RUSSELL WILKINS // Designer - Animator - Director

Flirtybirds

2010-12-21T11:44:00.001-08:00

Saw these two flirtybirds on bart last week.

Barely made the montly post!

2010-12-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

Sketchaholic Interview

2010-11-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

Always.... always... a blast!

James Roberston, one of my favorite artists, just did an interview with Bobby Chiu. James is the guy who boarded the dump sequences in Toy Story 3. Very inspiring stuff.

There was also a contest based off a theme he picked last week: "Flight".

Here is my entry!

Go GIIIIAAANNNTTTSSS.

2010-10-26T22:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, my friends, it has been over a month since my last post. And in an effort to not fall back into the cliched blog post of talking about how longs its been and how much I blah blah blah since my last blah blah blah (bob oblaws law blog), I'm going to just jump right the hell in.

This past weekend I went to my parents house. It was strange to see my little brother and sister return home for the first time since they both moved out. Their rooms had been converted, new people were in their spots, routines were disrupted. I remember how hard that feeling was when I first left, but for some reason it was harder to see my sibs go through it.

Giants are in the world series! I never thought I would care about baseball (or televised sports for that matter), but holy wad, I am officially a Giants fan! It's got something to do with the characters that play on the team. They feel like a damned graphic novel, almost like a Tarantino lineup. I dig it. Not your typical americana baseballers.

So for now, ART!

Caught in a bad (tv) romance

2010-09-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

Althought I'm soooo looking forward to all my favorite shows coming back on this month (I'm talking to you Liz Lemon and Charlie Kelley), I'm going to miss Mad Men. That show is really proving that tv can be as good if not better than cinema. I hope more tv dramas pay attention to this show.

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ART

I was talking with a rather attractive young woman about shoes yesterday and I figured I post my most recent design. Let me just preface by saying that I have always loved shoes, especially technical skateboarding shoes and couture stilettos. Don't ask me why, cuz I will tell you.

These shoes would be made from a brushed aluminum for the spike, bubinga wood for the sole, and violet velvet for the body. The orange and violet reminds me of Fry and Leela from Futurama ;)

How Fella Got His Hooves Back

2010-09-07T10:41:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! I got to hang with my brofish Jake, my Aunt and Uncle and cousins, and some other family. I showed my little cousins how to make any boring activity fun by adding Minute to Win It rules, along with psych out head games and gambling. Lets just say Mini Golf turned into 'Quarterbounce Putt Putt Bet All Your Skittles'.

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ART
Im still getting familiar with digital painting black people. I love how light penetrates dark skin, but its soooo hard to wrangle on canvas.

Stoughcked!

2010-09-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

I just got a new jacket THAT I LOVE... and SF decides it wants to be all hot for September. What a load of goose crap.

This week is essentially over and I have some grand plans for the labor day weekend!

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ART

Just some more bart peeps. Starting my storyboarding class here in a few weeks and I'll have more to show from that.

So getting a burrito tonight

2010-08-31T12:58:00.000-07:00

This past week has been crazy tight for cash, but its reminded me of what it takes to make it happen. And it also has reminded me of what I need versus what I want. Heres a garbage truck I saw today.

Delga Dillo!

2010-08-30T14:13:00.000-07:00

So my awesome Aunt is taking me camping with her and her family for Labor Day Weekend. She is such an amazing supporter of my work that I had to make them something. Her two boys, Matthew and Anthony, are such characters. So I made this piece based around their love of fishing and baseball. I'm trying to use the greek storytelling technique where you create the moment right before or after the big event. I think its apparent shiz is about to hit the windchopper here!

Not much to say today!

2010-08-25T22:51:00.000-07:00

Just some arts!

Okay, gnarly stuff going down.

2010-08-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

Quick post for an old friend! I'll be dropping some gnarly shit this week... just you wait baby.

Hungary

2010-08-13T12:36:00.000-07:00

Man I am hungry today. I've been consistently working out for the past few weeks and I'm beginning to see results, both in my kickin' bod and my voracious appetite. Good god.

Anywhoo, I've decided to take the steps necessary to boost my story skills to the next level. There is a storyboarding class starting up at Studio Cinematico here in September, along with an Improv acting class at BATS. I want to do both... I think it could be both invigorating and just downright fun.

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ART

Just some more bartpeepz. I'm working on a couple new characters who should blow your frickin' mind here this weekend.

Being watched

2010-08-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

I was sketching on BART during my commute home when a mother and her 4 year old daughter sat next to me. The little girl watched as I sketched people in the car. When I would start a new person, she would look around to try and find the person I was sketching. We didn't speak at all, she just watched me draw.

I remember when I was really young seeing people who could draw and I gotta say, it felt good being able to give some of that magic back.

Field Day!

2010-08-09T10:58:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine and I went drawing in downtown SF yesterday. It was a blast getting to chill with another artist, rant about the industry, and enjoy downtown without having anywhere to be. Super chill.

Thanks Aletta!

Flange Critters!

2010-08-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

Before I moved to SF, I was living with my family in Yreka (deep north california) working at a vacuum chamber plant. It wasn't exactly glamourous work, but I was so inspired by the parts we created there.

Vacuum Chamber

They make this crazy looking metal chambers and I always day dreamed about them pulling a Beetlejuice and coming alive.

THE QUEEN

Dr Sketchy is the shizang!

2010-08-07T14:29:00.000-07:00

So this weekend was my first jump into the art community in SF. I went to the Dr. Sketchy's special event with burlesque queen Eva Von Slut. It was fantastic. Check out some of the work!

Some 5, 10, and 20 minute poses.

Haas Grotesk

2010-08-03T10:39:00.000-07:00

During spring break, my brother and I talked our 12 year old cousin to jump this gap into the pool. I convinced him to do it by telling him his two life stories: one where he didn't shoot the gap and one where he did. On the fly I came up with the best and worst scenarios for his life. I sometimes forget how easy storytelling can be if you just let it come out without filters or worrying about structure.

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ART
Sexy lady on the bart! WHUT! I never draw attractive people because I find it too hard to capture that sensuality with my usual grotesk style.

Tastes, they are a-changin'!

2010-07-29T15:11:00.000-07:00

When I lived up in Portland, I loved going to the hipster yuppie coffeeshops and trying their fare. I worked at a starbucks for awhile, so I treasured being able to treat myself to the top shelf stuff.

Now that Im down in SF, I have Blue Bottle close to where I work. Oddly enough, I think I enjoy starbucks Iced Coffee more than Blue Bottle.

The times, they are a changin.

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ART

Here is a helmet my brother designed and we collaborated on the digitizing of it. Also a quick lighting study along with a cover idea for my portfolio, if I chose to develop one for character design.

Which I will. Waaaaay too much work not to. Right?

My sister has got skills.

2010-07-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Two posts in a day

2010-07-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Some sculpting/painting from last year. Did this as a test to get some freelance sculpture work.

Sorry Mr. Katzenburg!

Bouncing back

2010-07-27T11:10:00.000-07:00

Every now and again I wonder if I suffer a little bit from depression. I'll have a slump where my art isn't working and I'm not too stoked on anything I have going on. But I'm finding that if I continue to push on and refocus my energies on something positive, all the while remembering a good perspective, I break free. And it feels good to do this once in a while. Getting over that artistic and personal plateau.

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ART

More peepz on the BART... some gems this time!

Kill em with kindness

2010-07-23T10:35:00.000-07:00

I got a free pastry today.

Maybe its because I'm a stud, but more likely that I'm finding out most people in SF aren't kind, but respond well to kindness.

So I get free shit for being nice. Who'da thunk it?

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More people on BART. I'm really trying to make an effort to draw more bodies. I tend to focus on the face. Strangely though, when I draw a good body, my faces tend to suck balls.

What the hell?

Stress full.

2010-07-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

Im beginning to realize that dealing with stress is one of the first signs of being a good artist, especially in a production world. Its tough to consistently be creative. You have to call on it and sometimes its not there. Thats the Tyler Durden moment I think for artists.

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ART

Some previs work I did for a friend...

who now owes me several beers.

Reset button

2010-07-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

Starting up in a new city is tough. Its strange making new memories in a place that I have none. But I think its a good thing.

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ART

Dude on the BART was lookin' pretty hip.

Lady on BART giving the eye.

Color

2010-07-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

I am terrible with color. Maybe thats why I like black and white storyboarding so much?

I mean, I secretly want to be a color genius.

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ART

Peep on the BART, colored and sketched.

Caricaturing your friends

2010-07-14T17:09:00.000-07:00

Since I've been carrying around my sketchbook almost everywhere I go, I get the occasional request to draw someone.

This is a perfectly natural thing to do, since humans are notoriously vain creatures and artists' time is worth nothing. Add onto that that most of my caricatures play on features that typically make people more self concscious of their own 'inadequecies'.

But once in a blue moon, an interesting looking friend will humbly request a caricature knowing what they're getting themselves into. And they will love it.

Thanks Natey!

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ART

This one was done in under 10 minutes, with the pressure of an audience no less. At an Irish pub.

Sketchaholic.com Intensity Club

2010-07-13T23:46:00.000-07:00

I just heard about this thing that the artists over at Schoolism and sketchaholic.com do where they give you a topic and paint with you via webstream for one hour. After that hour is over, everyone votes and winner gets a prize!

More importantly, the guys hosting the event go through each painting and give a tiny little critique and mad props.

Here is my result from the topic "Half Man / Half Animal". Check out the contests section of Sketchaholic.com to see my work posted there as well.

And then for the Bobby Chiu presentation I did this guy. Theme was Baby Versions of a Movie Character:

Tough Week

2010-07-02T13:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not normally one to complain, but this was one tough week.

To illustrate, I cut my foot on some broken glass this morning getting out of the shower. Tenderfoot for sure.

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ART

Peeplez on the bus, and at an italian restaurant I ate at recently. Along with a LOTR helmet I sketched on break.

Thoughts on Flash

2010-07-01T12:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry bad title.

Anyways, I was dwelling today on BART about the semi destructive nature of drawing people on BART. I am more fascinated by drawing people sometimes, than actually interacting with them.

I worry this may be a weird sign that I'm more into design than story.

But then I start chatting with people and I get waaaay into it and then their sketches turn out to be the best ones.

I guess story and design seem to work together. You cant have a good design without a backstory, and perhaps a good story needs a solid design to be relatable.

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ART

Peepz on the bart. Some a few days old.

Staring contest

2010-06-29T19:39:00.000-07:00

Being stared at is no fun. But staring at funny looking people staring at you and geting a good drawing out of it is fun.

Swish.

Rancho Zoidberg!

2010-06-29T11:41:00.000-07:00

Are you ready for the big APE fight?!

Actually, a friend and I are building an iphone game, along with a great story and art direction (if I can toot my own horn).

Toot my own horn sounds like a euphemism for something dirty. Or awesome. Or dirsome.

Anyways, we are buying a table at the Alternative Press Expo and will be showing the progress on our game. October 16th and 17th!!! Finished game or bust!

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ART

I love graffiti. People who don't understand it's cultural importance should eat some hotdog shaped organs. And then attempt to understand graffiti's cultural importance.

Warm Day in Berkeley = Death of Willpower

2010-06-28T17:36:00.000-07:00

I remember why I don't like freelancing.

Distractions at home can be a nightmare. I need to figure out a better way of working when at home.

On the plus side of things, I can now legally park in Berkeley without the meterlady giving me lovenotes on my windshield.

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ART

Heres a dude on the bus from awhile back. Quick paint while I was catching up on a terrible, terrible, terrible show.

(the gates...)

12 Step program for blueberry muffins

2010-06-27T12:16:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. And it's name is blueberry muffin.

This has been my breakfast for the past few weeks. Yummy, gooeyCrunchy blueberry succulence gently cradled in a wax paper crown like the king of pastries it is.

But I have yet to try the chocolate quoosant, so I think I haven't hit rock bottom yet.

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ART

Here is a concept I developed for a Team Fortress 2 competition to design the Engineers new gun. It's called the Recycler!

And here is an on-the-phone-with-my-sister painting... i sketched this out awhile ago, so this isn't saying anything subliminal. I think...

Bay ARRREEEAaAAA!

2010-06-26T10:29:00.000-07:00

My Update

It's been over a year since my last post. Much has happened between then and now and I'm stoked to say I'm an art director at a startup animation studio in San Francisco, living in Berkeley, and just being inspired. I moved down here on April 23, 2010 and started my new job on the 26th.

I miss Portland, but I think I miss the comfort of the area most. I went back about a week ago and was totally blown away by the relaxed nature of the place. For those who think Portland is nutty (this guy right here about two months ago), come try sf. Its beyond nutty. Its nuttacular.

Everyone always says when they come back to their blog from a hiatus that "Everyone always says they will write on their blog more, but I will". I don't want to sound cliche, but indeed I will.

Today I am buying a shitty desk on which to work and hopefully inspiring me to save up for a REAL work desk, one of those biomorph 2000 $ situations that serve you a latte while letting you work on its surface.

ART

Here is a helmet I sketched. Just a warm up. Both to get back in the habit of posting images and working on stuff outside of work.