Frog Lady

 I'm back! And the semester is over! Thank goodness!

Or in particular, Philosophy of Religion is over! The day I turned in my final paper was one of much rejoicing, ice cream, and dancing. I also got very close to burning all my class handouts in our dorm's firepit. Then I realized that a student burning academic papers in broad daylight would probably not be a great look for the university. So I decided to refrain from that. Anyways, in an act of God's grace I somehow got a 93 on the paper, and my thoughts were able to turn toward more pleasant activities. Like gift exchanges! And smoking pipes with friends! And drawing tigers at the zoo!

When drawing at the zoo it often comes down to finding the right combination of materials that feel comfortable that day. I usually juggle pencils and pens and the Pad until something feels right, and then the drawings typically end up better. Fortunately, I can usually figure that out by the time I get to the tiger exhibit, and extra fortunately the tiger was right next to the glass both times I visited! I don't know exactly what inspired it, but this time I felt drawn to thick ink lines with a limited selection of colors underneath. I would begin by scratching the surface lightly with the brush for the undersketch, then build up to thicker lines as more of the drawing was completed. Even though this was all done with an ink brush (Jingsketch's Thin Ink), I made full use of the eraser (a big reason why I enjoy digital "inks" more than traditional ones). Anyways, these were fun to do and it was fun to be so close to a big cat while drawing. 

But enough about tertiary stuff. You've read the title, and you've put up with my excessively long introduction for too long. It's time for Frog Lady.

I actually made this piece a few weeks back but didn't post it because Instragram crippled their hashtag system for a frustratingly long time following the election. But now that hashtags are back to normal (as probably the only thing that will be "back to normal" during 2020) I've started to resume my usual posting schedule to get some art back out there! This happened to coincide nicely with the season finale of The Mandalorian, and so I wrote up my best attempt at a humorous caption and sent my version of the froggy lady out into the world. And as it turns out, there are a lot of frog lady fans out there! I had assumed this was a pretty niche favorite character to have (and she is my favorite Star Wars character, honestly) but I guess her charming practical effects, adorable little gestures, and irrepressible commitment to her family have universal appeal. So far, she is my most popular post and the closest I've come to "trending" or "viral." She reached the #2 spot on #starwars (screenshotted that for the scrapbook) and received sustained attention for about 2 whole days (much longer than the typical 8 hour life cycle for an Insta post). And the greatest honor was that Frog Lady herself (well, the actress who played her) saw the post and had kind things to say about it!

With a post doing this well, it gave me a lot to think about. When you post art online, this is the sort of thing you always hope will happen. I spend hours, often days on pieces that end up feeling like they had very little impact at all, and are barely seen even by my core audience. I use Instagram too, and I know how fast people zoom by incredible pieces of art because I do it myself, often. So when a post makes a slightly larger splash than usual, it can be really exciting. Every new follower is a jolt of dopamine. You watch the numbers tick up and hope the ball keeps rolling. I didn't even touch the post for a couple days for fear of messing up the algorithm. 

Is this what being a "big artist" feels like?

Cause I'm not so sure I like it. I treat Instagram pretty personally, and I care about the people who follow me. That means I try to respond to every comment I can think of an interesting reply to. When I get new followers, I want to welcome them and give them a chance to get to know me and my art. This takes time, usually a manageable amount, but when a post reaches this level it can take more time than I really want to give. If my posts were to do this well consistently, then I fear I would be forced to decide to engage less overall or spend even more time doing things that are not-art. When it came to followers, I've only been thinking about quantity. But now I'm starting to see the value of quality.

I appreciate that so many of my followers are people who care. People who comment on nearly every one of my posts. People who put up with weeks of inactivity on my part. I see you guys, and I'm thankful for you. It seems much more optimal to have a community like this, who is real and engaged and understanding, than a huge community that is largely apathetic towards what I seek to make. This post also comes in the wake of Instagram making some greedy algorithmic decisions, which have been weighing on me as Instagram is my main way of interacting with my online community. It seems more challenging than ever to be seen by potential new followers or even the ones you already have. And in addition to pleasing the masses, you must also please the developers/algorithm who somehow manage to be even more fickle. The path they promise to social media popularity seems ever changing, and ultimately detrimental to both creators and consumers. It trends toward frequent, short-lived, and banal content that tends to waste people's time.

That is not what I want to make. I want to make things that are good and beautiful. And if it comes at the cost of a smaller community who also cares about what is good and beautiful, I think that is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. 

Anyways that's what I felt after posting Frog Lady haha! Always in for a fun time at the Roost, aren't ya? This was a long one, and likely one of the final posts of the year unless I return for my customary Christmas Eve post. We aren't doing our usual double church service marathon with a Jason's Deli stop in the middle (it's gonna be a strange Eve for sure) so I'll probably have more time to write something up. I've also started working on my usual year-end post but since I can barely remember February, it may take a while to finish it. Hope to see you then! And on Instagram, despite it all. 

Thanks for being a part of this community with me. :)

-dh

How to Use Your Last Moments of Freedom Before Submitting to the Animation Overlords: Preparing for Art School

Hey Roost-ers,

I was talking with a group of prospective students at Lipscomb today and someone asked what they should be doing during the summer to prepare to study animation in the fall. In the moment, I stumbled something out about making sure to practice your drawing so that you can focus on caricature more once you come to school, but my inadequate answer has been haunting me for the rest of the day and I felt like I needed to tell someone a more complete answer to this query. And if you're reading this, I guess it happens to be you. I hope it's applicable, or if you know someone who's preparing to go to art school, feel free to send this post to them. Of course, I'm perhaps not the best person to ask, but this is the Internet and I can SAY THINGS I'M NOT QUALIFIED TO TALK ABOUT GERSH DERN IT! This is also directed primarily at people who have already been accepted to a college or are applying to a school like Lipscomb which doesn't require portfolio reviews (though that may be changing soon). You're probably already doing most of these if you have a portfolio good enough for major art schools, and portfolio building is a whole 'nother topic, which I can discuss if you're interested.

Things that I Think Are Good Things to Do During the Summer Before Your Freshman Year at College if You're Pretty Sure You Will Be Studying Animation During Your Freshman Year

or 

Preparing for Animation School

• Work on your drawing and draftsmanship. Richard Williams recounts in The Animator's Survival Kit being told by Richard Kelsey: "First of all, kid, learn to draw. You can always do the animation stuff later." I live by this, and both Winsor McCay and Milt Kahl agree - you can only go so far in any kind of 2D production without having a solid grasp of drawing skills.  Unless you're planning on working mostly in CG, the most important thing I can tell you is draw all the stuff. As I've spent the past year animating, I've been more crippled by my inability to draw the figure from strange perspectives than my ignorance of animation techniques/principles. Even if you think you're good at drawing already (and if you got into CalArts, Sheridan, or Ringling you probably are), there's bound to be something you're not so great at drawing. Work on that. My first assignment at Lipscomb was to do several concepts of a 6 year old girl character, not at all my comfort zone. 
  

Why I did I decide to draw a sick girl? I do not know.

If you draw amazing girl characters, do some angular muscle men. What? You can draw humans of any age, physique, and gender perfectly? Then draw cars. Drawing cars humbles a man. Draw from life. Copy the masters. I started my drawing career only a year or two before coming to college, and if you're in that spot too, then pick up that pencil and get going!
• Give digital art a shot. On a related note, if you have access to a tablet or another way to draw digitally, give it a try. The animation world is heavily digital nowadays and there's a bit of a learning curve to the medium. If you're good with traditional media, this curve will be a little less. Digital art can be overwhelming, but at least get familiar with the idea of layers, clipping masks, and free textured brushes. There's so many different ways to do digital art, but chances are each tutorial will use 2 out of those 3. If you don't have access to digital, look those things up but don't buy a tablet - you'll be given access to one pretty soon when you get to school.
• Listen to animation podcasts. Hearing how other animators got their start will help inspire your own journey and show you that even the best industry artists still had to work hard and deal with rejection in order to get where they are today! It's easy to forget that. I recommend the Jorge Guitierrez or Glen Keane episodes of the Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast or the first episode of the Three Point Perspective Podcast. And Three Point just released an episode specifically about being an art student! I haven't listened to it yet, but I'm pretty sure it's good.
• Buy at least one "art of" book and cherish it. If you want to study animation, chances are you like at least one animated movie. And if that movie was good and/or made within the past 30 years, there's a pretty good chance that the movie was accompanied by a whole book filled with the concept art that helped to make that movie possible. That is an "art of" book, and you should buy it. Art of books are awesome. They're basically my textbooks/bibles when it comes to designs. Need some storyboard reference? I look at Coco. Working on a fur.. I mean anthropomorphic project? I pull out my Zootopia and Madagascar books. Art of books show what is industry standard and what you should try to meet or exceed when it comes to your own work (but don't expect that kind of quality to appear freshman year or perhaps even in college - these guys are pros and they are old) If you need recommendations based on my highly refined personal taste, Zootopia and Over the Garden Wall have nice books. Look for volume of art, artists being credited next to their works, and text describing how they made the thing. 
• See if the school/animation department (or individual animators/artists) have a social media presence. It's a good way to get a vibe of the program and to start those friendships before you even get to school! For Lipscomb it's @lipscombanim. In my experience, most students will follow back if they know you will be coming to campus soon! Don't be a stalker, but you don't have to be a stranger either...
• Don't forget about Daniel Haycox when you're famous and working on cool projects in the animation industry. This step is a good idea! Probably. Just like I'll still be looking for jobs at that point. Probably. "cries"
• Go somewhere or do something new. You can't spend your whole summer doing animation stuff. That's what freshman year is for! If you have the budget to travel, go! I frequently reference specific places I've visited when researching new projects. It doesn't have to be a big or expensive trip, I referenced a neighborhood in my hometown for a recent project. Just something out of your normal path. Meet up with a teacher or mentor and get advice for college. College goes by fast, and you can expect to have only three more summers after this before you don't have summer break anymore!

On that happy note, enjoy graduation and summer. Freshman year can seem scary, but once you get to campus you'll get to meet a bunch of new people (potential friends??) and have a lot of fun. Hold on to that youthful optimism! And feel free to come to the Roost if you need some help. Good luck, and if this helped you, let me know!

-dh