DAVID JORDAN COLMAN
A fun & insightful interview with the talented Illustrator, Sculptor and Character Designed David Colman.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
I am originally from New York City and I’ve been working as a professional character designer in the animation industry for over 3 years.
My first project was Polar Express, then visual development on Open Season and Surf’s Up. I did character design on Stuart Little 3 as well as the Boondocks, a recently aired animated tv series from Aaron McGruder. I have also created 10 original characters for Avalanche Bay Indoor Water Park in Michigan. It is pretty astounding to see my characters on billboards, as lifesize statues and as giant costumes strolling through the park. I have freelanced for several projects at Disney too, including the much anticipated Tinkerbell movie as well as several development projects. I recently left Boondocks after completing the first season to be lead designer on a new show at Cartoon Network with Andre 3000 from Outkast, titled "Class of 3000" and set to air late in 2006.
How did you get to where you are now?
Well, like all of us, I did draw a lot as a kid and my family noticed my skills early on. Yes, I drew stick figures but my stick figures actually fit in the house and weren’t 20 ft tall. I was encouraged by my parents but never forced. My Mom is a very talented painter, mostly portraits and landscapes. And my Dad, although he is an attorney, sculpts in his spare time. So, yes, I inherited some talented genes but I had to work at it so please don’t say I am lucky.
I dropped my art in high school for girls and sports. I was, and I still am, very proud to be an art geek but at that time I just didn’t want to be a comic book nerd. I went off to the University of California Santa Barbara in 1994 and figured I would use my creativity to pursue a career in advertising. As I was majoring in Communication I fell in love with drawing again and quickly decided to double major in Art and Communication. It was not a good program at all, in fact I didn’t learn much in terms of fundamentals. Instead I was taught a lot of conceptual "draw what you feel" nonsense and "sculpt a boat out of paper." Anyway, I found out about the wonders of an animation career when I graduated in ‘98.
At first I started in 3D but quickly realized I needed to become stronger with my art fundamentals. I met a few people at Disney who saw my work, specifically Kenny Thompkins. They saw that I had a gift but mentioned I needed to work at it. I speculated that I needed to go to CalArts and was fearful if I didn’t go there I would have no chance at success but Kenny pointed me in the direction of local schools and the animator’s union in North Hollywood. This way I would learn from current professionals and quickly discovered that it is your skills and not your artistic education that leads to employment. Anyway, I took classes for about a year, every night after my day job at a law office (every artist has paid his/her blue collar dues) and would then stay up late drawing a lot on my own and putting in plenty of pencil mileage. I really polished those fundamentals and studied anatomy (and specifically animals ) for a year straight which led me to an animal drawing instructor position at one point (but that’s another ball of wax to get into). I basically became a self taught artist in a short time and although there were some basic skills to begin with I worked at it all the time, day and night because what I quickly learned is that you have to want it. I give that advice all the time because it is some of the best I have ever received. Even after securing my first job in the industry I still drew every day for myself and I still draw, which ameliorates my craft, daily!
And where do you want to be in the future?
This is a difficult question to answer for any professional artist. Basically, I don’t have an answer because there really is no endpoint for me. Hopefully, I will never have one because I always try to strengthen my craft, both professionally and personally. There is no destination, just an enjoyment of the journey.
STYLE
Any insight into your artistic style?
I must say as a thriving designer I don’t have a set style and because of this I am able to keep working and have a little more job security than someone who survives on only one personal style. However, I base my work on a strong fundamental background. I constantly study the human figure, animals and environments. In essence I study from life. In my mind this makes my work believable and therefore successful. So, I guess I could say my artistic style is one of strong draftsmanship.
INSPIRATION
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
I would have to say life in general. The relationships I develop, the support I receive, the students that I am respected by and in turn respect as well. I love to people watch, to see how people interact with each other from expressive behavior to tumultuous bickering in a supermarket. I like to look at others and figure out his/her story. Not a caricature of them but who are they, what are they thinking, where are they going, are they upset about doing poorly on a recent test, are they happily in love and how does all this show through.
I also receive tons of inspiration from movies, specifially ones with well thought out production design and cinematography. Don’t even get me started on the Lord of the Rings trilogy. I also enjoy well thought out stories and those that are successfully executed. Of course art in general serves as an inspiration; from beautifully rendered illustrations, mood driven paintings, and successfully constructed sculptures. To list specific pieces would take me years and no one has that much time to read such a lengthy response.
Do you have artists that you draw inspiration from?
The two most influential artists to me from a professional standpoint are Frank Frazetta and Claire Wendling. If you don’t know who they are I suggest you look them up; they are both truly amazing and beyond anyone who tries to mimick their styles and accompishments. Frank Frazetta is an inspiration to me and an idol not just in his art but also because he values family so highly. His family is a very important aspect of his life and I believe a big reason why he is as good as he is. So, I also receive inspiration from my family and those that I love.
In the local animation world I really look up to Marcelo Vignali. I was lucky enough to work with him at Sony Pictures Animation and he is my one true mentor and now a good friend. He is another one who not only surpasses so many in his art but also someone who values family highly; yet another reason for me to look up to him. I also receive great inspiration from Richard Chavez, Paul Felix, Rik Maki, Alex Nino, Heinrich Kley, N.C. Wyeth, Koji Morimoto, and Al Hirschfeld. This list could go on and on… these are just a few artists that I am inspired by. In addition, I cannot forget my mother who is an amazing portrait and landscape painter and from whom I received a natural gift (but don’t get me wrong… I definitely have worked at it… so luck is not the half of it) and from whom I receive tons of inspiration and moral support. I do love to make my Mom proud…and yes Dad….you too.
Do you have other sources of inspiration other than 2D & 3D art?
As I mentioned above, many elements in everyday life inspire me.
WORKFLOW
How do you approach a project? A character design? Storyboards?
Well, I do have a vast vocabulary of skills in terms of my art, but I am most experienced with character design so I will address that part of the question.
Well, I first have to figure out who the character is; what is the archetype? Is it an evil vicious snogbeast who preys on little children who hide their vegetables by giving them to their pet hamster? Or is it a fragile, quiet, yet potentially volatile, elderly librarian who swears she invented the Dewey decimal system? Once I figure out who the character is I address those traits in shapes indicative of the character as well as appropriate posing and the right expressions.
For instance, I usually start playing with shapes using a blue Col-Erase pencil and stay loose, drawing with a lot of energy and pushing the shapes where possible. At this stage I tend to figure out the problems with the design so as to avoid things like volume redundancy, twinning, and poor weight shift. It is at this stage that the character starts to breathe a little bit. Throughout this process I will turn the paper over and hold it up to the light because from the rear you can see what is really working and what’s not. Sometimes the balance is off or certain shapes aren’t working. And sometimes the dynamics of the arm are off, such as the points of articulation being uneven or in the wrong spot. The stronger and more experienced I have become the quicker this evolutionary process is. After these initial stages I usually go over the design once more with a new piece of 12 field animation paper on a peg board to clarify the shapes, forms and design elements
If the character is a paid job and/or task related, I may next proceed to add color if I have time to develop this or if it is even necessary. But in the world of TV animation production there is no such time so I must proceed directly to the clean up stage. However, if I am working on a development project, I like to splash in some color to strengthen the appeal, maintain the art direction I want suggest and increase my success rate for approval by the executives and director (you will all learn about the approval process in due time… I wish you luck with that. he he he..) .
With clean up, I tend to use ink because it scans easily and there is less pencil dust. On stylized shows that tend to be more cartoony there is usually some sort of thick line or thick to thin line so I will use a brush pen, usually a Staetdler versus a Tombow because the Tombows tend to lose their shape rather quickly. Sometimes I will use a Pentel Fountain pen but those have been discontinued so I tend to avoid breaking into my personal stash. When it is a thin line I use a very particular Korean made pen. Unfortunately, I don’t know the name and only know that it is a 0.3 size. I avoid the commonly used Micron pen because it wears out quickly and the tip becomes misshaped. One important thing with cleanup is that the character tends to lose some of the energy that was achieved in the rough stage so I aim to make the design better in the cleanup stage, not just adding a cleanup line but a stronger line.
WORDS OF INSPIRATION
Any words of inspiration for aspiring artists?
You have to want it!!!! I was told this from early on and I live by this saying, almost a commandment; the 11th one if you ask me. Please, don’t ever give up and keep striving to get better, to get that dream job, to be the best artist that you can be. So, basically, it is all or nothing. So I say people, "You have got to want it!"
RELATED LINKS
http://davidcolman.blogspot.com/
You can also purchase my recently printed sketchbook which is a comprehensive collection of my study sketches and designs that debuted at last years San Diego Comic-Con. I will be exhibiting at the Wondercon in San Franscisco in February as well, just come by the davidsdoodles.com booth.
I would also like to announce the first ever self published book from the drafting table of David Colman. This book is currently in production and a teaser book will be released at the San Diego Con in 2006, with the full book being released later that year. This book will be a hardcover, 160 page full color art book. The subject matter is being withheld at this time, but I am sure you can make an educated guess at what it might be about.