#aurelien predal

[gebo4482]

Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse

Arist: Jake Panian / Ami Thompson / Aurelien Predal

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Across The Spider-Verse - Concept Color Keys: The Quad Team

These keys were created for ATSV by the talented Production Designer Aurelien Predal

Color Keys are concept frames crafted by designers and animators to lock on the specific backgrounds and colors of the to-be-animated scenes.

From what we can tell so far, it seems like they weren't planning on having Hobie wear his guitar 24/7 until later in development - as he's not wearing it in any of the later keys.

[extracurious]

ATSV and ITSV Concept Arts

I just love the art department! ❤

(Arts by Jay Thakur, Hethe Srodawa, Wendell Dalit, Aurelien Predal ,Zac Retz)

-SONY IMAGEWORKS

[evelmiina]

Hi Eva,

I have a fee questions regarding your wonderful work. I'm currently working on my visdev portfolio, but going a bit insane thinking about keeping my artstyle consistent if i'd ever be hired. I just looked through your background paintings and wondered how you keep your backgrounds in a consistent style. I love your nature studies too, and they look so different from your work pieces... More free and explorational. Is it difficult to keep up the habit of learning new techniques and exploring styles once you're on a job? I'm so full of ideas and feel like sometimes the idea would require a certain style/technique to be pulled off in the best way. Do you feel that too sometimes and is it restricting in a way to then keep the style of the paintings the same.

Would love to hear your thoughts on that!! :)

Hi Eekonis!

First off: don't worry! I don't think consistency is an issue... I feel like any artist no matter the level, feels like their work is all over the place. I think of consistency more like per project, rather than overall my work. 

If you're interested in vis dev, a good way to showcase your work in a portfolio and not feel overwhelmed and all over the place, is to create just one project. I saw in your portfolio the bat story exploration, that's great! Just pick one of the ideas you have. Truth is we never feel ready to do something and we postpone and ruminate, but you have to start somewhere. My friend always says, "vain tee se" (just do it) and that's really all there is. Imagine your story as a film/TV (or game, or comic, but you have to choose one), and make designs and paintings of how you imagine it. You can try searching for visual development portfolios and see what other professional artists have included in theirs, there's so many ways to go about it. From the top of my head I'm thinking Aurelien Predal, Marie Thorhauge, Scott Watanabe, Kevin Roualland, Sylvain Marc. Also art books of movies or shows you like are really useful. There's a lot of art of movies and artists, tutorials etc collected in character design references website, from all around the world.

If your own idea feels too vague or the story is not set and you get stuck on it, you could also choose an existing story like a fairytale or a novel. Try to be intentional with your pictures - you want to be clear and tell a story after all, you want people to feel like they get to know the characters and the world from just one picture, and they really want to know the full story. In your portfolio, I like your bat story explorations and it seems cool, but it's currently missing some characterization and story. It would be a good idea to illustrate story moments or character design that really shows the personality, gesture, acting. And when you create environments, make them feel lived and inhabited, give them just as strong mood and character as you would to characters. 

Consistency within a project is just about setting rules and limitations, some of them come from the ability and skill. Others are more like, what brushes to use, what are the visual goals, influences and references. You can go pretty far in breaking down how pictures are made and what makes a style. For example, why do Ghibli movies look like Ghibli? What kind of color palettes, compositions, camera angles, tools were used? How realistic/cartoony is it? There’s internal logic to everything designed, and with practise it becomes more visible.

I don't know if I intentionally try to learn new styles all the time. I'm generally just motivated by doing what I think is fun or what I want some piece to say about story, character or my own feelings and trying to do it best I can. It sounds simple but... if the goal is to do something really well, then I just do my best to learn it. There are some styles that I really love and think are amazing, but would probably take decades to pull off and I just accept that I don't really want to go that way, and I focus on things that I really want to keep at. It's always possible to switch directions, but to get good at something you have to commit to one thing at a time. 

So yes, I face my limitations all the time. I'm very familiar with feeling like, so and so would do better job, someone is always better than me for sure. Sometimes it is painful to not be able to draw or paint in a way I want. I think this probably never changes, it's just human nature. But I dunno, some people get satisfaction from making AI do their project in the style they want, but if I was able to do something in a snap of fingers, like just get the perfect style for my project, it wouldn't feel good to me. I guess I want the full experience of suffering and joy of figuring things out myself. Sometimes it will suck and hurt, but you learn more about yourself and it'll get easier to recognize what you really want to make. Then, you can always do a little bit better next time.

[weirdlandtv]

Concept drawings by Aurélien Predal for what became MOOMINVALLEY.

[nofatclips]

Ray's Big Idea by Steve Harding-Hill

[oliverpopp]

x-wing in the morning

(a quick colorstudy of a picture by the overtalented @aurelienpredal)

[the-spinach-box]

Colour keys by: Aurelien Predal. Production design by: Scott Wills.

(Source: Instagram / Aurelien Predal's website).

[k-gill-animation-year3]

analysing artists

During the group tutorials the other day with Jon he gave me some examples of artists to look at for reference, especially with more regards to background designers.

http://www.aurelien-predal.com/

Aurelien Predal is a concept artist and production designer

still endds doing

[laetro]

Faustine Merle: Discovering Her Love for Illustration

Faustine Merle gives us a preview of her experiences and learnings as an art student in Paris.

Faustine Merle is currently a Fourth-year student at animation school, Gobelins, in France. During this time, she’s honed a love for illustration as part of Visual Development, Character Design, and Concept Art.

ORDER CUSTOM ART

Q. Please elaborate on your exposure, education, and experience gained in relation to art since the initial days when you first recognized your love for it.

Faustine Merle: I have always had a passion for drawing, which is why I started Art studies in High School. Graduated in Applied Arts, wherein I gained a taste for working on projects. I then naturally chose animation because of my love for movement and dynamism in drawing and also because I like teamwork.

I started a DMA (Arts Trades Diploma) and, after one year, was accepted at the Gobelins Animation School in 2018. There I learned to master the use of many software–2D, traditional and 3D animation–and mostly Character Design and Visual Development. I did two different internships in French animation studios. The first one was specialized in advertising while the second was in a TV series studio.

Q. What kind of characters do you enjoy illustrating and how do you conceptualize and execute them?

Faustine Merle: I really enjoy drawing joyful characters with a lot of energy. I always begin a character’s work by doing a lot of random sketches in a sketchbook. Then, when I find one I like, I scan it and begin to color on Procreate or Photoshop. Most of the time, I refine it on the software. I try to find the best pose, the most dynamic one. I love the contrasting ambiance as also the light and shiny effects.

Q. Kindly share with us your significant illustration works in the genre of Concept Art.

Faustine Merle: I think the most significant illustration works I did in terms of Concept Art are the ones for my adaptation project of the “Enchanted Flute” and the “Night Queen”. That’s because they’re a mix of Character Design research, colorful colors, a poetic mood, and emotions.

Q. How would you describe your style in terms of subjects or themes you choose and techniques and skills you apply?

Faustine Merle: I always like to approach a poetic story with a bit of magic inside it. I like to make people feel emotional with happiness. That’s why I like stories that happen at night, with lights which look like magic. Using digital software like Photoshop and Procreate help me create those kinds of ambiances because they allow me to try out many lighting effects.

I also like a lot of funny stories with many colorful and dynamic characters. Most of my works are sketches on paper, with sometimes watercolors or other techniques, in order to try out many characters and ideas.

Q. What kind of work are you looking forward to doing after graduating and what kind of an illustrator do you want to grow into?

Faustine Merle: After graduating, I would like to do Visual Development work in feature film studios, trying out Character Designs alongside Concept Art and research for the creation of a new virtual universe.

Q. Which artists from the past and present do you look up to and why?

Faustine Merle: I really look up to Aurelien Predal and Salamispots (Tumblr) in terms of color and Concept Art because I really like their sense of colors. As for Character Design, I really like the works of Sylvain Marc, Deanna Marsigliese, and Nicolas Marlet for their energy and the prolific sketches they do.

Q. How have your skills grown through your four years of education? What have been your major learnings?

Faustine Merle: Firstly, through the course of this year, I learned to master software I didn’t know earlier but use today (Photoshop, Tvpaint, etc.) I also learned to create a short film–”The Pipeline”–and the organization it takes.

The school allows us to have skills in almost all the animation jobs, so I learned 2D animation, Background Design, 3D, Story Board, and so on. Thanks to these past years, I have realized that what excites me the most is Visual Development and Character Design.

Q. Please tell us more about your experience at Gobelins, as a student of art.

Faustine Merle: I really learned a lot at Gobelins. It is such a growing experience. Mostly, working with my classmates has been inspiring because people are really good. So you naturally want to be better and do better. There is a lot of mutual aid between people and the atmosphere of our class is great. I like the way we do all the different exercises with a lot of freedom. Yet we learn so much each time.

I’ve had the opportunity to try out many different skills and develop my own style. We’ve had really great teachers like Yohann Hervo and Daniel Cacouault. Sometimes, though, the organization of the school is unsatisfactory and the staff is not always attentive to the students.

Q. Are there any particular clients or other artists you’d like to work or collaborate with?

Faustine Merle: I would like to collaborate with the artists I mentioned earlier because I really love them. Also musical artists. Indeed, I would love to do a project really linked with music because I am a huge fan of musicals.

Q. What are 3 things you wish or intend to achieve in your work?

Faustine Merle: I think I would like to work in the US (or just travel all over the world for work); move kids and people with characters or moments, like those who moved me when I was a kid and still do.

And, finally, to develop my skills in many more techniques–may be more traditional ones like gouache painting.

[gebo4482]

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse by Aurelien Predal #5

[presearch2020]

Setdesign 5

22-10-2020

Ik ben de afgelopen tijd bezig geweest met de set af te maken. Omdat ik geen duidelijke schets had voor mezelf moest ik dit gaandeweg “freestylen” dit betekent veel uitproberen, dat weer schrappen en opnieuw proberen. Dit duurde langer dan gedacht maar uiteindelijk heb ik een set gemaakt waar ik tevreden mee ben en waar het idee ook naar voren komt. Het is nu nog allemaal grijze massa, maar de volgende stap die ik ga nemen is alles texturen.

Hier het proces van de set:

De balken op het einde moeten rijen graan voorstellen, de platte cirkels worden hooibalen maar dit wordt allemaal duidelijk wanneer de textures erop komen.

Hoe ik deze set na het meertje heb opgebouwd is voornamelijk door veel naar theatervormgeving te kijken. Hierin wordt veel gebruik gemaakt van geforceerd perspectief en het suggereren van ruimte of objecten. Enkele referentie en inspiratie van mij zijn het volgende:

Dit is een ontwerp voor Revolting Rhymes door Aurelien Predal. Hoe de bomen in zijn gezet in een ruimtelijke set vind ik heel sterk. Het is een frisse manier om een groep bomen te maken, op deze manier zou het ook in theater ingezet kunnen worden. Het is een sterke stilering/ abstrahering die niet afdoet aan de geloofwaardigheid van het beeld. Het blijven bomen, ook al ziet de rest er minder plat uit.

Dit is een set uit een theater stuk het interessantste hieraan is de opbouw van coulissen en hoe dat een geforceerde horizon creëert. De graanrijen lopen natuurlijk naar boven maar hierdoor suggereren ze een verdwijnpunt waardoor er diepte ontstaat. Dat het omhoog loopt is ook het meest logische omdat hierdoor het publiek ook dat effect ervaart.

Dit is een matte painting door Aurelien Predal, het sterke hieraan is dat het in principe 1 cutout is waarin diepte gesuggereerd wordt. Het zijn eigenlijk een paar planes bij elkaar gezet maar toch voelt het als een hele rijke scene. Ik hoop dat dit op dezelfde manier ook bij mij gaat uitbetalen.

[leacoustique-dailysketches]

Today, it’s a batman & strawberries fanboy ;) I’m studying colors used by Aurelien Predal. Trying to understand how the fuck does it work ;) 

[alvadee]

@tianaoreglia replied to your post: I randomly feel like appreciating the Hotel...

wish they ended up making Popeye

YES. I WAS SO MAD. The test animation they released OMG!!! And in the clip you could see some concept art AND I IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED THE STYLE OF AURELIEN PREDAL, which, duh, I love. (He did a lot of amazing art for A Monster in Paris). So yes, I feel you!

[weirdlandtv]

Concept art by Aurélien Predal for Genndy Tartakovsky's aborted POPEYE feature.

[vfxexpress]

Locksmith Animation Officially Opens in London Facility UK studio Locksmith Animation has officially opened its London facility with a celebration toasting founders Sarah Smith (director, Arthur Christmas), Julie Lockhart (producer, Shaun the Sheep Movie) and media executive Elisabeth Murdoch. Located in Primrose Hill, the 5,000 sq. ft., three-level shop will house 70 artists, crew and staff as well as serving as a base for writers, directors and producers working on Locksmith projects. The studio plans to deliver one CG animated movie every 12 to 18 months. “The studio gives a home to Locksmith’s high-flying ambition to create a major new strand of CG-animated movies here in London,”co-CEOs Smith and Lockhart stated. “It’s a wonderful building – but it’s the artists it houses that are our greatest assets. We hope it will add to the appeal of London as a world-class destination for the best animation talent working today.” As part of its multi-year 20th Century Fox partnership, Locksmith is currently in production on its first flick: Ron’s Gone Wrong, due in November 2020. The story is about a must-have tech toy — a robotic, digitally connected companion — and an 11-year-old boy who ends up with a dysfunctional one. The award-winning team includes director J.P. Vine (story artist – Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur), production designers Nathan Crowley (Dunkirk, Interstellar) and Aurelien Predal (Mune: Guardian of the Moon; viz dev artist – The Little Prince), producer Lara Breay (Megamind, Penguins of Madagascar), editor David Burrows (The LEGO Movie), cinematographer David Peers (Happy Feet) and VFX supervisor Philippe Denis (Trolls).