The Great History Detective

         I have become slightly obsessed with the research phase of my character development. I'm not sure whether this is good or bad in the context of progress, but it has proven to be good in the "holy crap!" and "WHOA!" and "COooool!!" kind of way.
My grandfather always told stories about growing up in Napa in the 30s & 40s, about all of the characters that existed in he and his brothers' world. Built by my grandpa's words, the Napa in my mind existed outside of the town 100 miles away...it was a glorious, mythical combination of place and time in my imagination.
         It never really occurred to me to find actual photographs of my grandpa's Napa. Why mess with the Napa in my head? But as I began to sketch out how the Napa of my grandpa's childhood felt - the stories and the characters - I wanted for more reference. Obviously to get a feel for the aesthetic and for accuracy....I certainly can't draw a 1939 Oldsmobile from my head!
What began as a Google Image search has turned into full on dork-out historical detective work. I'm talking genealogical dives...into the great depths of time. I've been fitting pieces together here and there and today I found one of those odd shaped little jigsaw pieces that you really need in order to connect the two parts you've been building separately - yeah, that piece! I found that!
         After following random trails like a Basset Hound, I came across a Google street view image of the section of Main Street where my grandpa lived. On it was an abandoned furniture store. Wait..a...minute...the faded paint and shape of the building...yep. It's in the background of a photo of my grandpa and his brothers. The photo must have been taken some time around 1940 and the three boys, dressed as makeshift caballeros, are standing in front of the furniture store, with vibrant paint and clean striped awning. It was ALIVE! Do you know what this proves?!  All my detective work, piecing history together to prove that....indeed. There was a furniture store in Napa. AH HA!
         Well, at the very least, I can happily report that the Napa of my imagination and the Napa that exists in old photographs I've found online are actually quite similar. All of the photos are in black and white, though. Luckily, the Napa in my head is in full Technicolor (with an Instagram vintage filter, of course). And everything I come across is informed by the feeling of my grandfather's stories - adding life to every static image of history I find. So that's lovely.
         While it won't be winning any awards for architectural 10-minute sketch of the year...here is a little feeling sketch of the boys walking home in the golden afternoon of late summer after playing some back alley baseball. Sigh.

And a teeny tonal sketch of the Napa Grocery in my imagination Napa. My grandpa & his brothers used to don homemade capes and masks and marauder along the rooftops of the buildings on their streets.

Backyard Doodling...

Boats, as it turns out, are incredibly interesting things to sketch. And a boat harbor, as it turns out, is a lovely place to sit and sketch (typically boats). Lucky me, there is a boat harbor just down the street...

In Defense of Daydreaming...

          I am fully aware of my daydreaming "problem". I have very early memories of being beckoned back to earth..."Anika...ANIKA! Did you hear what I said?!" and if the disruption was brought by a family member, it was often followed by "you are JUST like your grandfather!"
          First of all, I'll take that as a compliment. And just like my grandfather, I've spent my life defending my wanderings, battling judgement, and - for what it's worth - frustrating the hell out of myself. In one of several columns my grandpa wrote on the subject, he laments:
         "Teachers never gave up, though. They all seemed to regard daydreaming as an affliction just short of Parkinson's Disease or opium addiction, and they would devote almost every counseling session to a long, involved explanation of how daydreaming was delaying the cultivation of the firm mental discipline I would need in order to succeed in the world. They had the same success rate as my mother."
          So, naturally I share a kindred delight in finding a kind word regarding daydreaming!

          "The last time I can remember reading a kind word about daydreaming was two years ago, when somebody wrote: 'Daydreaming is the Walden Pond of the mind - a quiet retreat where old ideas and images can be comfortably perused an new ones created.' I even remember who wrote that. Me."

          Boy, do I wish my grandfather were around so I could share with him the extraordinary revelations of one Jonah Lehrer who, in his somewhat recent book Imagine: How Creativity Works and in several interviews and articles, not only defends daydreamers, he uses scientific proof to make us look like geniuses! In fact, after listening to one of his lectures, for the first time in my life I felt downright proud to be so distractible!
Here's a picture of my neighbor's kitty in my yard:

          Did you know that people who tend to be more distractible (who are known as having low laden inhibitions - in fancy science jargon) who also have moderately high IQ scores are SEVEN TIMES more likely to be Eminent Creative Achievers. I have NO idea what that is, but it sounds really great and I'm that. Also, people who daydream score significantly higher in tests of creativity - which is saying alot considering that apparently most people lose a great deal of creative sensibility somewhere between 3rd and 5th grade. Apparently, this is the age when kids start comparing their own creativity to the creativity of others, thus developing creative self-consciousness, thereby inhibiting creative thinking as a defense mechanism. I was always too busy daydreaming to notice how Richie and Leslie were drawing their houses....thank goodness.

          Anywho, this leads me to my point. Another topic of emphasis in Lehrer's reporting is the mental and creative requirement for "breaks". In an article for the New Yorker, he writes:
          "If you're trying to solve a complex problem, then you need to give yourself a real break, to let the mind incubate the problem all by itself. We shouldn't be so afraid to actually take some time off."
          The past couple of weeks I had been so intently focused on how to build the story, the world, the characters, that I practically came to a grinding halt. I was also intently focused on getting into the Advanced Character Design Class at the Animation Collaborative - getting the right stuff up on the blog and my site for the portfolio review, then wondering what would happen while I worked my tail off to earn the money to pay for the damn thing - exhausting!
           So, last Monday morning, I woke up and thought to myself  "today should be a day of inspiration". Instantly I began to talk myself out of it....no, I must focus. I must draw. I must focus and draw and focus. Then, the wonderful words of Mr. Lehrer came to mind and I realized that a day of inspiration was just the focus I needed!
            So I brushed my teeth and headed on up to San Francisco in the hopes of somehow, someway imbibing a whiff of genius from the extraordinary Tyrus Wong, whose work is currently on display at the Walt Disney Family Museum (my go-to inspiration headquarters anyway - bonus!). I won't give you a play-by-play (although a late lunch DID consist of cold oysters on the half shell and duck liver), but let's just say the whole day was a VERY good idea. I'm still happy I thought of it...with a little help.
Here are a few photos and sketches from my Day of Inspiration:

 

It's not every day you get to sit on
Walt's favorite bench & sketch...

I miss living in the Presidio - I love the houses. These
sketches were done super duper quick to avoid imposing
my voyeuristic creepiness on the homes' inhabitants...

Of all the hundreds of photos I took of Wong's work...this
little guy is the only one that turned out without my
squinty-eyed, gapey-mouthed reflection in it.

Mary Blair, how I love thee...


Go get ya some inspiration!!

The Great Time Swindle

 I'm catching up after my short vacation today with a two-fer!

         One common thread of advice I've received from a number of respected illustrators, story artists, and mentors is "Authenticity". I know, that's a noun. But when giving advice, it really can be a direction! As in:
"Go forth, young man, and rock!" Seeee?!
The emphasis on authenticity has been offered in numerous ways. Do what you know really well. Be truthful, it's more interesting and endearing. Be authentic, it speaks to the audience and offers sincerity. Audiences love sincerity, it's the believable vehicle for the story. Do what you know. Do what you know. Do what you know.
I am always letting my mind wander to places I don't know. And then I wonder why I emerge from my studio, hair mussed with pencil smudges on my arms and face, perplexed as to why I "just can't get it".
Doing what you know, as I've come to realize, doesn't mean only sticking to the characters or worlds you actually already know. When I was little, my mom used to perform "ice skaters" on my back until I fell asleep at night; choreographed back-tickling to her rendition of a variety of show tunes including "Getting to Know You" from The King and I. This is the tune that inevitably pops into my head when I'm faced with a character I do not know. Getting to know a character and their story is just plain fun.
But I will say, the MOST fun is doing what I actually know.
The story has essentially been written - and lived. The world and its characters are alive in columns written and stories told by my grandfather, Ray Orrock. But their visual representation is currently in the beginning stages of development - and I am beside myself I'm having so much fun.
We begin with "The Great Time Swindle". I'll post this gem of a column soon, either here or with the other columns on my grandfather's site. Meanwhile, here is a little inspirational sketch...

And some beginning character shapes/sketches...

Don't underestimate the Nana...

Nana is as sweet as a tiny old lady can be. She shuffles around with a smile and can often be found dozing in her rocker. But don't be fooled...How did that enormous chest of drawers get over there?! Who fixed the timing belt on the Olds?!

Inspired by Addie, a sweet elderly woman I cared for for nearly a year, I wanted to add a surprise element to Nana. Unfortunately Addie suffered from Alzheimer's and, even though she couldn't remember my name or why I was living in what used to be her late husband's office, she was sweet as pie, always overwhelmingly gracious, and called me "nice lady". But she had the brute strength of at least 3 men. On a number of occasions, I came home to rearranged furniture that could only be moved back with the help of friends or a few construction guys from the remodel across the street. I even came home to find my insanely heavy beach cruiser bicycle hung at the frame from a cut branch on the tree out front - at least 5 feet from the ground - with a "Free" sign attached. She found it in the garage and didn't know it was mine. I suppose Alzheimer's made her forget she was a tiny old woman.

 Ok, so I swear I actually have been drawing every day...even on vacation at the lake! The stillness of the lazy lake life really lends itself to sketching. Even the dogs stay still long enough...

And here is Sophie. Sophie lives in a story which is currently somewhat on the back burner, but just to reassure her I didn't forget about her, I made her do stuff...

Okay...Here we GOooooooo!!!

                  Back in about 1989, I made a career decision that would ultimately influence and inform everything else in my life. At nine years old, I decided I wanted to be an animator for Disney. It only made sense. I loved animated films and I LOVED to draw. I spent nearly every day after school at The Cartoon Factory, an animation art gallery in town, moving a directors’ chair around and drawing from the cels and backgrounds. The owner, Dave, was kind enough to let me do this all day - even providing Oreos. Somewhere along the line, when computers began to dominate the animation process, I sort of gave up and somehow thought my dream had turned into day-long computer marathons in a cubicle…which is so LAME! But I’ve always loved to draw. I’ve always loved stories and visual storytelling, so I went the logical route and earned a degree in Graphic Design - HA! Take THAT computer lifestyle!! Hmph…

Interestingly, in an elective Illustration course toward the end of my college experience, I found my people. My tribe. Oh, the agony of hindsight! But rather than reroute and head for my dream destination, I took the closest exit. Ah, well. Design, I have learned, is an incredibly valuable tool and informs art in every way. So I won’t be paying off my school loans for all time and eternity for NOTHING!

Speeding up the story, after months of banging my head against the wall trying to figure out how to utilize my skills without further draining of my creative soul, an epiphany struck. Time. Time is going to move forward regardless of what I’m doing. If I keep saying “Oh, I’m not a good enough artist to do that" or “I don’t know enough about that" or “I’m too old to start that", I’ll still be here! RIGHT here. Ugh. I don’t want to look back at ANY point in my life and think about the things I always wanted to do that I never did. SO, badabing-badaboom…within months, I found myself fortunate enough to serendipitously be invited to Pixar for tea. The generosity and advice provided me gave me just the motivational boost I needed to tighten my laces, loosen my shoulders, sigh a little, and say…whew. Ok. Let’s do this!

Oh, they also told me a sketch blog is a really good idea…to which my first thought was “oh, man. That’s alot of work! If I’m supposed to be getting back in drawing shape, HOW will I have time to blog it all?!" - But then I remembered that I am really good at playing with my dog and going for long runs and making another cup of coffee and putting in a load of laundry and watching Newsroom and…forgetting to draw. Perfecto. Posting might be a different story, but this is officially my promise to myself that I WILL DRAW EVERY DAY! This is the beginning (well, it’s really more the middle…but it’s the revitalized beginning!) of my quest! I shall be a part of great stories! I shall do what I love to do and someone shall pay me for it and provide me with insurance and all-you-can-drink quality coffee! And it will require discipline….it will require me to remember (say it with me, class) All Good Girls Draw Every Day…

Aaaand GO!

Warm ups!! Attempting the Nate Wragg method of pushing shape in character sketching by scribbling all over the page and letting the shapes speak to me. A really fun way to warm up without pressure and a great way to see personality and shape I particularly might not otherwise see…I’m so bad at focusing on cleanliness and anatomical accuracy, or how something is SUPPOSED to look. A good way to “let go" - here with baseball players. Also playing with my favorite bull, Ferdinand :