Late last year we had a guest drawing instructor come into Pixar-
Mike Mattesi-who specializes in dynamic drawing and did a 10 week course. I only caught the last 2 sessions but it was refreshing to pause the Walt Stanchfield 'story' driven gesture class and let loose with some more muscular sketches. I haven't worked this big and bold in several years- dirty charcoal & thick markers on newsprint!
Around the same time Glen Keane visited the studio to deliver an inspirational lecture on tapping into creativity by thinking like a child and ensuring 'play' is present in the work environment. His impassioned and sincere speech was extremely motivating, and seeing him animate 'live' is magical!
He flipped through a sketchbook he had kept while visiting France last summer and found a sketch of a young girl carrying a baby while walking across a playground. Glen took this as his jumping off point and animated her across the page- straight ahead-dealing with the weight distribution as he went. He said viewers won't SEE the weight changes but they'll FEEL it. The point of focus will be in the eyes-we look for the connection between the girl and the baby and how their gaze meets at that close distance.
