The Lovers, The Dreamers, & Me

I'm happy to say I'm participating in Gallery Nucleus' "The Lovers, The Dreamers, & Me" tribute show to Jim Henson.

For this show, I decided not to do a pop-up. When I thought about Jim Henson, the song, "Rainbow Connection" came up and that's what inspired this quill. I just couldn't get the idea of curled paper connecting the characters out of my head. So this is what came out.

The show is opening this Saturday night, so if you're free, stop by and say hi!

Hyundai Pop-Up

It's been a while since I posted any pop-up stuff because I've been rather busy doing other paper art for clients. Well this is one I made a while back for BRC Imaginations. They asked me to do a pop-up as part of their pitch to Hyundai for a project. I based my design based off their 'geometric cloud' concept. So the pop-up was specifically customized to match their pitch book.

Overall, it was a really fun project to work one and they challenged me to make the biggest pop-up I ever have - 12.5" x 35" when opened. The funny thing is, the most challenging part is just finding the backing paper to be that big! Luckily it all worked out. And a big thanks to Willy Lew - the awesome photographer that took photos of this piece. Enjoy!

Motivarti Mentorship Program Launches Today

I was so excited about this last night I couldn't sleep! Some of you may know that I founded an organization at the beginning of the year called, Motivarti. It's a resource for artists aspiring to get into the entertainment industry (animation, video games, children's book illustration, toy design, consumer products, etc).


The Motivarti Mentorship Program was designed to connect industry professionals with aspiring artists. The mentorship program is a unique and very selective program where the mentors hand-pick their mentees from a group of finalists based on an application consisting of a short Q&A, a portfolio, and resume. This ensures that the mentors will be working with someone in whom they’ve recognized key characteristics and potential, as well as a way that their professional knowledge can help you reach the next level.

We’re also pleased to be making the mentorship program available to students outside the Los Angeles area. Thanks to technology like Skype and iChat, students who would not otherwise have access to entertainment professionals can now have an opportunity to get one-on-one guidance.

Whether you’re hoping to get into visual development, concept design, storyboarding, animation, character design, or even children’s book illustration or theme park design we’ve striven to gather a variety of mentors just for you. (This list is updated often, so please check back or follow on Facebook to be notified of our most recent recruits.)

Details about the mentorship can be found on our website at http://motivarti.org/mentorship-program/

I hope you'll consider applying. Applications are being accepted from November 7th, 2011 – December 18th, 2011

Features

I just got an email from Craft Fox saying they featured my It's a Small World pop-up under their Mary Blair tribute post! So I just wanted to share with you guys.




That then reminded me that I totally forgot to blog about this other post by All Things Paper by Ann Martin way back in the day. Check that out too!


I'll be better about posting articles or blogs that talk about my work. If you do a feature or something on me, feel free to shoot me an email and let me know so I can point more people your way too!

Getting into Galleries

Recently, I've been asked by some people how I've been getting my work into galleries. Well, to be honest, I've just been kinda of lucky. Mainly, people have seen my work somewhere and emailed me about being in a show.

However, after meeting with these gallery owners, I asked them what they recommend to new artists hoping to branch into the gallery world. Most of them have said they are open for artists to submit their work for consideration through their websites. So look closely for something that encourages you to submit your work and then follow the directions.

One of the most popular galleries in Los Angeles is Gallery Nucleus. I have a ton of friends dying to get into this gallery and am friend with the owner so have chatted with him a bit about it. He says that popular galleries often have so many submissions they won't be able to get back to you with a yes or a no. Rarely do they do open calls, but when they do, make sure to take advantage. For instance, Gallery Nucleus had an open call for their Harry Potter show for over a year and actually didn't get that many entries.

A few opportunities now:

1. For anyone still looking to get into Gallery Nucleus, please consider making work for their Powers in Numbers gallery. Moderated by Nucleus, this online gallery showcases quality original artwork at affordable prices. All work measures 5"x7" and is priced at $50 or $100. Artists are welcome to submit for possible inclusion in this project. Proceeds from each sale benefits the artist's chosen charity.

1. Modest Fly Art Gallery is having an End of the Year “What is Modest to You” Small Works Juried Art Competition. To enter the competition, send examples of your work, a maximum of 5 pieces, with a $25 check to Modest Fly Art Gallery. If your work is not accepted into the show, your check will be returned to you. Entered works must be a maximum size of 12“ x 12” framed. If you would like to enter your work via email, please send small jpegs of your work to eerren@modestflyartgallery.com and mail your check to the gallery. The deadline to enter the show is November 12th, 2011.

Good luck to those that apply!

"A Little Big of Everything" Show

I'm very excited to announce I'm going to be featured in "A Little Bit of Everything" hosted by Modest Fly Art Studio Gallery. I'll be showing there along with some very talented artists:

• Jim Mullen
• Eunice San Miguel
• Daniaelle Simonsen
• Ione Citrin
• Joan Banks
• Marcy Eiben
• Roopa Dudley

You'll be able to catch a glimpse at all the other kinds of paper art I do besides pop-ups. So if you're in the area, "A Little Bit of Everything" group show will be having it's opening on October 14th, 2011 from 7-10pm. The show will be up until November 12th, 2011.

Hope to see you there!

Modest Fly Art Studio Gallery
7578 Foothill Blvd.
Tujunga, CA 91042

Paper Collage Artist - Nate Wragg

If you're into the paper cutting stuff you should check out the amazing paper collage work of Nate Wragg. He's got a great style and I heard he even makes some of his own paper to use.

And if you're in the LA area, you should check out this amazing event I'm putting on with him in October.

It's A Small World Pop-Up

I'm happy to say I'll be participating in another Gallery Nucleus show! This time it's the 'It's a Small World Exhibit'. There will be an opening this Saturday, September 17th from 7p-10p.

I've always been a huge Disney fan and love Mary Blair, so working on this pop-up was so much fun. For me, creating a pop-up is a different challenged than just doing illustration. You have to find a balance between the engineering and the art - one always leads the other. On this pop-up, I knew I wanted to incorporate the ride's theme song, so both the engineering and illustration needed to follow that concept. Originally I had planned to just pop-up the ride's architecture, but felt it was too empty, so I wound up putting in a bunch of singing kids. I think it added a lot of color and unity to the piece since it now feels like the kids are singing! I'm really happy with the way this pop-up came out (especially since it's only my 2nd pop-up with music!).

There will be 10 copies of this pop-up for sale (it's a limited edition and each one is signed/numbered by me). Every pop-up is completely hand cut and assembled by me. Then hand-bound with white linen book cloth that has the clock face printed on top. It even plays the first 20 seconds of the It's a Small World theme song automatically when you open it! I took a video of it below.

If you're interested in purchasing a copy, please see here. (They also have 2 copies of my Hogwarts pop-up available too.)

full view from top view

full view from a lower angle

the front of the small world building ride

kids on the right side

kids on the left side

the outside cover has the clock face

Fall Classes Open for Enrollment

If anyone out there is in the LA area and looking to subliment their art education, check out these classes and workshops I've put together through Motivarti.

The first class we are offering is Landscape Painting with Kathy Altieri. Kathy’s a production designer and art director at DreamWorks Animation. She’s also probably known as one of the best colorists in the animation industry. Kathy taught this class a few semesters ago at Art Center and I can personally vouch in saying it has been the best landscape painting class I have ever taken. (And I took 3 landscape painting classes while at Art Center). Kathy’s a very patient and encouraging teacher who can help anyone get to the next level. Check it out here.

The second class we’re offering is Themed Environment Design with Chris Runco. You’re not going to find anyone more experienced that Chris Runco, a 35 year veteran of theme park design. Chris is currently a senior concept designer at Walt Disney Imagineering and has been there since the 1970′s. He’s designed everything that goes into a theme park from major attractions to penny-press machines. Chris is a very busy professional and we’re very lucky to have time teaching this class with us next semester. Don’t miss this opportunity! More info here.

Lastly, we’ll be offering 2 legal workshops with the infamous, Michelle Katz. Michelle has been a lawyer for over 26 years with various companies including the Writers Guild, Universal Studios Consumer Products, Paramount Pictures, and several others. Trust me when I say, Michelle knows her stuff. Not only is she super knowledgeable, but very enthusiastic about sharing what she knows with her students. Michelle will be teaching two 1-day workshops this fall.

The first, How to Protect Your Work and Not Get Sued, is all about copyrights. Michelle will cover the basics of copyrights as well as dispel the myths of copyrights. (If you take a photo off the internet and change it 10%, you can call it an original right? If you don’t know, Michelle can tell you!) In addition, she’s going to walk you through how to file a copyright with the US government. That way, if someone ever steals your work you’ll have legal ground to actually stand on.

The second workshop, Starting Your Freelance Business the Right Way, is going to cover all the things you need to know about beginning your freelance business. This is essential for anyone who is freelances, even if it’s just part-time on the weekends or after work hours. Nobody wants the government coming after them for not filing the right paper work, so let Michelle help you get your ducks in line. During this workshop, Michelle will also cover contracts – what defines a contract, how read a contract, what to do if someone breaks a contract, and how to write a contract. If you’re just starting out as an entrepreneur, please don’t miss this workshop and learn it the hard way.

For more information about any of our workshops or classes, you can read about them here and for information about registration and our policies, check them out here. Registration will end in about 3 weeks. As always, if you have any questions feel free to contact us!

An Afternoon with David Colman

The second lecture in our "An Afternoon with..." series!

Sunday, August 7th, 2011
1:00 – 4:30 pm
at Gallery Nucleus (210 East Main St. Alhambra, CA 91801)

Join Motivarti and Gallery Nucleus for a special event featuring character designer and story artist David Colman.

David will discuss his extensive experience in the entertainment industry, give a demo of his character design process, and introduce and sign his new book, Animal Character Design: Grizzly Bears.

The afternoon includes:

- a one-hour lecture with Q&A, with topics including David’s approach to storytelling and character design, as well as how he crafted a wide-ranging career for himself in the animation industry

- a two-hour character design demo, in which David will explain his approach and techniques for creating engaging characters

- an artist meet-and-greet, with print and book signing following the character design demo

-an opportunity to purchase a limited-edition, numbered and signed print, which David has created exclusively for Motivarti for this event

- a raffle of the original artwork created during David’s demo; you’ll receive 3 free raffle tickets for attending, with more tickets available for purchase at the event

-a free t-shirt with the purchase of Animal Character Design: Grizzly Bears (while supplies last; offer valid only at Gallery Nucleus during the event)

Tickets (click here to purchase)
Pre-purchase before 7/31: $20
Pre-purchase from 7/31 to 8/6: $24
At the door: $28

Please note, seating is limited.

Get three free raffle tickets when you purchase an event ticket. Plus, college students show their I.D. at the door for an additional five free raffle tickets!

About David Colman
David Colman is an intensely motivated, self-taught artist with a passion for his craft. His career in the entertainment industry spans many years, and includes clients such as Sony Animation (feature and TV), Cartoon Network, Disney Animation (feature and TV), Blue Sky Studios, Nickelodeon Consumer Products, and EA Games. David currently works as a storyboard artist with ImageMovers Digital. Animal Character Design: Grizzly Bears is his third book.

About Motivarti
At Motivarti, we believe that luck happens when opportunity meets preparation. Whether you’re a working professional, recent graduate, or current student, you’ll find that our lectures, classes, workshops, and events will broaden your creative horizons, and help you make your own luck. For more information, visit Motivarti.org.

Harry Potter Pop-Ups

So this weekend is the opening of Gallery Nucleus' Harry Potter Tribute Show! I managed to create two pop-up pieces for the show.

The first piece I made was a re-creation of Hogwarts. The drawing is etched into watercolor paper. There will only be four available. There are still some available here.



The other pop-up I created was the scene where Harry and Ron meet Aragog and he sends his children after them. I wanted to create this scene because it was allowed me to really play with layering for the pop-up. On top of the intricate web I cut, I included lights and a sound chip that plays the Harry Potter theme. You can see it in action in the vimeo video below (sorry about the hand held quality).

Leather cover with hand painted "HP" for Harry Potter.

Full view of interior when it's opened.

Close up of the interior when some of the lights are on.

Ron scared and Harry ready to depend them from the spiders.

Harry Potter Aragog Pop-Up from Jackie Huang on Vimeo.

Lastly, I know some people are wondering how I go about creating my pop-ups. So here's a few photos to help explain my process.

I start out by cutting and taping together scraps of paper to create a rough white mock-up. At this point, all I'm concerned about is making sure the pop-up moves like I want it to and closes flat.

I forgot to take a photo of the pop-up before I tore it apart, but after the white mock, I draw on top of it to start refining the shapes. Then I take it apart and scan each individual piece.

Here's an example of a scanned piece of what I call, "the puzzle".

From there, I create vector lines in Illustrator. Print, cut, and assemble. You can see some blue lines, and that's me refining the shapes some more. I also mark any places that need mechanical changes and then tear apart and re-scan. Print, cut and assemble again. I repeat this process over and over until everything works. Sometimes it takes 2 tries, other times, it's taken up to 8.

Before I start illustrating the pop-up, I do a super rough color comp. This just allows me to get a sense of the color palette and value structure I'm going to strive to create.

After that, I move to illustrating each individual piece. I leave a little bleed on each image and you can see here some cut and fold lines I'll use to guide myself later.

After all of that, I move to cut and assemble the final piece. Total time to create this Aragog pop was around 25 hours?

Sneak Peak

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been super busy since graduating school which is a great thing! Unfortunately, I'm not able to show most of the work I've done since it's all hush, hush and won't be released on the market until later this year or next year.

However, I have managed to squeeze in a new pop-up piece I'm making for Gallery Nucleus' Harry Potter Tribute show. Here's a sneak peak at one of the two pieces I'll be creating. Check back in a few weeks for the finished piece. I'm also going to try and post some process stuff if I can.

ImagiNations 2011

Last semester, another project I filled my 'spare time' with was a project for Walt Disney Imagineering's ImagiNations Design Competition.

We received notice today that our team made it to the semi-finalist round and in fact the the 10 top teams, but they only picked 6 to move to the finalists. I have to say I didn't create much art for this project and took more of a leadership role in order to make sure the project seemed cohesive, got done on time, and fit into 8 slides. So basically all the drawings and paintings done for this project were by my very VERY talented team mates: Paul Cohen, Jocelyn Liang, and Laura West.

In this immersive ride concept, guests can step into the world of Up and take part in an “unplanned” adventure to Paradise Falls with Russell, Dug, and friends. From start to finish, the entire ride experience is divided into three parts: The Line, The Ride, and The Shop. In “The Line,” guests will wait in a queue that winds through the Wilderness Explorer clubhouse, immersing them in that world, while also getting them up to speed on what happened to Carl and Russell after Up ended. The second stage—“The Ride”—is a 4D, seated show that takes guests back to Paradise Falls thanks to an accidental take-off. The closing to the ride is the guests’ exit through “The Spirit of Adventure” dirigible, which doubles as the gift shop.

From start to finish, this ride concept allows guests to connect with their favorite Up characters, feel the excitement of soaring over Paradise Falls, and experience the stylized realism of the movie in a tactile world. As a film, Up is about opening your heart and taking chances. With our ride concept, we hope to inspire our guests to feel the same soaring wonder and excitement of exploration.

- The project was conceived by Art Center College of Design Team and created for the 2011 Walt Disney Imagineering’s ImagiNations Design Competition.
- This project is the sole property of Walt Disney Imagineering and all rights to use these ideas are property of Walt Disney Imagineering.
- The competition is a way for students to showcase their talents and for Disney to identify new talent.

Josh's Thank You Card

My friend Josh made me this thank you card for graduation.

I laughed really hard when I opened it. Thanks, Josh. =)