Paul Shardlow. Sketchbook.

2011-11-25T18:25:00.000-08:00

These are two pages of watercolour studies for a personal project. Taken from photos and video, of course. It's hard to get this close to a live owl; if you can find one! Size 8"x10"

2011-06-30T17:02:00.000-07:00

Two pages from my sketchbook. Sketchbook drawings seem to be more honest and less contrived than some other work. I like that.

Libra and Virgo

2011-04-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to stretch the envelope of my predictability with these. I'm not sure where it's all going but I'm having a lot of fun. Collage and acrylic on canvas.

Playing cards

2011-04-07T10:14:00.000-07:00

Some more fun with the cowboy theme.
Each card 36"x24". Acrylic and collage on canvas.

2011-02-26T12:53:00.000-08:00

These are a couple of pieces I've done for sale at a Rodeo at the end of March. I've gone for the show-biz cowboy/girl rather than the gritty real thing. Part collage, part paint on canvas and bigger than my usual stuff; 24X30 inches.

landscapes

2011-01-06T19:49:00.000-08:00

Seasons Greetings

2010-12-21T11:20:00.000-08:00

Now for something completely different!

2010-12-18T16:47:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I want to move forward by trying something a little bit beyond my comfort zone. It's also nice to take a break from the same old 'same old'.

2010-11-06T09:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of sketchbook pages from my trip to England this month. I use quite expensive Namiki pens and mechanical pencils and I have this, probably irrational, fear they will confiscate them at the airport lest they be used as weapons to hijack the airplane!

Spooky Castle

2010-10-08T17:47:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. Spooky stuff abounds. Here are some Maya sketches from a project I was working on a couple of years ago. Characters by David Feiss and some input from Luc Desmarchelier on the tower.

Elephant sports

2010-10-05T19:57:00.000-07:00

I have to confess, mine is no occupation for a grown man!

2010-08-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

Concept pieces from Over the Hedge. I always liked the idea of the mice watching a horror movie on the stolen laptop.

2010-06-28T19:47:00.000-07:00

A few characters I sketched at a La Jolla art show this weekend.

Shrek's house. Early concepts.

2010-05-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

Shrek first lived in a garbage dump near a human village called Wart Creek. At one time it was thought that he lived with his parents and kept rotting fish in his bedroom. Here are more of my early concepts for the first Shrek film, circa 1996/97.

Most of us, if not all of us, were used to designing for flat 2D animation. It seemed to me that our gouache paintings, delightful as they were, with their brush marks and paper textures, were not going to get us near to the CG look that Shrek was going to have so I started building models, photographing them and working with them in Photoshop. Using Photoshop was a fairly new concept in those days though I was by no means the first to do so.

Shrek. The first one, that is.

2010-05-09T19:44:00.000-07:00

With the fourth Shrek movie soon to be released I thought I'd dig out some of my old concept drawings from around 1996/97 when I was working on the first Shrek movie in LA, before it moved up north to PDI. Yes, it really was that long ago. The Art Department was just learning how to use Photoshop 2, there wasn't a digital camera in sight and I don't recall seeing too many cell phones, if any.

These are landscape ideas for Shrek's world. We didn't have a Shrek or Donkey model at this stage and there was a fad for making drawings brown. These were done in black and white with pencil and then colorized on the photocopier. I'll publish more when and if I can find stuff.

How to Train Your Dragon

2010-04-25T11:47:00.000-07:00

Here's another early concept piece of mine from "Dragon", the nursery. I'm told that Dreamworks has issued it as a limited addition giclee. I'll keep you posted.

'How to Train Your Dragon' early concept art circa 2004-2005

2010-04-03T12:48:00.000-07:00

Here is some of my early concept art from 'HTTYD'. It's amazing how long it can take to make a good animated feature film and remarkable how much the story can change in five years.

This is Valhallarama, Hiccup's mum, who never made it into the final film. Below is Old Wrinkley who also got cut.

Toothless (above) was more like a petulant five year old in the early days.

2010-03-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Some more sketchbook stuff, this time from a rather well to do place about two hours drive from LA called La Quinta.

2009-12-09T22:58:00.000-08:00

This is titled 'The Contract". It could just as easily be called 'The Bribe'....you can write your own story. But because a gift is involved, I'm using it as my Christmas card this year.

2009-11-17T10:47:00.000-08:00

A couple of pages from my sketchbook this weekend.

2009-08-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

Here are some faces I saw whilst sketching at the Farmers Market near the Grove yesterday.

2009-06-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

More ten minute poses from the model. This week, would you believe, Shaft.

2009-05-27T17:26:00.000-07:00

Darwin, Dickens, Lincoln, Washington and Rembrandt. Not being the greatest caricaturist in the world I feel I have to tell you who they are but I had fun doing them so I thought I'd share.

2009-05-22T13:24:00.000-07:00

More five minute sketches from the model. No guessing what this week's theme was.

2009-04-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

5 to 10 minute sketches from the model. This week - The Director.

2009-04-03T00:44:00.000-07:00

2009-02-06T12:13:00.000-08:00

Some more ten minute poses from the costumed model class. Much more fun than stuffy nude models.

2009-01-09T12:17:00.000-08:00

I've been having fun, lately, sketching costumed models at a session on Thursday nights. Here are some 5 to 15 minute poses. For details of where and when see links under Drawingclub.

2009-01-09T12:09:00.000-08:00

2008-10-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

A pig who just lost 20lbs.

2008-10-10T18:57:00.000-07:00

Piggie in the supermarket.

2008-10-10T18:55:00.000-07:00

Pig stripper.

2008-10-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

A pig about to discover gravity.

2008-10-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

A pig's pig.

2008-10-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

2008-10-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

Stallion

2008-10-07T21:27:00.000-07:00

Spirit during some of its more depressing development.

2008-10-07T21:25:00.000-07:00

Spirit. C Dreamworks

2008-10-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

Spirit. C Dreamworks

2008-08-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

Drunk monk.

2008-08-15T10:18:00.000-07:00

Evil bishop.

2008-08-15T10:15:00.000-07:00

Fat abbess.

2008-06-14T13:34:00.000-07:00

Spirit, Stallion of the Cimerron. Copyright Dreamworks

2008-06-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

River bank. 'Spirit'. Dreamworks

2008-06-14T13:11:00.000-07:00

Lovers. 'Spirit'. Dreamworks

2008-06-14T13:03:00.000-07:00

Racing the eagle. 'Spirit'. Dreamworks

2008-05-23T18:03:00.000-07:00

I am particularly keen on what technology has given us daubers to work with. It seems increasingly irrelevant to paint and draw images (I include Photoshop) for animated films that are no longer 2D and graphic. To this end I often design in what I call Maya sketches; quickly built, virtual, 3D environments that will give me several viewpoints of the same scene. I can also change the lighting, the camera lens (say from 25mm to 100mm), and re-position or re-scale various elements which would take days, if not weeks, with pencil, paint or Photoshop. The posts here use only two Spooky Castle sets. Each set took about three days to complete but gave me dozens of different variations, four of which are posted here. I then render them out and tickle them up in Photoshop, if necessary.

2008-05-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Maya sketch. Spooky castle. Character design D Fiess.

2008-05-23T17:30:00.000-07:00

Maya sketch. Spooky castle. Character design D Fiess.

2008-05-23T17:27:00.000-07:00

Maya sketch. Spooky castle. Character design D Fiess

2008-05-23T17:22:00.000-07:00

Maya sketch. Spooky castle.

2008-03-20T12:01:00.001-07:00

Pages from a recent sketchbook.

2008-03-20T11:57:00.001-07:00

A page from a recent sketchbook.

2008-03-20T11:54:00.001-07:00

Pages from a recent sketchbook.

2008-03-20T11:50:00.001-07:00

Pages from a recent sketchbook.

2008-03-20T11:45:00.000-07:00

Pages from a recent sketchbook.

2008-02-28T00:22:00.002-08:00

Re-enactors

2008-02-28T00:22:00.001-08:00

2008-02-28T00:20:00.000-08:00

2008-02-28T00:19:00.002-08:00

From old photos

2008-02-28T00:14:00.000-08:00

2008-02-13T19:28:00.001-08:00

Headphone chicks from Over the Hedge. Copyright Dreamworks.

2008-01-28T15:54:00.001-08:00

Just for starters.

2008-01-28T15:43:00.000-08:00

Happy hour in Transylvania. Copyright Sony Pictures.

2008-01-28T13:18:00.001-08:00

Manicure. Personal project.

2008-01-28T13:15:00.001-08:00

Riverdance. Personal project.

2008-01-28T13:12:00.000-08:00

Pollock. Personal project.

2008-01-28T13:10:00.000-08:00

Sunday painter. Personal project.

2008-01-28T13:03:00.001-08:00

Rivals. Personal project.

2008-01-26T23:29:00.000-08:00

2008-01-26T23:17:00.000-08:00

Sketch in Maya. Alien Musical.

2008-01-26T23:15:00.001-08:00

Sketching in Maya. Alien Musical.

2008-01-26T23:13:00.001-08:00

Sketching in Maya. Alien Musical.

2008-01-26T22:59:00.001-08:00

DJ. Alien Musical.

2008-01-26T22:53:00.000-08:00

Maxell FX. Alien Musical.

2008-01-26T22:41:00.000-08:00

Musicians. Alien Musical

2008-01-26T19:59:00.000-08:00

2008-01-26T19:32:00.000-08:00

2008-01-26T19:28:00.000-08:00

Old Wrinkley. Copyright Dreamworks SKG.

2008-01-26T19:19:00.000-08:00

2008-01-26T19:16:00.000-08:00

2008-01-26T19:06:00.000-08:00

Copy right Dreamworks SKG.

2008-01-26T18:54:00.000-08:00

Whale Watching Tours. Copyright Dreamworks SKG

2008-01-26T18:44:00.000-08:00

2008-01-26T15:31:00.000-08:00

2008-01-26T15:15:00.000-08:00

2008-01-26T15:12:00.000-08:00

2008-01-26T15:01:00.000-08:00

Based on actual events. Hollywood Sketchbook.