in art school - informed on what's new, a bit snobby, and ready to make something.

***

For me personally, last year pivoted around my graduation from college, and all the rippling effects and changes and responsibilities that come with it. And boy did I complain and fumble my way through it. Complaining and fumbling, people. After a leisurely summer of working on personal projects while housesitting, I got a major case of lifestyle whiplash in October, when I got my first fulltime job, first apartment, and the very, very minimal amount of free time that accompanies such responsibilities. There's a lot of college luxuries that I found myself wistfully gazing back upon: free time during the sunlit hours, a focus on creating personal art, and the ability to travel to name a few. I've now gained a great respect for grown-ups (especially those with kids??? how??), a great nostalgia for the easy days of college life (wow, that was early), and a great case of sleep deprivation (uh oh). 

I spent the beginning part of 2021 preparing to leave Nashville, and the second half coming to terms with staying here. This spring I said a lot of goodbyes. I was saying goodbye to the people who I had walked with for the past four years - professors who built me as an artist and the friends who'd built me as a person. I had a lot of lasts. Last Caricature Show. Last Five Minute Film Festival. Last college class. Yet the despite the sadness that accompanied this departure, I felt like it was time. Like the Elves, Frodo, and Gandalf, my time in my old world had come and gone. I didn't recognize most faces on campus anymore. My skills were ready to be tested out there at An Animation Studio, where I would begin the next phase of my education. I was ready to drift into campus legend as "that weird guy who always had long hair and sandals" and go tread those sandals elsewhere. During all of the covid-time I had been building up a mighty thirst for adventure, and no place seemed too far away. I'd go to LA, Brisbane, Kilkenny - whatever it took. I was going to "make it," and hopefully draw some new coastlines, pay with new currencies, and create some new stories along the way.

But just like an awkward partygoer, I found I had said my goodbyes a tad too early. As the year went on, I struggled to leave town. A few key things were holding me back. One was my commitment to finish Bearpuncher, my thesis film. While in school I had bitten off way more than I could chew and had prioritized lifestyle rather than making art, which left me with plenty still to do. However, I had made a commitment to finishing it, which felt like something I could do given that I had no job offers coming in (second reason to stay). Although I got really far in the interview process at DreamWorks, my applications remained fruitless. This barren ground would later blossom into a position working at Shining Isle, which has been an incredible experience. Less than six months out of school, I now find myself working in animation, which is incredibly uncommon. Even more uncommon is the studio's location - just south of Nashville. This has left me free to stay in touch with all my good friends, and to continue being blessed by the community we've been building here (third reason to stay). I'm writing this now in my first apartment, nary two blocks away from campus. I can even hear the Lipscomb bells ringing out on the hour (which I do not begrudge, I'd always like to live in a place with bells.) Despite all the obvious goods of this familiar location, I remained haunted by the fact that it felt decidedly un-adventurous. What was I to do with the courage I had been building, an appetite that called out for the strange and new?

I guess what I learned this year is that for as much as I idolized the idea of the adventure of life, I don't get to be the person who draws the maps. Instead, my role is to chart the best course within them. For as much as I admired the Fellowship, courageously carrying the ring to Mordor, I had forgotten that Frodo never asked for such a quest. Sure, I wanted an adventure, one with excitement and challenge and risk, but ultimately one that built the skills I already wanted to learn, took me to places I already wanted to go, and satisfied the ambitions I had already set in place. But I'm not sure adult life, or adventures work quite like that. 

Looking out a the beginning of 2021 I was unsure of the "terrain" of my life. Where would I be living? Who would I be working for? And my college friends - would we be able to stay in touch? And although I've now found the answers to those questions, they didn't all come from me. They came from covid restrictions, community blessings, application rejections, job offers, and ultimately, God's plan. 

Now looking out on 2022, I've scouted out the terrain, but now need to decide what route I'll be taking. I know what I'll be doing this year, but what do I want to do? Are the grand ambitions I coddled in college worth keeping around? What am I willing to give up to be an artist - and is it worth it? 

For despite the big, existential questions that usually resurface when writing for my blog (or watching tick, tick... BOOM!), my day-to-day life in 2021 was actually pretty fantastic:

• I practiced hospitality now that I had my own space
• I learned how to cook all kinds of new things
• I have several artists in my life who could make great mentors and help me learn
• I have a fantastic community of artists and non-artist peers who encourage me every day
• I learned what it takes to get hired in animation
• I joined in on the sea shanty trend, an ashamedly non-hipster move for me
• Also started listening to a lot of musical soundtracks
• I'm officially in the time of my life where I get to attend a bunch of weddings, and even co-best manned in one
• Had a big Italian phase this summer after watching Luca
• Had a big Lord of the Ring phase this fall because I want to live in the Shire
• I ran my best 5k ever, placing surprisingly well in my age group
• Went on big, adventurous trips to the Smoky Mountains and the Virgin Islands
• Spent months primarily working on personal work
• Polished my swing dancing skills alongside a live big band
• Got really into board games
• Ate tacos on Mondays
• Played trivia on Tuesdays
• Got to the final round of internship interviews for a LA studio
• And then actually got a job in animation, for a studio that admires the good and true and beautiful

It's tough to reconcile the everyday goods with the big-picture worries. It's going to be weird to pass from a year characterized by transition, potential, and instability into one that promises to be predictable, defined, and stable (at least in my personal life. The world at large is still pretty wack.) I'm still not used to it, still just as bad with commitment, but I'll keep on fumbling my through it. I'm thankful for where I'm at, excited to see what's next, and ready to keep on learning. I may have finished my formal education, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I still have more to learn than ever. 

To learning, to fumbling, to good cheer and the friends that walk with us.

To 2022!

-dh

Goodbye, Lipscomb (Or, Into the Interim)

So this past weekend I graduated from college.

Wow.

It's still taking a while to sink in completely, especially since the transition has been so gradual (and is in fact, still continuing!) There was the last in-person class, last online class, last exam. A goodbye to these friends, those friends, visiting family, and a muted goodbye to those who will be staying in Tennessee with me for the next little while. And throughout it all, there was way too much excellent food, many excuses to dress nice and wear suspenders, and enough beautiful weather for the first in-person graduation since Covid. As the bagpipes processed down the arena floor during commencement, I thought back on unlikely friendships, nights in my oddly nostalgic 1990's era dorm, laughter and struggle and tacos every Monday. 

What an incredible four years. 

It's no understatement to say that Lipscomb built me as an artist. Unless we're counting the influence of Steven Universe or the precious few principles I was able to remember from my single high school art class, I learned everything right there on campus. It's where I discovered (and sometimes met!) my art heroes. It's where I first learned about gesture and design. And most importantly, it's where I found a community of people who care about cartoons (and each other) in a real, inspiring way. I still remember the moment when I knew I was among my people - stepping into the (now repurposed) animation lab in Hughes and seeing Bill Cipher on the whiteboard as Sam and Naomi showed me their work. Grown adults, talking intelligently about cartoons they liked! That was something I never experienced in high school, and a blessing I've been able to share for the past four years. 

lu animation seniors class of 2021

the one and only tom bancroft

My Lipscomb experience has been about more than just animation (insert liberal arts joke here). At Lipscomb I rediscovered a love for nature during an Aaron Blaise talk, Biology & Literature, and Ornithology classes. I learned what empathy really means as an RA. I went to Hutchmoot (two times! snuck in!) and Lightbox Expo. I've been a victim of the overflowing hospitality of the Warren, the Bothy, and Toad Hall (this is why you should name your houses, people). The people I met at Lipscomb number as my dearest friends, closest collaborators, and nearest confidants. 

And now that the fanfare is over, the feasts have been supped, and the celebration subsides, I find myself thinking - what now? In one way, I have a clear answer. My first order of business is to finish Bearpuncher. It's a monster of a project, but it's gotta be done, and be done well. And in a generous display of grace I'll be able to focus on it full time. Because until it's done, it will be hard to feel like I can really move on to the next step (and technically, I'm not graduated until I get summer credit for working on it.) So I'll be doing that.

Yet despite this, I still feel very much un-settled. I don't have a normal job to work at. I'm not in an apartment, or even back home in NC. My Disney mugs are boxed away in a storage unit. And my friends are off in their own homes, miles away. I don't have classes to ground me, a cafeteria to feed me, and a consistent place to stay. It's all those usual summertime feelings except I won't be heading back to campus in the fall. Although it was perhaps unrealistic to think that I would hop straight from college into a new studio, home, and rhythm of life... I still expected it anyways.  It's the end of the era, but the beginning of the next one is murky and uncomfortably gradual. Never have I felt the title of this blog to be more apt - I have entered the Wayfaring Years.

Lipscomb has been such a blessing, and it's hard to think that the future could be just as full of friendship, growth, and good times as the past four years have been. But I know I couldn't have imagined these four years while in high school, so I'm hoping my expectations for post-grad will be delightfully shattered as well. I don't know where my home will be, or what the future is like, but I'm excited to find out.

And while this is a goodbye to my time at Lipscomb, it's not a goodbye to the people I met there, especially my junior friends who are watching all of us old dudes leave. Still trying to figure out how to reconcile that paradox, but you will be the first to know when I do, because we will still be hanging out.

Onward!

your wayfarer-in-chief,

dh

day 1

fin

Fest Zest

fest friends

About a week ago (I am much behind on my blogging!) was the culmination of the Lipscomb Film Calendar, the Five Minute Film Festival. The weeks leading up to the festival were stressful to say the least - even though I knew that Bearpuncher didn't have a chance of being finished in time, I caught a lot of secondhand diligence and anxiety from the Juniors who were working so hard to wrap their films. With the finish line for Bearpuncher being easily 4 months away, it was fun to vicariously have one last go at the finals hustle while also putting in additional hours on BP. The night before the fest I stayed up most of the night with the Juniors, waiting for the moment when we would export the final and celebrate. When that moment did come at 8:30AM, the celebration was postponed in favor of naps. 

But celebrate we did! That evening we gathered the crews of Sketchy Dealings, Home Slice, Chupacabra, and Bearpuncher together for a real good time. (Those films will be linked once public videos go live) Aedan Peterson gave a fantastic Fox-ian toast which really drove home what a blessing it's been to be a part of this community for four years now. The experience was such a shift from last year's festival. Even though it was still livestreamed, our room of excited, over-tired animation students burst forth into raucous applause anytime an animation professor or film appeared on screen. Applause so loud, in fact, that we got a noise complaint halfway through and had to end the evening most quietly. 

Unfortunately the awards announcement was a little more... complicated than last years. With seven animated nominations in the running (the most ever!) competition was at its tightest and some of the judges' choices seemed baffling. But nevertheless Lorna represented the seniors well by being the only one of us to finish (so far!) and by winning first. (An early version of Bearpuncher actually placed second, assuaging some worries about the general weirdness of the story and revealing that I GOT to finish it now)

The evening ended with an unofficial afterparty in the Shinn Center Event Space, karaoke to my new favorite Steve Taylor song, and Joel's legendary piano playing. Altogether an enjoyable evening - 10/10 would fest again. Even though I won't be nominated for future festivals (you know, with not being a student and all) maybe there will still be a chance for more celebration, more film, and more fest.

blessings to ya

-dh

BEARPUNCHER

bearpuncher

I have been teasing this for SO LONG guys - but the wait is finally over! I am ever so happy to formally announce Bearpuncher, my newest short film. Sorry to keep you waiting ;)

Bearpuncher is about a cursed mountaineer using her own monstrous powers to beat back the fearsome creatures of the woods. It’s a love letter to the Smoky Mountains, and the monsters I’m pretty sure are in them. If you like Princess Mononoke, Hellboy, or punching things, I think you’ll enjoy this film! It will be available to watch this fall, with an early (and I mean EARLY) preview this Thursday at the Lipscomb Five Minute Film Festival. 

It’s been a long time coming. For those keeping track at home, full production started in August 2020 but I've been doing development work on it since Fall 2019. My ever present worry is that the film will not live up to its two year production cycle, but I want to make sure this film is as good as a (mostly) one-man-team can make it! And that just takes a while. I'm committed to finishing it, and excited to begin bringing more people onto the team to make that happen (including my friend Sam Abner)! I’ve been trying lots of new things, most notably hand-animating it all Blender's 2D workflow, and even integrating some CG (never though those classes would come in handy but I was WRONG!)

But for now, it's exciting to start sharing it with you. I'll post some updates here, but most of the behind-the-scenes work will be in my new newsletter (more info in next post). Feel free to subscribe!

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ll love Bearpuncher when it releases LATER THIS YEAR!!

-dh

A Full Heart at the End

So yesterday was my last caricature show at Lipscomb. And even though this year has been full of many “lasts,” this one hit me different. The caricature show is one of my favorite events of every year (four years strong!) and as I stand on the far side of my final show, I can’t help but look back with a full heart. The show and the Life Drawing Club have meant so much to me, and I hope to celebrate them richly, before passing them on into the capable hands of the underclassmen.

If it sounds like I’m talking about death, it’s because I am, in a way. Maybe it’s just the timing of this post (Holy Saturday), but I think there’s more here. This year will bring a fitting end to my time at college, and a way of life I’ve practiced for four years. Of course, I expect to see these people and places again, maybe even daily in the coming fall. But my home will be somewhere else, and I will be someone different. And as seniors leave and freshman come, there will be less and less faces at Lipscomb I recognize. It’s already happening now - at every meal, I’m lucky to see even one person in the cafeteria that I know. All year I have used the metaphor of the elves from Lord of the Rings to describe my predicament: although I have dear friends here in Middle Earth, the sea is calling and I dare not tarry longer than I ought. And we’re getting scarily close to the Grey Havens, my friends.

What hit me most was seeing Madi’s wonderful caricatures of the only four seniors to graduate this spring from our program. I could have sworn there were more, and yet here we are. Four graduates who have made it to the end.

Going to college is not a given. And I’m realizing now that graduating from college is not a given either. It’s taken late nights, scrambles for funding, more endurance than we could have thought possible, and yet, we’re here, together.

And that’s why I rejoice. This caricature show was amazing - lively crowd, great drawings, and the first time I’ve seen Jon Densk since the outbreak. It may be the end, but boy is it a happy one. Not all schools are open like Lipscomb, not all hearts are so merry, and not all friends will draw you sporting bright pink or slapping your knees in your apparently iconic laughing pose. 

So as tradition, here’s the caricatures I drew, and those drawn of me. Enjoy!

josie, good friend and bringer of thunder

eric stars, a fantastic teacher and production manager

brandon, always interested in how you are doing, in a genuine way

kaedan, the only person I know who can really rock a raccoon hat

full page of caricatures from rachel, I'm the one in yellow

so nice I had to post this twice (madi's)

me and (my long lost sibling???) josie - who also drew this

gratefully yours,

-dh

Break out Even More Root Beer: It's Time for the Best of 2020

Well guys, we did it. 

It's the last day of 2020, and assuming that Chronos will let us move on from this year I'd say it's time for the annual recap! Say what you want about the arbitrariness of calendar years or resolutions, but I always find it nice to remember and recenter around this time, and take a look back on all the things that happened this year in my art and life. So break out the root beer, break out the popcorn, and let's take a precisely 12-month drive down memory lane.

At the beginning of 2020 I chose the word "equipping" to be my theme word for the year. Standing on the precipice of January 2020, what I expected to cultivate this year was a lot of artistic growth and a growing preparedness for my Big Jump into the Real World of Animation in 2021. I hoped to put myself in a great spot to get hired and move out into a life away from dorms and cafeterias and such. Of course, 2020 did not go this way. Despite animation being one of the few industries that has adapted readily to remote work, planning for the future still became more complex. How could I network now? Or stay motivated to put out work for my portfolios? Instead of equipping for the future, the year became more about surviving the present.

So 2020's theme word gradually vanished from my mind, more due to the state of the world rather than my own forgetfulness (which usually is the culprit). However, that's not to say that this year didn't have a theme. As I was forced to stay home and given more time to pursue my own devices, a strong sense of wanderlust grew inside me. It may just have been an equal and opposite reaction to the stay-at-home orders, but it felt timely, giving me the courage to dream big even when plans kept failing. I was now filled with the desire to adventure, and seek new connections and opportunities. I started biking around town. Dreaming about living and working in places even more distant than LA. Although still scary and now more uncertain than ever, the future now held an allure full of potential. Even though I didn't get an internship and feel just barely more equipped than I did last year, I feel like this sense of wanderlust gave me a passion and drive that will help me face the heightened challenges of living and getting hired in a post-2020 world. 

Art-wise, this year was defined by the Character Design Challenge and my two short films. Although I did do some sketches and fanart, most of my non-school artwork this year was concentrated on the eleven entries I made for the CDC. I started in February, when I made a commitment to enter every month for a year. And with only two entries left to finish, I may actually keep that resolution! Although this project hasn't been great for my portfolio (turns out recruiters don't really want to see various unconnected character designs), it's been great for my artistic development and experimentation. With almost every piece I feel like I've been trying something new stylistically, and have developed new techniques, brushes, and insights along the way. While I'm disappointed that these pieces aren't totally portfolio-suitable, I think they've done much in helping me define how I like to draw while adding to a quality body of work. I'm proud of these pieces, and hoping to put them all in a purchase-able book next year.  

Aside from the CDC, most of my time has been focused on the creation of Good Boy Richard in the spring, and now my thesis film in fall. It's required a lot of endurance, as I usually like to dash around to multiple halfway-done projects rather than commit to bringing one to full completion. With each of these films, it's required months of sustained attention to one story and style while ignoring the many fun other ideas that pop up to provide ready ground for my procrastination... I think all this will be good practice for studio work, especially showrunning. I've been thinking a lot about if I'd still like to be a showrunner, especially given my experience on GBR. Even though I really enjoyed directing, it's a lot of pressure and anxiety to bear, even without a network or executives to disappoint! 

My biggest new artistic influence this year was probably Anna Scott. I love the shapes she uses, especially with her human characters. For many of her projects she employs a very organic rendering approach that echos traditional media, since she'll paint over mistakes rather than erase them. It gives the piece an inherently mixed-media feel which I really like, and it can be done using only a few layers. I played around with this approach on my later CDC entries.  I went through a BIG Stasya Sher phase during the summer, and although I haven't referenced her much recently, I wouldn't be surprised if I circle back to her art at some point. And of course, Saira Vargas, Louie Zong, and Nicholas Kole continue to be touchstones that I reference frequently. One thing I'd really like to work on in the new year is drawing inspiration from artists who are not Contemporary Animation Artists, but a little bit farther outside my usual circles. I did a good job balancing my fanart/original art ratio this year (last year's goal), so maybe I'll have some luck finding new (yet chronologically older) influences in 2021!

As to be expected, I can't fit a year's worth of happenings into a few paragraphs, so here's a bullet list that encompasses everything else I forgot to mention! ;) 

• Discovered a core artist community on Discord
• Saw Cory Wong in concert
• Drove to LA on a cross-country roadtrip and
• Saw the Grand Canyon!
• Was able to spend lots of time with family
• Nashville had one of its worst years ever with tornado, covid, tax hike, and a bombing
• The Roost is now two years old
• The Lipscomb Life Drawing Club is still happening and now going into it's third year
• Got hired to storyboard 
• Read more books than usual
• Wore a mask more than usual
• Began work on my thesis film (after a year of light concepting and script-writing)
• Got featured in animation news! (for ASIFA scholarship)
• Won multiple awards at the Five Minute Film Festival
• Got to be a "panel guest" for the first time (at Nashville Film Festival)
• Made it through pretty much an entire semester in person during a pandemic
• REALLY enjoyed autumn this year. Good trees, fine colors *chef's kiss emoji*
• Got to interview with Cartoon Network

And now it's time for my media picks of the year! As usual, these don't have to be released in 2020, but instead are selected for their importance to my life over the course of the year. I heard someone else call this kind of list a "First Watch" list, which seems fitting since this is the year when I "first watched" these things.

Movie of the Year: WolfWalkers

It's no secret that I'm a fan of animal movies, and Cartoon Saloon movies, so it's probably no surprise that this was my favorite movie of the year. It's a bit less melancholy and thoughtful than some of the studio's previous work, but supplemented with a bigger boost of action and adventure. You can read my whole post about it here.

Game of the Year: Night in the Woods

The story and graphics make me feel nostalgic for the 2010s even though I hadn't played it until this year and the 2010s aren't really that far away. This game just has such a nice vibe. For the record, Hades is a close second and has better gameplay, but since it didn't hit me in the feels it's staying in second. Hades also hurts my hands due to its incredibly tense combat, and I don't want to reward that kind of behavior. 

Show of the Year: Taskmaster

Quite possibly the first time a non-animated show has held this position for me! And although I really liked Ducktales (read any post from May 2020 if you don't believe me), inconsistent story quality and soft-soap endings are keeping the ducks from the top spot. Taskmaster deserves the attention for doing the unthinkable: getting me to watch an hour-long, life action show consistently (even avidly!) It's a delight to watch, surprisingly funny, and a defining feature of my television watching this year. I've just made it to season seven and I can confirm that it is the best season. Mainly due to the genius of James Acaster. But season 1 is great too, which is really fortunate since it's a good point to start watching. (You know, being the beginning and all.)

Book of the Year: Lord of the Rings

After a particularly stirring discussion during my regular gathering of pipe-smoking friends, I started reading the Lord of the Rings during fall of 2019. (I was also tired of feeling like a poser while referencing hobbits on this blog.) While this could count as a 2019 book, I wrapped the whole trilogy up just after the first couple weeks of lockdown. And man, I don't think there could have been a better time to pick up this series! It's a lush, masterful tale about endurance in the face of despair. If you've already watched the movies, the books still have so much more to offer. A lot of it are names and histories that I will have no hope of remembering, BUT you get a stronger bromance between Gimili and Legolas, a much more haunting depiction of the Army of the Dead, and more British pastoral goodness than is possible to fit in a two-hour film (or a trilogy of two-hour films). 

* * *

As with anyone, 2020 has been a rough one for me, especially Fall of 2020. So many people who made college special to me either graduated, moved away, or grew more distant. In addition to this lessening of community, I also had my most demanding academic semester between thesis and Philosophy of Religion. And although still being in school has protected me somewhat, Covid has created dozens of lost opportunities and additional challenges, especially when it comes to my career. Yet I'm still grateful for so many things in 2020. I felt like I've had a bunch of wins in my art, from getting features in the CDC and ASIFA to even being contacted by one of my dream studios! And I feel like I grew as a person, now more willing to take risks and live life to the fullest. 

That mindset - a relish for life - was I think the greatest thing I got out of 2020. With so much of the larger world thrown into uncertainty, I found it a lot easier to appreciate the smaller, day-to-day aspects. I gained a greater awareness for the everyday pleasures of good food, good friends, and bike rides. A life-changing Biology and Literature class this spring gave me greater ability to see and enjoy nature. Despite the many frustrations and sadness around, I felt my ability to enjoy life deepen. I don't know, but I guess this year showed just how many good things I take for granted, and so when zoos and movie theaters and tacos with friends returned, I knew just how special they were. And those worthy, little joys of life became the bright spots in an often dark year. I do hope things get better soon, but I don't hope to forget this year. Cause despite it all, God's still been faithful. And we're still here together. 

Wishing all you guys the best in 2021 - Thanks for sticking around :)

-dh

"They say our tree may never grow back, but one day, something will. Yes, these crackles are made of synthetic goose and these giblets come from artificial squab and even these apples look fake - but at least they've got stars on them. I guess my point is, we'll eat tonight, and we'll eat together. And even in this not particularly flattering light, you are without a doubt the five and a half most wonderful wild animals I've ever met in my life. So let's raise our boxes - to our survival."

-Fantastic Mr. Fox

Thesis Animation BEGINS!

 

Hi everyone, 

Today I began work on my first shot of my thesis film! So it felt like a perfect opportunity to mark the moment here on the Roost and post an utterly trashy photo of myself. Here you can see my Covid-stache in its full glory - wearing a mask has let me live my dream of looking like a vintage outdoorsman without other people pointing out that I look more like a suburban dad (which, admittedly, is true). 

And I'm holding up my notes/reference sheet for Blender, the software I'll be using to animate the thing! It's a whole new world for me, but after seeing the amazing work Worthikids has been creating in it I figured it had the chops for the kind of projects I'd like to do. And it's free! (you know I can't resist a good bargain). I've spent the better part of this week learning how to use the thing, and getting reacquainted with working in a 3D workspace (though the film will be 2D, I assure you!) For those interested in learning Blender for 2D, I've been watching this tutorial and that tutorial, in that order. And while I'm still not totally comfortable in the software, I've been making steps and I'm surprised by just how much this one program can do! 

I'm really close to officially announcing my thesis on social media - but I want to make a teaser poster first so I can really start building up some hype! To be honest this hype train may be a long one - I pretty much have no chance of finishing it while in school (sorry professors) but since I'm working in Blender I'll be able to keep working on it beyond school until it's done and ready to go. After counting up the shots from the animatic I've realized that despite my best efforts I've still been a little too ambitious... oh well. Guess I'll just do my best to stick to it and see it through. Hold me accountable bloggerfolk!

To that point I'd also like to start an email newsletter to keep people up to date on the film's progress (and share other cool things and art and music I've been enjoying). I'm trying to find a format that wouldn't conflict or overlap too much with what I do here on the Roost - especially for people who might be email subscribed to both! I could just do all the updates on the blog, but blogspot's email subscription service is a little clunky and I think it would be beneficial to have the newsletter just be its own thing. And I think I need to start something, since 2021 has the potential to be a big year with both the thesis and a little artbook (whaaaat???) on the horizon! And I want all y'all to know all about it and get excited with me! Anyways, you'll be sure to know if I do get something started up. And I still plan on posting here on the Roost regardless. I need somewhere ramble and post dumb pictures, after all! ;)

Thanks for sticking around and following my art journey - I can't wait for you guys to see this film!

May you continue to weather these times with grace, courage, and creativity.

-dh

Music Recommendation: This time of the year in Nashville brings me a particular kind of nostalgia that includes the video game Undertale, which I bought and played for the first time during this time of year, in Nashville, five years ago. (I guess that's how nostalgia works.) But anyways I've been listening to it's soundtrack again, and other video game music of the same genre/era. It's a niche love of mine for sure, but something about the chord progressions and 8-bit sound speaks to my heart in a way only chiptune can. And I'm looking forward to playing Undertale's sequel, Deltarune, during Thanksgiving break this year!

Wanderhome

made some over the garden wall fanart since I felt bad about having no new art for this post

One of the curious things about this whole Covid-time is that more than ever I've been filled with a desire to go out. I guess that's only to be expected when one is forced to stay in (and given a substantial amount of free time that can be filled with dreaming and doing). This summer I biked around the rural streets that surround our family home, each day going a little further, or down a new side street - anything to experience something new. I saw the Southwest desert for the first time. I worked my first little freelance boarding job and got to be a part of a real production. I had time to read and create portfolio pieces. Combine all this with last year's Lightbox trip (which felt like a deep dive into the animation world), and this past 12 months has been full of little hints of what the next stage of my life might be like - my life after college. So therefore I was a little surprised when I returned to college, found myself placed back into a familiar routine, and especially obligated to protect the health of our community, which means a limiting of excursions and travel around town.  This isn't to say I haven't had fun, or been totally dorm-bound (thank goodness). But I do feel the strong call of wanderlust, which as a patient homebody, is a somewhat new and thrilling experience. Read chapter 1 of The Wind in the Willows if you want to know what I mean.

I'm at a point in my life where I feel strangely unsettled, and I'm not sure that's such a bad thing. Sure, I don't love that most of my immediate and extended family has moved from the childhood homes where I spent many Thanksgivings and Christmases and Halloweens. And sometimes it gets a little lonely being single. But that also means that I feel more free to go somewhere new, to see more of the world, and to move away and really pursue this animation thing. 

Cause that's the kicker - throughout college I've known that I'll likely have to move away from Nashville and the familiar Southeast US in order to make a serious go at animation. And usually that's felt like a bummer. I do really love Nashville, Lake Norman, the Smoky Mountains, and all the people and places that surround them. But now? I'm actually kind of excited! The fact that I've been developing specialized skills which are in demand in all kinds of different places sounds like a great excuse to experience a new corner of the world. And since LA feels about as foreign to me as another country, I haven't even limited myself to US opportunities (really hoping international travel will be a little easier by the time I'm graduated). 

I'm sure a bunch of this is a classic case of "the grass is always greener on the other side," and perhaps when I'm actually confronted with the realities of a 9-to-5, making bosses happy, and finding an apartment I'll feel a little differently. I doubt I'll ever have another time where I get to live on a campus, where friends are so close at hand, and everything is within walking distance. Maybe you'll even see a Roost post in a year or so where I wax nostalgic about college. In fact, you probably will ;) I think even being able to think and write like this is a luxury due to having been in class for 9 weeks, and not fully realizing that we still could be sent home anytime. BUT right now I'm still more than a little romantic about having my own place, not having homework, and perhaps even walking beneath the parapets of Kilkenny Castle (if I get really lucky). 

* * *

If The Wind in the Willows has taught me anything, it's that there's always a push and pull between adventuring and home-craft, longing and contentment, creating tales and retelling them by the fireside. These twin impulses are both beneficial, dependent on each other, and take their turns in the life of every person. Right now I want to go. Sometime later I might want to stay. Both are good. I'm also trying to be fully aware that God may call me to stay right here in the American Southeast, and I gotta be ok with that. Cause at the end of the day, it's not about me or how cool it would be to see a Brisbane sunset. It's really about His kingdom, and serving it through my sketches and failed attempts (and blog posts). Wherever that takes me. 

May you continue to weather these times with grace, courage, and creativity.

-dh

Fall is Here and My Paper has been Written

 Hellooo bloggerfolk!

Been a while, huh? I've been a bit absent for the last few weeks, mainly due to the oppressive dread of having to write a 3000 word paper on religious philosophy. Usually I don't mind the fact that Lipscomb is not an art school, which means I have to take a decent amount of non-animation classes. But this semester I stumbled into senior level philosophy class and it has been a bit much to handle, especially because every minute I spend on it is time I'm not spending on my thesis film... which is pretty frustrating. I also haven't had to write a paper this long since high school, and just like high school the weeks leading up to writing the paper have been filled with procrastination, dread, and what feels like too many things to balance. Not gonna lie - I've had a kinda low last few weeks while I've been trying to get this paper written while still creating new work for thesis, and maintaining a social life. I've tried to make the best of it, using the paper as an excuse for me to read Madeleine L'Engle's Walking on Water (definitely worth a read, by the way!) But I can't escape the fact that it's just a massive amount of work to do for what is my lowest priority class. HOWEVER yesterday I finished the rough draft of this dumb-butt paper and I'm ready to have my life and time back again. And ready to write about things that don't require Chicago-style citations. 

Like Fall! Which is here in Nashville and it is Glorious. I had forgotten the joy of watching maple trees fade in soft gradients of yellow-green to burning orange. Oftentimes you can find me gazing up from beneath their branches and trying to take moody photos with my Iphone camera. As my time spent in the animation lab grows greater I frequently break it up by taking a walk on my traditional loop around Crisman, where most of the best trees are visible (catch me there, Lipscomb friends).

moody

I'm still (just barely) finding time to keep up my CDC contributions - September's was Aztec Warrior and since most of the entries were tending toward the strong, muscle-y, and/or sexy, I decided to go in a direction that was... not any of that. I was also inspired by an illustration of the typical Aztec foot soldier who only wears a padded cloth shirt and loincloth, which seems like not a whole lot of protection. Since I've been studying Anna Scott this past month I tried to channel a bunch of that research into the design, really getting funky with the stylization of the hands and feet (which are probably my favorite part of the piece). As usual, rendering was heck but after SEVERAL failed attempts I got to this place, which I was pretty happy with:

It didn't really make a splash on the Facebook group, but I don't do this for the glory (well not in my better moments, anyways). Next month is Yokai and Kami, which should be an easy one for me, but I'm feeling particularly uninspired after seeing Stasya Sher's entry which is everything I would have wanted to do, and she went ahead and done did it! 

more fall photos as a not so subtle transition into an unrelated topic

On an unrelated note, I've picked back up my hobby of being worried/excited about the future! I had actually kind of put it down for a while following a pretty harsh (yet needed and informative) portfolio review that happened to coincide with a growing sense of general disillusionment. Recently I've just felt a little burned out when it comes to my prospects of getting (and maybe even enjoying) a job at a major studio, and especially the idea of living in LA. And I think I've also grown more comfortable with the idea of doing animation just for the joy of it, and the art of it, rather than as a fanboy doing animation on a specific show/studio that I really love (though honestly that would still be most preferable). I'm also at a time in my art journey where I love to experiment, to do storyboarding AND prop design, and I'm not sure I want to get pigeonholed so quickly into doing only one kind of thing (which is usually the case at a large studio). Funny how as I get closer to working at a studio and actually Doing the Thing my feelings become more complicated and my heart a little more jaded - but I guess that's only to be expected :P I think it's also a result of me looking for work in the wrong places. A recent talk with Max Ulichney in Portfolio Dev class really opened my eyes to the benefits of smaller, less corporate studios which I think could be a good fit for my interests, and offer a greater range of places to live post-grad. In particular, Ludo Studio and Cartoon Saloon have been dazzling me with their recent work (so excited for Wolfwalkers BTW) and would offer the chance to live abroad which I think would be just so cool. And so now I'm excited to apply again! Which is a welcome change of pace since these applications take a lot of energy and time and emotional fortitude as you stare that oncoming wave of rejections in the face. But I shall stare nonetheless. 

I wish I had the time to talk more about art and less about me on this blog (a masterful balance that Nicholas Kole achieves on his blogspot) but honestly this thing is mostly my journal and after a month-long absence I just have some life-stuff I need to log first. This blog helps me remember how I felt at different points in my art journey, and I think it's good for me to remember being a somewhat jaded, rather unsure senior during covid-times. Maybe I'll look back someday and laugh. Hah! 

As always, thanks for reading this blog and staying involved with my art journey - glad to have you along for the ride and I'm excited to see where this crazy thing is gonna go :)

May you continue to weather these times with grace, courage, and creativity!

-dh

Music Recommendation: FALL JAZZ. It's like Christmas music, but for fall. I had no idea there were so many jazz songs about fall. Or that "Autumn Leaves" had lyrics. Good music for warm colors and cold rains. I've been using this playlist here-

Last First Day (of school) Ever!

Hi all!

No art to post today, just wanted to write a little something to mark the occasion - it's my last first day of school ever! Senior year has begun, and I'm off to a roaring start with ... just one class to attend today. Just like everything else this year my class schedule is a bit wonky - with three of my classes meeting only once a week, this semester is gonna require a lot of discipline in order to stay on track and make good use of the numerous and lengthy plots of free time I expect to find dotted across my schedule. 

But I do have art on the way! I've been working on this month's Character Design Challenge while not working move-in shifts and I think she's almost done! The prompt this month was "animal skatepark" - after last month's disappointing/challenging fairy prompt, I felt like they were really throwing me a bone with this one. Speaking of that fairy prompt... I don't think I ever posted it here! So ha - we DO have art to post today!

Anyways, animal characters are much more my cup of tea. I've even been getting some help from John Loren (resident jellybots discord teacher and paint-over master) who helped a ton with my dino rider design a couple months back. Should be good!

So far school's going fine (thanks for asking!) but it's really too early to tell. Unfortunately covid has taken a lot of the oomph out of the celebratory start of the year but we're hanging in there and actually going to class! Which, in this crazy world, is kinda a Big Deal. And in RA meeting tonight we had a words of affirmation session which was just what the doctor ordered after a long and very draining move-in week. So I'm feeling a little warm and fuzzy right now, and full of cheap Monday-night tacos. Not a bad way to start a year! 

To my fellow students, best of luck! May you continue to weather these times with grace, courage, and creativity.

-dh

Good Boy Richard

At last year's Five Minute Film Festival I made a public promise that I would return with something, big or small, to show next year. I had no idea what that would be, and despite my grandiose plans for a junior year film (currently not a thing at Lipscomb) I expected to turn in some ramshackle joke of a film animated over a couple weekends. I could not have guessed that it would be my Storyboarding 2 final, brought to life by a team of close friends, with full background art and some of the best animation in the program so far. And I also couldn't have expected that the same festival, with the reserved tables (coveted) and awards speeches (joyous), would be transformed by a global pandemic.

Richard's production cycle has been full of highs and lows, and challenges from an artistic and organizational standpoint. I'm thankful we had so much time to work together in person, yet we did finish this film remotely, from several different states! And now it's out there in the world, on Youtube and Vimeo! I hope it brings you a laugh and smile. And it's an honor to be nominated alongside Sam Abner and Joel Guthrie, two of my biggest friend/mentors and actual geniuses. Whoever wins tonight, it's gonna be a great show.

I'll probably be posting some behind the scenes stuff over the next few weeks but as for now, here's the film! Hope you enjoy it, and please share it if you do! I'm praying that this film will be seen by the right people, and you and your friends may be just that!

Stay safe, and watch out for dogs with knives.

-dh

THE MARCH 4 ROUNDUP: yee haw

Hey bloggerfolk! 

Been a while since I visited the Roost. Looks like I'm going to average about a post a month this year, and that's ok. As long as that pace is due a good kind of busy-ness rather than just slothfulness. And boy have I been busy! But since the functional animation lab on campus is currently an asbestos danger zone (one of the not-fun parts of sharing space in a 50+ year-old science building) and the cintiqs in the other lab (yes, we now have two labs!) are more buggy than an ant farm, it seems as good a time as any to stay in my room and write. Since last post was a nice venture into the philosophical, this one will probably be more life update-y and art share-y! 

First - I may have mentioned before that I'm directing a short film now?! So exciting. It's based on my storyboarding final from last semester which you can check over on that Storyboard Portfolio tab. Since my end goal dream job would be showrunning for TV, it's been a great experience to lead a team and make some cartoons. While learning to cope with a TV-length production schedule! And by that I mean that it is SHORT. We're going from storyboards to final film in about 2.5 months, to meet our nearly divine mandate to finish it for the 5 Minute Film Festival here on campus. It's been great to see the team really rally and make some amazing stuff: Aedan Peterson crushed it on the background art, and Jon/Joel/Hayley E./Lorna have been making some incredible animation. It's the first time I've seen my boards transformed into something bigger and better and it's amazing to watch! It's also incredibly humbling because I feel like most of my non-directorial contributions aren't measuring up at the moment. I've been trying to animate this one shot for the past couple weeks and am feeling super rusty :( I think this whole thing is also causing me a lot of background anxiety?? I just get this gross feeling in my stomach sometimes and I don't really know why. But I think it's because I want to make this film really good and really on time and those things don't always go hand in hand. But we will do it! And I will recover my animation mojo! And you will see this film on March 26th! I'll probably tease it on Instagram pretty soon but since you guys read the blog you're getting this info first!

Overall the semester has been really frontloaded and March is the time when things will finally start to wrap up. I already wrapped on a month long comic coloring gig (I'm doing freelance now! Yay :D) I'm nearing the end of internship applications - really hoping/praying for the best this summer. And as I mentioned earlier the short film will be complete by the end of the month too. I'm looking forward to having time for my other classes again and actually being able to do some meaningful work on my senior film independent study. I've discovered that one man cannot serve two short film masters and so my senior film has been unfortunately pushed to the backburner... 

Over the past few months I've gone into survival/going through the motions zone to get stuff done and it's not been particularly fun. I'm not opposed to a solid routine, but it's hard to make those special college memories when your weekends are filled with internship apps and long hours in the lab... But perhaps this is a season of preparation so that I can have some really cool experiences this April and beyond. Cause I can't get an internship without applying. And I can't get a short film without months of work :P And perhaps this glum pre-spring time is the perfect opportunity to get that kinda stuff knocked out. And the end of the tunnel will be here soon enough. 

Some good news - I'll doing some official stuff for Zeldathon! (That's a dream list item, in case you forgot). They put out a call for artists a few weeks ago and they like my stuff, so I'll be making a few pieces for them that you can win if you donate! I'm very excited. 

I'm now an official "Featherhead" which means I'm officially approved to talk to anyone and everyone about the upcoming re-release of The Wingfeather Saga. The new edition of the book series features the work of two of my favorite illustrators (Joe Sutphin and Nicholas Kole) supporting the epic tale told by Andrew Peterson. My feathers were initially a little ruffled by having a childhood favorite get such a significant update (I'm rather nostalgic for the old look) but after seeing the new books in person I think it's for the best! So if you like fantasy, fangs, and getting emotionally invested in the lives of characters then check it out! It's a great read aloud book if you've got a family or another group of people that you read to. And it's a great brothers story! Which means I CRY.

Also this past weekend was our big guest speaker weekend for the semester, featuring animator/showrunner Bruce W. Smith! His Friday night talk was very lively and full of great stories - he kept having to censor them due to there being "kids in the audience" which made the stories even more mysterious since we couldn't have all the details... As animation director on Space Jam he had a lot of fascinating stories about the basketball players who were on set and his infamous match with Michael Jordan. 

bruce smith

A couple days before Bruce's visit, Professor Tom had offered us the chance to get our drawings critiqued by Bruce if we did a character design based on a certain prompt. The prompt was something about a 35-year-old bartender who was losing his edge but still thought he's "got it." This was a kinda awkward prompt since I don't think 35 is really that old and also because Lipscomb students shouldn't be very familiar with bartenders (no student is supposed to drink here. No matter your age.) But I still wanted to get my drawing in front of Bruce. So I gave it a shot! ;) I tried to do a human at first but was getting frustrated with the design/pose. And I wasn't having fun. So I hopped back into my fun comfort zone and drew an animal character! I was looking a lot a James Wood's stuff here, and his spontaneous sense of linework - something I've been trying to work on since my final lines often look very dead. 

At the Saturday workshop this drawing was on screen for approximately 20 seconds. :( Most of the drawings did not get a critique (not really sure why). And mine was one of those drawings. BUT when it was flashed on screen the crowd reaction was great! And Bruce commented that he liked it. So critique accomplished? Regardless, it's given me more courage to do these kind of quick designs for the Character Design Challenge (CDC) and really get some non-fanart work out into the world. On Sunday night I was even able to get jammin' and finish a piece for Februrary's CDC which I'm really proud of! But I'm not going to post it here yet - sorry for the tease :P

Nashville actually just got hit by a major tornado two nights ago and it feels weird posting my stock of light-hearted fun-times art when social media is appropriately mourning the destruction that's happened across our fair city. I'm ok, Lipscomb's fine, and today was a beautiful spring day. But there's a lot of photos on the news that are quite sobering - including the damage to a favorite hangout spot, the Soda Parlor. And one of our dear animation professors, Eric Stars, was near the worst of the storm and while his house is ok, he's still having to sort through a lot of other details. It's just not something you ever expect to happen, even though we usually have at least one tornado warning each spring. 

So stay safe, bloggerfolk! And stay inspired! I'll be back soon with that Character Design Challenge post I promised, but until then I wish you strength for your daily struggles and victories. 

-dh



Music Rec: 
Louie Zong just released his jazz album which I've been looking forward to for a long time. I don't know enough about music to really say what it's about but... it's got all the good and complex jazz stuff with the unique Louie instrumentation that updates it for a geek like me. Hope that makes sense :P

Break out More Root Beer, It's Time for the Best of 2019

WE DID IT GUYS. 

A whole year, right here at the Roost. It just seems so wild that there's now going to be two years to choose from when you look at that little archive section in the sidebar - there really is nothing like the very specific joys of a blogspot blogger :) I ended up writing a lot more last year than I expected to, and it always warms my heart when someone tells me they're a reader. Even with Google Analytics I still have no idea if/what people are visiting this little corner of the internet. But I'm glad you're here now, and if you're a longtime Roost-er then you know what you're in for: at least two articles where I reflect and prospect, prompted by our planet's great decision to orbit the sun at least one more time. (Also when I say "this year" in this post I mean 2019, I meant to write this yesterday and I'm still not in the 2020 mindset yet, sorry :P)

. . .

I've been savoring Christmas music in the dwindling moments that it seems appropriate while re-reading some of my first posts from this blog to remind myself where I was last year. As usual, it's crazy how much things change. When looking back on 2018's Best Of, it seems like I had just made a ton of discoveries when it came to my art, and was yearning to have the skills to fully realize the potential I was beginning to feel. I also seem really ... tired? Now in 2020, I feel (somewhat) more settled in what I like and want to do art-wise, and have just finished what were likely my two most relaxed semesters of college I will ever have. I've hit some real high points in my art, gone from 0 to two semesters worth of storyboarding knowledge, and met a bunch of new friends.  

But it's also delightful (and perhaps more enlightening) to see which things stick around: the art of Louie Zong & Nicholas Kole, good ol' friends (you know who you are), over-listening to the Cuphead soundtrack, drawing animals, - as much as I hope to grow and explore, I never want to forget where home is and who I am. And it looks like I am someone who likes drawing animals while listening to jazz. How I got that in the identity lottery I will never know :P

One of the biggest things I've noticed when I look back at my art from this year is I drew A LOT of fanart. This began as an intentional thing to motivate myself to do more personal work (and perhaps get official work drawing such characters) but maybe it's gotten a little bit out of control?? I just did a long post about this pretty recently, so I won't risk boring you by discussing it here, but not until writing this post did I realize how fanart has been a consistent theme throughout this whole year. I think it's because there was just a lot of shows and things that I got really excited about this year. Things that captured my imagination and needed some homage. I played Breath of the Wild for the first time during spring break which sparked a major Ghibli/Zelda phase that I hope will come around again in 2020. I already plan on playing through Breath of the Wild again in the new year - that game is just so good and may just join The Wind in the Willows in my annual "to do" list. Cartoon Network and Disney TVA's lineups were both pretty strong this year, but nothing caught my attention (and heart) quite like Ludo Studio's Bluey. It's so good on so many levels -  the art is bright and chunky, the writing & acting smart and gentle - it's a preschool show but so unlike any I've seen. And it's one of the few shows for kids where the parent characters are just as fun and interesting to watch - I'd argue that the show is nearly as much about the dad as it is about its 6-year-old title character. As a 21 year old who's largely forgotten what it's like to be a kid or even be around young kids, this show was a timely reminder of childhood. Which I'd say was sorely needed. And so - fanart! Which turned out to be some of my favorite pieces of the year. And surprisingly popular too - reaching over 618 likes and 125 retweets on Twitter, far and away the largest reach one of my pieces has ever had. And I've just realized that I never posted them here on the Roost! So ... Presenting Bluey!

bandit (dad) and bluey

chili (mum) and bingo

Over the summer I drew a ton of Zelda art to celebrate Zeldathon, but this was also the time when I did the most original vis dev work - I did a batch of prop designs for my portfolio which were the fan favorite during reviews at Lightbox. But summer was kinda a mixed bag and felt overshadowed by the loss of an internship (which you can read about here). I didn't get studio experience, or make as much personal art as I was hoping, but still stuff happened. I drew pumpkins and a bunch of horses, and a family sailing trip sparked some of nautical work that I'm still proud of seven months later. Please pray that something exciting and preferably animation related gets worked out for summer 2020, and if you work for a studio (especially CS) send me an email! I'm ready to INTERN!!

I hit a major breakthrough this fall when I was shown the art of Saira Vargas by one of the freshmen - Saira's work is just so wonderful and displays so elegantly what I was already trying to do with my art: a delicate balance of lines and shape, sense of dynamism, simple and yet profound. Stuff I'd already been experimenting with before (especially in my Bluey fanarts), but here modeled in their fullest extent. It was like I had been smashing together eggs and apples and butter but Saira was actually making an apple pie. And the great thing is that all Saira's principles blended really well with the things I liked about other artists, like Steven Sugar and Nick Kole. As well as a new favorite from this spring, Sabine Belofsky, whose draftsmanship and unique method of digital rendering (almost colored pencil-esque) is also Very Cool. So basically, all my recent art has been looking very Vargas-y and I'm wondering if that's going to stick around or evolve over the coming months. I've always worn my inspirations very proudly on my sleeve and am just waiting for someone to call me out on it - or maybe that's just ok? I've also been wondering recently if my art is and forever will look distinctly 2010's - it's the decade that has shaped my sensibilities for sure and yet hopefully my style still find work in 2040. Though if God has been faithful in the 2010s (yes) I'm sure He'll still be faithful in the 2040s (future yes). 

At school this year I learned a bunch of CG (computer graphics) animation and a bunch of Storyboarding - my fall semester was basically an advanced version of my spring semester. The only difference being I got to take Animation History in the spring with Tim Hodge, who is an animation trivia expert. I love to geek out about animation (clearly) so this was a really fun class! Tim also taught Storyboarding which were my other favorite classes. Storyboarding is what I thought I wanted to do when I came to Lipscomb and so it was kinda a relief to know that I can do it, and do it decently! I just ... really like screen composition and could go full-bore in this class setting up thirds and sweeping lines and symbolism - nothing like the very specific joys of a visual composition nerd. Storyboarding is also (to me) the fun parts of everything else that I like to do, like animation and background design, without the hard part of actually animating or designing a background. And it was especially cool that we had Natalie Nourigat, Disney storyboarder, on campus this spring to talk more about the whole thing.

And of course there's still more to talk about, but to speed things up here's a bullet list of some 2019 moments that didn't fit neatly into a paragraph:

• Made my first true portfolio
• Applied to internships for the first time
• Was offered first animation internship
• Was not able to actually go on first animation internship
• Grandma moved out of her incredibly nostalgic and familiar home
• Childhood dog (Honey) died
• Joined Nicholas Kole's Jellybots Patreon Crew
• LIGHTBOX CONFERENCE! (Where I met several of the Jellybots Patreon Crew)
• First time in California
• Set foot in Disney Animation Studios
• One year at the Roost - I said it once but I'll say it again
• Lipscomb Life Drawing Club is STILL HAPPENING and now has co-leaders
• Gave my first demo/lecture (on Photoshop)
• My hair is the longest it has ever been
• Had a fantastic Easter
• Became an RA
• Started lifting weights
• Started drawing the therapy dogs that come to Lipscomb
• Made official art for Lipscomb/recommended for first freelance jobs

And although I've already talked a bunch about my favorite media from the year, here's some that made an impact on me (disclaimer: not all were released in 2019)

Games: Breath of the Wild

Movies: So many of the big movies I watched this year (Endgame, Rise of Skywalker) were almost 100% spectacle and fanservice meaning I had an awesome time in the theater but not much to say after that. Knives Out was probably the best all-around movie I saw. 

TV: Bluey, Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart, Amphibia, Craig of the Creek

And no discussion of 2019 would be complete without a mention of the decade that brought us to this point - and what a decade that was for me! In 2010 I was 11. 11! I tried to find some art from as far back in the decade as I could manage - but to be honest, I wasn't drawing a whole lot at age 11. Or 12. My decision to pursue art has been a fairly recent one and a choice that surprised even my parents. Therefore it's been a constant worry of mine whether I'm meant to be an animation fan or an animation artist - but I'm figuring out the answer a bit more with each coming year. Nevertheless, I still drew before I decided to seriously involve myself with the cartoon business. Here's a page from the earliest sketchbook I can find, from 2012:

And here's when I started to learn from how-to books in 2013:

oh no.

I started my art education by drawing bad anime and furries - basically emerging from the primordial soup of cringe. But it got me drawing. And I feel like I've been at least somewhat reformed since then... I hope. 

Some of my favorite memories as a tween/teenager (especially in middle and early high school) were when my parents would go out on a date night leaving my brother and I to eat whatever we wanted and watch Cartoon Network on the couch until Adult Swim would come on - I think those nights were what really motivated me to become an animation artist. It was just a really special time to be watching Cartoon Network. I remember watching live the first episodes of Adventure Time and Regular Show, the pilot of Steven Universe, and the week of Over the Garden Wall - there was just so many good things that aired in the 2010s. I think Steven Universe more than anything made me want to get into animation - to draw a show that had that kind of style, and story, and music - it just felt like a real turning point for me. And of course I didn't just watch TV during the 2010s - I got my own dog, went from homeschool to a 5-day-a-week classical school, met my first true mentors, read more great literature then I will probably read for the rest of my life, went to prom, Yellowstone, Alaska, and Africa, trick-or-treated every year until college, graduated high school, chose animation, chose Lipscomb, and reconnected with my Nashville roots. This decade has been one of change and growth, but God's been there all the while. It's so incredibly provident that I ended up at Lipscomb, and I'm really praying that the next places God puts me will be similarly auspicious. To bring this much-too-long post to a close, here's the last art of the decade, as a benchmark:

I wish all of y'all the best and most thankful 2020! I'm excited to dive into the new year - really hoping for some big improvement in my art, renewed friendships, and an internship. This really feels like my big year to prepare before I launch out into the world in 2021 so there's no time to waste! But perhaps enough time for walks and pipes and kindness. 

If there's a way I could pray for your 2020, let me know at dannyhaycox@gmail.com. And pray for me! Cause I am going to need it. 

Thanks for sticking around, bloggerfolk. INTO THE TWENTIES WE GO
-dh

friends.