Lifedrawing-Family, Cats and Coffee

Ready for it-here are a butt load of life drawings I've done in the past week. I am quite pleased with how well all of these came out.

Cats(My cousin's cats):

Family:

My cousins Jacky and Josh playing Donkey Kong Returns. It was fun watching them play this game-memories of when I was younger watching them playing Donkey Kong 64. Plus they totally rock at the game.

My sister holding my cousin's 2-week old baby, Lucia.

Above and the next few drawings are of my Grandma. This was the first year she was unable to come to my aunt's house for Christmas-she's been battling Alzheimer's for the past 5+ years and she can no longer really move her body anymore. I've been making a point to draw her whenever I see her the past few years which has been an honor and blessing to do( and I do not mean that lightly).

Coffee:

Rose Garden

From my sketchbook...there are some color choice issues, but overall happy with this. Very Disney-esque I know.

Dig Squirrel Dig!

It's been awhile since I last posted-sorry! Hopefully this makes up for it!

Sanji the Akita

I'm currently dogsitting an adorable Akita named Sanji. Having never drawn an Akita, I just had try drawing her. I've done some drawing in my sketchbook, but here a few that I did on photoshop. Expect to see more these...probably.

Photoshop Sketch Breaks

Just some sketches I've done within the past month on photoshop when I needed to take a break from animating. Mostly have been turning to one of two things-lions or fashion.

Mango Tango

Just part of the Argentine tango I'm animating for fun because it is currently my favorite ballroom dance-it's so passionate and tells so much story in a strong subtle way that's different than other romantic ballroom dances out there. And there's something about the Argentine tango that's different than the tango that I like about it....not sure what exactly but it's different somehow. I think I started to capture the movement of this dance but not the essence or the emotion tied to this style of dance. Hopefully as I continue to work on this, that will come out.

Ref most definitely used

Green Cat Drawings

These aren't terribly exciting. Meow.

Nuts About You-Rough Animation

Okay so another rough animation post. This scene is missing some special effects animation(which I shall do later) and the timing needs to be slightly tweaked, but it's close.

This is My Life

My life right now is animating. And while animating, watching through various TV shows (like Kim Possible). I'm enjoying every second of it.

Woody and Eddie

The cats like to hang around whoever is up late at night(which is always me), so I put one of the dog beds by my computer so they'd have somewhere comfy to hang with me that wasn't my lap/shoulders(cause it makes it difficult to work). Anyways, while animating tonight, I glanced over my shoulder and they were both sleeping in the dog bed...how could I not take a break to draw that?

Drawn in Photoshop CS5, 5 min

Lets Go For a Walk

Rough body animation for Nuts About You(for the dog of course):

Thoughts About Monsters II

Okay so more thoughts about monsters because like I stated before, this is what my studio art is revolved around, this idea/concept of monster.

I explained in this post that the thing that unifies all monsters is that for some reason they are unapproachable, whether they be friendly monsters or evil monsters. Okay so there's the base for this monster discussion: all monsters are unapproachable.

As I've been working with film and just thinking about how to make an experimental video about monsters, I've realized that so many films just flatten monsters out and I didn't want to do that because that's boring. Why is this the case? Well, I believe that film makes monsters approachable so then arises the question-is a monster still a monster if you approach it? Well yes was my initial thought because monster still do exist and monsters are approached. Also there are unapproachable things out there that are not monsters. So what needs to be there if this thing is to remain a monster if one approaches it? There's a few things that I think need to be there, mostly in that there still needs to remain an element of the unknown or confusion, not fully understanding or knowing a monster. Once you can fully empathize, relate or understand a monster, that thing is no longer a monster. I think part of this confusion is that there needs to still remain a bestial nature to it in that it could still attack and harm you without a second's notice, it could just snap. Kind of like how dogs, even well trained ones can just snap and become vicious if they smell a certain smell. Not saying pets are monsters, but monsters need to have that element to them in that we like them but don't fully understand their nature and they can attack and seriously harm if not kill you in a blink of an eye. Something like that.

So that train of thought got me thinking, this idea of okay so you have these other two elements about monsters: you can't fully understand/know them and they have this bestial nature, ability to attack and harm you. Yet monsters today are celebrated and well-loved, even the evil ones. For some reason I was thinking about zombies in this(which I'll talk about later) which then made me think about death-isn't death the ultimate monster? Even though in ways it's fantasized about, it's probably one of the most unapproachable things out there. Yet we do approach it. We try to understand it but we never really will and it always has the ability to attack and consume someone and in fact is the fate of every living thing. Death is the ultimate monster.

Okay so back to zombies and well other cult-followed monsters. I've come to the conclusion that they aren't really monsters. So many film monsters aren't or originally were but no longer are. They defy these important aspects that all monsters need to have, especially in that we understand them, what to expect. That more than anything kills a monster. Anyways, I've made two experimental films so far for a series titles " No Longer a Monster, Just _____".
The first is with King Kong-"No Longer a Monster, Just Misunderstood". Then vampires(nosferatu+sexyback as music) for "No Longer a Monster, Just a Sex Symbol". Next one with be for zombies, "No Longer a Monster, Just Popular"(or something like that, it's a working title).

That's all I've thought through but there's still a few other questions that I need to think through such as "are monsters a state or is a permanent thing" and "are monsters born or are they made?". And hopefully these will lead to more questions about monsters.

Now I just need to make some thing art revolving around these ideas.

I do have some ideas which I guess I'll state because tied to thinking about these things is then "okay so what do I make from these ideas". First with idea of approaching a monster there's the thought of "okay, so how close do you want to get to it?". My idea right now is doing a sculpture where basically a hang a huge sheet of black faux fur from the ceiling somehow and do that same effect as I did with my painting, covering it with petroleum jelly,egg and lots of fish sauce and seeing how close people actually want to get to it.

I already explained with what I'm doing about my thoughts about what film has done to monsters.

I think I'm going to try to do an experimental film or animation surrounding death because it is the ultimate monster. I'm not sure what I'm going to do though.

I have some ideas about the whole monster state thing, both with video and painting. Don't think I'll share those for now though because it isn't really fully conceptualized.

So yes, lots of ideas, but like I said, I just need to frickin' make these things now. Oh yes and don't stop thinking because this is an interesting rabbit hole I'm going down.

~Lauren

Why Monsters?

Some more thoughts...basically need to write these down before I forget everything cause basically they came in a lightning blitz two weeks ago. This is more for me than anything, but I guess it also kind of gives access to my thought process I guess. Anyways, this post is about why monsters?

First my base idea about monsters and how I originally started on this monster hunt. So last February, I was kind of floundering in my advanced painting class, not really knowing what to paint or what to do. I was doodling a lot of these little monsters in class and so I was like "hrm, guess I'll paint those". I had a lot of dried up oils in my palette box which I never used and I love using texture in my paintings, so I just thought I'd make this mini paint monsters, using the materials that got wasted or were never used properly and now angry that they were never able to become art. Something like that. At first they were very illustrative like, but they I just threw sawdust down on one, it barely looked like anything. Some of them were good, some of them were bad, really bad (but musn't all artist go through doing both?). Anyways, quad ended and my painting prof approached me with a challenge, asking me the simple question "Why don't you try and make the canvas a monster?" I had no idea what to do but it seemed like the logical place to go.

It took me a little bit to wrap my mind around this-I had no idea how to make the canvas look like a monster. I was this animator, not a studio artist-I didn't really know how on earth to make the canvas look like a monster without being illustrative. When first trying to tackle this difficult challenge for me, I first thought through monsters and realized there's a huge range of monsters. You have monster like Mike and Sully in Monsters Inc. who are loveable and friendly and then you have monsters like dracula and werewolves that are more bestial, grotesque and we are fearful of them and then there are just monsterous people like Hitler and stuff-killers. I had no idea what type of monster I wanted to capture on canvas-there seemed to be nothing that unified all these together and yet I knew there must be something. So I went to the dictionary to see what the exact definition of a monster was. The main definitions when you look it up, I just didn't agree with because I could thing of examples that defied the definition and yet were still monsters, at least in my mind. Then I saw the word: unapproachable. Yes, that is the unifying element that ties all monsters together. There's just something unapproachable about them whether it be appearance of the fact they just want to kill you.

Anyways, then I made some unapproachable paintings-one where I covered it with all this junk like wax, egg, newprint, oatmeal ect. and then I burned it. It just didn't feel complete until I did that. The texture and junk was supposed to be gross and unapproachable and originally the smell with really repulsive. The second painting I made came from the idea of a monster coming out of the dark. In my mind, I saw a painting covered in faux fur up against a black wall. When I actually did this for my monster show I did with my friend Beth, it just looked too posh. Luckily, Heather Bren came in and suggest for me to put petroleum jelly all of it. Brilliant. So that's what I did, I put both petroleum jelly and also egg and as well covered it with fish sauce (bought it for $1 at Cub grocery store, basically it's anchovy liquid) because I was finding that smell is really what was going to make this painting unapproachable. And thus, that was my part of the Art is a Monster show: http://laurenkrieger.blogspot.com/2010/03/art-is-monster.html

So that's where I started and that is what all monsters are, unapproachable. That is the first and important unifying thing for all monsters whether they be friendly or just pure evil.

This first set of these turned out great. But then I just stuck with the idea of making these things unapproachable which just turned into grossness which I wasn't ever really going for, although the jelly paintings were fun to make. So I was stuck because just making unapproachable things was uninteresting to me. So I abandoned my monster hunt for a bit. Yes they were unapproachable but so what?

Come to senior seminar in art. Yes I made this crazy decision to double major last minute because I would be only 6 credits away. I found myself floundering again, not really knowing what on earth I was doing in the class. Was I even interested in studio art? Yes but I didn't know where on earth to go. Maybe I was interested in story? But that just left me doing animation stuff not really studio art. So I just kind of just quasi-worked in class not really happy with what I was making and what I was doing. Bleh. My prof wants me to experimental video and animation but I have no idea how to do so. Then I make this video in Art and Technology, drawing over the first sci fi film or at least part of it and I suddenly have an interest in this. So I look for more old films to draw over and of course it leads me back to the original monster movies, bringing up this thought of monster again. The ideas we can't escape. And the thoughts about this subject come back, but better than before, which I'll explain in my next post. So anyways, I'm back on my monster hunt, trying to catch and understand this thing called monster.

~Lauren

~Lauren

Meow

Eddie(my kitty) was sitting on my lap while I was taking a homework break, so I drew him. Meow.

Thoughts about Monsters I

As a lot of my studio art revolves around this idea of monster and am I also am using old film in my more experimental films-I of course had to look at the original vampire movie-Nosferatu. After seeing what their vampire looked like, it just really made me lament the devolution of vampires and monsters in general in film. Look at the vampire in Nosferatu, then look at current pop culture vampires-they are no longer these creepy and gross but sparkly and "hot"(in some tweens and their moms eyes). I mean yes we still have the horror monster movies, but just in general, pop culture has turned monsters into celebrated creatures-no longer are they really all that dangerous or unapproachable. How it's now cool to like monsters because omg, they are just misunderstood souls and now my heart full of empathy just pours out onto these misunderstood beings as well as the rest of America. Maybe it's possible that monsters are like the new rebel/bad boy character-bad on the outside but pure and good at heart...no longer the BA guy with a leather jacket and a motorcycle or someone from the streets-now instead we have monsters to fill that role which is not at all what a monster is. I think as soon as you can understand or empathize with an unapproachable thing, it quickly begins to lose it's monster-essence so to speak, it's only under the guise of this greater idea of monster. I think a few directors can still pull off making you feel for the monster yet keeping it's monster essence, but those are far and few between.
Another thing too with monsters being popular, at least in horror films (and I am no expert in this-so here's probably a huge blanket statement I'm throwing) is that monsters are glorified which I get, it sells money and people love them monsters. Problem is, these monsters are a lot of the time flat and true monsters are anything but flat. I guess maybe what I'm getting at is that maybe once story is introduced to monster-it somehow kills a monster, either by flattening it or understanding it. I don't think monsters in the end are meant to or can be understood, maybe.

Eh, that's all I have for now, but this will probs come up again. It's an ongoing thought, still trying to wrap my mind around it. Anyways, here me wishing vampires like Nosferatu can bring the true sexy monster essence back into the conversation.

~Lauren

Squirrel Run Cycle

Lions Life Drawing

Went to the zoo today and drew some animals-especially the lions, they were most fun to draw today. So here's some lions. Rawr.

Photoshop Sketch-I Wish....

Wishing I could talk over a few things with certain people but they are either too busy, don't understand, or we've grown too far apart now for me to even feel comfortable bringing it up. It's not really anything or maybe it is.
I just wish I could have answers to my thoughts, especially those I keep most guarded.

Just a scribble, self-portrait thing-not quite vent art, but something like that. I know some things are off but that's okay-it's only a 30 min sketch.

And I know that's not my current haircut....it's what I want to cut it as, but I have to wait until after my friend's wedding-just in case it looks like crap in reality.

Moose Puppet Building

Built this puppet for a stop motion film a friend and I are making for our art and technology class. Instead of showing the end product, I took pictures throughout showing how this puppet was made. First time ever building a puppet like this, very happy with how he turned out.

Here is the puppet we decided upon at Unique. Surprised to find such a nice stuffed animal there(and for super cheap too!)

Better pic of his head.

Arg I'm terrible-I killed the stuffed animal! Here he is all destuffed.

My cat Woody really wanted my attention. So to get it, he decided to sit on top of everything while I was working. I pet him for a bit before kicking him off my work table and moving him to the couch.

Wire armature built for the puppet.

Wire armature inside of stuffed animal-success it stands!

Our puppet needs to walk in our movie, so he needed something to weigh his feet down. Sand was the trick, just had to dry it out first(cause I don't want the puppet to be molding). And I didn't take a picture of this, but basically I made sandbags for the feet. Just stuck the sand in plastic baggies and duct taped them shut.

Restuffing the puppet

Then stitch him back up and wallah! Here he is, soon to be a movie star!

*Also must thank my mom for sewing him back together-I was gone all night and wanted him to be done by tomorrow, so my mom offered to do that part for me while I was gone, which was super nice of her! And she's also a way better at sewing than I am, so that's a major plus too. ;)

Last Semester Photoshop Sketch Dump

Was excited to find this on my computer-I lost pretty much all my art files on my computer this summer-some how that folder got in the trash and I emptied it without realizing....it's okay though, except for these I either had uploaded them online or there was a real life version of it, so no worries. Thought these were included but somehow they were on iPhoto (no clue how they got there but I'm sure happy about it). Anyways, drew these like April/May 2010. All of them expect for the bottom one were just quick fun sketches. The bottom one-obviously spent a little bit more time on...it's not completely finished but close and I won't have to time to work on it for awhile and it just has to be uploaded with this set. Anyways, enjoy!

Fly Me to Utter Nonsense

This was my second project for my art and technology class. Initially started off with the concept of drawing on top of an old movie but it progress from not only putting my hand literally on top of the movie, but changing the story, changing the shot length and messing with the music. I actually really like how it turned out, I wasn't expecting much of anything but I think it's going to be an interesting topic to explore. Anyways, here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmA2rKwTcn4

Dogs With Cones on Their Heads

I really should be working on homework. But instead I spent 10 min doing this. And you know what-I don't regret it at all.

"Blind"-Running Away Sequence

Very last part of my animatic for one of the films I'm working on, the working title is "Blind" but that may or may not change...anyways, enjoy!

"Nuts About You" Storyboard Panels

Another film I'm working on(I have 3 going on right now). This one is titled "Nuts About You". Inspired by a walk with my dog a few weeks ago. This one has been really fun to work on-lots of humor, the setting is my backyard/house and the star of the film is my dog. Some serious fun is happening...seriously.
These are in no particular order.

"Blind" Concept Layout Space

Was trying to figure out the layout/space for one part of this film I'm working on (titled "Blind" right now, but that may or may not change soon). Working on the animatic of this tonight-expect to be seeing more from this project for the next few months.

Photoshop Sketch-Lioness Portrait

I need to start updating this more regularly, so I'm going to start uploading things I don't normally upload, like photo shop sketches I do when I need a break from what I'm working on.

Photo Reference Used Most Definitely

Class Designs

It's a new school year which means I'm back to working on these design things(not really sure what to call them). I work on them in my non-art lecture classes-helps me remember the material more and keeps me focused to the lectures. Such an art student sometimes...

Don't worry-he's actually moderate

Just a super quick comic I made based on an event that happened today. I had both a democratic and republican door-to-door people come to my house today to talk about their candidate. With both, after they said their political affiliation, they both assured that their candidate is actually moderate and thus, this comic was born.

Note-I wish I had spent more time on this, the inking is not my best. Alas, next time....

San Francisco Life Drawings

Here are some not so boring life drawings from my recent trip to San Francisco. I'm pretty pleased with how most of these turned out-life drawings is one of the most enjoyable art things I like to do and I'm glad I'm back in the groove of doing it more consistently.