ZOOTOPIA Post 3: The Carrot Pen

Head out to the theaters and see what that carrot pen at the Disney Store is all about! Here's the evolution of that pen. Enjoy! Character design by Cory Loftis.

‪#‎carrotpen‬ ‪#‎judyhopps‬ ‪#‎disney‬ ‪#‎disneyanimation‬ ‪#‎animation ‬‪#‎visualdevelopment‬

ZOOTOPIA Post 2: Early Rainforest District Design

My earliest version of the Rainforest District.

Downtown ZOOTOPIA: My Early Concepts

Here are some of the earliest artworks I did on the film c.2013. More to come and enjoy the movie!

My early take on the downtown skyline. Combining different animal shapes and patterns.

My first concept on the downtown Zootopia buildings were more architectural than organic.

Shapes play an important role in the environment.

All images are ©Disney.
‪#‎Zootopia‬  ‪#‎Disney‬  ‪#‎DisneyAnimation‬  ‪#‎animation‬ ‪ #‎visual development ‬‪#‎concept design‬

SONIC BOOM: Rise Of Lyric

SONIC BOOM: Rise of Lyric, the anticipated Nintendo Wii U game, is now released! I had fun working on this game between 2011-2013 redesigning the world of Sonic the Hedgehog together with Sylvain Deboissy, Nicolas P Villarreal, Eytan Zana, Craig Harris, and Yuhki Demers. Here are some concepts I did for the game. More to come.
Check out http://www.sonicthehedgehog.com/boom/en/

Big Hero 6 EXPO HALL

Big Hero 6 grabbed the no. 1 spot with $56.2M opening weekend! A big congratulations to our Walt Disney Animation Studios crew!!!
Here's the EXPO HALL design I did for the film. I will give a complete discussion and show the process from concept to final on the Expo Hall and the Tech Campus I did in the film at my coming lecture/workshop, "Visual Development Survival Kit: Designing Big Hero 6's Expo Hall and Tech Campus" at the CTN animation eXpo in a couple of weeks:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10203120500669740&set=a.1058229972334.2009933.1123435602&type=1&pnref=story

BIG HERO 6 Opens Today!!!

A concept art I did for a Hiro-Tadashi moment based from an early storyboard idea! Enjoy the movie!

This is the screen grab of the 3D model I used as guide for the artwork.

All images ©Disney. 

From My Archives: Visual Development Sketches for Lilo and Stitch

 Lilo's house.

Thumbnails showing spacecraft carrying Stitch enter earth.

©Disney

One Systematic Approach

In my years of working in the industry, I learned to work in different ways what ever is more efficient for the given time period. Here's one systematic approach that I use which I find very useful when given a very limited amount of time - the LASSO approach. But before I get into the step by step, I always preach to student to identify first what are the Needs and Wants. For this exercise, the needs would be: 1. restaurant/bar for inhabitants of an extremely dry location of molten rock where no plants grow except thorn thistles. 2. Bugs, rodents, squirrels and shelled creatures only for animals. 

Now that the "needs" have been identified, I did a quick sketch using pencil on brown paper.

I applied values using mainly the lasso tool with just stock soft and hard brushes in PS. 

The idea I have is to use only the limited resources for materials and food. Just the right amount of architectural details for table and chairs tell the audience that inhabitants are bit civilized. Stripes on the wall give some history and story to the location. Inhabitants could have used available materials like sulfur as paint. This idea makes the environment more inviting.

I "colorized" the values in PS. Composition seemed crammed so I extended the layout to give more "breathing" space. Important to keep the original values  uncompromised. 

I started painting and blending in some spots and highlights. I also detailed the extended area on the right. Readability of shapes and silhouette of every detail and making them work in the context of the overall composition is very important! Never loose control of your shapes, values and color.

If the area is so enclosed, smoke coming from cooking and candles will stay inside and create a very nice, thick atmosphere to play round with. I enjoy adding that lower layer of smoke to give an opportunity to play with a glow that is off the ground reflected from the bright candle on the table. Fun.

To get an in-depth study of this design approach and visual development essentials in actual production, check out my 8-wk Environment Sketching for Production online class at CG Masters Academy.

©Armand Serrano 2014.

Environment Sketching For Production: Summer Term 2014

Below are samples of my students work from last spring term. Enroll now!

Enroll now for my ENVIRONMENT SKETCHING FOR PRODUCTION Online class at CGMA scheduled for July 29-Sept. 25. Few spots are still available.

Film Production Design and Concept Art Masterclass in Kuala Lumpur

I'll be conducting the first two days of One Academy's "FILM PRODUCTION DESIGN AND CONCEPT ART" masterclass workshop here in Kuala Lumpur. Then the last two days will be picked up by extremely talented WETA designer Eduardo Peña. This is going to be fun!

Virtual Plein Air 1

 

Juno Beach, Normandy, France

 

 Belogradchik, Bulgaria

 

Colorado River, Nevada

 

Above are painted using lasso tool. Below were

painted using mainly brush tools.

 

SECC Arena, Gasgow, Scotland

 

Arnhem Bridge, Netherlands

 

Machu Pichu, Peru

All images ©Armand Serrano.

D-DAY 7Oth ANNIVERSARY

 

All images ©Armand Serrano.