Editor’s letter
to a different approach
This month we shine an Anglepoise lamp over the exciting work of CG animation. The industry has come a long way since a group of artists decided to create a film based on the adventures of plastic toys, because their smoothness and shine made them easier to render than hair and fur – as with 1995’s excellent Toy Story. Evidently, technology doesn’t always hold the key to innovation. People do. Talent and creative enterprise makes a difference.
What I’ve also found interesting with this month’s workshop artists is that although they still use core art principles, they also adopt a different approach to working on an image. Lighting, for one, seems to be a key factor early on when setting up a scene. See if you can apply these principles, and whether this improves your art.
I also enjoyed Chris Oatley’s insights into getting a dream job in animation (page 60). It’s not just about being the best artist you can be, but also about fitting into a team and making the aims of your boss or company your goal. We also met with Moonbot Studios (page 40), an inspiring environment bursting with creativity.
Hopefully, you’ll find lots of inspiring thinking bursting out of these pages, too. None more so than in our FXPosé section. Here’s where you can see what your contemporaries are creating, and it’s also where art directors go when they’re looking for the next artist to commission. To be a part of this, simply send us your art – details on page 19. It could be the best move you ever make.