JP Vine | Animation Director | Illustrator » Blog

La Belle France

JP — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 08:01:01 +0000

I could do with a game of boules right now. Three deadlines are looming over my head… I feel like a hamster in a plastic ball trying to run away from a steam roller- entering that twilight reality where I literally do not stop drawing. Ever.

Morning inks

JP — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 07:01:57 +0000

Since coming back from Belgium I’ve been getting stuck into the lovely inks and loose style of one of my favourite ever comics artists, Franquin. Though Belgian, in the sixties and seventies he was pretty much top of the pile in the french comics industry with his electric style and dry humour. The shark design below is his. His inks are both loose and intricate, and crackle with energy. Worth checking out is his book ‘Idées noires‘ (Dark Thoughts). Drawn entirely in black and white, it’s the darkest of dark humour, and showcases his amazing inks and acting skills.

So my morning warm up is all about inks a la Franquin. The Citroen 2CV at the bottom was the first car I possessed of any character. It lasted until I could see the road between my feet- and I thought it best to retire the thing.

Derby gals

JP — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 09:19:54 +0000

Met my good friends from Aardman Sara and Julia over a pint, and Julia was on her way to roller derby practice, so we tagged along for the sketching potential. It’s a great sketchbook subject! Punky girls falling over on skates! Who could ask for more.

Summer Paintings

JP — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:35:09 +0000

Summer has hit us with a vengeance…. Here’s some little tidbits of work, as a bunch of things are progressing…

Here’s a sample of progress on the Viking comic that I’ll be working on for an anthology by artists at Aardman. I’m determined to paint more than ever, so this is oils and a sprinkling of digitalness to follow. The original can now be hung on the bathroom wall

In other comics work, my partners Mysh and Oren and I are hard at work on a killer issue 2 for Duck and Cover. I’m enjoying inking BG’s before all the colouring begins. Got to tell you, Mysh’s characters for this are fantastic.

And lastly, enough of all this arty business. It’s summertime, schools out, time to build lego and head to the beach. Here’s my boy graduating to big school. So proud of this little family.

Next week I’ll mostly be in the UK and will be making a pilgrimage to the Tintin Museum in Brussels…

The contents of my head: Biplanes

JP — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:08:50 +0000

The contents of my head on another late night of designing and boarding, while in the background, France are making complete tools of themselves in south Africa… This is for a sting for the Tel Aviv Animation Festival, you’ll see it when it’s hot of the press! For more background to all this, check out the comic.

I love my palette knife

JP — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 06:53:30 +0000

…I’m developing an unhealthy affection for it.Mmm, shiny. Springy.

I’m setting up a Comic anthology project with Ashley Boddy of Aardman, showcasing stories by some of the best of Aardman’s artists. And this is the style I’m going to work in…much more news about that over the course of the summer.

Viking Oil Painting number 3

JP — Mon, 31 May 2010 06:41:30 +0000

Good morning. Some more viking goodness for you. This is oils, pastel, and a bit of photoshop jiggery.

More Oil Painting

JP — Thu, 27 May 2010 09:06:25 +0000

It’s a busy day here at viking/toucan HQ. Actually, I’m procrastinating, painting when I should be storyboarding. I’ve become somewhat averse to my computer lately.

Vikings and Oil Paint

JP — Sun, 23 May 2010 12:04:31 +0000

Quick 30 minute warm up painting this morning- Oils, pastel and pencil. I really enjoy mixed media, and pastels go onto wooden panel really nicely. I love it when a painting dictates where it wants to go, and I tag along.

Digital Painting Video

JP — Sat, 08 May 2010 17:18:52 +0000

I’m trying to crank out this picture book by committing an hour each day to it until it’s done. So, fair warning; there may be a lot of toucans around the place. I was drawing with Noah earlier today and he was showing me his Angler Fish skills. Got me thinking, could I base a story on a character as unsympathetic as an Angler fish? It’s worth a shot.

Anyway, back to toucans: