Mysty Forest Becomes an Animation Studio

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Travis Blaise, a former Disney Animator offered a class at Misty Forest (N Hyer Ave, Orlando, FL) which had the students working towards completing an animated short. The story was called “Rosalie and the Bottle Tree“. A bottle tree is simply empty bottles put on the end of tree limbs and a bottle tree can bring good fortune. The narration was complete and the children’s drawings were used as the story boards.

What Misty Forest lacked in terms of cameras and light tables, it made up in the children’s enthusiasm. I don’t believe the film was ever completed, but the kids had a great time getting to collaborate on  what might one day become an inspired little film. All it takes is on determined soul to reignite the spark and take on the Herculean task of finishing the animation.

Travis Blaise Works on His Cintique

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Travis Blaise worked with students at Misty Forest to help create storyboards for a short animated film titled “Rosalie and the Bottle Tree.” As I sketched Travis, he told me about the equipment he was using, and I decided to purchase the same scanner and printer he was using. The Epson has been serving me well. Misty Forest is a small private school that offers kids creative courses after regular school hours. A bottle tree consists of bottles stuck onto branches and they are created to bring good luck. Travis had the kids create all the storyboards and he was using the Cintique to edit together the images along with the sound track.

Travis is an amazing animator that worked at Disney Feature Animation when hand drawn animation was in it’s hay day. He is a master at working straight ahead, letting the scene develop organically.  He showed me how he uses the Cintique to animate using Flash. I was amazed that the program could be used to create organically drawn animation. I always assumed that Flash created flat, cut out type characters that were then moved like puppets.

Travis ended up leaving Orlando to work at Digital Domain, a computer animation studio. Digital Domain then closed down and I’m not sure where Travis went after that. Working in the animation industry is like tap dancing on quick sand.

Santiago’s Bodega

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I had an hour to kill before getting to The Venue to sketch a rehearsal, so I decided to stop at Santiago’s Bodega (802 Virginia Drive Orlando FL) to try their tapas. Right after the collapse of Disney Feature Animation, Kathy Schoeppner a feature animation artist decided to rent this space as a gallery. For a while this space exhibited the art from some of the most talented artists from the studio. Kathy would suggest a different theme each month and artists would create work inspired by that theme. I was proud to exhibit my work being surrounded by so much talent. Unfortunately an art gallery on Virginia drive wasn’t a profitable business venture at the time, and Kathy had to let the gallery go. She moved to Los Angeles following the talent and money that flooded out of Orlando at the time.

Anyway, back to the Bodega. The art on the walls was less than inspired. A sad theatrical mask painting behind the maîtra d’ station greeted people as the entered. I ordered a beer and some tapas all of which tasted great. I’m not much of a foodie, so I didn’t take note of the delicate tastes. I just wanted a quick munch before heading out to sketch. I can say that I’d gladly go back and this place is within walking distance from the Fringe so I will be doing just that quite soon. The entry area had a few chairs where people could sit while waiting for their significant other, or a table.

The waiter at my table took quite an interest in the sketch and he kept inviting more staff over to take a look. A commotion broke out at the table next to me. A bee had flown through the open entry door and it was buzzing and accosting the women. The braver of the two was swatting the bee with her menu while the other woman screamed and laughed. The bee just wouldn’t die. She finally trapped it in her napkin and handed it to the waiter who had run over to help. She warned him that the bee was still squirming inside the napkin. He walked away with the trapped bee and I choose to believe he set it free.

John Mahoney

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I met John Mahoney way back in 1994. We were both interns at Disney Feature Animation, going through a six month training session. John always had a rebellious streak and the work he produced was inspired and only a loose interpretation of the projects. For instance, one assignment involved doing the inbetween drawings for an old Goofy animated scene. All the keys were supplied as xeroxes and we just had to add drawings to smooth out the action. It was mind numbing simple work. John created drawings under the animation camera making it seem like the drawings were spontaneously creating themselves.

We both ended up working at Disney but John made his way into the creative development department because of his uncompromising ways. I didn’t realize that he had been forced to work in the effects department, a position that he despised. He essentially began his own private sit down strike, allowing scenes to pile up on his desk. Rather than getting fired, he was given an office in creative development. A perk of the job was that he could order any art supplies he needed. If he wanted to do some watercolors, he could order a complete deluxe set. If he decided to use gouache the next day, the he would order a complete deluxe gouache set.

He did development work for the film “Kingdom in the Sun” which would later be called “The Emperors New Grove.” The film was being pitched to Michael Eisner, Aka Darth Vader. Don Hahn, the films producer gave an amazing in depth story pitch.  Michael wasn’t impressed. He said the film felt like a National Geographic documentary and he said the film couldn’t be made. John had been throwing together a short two minute animation that sort of explained the Mayan Creation myths using spontaneous drawings and loose brushwork. Michael saw that short and the film was saved. It is a shame the final film became so watered down.

John is now deeply committed to using Z-Brush to create fanciful and dark imagery. His quirky sensibility affects every project he tackles. Although he is an amazing draftsman, he is drawn to sculpting which he feels is a more pure and convincing way to portray form. He collects immense loose leaf folders full of artist work that he is inspired by. When he works, he surrounds himself with these inspiring images. When discussing how to pick a color palette, he said he likes to look at how ancient civilizations have used color. These cultures developed their color sensitivities over many centuries so the colors have become established. I am amazed and inspired by his drawings done on location.

Wednesday Open Words

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Every Wednesday at Austin’s Coffee, (929 West Fairbanks Avenue in Winter Park FL) Curtis Meyer hosts an Open Mic called “Wednesday Open Words.” The evening starts at 8pm but I was in Winter Park and decided to go to Austin’s Coffee early to grab some diner. Students sat on the makeshift stage immersed in their laptops. The young woman seated across from me lounged on the couch intently reading a real paper bound book. I watched her expression as the read and at times she was visibly upset. Something horrible was going on in those pages. I imagined she might be reading “The Catcher in the Rye.” As I recall it had a red cover. When she got up to leave she noticed my sketch. I had to ask her what she was reading. It turned out that “The Hunger Games” was required reading for one of her classes.

Curtis arrived and gradually he cleared the stage and set up a microphone. The theme for the evening was Disney Animated Films. Having worked at Feature Animation, I had to be a bit of an expert on the decade of films I worked on. Curtis was very stoked about the film “Saving Mr. Banks” which stars Tom Hanks as Walt Disney. He insisted I go see it. To warm up the crowd, Curtis had everyone repeat, “Pink pajamas, penguins on the bottom.” It is a tongue twister which is rather fun to repeat again and again in succession. There were trivia questions between readers and I managed to guess the name of the dog in Disney Pixar’s “Up.” The dogs name was Dug. I won an odd green feathery pin with a yellow skull from “The Princess and the Frog.” It is now partially stained with black ink from one of my pens.

One particularly fun poem used all of the Disney made up words. It turns out that besides Supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus, there are many others that are just as strange. Curtis wanted to find one word that defines each Disney film plot. For instance Rapunzel, the word is Tangled. For Snow Queen the word is Frozen. For Little Mermaid the word might be pants. For Beauty and the Beast the word would be Stockholmed. This might make a good drinking game to whittle each film down to one word. One line from someones poem stuck with me, “The beauty of the world makes demands on us.

Curtis was great about being sure the audience respected how brave all the speakers were. Public speaking is a universal fear. Snapping fingers were encouraged when the poems were profound. Seda Gay spoke about four grown women who returned to the Disney theme parks together. Two of those women were now divorced but they all stepped back to their childhood relationships discovering where they left off. One poet was accompanied by a guitar player. He said most of his creative ideas were formed by the age of 11. He imagined flying being an everyday occurrence to get through our heavy Earth bound days. He was of course speaking as Peter Pan. Curtis chimed in, “All you got to do is believe.”

My Pecha Kucha Presentation

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I love to draw.

On January first of 2009 I set a New Year’s resolution to post one sketch a day online. 

I had wanted to start a blog for over a year. 

It was surprisingly easy to post my first sketch and copy on Analog Artist Digital World.

My wife Terry and I moved from New York City,
and for ten years I worked for Disney Feature Animation here in Orlando.

Perry, shown here, worked in the office next to me.

The studio was shut down in 2004, because Disney executives felt,
that audiences didn’t want to see hand drawn animation anymore.

They only wanted to see computer animation.

I purchased a computer and taught myself CG animation at home.

After years of sitting in a dark room staring at a computer screen, I needed to get out and sketch.

Many early sketches were of buildings downtown, like this sketch of Church Street.

As I sketched, people would often stop to tell me their life story.

I help keep the tradition of hand drawn animation alive at Full Sail University, by teaching the principles of animation using pencils and paper before students start pushing buttons on computers.

When I began doing one sketch a day, I honestly thought Orlando had little to no culture.

I had spent ten years driving to and from Disney, and felt that Orlando must only have the heart of a theme park animatronic.

 I found these drummers in the Creative Engineering warehouse downtown.

I couldn’t imagine much culture happening in this service industry town.

 Yet with every sketch I did, I began to discover artists with talent.

I found people in every field, like Toni Taylor, shown here in her studio,
who are striving to express themselves.

 I seek out artists who love what they do and promote them with a sketch and an article.

By promoting them, I get to share with my readers what I feel is the true heart of Orlando.

I am NOT an extrovert.

 I’m only comfortable when clutching pencil and paper.

When I drive to events, I pump up the music in the car to overcome stage fright.

 I used to walk around the block several times to work up the nerve to start a sketch.

That feeling has slowly subsided, being replaced by stubborn determination.

In a crowded room, I find it impossible to focus on any single conversation,
I hear the overall din.

Small talk is not my strong point.

If I start to sketch however, a sense of calm washes over me.

While focusing on the sketch, nothing else matters.

By going out every day, I began to meet people who frequent the same events.

 They recognize my desire to sketch what is unique, and they include me in amazing sketch opportunities, like this gut wrenching blimp ride over Universal Studios.

Finding interesting stories is an ongoing challenge.

Though I tend to sit quietly observing, I am at times thrust into the limelight.

To get this sketch at the Bob Carr, the director, John DiDonna, suggested I sit onstage with the audience watching at the Red Chair Affair.

The act of sketching became a form of performance art.

I forgot about the audience as I struggled to capture the Cirque du Soleil performer on stage.

Doug Rhodehamel created this Sea of Green florescent fish hanging from the ceiling at Stardust Video and Coffee.

When I am in a room full of creative people, I feel motivated to create.

 Being isolated in a studio makes little sense, when there are so many vibrant events to sketch all around Orlando.

I found Bluesman Maxwell seated among the clutter of a flea market in Mount Dora.

He sang, “Flea Market Blues.”

No one else stopped to listen.

Each sketch usually takes about two hours to complete.

Time stands still.

When you stay in one spot for that long, some drama always unfolds.

At the Enzian Theater during the Florida Film Festival, the projectionist had to splice together the “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” reels.

I always remain open to snippets of conversation which I often jot down on the back of the sketch.

Writing helps me to complete the bigger picture.

Benoit Glazer invites people to his home called “The Timucua White House”, once a month to experience live music and art.

It is amazing how often lyrics of a song, or the plot of a play, will seem to mirror what is happening in my everyday life.

The emotional message of some productions often hits home.

Andrew Spear created a mural at the annual Snap Photography Exhibit.

By meeting so many artists, and sharing their stories, my own art grows richer.

 Listening to a theater director talk about the creative process, the conversation could just as well relate to the process of creating a sketch.

I have often been asked to stop sketching by security guards, ushers and police.

In our fast paced world, someone who stands still tends to be suspect.

This accordion player at Earth Day was asked to stop performing by Lake Eola grounds keepers.
Silence can be deafening……

I don’t believe art should be profiled as a deviant behavior.

Jazz still thrives in late night dives.

 The city grows smaller as I meet the same performers again and again.

 I’m starting to feel very much a part of the culture that I document.

Since starting the blog, I have posted over 2000 sketches about Orlando online.

Every art form has uncertainty, and blind searching, followed by revelation.

 I’m never satisfied with any sketch as I am working on it.

Only looking back, can I acknowledge that it isn’t the worst sketch I have ever done.

I love keeping track of all the arts organizations in town, on Analog Artist Digital World.

At times, I feel I have my finger on the pulse that helps keep Orlando alive and vibrant.

Some organizations have had to close, but there are always people who strive to make this city an interesting place to live.

Every time I sketch, I fall in love, be it with a gesture, setting, or people’s stories.

Mary Oliver gave simple instructions for living life, “Pay attention, be astonished, and tell about it.”

By sketching daily, I discover so many people who astonish me, in a city I now call home.

I love my wife, life and Orlando!

Mark Your Calendar! The next PechaKucha V13 will be on Friday June 13th at the Orange Studio, 1121 N. Mills Avenue, Orlando, Fl. I hope the presenters aren’t superstitious!

The TrIP

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Patrick Greene who is the curator at The Gallery at Avalon Island, 39 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL, asked me to be a part of the TrIP Project. The TrIP Project has artists and writers ride the Lynx bus system to report on the mass transit system in Orlando. The first plan was for me to sketch Benoit Glaser and several other musicians who were going to play their instruments on the bus. Unfortunately Patrick gave me the wrong date and I knocked on Benoit’s door a day early. A second option was to sketch Genevieve Bernard‘s Voci Dance who did an interpretive dance performance on a bus. However, a close friend and artistic spirit, Mary Hill, took her own life and I needed to go to her memorial service that day. The bus tickets sat in my pocket unused for the longest time.

Finally, I saw that there was going to be a reading at The Gallery at Avalon Island called, “There Will Be TrIP” on January 14th. I decided I would take the bus downtown for this reading. When I graduated high school, I decided to go to the School of Visual Arts in NYC. I stayed with my parents the first two years and took a bus to the city everyday. The bus ride and consequent subway rides took well over three hours out of the day. Since I also had to get back, that was six hours in transit. Sketchbooks at the time became filled with sketches of fellow passengers. I didn’t own or drive a car for the entire decade I commuted to and stayed in NYC. When I came to Orlando to work for Disney Feature Animation, I got off the plane, took one driving education course and then got my drivers license at the Department of Motor Vehicles. Within the first week I had purchased my very first car, a sweet Honda del Sole convertible. Not once did I ever take a bus in Orlando.

On the morning of January 14th, I got ready for my TrIP adventure. It was raining, so I put my sketchbooks in a zip top plastic bag and put on a full set of rain gear that included plastic pants. I looked like I was ready for an Arctic Expedition. Google Maps on my iPhone said the closest bus stop would be near Universal Studios. It was a four mile hike. The reading downtown was going to be at 7pm. I left at 2pm since I had no clue what I was doing. I hiked through isolated suburban side streets and marveled at all the McMansions surrounding a lake I walked around. The rain was persistent but light. I felt a little uncomfortable walking with my hoodie up since Trevor Martin had been gunned down for walking in a neighborhood much like this I imagined. Someone was just recently shot for texting during the previews at a movie theater. People with guns are crazy in Florida.

Besides raining it was also hot and humid which meant I was getting wet from the inside out rather than from the outside in. When the rain became the faintest mist, I took off the rain jacket to vent some body heat. One of the side streets leading to the bus stop turned out to be the entrance to a gated community. I would have to walk around the gated community adding more miles to my hike. I realized when I was maybe one mile from the bus stop that, had I driven, I would already be downtown and parking,

I walked past a bustling middle school with long lines of cars waiting to pick up children. I realized this was a prime sketch opportunity although I imagined some parent might question my motives. When I arrived at the bus stop it was 3:30pm. I had been hiking for an hour and a half. Five construction workers in bright green vests were at the stop. Conversation was about car envy. A female worker lamented a friend who had a job and makes money on the side. Her friend could afford a Honda Civic. The construction workers make about $150 a day helping build a huge new motel right next to Universal. A large SUV driven by a fellow construction worker pulled up and they all piled in. The 21 bus that I was waiting for didn’t arrive for another hour at least.

On board, the large female driver had to help me figure out how to insert the ticket into the column shaped payment device. Digital lights and numbers gave me too much information to look at. The ticket got sucked in and then spit back out. On the back of the ticked, I found out I could board any bus until 3am in the evening, after that the ticket was void. On the bus, people sat in tight constrained poses clutching bags with arms crossed.  A mom boarded with her excited little girl. They likely had just been at Universal. The child’s eyes were filled with delight.  This bus trip was a fresh adventure for her. They sat next to me and I saw the girl motioning to her mom to look at what I was up to. She sat on her moms lap and watched every line and wash as it splashed on the page. At the Valencia College bus stop a gorgeous woman got on and stood right beside the driver checking her phone periodically. I sketched her quickly, so happy she had brightened the scene. Sketching on the bus got me motion sick. The bus lurched and pitched every time it stopped and it stopped 65 times on the route downtown. The driver also had a lead foot. Perhaps she had learned to drive at the Daytona racetrack.

At 5pm I arrived at Central and Garland Avenue downtown near Church Street Station. The walk to Avalon was less than a mile, so I figure the TrIP probably took three and a half hours whereas a drive downtown usually takes me half an hour but I park in the suburbs to avoid meters and being towed, so the walk can be an extra half an hour or so. So my assessment is, Bus = 3 1/2 hours and Car = 1 hour. The good news is that if I ever got drunk downtown, I know what bus would get me to within 4 miles of my home. But why would I get drunk downtown? Since I was early, I decided to go to Jimmy John’s to get a sandwich. I checked into Avalon where artwork and poetry was being hung on the walls. A poem by Naomi Butterfield was hung by a painting by Parker Sketch. The show is titled “I Believe.”

Nostalgiart

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On November 20th, I went to Bart (1205 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, Fl) to see Christie Miga‘s Nostalgiart show opening. As Christie said, “I have created a small, yet completely rad spray paint show based on my favorite things as a child of the 80’s: He-man, Mario Bros., Jem, Garbage Pail Kids, etc. It’s been a few months since my last art show because I needed a little break from the deep thoughts and underlying meanings of my last show. So, I decided to just have fun and create art that simply makes me happy and for no other reason than that.”

Bart is a small bar that has vintage arcade video games from the 80s and 90s. I got there before the place filled up ordered a beer and started sketching. Christie and Evan Miga showed up shortly after and sat on the couch beside me as they finished up the food they had ordered from the food truck outside. Christie had what looked like a cake box but it was full of Christmas ornaments Christie had painted. AS friends and patrons filled the room, the couple mingled. One lady at the bar asked me if she could look inside the box beside me. I guess she thought I was in charge. I said it was fine and she looked through picking out several ornaments she might like to buy. I pointed out Evan to her and she approached him to complete the sale.

Evan has just recently gotten a dream job at Disney Imagineering. When I asked him about it, he sounded just like I did when I first started working at Disney Feature Animation. He is thrilled to be surrounded by so many amazing artists. Red dots started appearing under many of the paintings which were priced to sell. The paintings were fun and colorful with a powdery airbrushed feel. Many referred back to childhood animation shows but what attracted me was the bright patterns and colors achieved with stencils and occasional areas of hand painting. I’d love to see an entire car covered with these powdery abstractions. I mentioned the idea to Terry but she prefers the metallic grey surface that rolled off the showroom floor.

By the time my sketch was done, about half the pieces on the walls were sold and the room was packed and buzzing. Someone explained to me that this is the way you need to sell art in Orlando, by matching your work to the theme of a venue and offering it for cash that people might have in their wallet. Pop, fun and airy work seems to sell best in this theme park town. This show fit the bill and was a home run hit. Mark your calendar! The show is only up till the evening of December 23. Head over and check it out before the Holidays.

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Casselberry House

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The Florida Painters Group had their annual exhibition at the Casselberry House (125 Quail Pond Circle in Casselberry, Fl) in June. The show included paintings from 15 artists, who are mostly landscape painters. I went to the opening reception to see the work.

Show participants were: Ann Gale Holstein, Robert Ross, Carol Platt, Cathy Hempel, Cori Garret, Diane Walters, Gary Rupp, Gary Sisco, Karen Minnigan, Kim Ashby, Laura Bates, Lynn Tolar, Lynne Polley, Mary Martin, Orit Reuben, Rosa Bujali and Seemi Usmani.

The paintings that most caught my eye were by Robert Ross. He did a painting inside the  Capen House. This historic Winter Park home was slated for demolition, but locals are raising funds to save the house and float it across the lake Osceola to the Albin Polasek Museum where it would be lovingly preserved.

After viewing the paintings I decided to sketch Louis Alfredo playing guitar. He was quite good and several people actually danced as he played. For the most part however people shouted at one another in the crowded space and didn’t notice the incredible talent in the corner.

Cami Smith who is an industry outreach liaison at Full Sail introduced herself. When she found out I had worked at Disney Feature Animation, she asked me if I knew Aaron Blaise. Of course I knew Aaron who had co-directed “Brother Bear“. He had taken a research trip to Alaska for that film and his sketchbook from that trip was absolutely inspiring. Aaron had gone on to work at Digital Domain in South Florida but that company went bankrupt before they could finish an animated film about an elephant. I heard Aaron was returning to Orlando. Cami informed me that he is hoping to produce a Computer Animated film called “Art Story” about a boy and his grandfather who travel into the worlds of famous paintings. She showed me the Kickstarter page and Aaron has successfully raised the $350,000 needed to further develop the story. I like the story’s message, “Life is a blank canvas, now go paint your masterpiece.”

Bill Plympton

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Bill Plympton came to Full Sail Live to talk to students about his experiences as an independent animation film maker. He was an illustrator in NYC in the late 70s and early 80s. He drew a face of an average looking business man on the 18 by 24 inch pad on stage. That was the character of his first animated film called “Your Face.” When he went to a screening for that film he was amazed when the whole audience started laughing. That moment changed his life. He drew satirical and funny illustrations but he never felt the audiences immediate reaction. “Your Face” was nominated for an Oscar and suddenly Plympton was on the map.

Bill stopped illustrating and was committed to animation full time.  When he started out there wasn’t much animation going on at the big studios. As a small boy his dream was to be a Disney Animator. In the 80’s Disney started rebuilding its animation department. They called Bill saying the would like to talk to him. A Disney lawyer showed up at his studio. Bill was offered one million dollars if he would work for Disney Feature Animation. Bill was ecstatic, thin was a dream come true. He began negotiating for the job. As he put it Disney isn’t about good cop, bad cop when it comes to negotiating. It is more like, bad cop and anti Christ. Bill asked if he could work on his little films on the weekends. He was told, “Sure, but Disney will own it.” What about script ideas? “Disney owns it.” What if I have a dream?” “Disney owns it.” He realized he would have no control over what he would work on. What if he ended up having to work on TV animation like Duck Tales? In the end he turned down the offer to continue producing independent films.

Bill showed several of his short films along with work from a feature film that is in the pipe line. He showed “Waiting for Her Sailor” which was just 30 seconds and was hilarious. He is now working on a film that is about a whale that falls in love with a human guy. The guy likes fashion models, so the whale becomes a model. He is working on a feature film called “Cheatin” which is about a very attractive couple that meet and fall in love. Since they are so attractive others get jealous and try to break them up. They become paranoid and try to kill each other.

Bill drew constantly during his presentation. He said he sometimes wakes up at night so excited about a project that he has to do a few more drawings before he can get back to sleep. When working on a film, he can produce up to 100 drawings a day. Some consider him a masochist, he considers himself a hedonist since he loves his work.