Character Design 

Today was Character Design. I think it’s going to work out pretty well. The class it self is VERY similar to Fantastic Figure, the main difference is that we’ll be creating model sheets, and Fantastic Figure is more about the finished illustration. 

but day it’s day on of this class and i already pounded through a 50 page sketch book. This makes me happy because this class forces me to draw A LOT, which is something that usually makes me very lazy. 

Below is just a few of the drawings from today. all 1 and 2 minuet sketches. 

Prepare for disaster

School has return after a short two week break between summer and fall sessions.

I’m hoping that this semester will be “portfolio building” one. And as I do every semester (it’s become tradition) I’m going to promise to update my blog more often, and then probably get utterly slammed with homework and work work, and not update it again until possibly a week after fall semester lets out… But a boy can dream.

Today’s class was Drawing the Fantastic Figure. We’re on the Cintiq in that class, and today I realized that I would die a happy man if it were at the hands of a Cintiq. I’ve never used one before but it was surprisingly natural feeling and easy to use. We draw from a live model, and that’s that. Just do work.

Bellow is what I did in class today, just a few 5’s and 10’s. But the homework is to take one of those poses and fantastic-asize it into a mummy. Pretty cool assignment

I also lost a lot of faith in my school lately. It seems like every year the communication between departments and administration gets worse and worse, so the organization of just about everything goes down with it. You would think that with the amount of money that I pay (the government pays) that the school would have their shit together. For example, over the past two weeks I’ve received 3 phone calls, and 4 emails about class schedule changes, I even got a call in the morning about one class changing, then not even 12 hours later I get an email about the same class changing times again…!?!...ALL messages from different people, none of which are the instructor OR my advisor. And today’s class was one big cluster F too. But I’ll quit the ranting for now. Character Design tomorrow… prepare for disaster.  

2010 spring

I find that in the last few hours of any project I work on, all I can think about it is how much I’d like to start over. I try to see this as a positive thing, and a measurement of how much I’ve learned from any given piece. And so, this spring semester, I’ve learned a LOT!

On average, I’m producing about 3 paintings a week. It’s usually two land scapes and one figure (I’m also taking an illustration class right now, but I’ll get to that later). Painting has been treating me pretty well, after the first half of the semester I felt like I finally KNEW how to paint. And seeing wonderful works of art (that have always inspired me to begin with) in person, during the trip me and Sydney took to Spain only inspired me more. I’m excited to continue developing it.

Side note: I sent in an application for this landscape competition in Alameda, and I’ll know if I’m in or not within the next two weeks.

Here’s a few of my most recent paintings…

all the land scapes (mountains oil on panel 12x16, bay bridge oil on panel 10x10, tree on a hill side oil on panel 11x14) i painted in about an hour. the male figure (oil on panel 12x16) was a two week pose. the female figure is week one of a three week pose (oil on canvas 20x24)

Lion Oil

painting continues. and my love grows.

so i have this fantasy that one day i'll be a painter. a professional one. a masterful one. and i'll travel and paint, and i'll just call it life. this is what art does to me, and it's how i know i've chosen the right path. and so that's enough emotion for now.

here's what i've been working on.

paint

this week was glass. i think i pulled it off. there's some things to work out, such as ellipses, and some crisper lines. in time. i tried to stay loose with this one anyway. (no really, it's not an excuse)

and here's the homework that i've been working. we just had to create some kind of interesting still life and work on it for a couple of weeks. it's coming together.

i love progress photos. also. taking photos on my phone helps me check things like balance, value and contrast. which show up very well on a little photo.


and then there's heads and hands class... it's alright.

  not to self: learn how to organize photos on blog...

Oil and Water

so it's week three of school and i already feel like time is running out. There's a lot to be done in a short amount of time. But I'll manage, as i usually seem to do. But even at this point in the semester i feel like I've got a lot to show for, and i always feel good about my self when i can see progress in my work and i really think I've made a big jump this semester. There's plenty of room to grow but I've got a solid start.




and this of course

Untitled from Adam Ceja on Vimeo.

the spacing is a little bit off, but i feel that i achieved the movement i wanted. im going to go back into this and ad a few more in-betweens' and should also help the timing

lion oil

so my oil painting virginity has been lost. and it's been amazing.

i have a still life painting class at the academy, and i've never painted with oils before but i've always wanted to. as much as i love animation and film, i know im a fine artist at heart. and i always love my studio classes.

painting with oils is like no other medium i used before. painting wet on wet defently takes some getting used to. but once you get a basic understanding of how the paint works and how to apply it, the painting pretty much paints it self.

but more painting to come, and other class work! I'll post some videos later today.

another semester

so i officially started school yesterday. it's going to be a very time intensive semester i predict. but i'm ready to do the work and put the time in. here's my very first oil painting, ever... in the history of the world.

not tooooo bad. it's pretty good if you just look at it really quick. and don't pay much attention to the detail.

cool SF graffiti to come.