Noosa Yoghurt spots

Above: Concepts and final images for several Noosa Yoghurt commercials.

Produced at House Special Productions, Directed by Aaron Sorensen

The Prodigal and 37Stories.

Concept art from "The Prodigal."

For the last year we have been developing a short film inspired by the biblical story of the Prodigal Son.

As we enter production, we are trying to raise finishing funds.

The Prodigal is what we hope will be the first of 37 short films based on biblical parables.
If you are interested in learning more about the project or contributing to the film... please visit

https://37stories.com/give/

Fat Five

Above: The final commercial designed by me, and directed by Aaron Sorensen at House Special. A link to a higher rez version HERE.

A while back I was asked to design a sort of experimental stop motion TV ad with 2D backgrounds.

Above: Part of the pitch package.

To pitch for the job we created a sort of proof of concept. Using one of my illustrations to build a practical set out of paper using the forced perspective of the 2D sketch.

Above: Part of the pitch package.

Originally the story took place in various locations... including a city. This is a quick concept sketch to show what that may have looked like. 

Above: A concept design

After the job was awarded, a storyboard was created, and stop motion set was built inspired by some of my designs. 

Once the practical set was lit and shot, I would go back in and design around the models. Which then would be put together for the final image.

Above: A few of the many concept sketches I created for the spot.

El Tigre Concept: Dad's humble abode

Some more Concepts from El Tigre- This time concepts for Dad's (White Pantera's) room.

White Pantera is a super hero... but refuses payment for his good doing... so lives in complete squalor. I thought it would be fun to push the contrast between the sparseness of Dad's room with the opulence of super-villain Grandpa's fancy crib.

As usual I explore the bathroom area early on... to get a better handle on what sort of man lives in this space.

Book of Life: Parade Balloons 2

Above: Parade balloon concepts inspired by Mexican folk toys- for the animated feature "The Book of Life."

The Book of Life: Fountains 1

Above: A few of my fountain sketches for "The Book of Life."

Every detail in the "Land of the Forgotten" was thought out carefully. Here I was exploring a fountain that was planned near the grand entrance. You'll notice most of my designs are very rough. My technique for most every assignment was to explore as many ideas as I could in the short time I was given. Trying to give as many choices to the creative team as possible. I explored dozens of fountain ideas. Whimsy and fun were the artistic direction I was given.

More fountains to come...

Undercover Blues Trailer

While I was still in college I worked for a small animation company called CimityArts, ran by producer Barbara Cimity. Working in a small studio is the best training a young animator can have... and I recommend it to anyone starting out in the industry.  The fact that the crew is so small, you end up doing whatever comes in the door; animation, design, boards, ... even directing.

A section from my "Undercover Blues" trailer board.

One of my early assignments was the trailer for the family film "Undercover Blues." (1993) I was asked to art direct, and board the trailer. This was in the days before computers were really part of the production process... so we shot actual objects... and actual baby under camera. We had a "spare baby" stashed in back just in case the first one didn't work out.

During this period I was heavily influenced by the art of the amazing designer, Cliff Boule. Cliff sort of took me under his wing, and showed me the ropes production wise. At the time he was well known for his black paper pencil sketches.

I have a video copy of the trailer on 3/4" tape... one day I hope to transfer my old work to digital media... and will post the video at that time.

Burgers a go-go

A number of years ago, I was asked to come up with some ad ideas for a popular fast food chain. In the mid 1990's I had worked with some shadow puppets on the island of Java, and thought it would be fun to make a commercial using "American" shadow puppets. Designing characters with simple shapes and colors, working digitally and traditionally I imagined making a "super" shadow puppet theater. To my surprise the client liked the idea too! Some development was made, but ultimately it was decided to go another route.