A Little Win :)

Hey! What's that? That piece next to the bear butt? 

IT'S MY ART. 

I'm featured on THE Character Design Challenge Tumblr!!!!! I'm just so blown away right now. It's just crazy to see something of mine up there in between so many heavy hitters! The little capybara that could. I'm so proud of her :)

I feel like I'm frequently seeking validation of my art skills. And even though I try to toughen my skin, every internship rejection and Character Design Challenge loss (that Fenrir piece lost btw) still hurts and reminds me of how far I have to go in my art journey. That I'm just not good enough yet. That I'm not to the point where I can consistently make professional or remarkable work. But then something like this happens! And I'm not saying that this little win proves that I'm some great artist or am industry level yet, but it is a little win! And I'll take that little win! And share it here on the Roost, as is the custom :)

Hope you're finding those little wins amidst this time of quarantine. 
-dh

The Binding of Fenrir

Hello again! I'm back, and much sooner than you expected, no?

The past few posts here on the Roost have been very much life-updatey, which is totally fine. There is a lot of life stuff going on right now that I feel a great need to set down on digital paper. But I claim to be the proprietor of an art blog, so I think it's time to talk about some art as well! To be honest, talking about the art/philosophy side of things scares me a little bit more, cause it takes more thought and preparation to write, and sometimes I just don't want to put in that kind of effort :P

But today is different. Cause today I have something to show! So let me give you the pitch and origin story for this piece I'm calling The Binding of Fenrir -

It's a little bit more grim than your average Daniel Haycox piece, and perhaps not as grim as it should be (I'm aware of my limitations, somewhat) but I'm pleased to present it to you and to have made a substantial piece of personal work despite being home with the ever-present temptation of the Nintendo Switch. For those wondering, it took about four days of sporadic work.

This piece is my entry in March's Character Design Challenge. For those unfamiliar, the Challenge is an international contest/facebook group where everyone can contribute one design a month based on a particular theme. Although I don't anticipate becoming a character designer someday (many others are much more gifted for that task) the Challenge provides some helpful structure to my personal work and a reason to create other than "just making something cool." Which, ironically, was essentially my motivation for making this piece. I've given up the idea of winning the challenge - I have no idea how they judge this thing, winners are sometimes far better and other times about as good as what I can produce (I'm aware of my limitations, somewhat). But the Challenge nevertheless provides an arena where I can display work in a community, and that is still worthwhile in my book :)

The Challenge theme for this month was Norse Gods - which I was excited to try. Despite my familiarity with the myths, I don't think I've ever actually drawn one. Due to my recent study of Anna Scott's work and canines (seriously, I'm working on an uncommon amount of dog projects right now) you probably could have guessed that I wanted to do a take on Fenrir, the monstrous wolf doomed to gobble up Odin and be A Pretty Big Deal In General during Ragnarok. But I wanted to depict him at his lowest moment, when he's finally bound by the gods using the magic ribbon Gleipnir. It's this really cool contrast between a delicate, unassuming ribbon that's holding back the strongest, baddest monster. And although that's where I began, the emotional element of the piece started to become about betrayal. Even though Fenrir probably would have eaten Odin anyways (that's the problem with prophecies) I imagine that the gods' betrayal and treachery is actually what cemented the badness in Fenrir's heart. This idea runs through Neil Gaiman's telling of the myth, which I referenced a lot while making this piece. Although the story should be a moment of triumph over a monster, Gaiman's telling is pervaded by sadness, especially because he builds up a friendship between the god Tyr and Fenrir. (That's Tyr's hand in Fenrir's mouth btw. Hard to recover from something like that.)

There were several things about Gaiman's telling that I could not use, and I took significant artistic license in general when concepting the piece. For one, Gaiman describes the ribbon as nearly invisible, which would obviously not be a great pick for a visual representation. I chose a light pink ribbon instead because it more directly communicated the delicate idea I was going for. Also, Fenrir should have been bound into the ground, not hung, but I felt like the hanging symbolized Fenrir's helplessness in this moment a bit better.

And from there I was off to the races! And by that I mean the incredibly daunting task that is Making the Thing. I tried to find some sad music to listen to while I drew, but my music taste is so incredibly upbeat that the closest thing I could find in any of my playlists was Jess Ray's "Humble Heart." So I listened to that a couple times and then just tried to make do with other stuff.

I've been in an interesting place with regards to style recently, and I wanted this piece to be a real step forward into something new. I've been most influenced by Saira Vargas recently which has been a huge help to my art, but also leaves me feeling like I ought to branch out and do more detailed, rendered work. So I've been studying Anna Scott, who has such a natural sense of detail and texture without losing simplicity. In particular she has these glorious wolf characters with such rich and subtle hair textures - which you may very likely see some callbacks to in this piece.

The problem is that rendering terrifies me. I don't really know how to do it, and I'm worried about over-doing it. I also like knowing if the piece is going to work pretty early into the process, which is actually doable when working very simply. But rendering pushes that "yes, we're not gonna die" moment later into the process which is very uncomfy. But I can't stay in the boiled down, simplified zone forever. Time to move. So this piece ended up becoming a fusion of Kole, Vargas, and Scott influences, which hopefully produced something very Haycox by the end - but you'll be the best judge of that. I've prepared a couple graphs to show what I mean:

It also does this:

Which maaay prove a problem as I try to enter the industry. I just love the simplicity of TV and the richness of feature design! And perhaps in personal work like this I don't need to try to fit myself into one of the two hirable boxes, but just explore a little and figure out what the Haycox style should look like. And draw some wolves with dude's hands in their mouths. Cause I guess that's what I do now. That's my brand. 

Just kidding. Style's a weird thing, and the best metaphor I've found for it comes from a Nicholas Kole interview in Character Design Quarterly:

"I like to think of artistic style in the same way as dress-sense: with clothes, you give yourself permission to go through phases. You might try new looks as your tastes change, and shed old age-inappropriate items as you grow. All the while there will be colors, cuts, and looks that you continually gravitate towards even as things change, things you just know feel 'like you.'"

I think about this a lot when it comes to discussions of my style or others', and hopefully it's a helpful metaphor for you too! A lot of people stress about style but if you see it as something natural and already a part of you, then you can focus more on nurturing and growing it without a big sense of urgency. Also, Nicholas, if you read this blog, let me know and I'll try to avoid so many fanboy moments in the future :P That's one of the problems with writing for the internet... you just have no idea where this stuff lands! 

Hope this post finds you well, weathering these times with grace, courage, and creativity.

-dh

P.S. Comments should be working now on this blog, let me know if y'all run into more issues. 

Experimenting with Leisure

Hello from NC! How's quarantine treating you, bloggerfolk? 

As for me, I have not left the house for over a week now (not counting walks/runs). A fact that I only realized today. After 9 days. And while I'm still sorting through what this means about my general lifestyle, I figured now was as good a time as any to describe and vivid and thrilling detail everything I've been doing while I've been sitting on my butt at home. 

Before I had given my days entirely over to Instagram and Animal Crossing (more on that later) I was fortunate to come across Joshua Gibbs' series of coronavirus writings which have proved a helpful guide to figure out what to do with all this time. As an enthusiastic planner as well as a social media glutton, I tend to alternate between two lifestyles while on break - full busy-ness or total slothfulness. Gibbs suggests something different for these differing times: "to experiment with leisure." By this he refers to leisure in the classical sense, i.e. anything that doesn't directly relate to our human survival. It's a wide category, including some things we may think of as work: challenging reading, making pastries, understanding classical music. Not all leisure activities are created equal - it's easy to see how some activities waste time while others are genuinely profitable without actually being "work." Usually I (and I would assume many others) are too tired from long workdays to care about the profitability of leisure time. But now with such an excess, we have space to experiment, and to find some sort of sound investment while we're banned from monetary work. 

I for sure haven't been doing this perfectly - I've spent more time more time on Twitter than I care to relate (mostly due to Animal Crossing, more on that later). But I have been making good headway into The Two Towers and even dabbling in a bit of coding in addition to personal art pieces. Being house-bound makes me even more excited to go walk or run, or sit in the sunny front lawn. And unlike times of pure business or abject slothfulness, the days pass by slowly. I think this has been the longest week I have experienced in a long while, and I mean that in a good way. 

And then there's been Animal Crossing. After seeing what a phenomena it's become amongst nearly all my friendgroups, circles, and the nerd/animation world in general, I had to join in. A perceptive Twitter user has pointed out that it's basically the reverse of the Pokemon Go trend from a few years ago: instead of everyone going out to play together, now everyone's staying in to play "together." I've never played an Animal Crossing game before, but I feel like New Horizons has been a great place to start. And the game could not have come out at a better time. The game has a huge multiplayer element and visiting friends is easy and well integrated into the game. Meanwhile, visiting friends in real life is practically illegal. Even though going to visit a friend's AC island pales in comparison to the experience of visiting a friend's physical house, it feels somehow similar. There's even an element of hospitality, at least to me. I'm excited to prepare my island to be a fun and welcoming space for visitors, and even fell a bit embarrassed when visitors come before I've tidied up.

blathers, the adorable, yet bug despising animal crossing villager

It's been a nice opportunity to practice hospitality in a time when I don't own a house (not to mention the state of the world). I also love how the game is like a tiny little garden that I can tend and grow, all in its own little space. My main hesitancy with giving this game too much praise is that it is not nearly as worthwhile, or difficult, as real gardening or hospitality, but I do enjoy being able to do both in a low-cost and simplified setting. So could it be a way to be faithful in little, faithful in much? Or did I just take that scripture way out of context by applying it to a Nintendo game? I'll leave that for you to decide ;) 

Before I go, I wanted to take the opportunity to post a few pictures of my trip to Black Mountain from way back when I still thought I would be returning to campus after break ... ah, those sweet, ignorant times... I was wanting to make a full post out of it but I'm not sure I'd have enough to say. It was a good trip with great people, staying in a beautiful place and hiking everyday. But as the purpose was primarily restful and leisurely, I don't think I have much in the way of epiphany to report here. But I do have these photos, so you are going to see these photos, and you are going to like these photos, cause this is the ROOST and you didn't come hear to learn about the stock market, you came here to see these photos!

 from left-ish to bottom-ish: aedan peterson, sam abner, joel guthrie

 tried not to feel too much like smeagol as i scampered behind this waterfall

lookout vista views

I think that's about it for now - I should have a new post coming soon with this month's Character Design Challenge, but I need to obsessively check it a few more times to make sure it's perfect. Hope you all are weathering this time with grace and kindness and courage. 

Thanks for reading :)

-dh

So Long, Junior Year

hello, summer? weird spring?

So they announced it today - school is cancelled. And not only that, but I've got to move out! And soon! I've been using my RA powers to hide out in my room over break, but Lipscomb's really taking a strict stance (warranted) and they want everybody outta here. And since I don't want to drive 7 hours back to Nash to get my stuff later, I'm just taking it all now.

It's all kinda ironic cause I just got back from a trip with some friends (related blog post coming shortly), had just bought some groceries and was ready to hunker down with some Zelda for the remainder of our Super Break. But this has just been the craziest time and twists like these are probably gonna keep happening until this virus gets the heck outta here.

Of course, school isn't really cancelled - we'll still have online classes. And junior year isn't really over.

But it does kinda feel that way.

I won't have access to lab equipment and software for the rest of the semester, so I don't know how much work I can be asked/expected to do... And I won't be able to hang out with college friends, or perhaps friends in general cause we will all be social distancing. And this will be my last night in my cozy little dorm room underneath my Princess Mononoke poster. I've really liked having a room to myself this year and I'll be very sad to leave this homely place...

But tonight we feast! Eat frozen pizza and drink copious amounts of marble soda! And make mug-cakes! As of now I have packed exactly one box and have already started procrastinating by writing this Roost post and taking pictures of my room. (sorry mom) I'm definitely bummed by the way things have turned out, but I've slowly been making peace and finding moments of joy along the way... Plus this turn of events should give me plenty of time to finish The Two Towers and Breath of the Wild.

Hope to talk to you guys again once I'm back in NC. Also hope Coronavirus will take the hint and realize that we don't want it to stick around anymore.

Stay strong, bloggerfolk -
dh

Calm(?) before the Storm

As promised - my submission to the Character Design Challenge for February! Hope it was worth the wait. The theme was Carnival of Brazil and I just really didn't want to draw mostly naked ladies, so I drew a mostly naked animal instead :P This is perhaps my favorite thing I've drawn all year, all bubbly and happy, which is all the more strange cause...

This is such a weird time. And if you're reading this near the time of me writing it then I'm sure you know why. Coronavirus is sweeping through the world and although I've held off writing about it here on the Roost, I think it's time. And I kinda hate to talk about it, because the virus has been in LITERALLY EVERY conversation I've had or overheard for the past week. We had the first few cases here in Nashville about a week ago, back when we were talking in hushed GroupMe messages about a possible outbreak at Vanderbilt. And now Tennessee's in a state of emergency, the whole country's in a state of emergency, and I'm just waiting for the wave that's been building for the past few weeks and months to come crashing down in full force. But it hasn't yet. And so for this and many other reasons I've been living in a state of dread. Not fun.

But I think I need to talk about Coronavirus, or at least log it here in a historical fashion, because it's now affecting my art journey (a topic that I may talk about from time to time here at the Roost).

Lipscomb just extended Spring Break, and could likely move to online classes for the rest of the semester. Which would be a nice break if I weren't working on a short film. But, for the first time ever, I AM. And our premiere date, the Five Minute Film Festival, just got postponed, and likely cancelled. And most of our team of artists are forced to head back home, away from the lab and software. So less than two weeks from our film's completion, the floor has just been cut out from under us. And now we're just falling into uncertainty. I've tried to keep my head down, to keep working, but it's hard. For so long, I've been looking toward that finish line, that festival, the finished film, but now the finish line is gone. Not moved, just straight up vanished. It's hard to relax anymore. I don't know what to work on. I don't know if I should be working. And with all this, I don't even know if the summer internships I applied for will even happen. This was supposed to be 2020, my big chance to get ready for a career next year. But the cracks are starting to show.

All this kinda pales in comparison to what our seniors here at Lipscomb must be feeling - they're being robbed of their last semester at college, and (for animators) the hope of getting an LA job must be getting immensely complicated. It's a time of laments, mourning the death sentence of a semester that we'll watch bleed away (remotely, with WiFi!) over the next few weeks.

These are dark days.

And even darker for those that could be harshly affected by the disease, whether financially or physically. Maybe that's you, bloggerfolk. Stay strong. And know that there are so many people out there who care about you. One of whom is me. So let me know if there's anything I can do.

This is the first pandemic I can remember living through, and I wish it wasn't happening now, or ever. And in this way I feel like Frodo. 

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

I'm almost near the end of reading The Fellowship of the Ring and I'm glad it's brought lines like this to the forefront of my mind. For these are dark days. Disappointing, frustrating, scary days. But they are still our days, and we get the gift of deciding how to use them. We can act from a place of hope. The good news of Christ means that what is broken can be mended. That joy will come from sadness. That resurrection is real, and is coming for us. From broken earth springs new life. From these broken plans will come God's promise. I'll admit that that's even hard for me to see. Those who know me know that I am a planner, but perhaps I need moments like these to break me out of my own ambition and put me in a spot where I need to ... trust. Not comfortable. Not easy. Yet the perfect soil to cultivate a humble heart.

So know the facts, and be grateful, bloggerfolk. Mourn, and be joyful. The storm will pass. And I will keep blogging right through it (Lord willing.)

blessings to u

-dh

spring

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

Bird in the Heart

hillside overlooking center hill lake 

Over the past year I've begun learning the bird species of North America. On my dorm windowsill I place a set of 3-4 illustrated flashcards that I cycle through as I learn (and sometimes forget) the species. This whole process is really a part of a larger desire to know more about the natural world and what's all in it. In a time when logos are easier to identify than trees I feel a deep respect for people who know the woods well, and I'd like to be among their number. I also figured that if I can identify every Pokemon currently in existence then learning the birds should be a very doable side project.

I've since discovered that the number of birds you can identify seems to have a direct correlation to the total number of birds you see. Especially the birds you like. I can't remember seeing a Tufted Titmouse a single time before learning its name. I didn't even know they lived in Tennessee. But now I see them everywhere, and could even give you an estimate of how many I saw on each occasion. Of course, those birds would be there whether I knew their name or not. But knowing their names has changed (or perhaps even enhanced) my sight. The knowing has called my attention to them, and given me a love for them that I would not have had otherwise. My recent reading of John Burroughs' work has provided a succinct and eloquent description of this phenomena: "You must have the bird in your heart before you can find it in the bush."

broken walkway at the top of burgess falls

Perhaps you've experienced something similar before. You meet someone new at school or work and suddenly you see them everywhere. You ride in a friend's car for the first time and over the next few weeks realize just how many other people drive that same model. The world is suddenly more full of Kias, or Hondas, or what have you. You care deeply about certain themes or issues and can easily spot them in movies, even when others think nothing of it.

I think the reason is that we can only pay attention to a limited number of things. And therefore we can only see and remember what we really care about. I think animals experience this too - and that's why so many of them are acutely tuned to seeing quick movements (that would often signify a predator). But while animal vision is motivated by fear, writes Burroughs, human vision is honed by love. You see your friend's car everywhere because it's your friend's model. Thus the act of seeing better as a human is really an act of loving more widely and deeply. It also explains why we can each experience the same events so differently.  I recently went to a Cory Wong concert which was full of crazy solos and instrumental genius - but how much more beautiful would that concert have been to a musician who could identify and appreciate what was actually going on? Likewise, I could spend an hour just looking at a misty waterfall on a foggy day but without my love for natural mystery and its frequent companion, fog, someone else may have seen all they need in a couple minutes.

foggy cliffside near burgess falls

And that's one reason why I think being an artist is so cool. Because in art we have the ability to share our sight with other people (fear not, non-artsy bloggerfolk, for you have this same power too). In every act of creation we have the ability to nudge others towards new things to love. The things that may seem apparent to us, but are invisible to others. Even in photography, art is ordered and cultivated toward a certain goal. That's one reason why I love stylization so much - it not-so subtly guides others towards the Cool Stuff in any particular space, design, person, or dragon. Take for example this piece I did based on a recent snowfall. The trees I saw did not look exactly like this. They had significantly more branches, significantly less petals, and (rather significantly) did not exist in a pure grey void. But I liked the petals, and the way their springtime charm played against the winter's snow. I liked the funny bends in their skinny trunks. And that's what I wanted you to notice with me. 

Since art doesn't depict exactly "what is" it gives us the rare chance to see "what is" as if we were someone else.  With our art, tweets, equations, reports, compliments, baked goods, etc. we can show others new forms of the good, true, and beautiful. Which is kinda a big responsibility. And also means we gotta have real good taste.

A lot of these ideas were brought to my attention during my Biology and Literature class that I've been taking this semester. Each week we have to go out to a nearby park and journal about what we see. The catch is that we have to pick a bench and write from that same bench EVERY TIME. As you might expect, I frequently resort to describing things in exquisite and lengthy detail. But this exercise isn't just teaching me to verbally dissect the tiniest nuances in a dead dogwood flower - it's also teaching me to pay attention, to look closer, and (you guessed it) to love better. And then in class each week we read from old bearded men who describe their natural experiences in loving detail (read John Muir's A Wind-storm in the Forests). All this has made for a really beneficial course where I'm learning to see in the field and also reading specific, stylized accounts of similar places. A seeing cycle, if you will.

These thoughts that I've been describing to you all culminated in my mind on a recent trip to the Tennessee woods (where all these polaroid pictures were taken). While I was hiking, I felt like something had changed in my heart since I had last been to the forest. Like most of the esoteric minutiae about a person's experience, the feeling is hard for me to describe and probably even more boring for you to read about... But it felt like all the attention I had been investing in learning the nuances of the forest was noticeably being paid off. It look less footsteps to find something interesting to look at. Spectacle wasn't bound to the size of an object - even this tiny waterfall was captivating. 

Without really recognizing it, the birds, the trees, the water - they had all found their way into my heart. Like any relationship I'm sure it will take work to maintain and grow this love, but now I know it's here. And I'm ready to go and keep finding it in the bush. 

What do you love, bloggerfolk? What grabs your attention? As Valentine's Day gets closer it's a good question for us to be exploring. Maybe through art? Or chocolate? I've experienced a lot of both recently.

Much love, art, and birds to you -
-dh

PS: Music recommendation - Springsteen's Hungry Heart as well as the rest of The River album has been on repeat for me recently. It's the kind of music that gets me ready for summer - which is still so far away...

Dream List 2020

At the beginning of 2019 I made this big list of dozens of things I wanted to do, not necessarily in 2019 but just ... sometime. Most of the things hover just on the edge of impossibility, but I did complete "Cook something other than nachos" which to be honest was kinda a freebie. But hey, I did it! And now I can cook muffins. And I made chili yesterday. I will spare you from seeing the picture(s) I took of it but just know I'm very proud... :) I'm grocery shopping and feeling very adult - I wonder how quickly the joy of grocery shopping will fade. Hopefully never! And I did "Get an internship in 2019" but I guess I should have been more specific about the going on the internship part. But hey, I got it!! And that's still something to be thankful for. 

I decided to repost and update the list - but it's mostly the same as last year. And if you are someone with the power to help me achieve one of these, LET ME KNOW! I'm very motivated to help ;)

My good friend Sam Abner will also want me to mention that I did "Work on a project with a complete jazz score" (last year's Animation Production film), but since the film was not released aaaand I only did one background for it I think it's safe to leave that one on the list. I also came really close to "Do something old school for Studio MDHR" when Professor Bancroft signed on to help with the Cuphead DLC, but I wasn't able to help. And Prof. Bancroft quit. But not due to my lack of helpfulness. I hope. 

Anyways, in no particular order I give you -

The Dream List

Be involved in the reboot of one of my favorite childhood shows
Have a hand in redesigning an iconic character
Hold a published/released something that has my name in the credits
Make a thesis film while in college

Work at Disney TVA
And Cartoon Saloon
Showrun for Cartoon Network
Work on the Wingfeather Saga

Help with Ducktales, Hilda, and/or Craig of the Creek

Be a part of Zootopia 2 (not just an audience part)

Be on a podcast

Be paid to teach art
Tend my own garden

Do something old school for Studio MDHR
Contribute official art for Zeldathon

Work on a project with a complete jazz score

Master an instrument
Finish The Lord of the Rings

Draw with Saira Vargas or Nicholas Kole

Draw in the Outback
Visit Ludo Studio

Host a nature show

Learn another language
Table at a convention

Collaborate on a project with one of my top 8 art heroes

Work on/direct a character voiced by Jack McBrayer

Direct something scored by Michael Giacchino

Work with Louie Zong and/or Insaneintherainmusic on something

Have a character I worked on made into a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day balloon

Work on an adaptation of The Wind in the Willows
Bring Back Dreamwork's Larrikins

And go on an Internship in 2020!

So there it is! Here's to hoping I can check a few things off in 2020 - keep me accountable, bloggerfolk! I'm also trying to come up with a few more non-art related dreams, but to be honest I really just want to make cool stuff with cool people at cool places (and that stuff often happens to be animation.) And therefore - art dreams! 

Wishing you the best with your dreams (art-related or otherwise)! And thanks for making it through my lengthy new year reflection - I promise my next post will not have as much to do with the fact that we are NOW IN THE TWENTIES (woot!)

-dh

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.