Create visually-stunning backgrounds that stand out.Visual Storytelling with Color and Light teaches background and concept designers in animation and film the skills needed to create visually stunning and professionally appealing pieces. In the world todaywhere digital is considered kingtraditional media and the skills attached to them are often overlooked. Although it is true that major studios no longer want their backgrounds or concept boards hand drawn or painted, they do want their artists to have traditional as well as technical backgrounds. Gouache is a technique that provides its artists and practitioners an understanding of color theory and composition that all studios are looking for and that a course in Photoshop cannot teach.Visual Storytelling with Color and Light offers behind-the-scenes secrets of standard-setting practices used by some of best that the animation industry has to offer. Michael Humphries provides step-by-step techniques that will help readers better understand color theory, composition, and lighting. Hell share common gouache techniques and then show readers how to develop their own style, and how to create a piece to match the studio execs dictated styles. This book also displays practices to help take readers paintings and backgrounds to the next level with Photoshop interventions and enhancements. To survive the trips to the studios, sets, and en plein air locations, this book will have a hardback, layflat binding with a splash guard to protect the pages and cover from nature or the accidental artist. Most importantly this book will feature video demos for both the en plein air approach and photoshop enhancements.
Dedication and Acknowledgments
Foreword
Chapter 1: Introduction: A Little Background
Chapter 2: Professional Applications: Art Direction and Visual Development
Chapter 3: Elements of Design: Understanding Basic Principles
Chapter 4: Values First: Lighting the Scene
Chapter 5: Materials and Methods
Chapter 6: The Focal Point: Creating the Stage
Chapter 7: Atmosphere: Setting the Mood with Color and Light
Chapter 8: Creating Style: Designing "The Look"
Chapter 9: Taking it Outside: Plein-air gouache demos
Chapter 10: Playing the Field: Creating Art for Prints and Licensing
Michael Humphries has had a distinguished career in animation as a background artist, visual development artist, and art director for many of Disney Feature Animation Studios films including Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Great Mouse Detective, The Rescuers Down Under, Brother Bear, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Fantasia 2000, and The Princess and the Frog. Michael was also nominated for an Annie Award as the Production Designer on Sony Pictures Animations first feature length animated movie Open Season.
He resides in Pasadena California where he teaches entertainment art at Art Center College of Design.
Please visit his website at: www.michaelhumphries.net