Here with Jim Reardon

Jim Reardon was Supervising Director on the Simpsons before he left to  PIXAR to do the screenplay with Andrew Stanton for Disney's    

Wall-E (Nominated for Academy Award® for Best Original Screenplay) feature film. It was a drawing that I saw at his desk back in the late 90's that inspired me to draw in blue ball point pen for the show. Seems like a little thing,... but I found out that people were selling and buying my pen drawings at San Diego Comic Con for yrs without Fox permission. How they got it is a mystery,..it's illegal,.. but also a compliment too?

Universal Studios Simpsons Ride Concept Art

These are some concepts I originally worked on last year at FOX for Universal Creative.  I had the privilege of getting hired to work on the illustrated artwork that is placed throughout the lines before entering the ride. These were done in Photoshop. The "Screamatorium" was toned down cause they thought it was "too" scary!

My Sketchbook Drawings

Here are some drawings from my sketchbook. As you can see I like drawing just about anything,.. especially compositional and tonal studies. I prefer drawing in blue ball point pen & markers because it forces me to think before I draw. I also study from favorite American Illustrators such as Dean Cornwell & J.C. Leyendecker.

Congrats to Creator/Producer Bob Boyle

For winning his first Emmy in the category of Individual Achievement in Animation. I remember when he was boarding the very first episodes of Wow Wow Wubbzy! yrs ago. I wish Bob continued success! 

The Simpsons Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood

1st time ride with Directors, Executive Producers & writers.

 Here with Matt Groening at the Simpsons Ride Premier

Hello Simpsons Fans!!! The Ride is finally here!!! at Universal Studios Hollywood & Orlando Florida. We had an exclusive preview yesterday with Matt Groening, writers, artist and everyone else that was involved in one way or the other. I worked on the illustrated posters that hang in-between the lines before entering the actual ride. I also created  a lot of the interior & exterior artwork. I'm very proud to be part of this great project! The ride was awesome!!!! It's truly one of the best experiences here at Universal Studio hands down! And don't forget the new Kwik-E-Mart! It's Simpsons Mania all over again!!! See you this summer at the Ride! 

10 min Figure Drawings

Here are some more figure drawings from the past. Studying the human anatomy is really a challenge, and rewarding! It's a great tradition in the world of art dating back hundreds of years. One of my favorite artist of all times, Michelangelo "The Renaissance Man"! The drawings on top were from live models, Bridgeman and Dean Cornwell studies.

Hanging out with Jay Leno

Hello everybody! And heeeres Jaaaay Lenoooo! We bumped into each other at,.. yes, Panda Express(next to Burbank airport). If you missed it, we did a short animated segment version of the "Jay Leno show".  Mike Scully, if you're reading this... Jay says hi.

Composition studies from Shawshank

Shawshank Redemption remains to this day as one of my favorite movies of all time. The words "Fear can hold you prisoner, Hope can set you free",...  is what dictates my life personally. The dynamic relationship between Andy Dufresne(Tim Robbins) & Red(Morgan Freeman) is what drives the story. Frank Darabont (director) skillfully chooses the right angles to bring Steven Kings story to life on screen. Here are 3 composition studies I did from the movie.

In this scene, Red and other inmates have just finished re-tarring the roof. 

This was were Red mentioned how they felt like "Free men." As you can see he takes up most of the shot, with the sun hitting him with warm light. The guards hang in the lower 1/4 area, in darkness. This gives the "feeling" of Red dominating the situation. If only for a while.

In this shot, Red approaches Andy after doing time in "the hole" for a very long time.This is the breaking point for Andy,.. where he remains in the shadow of the wall. As the scene progresses, Andy steps out into the light area,.. leaving Red on the other side. Again this is a very smart way of using environmental surroundings to help magnify the storytelling. Also the perspective of the wall helps the audience focus on Andy, which is placed exactly in the lower right side"Sweet spot"( based on 1/4th grid). The use of dark and light also conveys enlightenment vs being held prisoner.

Here's another great example of how the right lighting, props and composition can take a scene to the next level. Here all heads are facing directly at Red. The way the two men on each table are sitting at an angle gives the sense of really putting Red on the spot. Also notice the legs of the chairs. The fact that they are very pointy(giving a very threatening feeling) casts a shadow pointing directly at Red. As if they were being used as a weapon in a threatening manner, during an interrogation! Again very smart! It's all in the details!!!

Here is a grid based on 4ths/anamorphic aspect ratio. This is a great tool to have, I use it a lot when I compose my shots. I use it to reference 1/2's, 1/4 spaces, the sweet spots (circles), etc. Feel free to download and use it!

Old Actor

This was drawn in charcoal on newsprint, then I added some paint in Photoshop. I referenced from an old black and white photo of an actor based on "Monsters" of classic cinema! I forgot his name,.. I just liked the under lighting quality! This was a fun exercise.

Environment Concept

© E.Tran 2008