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December 4, 2009 - Friday
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MSRB PROFILE ::: > CJ GUZMAN
I love Cj 's work , as you know he's been my co pilot for many projects for the last few years including the NancyDrew series . He is the master colorist , awesome artist and awesome friend all wrapped in a gentle latin man , perfect aint it?
Bio
FUNCTION: AIR COMMANDER
"Conquest is made of the ashes of one's enemies."
Seeks
to replace Megatron as leader. Ruthless, coldblooded, cruel… considers
himself the most sophisticated and handsome of the Decepticons.
Believes Decepticons should rely more on guile and speed rather than
brute force to defeat Autobots. Fastest flyer of group, can reach Mach
2.8 and an altitude of 52 miles. Shoots cluster bombs and null-rays
which disrupts flow of electricity. Very good at what he does, but
sometimes overrates himself.
Um... ok. C. J. forgets to add that he has legions of fangirls and boys due to his brilliant backgrounds and color work on the Nancy Drew (girl detective) graphic novel series. He is also a veteran of the video game industry and has worked with Maverix for many years on projects for National Geographic and Scion, among others. C. J. is also on the team for the animated short-film-in-progress, Oasis.
・When did you first start to draw/create and what inspired you to do it?
I started the minute my baby hands could hold a writing tool.
・What is your favorite color and why?
Hmmm ... I really don't have one. I like bright and happy colors tho.
・What kind of music (or other aural environments) do you listen to when you work and why? When I'm in crunch mode I will have "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" movie playing in an endless loop till my project is done. When working on personal stuff I listen to Phantasy Star online episode 1 and 2 soundtrack..... it's quite choice!
He's a funny one, this Mr. Carlos Jose Guzman.
MSRB PROFILE ::: > OCTAVIO RODRIGUEZ
Our
star profilee today is the recent Bay Area arrival and veteran story
artist Octavio Rodriguez. And I say veteran not because he's old
(really!!) but because Octavio's been a part of so many animation institutions and choice projects (see his bio below). His own books, which you can purchase on his blog, are full of poignant stories narrated through the cutest illustrations. Octavio is one hard working dude! Bio Octavio Rodriguez is a story artist who has been in the animation industry
for over 14 years where he has also helped with the development of
characters and show ideas. Octavio has worked for Nickelodeon, Sony,
Warner Brothers, Disney, Cartoon Network, Starz/IDT, Rough Draft,
Titmouse, Epoch Ink, and is currently employed by Lucasfilm where he's
working on the TV series "Clone Wars." Octavio has self-published his
own line of sketchbooks, comics, and short stories as well as
co-created cartoonmojo.com, a website that celebrates the world of animation by showcasing the best films and the talented people who create them.When did you first start to draw/create and what inspired you to do it? It
all started in junior high, I couldn't get enough of reading French
comics and Mangas. I grew to admire the draftsmanship from my favorite
comic and graphic novel artists. Before I knew it, I found myself
creating extensive bios of my own characters. Those drawings and bios
eventually became comics that I would sell to other kids in school. I was, and still am, completely fascinated with being able to tell a story through sequential art. What is your favorite color and why?
Red-orange, especially in my art. I love the feel of it popping on the page. It just seems natural. What kind of music (or other aural environments) do you listen to when you work and why?
Can't
live without my iTunes radio. My favorite station hands down is-
"Secret Agent: The soundtrack for your stylish, mysterious, dangerous
life." I love drawing to it, it breathes life in me. The music meshes
with my style, and it inspires my line work. ... so I have to sign off this post by congratulating Mr. Rodriguez on his recent
nuptials to the beautiful and talented Elizabeth Quintero Rodriguez. I
will refrain from further embarrassing Octavio by posting a picture of
him on his wedding day, looking as nervous as a long tailed cat in a
room full of rocking chairs (I've always wanted to use that cliche!)
Xj Wang via http://maverixstudios.blogspot.com/
http://trozos.blogspot.com/
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December 3, 2009 - Thursday
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Sorry I have been slacking on posting my work lately.... I
have been crazy bz, working mainly non digitally , in preparation for a
few upcoming shows , one of them ,the ROOT BRANCH EXHIBIT at our
Studio... but there are a few more and very good ones ;) It's been pretty challenging , but a lot of fun ! I
will be posting pics of the pieces as soon as I am allowed, and get a
breather to snap shoot the pieces,,,,,,(I know .I can be lame) but for
now... Here are some old really rough preliminary sketches I did for cover concepts a while back....
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December 2, 2009 - Wednesday
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Dear faithful readers, my apologies for settling into a deep
Thanksharing food sleep and neglecting this blog. To make up for my
laziness, we shall have 2 (yes TWO) profiles per day this week.MSRB PROFILE ::: > DICE TSUSUMI
Dice is also the brain train behind the hugely successful Totoro Forest Project,
an art auction and exhibition that raised almost $200,000 for the
Totoro Forest Foundation and the equally famous Sketchtravel Project (
Ongoing) The image below is his contribution to the Totoro exhibit, while a work in progress. Bio Born
and raised in Tokyo, Dice moved to NY in ‘93. After graduating from
School of Visual Arts in 98, he started his career as a staff
illustrator for Lucas Learning Ltd. in San Fransisco. Two years later,
Dice moved back to NY to work for Blue Sky Studios
as a visual development/color key artist on their blockbuster film
projects such as Ice Age, Robots and upcoming Horton Hears A Who. After
his long adventurous 7 year run at Blue Sky Studios, he has recently
accepted the new challenge to join as an art director at Pixar Animation Studios. Dice has actively been pursuing his illustration career outside of animation as well. His graphic novel, Noche y Dia is a part of critically acclaimed anthology Out of Picture. He is currently working on this second graphic novel, Dream of Kyosuke for Out of Picture issue #2. He also has been involved with a few potential children’s book projects. Meanwhile,
Dice continues to create his plein air oil paintings that have been
featured in numerous gallery exhibitions. His oil paintings are
expected to be featured in this 3 man show next June with Soosa Kim and
Lou Romano. Dice currently lives in San Francisco.
Impressive, no? Here are Dice's answers to our 3 questions: ・When did you first start to draw/create and what inspired you to do it? I
only took a drawing class because I couldn't speak English when I first
came to the States but then my old classmates complimented my work
which lead me to innocently believe I was good. ・What is your favorite color and why? I don't know~~ ・What kind of music (or other aural environments) do you listen to when you work and why? It really depends. I love all sorts of music but I tend to focus better when I listen to Jazz. Can't wait to see Dice's contribution to the Root Branch Exhibit!
MSRB PROFILE ::: > SERGIO PAEZ :  Most
people who've met his acquaintance, particularly at this year's
ComiCon, know that Sergio is the ultimate hustler. And we mean that as
a giant compliment. The man has skillz! He is also a talented artist and storyboard extraordinaire who hosts an online community for storytelling and sequential art,
and teaches a storyboard series at Maverix Studios. Can we add that
Sergio is a committed libertarian (check out his painting of Ron Paul above... perhaps Rep. Paul will use it for his next presidential campaign, a la Shepard Fairey & Prez Obama). BioSergio
is a San Francisco artist specializing in storyboards, animation, and
visual development for TV, Feature film, and games. His animation
credits in the United States and Europe include projects for Lucasfilm,
Pixar, Sony, and Sega. As an independent filmmaker Sergio's work has
been shown at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, the North
Hampton Film Festival, and Microcinefest in Baltimore. Most recently
Sergio's work was featured in "The Art of Darkwatch" published by
Design Studio Press.・When did you first start to draw/create and what inspired you to do it?
I
was probably about 3 years old playing with crayons and copying my
brother's drawings. I still remember dividing my paper into squares and
coloring in the shapes with different crayons. Not much has changed
since then. Except now the shapes get more complicated and our egos
fill the squares instead of simple color. ・What is your favorite color and why?
Blue.
because it can make you feel blue. But if you look deeper it might be
bluegreen or blueviolet. Then you're not blue at all. Your more in the
clouds flying around or playing in the water with the fishes. If you
turn that blue upside down you might get orange. I love orange juice. ・What kind of music (or other aural environments) do you listen to when you work and why?
None.
Don't you know what Milt Kahl said about playing music while you work?
Shut that hippie music off and concentrate on making some art. The only
Nirvana you should hear is the sound of your soul reaching heaven when
you focus your chi and CREATE! Haha! I think we must now request some extra hippie music for the Root Branch show in Sergio's honor.
Xj Wang from MAVERIX STUDIOS http://maverixstudios.blogspot.com/http://trozos.blogspot.com/
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November 24, 2009 - Tuesday
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 Maverix
Studios blog is running a series of profiles with interviews showcasing
the artists for their coming Root Branch exhibit....fun short read and
very inspiring ;) The first one up is Patrick Awa . Born in Santa Monica, California, Patrick grew up in Tokyo and began his career working for a Japanese CGI production studio where he rose through the ranks to direct various commercials and short films. He moved to California in 2001 and has worked as a character/concept designer for major movies such as "Valiant "(Walt Disney Pictures) and "9" (Focus Features), as well as the upcoming "Guardians of Ga'Hoole"(Warner Bros). Patrick is currently designing characters for the CGI feature "Gatchaman" for Imagi.Artist
extraordinaire and master character designer ...I gotta say, his
responses are just as cool as his art.... and the artist himself :
Enjoy: Interview by Xiao Jing Wang ,Maverix Studios : We asked Patrick the same 3 questions posed to all the artists contributing to this exhibit. Here are his answers.Maverix: When did you first start to draw/create and what inspired you to do it?
Patrick :
"I don't remember, but I was just one of those average infants with
clayola making mess on mom's favorite kitchen wall. I think usually
people will find other interesting things to do like playing baseball,
or jumping on skateboards as they get older, and only a few
uncelebrated ones still left behind with clayola. Thats' me."
Maverix : What is your favorite color and why?
Patrick :I
like all colors, but I think I specially like "black" because there is
something very certain and deliberate about it amongst all other
seamless spectrum. "Black" is a dictator.
Maverix : What kind of music (or other aural environments) do you listen to when you work and why?
I
don't know exactly why, but I cannot listen to any music when I am
drawing lines. But I turn my iPod (or whatever around me could provide
music) on soon as it turn into painting/colori..ng phase. It's funny how they could (or could not) relate to each other.
Via Maverixstudios Bloghttp://trozos.blogspot.com/
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October 27, 2009 - Tuesday
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September 1, 2009 - Tuesday
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July 31, 2009 - Friday
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July 9, 2009 - Thursday
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July 8, 2009 - Wednesday
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  Here are some pics of one awesome artshow party , I was able to participate, in Japan. The party is a pro Unicef benefit , looks like a lot of fun :) I wish I could have been there in person ! Very cool packaging for 8.5x11 prints :) Photos by Marty Ito ( he is also the one painting the live art + one of the organizers .
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July 6, 2009 - Monday
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