Thursday, July 8, 2010

Piano playing

So I don't know if I've said this already - but Nick Jr (nickelodeon for lil' kids) passed on my pitch.  From it I found a pitch partner (a gal who also pitched, but is also the script coordinator on Fairly Odd Parents and Tuff Puppy, and she's written an episode of Fairly Odd Parents AND she has a reality tv show in development) and we're going to retool my pitch (and hers) and see about getting it stronger and eventually we'll re-pitch them to studios around Los Angeles.

It's weird how solo children's book companies want everything to be - but animation really encourages collaboration.  So we'll see how it goes - I figure that if we don't get something made into a cartoon (which is very likely considering how hard it is) we can attempt to adapt them into children's books...or even, if the characters are strong enough, try to license them.  But we'll see...it's the beginning of the process and we have a ways to go.

Anyway - here's something that doesn't relate to the above - but I just finished it and wanted some critique!

5 comments:

pete said...

Sorry to hear about that, Isaac. Keep at it! I gotta give you props for summoning the gusto to go through the process...and to still having the wherewithal to pursue it further is commendable. I say go for it. The characters are strong and marketable.

I really like this illustration. Particularly, I like the eyes and fingers. The color scheme is great and the grays and blues really create a cool temperature to the picture...nice and relaxed.

As far as crits go, your G# (sharp)/A Flat key - black key in the middle of the cluster of 3 - isn't centered compared to the others.

I really like the viewpoint here. You might consider showing some of the lid of the piano as well though. The keys look kinda long and the key cover/lid thingy would probably be obstructing our view from this angle. Just a thought...you could also add a nice little tip jar or object to give more feel to the setting if you show some of the piano top.

Again, though, the character really is great. You really have captured this style and your consistency is always spot on. It must be nice to never have to worry about whether your characters look like themselves from piece to piece.

If I had cable, I'd boycott Nickelodeon Jr (just kidding) as a form of protest for you! I got a chance to see that channel with my 3 year old on vacation last month and wondered what show/where you work specifically. Some really great art going on there!

pete said...

just saw it for the word "giant." key size makes perfect sense now!

Unknown said...

I originally had the lid for the piano, but since I wasn't going to show that much of it, the lid ended up looking like a weird black bar at the bottom of the picture.

Also - since it's so hard to get anything done in the arts (whether it be an animation job, which is hard to come by - or, even harder, a children's book deal...or even harder still, a cartoon deal)...you have to expect to be told no quite a lot. But it'll happen sooner or later - and even if not, as long as you're working on something that's fun...then it's still rewarding (except for the week after getting that rejection).

And I'll be moving that one black key over - good eye!

Unknown said...

This is your best image yet. I love the expression and the keys of the piano are great. Good job on the eyes too.

Patti said...

I really like this. Sorry to hear about your cartoon proposal. I really think these guys would be good for licensing.