Category: Caricature

…From the Flat File: 1999 – Disney’s Southside

Back in 1999, I was working for Disney Feature Animation. Tarzan had recently come out to great success, and the studio was busy with more films such as Home on the Range, Atlantis, The Emperor’s New Groove, Fantasia 2000, Dinosaur, and the ultimately unproduced Wild Life. So much was going on, and it was a swell place to be employed.

In my early days as an illustrator, I did a few “Where’s Waldo” style books about the Bible. I thought, “wouldn’t it be neat to do a ‘Where’s Waldo’-type painting of the main Feature Animation building?” I just wanted to capture a snapshot of the whole place – kind of a day-in-the-life sort of thing. So, I set out to work on this self-induced project, little knowing that it would take up four solid months of nights and weekends to pull off.

The completed Disney Feature Animation Southside "Where's Waldo" style print featuring over 800 employees and characters.
The completed Disney Feature Animation Southside “Where’s Waldo” style print featuring over 800 employees and characters.

To start with, I was able to acquire maps of each floor of the Disney Animation Southside building (the “hat” building) in Burbank, CA. (We had another 4-story building over by the Burbank airport called “Northside” where Fantasia 2000, Dinosaur, and visual effects for live-action movies were being done.) These floor maps were great because they outlined every cubical and office with the names of each employee who worked in that space.

Secondly, I needed to know what everyone looked like. Sure, I worked with these folks, but I don’t have a photographic memory. They had an online database used internally called TIMMY where you could type in any animation employee’s name, and their photo and a short profile would pop up. I printed out many such profiles for reference.

A detail of the top right corner. Originally I had "Disney" above that title, but that was the one thing the Disney lawyers would not allow for the print since it wasn't published by the company.
A detail of the top right corner. Originally I had “Disney” above that title, but that was the one thing the Disney lawyers would not allow for the print since it wasn’t published by the company.

To illustrate four floors, and the 800+ people who worked in the building, the original art had to be large. I worked on a 30″ x 40″ piece of illustration board, painstakingly pencilling the entire piece, then inking it all with Rapidograph pens and waterproof ink, then painting in every little detail. It was so large that I often laid it on the floor and worked on it there. And it took so long that I even shipped it to myself on vacation so I could work on it then, too. Why? Because I had a deadline.

The studio would allow employees to sign up for personal art shows. The waiting list was two years, but I knew mine was coming up. I wanted to do this for the show knowing it would be well-received by my colleagues. It got finished in time, and was displayed with four 11″ x 17″ charts of each face with the employee’s name next to it so they could see what they looked like, then go find themselves in the painting. It went over so well that many asked for copies.

Details like Marc & Alice Davis giving a talk in the theater, Mickey Mouse entering with his security team, and even Eartha Kitt signing in at the receptionist's desk.
Details like Marc & Alice Davis giving a talk in the theater, Mickey Mouse entering with his security team, and even Eartha Kitt signing in at the receptionist’s desk.
Roy Disney standing in his "show office" in the Hat, and the area where many of the supervising animators worked.
Roy Disney standing in his “show office” in the Hat, and the area where many of the supervising animators worked.
The piano room shows a moment with John Lasseter and Randy Newman. At the time, John and other Pixar folk would come down to the studio for meetings. Now, of course, John runs the joint.
The piano room shows a moment with John Lasseter and Randy Newman. At the time, John and other Pixar folk would come down to the studio for meetings. Now, of course, John runs the joint.

So, after getting permission from Disney’s lawyers, I had 27″ x 40″ prints made and sold them at the studio complete with a 10-page list of who was in it and a Certificate of Authenticity. Many people purchased them, and seemed to enjoy them. The ultimate compliment came when one day I had cause to go visit Roy E. Disney at his office on the lot. Roy’s office was in the old office suite of his uncle Walt. As I started down his hallway, there was a poster for Pinocchio, one for Fantasia 2000, and then this one.

I recently donated one of these limited edition prints (#153 of 850) to the Help the Hodges charity art auction run by the National Cartoonists Society Foundation (NCSF). It has gone live on eBay TODAY, and will be available for bids until March 14, 2010. If you are interested in going for it here is a link to the auction:  Chad Frye’s Disney Southside Print


 

 

 

 

 

The lower right corner shows a cryogenically frozen Walt Disney. My office was right next door to that room. I always heard mechanical sounds and steam hissing from in there, and imagined this scene. (Walt is actually buried in Glendale, CA by the way.)
The lower right corner shows a cryogenically frozen Walt Disney. My office was right next door to that room. I always heard mechanical sounds and steam hissing from in there, and imagined this scene. (Walt is actually buried in Glendale, CA by the way.)
This is the cover of the 10-page list that comes with the poster. Each colleague's head is listed with their name next to it for identification purposes in the large print.
This is the cover of the 10-page list that comes with the poster. Each colleague’s head is listed with their name next to it for identification purposes in the large print.
The COA is hand-numbered and signed to match the print.
The COA is hand-numbered and signed to match the print.

 


Categories
Art: Watercolor Caricature Disney Flat File Archives Illustrations

It Came From Philadelphia

Well, the holidays are over, which means most everyone’s traveling is done, too. The holidays wouldn’t be so bad if you didn’t have to board a plane every time you wanted to gather around the ol’ yule log with your family. Over the river and through the woods is an enviable journey compared to dealing with weather-related flight cancellations and missed connections.

Well, this year Christmas was in a new place for the Fryes. Mom and Dad sold the family home of thirty-five years, and moved to a brand new house built on farmland in Delaware. And I chose to fly the weekend of the worst storm they’ve had there in decades.  So, three days later I landed in Philadelphia to two feet of snow on the ground. Some storm.

Of course, to kill time in the various airports, I enjoy taking along my sketchbook.  Thought I’d share with you just a few of the creatures one encounters in airports these days. Winter passengers are so much more fun to draw with being all bundled up carrying their burdensome Christmas bundles.  See for yourself:

Beware the neck creature of Philadelphia!
Beware the neck creature of Philadelphia!

When I fly, I love flying out of the Burbank, CA Bob Hope Airport.  Bob didn’t build it, though I wouldn’t be surprised if he had originally owned the land on which it was built – you know, after CA was taken away from Mexico I mean.  I like this airport because of its convenient three-mile distance from my home.  Plus, you never know who you’ll see there.  This is Hollywood after all.  Good ol’ Bob did not disappoint.

Traveling on my first flight from Burbank to Salt Lake City was actress Nancy Travis who has been in lots of movies like 3 Men and a Baby, Ted Danson’s show Becker, and most recently The Bill Engvall Show.  Also on the plane was actress Ellen Crawford who played Nurse Lydia Wright on ER for its entire run.  She had such an interesting face, that I tried to draw my version of her in the waiting area.  The trick in this is to not get caught doing it.  Success!

At the top is a quick caricature of actress Ellen Crawford, and at the bottom is a lady who offered to leave the plane when they told us we were overweight. No joke.
At the top is a quick caricature of actress Ellen Crawford, and at the bottom is a lady who offered to leave the plane when they told us we were overweight. No joke.

Now, you would think that after the outbound trip having a three-day delay would insure that my return voyage would be uninterrupted. You would be wrong. Never book a connection through Salt Lake City in the wintertime or you may spend the night there. You can’t blame me, really. My only other option was Denver. At least the people are interesting, and the fresh snow on the Salt Lake mountains is beautiful. Here’s one last traveler that could not evade my pencil.

Just imagine this traveler speaking only German and it's as if you saw him, too!
Just imagine this traveler speaking only German and it’s as if you saw him, too!
Categories
Caricature Life Drawings

MONSTER MONTH: Day 1 – Frankenchad

Welcome to the FIRST DAY of Monster Month here on the Chad Frye • Illustration Guy blog!

To kick off the event, the monster of the day today is none other than ME !  It only seemed fair that I set the example to all the monsters to follow in the days to come.

Chad Frye as Frankenstein's Monster

“Why monsters?” you ask? Earlier this year I got caught up in creating an illustratiton of Frankenstein’s monster in a Mona Lisa setting, and I just caught the bug. Ever since then I’ve been doodling monsters. If you click on the Monsters category on the blog home page, you’ll be able to see other monsters that currently reside on the blog.

So for now, strap yourselves in, and get ready as we unveil a fun month of hairy beasts and creepy eyes! Hope you enjoy them as much as I did drawing them!

Categories
Art: Drawings Caricature Frankenstein Monsters Self Portrait

Drawn & Quoted: The Eagle Scout

“The one effective method of defending one’s own territory from an offensive by air is to destroy the enemy’s air power with the greatest possible speed.”

– Italian General Giulio Douhet (1869-1930)

Boy Scout Sean Sturrock being proudly promoted to the rank of Eagle Scout.
Boy Scout Sean Sturrock being proudly promoted to the rank of Eagle Scout.

Well, this is the first time Drawn & Quoted has featured a full color sketch. It is actually a piece I did as a gift for a friend this past week. Sean Sturrock is a teenager I know who was just inducted into the rank of Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts last Saturday. I have been friends with his parents, Beth and Walt Sturrock for twenty years. It has been neat to see Sean go from birth to Eagle Scout. Of course, as a long-term friend, it was my obligation to poke a little fun at his fantastic achievement! Congratulations to Sean, and to his family including sister, Emily!

Categories
Animals Art: Watercolor Caricature Drawn & Quoted Sketchbook

…From the Flat File: 1995 – NBC’s ER

Well, since last fall, NBC has not let up on reminding me that this is ER‘s final season. Every week since, there have been ads promising “an episode you can’t miss!” I’ve missed every one of them.

The show was enjoyable when it first started back in the fall of 1994. I watched for a few seasons completely fascinated by the intense medical drama they portrayed. But the show flatlined for me over a decade ago when it slipped down the slope of soap opera land.

This is a musty Must See TV ink and gouache illustration from the Illustration Guy Archives drawn during the second season of ER in 1995. Thought it should be trotted out as NBC mourns the death of their show this Thursday. I was out of college for only a year, and was trying to drum up caricature work while living in South Carolina. It turned out okay for what I was capable of at the time. I loved putting all the silly stuff on the shelves in the background.

Christine Elise, Noah Wylie, George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Eriq La Salle, Sherry Stringfield & Julianna Margulies
Christine Elise, Noah Wylie, George Clooney, Anthony Edwards, Eriq La Salle, Sherry Stringfield & Julianna Margulies

That second season of ER they introduced Christine Elise (in case you are wondering who that first blonde is). She was introduced as a love interest for Noah Wylie, even having a part in the opening credits, so I thought she’d last. Turns out she was only on for 17 episodes. Next to Noah is George Clooney whose likeness could’ve been better. Anthony Edwards, Eriq La Salle, Sherry Stringfield, and Julianna Margulies round out the bunch.

Since moving to California, I have been to the Warner Bros. lot many times and visited the indoor set once with my cousin’s husband Dr. Scott Ries and daughter Grace. Even though I hadn’t followed the show in years, it was fun to see that make-believe set which looked VERY real. Scott was giddy – as a doctor himself, the visit must have held a little more significance. It was fun to see the actual room that inspired this piece so many years before.

Categories
Art: Watercolor Caricature Flat File Archives Illustrations

Drawn & Quoted: President Obama

“And that’s why I’ve asked Vice President Biden to lead a tough, unprecedented oversight effort — because nobody messes with Joe.”

– President Barak Obama addressing his first joint session of Congress on February 24, 2009

President Obama addressing his first joint session of Congress – February 24, 2009.

Grabbed my sketchbook during the President’s speech on February 24 and doodled “live”, which is always tough when the subject is moving around a bit. So to further capture his Obamaness, I worked on it a little more at my desk.

Categories
Caricature Drawn & Quoted Sketchbook

Fred Willard: Best in Show!

From time to time a project comes along that is just plain fun to work on. Back in 2007, this was such a project. I was approached to create an illustration of actor Fred Willard (Best In Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, Anchorman, WALL-E) for the charity group Actors and Others for Animals. Fred was going to be their guest of honor at their annual banquet held in November that year. The piece I created was used on their “save the date” cards, their invitations, and on the cover of the banquet program.

This "Save the Date!" card for the Fred Willard event features text designed by the art director I worked with.
This “Save the Date!” card for the Fred Willard event features text designed by the art director I worked with who also had moved the frog up a bit revealing his floating foot.

The request for this job came right from Mary Willard, Fred’s wife, who is very involved in this animal charity. I had gotten to know the Willards a bit, and the previous year drew their personal ad that they took out in the program book that was honoring Dick Van Dyke (we’ll save that piece for another post some day). This time, when the committee was tossing around ideas for the cover, they asked Mary if she thought the fella who did her ad could do the program cover for Fred’s banquet.

Most jobs I get asked to do, the client really knows what they want, so I draw one pencil rough, make any adjustments, then go to the final. This time the client left it kind of open-ended. They wanted Fred with some animals, though weren’t sure how that should be.

Thumbnails: Often I’ll do them for myself, but this time they had to be a little more detailed because the client was going to have to pick and choose from among them. As you can see, none of the thumbnails as drawn were taken to the final stage, though #5 became the template (#4 was my favorite). The client picked elements from several. One thing that became clear – they only wanted animals that are relatively common house pets (though the committee chairwoman really liked the squirrel, so that stayed). They didn’t like the outstreched arms pointing towards Fred, but rather wanted the animals applauding him.

Thumbnail sketches drawn to figure out the layout of the image.
Thumbnail sketches drawn to figure out the layout of the image.

Tight Pencil: Once they figured out what they wanted from the thumbnail stage, I worked on a tight pencil drawing and then showed it to them again. Usually a client wants to make changes at this stage, too, but apparently this one hit all the right buttons and they said “go for it!”

This is the tight pencil drawing of Fred Willard drawn on tracing paper. I lightbox this onto Bristol when I ink, so the thin paper assists with that process.
This is the tight pencil drawing of Fred Willard drawn on tracing paper. I lightbox this onto Bristol when I ink, so the thin paper assists with that process.

Final Piece: There were two stages to the final piece. The first was inking the drawing, which I do with a nice Winsor-Newton brush and a bottle of black FW acrylic ink. Rapidograph pens are used for some of the small stuff, but the brush is primary. The client needed the piece to be flexible for multi-purpose use, so Fred (with the squirrel) was one layer, and all the other animals were other layers.

...and here's the final piece composited and colored in Photoshop.
…and here’s the final piece composited and colored in Photoshop.

The second stage was with the computer. All the drawings were scanned, then composited in Photoshop. Speed was of the essence for this piece, so I took all my traditional airbrushing knowledge into the computer and came out with this final illustration.

They loved the piece, and even used it the next year for the event honoring Broadway legend Carol Channing. The animals appeared on the cover and interior of the program.

The 2007 program book cover featuring Fred Willard, and the 2008 cover with Carol Channing.

The 2007 program book cover featuring Fred Willard, and the 2008 cover with Carol Channing.

To add icing to the cake, I was invited to attend both banquets, too. It was fun to sit there seeing these actors roasted by their famous friends and sitting shoulder to shoulder with them myself. Folks like Dick Van Patten, Ed Asner, Loretta Swit, Jo Anne Worley, Henry Gibson, Norm MacDonald, Martin Mull, Tippi Hedren, Ted Lange, Lily Tomlin, Florence Henderson, Catherine O’Hara, Jack Riley, Gary Owens, Peter Marshall, Gary Collins, Doris Roberts, David Lander and so on. It was as if I had fallen into the television set of my youth.

So, there you have it. Perhaps a lengthy explanation of everything, but hopefully a fun insight into what took place to make Fred Willard look like the Best in Show!

Categories
Animals Art: Photoshop Caricature Character Designs Illustrations

Michael Giacchino at the Oscars

Just thought I’d write a quick note along with posting a quick color sketch inspired by film composer Michael Giacchino’s appearance last night as Music Director for the Oscar telecast. I feel compelled to do so in light of my very second post on this blog just a few short weeks ago about the  Star Trek Scoring Sessions with Michael.

Perhaps one of the hardest jobs in show business is having to handle the musical duties for a live broadcast in front of a room full of people with whom you have worked and hope to work with in the future. I did not envy Giacchino’s position last night, but thought he did a wonderful job. His take on having the orchestra on stage and playing in the style of big band was really terrific!  Seemed to give the show a bit of a boost energy-wise. Of course, it’s hard to maintain that energy when prolonged  video tributes suck the wind out of the room. Michael had his work cut out for him.

Michael Giacchino being introduced during the 2009 Oscar broadcast by host Hugh Jackman.

Michael Giacchino being introduced during the 2009 Oscar broadcast by host Hugh Jackman.

So, the sketch – it’s based on the one fleeting moment during the program when host Hugh Jackman introduced Giacchino who looked like he was in the middle of working and didn’t really have time to be recognized. And Hugh’s pronunciation of Michael’s last name seemed shortened a bit.

Along with Star Trek, Michael’s musical talents will be heard this year in Land of the Lost, Pixar’s Up, and he continues to work on LOST as well as the show Fringe I believe. All stuff I look forward to listening to while I draw!

Categories
Art: Watercolor Caricature Film Music Sketchbook