Sketches

Last night I was winding down before I turned in, and picked up a sketchpad and a ball point pen.I didn't have anything in mind, just started seeing where my mind would go.

I started with some people I had seen recently. Body shapes tend to stick with me.
I'm not sure why, but often I tend to draw at a 45 degree angle.

Anyway, as I got to the fellow on the far right, I started with his left hand in his pocket, but it was awkward looking. So I extended it... and to make it logical, I gave him something to do, like tossing a coin in an anonymous cup.

I was at the edge of the paper, so I couldn't see the person holding the cup. That part felt significant. The people we fail to see.
So I turned the page and started drawing more.

I've seen this guy before. Maybe it was in Atlanta, or Toronto. Maybe in D.C. or here in Nashville. I don't remember.

I forget. I often do.

Sometimes when I see him, I give him a buck. But mostly I don't.

I wish it didn't get easier to avoid eye contact.

Restaurant Drawing

Tonight I took my family to Macaroni Grill. You gotta love Macaroni Grill. That paper they use for tablecloths has a great drawing surface. Plus, they give you Crayola Crayons. For my money there is no better crayon. I do not frequent eateries that carry any other brand.

Right when we sat down, I traced a small plate to create a circle in front of me. Then the waiter (Ivan) came and filled the plate with oil & cracked pepper, while I began to draw.

I had my cell phone with me, so I snapped this photo before I spilled any olive oil or balsamic vinaigrette on it. Actually, that might have been an interesting effect.

Usually we play a game while waiting on our food. We'll take turns drawing a random scribble with our eyes closed, then the person next to you turns the scribble into a drawing. Kind of a Rorschach test with no diagnosis afterward, but just as therapeutic.

Simpsons vs Ratatouille

Over at Jim Hill Media, ol' Jim is pontificating the reactions of the Disney/Pixar Execs to the data that "The SImpson's Movie" is quite solidly kicking "Ratatouille's" hiney.

Naturally, most of Jim's readers are accusing him of Pixar-bashing yet again. I don't think he is. I just think he has very high expectations for the house of Toy Story, and calls them on it when they fail to deliver. And the fact is the last two Pixar films have not pulled in the bucks like their predecessors.

Now I would love to make a film that made the type of cash that "Ratatouille" is making. But the trouble is profit margin. If a film makes $200mil, but cost $150mil, that's not good business. (I am making those numbers up - I have no idea what "Rat" cost or has made so far.)

Here's what I posted over at Jim Hill (misspellings and grammar corrected):


Bald Melon Tim said:

Why is "Simpsons" doing better than "Ratatouille"?

1 Eighteen years of marketing.

2 Consistently funny characters that a huge audience knows & loves.

3 Great word of mouth.

4 A title that everyone can pronounce without a phonetic guide.

5 Formula plot (SPOILER! SKIP THIS NEXT SENTENCE IF YOU HAVEN"T SEEN SIMPSON'S): Man loses family. Fights to get them back. Big action finish. Sounds like "The Incrdibles", eh?

Don't misunderstand me. I loved "Rataouille", every frame of it, I drooled over. But I have to concede that if a studio is going to produce a film for that kind of cash, there needs to be a little more "lowest common denominator" factor ...if they expect it to be a blockbuster.

"Ratatouille" spoilers ahead:

"Rat" doesn't fit into a mold. It's kind of a buddy movie, but not really. Remy doesn't have a clear "want" early in the film. he just spends a long time not fitting in, then he stumbles into his calling. The villain (the chef, not the food critic) struggles more against Linguini than Remy, so his goals are split. And the climax is a man eating vegetable stew.

Again... I loved every minute of it! It was fresh storytelling and great characters with depth. Plus... there hasn't been a drunk character in a Disney film since, what... Sir Hiss in "Robin Hood"?

As an audience, we all have a tendency to pigeon hole our plots. Good Hollywood execs know this. Blockbusters need to be a little simpler. "This is the good guy, this is the bad guy, Now they are going to fight." or "Boy meets girl. They are separated by: a) feuding families, b) he's trying to put her bookstore out of business, c) he thinks she's falling in love with his pirate friend." Etc. etc... They can be complex stories, no doubt, but not complicated.

The trouble is, as I stated before, budget to return ratio. Rat's BO is very respectful... if the budget was under 30-40 million. But it looked like Pixar spent four times what Fox did (and that's a very conservative guess).

I have two teen-age kids (boy and a girl) that were raised on Pixar films. Yet, during the weeks leading up to "Ratatouille", they were both a little blasé about seeing it. (When they did see it, they liked it). But they were both waiting with heightened anticipation for the release of "Simpsons".


Lesson here? If you want to tell a fresh, original story that doesn't fit into a mold, don't spend more than it will make back.

The Henchman

"I'm sorry, sir, I don't have your money." Bix stammered, fidgeting with his tail, "It's been a dry summer, you know?"
Boss Tubb puffed on his Cuban. "In more ways than one."
"All I ask is another week. Two at the most, and..."
"And what? Money is gonna fall out of the sky?" He scooted forward, almost out of the shade of the cattails. The frog continued, "Look, Bix, I want to give you more time, I really do..."
"Oh thank you, sir!"
Tubb's green eyes went dark. "But that's not the business I'm in."
Then came the summons that Bix feared more than cat, hawk or owl...
"DOMINIC!!!"
The reeds didn't even rustle when he appeared.

This is a contribution to Greg Hardin's www.drawergeeks.com. For those of you unaware, Drawergeeks is a club founded by Greg. Every two weeks, Greg hands out a theme to this group of artists. And everybody who wants to does a drawing.

Themes are often superhero related, but not always. It might be "Cinderella", or "Pirates", or "The Hulk". Or something as wide open as "Titans". It's fun to do when I have the time.

How do you get in the club? Invitation only. By Greg.

It's pretty small group on account that Greg has to keep it manageable. He doesn't want it to eat up too much of his time.

Anyway, this week's theme is "Henchmen". Log onto drawergeeks.com tomorrow sometime after noon and you can see every one's submissions. It's quite a diverse group.

I was pretty happy with how this one turned out. It reminds me of some of the book illustrations I saw as a kid. Simple pen & ink with charcoal. I did this with a fine point marker and Prismacolor pencils. I'm really enjoying the toned paper sketch pad.

One day, I will really take my time with a drawing and do a real background.

I wonder how much money that mouse owes the frog.

©2007 Tim Hodge

Man in Black

Here is the drawing I plan to send to Eric, the winner of my "Locate Where This Photo Was Taken" contest.
I drew it tonight while watching M*A*S*H re-runs. Found a photo of Johnny in a magazine and started drawing. Took me a couple of tries.
I used a Faber-Castell PITT brush pen, a gray Prismacolor marker and a white Prismacolor pencil. (Oh, and I roughed it out with an Ebony pencil. I love those things!)
Hope you like it, Eric.