So excited!!! Our trailer is finally out! Here’s what I’ve been working on the past couple years! 

Hey guys! My full Color Scripting Series is now available on gumroad.com/tycarter. This is the most comprehensive class I have ever put together! Parts I,II, and III include over 12+ hours of content focused on color scripting your own personal story. Topics covered include Local Color, Color Theory, Temperature, Light Design, Film Case Studies, Value, Over and Under Exposure, Color Harmony, Atmospheric Perspective, Symbolism, and more! Each part includes all PSD files, JPGs, and annotations with each HD video. Have a great week!

Here's a sneak peak of another tutorial I'm doing for patreon.com/tycarter. Session 3 is focused on local colors and retaining them throughout the process. I go through a full process from thumbnail to color key to final color while explaining common pitfalls to avoid. Skyrocket your color skills! Thanks again for your support!

Towards the end of Epic, I pitched a credit concept to my director Chris Wedge. The idea was to create the illusion of being Leafman size, passing over all of Bomba's research, scientific experiments, gadgets, calendars, photos, notes, books, etc. Chris bought off on the idea and my art director, Mike Knapp, gave me free reign to run with it on my own.   

I wanted to make these credits really personal to the great production team behind the film. Before composing anything, I went around the studio to supervisors, leads, directors, managers, and artists to get an idea what made each department unique. I was looking for inside jokes, production lingo, OOP things, extra curricular activities etc. I got to know a lot of artists I otherwise might have not met. I took notes on everybody. I learned that animation's production manager had a funny finger-hair curling tendency during meetings. The assembly department joked that they could add 10-15% size to any asset before it broke but Wedge always wanted 20% more. Carl Ludwig, one of Blue Sky's founders, met with me to explain the history of the studio and even gave me one of the first rendered images ever made. It was caustic glass and I added it into one of the credit pages (not featured here). I learned about people's kids and families. I got birthdays, names and little doodles from their own desks. I made lists of interesting facts about each department. 

After getting fuel for the fire I got to work sketching out ideas for each department. I envisioned a photo-real look but we didn't have the production budget to render things out. So instead, I would paint it myself and place composite assets together in photoshop.  I got onto the server and pulled assets from the test materials galleries. I brought in anything relevant to the page themes, modeled scissors, map graphics (done by the amazing David Dibble), BJ Crawford's bird studies, previous film items . Sometimes a test render came in looking too clean so I'd brush over it with paint and repaint shadows and highlights to match the lighting scheme. If I could save some time, I'd scan textures in. The cork board and corrugated cardboard are good examples of that. Co-workers wondered what I was trying to do with a 6 foot cork board and a 2 foot scanner! Some things I had to create myself like the dried clay surface and cherry wood desktop. I tried to sneak in drawings from everybody on the show into piles of paper simulated by stacking layers and artificial shadows. There are over 70 different artists featured in just these pages alone. That speaks to the immense talent I get to work with each day! I had fun creating graphic design logos and paper headers to bring some legitimacy to specific ideas. When I needed a fake business name or brand, I drew from my list of notes. I personalized every single credit page with all the tidbits. When Epic premiered at the Ziegfield theater I was delighted to watch the reactions as co-workers and families enjoyed a glancing insight into the fun we had making the movie. I won't keep blabbering on. Have a look for yourself and see what you can find. There is meaning behind every single bit of text and doodle. If you have hawk eyes, you'll spot my wife Anikah's name somewhere on each page.

I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Sneak Peak at #Peanuts #2015 by the amazing Jose Manuel Fernandez Oli

My favorite part of Epic was working on the Wraithwood set with Arden Chan. Not only is he an amazing artist, he's also a great guy. He pushed me to look at set designing in an entirely different way. I'm so happy and grateful I got to work with him! Arden was the head of layout at Disney before coming to Blue Sky. His film credits include Tarzan, Mulan, Lilo & Stitch, Rio and Ice Age 4. 

The Wraithwood set is basically an old tree that is infested with Boggans. It is also Mandrake's lair. There are so many awesome artists who worked on the look. Kyle McNaughton came up with the initial concept and cool shape language that felt like flames. Jake Panian came up with these beautiful patterns and shapes in the wood structure He also designed the area surrounding Wraithood on the outside. If you have the art of Epic book you can see some of this other work as well. A lot of it is not online yet. The idea is this rotted structure that is entirely organic. The center is hollowed out and the top opened to the night sky. Splinters and termite holes acted like bridges and secret passages allover. Corridors were filled with hanging bats and floors patterned by bark. Everything was dead or decaying inside which made for some great shape language. 

Another fun part of Epic was coming up with a detailed look of Mandrake. Ron DeFelice had painted up a beautiful rough color concept earlier in production. When the 3D model was built, my art director Mike Knapp wanted a "tight" painting over a render to show how Mandrake would look once textured and lit. It was a challenge doing this with paint because the details had to be spot on. I don't think I've ever painted something so tight! In the end, I was really proud of the result and the way he looked on the big screen.  

Stay tuned for more Epic work! Thanks for all your support and sharing! 

One of the biggest challenges designing on Epic was creating some organization to the forest. To get the visual look and feel right, while staging for the characters, it was a constant battle to balance the immense New England forest populated by thousands of plant, rock and tree assets.  In a way, it felt like gardening...but I was using a stylus instead of a shovel. Everything needed to be cultivated but not to the point it felt unnatural. Sometimes I'd take a walk around Blue Sky's campus and walk out into the nearby trees to observe. I'd bring a miniature army man to pose in the plants; This gave me a really good idea of scale. One time, a group of women joggers passed by me while I was laying on the ground taking a picture of my army guy. One woman gasped to her friend, "there's a creep laying in those bushes." Another said, "should I call the cops?" I figured it was too late to explain so I just continued posing the action figure and taking pictures on my phone. I never saw those joggers again and the cops never showed. Here are some of my set dressing sketches to develop the look of the forest near the final sequences of the Epic.

HOW TO LAND YOUR DREAM JOB

I get asked one question a lot, "What advice do you have for getting into a feature animation studio?"

This is such a big and deep question. As an artist you really need solid perspective and direction to make sure all your work is not spent in vein. You need constant guidance as to what is good and what is bad. I feel like my perspective on this is constantly evolving, especially as I work on projects that really challenge me. You need to put in a TON of time. You need to make mistakes and (1) learn to get feedback. You need to (2) learn to use feedback constructively to grow. You need to figure out what makes you improve when nobody else is around. And among many things, you need to (3) learn to persevere optimistically until you land that dream job you've wanted since you watched Aladdin get his three wishes. Kevin Yang is a good example of how to get into a feature animation studio.

When I first met Kevin, he came to my table at CTNx 2012; He asked me to look through his portfolio. I don't know how many portfolios I looked at that year but there were many. A few things stood out to me right away with Kevin. 

He was extremely polite and considerate.  He recognized whilst we spoke that I was still selling my own work. I had a business to run. He respected my time and kept the visit short and sweet.  His portfolio looked professional. It was slick. It was filled with interesting images that made me think and my blood move quick. I could see lots of thought behind each page and its layout. He had done his homework to focus it in one direction. When I gave Kevin feedback, he already had a pencil and paper ready to write down notes. I could see that this guy (1) learned how to get feedback. After each critique, I could see him digest the information in his head and write a note to remember. Even things I'm sure he's heard before were still re-digested and written. He was thorough. When we finished, he shook my hand and bought a large print...not a bad idea to end on :) 

Kevin kept in touch with me. He often sent me updates with his artwork, commented on my social media, connected via professional platforms, and asked very direct, specific questions when he had them. Each time I saw an update on a painting or a revised sketch, there was a solid improvement. Principles we had discussed were being applied. Action was taken to create solutions. Kevin (2) learned how to use feedback constructively and grow.  He didn't just get feedback from me either; he gathered a well-rounded opinion from industry professionals to analyze where he was at. After all, many eyes are better than two.   

Soon thereafter, Kevin was graduating. He landed an interview with Blue Sky during a recruiting visit and it went great! Not only did he score brownie points with a rockstar portfolio, he showed credibility mentioning I'd been looking over his work giving feedback. From there Kevin didn't wait around for an answer, he started working on the Dam Keeper short film. Here is a perfect example of (3) persevering optimistically until you land that dream job. Soon after, Kevin got a call from Blue Sky offering him the summer internship. He came, kicked some butt and got offered a full-time position.  

There is so much to learn from Kevin Yang. Among many things, here are three that I believe are key to landing your dream job:

#1 learn to get feedback

#2 learn to use feedback constructively to grow

#3 learn to persevere optimistically until you land that dream job...then keep growing:)

Make sure to check out Kevin's personal blog here: http://kevuart.blogspot.com/