Joshua Tree

1. 'Hall of Horrors' 9"x5" gouache on water colour paper

2. 'Dawn at Twenty Nine Palms' 9"x5" gouache on water colour paper

3. 'Desert Moon' 9"x5" gouache on water colour paper

4.   'Simian Rock' 9"x5" gouache on water colour paper

5. 'Hidden Valley' 8"x8" gouache on water colour paper

6.  'Sentinel' 9"x5" gouache on water colour paper

7. 'Intersection Climbers' 9"x5" gouache on water colour paper

. . . and here's a short film I cut of our trip

'A Monster In Paris' deleted scenes

'A Monster In Paris' long panning storyboard cut from the film. Fun market characters. #storyboard #amonsterinparis #animation #drawing #character #pencildrawing

A video posted by Matt Jones (@mrlemonhart) on Nov 6, 2015 at 8:19pm PST

'Paris 1910' another panning storyboard dropped from 'A Monster in Paris'. I did this as a proposed opening shot to set the scene and pick up on Maude & Emile's picnic in the park. As soon as I'd finished drawing it we came up with something better! @bibo_bu #amonsterinparis #unmonstreàparis #umap #animation #storyboard #camerapan #layout #drawing #Paris #1910 #inondèe #CGI #europeananimation #VanessaParadis #leoiseaurare #parcdesbutteschaumont #butteschaumont #vintage #oldparis #colonnemorris

A video posted by Matt Jones (@mrlemonhart) on Dec 1, 2015 at 11:26pm PST

Inktober 2015

That's it! 31 days of 'Inktober 2015'. Until next year . . .

Sweet Emotion

This is a very early rough pitch I did late 2010 trying to figure out the 'interface' between the Emotions and Riley. I placed the E's stationed at a central console, an emotional 'well' where they could control physiological responses and view memory balls. Even at this early point Joy, Anger (Ira) and Fear (Freddie) were pretty well defined as a yellow wisp, a red block and a skinny nerve. The green character was Hope and the purple one Pride (Preston). Sadness (Hap) was like a big, blue mattress and was still male at this point.

I cued off a scenario where Riley has been sent to her room after sulking at the dinner table. (I think maybe Ronnie had even done a pass on the 'dinner table' sequence by that point.) The E's are all doing their job making Joy feel left out.

This view was tricky: I figured Riley is looking in a mirror hence the E's can see her through her POV.

Los Angeles Plein Air Festival 2015

I was pleasantly surprised to receive an 'Honorable Mention' in the Los Angeles Plein Air Festival 2015 two weeks ago. It was a really hot day but we all muddled through. Here are the three pieces I submitted.

  'The Must'

'The  Pan American Building'

'Indian Alley' 112 Winston

Last Days of Summer

More architecture sketching while exploring Los Angeles . . .

 '8 Bit' beach house at Marina Del Rey

Culver City High School

Culver City Theatre

 L.A. School of Performing Arts, Downtown

Sacred Heart Chapel, LMU campus

 Downtown Los Angeles

 Arts District

Little Tokyo

Dennis Hopper's old pad (designed by Frank Gehry)

 Vista theater, Silverlake

 Wolf's Lair compound, Hollywood Hills

 Hollyhock House, Barnsdall Park (Frank Lloyd Wright)

 Manhattan Beach

 'Snow White cottages', Los Feliz

Ballona Creek Bike Path, Culver City

'Noir' architecture L.A.

More exploring Los Angeles with paint. I had 2 architectural targets this weekend: first the 'Spadena House' or 'Witch's House' in Beverly Hills, another example of 'storybook' architecture. 

A quick sketch to familiarize myself with the architecture and figure out any tough perspective problems. I'm also looking for detail: both to include and exclude. The property has a very interesting garden but I had to pare down the detail to the fence, the bridge and some choice flora and foliage.

I've noticed the curb markers in Los Angeles and this address has an apt design.

 Leaving Beverly Hills I wound up Sunset Blvd into the Hollywood hills to find the 'Dietrichson House' from Billy Wilder's 'Double Indemnity'. "It was one of those California-Spanish houses everyone was nuts about ten or fifteen years ago; this one must've cost somebody about thirty-thousand bucks...that is, if he ever finished paying for it." - Walter Neff

I made a quick sketch of the building to wrap my head around the architecture. There are some tricky planes and decorative elements in this one. It also makes me focus mentally on the colour choices I might make; taking note of the multiple greens in the shrubbery, what colour may work for the shadow area, the accent of the painted window frames etc. 

A resident told me the house opposite was where James Dean lived before he died. I made a quick sketch before heading home. I'll come back to paint that one again.