Halloween Animation Background

I wanted to practice drawing on my new Cintiq tablet. How good could I get with detail? How easy was it to draw something complex? I decided to do a line drawing in the style of an animation background design. Having done much digital drawing, it was very natural to draw a few hundred pumpkins and tiny branches right on the screen.

Starting in late October before Halloween, I was in the mood to draw a pumpkin patch scene with a sense of mystery. Why the big hole hidden behind the thicket? Why the windowless tower?

Details:

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New Art Tool: Wacom Cintiq 22HD Touch

My new Cintiq!

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My fourth tablet over the years: Wacom Intuos 4.

I've been drawing on a Wacom tablet for over fifteen years, the kind without the screen like the one here. To draw digitally, I would look at my computer screen while my hand drew on the tablet outside of my field of vision. I usually held it in my lap. I can't remember when I first got a Wacom tablet whether I struggled to learn that skill, but it became natural for me to draw that way.

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I drew on my iPad with a Jot Touch, usually in the app called Procreate. (This photo isn't me.)

When I got an iPad a couple years ago, I began to play around with some art apps. I bought a professional stylus that would give me the pressure sensitive control I was used to on my Wacom tablet. Because it's a more natural way to draw digitally, I started to prefer working directly on the screen. I've even done many professional illustrations on my iPad. But the iPad has limitations in terms of resolution and other factors for professional imagery.

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The large 22 inch screen of my new Cintiq 22HD Touch. (This photo isn't me either.)

Eventually, it became time for me to get the mother of all Wacom products, a Cintiq. I've used one before but had only doodled on them at a friend's house. I hadn't done any professional work on one. In moving to Los Angeles to return to animation, it was the right time. When I left animation in 2002, most production work was still paper based. No more. I needed a Cintiq to draw the freelance backgrounds I've been doing for Cartoon Network.

Not only do I use the Cintiq for my animation work, I now do my freelance illustration on it. Furthermore, it offers an array of new options for digital art that weren't available to me before. While I've done plenty of illustration in Photoshop, I'm really discovering the power of digital painting in creative new ways. It's amazing!

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A wolf drawing I did to experiment with natural pencil lines and textured brushes in Photoshop.

Bride of Frankenstein

I'm getting into the Halloween spirit with this drawing of the famous horror bride. The piece was drawn for fun to practice with some new digital brushes and textures.

What is Animation Background Layout?

In traditional animation, a background layout is the line drawing of the background for a scene. It is not the finished background painted in color that you see on the screen.

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Layouts are drawn from storyboards which define the action and perspective in the scene. Because storyboard artists draw backgrounds in a rough, simplified style, background layout artists take them to the next level by defining the detail and perspective. Layout drawings are then given to the background painters to color and complete the visual style.

Depending upon the style of the film or show, the lines of the layout drawings may be visible in the finished background that is used in a final production. Or the visual style may be void of line work, thus the layouts serve as a guide for the painters.

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The line work will be part of the finished background.

Depending upon the production, background layout artists also do background design. This is standard in television animation, which is my field, and the position is often titled background designer. The designer must envision new locations when they are called for in a script, taking into account the action of the characters and the mood of the scene. The design drawings are given to the storyboard artists to show them what a place looks like.

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A design drawing to establish a new location. The rain is animated and would not be part of the final background layout, but is drawn here for mood.

I often get asked what I do in animation since people outside of the industry are unfamiliar with the process. It's a lot more fun than this dry explanation of the job. A lot of creativity goes into making places that are believable in the world of the characters.

Most importantly, backgrounds must support the narrative of the story. Designers take into account things like the personal style of characters or the economic state of imaginary neighborhoods. They draw places that have history, like showing what has happened previously in a location, even if we never saw it happen, or the history of a place long before the characters existed. Even when imaginations dream up incredible fantasy worlds, places often have facets that make them relatable to our everyday world.

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Left: My layout drawing. Right: The finished painted background with characters and effects.

More than just drawing places background layout is work layered with complexities. That's what makes it so fun!

2015 Update: As my career shifts, I've been doing more storyboarding than background design.

Thank you, Colorado. Hello, California.

The last dozen years of my illustration career does not quite reflect my talent for cartooning. My portfolio is rife with artwork of scenery and architecture. But I am a cartoonist. Upon graduating art school in the 1990s, I entered the field of animation at Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Los Angeles where I became a background designer and storyboard artist.

I loved animation work. I thrived in a highly creative industry with many talented artists around me. It's fun to work on shows that are enjoyed by millions of people. But with that, I had to live in Los Angeles. It's not that I disliked the city, rather I longed for a different lifestyle. After seven years in LA, I moved to Boulder, Colorado where I built a prolific freelance illustration career.

In Colorado, I hiked and snowboarded. I became a homeowner thrice. I drove my 1967 Jeep in snowstorms and a sidecar motorcycle in the summer with my dog. I lived in town and in the mountains. I survived a flood. I raised money for Colorado's fire and flood relief with my art. I created hundreds of artworks. I started businesses to both success and failure. I got married on a mountain patio in winter. My wife and I had a son. I made lifelong friends. Colorado was good to me for a over twelve years.

The deck of our Colorado home.

You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.

Our new LA home.

Last week, I returned to California, this time with my family.

I never left animation because I didn't like the work. In fact, I've missed it through the years. I am actively looking for work as a storyboard artist or background designer in television animation. Stepping away from animation made me I realize how much passion I have for cartooning and storytelling. As good as I am at illustrating landmarks, I'm better at telling stories through art.

New Art: Mid-Century Home Portrait

I often get commissioned to do home portraiture in my signature poster style. It's a fresh take on a type of art that is typically done in traditional mediums and styles.

This piece was commissioned by a real estate agent as a closing gift for a couple who has lived in this home for over forty years. I was not present when the gift was given, but the artwork moved them to tears. While I enjoy illustrating for companies, creating art that is deeply meaningful to someone is one of the greatest joys of doing home portraits.

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New Art: Restaurant Ordering Illustrations

I was commissioned by New York company, OrdrUs, to create a series of illustrations to help sell their service to restaurants. They provide online and mobile takeout ordering.

After doing a series of slick, colorful illustrations, they decided to scratch those for a different approach. I developed this rough line and watercolor style to supports their non-technical approach to selling their technology.

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These were all created on my iPad with the Procreate app and a Jot Touch pressure sensitive stylus. I've been doing more professional illustration on the iPad lately.

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There are over 20 illustrations in the series... and counting.

Weekly Warmup Sketches

I do warmup sketches at the beginning of the day to get my creativity flowing before starting client work. I used to do it about once a week but I'm trying to do it more consistently. Here are the sketches that got my day going this week.

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10 Web Illustrations: Restaurant Ordering

These illustrations were created for a startup that built an app for restaurant owners. However, the company chose not to use these illustrations after all. It doesn't happen often, but sometimes my art never reaches its intended purpose. But don't worry, I've been creating different illustrations for the same company in a visual style more suitable to their audience.

See more website art in the illustration gallery.

Cruella De Vil

Here is my take on a modern version of the oh so cruel Cruella. I haven't participated in Sketch Dailies on Twitter in several months but I was seduced back by villain week. Evil is fun to draw.

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Drawn on my iPad with the Procreate app and a Jot Touch stylus.

New Poster: The Great Outdoors

Gallerie Rouge is an upscale gallery in Denver that specializes in vintage poster art. I've sold some of my Colorado posters there over the years. I was commissioned to do this poster as a centerpiece of promotion for their annual show that focuses on outdoor themed travel posters.

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POSTER SIGNING

I'll be signing these limited edition posters at the opening reception. Stop by to say hello and view the great vintage posters.

Friday, June 13, 2014
5:00-10:00 pm

Gallerie Rouge
2830 E 3rd Ave.
Denver, CO 80206

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This art was illustrated on my iPad using the Procreate app and a Jot Touch stylus... y'know, to capture that authentic vintage style.

New Poster: Lyons, Colorado Flood Relief

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Having personally experienced the 2013 Colorado flood, this was a commission I could not pass up. The town of Lyons along the foothills of the Rockies suffered catastrophic damage from the flood. With damage in the millions of dollars, the community needs ongoing funds to rebuild. I created this poster as an image that the community can rally around in their restoration efforts.

Posters, t-shirts, and water bottles with the art are being sold as a fundraiser. The art has also been made into banners to line the streets of downtown Lyons. It warms my heart that my art can help a community in their time of need.

See all of my disaster relief posters here.