How should I go about life drawing classes when I’m still in high school? There aren’t a lot of places around my area and all of those places I have to be 18 or older in order to sign up. Are there any other options that I can take?
There are a few websites that post prerecorded life drawing sessions. Some good ones on YouTube, as well. Just google “online life drawing.” Some cost money, but the ones on YouTube are free to watch.
Also, just draw from life. I mean, draw your family, your pets. Go to the park or the Zoo and draw the people and the animals there. Drawing from life, whether from a model or just your environment, is about learning to be observant. It’s about learning how to interpret what you are looking at and express what you feel about it in a drawing.
Hi Randy! I'm a student working on my 3D modeling reel. I came across your blog while looking for designs for my next assignment and I loved your work so much! Do you mind if I make a sculpt from Lawrence design? This is only for learning purposes and to showcase it later in my reel. I will of course give you full credit! Thank you!
Of course. As long as you tag me when you post it so I can save what you did. Ok?
Hi yes this isn't a question but omg i frickin ADORE prince Naveen, like..uhhfhfgfgcf since I was 4 I adored the heck out of him to much
Thanks!
Hi! I'd like to know if you have a Twitter/Deviantart/Facebook account
I have tumblr, Instagram and a YouTube channel. Just search my name.
You're still drawing? I remember being in elementary school with you and you always doodling. Congrats on all your success!
Thanks, Jamey! I hope you are doing well, too.
Do you take commissions if so how much do you charge?
I don’t presently do commissions. Just don’t have the time. Sorry.
I saw you posted the map about where Disney animators/artists work and live, but some of the points are kinda hard to see, so I’m just going to send this ask. How many artists do you currently have working in the nyc area? Thank you!
The map shows where people at the studio are from, not where they live currently. Everybody at the studio lives in the Los Angeles area. If you want to work at the studio, you’ll have to be in Southern California.
Got to spend some time sharing at CTNX on Saturday. Thanks Tina and crew for a fun day. (at CTN animation eXpo) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5V5N6HDDPC/?igshid=15cws520uf01q
SDCC
I'm in San Diego! I'll be part of a panel Friday morning called (humbly) "The Genius of Animation". I'll be sharing the stage with some other animation veterans. Come by if you're at Comiccon.
Here are three publicity drawings made for Atlantis. I drew Kida, Milo Was drawn by John Pomeroy.
Hello! I'm 22 years old and I'm just about to graduate from Miami Dade College with my major in Graphic Design. I'm also working on a Visual Development portfolio in order to apply to Disney or other animation studios in California once I have enough money saved up from my job to move there. I wanted to ask, would it be an issue to have a degree in Graphic Design rather than Animation? While studying graphic design I have also taken figure drawing, character design and storyboard classes.
Without having seen your work, it’s hard to say. You should look at the studio websites and see what they are looking for and build your portfolio based on that.
Hey Randy! I recently completed my first year at the Rochester Institute of Tech studying 2D animation. I'm far less interested in 2D than 3D, but I'm well aware of the current market for animation in the USA. Major studios no longer produce 2D animated features and TV shows have outsourced their animation for decades now. I want to study solely 2D, but I’m afraid that if I do I either won’t be able to find a job or I’ll end up in a position where the skills I learned will go unused. (Part 1/2)
It’s true that the current market is CG animation. If you really want to draw you may want to pursue storyboarding or visual development. There are rare opportunities to do traditional animation in the states, but nothing consistent enough to make a career out of it. It may not (fingers crossed) always be that way, so I alway recommend a good education in traditional animation even for CG animators. Most art schools still have a strong traditional animation foundation in their animation programs, and good drawing will only enhance your work in CG. One final thought… although traditional and CG animation have different processes, the goal is still the same, to create entertaining and believable performances. If you look at it that way either technique is as rewarding as the other.
I just found out you had a Tumblr so I had to follow you! The fact that you are involved in some of my favorite movies makes me really happy to follow you and inspiring. I really want to work in Disney someday because I'm in love with its magic. Right now I'm not in an art school because I decided to go to school for Dental Hygiene to make enough money to pay for art school. It's going to take a while. How can I motivate myself to keep drawing even though the goal might seem far away?
Keep your goal in mind. Dental school isn’t the most obvious path to a career in animation, but stranger things have happened. That said, I think if you are serious about a career in animation you will want to go to a school that offers a degree in character animation. The studios actively recruit from a number of art and academic colleges that have animation programs, and in today’s market, you will need a degree to be looked at seriously by most studios. I think you’ll need to decide how much you want to be in this field. Then you may find you’ll need to make some different choices to get there. Best of luck.
Hello! I really appreciate all of the advice that you give, it is so helpful. I am working on figuring out 2D hand drawn animation, and I know that each frame usually lasts for two frames, but are there any times where you should draw on the ones instead of the twos? And if so, for what types of actions does it look best to draw on the ones? (I hope my question makes sense 💜) thank you so much!
I try to mainly animate on twos, mostly because that’s how I was trained. That said, there are definitely times when ones are appropriate or even necessary. If the action is quick or your character is being tracked in a camera move (especially where there is visible foot to ground contact), for example. I usually use spacing to determine if ones are necessary. If no part of the consecutive drawings overlap, I will put it on ones to keep the animation from strobing. A couple words of caution about ones, though. If overused the animation can lose its crispness and start to feel soft or mushy. You need to time for ones in your charts, don’t just add drawings in between your inbetweens. Make sure your slow-ins and slow-outs are timed and spaced for ones.
I was wondering what do you do when you get really discouraged and are having a hard time motivating yourself to keep going?
Whenever I get tired or uninspired I try to do some other creative thing. I write or sculpt or draw in a different style or different subject matter. Sometimes I just take my sketchbook to the zoo or some place else I can just draw from life. Sometimes I find inspiration in the people and events around me, or in art museums. And sometimes I just put the pencil down and read a book, watch a movie or look at tumblr or Pinterest for inspiration from other artists. We all go through times of discouragement where we feel we aren’t up to the task, or aren’t good enough. It takes a certain amount of courage to forge ahead in those times. When I was younger I was fearless. I would try anything if I thought it would make me a better artist. It’s a quality I still try to hold onto today.