Channel Frederator Blog

What are some projects you have been a part of?

Well, I’m not sure if you want the whole list or not. Here it is just to cover all the bases. From start to current here it goes, Prince of Egypt, El Dorado, Spirit, SharkTale, Balto III, Curious George, C-horse (unreleased animated feature) and some pilots for Disney, Wild Brain and DNA Productions. Outside of animation I’ve done some artwork/computer graphics for video games. For the last year I’ve been doing graphic artwork for logos as well as pitches for Nickelodeon and Disney (Super Secret stuff… Ssssshhhhhhhh……keep it down…someone might hear, spies are everywhere….sssshhh…What was that??? did you hear that? ) ;P I’m being sarcastic cause of all the paranoid people I work with sometimes. Oh well, guess it will never go away, comes with the turf I guess.

Can you describe your technique?

Oh God, my process is kind of a mess. Lots of pencil scribbling, scanning, photoshoping, and cussing. I really admire some of those “Zorro” type of artists that just swipe & swat at the page with a pencil and there it is. Sadly I’m not one of them. I draw, draw over that drawing and push things in pull things out, sometimes I describe my drawing process as a kind of sculpting & forming or at least that’s how it feels anyways. The stages of the technique are in order, black pen (if nothing is happening at this stage, then I feed it to the trash can) if something is happening… then good old col-erase pencil, then I scan depending if drawing is working, Photoshop is where I flip & flop the thing trying new ideas etc. then print out & draw over an onion skinned type of print. After a more clean pass… Clean up in Photoshop- vector in StreamLine and color in Flash. Kind of a longer process then most people but I feel it keeps you away from a formula or look that is out there already. I would like to encourage artists to put down that Milt Kahl or Don Bluth packet for a second, I mean, I love these guys too but, get inspiration from life. Look at a bug super close up, look at a weird plant’s pattern, draw a crazy scribble and try to find something in that. What did Milt study? What inspired Milt? My guess was he wasn’t looking at a packet of his own drawings, just a hunch.

What do you do to help fight creative blocks?

Drawing like a child and combining that with the images that are stashed in my brain. Watching animal planet is a good station to have going on the background while working.

Do you have a favorite type of project to work on?

Even though I’ve been to some bigger studios, one of the best art jobs that I’ve had was a place called Xow. A place that people hardly ever heard of and people also rarely pronounce the name right the first time. But why I liked this place the best was because there was little description of things. For example when I got there Xow had to populate a world with creatures, water creatures, space monsters, desert critters etc. that’s where I do the best, is when the person hiring me barely gives any details.

The more difficult jobs for me are ones that the client knows EVERYTHING about what the character & what it looks like. I mean they know what it is, how old, color, how many freckles, and if the belly button is an innie or an outtie.

Also I have developed a style of drawing, this is either good or bad. Regardless this is the style that I’m happy in so I look for jobs that appreciate what I do.

Is there a different part of the animation production process you have always wanted to try?

I would love to pick up every skill & job that animation has to offer but the artists that I admire the most have developed a nitch and what looks easy for them took decades to reach. I wouldn’t mind having a limit on a particular skill & keep chipping away at that. Time will tell if this was a good or bad mind set.:/ Character designing is it for me. I also enjoyed clean up when I was in it, even though it isn’t the most respected job in animation I still liked it anyways.

What is your favorite cartoon, animated film, or animated commercial SEQUENCE (not the movie or piece itself, but specific sequence of animation)?

Welllll now if you say the word SEQUENCE…

I would say the prologue to Blood: The Last Vampire amazing action scene with stunning artwork smooth mix with 3-D and 2-D. There is a bad ass hospital scene too, cool camera work and creepy animation acting. You know that part where the two vampire girls are communicating with mouths moving looking straight ahead without making a noise? That part! COOOOLLLLNESS!

Also the prologue to Disney’s the Hunchback of Notre Dame was just jaw dropping it reminded me of a Frank Frazzetta painting in some shots, you know the gypsy parents getting chased? That part. Not the movie, just that part.

Also the beginning and ending credits to Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. I LOVE IT and I’m jealous cause I can’t do anything like that. While we are talking about credits maybe I could slip in- the beginning credits to the movie Seven with Morgan Freeman creepy cool too. Not animation, just animated with style.

The opening Credits to “Catch Me if you Can” nice graphic style.

The John K opening to “Troop Beverly Hills” was fun stuff.

The animated part in “Kill Bill” was super bad
ass.

What was one of the worst jobs you had before you got into animation?

A grunt in the U.S. Army. (Mech 4th ID)

If you would like to see more of Jasen’s work, please visit his site by clicking HERE.

Keep watching Channel Frederator for more interviews with and information on the animation industry’s hardest and most important workers… the artists.

-Floyd

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