This is a blog about the art of cartooning and animation. The blog will focus on my love and knowledge of the animation business and it's past. My knowledge consists mostly of the Walt Disney company, as it is the majority of animation's business, but it won't be soley devoted. I have never run a blog before, so you'll have to
bear with me while I get this started. Well, that's not true. You
don't have to. Anyone in the business knows that you only have a mere few
seconds to grab someone's attention before they move their mouse to the back
button. Fortunately for me, I know enough about a few mice that will be
sure to keep you interested enough to visit again. But, a little
about me before we get started...
My
name is Paul. I come from the magical place called Massachusetts. Being
a cartoonist, long before I could form sentences, I was forming cartoon
characters with my Crayolas. Copying from coloring books and Saturday
morning cartoons (back in the day when we had such things), I learned the
basics of cartooning. I learned what I could from school art classes, but
the real teachers came after school. I had some moderate success
designing t-shirts and newspaper advertising, when I could get the gig, but I
always felt my art seemed stiff and lacked life. That brings me to that
day my good friend and neighbor introduced me to a regular customer of his office
supply shop.
A
cartoonist for Warner Bros. that worked freelance, Kirk would come into the
shop to utilize the copy machines and pick up drawing supplies. We met
and he took genuine interest in my goals of being a professional
cartoonist myself. An honest to goodness Warner Bros. artist took an
interest in little ole my talents and me. We met up at his home studio
later that afternoon. I was instructed to bring my sketchbooks and
whatever else showed him where I was in my training. He went through my
work and displayed genuine confidence in my abilities, but saw where I needed
some instruction. I was all too to listen and take whatever constructive
criticism he had for me. I took a drawing of mine and copied it. He
used his sketch to show me where I could go with it, and explained concepts
like I had wished my teachers did long before. He sent me away with
homework assignments that I couldn’t wait to get home to. Within a few short months, my drawings
were looser, and appeared to live on the page. I couldn’t believe the progress I had made in such a short
period of time. T-shirt design
jobs came a little more frequently as did mural requests. The real thrill came about one day,
when he asked me to assist him in an art piece for Warner Bros. He had an assignment for a gallery
piece that involved musical instruments. He had been telling me that the business is all in who
you know, and it was my time to be given a chance to show what I could do. A few months later, he and I flew out
to Burbank for his art signing, my portfolio under my arm, I had been bitten by
the bug.
I’m
in California now. Working
professionally in the art world. I
have done work for small business offices and restaurants, small organizations
as well as Warner Bros. and Disney.
I
have big plans for this blog. Discussing
art is primary one, but I fully expect my love and passion for Disney and it’s
history to invade more often than not.
I hope you find this blog entertaining as well as educational. I promise to keep it interesting. Certainly more interesting than this
into post. If you are still
reading this, I thank you for putting up with me, and look forward seeing you
in my next post!
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