Brett's Brain Blog

Happy Heart Appreciation Day

2012-02-13T21:31:00.000-08:00

Last year I celebrated with a marathon of v-day or love themed cartoons all day while stuffing my face with delicious chocolate and those sweethart necco wafer things.

This year I'm playing it by ear, but I decided to at least start it out with a big, bold, animated statement. Enjoy!

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Turtle Power!

2012-02-08T20:38:00.000-08:00

Donatello is here to serve you a fresh cake for my RIT SOFA buddy Sarah Johnson on her birthday yesterday! Hope your birthday was magical. By the way, the cake doesn't taste like pizza if you were wondering that...

If you want to see the talented Sarah's cool artwork, go check out her Tumblr site. Oh yeah, I'll be migrating over there soon too. More on that in the next post ;)

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Even More Beanwork

2012-02-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

in the midst of immersing myself into a thought-driven artistic process only consisting of eating, sleeping, breathing beans...I lost track of my updates.

Not to worry though! If you're a fan of the illustrations I've been doing for the film "Bean Caught", I have more on the way! For starters, here are three more illustrations that will be implemented into motivational posters much like the bean standing on a cliff above the clouds and the castle on a cloud one have become "Success" and "Dreams", respectively.

These ones are "Teamwork", "Diversity", and "Persistence" (In that order):

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Vines and Cliffs

2012-01-27T08:10:00.001-08:00

I made a third attempt after sending version two of my previous post painting (say that three times fast!). It combines the composition of the first attempt with the finesse of the second. It turned out quite well.

The next poster (which is almost finished) is "Teamwork". It'll most likely be posted tomorrow. In general, once all 4 are done, I just might design them like those actual motivational posters (colored inspiring word with cheesy proverb and everything). We'll see.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Excelsior! I, uh...mean...Success!

2012-01-25T16:08:00.000-08:00

So my latest entries for the "Bean Caught" film are a series of motivational posters. I had a rough night painting them last night due to overwhelmingness of job hunting jumping onto my back like a fat person killing a horse via spinal injury, but it's all good. I took some pain meds, wrapped myself up and tried a second time today.

5 hours later, I considered my redo as good as done. It's amazing what a good night's rest and zero distractions can do for our artistic mind's eye.

To give you some perspective, here's all the art tied to the motivational poster series. The first one is "Success". The rest will follow tomorrow and Friday.

1. The thumbnails

2. First attempt in pissy, distracted, fatigued mood at midnight

3. Second attempt in happier, less distracted mood

Never underestimate the power of belief (and the Bean gods who granted me magical bean-painting powers).

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Bean Babies

2012-01-24T08:03:00.000-08:00

The little kids are growing up fast, and in color too! This was done as a semi-candid photo of the bean babies as if they were getting a group portrait taken at Sears or some other Department Store.

Here's the reference I used: Notice how each baby has a different way to express, "What am I doing here? What's that camera-looking thing? Where's Mommy?"

Next up will be some motivational posters in the same vein as the castle in a cloud-themed one a few posts ago. Keep your eyes peeled for more of my production art for the film "Bean Caught"!

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Like Peas in a Pod

2012-01-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

Never thought I'd be shading spheres again, but for the latest installment for the "Bean Caught" film, I did some baby beans grouped together in a pea pod - Oh, those little rascals! They can't keep still when you want them to pose for a baby portrait.

Keep your eyes peeled for more wonderful art for my current freelance project! (psst...I also do commissions if you're interested ;) Just get at me in the comments section!

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Not Jack's Beanstalk

2012-01-18T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here's another illustration of many soon to come for the upcoming RIT SOFA Grad Student Film, "Bean Caught". If you ever had a dream to reach a castle on a cloud before, it might be a good idea to plant some magic beans underneath one first...

Until next time, that was on my mind...

A Couple of Beans

2012-01-15T19:08:00.000-08:00

Don't they look cute together? The pink one is featured as the main character of recent Pro-Bono freelance project o' mine: "Bean Caught" a film to be completed at the end of February at RIT.

Let your eyes gravitate back here over the next week, and you'll be sure to see more bean artwork sprouting posts all over the place!

Until next time, that was on my mind...

A New Year and A Month Recap

2012-01-13T19:02:00.000-08:00

Man, where did the time go!? Once the holidays came steamrolling through my workflow, my artistic momentum was squashed like a bug to pavement.

Now that the new year is over and I remembered that I actually have a blog where I post stuff pertaining to my art and stuff, It's time to get back into the saddle and ride onto the journey of Art! Giddy up! In case you're wondering what I've been doing, I'll tell ya. I designed and digitally painted a holiday card that I sent out to all of my RIT buddies (and some friends who still keep in touch from high school). Here's a look:

I also took on some freelancing jobs. One of which was a digital painting for a Christmas present. It's a cowgirl sheriff ready to gun down some outlaw scum. The other was a holiday card commission for a friend of mine who is a Glee fanatic (or I guess Gleek is what they call their species).

My latest freelance opportunity has been developing some illustrations for Ray McCarthy Bergeron and Meghdad Asadi Lari's RIT 2-Quarter Grad film "Bean Caught". It involves some bean counters, bean thieves, and some overall beaning. Check out some of the concept art for the illustrations I did! There's more to come too as my part of the project is almost complete.

Phew! Glad I got that out of my system. Now that I'm relatively up to speed on my blog, be on the lookout for my next entry. It might involve some magic by a little boy with a lightning bolt scar on his head and goofy spectacles...

Until next time, that was on my mind...

30-Day Character Challenge Conclusion

2011-12-11T08:08:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

Sorry about neglecting the final entry of the character challenge. I was posting all entries on DeviantArt, Facebook, and this blog, but due to my natural inclination to check facebook everyday, that was the only site where I posted every entry on their respective day. Without further adieu, here's the last entry:

#30 - Sprout and Vereoris

Sprout is the boy and Veleror is the shadow flame-like creature surrounding him. This creature discovers this boy wandering in a wasteland, and decides to manipulate him into thinking that he (the creature) has all the answers he needs to find what he's looking for and escape this place he mysteriously woke up in.

Special thanks to everybody who participated in some way in the 30-Day Character Challenge with me! It was a fun experience overall, and I feel I've extended my ability to imagine appealing characters a little bit more due to the challenge.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

29 - JX2136 (aka Michael Bay's Stuntbot)

2011-11-30T23:24:00.000-08:00

Sometimes Hollywood actors turn into piles of meat during an action scene full of explosions. Sometimes, You get sick of going through 30 of those actors after a day's worth of shooting.

Worry no more! JX-2136 is here for all your stunt-tastic needs! Rest assured, this adamantium robot will still be standing when the film makes its premiere - no matter how many explosions you throw him into.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

28 - Urma the Alien

2011-11-30T23:22:00.000-08:00

She likes to frequent the Mos Eisley Cantina where she can seduce the scum of the universe into buying her more drinks. On her watch, it's ALWAYS happy hour.

Also, I borrowed the name from a Koala bear wrapped in an old green sweater and a red bucket from an episode of "Muppet Babies". Maybe koalas grow up to be slithering, sensual space vixens?

Until next time, that was on my mind...

27 - Cuddles

2011-11-30T23:19:00.000-08:00

Me hungry still. More screaming humans and buildings, please.

Until Next time, that was on my mind...

26 (2) - Count Crimson

2011-11-30T23:17:00.000-08:00

Vampires have class and enough bloodlust to make fetching their next drink more intoxicating than a 21-bday party in college. One drop is all it takes to get the count deadset on seeking anything with red, viscous liquid in their neck. Good thing the Kool-Aid dude doesn't have a neck :P

Until next time, that was on my mind...

26 (1) - Count Crimson

2011-11-30T23:14:00.000-08:00

Note: I did two of these because at first I thought the other one sucked or seemed too sketchy. After some refinement, I kinda like 'em both now.

In the 1920s vampires didn't have sexy flowing hair or wore the latest fashionable clothes from Hot Topic - they wore whatever was in their attic and never bothered to file their fangs.

The count stalks its prey at midnight when the moon is his guiding light to his latest victims. As long as he can get there before his competition (like Dracula), he'll be able to feast for breakfast. Otherwise, it's to McDonalds for an egg McMuffin and a bloody Mary.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

25 - The Leviathan King

2011-11-30T23:12:00.000-08:00

Nessie ain't the only giant sea serpent lurking in the waters.

Far off in the land of Finland is where this royal reptile has been primarily dwelling for thousands of years. He finds that the best sardines and caviar are ripe for the picking in the waters here, and he also likes to converse with the locals, but for some reason, they all run away screaming when he gets too close.

They must be overwhelmed by his opulence...yeah, that's it.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

24 - Herald: The Pint-Sized Knight

2011-11-30T23:09:00.000-08:00

Who says midgets didn't exist during the Middle Ages?

This guy will do whatever he can to seek out damsels, kingdoms, or local farm animals that need saving, no matter how tall a tower they're stuck in. With his trust, fierce pig Sludgebucket by his side, Evil better run when they hear squealing in the near distance.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

23 - Jack Frostbite

2011-11-30T23:07:00.001-08:00

This kid is always the first to be outside playing in the snow after a snowstorm hits. However, he changed his mind after he made the wrong type of snowman one day - a magical one.

Lesson: Don't ever put a magical snowman's carrot nose in an inappropriate place, or else he might put you in one...

Until next time, that was on my mind...

22 - Professor Clockwork

2011-11-30T22:24:00.000-08:00

Ever meet a guy with lots of free time on his hands? Then you've probably met a guy who spends his time repairing various clocks around the world whenever one dies, slows down, or just vomits gears.

Oh, did I mention the professor replaced half of his body with clock parts due to a giant gear crushing his body when he was in his 20s? That might explain a lot...

Until next time, that was on my mind...

21 - Sweet Molasses!

2011-11-28T09:14:00.000-08:00

You read right: that is this clumsy raccoon's name because that's what he screams like a little girl whenever the cops or guards or pirates are after him.

I think he needs to take a few stealth lessons before waltzing into another art gallery and browsing for what he's about to snatch...

Until next time, that was on my mind...

20 - Vincent Vineer

2011-11-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

A scientist who became too fascinated with plants for his own good that his DNA merged with that of vines during an experiment gone wrong.

As a hybrid being, he discovers what it's like to have the powers of nature flow through his veins, and what he learns about himself through the seeds of hope...

Until next time, that was on my mind...

19 - The Gravedigger

2011-11-28T08:58:00.000-08:00

The dead may walk the Earth on Halloween, but for the rest of the year, they party 6 feet under.

Care to join us?

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Catching Up

2011-11-28T08:56:00.000-08:00

Hey all,

Just wanted to let you know that Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and taking on some commissions has kept me from posting my latest 30-Day-Character Challenge entries. They're all updated on facebook, but chances are, only my friends who check both sites have seen all the entries.

Here's a blast of entries I've been working on Since #18 in the next few posts. Enjoy!

Until next time, that was on my mind...

A little Animation/Cartooning Deviation

2011-11-20T09:53:00.000-08:00

Hey brainers,

I decided to take a brief break from the 30-Day Character challenge to rediscover my roots (albiet briefly). Upon blog surfing for a good two hours, the most interesting work hit my eye. Brittany Lee's framed cutout art reminded me of how much I love paper as an art medium - the colors literally pop out in front of you when strong composition and appealing characters are in place.

Further surfing the internet wave, I found this site on DeviantArt that gets back to the basics of appealing cartoons/animation/characters...and it uses Spongebob as a guinea pig to illustrate the principles nonetheless!

I feel like I've walked into a dark hazy labrynth with a broken lantern until stumbling upon this gold nugget.

Anyone interested in cartooning or animation as a fun hobby or professional career, I highly reccommend looking into this gallery of lessons. You may be surprised what you thought you once knew but forgot...

Spongebob and Appealing Cartoons/Animation

Until next time, that was on my mind...

18 - Pascal, The Other Boy Genius

2011-11-20T08:25:00.001-08:00

If there's one memory I vividly remember about the 90s, it's the abundance of small children boasting an I.Q. that would make Einstein brighter than a wet match in a dark cave. There was Dexter and his Lab, Jimmy Neutron, even a movie devoted to baby geniuses. Since this little 7-year-old missed the bandwagon, he spends his time coming up with scientific endeavors to change the past so that he's the one getting all the attention from Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon.

"Qwerty! Fetch me my wrench! It's time to make this time machine happen!"

Until next time, that was on my mind...

17 - Sir Slobbers-A-Lot

2011-11-20T08:17:00.000-08:00

The dog everyone ran away from when you saw him coming your way. With his dimwitted sheepdog-esque appearance and a tounge with more saliva than 10 Odies put together, he'll stop at nothing to seek and destroy his main target: bones and new people who come over your house.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

16 - Color Boy

2011-11-17T20:03:00.000-08:00

The mighty crusader of color frolics about the magical land of Chromium adding color to anything devoid of vibrance.

By the way, that thing sprouting from his head is a rainbow.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

15 - Lil' Pinchy

2011-11-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

Chances are, if you find a discarded beer can on the beach, it's not gonna have any leftover beer for you - this guy finished it off and made his home here. When's the last time you got crabs when you had a drink?

Until next time, that was on my mind...

14 - Jimmy the Simian Boy

2011-11-16T20:35:00.000-08:00

When a toddler gets lost in a deep jungle, there's not much he can do to survive on his own. Consider him a more modern Tarzan with a genetic twist. He was raised by Orangutans, and he grew more hair covering nearly his whole body when he began eating more bananas and learned how to speak primate...or, you know, it could be all that toxic waste that nearby factories dumped into the Amazon River.

A rescue squad found him 5 years later, but by then he was more ape than man, so they did what any civilized person would do to a newly discovered creature: capture it, put it in captivity, and then capitalize the hell out of it for profit. Life for Jimmy just isn't the same without vines and vipers surrounding him, even if the bananas here are organic.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

13 - The Rouge Avenger

2011-11-16T20:32:00.000-08:00

After his species was tormented through countless hunts, this fox had had enough. The Rouge Avenger is a vigilante who stands up against hunters and carnivores who pick on the the defense and those who just want to frolic in the fields.

When this stealth assassin is around you know that hunting season is over...

Until next time, that was on my mind...

#12 - Betty Summers

2011-11-13T20:40:00.000-08:00

Being a 40s pinup model is hard work! When she's not posing for the boys who are fighting the good fight against evil, she is seen relaxing by the beach with her favorite shovel and pail.

Now, be a doll and go fill this up for me. K thanks.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

#11 - The Space Wizard

2011-11-13T20:37:00.001-08:00

Magic has been outlawed on Earth, but not IN SPACE!!! The cousin of the Ice King from "Adventure Time" takes to the outter realm of space where he and his Fortress of Wanditude conquer planets by turing everyone into animal slaves. Hmm, maybe he was realated to Dr. Robotnik too?

Until next time, that was on my mind...

#10 - Glendale Foul Fish Guppies Mascott

2011-11-13T20:18:00.000-08:00

Mascots are always fun to draw. They're like big stuffed animals with people trapped inside. Therefore, hijinks happen. The mascott of a fishy team does his best to rouse the crowd with his sliping and sliding around the basketball court. He's one fish you don't want to catch, or else he'll just chant in your face all day.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

#9 - Fawny the Giraffe

2011-11-09T21:11:00.000-08:00

Fawny is the type of strong, feminine, nature-loving giraffe you'd expect to see skipping along the plains of Africa: Picking flowers and wearing them, spreading the news about green energy, recycling old zebra carcasses to make homes for young lion cubs..........................you know, that kind of thing.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

#8 - Jack Wood: Lumberjack Extraordinaire

2011-11-09T15:00:00.000-08:00

If cowboys herd steer, and sheepdogs herd sheep, then lumberjacks herd logs. This manly man of the frontier takes life by the wood and chops it into submission with his trusty hand axe, Cleaveland.

George Washington, you've just been pwnd.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

7 - Voodoo Demon Chicken

2011-11-07T20:48:00.000-08:00

This is what Colonel Sanders unleashed into the world once he passed on. Better not eat that thigh, it might be cursed by a neon batwing delicacy!

Until next time, that was on my mind...

#6 - Gummy McChewChew

2011-11-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

This is what happens when you swallow too much gum that you chew: You become a disgusting pink wad with gum-like superpowers. Occasionally, Gummy likes to hang out, but when he gets into sticky situations, he can use a hand. Also, he can turn himself into bubbles and float away like Kirby...Hmm, that makes me wonder why Kirby is pink...

Until next time, that was on my Mind...

#5 - Jethro T. Booger

2011-11-05T22:06:00.000-07:00

Here's Jethro the lovable mutant. Half hippo, half human, all crazy.

Lurking in the deepest Bayous of Louisiana, he plays a mean jug as a siren song to lure unsuspecting travelers and boy scouts to their death.

Forget banjos. If you hear deep throat blows of a jug, paddle faster!!!

Stay tuned for more "30-Day Character Challenge" entries...just as soon as I get more sleep.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

#4 - Da Hipsta Hamsta

2011-11-05T08:53:00.000-07:00

Never let your pet get near your thick-rimmed glasses or THIS might happen...

Until next time, that was on my mind...

#3 - The Soul Snatcher of Corcoran Mannor

2011-11-04T18:23:00.000-07:00

(The power outage that CT had for a week made this Halloween entry a bit late. Originally it was supposed to be #1 for the 30-Day Character Challenge, but hey, better late than never.)

Be careful treading on this spirit's turf during a full moon or else you'll just might be grabbed by the ghoulie and trapped in one of the paintings of hall's walls forever...

Until next time, that was on my mind...

#2 - Dirk Valiance

2011-11-04T18:21:00.001-07:00

He's a rootin' tootin' shootin' pretty cowpoke with a drawl like John Wayne. No matter how pretty the sheriff of Masrtson is, Outlaw Deathwish has found his next target to obliterate in a duel to the death.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

#1 - B. Agitated

2011-11-03T09:24:00.001-07:00

This is the first entry of the 30-Day Character Challenge.

B. is a little wired. He is a low-level worker bee with an exploding temper. The slightest grievance or complaint will set him off on a tirade that might not end for days. Despite never meeting the queen bee in person, he feels he is entitled to loyally protect and serve her at all costs. One day, when most of his fellow workers are called out on a secret mission involving harvesting pollen, he is left alone, leading him to take on the self-assigned duty as "Royal Guard". The power of being "in-charge" soon goes to his head and stops at nothing to interrogate and erradicate any visiting insects or other creatures who inquire about the hive's honey.

Hope you enjoyed my first entry. The remaining 29 will be sure to follow a similar format. Questions, comments, and feedback are always welcome :)

Until next time, that was on my mind...

30 Day Character Challenge

2011-11-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

Hi All!

It's been a little while since I've posted. My hometown and most other towns and cities in my state got the power knocked out of them by the Snowstorm (that meterologists refer to as Alfred) that hit last Saturday afternoon.

Now that some of the power has restored, I heard about this 30 Day Character challenge thing that a lot of my art and animation friends are taking on as fun little thing to do on the side in the midst of final exams and other stressful events coming up.

During my job application process, I figured it would be a fun side-project to take on as well. For all I know, this could jumpstart some untapped creativity burried in my mind. We'll see how it goes.

For anyone curious, I will be updating the first three characters today. All characters will be posted on my DeviantArt Page, my Facebook Page, and Blogspot for your viewing preference.

Here are links to my other sites for the 30-Day character challenge:

30-Day Character Challenge on DeviantArt

30-Day Character Challenge on Facebook

Until next time, that was on my mind...

It's Business Time

2011-10-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

I finally got a business card! Nothing says "official artist" like a piece of paper inked with your contact info.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Outlaw Deathwish

2011-10-20T09:09:00.000-07:00

"High Noon: Forget lunch - it's business time."

There's just something appealing about downtrodden, badass loners in the wild west. I commend Clint Eastwood for making the stereotype popular. John Wayne is the quintessential sheriff/hero, but he'll never out-cool the outlaw from out of town. "That'll be the day".

The drawing is still in conceptual stages, but I think I would like to develop this into a sequence encompassing the heat of a showdown where one man lives and one man dies, or a slew of backup cowpokes ambush both and start a massacre. Either way, westerns have found a special chamber in my heart that beats "Yee-haw!" when I think about westerns.

Until next time Pilgrim, that was on my mind...

Hungry Hungry Carnivores

2011-10-19T10:25:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

I wonder if staying up late until 2 or 3am is really a good idea. Doesn't exactly make me feel well-rested when I roll out of bed at 9am. On the other hand, my mind is practically spurting creativeness using anything it can get its grabby paws on.

Take for instance, this:

"Ya' know, because I haven't had a bite to eat since 'Jaws' came out."

Kinda random, kinda funny, but all spontaneous. After reading a Cracked.com article and coming across a picture of a shark with oversized, bloated gums, my mind went to work immediately and created (potential meme material) Obese Hungry Shark, who is always on the prowl for your leftovers no matter what disgusting piece of tripe they may be.

Mmm, that reminds me, I should probably make lunch - I wonder if I have any tripe left in the fridge...

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Future Girl will Save Us from Impending Doom

2011-10-15T14:58:00.001-07:00

Hey all,
This past week was a bit slow for me. Spent it mostly cleaning old junk out of my room and doodling here and there. One day, I had an impulsive urge to draw, and as my ideas morphed during my passionate bout of conquering a stack of papyrus, this girl formed. Granted, she was just standing there on a block as if she were the subject of a college figure drawing class, but I ran with the idea that she was posing for a reason.

The box morphed into a technological cube of sorts that transported her into a doomed future of a prosperous metropolis that she used to inhabit, but using her powers of violent persuasion in order to reach a massive device that acts like an undo button, she makes her way through the future.

The sketch started out simple enough:

Then I moved to ink it entirely in Adobe Illustrator since I haven't really done anything more complex than an iconic band logo in that program lately:

"Welcome to vector art 101: The foundation for overused commercial trends"

It was pleasant on its own in black and white, but I wanted to extend it further to really get a sense of who this girl was once color shed some light on her identity as well as on the world she occupies. After inking her for a solid day, I took a sanity break.

"It's okay. You're worth the craziness - as long as I don't have to wear the jacket with straps while coloring you."

Five days later, this happened. It was painstakingly frustrating to figure out how the shadows fell on her body as well as what colors to actually choose for her wardrobe, but I am overall very satisfied with the final product. Hmm, not bad. I can probably make this into an animated film or book one day. Who knows. All I know is that the song "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People was playing a little too frequently during my creative process (hence the gun and killer go-go boots).

"All the other kids with the...fancy... sneakers -ok, I'm done now. Enjoy her sass."

That's all for now. Marvel at this kick-ass vagrant. Until next time, that was on my mind...

p.s. To humor you, here's the song.

Pumped Up Picks, Yo.

Go on, I dare ya. Observe this artwork with that song on. You'll get some crazy ideas I tell ya.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

To Save A Pumpkin's Life (A Short Story)

2011-10-09T07:45:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that it's already October when it seems like yesterday when I was romping around Rochester in the summer. Within 22 days Halloween, one of the most exciting (and commercial) holidays will be here. Usually, I would go all out for such a ceremonious occasion, but I hit the ground face-first before I could pull the rip cord.

One of the rituals I take seriously is pumpkin carving - whoever thought piercing holes in a gourd is a genius. Many artists look at this plant as a blank canvas to make their intricate, delicate, and artistic mark on - don't forget showboating too.

They even have specials on TV where they get to show off these decorated pumpkins:

"My butter knife has got nothin' on that."

Despite the pressure to make a masterpiece on a blank canvas, I had high hopes for my pumpkin. I picked out the roundest, orangiest pumpkin I could find in a pen at the farmer's market. It was practically begging for me to take it home...and with those sad puppy eyes it made at me, how could I resist?

"Yep, these eyes work on almost anything they're attached to."

Unfortunately, when I eagerly set it on the table of its new home, distraction set in. Distraction of chores, video games, and my past-time/future job of doing art. Friday night rolled around and my stomach lured me into the kitchen for some frozen pizzas. With the preserved dinner in my hands, I turned around. The pumpkin stared at me. I stared back. Something appeared off about the gourd of my affection. It seemed dark in some spots even where light from the overhead light was shining on it. I reached my arms around the pumpkin and began to rub it. My fingers dipped into some soft spots. It was just as bad as finding out a loved one had cancer...squish! My ring finger penetrated the wall of this neglected specimen of beauty.

Steadily my hand retracted from the once object of my [temporary] affection. Its stringy guts bound my hand shut. It was just one of those moments where I felt like dropping to my knees and shouting, "WHY!?" to the sky. Though the room remained silent, I could her her screams of agony echoing in my head. I knew there was only one thing I could do: Perform surgery.

Immediately, my arsenal of steak knives, scrapers, and paper towels laid sprawled out on the kitchen counter. With my sleeves pushed up, I entered a focused state of mind where every incision, every scrape, every discarded carved piece meant saving this pumpkin from disaster (and a waste of 20 bucks).

A whole roll of paper towels had become soaked in orange-colored mush in the trash. Seeds stuck to the backs of my hands, but the operation was finally over.

While I did not fulfill the fantasy of making a monster's bust come to life on my pumpkin, I did work with what I had. It became abstract, but still lovable. From several angles, it morphed its visage, sparking a lust in my eyes for unexpected attraction. Though I botched up another relationship due to neglect, it wasn't too late to save this one. I looked at her once again while she was recovering. She feigns a smile at me.

"Isn't she adorable...in a weird, use-your-imagination kind of way?"

Moral of the story: When you finally get something you wanted really badly for a while, PAY ATTENTION TO IT, or else it'll rot away and get sour and nasty.

It also gave me an idea for an abandoned shack in a book/potential film I'm working on called "Voices from Autumn". Title is pending of course, but it sounds pretty cool.
Take a look:

Hope you liked one of the longest blog posts I've made in a while.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

New Layout (Version 3)!

2011-10-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hey all you brainers,

Hope you like the new layout. I figured that every so often change can be good, even refreshing. The layout still keeps with the space theme while reflecting my arty doodleness.

Today is a quick post. I'll be busy in the next few days working on little things here and there. I might get some cool buttons for those links on the side and even start adding artwork here from my other sites that most of you probably aren't aware of (such as my DeviantArt Page, my Facebook, My LinkedIn, and yeah...that's it. I don't do Twitter).

Expect some Seasonal art coming your way since Autumn is so colorful and on fire with beauty.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Donkeylips Remembers

2011-09-26T22:22:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Quick Update. Based on feedback from the last post, I indeed made an Eddie "Donkeylips" Gelfin portrait in the likeness of the PTSD Clarinet Boy meme. Have no idea what that is? Neither did I before making this art. Take a look see at this link.

Meme Kid

The cool part about a doing projects like this is that I now have a sketchbook full of "Salute Your Shorts" characters in cartoon or caricature form. I'll be sure to post some next post or so.

Until next time,that was on my mind....

Enraged Panda Board Lives!

2011-09-21T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

For the avid blog-readers who may remember a few months back, I posted some concept art for a longboard I designed myself - completely custom. Now, thanks to Tyler Schrodt and Evan McCool (yes, that's his real last name), my board lives! Evan and Tyler took care of ordering the parts and pressing the board itself while I took care of the paint job, assembly, and custom griptape design.

For a refresher, here's the initial concept art:

And here's the Top of the new Longboard Deck:

...aaaannnd the bottom as well.

Okay, so it's not exactly the same, but hey - that's how designs evolve. It works for Social Darwinism and it works for good art too. On Facebook via Enraged Panda's Page, it's also had quite a few likes, so the board is pretty favorable in the longboarding community too! Who knows what's in store for My Enraged Pandaman (superhero title pending). A lot of people like the design of my panda, so I might have something more than acrylic deck artwork in store for it. What you may ask? Tune in next week to see the exciting conclusion *in voice of 40s cartoon narratohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifr*

If you are at all interested in Longboarding or making/buying a custom Enraged Panda Longboard, check out their facebook page here :)

Enraged Panda Boading Co.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Nickelodeon Stuff...and a Hiatus of Sorts

2011-09-10T18:18:00.000-07:00

Whoa! Time flies when you're couch surfin'! Sorry I hadn't updated in a while. I was in the midst of visiting people in Rochester one last time before I hit the road back home for regrouping for my next step in life. Okay, Summer was pretty crazy during the last few weeks I was in Rochester, but fear not - I bring you updates.

I am doing a small series (of about 10 in total) of what I consider notable iconic characters from Nickelodeon in the 90s to commemorate "The 90S are All That" appearing on TeenNick since July 25th. I posted about five on DeviantArt and my facebook page, so that means five more to go!

Here are the ones in case you are curious (like I know you are):

Artie from "The Adventures of Pete and Pete"

Zeke the Plumber from "Salute Your Shorts"

Ickis, Krumm, and Oblina from "Aaahhh! Real Monsters"

Don't forget the Gromble!

And the lovable stoner slacker Ed from "All That" and "Good Burger"(Feature film)

Be on the look out for more Nick-themed character portraits as fall rolls by. If you have any requests or want to help me decide the next character portrait, feel free to comment!

So far, here are some potentially fun ideas:
-Marc Summers with some sort of integration of "Double Dare" and "What Would You Do?"
-A vintage-style poster of the midnight society
-Powdered Toast Man holding Ren & Stimpy in his Arms
-Invader Zim and Gir taking over the world
-Stu Making Pudding at 4am or Reptar and Tommy
-Phil Moore (on crack) hosting "Nick Arcade" and "You're On!"
-Dale and Roger Klotz mocking Doug for his big nose
-Angry Beavers as disgruntled marsupials (done in a more photo-realistic style like those cheesy horror movies they watch).
-Danny Tamberelli Yelling "I DON'T KNOW!!!" at Summer Sanders on "Figure it Out"

Keep the ideas flowing peeps. Constructive feedback is also much appreciated :D until next time, that was on my mind...

The Travelling Sketchbook

2011-08-02T10:23:00.001-07:00

Hi All,
In attempts to get more creatively inspired, I joined a group of friends and acquaintances in a group called "The Traveling Sketchbook". Bascially, we all agreed on this idea to contribute a sketch fitting the theme of "The Self" in any way we please. I was lucky number 1 on the list of 26 people who will be receiving the sketchbook through land, sea, air, and maybe teleportation if the technology develops soon enough (I'm looking at you, Google).

I thought since people who may be curious about the art wanted a sneak peak, here is my page, which is a raw scan from the moleskine sketchbook we're passing around. Currently, the book is with recipient number 2, which is my friend Adrian.

Once the sketchbook has made its rounds, I'll see if I have permission to post all 26 entries so we can observe and appreciate all these people's styles and interpretations of "The Self".

Here's mine. I view myself as a tangible, malleable object who lives in the world between reality and dreams:

Until next time, that's what was on my mind...

Second Seed

2011-07-19T17:02:00.000-07:00

Hey All,

Today is an interesting update. Over the course of this summer, I've had various creative ideas flowing and bursting through my head, but some of them seem to keep resurfacing even after I thought they've faded away since their inception. One of these ideas is a new interpretation of my thesis film "Uprooted".

Some of you may recall that I may have mentioned that this film originally started out as three separate ideas: One that was very crude and experimental where we watched a bunch of characters inexplicably ramble causing their head plants to react in different ways (as a kind of euphemism for wearing your heart on your sleeve). Another idea involved a boy who crash-landed from a portal into a wasteland and ran into a series of female ghosts that seem to be haunting him on his quest to return to home/reality. The third idea was a Boy with a flower that he can't seem to grow no matter how hard he tries, and when he experiences love...and loss for the first time, it turns him into a plant monster bent on revenge and destruction.

As exciting as those ideas sound, they were only materialized in journal entries, concept sketches on scraps of paper, and maybe a digital painting or two.

While searching for festivals to submit my thesis to, I've often wondered: "What if there is a story beyond where my thesis left off? What if it continues, or if there are different characters in a universe of plant/human hybrids that we see in episodic fashion?"

In exploring this idea, I made some concept art for the main character Buddy who confronts his worst fear...himself. Feel free to compare sketches and the final painting. I'll be happy to discus it with anybody. Let it grow on you.

Sketch

Final Painted Version

That's all for now. Who knows when the next post will be. To be honest, I update inconsistently, but I update, so keep your eyes open and mouse-clicking fingers ready.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Things Are Heating Up

2011-07-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

'Sup y'all. Just a quick update today. Over the past two weeks me and one of my film buddies from RIT had some creative brainstorming for potential future films we'd make. One of our ideas was the memory of a past wife or loved one coming back for one last dance - kinda based on the virally popular "Thought of You" except with faces on the people dancing. Here's a digital painting that I did over the weekend to figure out one way this could look. Not too shabby, but I think I would like the woman's fire ghost better if she had a dress.

This is also one of the first times I've actually taken mood lighting into consideration - it's fun. I gotta do it more.

My only disappointment is that the exported version of this came out A LOT darker than what it looked like in Photoshop for reasons unknown to me. If I figure it out, I'll be sure to fix and re-post it.

May the ghosts of your past haunt you through your medium of choice.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Digital Love is Digital Painting

2011-07-08T09:19:00.001-07:00

Whoa! It's been a month and three days since I last stood on my tiny soapbox on the street corner that is my blog of the jam-packed city that is the internet. How are all you doin?

Okay, now that we're all reacquainted, here's an update: Living "on my own" isn't as easy as I thought. While I have the freedom to make whatever choices I want, money, work, and dreams that I need to keep alive create some obstacles. In the midst of being the lonely puzzle piece trying to find which puzzle he belongs to, I've found both challenge and comfort in digital painting.

If any of you long-time readers remember from last year, I did a 7 Deadly Sin series last summer where I did my own interpretation of the vices in monster form. To my surprise, my attention to detail and keeping a theme allowed me to explore and develop new skills in creating art that's purely digital. Coming from a traditional background where my focus is drawing with pencil, that's not too shabby.

This summer, my focus is creating more organic-looking digital paintings as well as doing watercolor with ink - two mediums that I haven't fully unlocked yet. I anticipate lots of spills and lots of fun, so stay tuned to my brain waves to see what I come up with.

So far, I came up with this piece. It was done on a Wacom Cintiq, which is quite different than the intuos3 that I am used to, but is nice for the direct interaction between pen and drawing. I took the opportunity to design a graphic for the bottom of a longboard that I want to make eventually though Enraged Panda Longboards - the same company I designed their logo for. The top drawing is just a general one. It can be used for stickers, a website banner for this company, whatever they wish. The one below it is a mockup of the deck that it will be on with custom shapes designed by me.

My goal by the end of the summer is to get this board made, ride it, and post photos. Until then, I'll be arting my days away to keep both you and myself entertained.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Baby Steps

2011-06-05T09:01:00.001-07:00

Hey All,

It's been a while since I posted, I know. Graduation came and went, and I can now say that I have a BFA in Film & Animation with a piece of paper to back it up. Yay! I have to say, being on my own and out of the dorms after being there for a solid 5 years is a different experience, one of them being that I have to realize EVERYTHING costs money. Since moving into my apartment for the summer, my frugality meters are off the charts.

But I am sure that's why you're not reading this. Today's post deals with the transition among different phases of a human lifetime. When we are first born, we have no idea what to do other than what comes naturally - we coo, we spit, we poop, we cry. As we get older, it takes a little advice and some nurturing from people close to us to allow us to discover new parts of ourselves that we never knew existed. Our parents help us learn to talk and walk, we learn how to eat our own food with a fork. We start developing a sense of right and wrong based on whether or not we hate the consequences. As we get older, the people close to us begin to drift away as new people drift toward us and lend their advice to help nurture our growing selves. Just like plants, the way we turn out is dependent on the quality of nurturing we get as we grow from a seed.

I always hated the phrase "Oh, that kid is a bad seed" or something along those lines. I see seeds, kids, guns, knives, and alcohol on the same plane: they are neither good or bad, they are merely influenced by actions they and the people they surround themselves with cause. You can drink beer without getting so drunk you smash a car window at a convenience store and drive it away, as long as you have enough self control to say, "You know, I'm a little light-headed - I think that's enough for now".

I guess the point of this post is that despite my feelings of not really getting anywhere with my life right after graduation, it's mostly due to my actions. I took a few baby steps towards achieving my dreams of becoming a well-known and respected artist in the animation industry, but I stop too early thinking the doorway is too far way for me to reach. Like all things people desire most, it's a matter of legwork...and time.

My first goal is to get my thesis film "Uprooted" into at least one film festival. Since they happen all the time, it seems likely that this will happen. Now to get on my shoes and start walking. Even if I fall, even if I cry, even if I walk in the wrong direction, that door is still there, and if I want to go the distance, I might be able to open it someday. Let's see where I end up three months from now.

Until next time...that was on my mind.

That's a Wrap!

2011-05-16T16:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, this weekend is the happiest moment of my life. After 1 year and 1 quarter (11 weeks) at RIT developing my senior thesis, it is finally completed. I screened my film in front of a live audience comprised of Friends, Students, and Faculty. The response I received was overwhelmingly positive. As the film was playing, I could hear people tearing up and sniffling due to identifying with the characters and story. There was hooting and hollering afterwards. People have come up to me randomly for two days now thanking me and opening their hearts to me for being a brave person by putting my life on display through this film and my artist statement. After all the terrible things I've gone through, this has returned joy a thousand times over.

I now have a new found confidence in approaching my life. There is a lot of things I can do with my film - send it to festivals, upload it to Vimeo and YouTube, make merchandise, distribute DVDs - the possibilities are wide open. For now, I will be looking into festivals to submit the film to - one of the big ones I would like to hit is Ottawa, which happens sometime in October every year. Once I felt the film has run it's course on the festival circuit, I will be either uploading the film online, or distributing DVDs, or maybe both. I'll have to plan my strategic marketing strategy in the next week or so to get the maximum benefit from it.

If you're wondering about the photo I've included in this post, one of my fellow animators Norman Tang, really appreciated my film, so he made some fan art and stuck it in the credits of his thesis along with a few other characters from other theses. By the way, I should mention that his film involves a guy who's obsessed with [sexy] waffles.

What's in store for my thesis "Uprooted"? Only time, faith, and patience will tell.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Loose and Light is the Way to Go

2011-05-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

So for my final quarter at RIT, I felt it was best (after some convincing from my thesis advisor) to take a figure drawing class and brush up on my drawing skills. Now, I'm not the kind of person that is swooning with love over realism, but I do value developing an observational eye for detail, and the best place to develop that is in real life with real (but naked) models.

Here are some samples from the two giant newsprint pads I drew in for the past 8 weeks. Most of these are drawin with charcoal or implemented with some influence of vine charcoal, pastels, or conte. I also opted to do a digital sketch with a plain brush in Photoshop to see how a tablet could affect my technique to capture the essence of human anatomy and curves.

Traditional figure drawing samples:

Digital figure drawing samples:

Not too shabby, but I still have a way to go. It's okay though - I still have a whole life to learn many wonderful things I've never even heard of before, and that's what makes my journey through art engaging. Be sure to stay tuned for the movie poster for "Uprooted" my senior thesis animated film.

That's all for now. Until next time...that was on my mind.

Senior Thesis Trailer

2011-04-21T13:21:00.001-07:00

Hey, long time no see! I forgot to mention: If you haven't seen my trailer for my senior thesis yet, which will premiere at the RIT School of Film and Animation spring screenings this May, then feel free to check it out here. Just to give you a taste of what it's all about - People. Plants. Love. Enjoy!

Uprooted - Teaser Trailer from Brett Wilson on Vimeo.

Until next time, that's what's on my mind...

Quick Update - Website

2011-04-21T11:32:00.000-07:00

It's that time in my life where I should be making the necessary preparations to do whatever I can in order to make the world aware of my presence. For starters, I might as well post my website (that requires a little code tweaking for the gallery manager), but is otherwise completed.

For any of you readers who read blog posts over the past Summer regarding my portfolio website project, this is it. I've been hiding it from the world until now because I wanted to make it perfect before showing it off. At this point, take a look, and within a few weeks, the gallery manager coding should be fixed, more art should be posted, and I'll have a non-RIT domain name to house this little site of mine.

For the curious minds, check this out and feel free to give me feedback and/or contact me about it.

Brett's Website: http:From the Mind of Brett M. Wilson

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more updates in the near future!

Peace.

The Crazy Week 6

2011-04-17T09:37:00.001-07:00

I always feel like there's a time in a person's life where things operate independently of his own actions, as if another force in the universe is at work pulling the necessary strings, placing people near people who would not ordinarily be around each other, and the like.

This past week was one of those instances where the cosmos was in control of my life. Me "finishing" my thesis led to a lot of diverse results: I sense a lot of seniors who I have befriended over the year have a seed of scorn growing inside of them because I am ahead of the game. I noticed that people, mostly women I know, who never pay attention to me, all of a sudden see me - I counted at least eight of them,and some of them are people who I thought had forgotten me. One of my professors is so concerned for my well-being as a friend that he is willing to spend a whole day with me to do anything we can to help me unwind.

When things like this happen, I really wonder if I should try to do anything about it, or if I should just be normal and let the stars coordinate my destiny. If there is some sort of plan for my life that isn't evident right now, I sure hope a higher being up there is making it happen despite my interference.

To close up the week, I ended up making a painting that felt like I was staring into a mirror - if you ever imagined yourself as a cartoon character living out your life, you know what I mean. I also spent a solid 8 hours working on the sound design with my sound guy for my thesis. It was quite a surreal experience as well. He seemed to bring out a brash, silly quality out of me in order to play off of his attempts to stay sane after hearing the same sounds being tweaked ad nauseum for hours at a time.

If you ever feel like something else is controlling your life, know when to interfere and when to back off and let the plan run its course. As Brian Larson (a professor of mine) always tells me, "Trust the Process".

Until next time, that was on my mind...

p.s. I'll be doing a photo blog update of stuff I've been up to (art-wise) later today or tomorrow. Peace.

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

2011-04-10T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody,

Hope you like your news fresh off the grill because I'm serving it up like a free BBQ!

First and foremost, I would like to officially announce that my Senior Thesis Film "Uprooted" is (essentially) done for the year. Yay. Why essentially you ask? It's because my part of the project is completed. All that's left to put together is the sound effects and music, which will be done by the lovely Miles Baird and Tom Shukis. Feel free to check out their name on Vimeo or Facebook, or through links that I'll find later on for you all - they do good stuff. I heard rumors that I am "the first" to be done with their thesis in SOFA at RIT, but I cannot confirm or deny them at the time since there is that gray area of sound and small tweaks that still need to be accounted for until it's ready to submit for screenings on May 11th. I'll be sure to send a facebook invite to all my friends who might be interested in coming to the premiere. Afterwards, only time will decide the fate of the film. In honor of my film's completion, here's another still from the film to admire (pictured above).

Second update: Now that the thesis is "done", I am re-dedicating this blog to all the random artwork I do as well as my random musings on things about life. I assure you, it won't be just another art blog once the updates become more frequent (or at least consistent).

Third update: With this extra time at hand, it's time to make some important decisions of my life - once I graduate, where to next? It's something that I can't ignore with graduation only about a month away, but it's also something I can't stress too much about. I am hoping that within the next week or so, I can find a decision that I can firmly believe in as the next step towards the meandering pathways leading me through life.

As a final note, here's one of my random musings (inspired by the lovely weather at RIT this past weekend): When people crawl out of their little white cells to a world enveloped in color, breathe a deep breath of spring into your lungs and embrace the wonderful things spring brings - friends, fun, and rebirth. There is always room for a second chance if you give one...

That's all for now. Until next time, that was on my mind...

Thesis Teaser Shot

2011-03-31T22:34:00.000-07:00

MAN, Time flies! The film is almost ready for sound work to start, meaning the shots are inked, colored, and roughly composited to have the timing down. This film is taking forever, but luckily my tenacious nature and strong desire to get this film done on time and done well enough to meet expectations at SOFA screenings is keeping post production chugging along on a steady track. Let's hope I (or my lovely crew of inkers and colorists) don't lose steam anytime soon.

For all you lucky people, here's a small taste of what the final composites for my thesis film look like. By the way, I chose a shot that does not reveal much plot on purpose so that I retain that element of surprise and amazement for when it premieres in Mid may this spring ;) Hope you can contain yourself until then.

Here's the clip:

Senior Thesis Teaser Shot from Brett Wilson on Vimeo.

I'll probably give more commentary about the process and evolution of this film at some point this April so people can understand how this film spawned as well as why it is officially regarded by several SOFA Animation professors as, "The most personal film to screen in SOFA".

Stay tuned my precious fans. Until next time, that was on my mind...

Thesis Animation is DONE!

2011-03-12T17:18:00.000-08:00

Yep, you heard right. All the drudgery and hand cramps are finally over. Here's some pics of the drawings I made for the film. The Stack in the crate are the final drawings, and the stack beside it on the left are the screwups - hey, they need love too, right?

That's it. I just wanted to celebrate briefly. I'll be updating next time with some finalized backgrounds for my film, so stay tuned!

Until next time,

Peace.

Last Quarter Begins

2011-03-08T14:04:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone,

So this is it...10 weeks from now my film will be (should be) finished, and yet, I can't help but feel like this quarter will be the most difficult one yet.

Finishing the coloring, compositing, sound, and special effects don't scare me as much as the fact that I need to make all of this look experimental and work for my audience.

Since the idea was planted into my head three years ago, I had no idea what I wanted this film to look like other than the fact that things were moving around while the background shape-shifted in place. I think my thought process has come full-circle.

I've been thinking about my film more like a theatrical play lately because I am getting migranes while asking myself repeatedly: "How can I make this NOT look like 'just another generic animated short film'?" I believe I was onto something when I first came up with this idea.

What my plan to do for the film is to still move everything around like it's animated, but maintain a static background element in every shot to create the illusion that the viewer is watching this film underneath a proscenium arch, not a film frame. Guess it's time to get my mise en scene on!

I am hesitant to show the progress reel of my thesis online for I feel it should spoil some "surprises" I have in store, but rest assured, in the posts to follow up until the film's completion, I will DEFINITELY post either special effect tests, shots tests, or some stills from the final compositions. I hope in doing so, your anticipation for seeing this film will only build and not wane.

Stay tuned next time! Until then, Here's a teaser image :P

Crossroads

2011-02-25T17:25:00.000-08:00

To all you RIT peeps, no, I am not at that very far, far away eatery on campus. I am making a blog entry this evening because I am at a turning point for the production of my film - the kind of turning point that will either congratulate you or hit you in the face repeatedly depending on the creative decisions I make in the next two weeks.

To bring all my brain blog followers up to speed, here is what's going on with my thesis "Uprooted" thus far:

-Five shots of animation are left to animate.

-I got a decent amount of feedback at SOFA (School of Film & Animation) quarterly screenings. Most of the feedback regarded viewers being confused, but I feel most of that is due to the fact that there were only pencil tests with a scratch track. Also, most people forgot that the film is half narrative and half experimental. The addition of color, sound, texture, and special effects will clear everything up by May's final screening.

-I am learning and experimenting with particle effects this week in order to implement an extra "dimension" to my film.

-There is a strong possibility that I will be making a trailer for my film between now and May in order to generate more interest in it.

That's what I am up to now with the thesis. I want to keep this entry pretty brief for now, just so people can check-in on this beautiful disaster that has been consuming my life for almost a year now. As a head's up, I will be making a blog entry about do's and don'ts of pre-production (in the case of my thesis). I think it'll but an entertaining spin on what I usually post and it might be entertaining in the process.

As a final thought, I'll leave you with this picture and caption in hopes that I do not go insane during the final third of my production.

"Where's the files? I only have 10 more weeks until my film is done!"

Am I Dead Yet? Only Half...for Now

2011-02-17T07:45:00.000-08:00

Howdy Folks and Folkettes,

week 10 is upon us. Ugh...at RIT we have something we like to measure time by called the week system. Since we run on quarters, each quarter is divided into 11 weeks. Weeks 1-3 are generally happy, blissful, and all around shinanigan-filled. Weeks 4-6 are when you lower your guard due to midterms. 7-9 is when you start to get loaded with more papers and essays and projects than you can shake a stick at, and Weeks 10 & 11 are a mixture of dying, partying and make-up sex (metaphorically of course)due to final projects coming to a close. It is currently week 10 and every week seems like the same for the past quarter.

I have been working on the animation, coloring, scanning, and inking aspect of my film with my thesis team that I hired (I swear I am not recruiting an army like I did for my 2 Qtr "Fishie Business - I promise). Like most things, I can get pretty stressed out about things, especially when my brain says, "Keep going, you gotta finish this!" while the rest of your body screams, "Stop torturing me! I need rest!"

I recently finished what I like to call "The Dreaded Shot 5". Why is it named like some pathetic B Horror movie creature? I'm glad you asked. It's due to the fact that the shot is a stright up solid minute of pure torture, pain, and all around chaotic overstimulation. I kid you not when I say it is the most grueling, complex shot of my entire film. That being said and with many pencil tests later, it is completed. However, I am not about the ruin the surprise for you anonymous blog readers. That would ruin the surprise, which is why I have been purposely NOT been updating my blog lately. I am withholding shots of my film that will give away the awesomeness that I want to reveal for the first time in May when I screen the thesis amongst eager eyes of friends, enemies, and everyone in-between.

As a result. I can only leak tiny, tiny hints here and there and maybe some still frames of what's going on. As of right now, I'll give you a pencil test to gawk at and some familiar characters who underwent a "necessary" color change, which I may or may not reveal why when I present my artist's statement when my thesis screens.

Cynthia aint no red head anymore!?
Is Heather Goth!?
Why is this plant person being assaulted by thorny vines?

Tune in next week for the latest exciting episode of "Brett's Thesis Film Progress"!

*Dun Dun Dun*

Peace out.

Thesis SFX

2011-02-02T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

I've been animating like a beast for the past few days, and I will continue to do so since I have a lot of work ahead now that the ending has changed and the film is essentially double the length of the original animatic. Not to worry though, it's longer in order to let certain scenes breathe and not be rushed. Trust me, it's for the best.

In what little downtime I had on Sunday, I managed to grab some pics with my DSLR of snowfall on pavement when I had the chance while waiting for my laundry to dry. The result is this kind of experimental effect that I plan on using for the winter portion of the shot where the seasons change.

Here's a glimpse of many special effects to come and how their offbeat, raw style could affect the hand-drawn animation of my film:

Note: this is just a test and can change once I dive into sound and sfx in the spring for my thesis. Please do not use this test without my permission. It is for viewing purposes only, and may be used in my film eventually.

Secret Thesis Ending?

2011-01-30T08:15:00.001-08:00

Hi All,

Maybe I've been playing too much Kingdom Hearts in the past, but if there's anything I've learned from the series its that Art Director Tetsuya Nomura loves teasing his fans with information regarding his spectacular projects. People always want more, so he gives them more - just in a very enigmatic fashion.

In the case of my thesis, I don't exactly have a secret ending...kinda - it's more like I rewrote the ending of the animatic for my film that I made over Thanksgiving break. I wanted to make it more cohesive to the story and less contrived as it appears to be now.

I DO however have a short little idea that I want to express after the film ends involving the aftermath of the ending events. Whether it's necessary, I cannot say, but it will serve as a nice foreshadowing of real events in my life that I want to occur proceeding the screening of the film. I'll just leave it at that for now.

Like always, here's something just vague enough to wet your apetite and to keep you coming back for a second helping:

That's all for now. Stay tuned for more thesis goodness. Peace.

The Flood has Ended...For Now

2011-01-27T06:56:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
I was hoping to feed more content into your internet-happy brains last week, but due to several other tasks that fell by the wayside, I had to cease my constant stream of thesis work.

For now I will give you a small update regarding the status of my thesis "Uprooted". I'll try to get another pencil test or two uploaded, but just to give you a heads up, certain shots will not be revealed to the world until this film screens near the end of May 2011 in order to keep at least some aspect of my film shrouded in mystery.

Update:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Officially half-way done with the film. I continue to animate every day while three colorists, a scanner, and a tracer complete my shots for me. Expect at least 2-3 bigger updates before March rolls around.

-The ending was re-written and thumbnailed over the course of two days this week in order to better reflect the overarching theme of death and rebirth in my film. The only way it directly affects the progress of my film is that my catch-up week before spring break will be filled with doing these shots instead. I should be finished with all the hand-drawn animation by week 1 of spring quarter at RIT at the VERY LATEST.

-Expect at least two trippy scenes where you feel like you are "floating"

-There is an element of fate and self-fulfilling prophecy involving some of the characters.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That's all for now. Let those thoughts stew in your brain for a while. Hopefully all they do is make you want to see the film even more badly than you wanted to before.

Until text time, peace.

The Flood Continues, but More Slowly

2011-01-18T21:59:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
I'm slightly past my personal schedule for daily blog posts, but maybe I'll just do two today. A lot of these pencil tests may not look like much, but once you see them composited and colored and with special effects, they'll look pretty kick-ass in the spring. These are merely basic animation tests for movement, and nothing more.

For all you shiny happy people who enjoy crazy kids, here's two different versions of a pencil test I did for my thesis. In this shot, these kids are trying to get the attention of the main female protagonist in the park. They fail around a bit because that's their personality to be honest. Since I made two slightly different versions, feel free to discuss which one you prefer and why.

Version 1:

Version 2:

To seal the deal, here are more thesis doodles that I happen to draw in my Senior Forum class a lot - it seems that's where I conceptualize what future shots and characters will look like. For once, I'm getting something beneficial out of being distracted. If you want to comment on the doodle, please let me know how I can make his face gruesome and expressionless, yet something you feel sympathy for.

That's all for now. Set your sights on either a post later tonight or sometime Thursday. Until next time, that was on Brett's brain...

Battling the Elements...Oh, and Some Thesis Stuff Too

2011-01-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

Hi All,

Over the weekend, I caught a nasty the cold - the kind that starts out as a sniffle and mutates into the sensation of burning skin, a throat scratchier than razorblades, and a nose more stuffed than that buck your uncle shot in Montana last Fall.

Due to my illness, production of my thesis film will be slowing down a little, and with any luck, I can call on my lackeys to at least push forward with the non-animating aspects of the film. Before I hit the hay with hopes of healing, here's a happy helping of pencil tests (see, I'm so delerious I just used alliteration for an entire sentence!)

To start off, here's a better timed out pencil test of Heather and Tiger unifying as plants and vines.

I decided to drag it out more to allow more time for dramatic pauses and time for the characters to display subtle acts of affection...and torment.

Next We have the title slate. Imagine this underneath pixelated dirt and a camera boom upwards once the upside-down tree has fully grown. I re-timed it to make it whip more violently and stagnat than the previous version...which I never actually posted until now.

Oh well, here is the first test:

...and the second one:

If there's anything I learned about animation, it's perseverance. If you truly believe in something, pour your heart and soul into it and fight adversity. All the pain will be worth it in the end...at least that's the hope as long as I am not dead. Here's to hope that my vision is fully realized by the end of the school year.

Until next time, that was on my brain (not mind because my blog is not "From the Mind of Brett" anymore). >:D

More Thesis Flooding

2011-01-16T08:48:00.001-08:00

Hi gang!

As promised, I shall continue to post things related to my thesis in any way I can. I always find watching the progress of how art is created to be equally as fascinating as the final product - no matter how rough the work-in-progress is. For today, Here is another pencil test. This shot needs a little more work still since I still need to in-between Tiger's bulging bicep growing a bark hide, but I'd figure I would show you this test anyways to give you a sense of what's going on.

This is one of the shots that initiates some of the stranger things that happen in my film. I'll let you imagine why the enamored Heather and bombastic Tiger they end up getting a little too attached to each other.

If any of you viewers are confused about the plant metaphor I'm implementing into my film, I'll layout some of the concepts, but I won't give it all away since I plan on saving the whole explanation for the day it screens in May.

To keep things basic and enigmatic - think of thoughts as seeds...

To tease you even further, I'll leave you with a few doodles I made in my Senior Forum notebook pertaining to my film.

Betcha can't figure out how these crude images fit into my film. I'll give you a hint: The Scottish guy has nothing to do with it and is just chilling on the bottom of the page. Peace.

Release the Flood Gates!

2011-01-15T15:15:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
It's been about a month since I last posted anything pertaining to anything I have done that's art-related. I apologize. You'd be surprised just how much fades around you when you become obsessed about finishing your thesis film and nothing else.

In order to make the updates feel less daunting as my production schedule chugs along, I will release something new everyday until I have nothing more to show until more stuff for my thesis is ready. Translation - I will show you the progress of my thesis so that you get SUPER excited to see it once it's done :D

With that in mind, here is some pre-production stuff AND a pencil test to wet your apetite. These are the main characters that appear in my film that I intended since I heavily revised the story at the end of the fall.

Feel free to comment, discuss, whatever to your heart's content as long as it makes you want to see more from the mind of Brett :)

Here are some model sheets and turnarounds:

Here's the main female protagonist...

...and of course, the main male protagonist:

Wanna see one of these characters in action!? Of COUSRE you do! Here's a pencil test of Cynthia sitting in the park doing her own Cynthia thing.

That's all for now. Tune into my blog tomorrow for more thesis goodness, and maybe a few surprises along the way. Peace.

Thorny Vines of my Mind - Thesis Update

2010-12-18T19:50:00.000-08:00

Hi All,
Some of you may recall, if any of you checked my blog a couple of weeks ago (there's no way of me telling unfortunately), that I put up some model sheets and turnarounds of my characters in my thesis film "Uprooted". I pulled those later that day because my film is a very personal one. I cannot reveal why at this time, but let's just say that if people found out that every character in my film is based on a real person in my life, there might not be some favorable reactions. I regret to say that I cannot show much of any progress of my film in this blog, other than pencil and compositing tests. Try to enjoy what I can post.

For starters, here is a pencil test of a critical story point in my film. The main female character, named Cynthia, is chasing a ball that she offered to retrieve for a few kids in the park. Little did she know that this ball is capable (or rather being manipulated) by a world infringing on her own. Her determination leads her into a space devoid of color, emotion, and basically life. It may be hard to tell since it's just lines on white paper, but once the compositing is pulled together in the spring, this shot will make more sense.

Feel free to comment or critique the animation!

That's all for now. I do have other pencil tests, but since I am home, there isn't much I can do except animate by hand and keep pushing onward.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Uprooted Thesis Update

2010-12-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

Hey everybody. Week 1 at RIT is officially over, and things have been quite turbulent (in terms of the direction that my film is going). I nixed my original version of "Uprooted" due to being too narrative for what I truly wanted to accomplish. Over Thanksgiving break, I decided to hack away at the weeds to find the rose underneath. That metaphorical rose became the "Uprooted (Refined Animatic)" that I posted on vimeo. Everything seems fine and dandy, right? Well, not exactly...

You see, though I rewrote my idea, ditched the 10 minute script, and condensed the story, it's still too narrative. It's my Senior (technically 5th) year at RIT and I want to think outside the box that I've been animating in for the past 4 years. I never really tried experimental, but I like the ideas behind some people's work that makes good use of the genre, most notably great film pioneers like Norman Mclaren. What I want to attempt to do with my thesis film is to create a bare bones narrative told visualy through use of different colors, spaces, and sound with the hopes that I can manipulate your emotions down to a T when you watch it. Here's a concept sketch I busted out on my whiteboard last night. Maybe it will shed some light on the direction I'm taking this film.

Keeping that in mind, I'll be modifying the story as I animate it. It sounds risky (because it is), but that's part of the fun of doing something that's experimental nature. I'm excited to get this film finish and learn about how to show emotions in their most primitive, raw form, and hopefully you are too. Stay tuned for more thesis updates! For now, take a look at the animatic if you haven't already. Expect some wild and crazy things to spawn from this film once it's completed by mid-May :)

Uprooted (refined animatic) from Brett Wilson on Vimeo.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

You like Enraged Pandas!? I know I do!

2010-11-26T15:54:00.000-08:00

Well...do ya? Before you send me to the crazyhouse, let me explain:

Whenever I am not busy being a student at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology for those unaware), I am busy hunting for side jobs. I love doing side jobs (granted I have the time for them) because it's another way to tap into my creative psyche and let out an art explosion.

My most recent project that I worked on during the fall were some logos, stickers, and t-shirt designs for this cool upstart company called Enraged Panda Longboards. This company was created by a fellow RA named Tyler Schrodt, and he is doing what he can to serve the unusually high demand for longboard-related stuff on campus this year. After some collaborating, I came up with some sketches below:

From there, he picked the ones that he liked best, and I refined them in Adobe Illustrator:

The designs were shipped off to him, so as soon as I here back on what design is being used for what, I'll post photos. With any luck, I'll be decked out with t-shirts, stickers, and a longboard design all made by me! Hey, you gotta promote yourself somewhow...

Anywho, until next time, that was on my mind...

Slow Internet needz Cross Trainers

2010-11-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

Hi all my internet pals,
Brett here back from a very exhausting Fall quarter at RIT. I unfortunately can only give you a small update for now. I wanted to start unloading all my work that I've been busy with in the past 3 months all this week, but the internet is currently choking on bandwidth, and therefore, will not let me upload anything without it taking an ungodly amount of time to process.

To start off, check out my new deviantArt page. My alias there is LeftsideUmbra. Not much is up at the moment, but once I gather all my art together, there will be plenty more to enjoy in the next few months.

As for the brain blog, there will be more posts of awesomeness starting on the first day of December (when I am taking full advantage of RIT's plentiful bandwidth for uploading art).

Once I return to RIT with a PVC pipe's worth of bandwidth at my disposal, you'll see more awesome stuff including:

-my re-sparked interest in my Wii (video console, of course)

-a posting of my Thesis Film's animatic via Vimeo

-more concept sketches of the thesis

-random art projects I'm doing (there's more than you think!) ;)

As a last sidenote, internet at home, invest in a pair of Turbo Trainers from Banjo-Kazooie. They might actually make you run faster on my 5yr-old laptop :P

Until next time, that's what was on my mind...

Hanging in there...

2010-11-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

Hi all. Still remember me? I hope so. I've been kinda drowing in homework and projects this Fall at RIT. Without a live preserver, it's a little hard to swim to the shore of happiness and relaxation and blog updates, but I am doing my best to send out an S.O.S. for now until my quarter is over, and I go home for Thanksgiving break. Here's a quick update of what's going on in my life as of right this very second. Hopefully, this will wet your update appetites until I let the dam of creative awesomeness loose during break.

What I am working on Currently:
-Senior Thesis Film (which got changed for the 4th time since the 3rd idea was deemed too ambitious by me and my advisor)

-Helping with the finishing touches on my Portfolio website (which should be up over break)

-Finishing the final logos for Enraged Panda Longboards, a fresh new company that started up at RIT this year

-Finishing that Independent Study film "Aisle 14" that I had to postpone due to my mutant spleen last spring

-Doing a comic strip of a hippo for Cartooning class

-Finishing a model sheet for my Character Design class

-Finding time to be an RA

-Working on and improving the Image of RHA (Residence Halls Association), which is proving to be quite challenging.

As you see, my work is big, tall, and heavy, like an elephant...or a giant ravaging monster - your preference. Time to get back to work on stuff. Here's a little something from my artwork to wet your apetite until my massive updates two weeks from now. It's me as Candle Jack from Freakazoid! I made it myself, and I enjoyed tying people up during Halloween.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

My Mind is Made Up, but my Brain Isn't!

2010-09-24T13:33:00.000-07:00

Today is a great day of many to come. My personal/portfolio website is almost done, and to go along with the theme of CARTOONS IN SPAAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCEEEE... (sorry, I couldn't resist), I have a new banner for my blog. Now longer will it be "From the Mind of Brett", but now it will be the more appropriate "Brett's Brain Blog" to represent and focus myself on art-related posts rather than making nonsensical posts and complaints without much direction - those belong on facebook or forums instead :P

From now on, I will be dedicating this blog SOLELY to any art or stories personally related to my experience (and career) in the wonderful, zany field of animation. I will occasionally sneak in some doodles and graphic design stuff too since I currently get paid to do that while earning a BFA in Film & Animation, but there the blog will most definitely mainly 95ish % consist of stuff I do and stumble upon for animation! Hopefully you are as excited as I am because I plan to post more artwork soon. Check out the banner above and stay tuned for news on my new website. I it should be completed by mid-October.

Until next time,

The brain has spoken...

Schoolwork is Fatiguing

2010-09-17T13:14:00.000-07:00

Very much so - so much that I have not updated my blog in 17 days. I am usually more vigilant than that. Under normal circumstances, I would be in high gear and getting by, but as of now, I am facing each day with the energy of a dead sloth.

Just to give you an idea of what I am working with each week, here is a summed up list of my duties:

1.) Senior Thesis Film Production
2.) Independent Study Film Production
3.) Being a Resident Advisor and managing 64 Freshmen
4.) Being a Marketing Coordinator for Residence Halls Association
5.) Writing essays for a History & Aesthetics class every other week
6.) Professional Sound Recording Projects
7.) Working on a personal website
8.) That element of random people asking you to do stuff, and you're too nice to say, "No".

Now I'm not complaining about how much or the type of work I am doing. I love helping people and making art and all. I am complaining because my body does not have the physical capacity to handle all of this, and I wish there was a way to have more energy to get my tasks done.

When I graduate, I pray that I can find a place that is laid back, find a job that pays well enough that I can feed myself, and leave all my worrying behind. Until then, I must work to earn that reward.

Stay tuned. In the next few weeks, I'll post some random doodle art and thesis eye candy for your eyes to chomp on until you have cavities.
(btw, I don't take any credit for the clip art I found)

Until next time, that was on my mind...

RA Training - Year Threeve

2010-09-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Hi All. It's officially my 5th year at RIT and my 3rd year as an RA (hence the Threeve). You may have noticed a significant amount of me NOT blogging during this past month. The reason is that I had to return to RIT on August 21st in order to complete RA training for a third year in a row. There is very little time for breaks and when it comes to helping freshmen move into the dorms, there is A LOT to do. Not to mention, there are quite a few pirate moments thrown in too since each RA area has a theme. Pirates rule!

I have a brief break today, so I figured I would post just to make sure people are still reading and alive (if anyone ACTUALLY reads this blog) :/

I'll probably draw some stuff in the coming week and I'll definitely be diving head first into my Independent Study and Senior Thesis by then, which equals more art for your eyes to feast on! Take a look at my lovely scurvy staff while you're at it.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Scott Pilgrimage

2010-08-16T13:59:00.000-07:00

With the movie in theaters now, it only seemed appropriate to write about Scott Pilgrim. However, before it was a grossly over-hyped live action feature, it was a modest graphic novel full of witty remarks about life as a guy who goes nowhere with his relationships and band. Oh yeah, there are video game references tied in too - probably what I consider the frosting on top of the cake. Mmmmm...cake.

I got into Scott Pilgrim 1 1/2 years ago when my friend Max suggested the first graphic novel to me one day. He told me, "As ridiculous as it sounds, I think it's something you can relate to". He was right. I just loved the fact that that wide-eyed 22 year-old dude played bass like me! From the first volume, I was hooked - and there is very few books/reading material that can reel me in like that. Soon, I sped through the other 4 volumes in no time flat.

I didn't get vol. 6 until a week before the movie came out. I saw it at a Borders at the nearest mall to my house. It was on a pedestal above the rest of the volumes, and there was only ONE COPY available. Luckily for me, Max snagged the copy due to my persuasion, and I borrowed it from him as soon as he finished reading it.

August 13th rolls around. There was no midnight premiere for the movie, which caused us enthusiastic fanboys to double-take expecting that due to the relentless hype for the film. We caught the 1:15 matinee and rushed into theater #4 to frantically find a seat. Surprisingly, there were only 4other guys sitting in random seats in the entire theater besides us two. And then the movie began...

I'm no critic or film expert (though I should be considering that's my major) but here is a really brief review of the film directed by Edgar Wright

The Good: Seamless special effects and lots of energy in the Evil Ex's fights; Motion graphics of Brian Lee O'Malley's artwork for certain shots; Despite the story being abbreviated, they omitted the right parts (thought it'd be nice to have everything of course; Willis, Knives, and 5 of the 7 Ex's were well-cast (likeness and personality-wise); The original song "Scott Pilgrim" that inspired the series appears!

The Bad: It still felt like Michael Cera vs. The World as I predicted, not Scott Pilgrim; some repetitive shots that could lose you interest; Some major characters got toned down or appear less than they should (i.e. Envy); OVERHYPED - therefore, losing some of its indie charm.

It's okay. I personally wanted to see a feature animation of this, but you can't blame them for trying to make it work in a live action world. All the mistakes it made are mostly forgivable, but I wouldn't see it a second time - I'll invest in the video game once it comes out soon for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Check out the trailer below if you are interested :D

Scott Pilgrim (not Michael Cera) continues to have a special place in my heart...along with that awesome flaming sword of love.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Me and Billy West

2010-08-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

This is somewhat old, but that's because maintaining a blog and a million other social network sharing sites is hard to juggle. This photo was taken at ToraCon 2010 - RIT's anime convention that draws people from all over the United States. If there's one thing RIT has a knack for, it's housing events for random things that makes their students turn heads.

Billy is a nice guy - too bad I didn't have too much time to talk to him personally. I did mention Futurama and Ren & Stimpy briefly in our conversation. He energetically expressed that despite getting older, he is still willing to continue his lengthy voice acting career. He noted that it poses a challenge to keep a voice for a character fresh when you age faster than your character. Point in taken, with new episodes of Futurama that have been running all summer, I give him a lot of credit for keeping Philip J. Fry and Zoidberg fresh, dumb, and sympathetic - the kinds of qualities that make me identify with these two the most out of the Futurama cast. Check out this cool autogrpah he put on my Futurama disk too! (Not really personal, but that's okay - he signed my autograph book too, and that's enough for me).

In addition to meeting Christopher Sabbat and Johnny Von Bosch, this marks my first bush with Hollywood - I expect to be swept off my feet (or into the trash) should I venture out there next year to pursue my animation dreams. If that and Canada don't work, Freelancing will be my only saving grace.

Here's to you Billy West, for giving me a reason to be glued to the TV in the 90s.

Where was I !?

2010-08-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

Man, maintaining a blog can be a pain sometimes. There are days where you want to write stuff about other people's stuff you found, but then you can't think of a perfect way to say it, so you ponder it for a solid day, and then forget about it due to being distracted by other things that call for your immediate attention in your life. Yeah, unfortunately, that happens to me a lot. Also, please don't come after me Grammar Police - I realize I made a run-on sentence from hell, but that was the best way to express what was on my mind.

Anyways, back to regular posting...

So, to answer my question, I was lost in a "Where's Waldo?" book. No really. Those things are mad cluttered and harder to get out of than than the Minotaur finding his way out of Daedalus' labyrinth in Crete. Other than that, I made some random doodles and am in the process of preparing to go back to college for my 5th and final year. Packing and purging old, useless stuff takes a lot of work, whether you realize it or not.

Since I was backed up, expect more posts to happen quite soon, especially since a.) I have art to show b.) I want to really make a blog on art-related stuff that's not mine and c.) I'm an attention hog (but then again, who isn't on the internet?).

Until next time, that was on my mind...

DeviantArt Here I Come!

2010-07-31T05:49:00.000-07:00

Hi All you anonymous happy people. After a lot of consideration and thought, I've determined that facebook and my blogspot don't quite cut it for displaying my artwork, especially when I make it at super high resolution and you can barely see any of the details in their glory due to the small web .jpgs I am forced to upload. I am going to make a DeviantArt account sometime today so that I can not only get a little more exposure, but to be able to display my artwork as big as I possibly can - the web shouldn't have to limit the size of beauty due to their restricting css rules and whatnot.

Once I get the account activated, you can bet I will upload my seven deadly sin series up as well as the rest of my collection - even some of my stuff that no one but me has ever seen before. Now isn't that exciting!? Please, contain yourself. I don't want you to die from hysteria lol.

Stay tuned for my final update later today.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

The Last Deadly Sin - Wrath

2010-07-31T05:39:00.001-07:00

Here's the moment you've all been waiting for! (well, at least some of you). This sucker took about a week and a half to complete. Why? Not because I am a slow artist that's for sure. This one was done from scratch on the computer, and I pretty much evolved it every day I worked on it. Not to mention I had a lot of places to travel over the past week - Burlington, VT included. Regardless, I felt this one was the most challenging to complete because I put a lot of attention on figuring out the light source, depth, and fire special effects. After a lot of trial and error, I have to say it came out pretty great.

Here's some background to the meaning of Wrath like I did for all the others: I made her female not only because none of the other sins were female (technically, Lust is both male and female), but because I feel females tend to show their anger in more complex ways other than smashing people to smithereens. Women don't have to do that - they can backstab, manipulate, and be explosive in an instant. It only seemed logical that I wanted her to be a dragon/scorpion/gorgon due to her ferocity. The scorpion tail felt like a nice touch since you can argue that she "stings" you with her sharp words.

Whether you agree or not, I hope you enjoy it. Now that the Seven Deadly Sins are done, I have a bunch of drawing projects on my hands to complete for people - mainly birthday charicatures...and my Independent Study film.

Stay tuned for more news on my portfolio website, future art and doodles, and random things I can relate to in life. I understand most blogs out there don't get read, but with my persistence, I aim to change that (at least with mine).

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Portfolio Page Next Step

2010-07-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

For those of you who actually take the time to read my blog, you may know about my portfolio website that is under construction. If anyone is interested, here is a more updated look of the design (it's not final yet, but it's one step closer to being final before the coding comes in).

I like the idea of paper because it best represents me - a 2D animator and graphic designer. I tend to appreciate traditional media over digital or 3d just because it feels more natural for me to work with - that doesn't mean I wouldn't give another shot at MAYA down the road, but it's currently what I'm good at.

Hopefully, once it's up by around August 22nd, you'll be looking at a brand-spanking new revamped blog specifically tailored to match the theme and functionality to my portfolio site.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

VT Time

2010-07-27T06:58:00.001-07:00

Hi All, despite a towering inbox full of projects I am to complete before my last year at RIT starts up, I've decided to head for the hills (or should I say mountains) to purge the cache of my mind and finally get a chance to finish the long-awaited Wrath.

On the way up via a grueling 7 1/2 hour trainride I managed to take a few landscape photos from my phone since my Digital SLR was packed tightly in my duffel bag. Here's a look at what I've seen so far. I'm still shooting myself in the foot for not telling my aunt and uncle to pull over on the way home to capture what seemed like a once-in-a-lifetime rainbow sunset glazing the cool Vermont mountains.

So far, I've forced myself to sync my sleep schedule with my aunt and uncle, and somehow the crack of dawn jolted me up at 5:44am (still feeling the grogginess from such a drastic biological clock shift). It's been rough but I'm hanging in there.

I also took a stroll around downtown Burlington as I walked with my uncle to work at Champlain College where I am currently stationed for a few hours by myself. He even showed me the "Million Dollar View" on his way to his office.

Hopfully the next 5-7 hours will be spent exploring and finishing my digital painting. Feel free to comment and busy yourselves with my photos and trip updates are finished. I swear I'll have the final sin completed and posted this week.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Drawing from Inspiration

2010-07-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Lately with all these sins I've been drawing, I've been thinking to myself, "Gee, I've been focusing so much of my attention on these pieces that I haven't really drawn anything else in the meantime!" When you don't do much other than work on a project or two on a daily basis, it's easy to forget about the things you love to do most - I blame monotony and routine habits that I've developed over the summer.

In an effort to combat these "bad" habits, I will be using a nifty little list I've created a few nights ago called my "Inspiration list".

What is it you ask? Well, whenever I have a random idea where I tell myself, "Man, that would be cool to draw" I immediately put it on my list with all the other random, spontaneous Ideas I get. When there is a moment of boredom I need to bust, I whip out the inspiration list, close my eyes, wish upon a star, and randomly point to an entry. Whatever it is, I shall draw with my mighty pencil.

Today's topic (other than completing concept art for Wrath) is: "Brett squeezing the frosting out of one of those twinkies with overalls from 'Despicable Me". Seeing that I will be seeing it on Thursday, it seems like an appropriate choice.

Stay tuned tomorrow to catch a glimpse of me hugging a minion like Elmira squeezes every furry little creature she gets her hands on.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

The 7 Deadly Sins: #6 - Sloth

2010-07-19T13:52:00.001-07:00

Finally! It's here! I assure you I was not being lazy with this one. It was actually as complicated as the Envy Hand/Dragon, which took about a few days to complete from scratch.

Let's get down to business: Sloth to me is more than just laziness; it's about not moving for anyone or anything, even if it will do you some good. By remaining still, you sieze up as your vitals are slowly drained by time. The bandages/restraints I used are somewhat akin to a mummy (since they pretty much do nothing other than terrorize humans with curses in movies).

I gave him creepy spider legs and used a spider web in the wall because one of the things I came up with when brainstorming for Sloth characteristics was being stuck. The natural device of the arachnid to catch helpless prey seemed appropriate.

As for the hourglass, I wanted to capture the essence of time wasting away [a living being] by sucking it dry of it's life force. Somehow the idea of crystals and engergy built off of that idea, so I added them as an embellishment.

Overall, I think Sloth turned out good. However, I do regret not finding a way to instensify the feeling of being immobile or restrained. Luckily, I have the uncompressed file in case someone makes a really useful suggestion (please comment on it if you have a chance) :D

All righty then. That's all for now. As you know, I saved the best (and oddly enough, the most personal) sin for last - Wrath. Have an inkling as to what it'll look like? Well, originally I wanted to do a Gorilla fused with a volcano, but I think I will play more off the idea of firebeast this week as I work on it.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Digital Painting Fundamentals

2010-07-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

I know this isn't the Sloth post I promised. It IS coming soon, but I am a slowpoke, especially on a Sunday morning.

I want to post this excellent tutorial on digital painting in Photoshop (CS3 or higher) for beginners. Since I recently got into digital painting as a steady medium to express myself, I thought I would share with any of your aspiring artists or curious minds the kinds of processes [digital] painters go through when creating their latest masterpiece. Take a read and maybe you'll be able to make something beautiful as a result of it. ALL credit for this tutorial goes to PSD Tuts from the +Tuts netowrk- a great resource for any artist.

LINK: How to Paint a Fantasy Portrait From Scratch With Photoshop

I should probably take a look at the link myself - maybe it can help me bash out digital paintings faster than my current rate of "randomly ranging from a day to a week with random distractions in-between".

Until next time, that was on my mind...

New Website in the Works

2010-07-17T08:27:00.000-07:00

Hello out there in Internet Land. Here's another post that I bet you're dying to see (or not - not a lot of people check my blog, but that's okay. I enjoy posting stuff). In any case, I feel that in this day and age where pets have their own website, I figured I should make one for myself and my art, so I can stop posting stuff on Facebook.

Don't worry though! This blog will not disappear. It will only get a graphical facelift once my Personal website is up and running. I anticipate a release date of AUGUST 21ST, 2010 where everything will be functioning in all of its artsy 2D glory.

Here's a quick look at the home page, which is still in development. Expect it to change a bit once the final version comes out.

That's all for now. Stay tuned for next time when I reveal Deadly Sin #6 - Sloth or make a post about animation/cartoon history (because I love cartoons so much). :D

Until next time, that was on my mind...

The 7 Deadly Sins: #5 - Gluttony

2010-07-12T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hey all,
Long time no see (sort of). Here's Gluttony, a blimp/manatee/angler fish thing that has an apatite for destruction. Overindulgence is never a good thing since your stomach will be growling at you later for feeding it anything you see. I wanted to make him a blimp because too many people represent Gluttony as a fat person. Animals are Gluttons too. My dog Shiloh eats everything she sees and she's overweight. Luckily, she can walk just fine, but whenever someone has food, she searches for it and gets up in your face for a part of the action.

Despite dealing with several events disrupting my workflow this past week (aka CTCon 2010 is the biggest offender), I had a lot of fun making this, and I feel like I learned a little more about lighting through experimentation. Enjoy!

Just to give you a head's up, the next sin is Sloth, the laziest immoble creature you'll ever see. Suprisingly, it WON'T be a sloth - that's too easy. I got some good ideas for this one, so stay tuned. With any luck, it will be done well before next week.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Freedom Day!

2010-07-07T17:19:00.000-07:00

Yeah I know, I'm about three days too late. It's not that easy updating a blog three times a week when you're busy with a bazillion other projects. That aside, take a look at all the photos I took in Matunuck, RI over the 4th of July.

All photos are copyrighted by Brett M. Wilson 2010, so don't steal them! If you like them, please leave a comment after the beep. *beep*

Many thanks to Zoidberg for demonstrating his love of Freedom Day by taking a bite of our world's flag.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

Backed Up like a Toilet after Taco Night

2010-07-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you all (or anybody who cares to even glance at this blog)are wondering where the latest post is. Well, I owe my lack of updates to two things 1.) Going to Rhode Island for the 4th of July Weekend for fun and fireworks and 2.) Being addicted to playing "The Secret of Monkey Island". With the long weekend over and Monkey Island beat, it's time to get back to what's really important: Sharing my views and art with you.

Currently, I am working on the 5th sin, Gluttony. I won't reveal too many details about the design, but like the other 4 so far, it will be unconventional but still work with the whole theme and meaning of the sin itself.

Until Gluttony is finished, chances are, I'll either be posting more things I like, some photos of up close fireworks I took over the 4th of July, and random sketches!

Until next time, that was on my mind...

The 7 Deadly Sins: #4 - Envy

2010-06-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

Betcha didn't expect a double posting today! Well, it happens to me my birthday, and since I am a generous guy, I felt like giving a little more to my anonymous blog viewers than usual.

Here is Envy. Now I know what you're thinking: Why the hell doesn't it have a million eyes like Argus from Greek myth fame? Well, in case you are slow to catch on, I chose to break most conventions with my designs but still retain enough traits to corolate the monster with their corresponding sin. Instead of a million eyes to see everything it desires, he has one eyeball that actually detaches from its hand and probes around to find what it wants to be like or have most. As for the body, I giant hand serpent seemed most suitable in my mind because what you want you take with your hands, and I thought the serpent from the Garden of Eden is tied to temptation, and often, temptation of something greater than what you already have can be tied to Envy. Sometimes, you try to control yourself with being humble (the leash), but if you let the thought germinate in your mind, nothing can restrain you. Raw emotion is the fuel for all sins. As long as you have will power, it can be controlled. Enjoy!

My next sin is Gluttony. I once read that a catapillar is regarded as the most gluttonous animal on the earth based on its body to food ratio, but a lot of people easily associate it with pigs, so I might have some fun and make a catapillar/wild boar hybrid, or just do something grossly fat. We shall see.

Until next time, that was on my mind...

p.s. if you would like any of these 7 Deadly Sins as an 11x17in poster, let me know and I'll print you out a copy. We'll negotiate the price once I figure out how much it is to print such a piece of art and shipping costs.

The 7 Deadly Sins: #3 - Greed

2010-06-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hi All. Sorry for the lack of updates lately. If a blog was all I look forward to doing all day, it'd be easy, but I have other things to worry about - like my part-time landscaping job, and taking care of four dogs and two siblings.

Anyways, here is greed (which was actually done last week, but I haven't gotten around to posting it). Though it may look like just a fox with a mask, I made sure to incorporate some elements of a raccoon onto this character because Greed is all about doing everything in your power to acquire material posessions, hence all the treasure.

I chose a "foxcoon" for thematic elements of stealing, trickery, and elusiveness. Greed is best described as a robber - selfish, devious and mischievous. Hopefully based on the background you understand that he is in a cave where he stashes all his riches. Enjoy!

Look out for Envy, the next sin, which will be posted almost immediately to make up for lack of updates lol. Enjoy!

Until next time, that was on my mind...