Random Caricature Extravaganza

One day back in college I was sketching monkeys at the local zoo, when I came across a little caricature stand, drawing couples, kids, parents, twisting their features into a variety of entertaining and potentially offensive ways. The art of caricature had always fascinated me, and it seemed like it could be fun. I thought "what the hell" and approached the booth, asking if they happened to be hiring. The next day i was sitting at my own little easel, with a giant "IN TRAINING" sign above my head. My stint there lasted about 2 years, and it was a blast.

I will say one thing: There's nothing quite sobering as seeing the enthusiasm drain from a customers face, as the crowd of observers behind loudly whisper encouraging lines like "that looks nothing like him", "that nose is huge", or "why does she have a moustache?". However, when you nailed it, and the crowd approved, the customer leaves happy, and you feel great!

Anyhow, sketching my friends and family is something I still love to do, I thought id post a few of them.

Dragon Weaver: An Adventure in Progress

A few weeks back I was invited to join up on a great side project involving a few of my co-workers here at Blizzard, as well as other talented individuals in the entertainment field. As soon as I saw a few sketches and test animations, I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. "Dragon Weaver" tells the story of our hero Hiroshi,and the trials and tribulations he endures in his quest to learn who he really is, the legendary Dragon Weaver!

I don't want to give too much away yet, but the story is really fun. Its going to be a hybrid of 3d animation and comic book styled panel sequencing, think something along the lines of that great Metal Gear Solid interactive comic that Ashley Wood had done. My buddies on this team are true pros in every sense of the word, so this story just reeks of potential, and Im so glad to be involved!



Heres a paintover i did based on Josh Singh's model of Hiroshi, designed by the creator and founder, Brad Marques. Ill be acting as Concept Director for the project, essentially just trying to make these characters look as bad ass as possible, which wont be hard, given the people Im workin with here.

SO! I urge you all to check out the Toon Sushi Blog, where we have little snippets of whats to come. You can get a feel for what were aiming for here, I really cant wait to see it all come together...