I was offered only one class so I will be taking the next quarter off from teaching. It’s quite likely that I will be taking the following quarter off as well. I have some things going on in April.

However, I will be around from time to time and you can reach me by email.

Thanks,
Sheff

I'm just posting this link because I think it's interesting.

In terms of looking at what our society values, is this any real suprise?  Is it any wonder why the state of education is the way it is? 

For those of you who are presenting your projects tomorrow, take a look at this site.   A high concept screenplay is one that can be expressed in 25 words or less.

This is a list of screenplays that were sold in 2007, but not made, or at least, not made yet.  Notice how elegantly simple some of these story loglines are.

The most painful thing for me to sit through is when someone drones on and on about an incomplete idea which is the basis for their project.  The more clear and concise you are in verbally expressing an idea, the better off you will be.

I cannot count the number of times when a student has shown me a chicken scratch drawing and then proceeded to talk my ear off about what that drawing is.  If the drawing was any good, YOU DON'T HAVE TO TALK ABOUT IT.  You want to be able to express your ideas VISUALLY.  We are working in a visual medium.

Nine times out of ten, you will not be able to stand next to you art and explain it to whoever is looking at it.  Again, a picture is worth 1000 words.  If you have to verbally recount those 1000 words, then your picture isn't very good.

Getting back to this website, the inception of it is a great idea.  It's also the fact that the screenplay generates buzz on merits of the screenplay itself.  Without having read some of those screenplays, notice that you IMMEDIATELY GET IT, from the logline.  In addition, some of the titles for these screenplays are unbelievably perfect.

If you don't get it, or if you cannot make the person you are presenting to, get it, all is lost.  Do not talk about things that do not relate to your project.  Do not begin by saying, "I suck."  I saw a student do this in a portfolio review.  He started with "I suck, heh heh." 

Anyway, the list was started by a guy working for Leonardo di Caprio.  So this guy is trying to find a good movie for his boss to either produce or star in.  What better way of doing that than asking your friends who all read screenplays for a living?

Be smart, have  a strategy and a goal.  Don't just drift through the system. 

I came across this really great article.  It's basically about how you can recognize a character from silhouette.  This incredibly simple concept continues to elude many.

I would invite anyone taking character design to make a photocopy of one of their characters that they've created for class and fill it in with a fat black sharpie.  Then I challenge them to see if they can still tell it's their character.  See if when your character is filled in if you still even like him.

Now I suggest that you you do the same with an image of one of your favorite characters, i.e. Superman, Batman, etc. and see if you can still tell who it is.

I've said it before in Life Drawing and Painting classes I've taught, "You get more mileage with shapes, than with line."  Yet still, I see people drawing furry lines, in the vain hope that the viewer will pick the right one, so they won't have to draw it.

Enjoy the article, I don't know much about these guys, but I am now reading about what they do.

Sufing their site, I came across a link to Marcos Chin, who inspired one of their illustrations.

This also led me to Worth1000.com, their registered user site with some Photoshop contests.  I had never heard of this site until today, but there is a stunning amount of skill and creativity and an equal amount of weirdness in some of the entries.  I challenge my students to come up ideas like this.