More Cafe sketches coming at ya! Part 4

Hey Bloggers!  Well, here's the last batch of my recent sketches from Cafe Roma.  Hope you've liked them.  

Have a safe 4th of July everyone!  

More Cafe sketches coming at ya! Part 3

Another day, another sketch!  

More Cafe sketches coming at ya! Part 2

Hey Bloggers!  As promised, here's a couple more sketches from the 'ol sketchbook.  Sketching has been really fun lately.  It allows me to unwind and not worry about having a supervisor or director "buy off" on it or approve it.

I usually have my trusty Ipod on me and a book to keep me occupied if there aren't enough interesting people around.  It really is quite therapeutic.  
Part 3 coming soon!

More Cafe sketches coming at ya!

More sketches from Cafe Roma...

stay tuned for more!

Sketches @ Espresso Roma Cafe Part 2

As promised, here's part 2 of my Espresso Roma Cafe sketches.

The man with the hat seems to be at the cafe as much as I am. He always brings a paperback novel in a ratty, beat up old plastic bag.
Have a great week everyone!

Sketches @ Espresso Roma Cafe Part 1

Got a chance to go sketching at the local cafe this past weekend.  I was pretty happy to get back into it as been awhile since I've gone.  The weather was beautiful and a whole host of interesting characters turned out!

Come back soon for part 2!!!

Mr. Darcy

So, Joy was watching "Lost In Austen" the other night.  It's about a modern day woman who magically ends up in Austen's Pride and Prejudice.  Imagine Back to the Future meets Austen.  Only not as cool.  The first hour was amusing but quickly trails off to sappy, cheesy romance.  Anyway, I got the sketchbook out and just started sketching the characters and their costumes which was way more fun....

Mr Darcy, you are such a CAD!

Newark Airport Part 2

As promised, here are some more airport pictures I drew awhile ago.  

...I keep forgetting that I own a brushpen.  I have to use it more often just to change things up!

Have a great week everyone!  More sketches soon!

Poll Result! Your favorite Pixar films (UP not included)

Well, here are the results of your favorite Pixar films, as voted by YOU!  This poll closed awhile back when UP wasnt in the running and therefore explains why it's not on it.  

The Incredibles...... 13 votes (27%)

Monsters Inc........... 10votes (20%) tied with Ratatouille 

Finding Nemo.........6 votes  (12%)

Wall-e.......................4votes  (8%)

Toy Story.................3votes  (6%)

Bugs Life, Toy Story 2....1 vote (2%) tied

Cars.........................0 votes

Make sure to vote in the newest poll

 

Newark Airport Part 1

Hey Bloggers! Sorry for the lack of posts lately but things have been a bit crazy lately. UP has come out and is thankfully a HUGE success. I recently flew home and got some sketching done at the airport.

Stay tuned for Part 2 coming soon!

Cafe Sketch- 3/7/09

Hey Bloggers!  So the sun finally came back out and the rains stopped and I was able to get some sketching done this weekend.

I saw this little girl who seemed to have boundless energy.  She had some great poses and I was doing everything I could to keep up with her.  I wish I had more time to sketch her.
Stay tuned for more sketches coming soon!

Final UP Trailer

Cafe Sketch- 2/28/09

Dug

Cafe Sketch- 12/14/08

More Sketches comin at ya!

Cafe Sketch- 12/6/08

Hey Bloggers!  Yes, I am alive and yes, I'm still sketching.  Between crunching really hard on "UP" and dealing with house stuff, its been really hard to go out and draw.  Here's a few sketches I did this weekend at a nearby Peet's Coffee in Berkeley.

More to come soon.  

Coming May 29, 2009!

Cafe Sketch in Berkeley

Hey Bloggers!  Now that i'm unpacked (mostly) and settled in (mostly), i've finally had a chance to go to the closest cafe and get some sketching done.  Here's a couple for you and stay tuned for more coming soon.

Poll Result! What did you think of the Dark Knight!??!

Well, here are the results for what you thought of the Dark Knight!

I LOVED IT!  I'm Going to see it again!  61% (22 votes)

Good but a bit too long  25% (9 votes)

Not interested..Rather watch Swing Vote  8% (3 votes)

Just OK  5% (2 votes)

Didnt Like it that Much 

HATED IT............................ 0%  (tied with no votes)

Go ahead and vote for the newest POLL!  Your votes matter!!

The Best Television Show Ever.

Recently, I finished watching the 5th and last season of my favorite show of all time, The Wire. For those who aren't familiar with the show, it's a cop show that not only follows the cops but with each season, explores a different institution of the city of Baltimore, Maryland such as the drug trade (Season 1), the ports (Season 2), politics (season 3), the school system (season 4), and finally the media ( season 5).


To merely categorize this as a cop show would be doing it a great disservice as it really takes a deeper look at the socio-political problems that all major cities face today. Each institution is thoroughly examined with each season to the point where even the lowest criminal, dock worker, police officer, student, etc. leap off the screen with great sincerity and heartfelt realism. Yes, they do all this and still make the story lines REALLY entertaining too. This is truly a show to be watched, re-watched and learned from.
Here's a Spoiler Free trailer for the show:

And one for Season 5!

My Interview with the Filipino Daily Inquirer

Several months ago, Janet Nepales from the Filipino Daily Inquirer interviewed me for Pixar's International Press Day. Since Wall-e was recently released in the Philippines, they've published the article. Click on the picture or the link below to read the article.
http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/entertainment/entertainment/view/20080819-155640/A-Pinoy-at-Pixar

Cafe Sketch...@Peet's Coffee in Berkeley Part 3

Have a great weekend everyone!

Score Review: The Dark Knight by Hans Zimmer and J. N. Howard

4/5 Stars

Lately, I've had Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's score to the Dark Knight on repeat. Those who know me well are aware that I am a soundtrack NUT. I've been collecting them and listening to them since I first discovered John Williams' masterpiece, Star Wars.
Anyway, I wanted to take a minute to write about how much I like the soundtrack to The Dark Knight.I've seen the movie along with the gazillions of people the world over and I must say that the score does a great job of capturing the spirit of the film. In all honesty, I felt the film began to overstay its welcome by the last half hour but there are some great moments in it overall.
Zimmer deftly alternates between darker passages and propulsive action, going back to his 5 note Batman motif which he utilized for Batman Begins. I had a conversation with someone at work yesterday and he insisted that the score didn't work as well as it could have since Zimmer didn't use a more leitmotific approach with his theme the way Williams would have. This may be true but I still feel that with this installment, he gives listeners enough action music using non-traditional delivery ("Why So Serious?) balanced by more classical action music that propels the action on screen without screaming "cheezy superhero!!!". If anyone has any doubts about this, just listen to how well he mixes his older Batman theme with his newer material in this track , "A Dog Chasing Cars", (possibly my favorite from the entire album):

Discover The Dark Knight - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack!

He also gives Joker an one-note screech that perfectly captures his mental dementia. Anyway, with the exception of one or two tracks from the original Batman Begins Soundtrack, I was never really drawn to listen to it more than a few times but for some reason, Zimmer's work with Dark Knight has really pulled me in.

Discover The Dark Knight - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack!

Cafe Sketch....@Peet's Coffee in Berkeley Part 2

Here's a few more sketches for you all out there.
Enjoy!

Cafe Sketch....@Peet's Coffee in Berkeley

Another Sunday, another round of sketchbook pages coming at you this week!

Stay tuned later this week for more cafe sketches coming your way!

Poll: Your Most Productive Hours

Hey Bloggers! Well, the results are in for the latest poll and your votes are all counted. Here are your most productive hours:

12am to 4am (13 votes) 34%
8am to 12pm (12 votes) 31%
4pm to 8pm (5 votes) 13%
12pm to 4pm
8pm to 12am (tied 4 votes) 10%
4am to 8 am (0 votes)

Make your votes count and weigh in on the latest Poll!!!

Cafe Sketch...A Lazy Sunday Part 3

And finally, the last part of the "Lazy Sunday Series"!!

Have a wonderful weekend, Everyone!

Cafe Sketch...A Lazy Sunday Part 2

As promised, here's more!

Cafe Sketch...A Lazy Sunday Part 1

Hey Bloggers! Sorry for the lack of drawings lately but things have been quite eventful with my life for the last month. Soon after Wall-e wrapped, my wife and I bought a house in north Berkeley. It needs much love so if I don't post too many drawings in the next month or so, please know that there is a good reason.

I did, however, get a chance to run off to the local cafe this Sunday and did a few pages of drawings.

Stay tuned this week for the rest of the pages! Have a great week everyone!!!

Coming "UP" Next....

Hey Bloggers! If you haven't seen it yet, here's the first teaser to the film I'm currently working on... "Up", directed by Pete Docter. Enjoy

Andrew Stanton on KCRW's The Treatment

Hey Bloggers, came across this interview with Andrew Stanton on KCRW's The Treatment today and thought you may want to check it out. He talks about the making of Wall-e, filmmaking choices and the Pixar culture. Just click on his picture or follow the link below. Happy July 4th!
http://www.kcrw.com/etc/programs/tt/tt080702andrew_stanton

Poll: Your Favorite John Williams Score:

The latest poll has closed and here are the results of your favorite John Willaims Score:

Star Wars (9 votes) 29%
Indiana Jones (6 votes) 19%
Jurassic Park (4 votes) 12%
Jaws and ET (tied 3 votes) 9%
Harry Potter, Superman, Other (Schindlers list, Hook, etc tied 2votes) 6%

Disagree? Have that John Williams score you feel was left out? Please feel free to write in!

Ignatius Reilly!!!!!

Recently, Steven Gettis of Digital Medusa asked me to submit a literary themed drawing. I feel really bad because he's already asked me twice before but i've just been so busy that I haven't had the chance to do a drawing for his site. Well, since I've wrapped on Wall-e and now have plenty of downtime, I decided to go ahead and draw one of my all time favorite literary characters from one of my all time favorite books: Ignatius Reilly from "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole.

The character is a behemoth of a man. He still lives with his mother and constantly writes manifestos about anything and everything on pads of paper in his room. The basic premise might sound lame but I guarantee, its a great read and there are moments in the book where Ignatius interacts with his mother or other characters that are just hilarious.

Toole describes Ignatius in the beginning of the book:
A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles that grew in the ears themselves, stuck out on either side like turn signals indicating two directions at once. Full, pursed lips protruded beneath the bushy black mustache and, at their corners sand into little folds filled with disapproval and potato chip crumbs.

Anyway,I'm a big fan of the site and I encourage everyone out there to check it out.... I'm sure you'll get a kick out of it!!