Over 700 Hours of Art & Animation Lessons. Plus a collection of concept art & character designs from various films along with wildlife and animal paintings of Aaron Blaise.
Hopefully by now you have had a chance to check out the amazing, award winning film Wolfwalkers directed by Tom Moore and Ross Stewart.
If not I encourage you to stop reading this and go watch it! (I’ve embedded the trailer below)It’s available on AppleTV+ which you can get on pretty much any streaming device with a free trial.
It was developed by the amazing team at Cartoon Saloon over in Kilkenny, Ireland whom I was fortunate enough to get to visit in 2019 on one of my last international trips before the pandemic. While I was there I was working with the team doing some animation demos & lectures and I was treated to a behind the scenes look at the progress of the film. It wasn’t finished yet but it was clear already that it was going to be something very special.
Myself & Nick Burch with Tomm Moore and some of the Cartoon Saloon Crew in Kilkenny, Ireland.
My history with Wolfwalkers goes back a little further than that though. In 2017 the team at Cartoon Saloon reached out to me to get some tips on wolf animation and design. At the time I provided a few small demos for them and some wolf illustration ideas. From there it evolved into them wanting to see some takes on how I would approach designing the two main characters of Mebh & Robyn in their wolf forms. I was sent an early draft of the script and had a go at some designs.These were just meant for exploration. The model sheets were my attempt to find a middle ground between the flat graphic design of the film and a more 3 dimensional look. I was trying to strike a balance between a more “realistic” wolf and the beautiful 2D style that Cartoon Saloon is known for. I’m glad they stuck with the more graphic look. Ultimately, I think the final look of the characters in the film are much stronger than these early concepts but I wanted to share them with you. In the end, I was only on the project for a few days but it was great fun and I was happy to help.
Flash forward to December 2020 and my jaw hit the floor after watching the film. Both because of how beautiful of a movie it was but also I was shocked to see my name listed in the credits. There I am under the Visual Development/Concept Design section. This is a huge honor and a was a truly unexpected surprise. Most people don’t realize that simply doing work on a film does not guarantee you will get a credit. Film credits are not handed out like candy. Typically it is a negotiated part of a contract and requires some substantial contribution. In my case I did not request a credit and certainly didn’t expect one.
So a HUGE THANK YOU goes out to the directors and to everyone at Cartoon Saloon for producing such a beautiful film and for allowing me to have be connected with it in anyway. Now go watch the movie already!
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 50% 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.
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 details.
Well, Lightbox 2020 was a huge success but has now come to a close.
Below you can find replays of each of the four workshops I did over the weekend! You can also view SIX New prints that are now available and never before published online!
Show Exclusive Prints:
Special for Lightbox, I have released these prints for the first time ever online. Some are Signed & Numbered
Animator and Director, Aaron Blaise walks you through his approach to how to animate 4 legged animals. He explains his thought process and animates for you in Real Time!
Join Aaron and Manny as they recap a recent Camp and Draw trip to Yellowstone. Learn about some of the parks’ wildlife, get some sketching tips and a listen to a few hilarious stories about a group of artists seeking adventure in Montana.
USING PHOTOGRAPHIC TEXTURES IN DIGITAL CHARACTER RENDERING
Sunday 4:30 pm – Sunday 6:30 pm EST (GMT -4)
Presenter(s): Aaron Blaise
Aaron Blaise (Brother Bear, Aladdin, The Lion King) is a world renowned digital artist. Watch as he shows you his tips & tricks for digital drawing that looks like a frame of a finished film!
I am very excited that we are moving into a new year and a new decade! To celebrate I create a New Year’s Moose in yesterday’s live stream. Watch it below if you missed it. Also, this weekend I am running a sale on the site. ALL LESSONS & TUTORIALS ARE 25% OFF!
Final Image is Below:
Interested in Digital Art & Animation Instruction? I offer a line of tutorials, videos and lessons. CLICK HERE to Learn More.
For this that may not have heard the news my Live Streams have moved to Friday Afternoons at 1:00 PM EST. A few of my recent streams are below so you can catch up!
As some of you may know I have been working on a short film called “Snow Bear” for quite a while now. Most of the time has been spent in story development & boarding it out. We are just now lining up the time to get it animated and I am hoping to have it out in 2020. I am pleased to share this little test I did with you.
Interested in Digital Art & Animation Instruction? I offer a line of tutorials, videos and lessons. CLICK HERE to Learn More.
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