.
.
.
.
My class is studying the rendering of facial features in light and shadow this month. Grouping and simplifying is usually more effective than excessive rendering. Especially in the eyes where too much rendering can leave them looking like symbolic hieroglyphics.

.

Something I did many years ago to figure out how to use india ink.
.

.
..
.


This is a scene from the Prince of Egypt. It was designed by layout artist Guillaume Bonamy. I did the preliminary color sketch (top) and the final was painted on acetate cells by three of us (we would occasionally split up big paintings like this to reach a tight deadline). The background was painted by Bari Greenberg, the temple on the right was painted by Donald Yatomi and the foreground was painted by me.

Copyright Dreamworks animation SKG.
.

.
.
Brandt. Gouache in a craft paper sketchbook.
.
.

Composition Workshop on Saturday August 16th

,
If you're in the LA area and would like to refine your composition and painting skills, you're welcome to join me for an upcoming event.

On Saturday August 16th I'll be giving a workshop on pictorial composition for subjects of all kinds including landscape, figurative and entertainment design. Here's what we'll cover:

• Lectures on the fundamentals of effective picture making.
• Discussions on the creation of mood and environment.
• Principles for organizing complex scenes into pleasing arrangements.
• Strategies for solving compositional problems quickly and effectively.
• Composition exploration exercises.
• Painting from a costumed model.

We'll spend the morning with slide shows and lectures and spend the afternoon doing the compositional exercises and studies from a costumed model.

To enroll contact the Los Angeles Academy of Figurative Art at 877 LA-Atelier. Their site is www.laafa.org.

Hope to see you soon.