Oktoberfest Caricatures

In September? You may be wondering why this post is appearing in September rather than October. Well in Bavaria, the Oktoberfest is actually celebrated in the month of September. But we'll save the history lesson for another post...

Recently VoogDesigns was asked to create an Oktoberfest Invitation featuring caricatures of the two hosts. So we wanted to take you through the process of how this invitation was created. Enjoy!

Labor of Love

Is it really "work" if you love what you do? This is a question I've placed under our contact information which you'll find to the right of this post. You see, ever since I was a kid I have always loved to draw. But in the Summer of 1988, it became my vocation.

vo·ca·tion

noun /vōˈkāSHən/ 

1. A strong feeling of suitability for a particular career or occupation

2. A person's employment or main occupation, regarded as particularly worthy and requiring great dedication

Through prayer and perseverance VoogDesigns is my vocation.

I believe we are all blessed with unique talents and abilities, and I have been called to be an artist. So if you love what you do, is it really work? Rather it is a Labor of Love.

Happy Labor Day 2011

CarToon Classes

Occasionally, I get the privilege of picking up my daughter and a hand full of other students from their school in a weekly van pool. Well, VoogDesigns has taken this opportunity to create "CarToon Classes".

Every week these young and talented passengers can take advantage of the 20-25 ride home and participate in a new lesson on how to draw and create their favorite animated characters.

Not in the van pool? Not to worry! These lessons will soon be available for anyone wishing to strengthen their drawing skills by enrolling in VoogDesigns Drawing Classes where you will learn the fundamentals of drawing and animating your own cartoons.

Stay Tooned!

DayDoodling

Daydreaming. \ˈdā-ˌdrēm-,ing\ A visionary fantasy, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes or ambitions, imagined as coming to pass, and experienced while awake.

For many, daydreaming is a temporary escape from reality. But for creatives, any blank canvas (even Latex gloves) gives us an opportunity to act on those visions. And then DayDreaming becomes "DayDoodling"!

Claymation Creation

Patience. It's hard enough mastering this characteristic as an adult, but imagine being a 12-year old kid that has to accept this quality before being able to see his work of art come "alive"! Meet Zachary M., also known as "MiniClayDude".


During my recent visit for a "most special" project, I discovered that we both share the same love- ANIMATION. I was about Zachary's age when I knew that bringing drawings to life was what I wanted to do too. So I took the opportunity to ask "MiniClayDude" a few questions about his love for Claymation Creations.

What interested you in doing claymation rather than painting or drawing?
I got into claymation a long time ago (like 2 years ago). I saw a guy on you tube named Mamshmam who did amazing claymations and I guess I followed that.

It's a lot of work making movies.Why do you do it? How does it make you feel?
The way I do it is simple. I just take a picture and move the guy. Take a picture and move the guy (and so on). It's also because I have patience. They make me feel happy and excited to watch them at the end!

How many pictures (frames) to you take for an average movie?
For an average movie I take more than 200 or 300 pictures.

What kind of reaction have you received from family, friends and fans of your movies?
The reaction from my family, friend, and fans is really good. They encourage me to make more movies.

What's can we expect next from "MiniClayDude"?
What can you expect from MiniClayDude next? . . . Heck, I have a whole 2 pages full of ideas from ninja fights to water balloon fights!

What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future are being a priest. Or if God is not calling me for that, then I will become a. . . doctor or something like a claymationist.

Thanks Zachary and continue to explore your God-given talents!

You can watch more from "MiniClayDude" on his YouTube Channel

Disney's Animation Academy

Discover the secrets of how to draw a classic Disney character from a Disney animator at Animation Academy!

I found out about this recently after a good friend of mine had the privilege of attending this hands-on experience when he chaperoned a year-end field trip for his children' class to Disney California Adventure Park. The last time I attended something this cool was back in 1988 at the Disney MGM Studios in Orlando, FL!

I can't believe I didn't know about this!

Learn the Basics of Drawing
Fun for any age and experience level, Animation Academy provides step-by-step instruction on how to draw some of your favorite Disney characters. Learn some basic tricks and techniques to give your drawing a professional pedigree.
Disney Animation Building
Animation Academy is only one part of the Disney Animation building, where you can learn all about the art and history of Disney animation, in an interactive, hands-on environment.

A Little Sketchy

Tools. There are many standard and some very unique tools that artists can utilize to craft their creations. Fifteen years ago, as I was applying to Disney, DreamWorks and Warner Bros. Animation Studios, a new technology was changing the way animated features were being produced. Today's artists must not only be craftsmen, but also need to stay current with the technology of their trade.

This was apparent to me during my tour of the DreamWorks Animaiton Studios in Glendale, CA. Paper has now been replaced by the Wacom Cintiq 21UX. Unfortunately, they retail for $1,999!

Luckily, there is a more economical option with the Wacom Bamboo. Today I purchased my first tablet in order to adapt to this new world of technological tools. I admit that I have always been a little apprehensive about using these tablets. But with anything, practice is essential to get the user comfortable and confident with their new found skills and abilities.