Category: Aaron’s Art Tips

Corridor Crew: Animators React + Behind the Scenes

NEW Video!

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Recently I got to sit down with the Corridor Crew as a guest on their “Animators React” series. It was a lot of fun!

Click above to watch the first episode. I say “first” because we shot a lot of stuff that and I believe the plan is to release more at a later date.

I also thought it might be fun to share some “behind the scenes” video and pictures. Enjoy!

– Aaron

 

We offer 3 Great Ways to Learn! First, you can purchase any ART LESSONS a la carte. Or you can become a Monthly Streaming Member and get immediate access to over 650 hours of art lessons that you can stream on your computer, phone, tablet or SmartTV. Finally, you can become an ANNUAL MEMBER and get hundreds of hours of video lessons to keep and download.

Lesson Previews:

The videos below are selected lessons from various courses.
These represent just a small portion of the 700+ hours of animation lessons, art tutorials and more available with our membership plans.

Get Immediate Access to All this Great Content + More!

“I was trained by Aaron Blaise. Aaron is Awesome!”

– Byron Howard (Director: “Zootopia”, “Tangled”, “Bolt”)

Friday The 13th LIVE Stream

NEW Live Stream!

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I had a lot of fun on today’s live stream. This image was inspired by the fact that is Friday, October 13th. 

While it might seem a little “dark” for the world of Snow Bear, it’s all meant to be in Good Fun! Enjoy!

– Aaron

 

We offer 3 Great Ways to Learn! First, you can purchase any ART LESSONS a la carte. Or you can become a Monthly Streaming Member and get immediate access to over 650 hours of art lessons that you can stream on your computer, phone, tablet or SmartTV. Finally, you can become an ANNUAL MEMBER and get hundreds of hours of video lessons to keep and download.

Lesson Previews:

The videos below are selected lessons from various courses.
These represent just a small portion of the 700+ hours of animation lessons, art tutorials and more available with our membership plans.

Get Immediate Access to All this Great Content + More!

“I was trained by Aaron Blaise. Aaron is Awesome!”

– Byron Howard (Director: “Zootopia”, “Tangled”, “Bolt”)

New Animation Made in Procreate Dreams

NEW Animated Short!

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I am so exited to finally be able to share this secret project that I have been working on. The fine folks over at Procreate asked me to try a very early version of their BRAND NEW Animation software to see what I could do with it.

It’s called Procreate Dreams and all I can say is: WOW! – For portable software on an iPad it is incredibly robust and the price point is a game changer! Be sure to watch their reveal keynote below. It will be available to everyone on November 22nd. 

Speaking of the keynote I had NO IDEA that my little short was going to be included as the climax of the event. They kept that a complete surprise and I found out in the audience just like everyone else. So a HUGE Thank You to James, Georgie, Nate, LJ & all of the amazing crew over at Procreate.

In just a few weeks I was able to create the animation above. This is actually the first piece of animation that I’ve been involved with that has gone all the way through to color since “The Bear & The Hare” and this is the first fully colored & finished animation that I’ve produced entirely in house. (Don’t worry though I am also still hard at work on “Snow Bear” and that is coming ASAP).

I also want to give an extra special shout out to Max Mueller who did the amazing job on the score! Max is a wonderful young composer and working with him on this project was a total joy! He has a great future ahead of him in the film world. Watching him record the score with a live orchestra was breath taking! Be sure to check out his website: HERE

I’ll have a full reaction video to the news later this week. Plus, I am pleased to announce that I will have a FULL Course on Animating In Procreate Dreams available the day the software drops! (or very soon thereafter).

Of course, as always you will be able to purchase that class a la carté. OR if you become an Annual Member it will be included FREE with your membership.

For a Limited Time if you use code: “DREAMS” at checkout it will take 20% OFF Class Orders INCLUDING Membership Plans!

Scroll down to see  the Keynote Presentation by Procreate:

Art & Animation Lessons ON SALE!
Everything is 40% OFF (or more). 

Offer Ends Soon.

+ USE CODE: “DREAMS” for an Extra 20% OFF Your Order!

Procreate Dreams Keynote:

 

We offer 3 Great Ways to Learn! First, you can purchase any ART LESSONS a la carte. Or you can become a Monthly Streaming Member and get immediate access to over 650 hours of art lessons that you can stream on your computer, phone, tablet or SmartTV. Finally, you can become an ANNUAL MEMBER and get hundreds of hours of video lessons to keep and download.

Lesson Previews:

The videos below are selected lessons from various courses.
These represent just a small portion of the 700+ hours of animation lessons, art tutorials and more available with our membership plans.

Get Immediate Access to All this Great Content + More!

“I was trained by Aaron Blaise. Aaron is Awesome!”

– Byron Howard (Director: “Zootopia”, “Tangled”, “Bolt”)

Disney Character – Mash Up

Disney Character Mash-Up: LIVE STREAM!

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On This week’s LIVE STREAM, I decided to do a MASH-UP of Elsa from “Frozen” &  Maleficent from “Sleeping Beauty”.

Let me know in the comments below if you like this sort of content. If so, I might do some more!

Scroll down to see  the final image if you want to check it out:

Drawing & Painting Lessons ON SALE!
Everything is 40% OFF (or more). 

Offer Ends Soon.

+ Annual Plans are Buy 1, Get 1 FREE!

 

 

We offer 3 Great Ways to Learn! First, you can purchase any ART LESSONS a la carte. Or you can become a Monthly Streaming Member and get immediate access to over 650 hours of art lessons that you can stream on your computer, phone, tablet or SmartTV. Finally, you can become an ANNUAL MEMBER and get hundreds of hours of video lessons to keep and download.

Lesson Previews:

The videos below are selected lessons from various courses.
These represent just a small portion of the 650+ hours of animation lessons, art tutorials and more available with our membership plans.

Get Immediate Access to All this Great Content + More!

“I was trained by Aaron Blaise. Aaron is Awesome!”

– Byron Howard (Director: “Zootopia”, “Tangled”, “Bolt”)

Learn CROSSHATCHING – NEW Tips with Tim Hodge Video

FREE Lesson: Tips with Tim Hodge on Crosshatching
+ Summer Sale

Click Here to View More Great Lessons from Tim for 40% OFF

The video above is part of an ongoing series by Tim Hodge. These are quick tips for DRAWING & Storyboarding as well as general film making & art tips. If you are interested in more drawing lessons be sure to check out his FULL LINE UP of courses where he goes much more in-depth on numerous topics.

SUMMER Sale: 40% OFF (or More)!


We have nearly 700 hours of Art & Animation & Story lessons. For a Limited Time these lessons are 40% Off.!

We offer 3 Great Ways to Learn! First, you can purchase any ART LESSONS a la carte. Or you can become a Monthly Streaming Member and get immediate access to over 450 hours of art lessons that you can stream on your computer, phone, tablet or SmartTV. Finally, you can become an ANNUAL MEMBER and get hundreds of hours of video lessons to keep and download.

Lesson Previews:

The videos below are selected lessons from various courses.
These represent just a small portion of the 650+ hours of animation lessons, art tutorials and more available with our membership plans.

Get Immediate Access to All this Great Content + More!

“I was trained by Aaron Blaise. Aaron is Awesome!”

– Byron Howard (Director: “Zootopia”, “Tangled”, “Bolt”)

25th Anniversary of Mulan

Celebrating The 25th Anniversary of Mulan!

Use Promo Code: “MULAN25” for 25% OFF Any Course or Brush Order!
Hurry… Offer Ends June 22nd

It is hard for me to believe it but June 19th marks the 25th Anniversary of Disney’s MULAN!

This film has always been special to me for a number of reasons:

First, off it was the first time that I was cast as the supervising animator of the lead villain in the movie… Bao Gung!

What’s that you say? There is no Bao Gung. Well, you are right. Over the course of developing the film the character of Bao Gung was written out and the character of Shan Yu became the primary villain. At the time, the role of Shan Yu had already been assigned to the very talented Pres Romanillios.

This left me without a character in the film… That is until the directors sat me down and asked if I could do several characters? So I ended up designing and animating the character of Yao as well as all of the ancestor ghosts.

This film is also special to me because it was the first film that was really the baby of the Florida Studio. This film was produced and directed out of the Florida animation studio and I think it is one of the best looking films of the 90’s animation era.

It’s clear that we were firing on all cylinders.

Over the years, I have shared a number of videos about Mulan on my YouTube channel and my TikTok – So, I thought to celebrate this milestone I would gather a few of the highlights here. I’ve also included a gallery with some of my drawings from Mualn below.

This film was also very important for my fellow Creature Art Teacher, Tim Hodge. It was his first feature film project as a story artist!

To celebrate the occasion, he has created a new video in his “Tips with Tim” series. Give it a watch below:

Click Here to View More Art & Animation Lessons ON SALE!

 

If you like this type of content, please leave a Comment Below and I will make more.

Thanks,

– Aaron

Art & Animation Lessons ON SALE!

 

We offer 3 Great Ways to Learn! First, you can purchase any ART LESSONS a la carte. Or you can become a Monthly Streaming Member and get immediate access to over 450 hours of art lessons that you can stream on your computer, phone, tablet or SmartTV. Finally, you can become an ANNUAL MEMBER and get hundreds of hours of video lessons to keep and download.

Lesson Previews:

The videos below are selected lessons from various courses.
These represent just a small portion of the 600+ hours of animation lessons, art tutorials and more available with our membership plans.

Get Immediate Access to All this Great Content + More!

“I was trained by Aaron Blaise. Aaron is Awesome!”

– Byron Howard (Director: “Zootopia”, “Tangled”, “Bolt”)

Teacher & Student Discount Sale – ENDS DECEMBER 1st!

UPDATE: Offer Extended Until December 1st, 2023

I often travel the world giving demos & lectures and get the opportunity to work with aspiring artists, illustrators and animators from all walks of life. I am continually impressed by the talent out there as well as the questions that I get.

A HUGE part of our mission with this site is to continue to offer affordable art education. As a special “Thank You” to returning students and teachers I am offering a 60% Off Student & Teacher Only Promo Code for Annual Premium Membership & Monthly Streaming Membership Plans on the site.

Get the code by simply signing up for my newsletter with a valid “.EDU” email address below.

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NEW: FREE Access to Live, Online Workshops!
50% OFF Certifications
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Eligible for Monthly Art Give Aways!
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Don’t Have a “.edu” email? If you are a student or teacher CLICK HERE and upload proof of current educational status and we will email you a code after we have verified your deatails.

Continue reading Teacher & Student Discount Sale – ENDS DECEMBER 1st!

Drawing Animals on Earth Day! Plus, Meeting Kenai & Koda!

The 25th Anniversary of Animal Kingdom!

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On April 22nd, 2023 it was EARTH DAY! It also happened to be the 25th Anniversary of Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park!

Now, you may not know this but the characters from “Brother Bear” are only in the park around this time of year as part of the annual Earth Day festivities. SO, I thought it would a great time to reconnect with old friends and draw some critters!

If you like this type of content, please leave a comment and I will make more.

Thanks,

– Aaron

Art & Animation Lessons ON SALE!

 

We offer 3 Great Ways to Learn! First, you can purchase any ART LESSONS a la carte. Or you can become a Monthly Streaming Member and get immediate access to over 450 hours of art lessons that you can stream on your computer, phone, tablet or SmartTV. Finally, you can become an ANNUAL MEMBER and get hundreds of hours of video lessons to keep and download.

Lesson Previews:

The videos below are selected lessons from various courses.
These represent just a small portion of the 600+ hours of animation lessons, art tutorials and more available with our membership plans.

Get Immediate Access to All this Great Content + More!

“I was trained by Aaron Blaise. Aaron is Awesome!”

– Byron Howard (Director: “Zootopia”, “Tangled”, “Bolt”)

Aaron Blaise: Some of My Art Books

A Few of My Favorite Art Books!

Click Here to View More Art & Animation Lessons ON SALE!

This week I released a new video where I took you through some of MY FAVORITE Art Books from my shelf. These are just a select few of the hundreds of books in my collection.
If you all like it be sure to let me know and I will share more.

NOTE: I have linked to the books below. Many of them are out of print but as of this email most can be gotten as a second-hand copy from Amazon.

The Books I mention in this Video Are:

Drawing & Painting Lessons ON SALE!

 

We offer 3 Great Ways to Learn! First, you can purchase any ART LESSONS a la carte. Or you can become a Monthly Streaming Member and get immediate access to over 450 hours of art lessons that you can stream on your computer, phone, tablet or SmartTV. Finally, you can become an ANNUAL MEMBER and get hundreds of hours of video lessons to keep and download.

Lesson Previews:

The videos below are selected lessons from various courses.
These represent just a small portion of the 600+ hours of animation lessons, art tutorials and more available with our membership plans.

Get Immediate Access to All this Great Content + More!

“I was trained by Aaron Blaise. Aaron is Awesome!”

– Byron Howard (Director: “Zootopia”, “Tangled”, “Bolt”)

Aaron Blaise: My 6 Tips For Digital Painting!

6 Tips For Digital Painting

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Hi everyone, my name is Aaron Blaise, and I’m here to talk about my process for digital painting. Over the years, I’ve developed a method that works well for me, and I want to share it with you. In this article, I’ll take you through the six steps I follow for every digital painting I create. Let’s get started!

Step One: Rough Sketch

The first step in my process is creating a rough sketch. I like to keep things loose and quick at this stage. My goal is to capture the basic shapes and forms of the subject, without getting too bogged down in the details. I use a digital tablet and stylus to create my sketches, but you can use whatever method works best for you.

Step Two: Refined Drawings

Once I’m happy with the rough sketch, I move on to the refined drawing. This is where I start to refine the details and add more complexity to the image. I spend more time on this stage, and I try to make sure everything is in proportion and that the anatomy and perspective are accurate. This stage is all about laying a solid foundation for the rest of the painting.

I might also using shading to start to think about the lighting and shadows, which will be important in the later stages of the painting.

Step Three: Local Color

After the refined sketch, I move on to the local color stage. This is where I lay down the base colors for the subject. I try to match the colors as closely as possible to the subject I’m painting. I use a separate layer for this, so I can easily make changes if needed.

I use this stage to establish the character’s color palette and to make sure that everything is consistent and harmonious.

Step Four: Shadows

Now it’s time to add some depth and dimension to the painting by adding shadows. This is where digital painting really shines, because you can change the blend mode of your layer to multiply, which creates a shadowy feel over the base colors. I like to keep my shadows warm, to avoid a grayed-out look. I think about where the light source is coming from and where shadows would naturally fall on the subject. I add shadows on a separate layer, so I can easily adjust them later if needed.

Step Five: Light & Highlights

Once the shadows are in place, it’s time to add light. I create a new layer on top of the shadows layer and set the blend mode to overlay. This creates a lighting effect that brightens up the areas that are hit by light. I keep the lighting warm to match the shadows, and I think about where the light would naturally fall on the subject. This step really makes the painting come alive and pop.

This is where I tend to start to play around with the color temperature to create a more dynamic lighting effect. Oftentimes, I also use this stage to add some reflected light to the character’s eyes or other surfaces, which can help to sell the realism of the piece.

Step Six: Refining Details

The final step in my process is refining the details. This is where I add all the finishing touches, like texture, highlights, and color adjustments. I create a new layer on top of all the other layers and start adding in the small details that bring the painting to life. I pay attention to the subtle details that make the subject look more realistic, like fur texture and reflections in the eyes. This step really allows me to make the painting my own and add my personal style to the piece.

And there you have it! These are the six steps I follow for every digital painting I create. I hope you found this helpful and that it inspires you to try out digital painting for yourself. Remember, the most important thing is to have fun and experiment with different techniques. Happy painting!

More Drawing & Painting Lessons ON SALE!

 

We offer 3 Great Ways to Learn! First, you can purchase any ART LESSONS a la carte. Or you can become a Monthly Streaming Member and get immediate access to over 450 hours of art lessons that you can stream on your computer, phone, tablet or SmartTV. Finally, you can become an ANNUAL MEMBER and get hundreds of hours of video lessons to keep and download.

Lesson Previews:

The videos below are selected lessons from various courses.
These represent just a small portion of the 600+ hours of animation lessons, art tutorials and more available with our membership plans.

Get Immediate Access to All this Great Content + More!

“I was trained by Aaron Blaise. Aaron is Awesome!”

– Byron Howard (Director: “Zootopia”, “Tangled”, “Bolt”)