wonderful movies!!

Among the list of movies that have released this year yet, i will definitely put Monsters University on the top. More than any thing else it will be for , "nostalgia" reason. I was in the first year of my design school, which is 2001 when Monsters Inc. was in the cinemas, it was directed by Pete Docter and assistant directed by the likes of  David Silverman. I have been a fan of the characters Mike, Sully and the monster world ever since. To see my favorite characters on screen again more than a decade later made me ecstatic beyond description. It was wonderful to see Mike as kid and the awing journey of the two to their destination. I must say Dan Scanlon has done an impressive job with the film, though he has never worked on any of my favorite movies before this one. That being mentioned, it is no surprise i took time out and created an art work. All done in Photoshop. i also added two frames of the working stage hope it is helpful.

Below are some designs and screen shots of the opening credit animation of a upcoming Tamil film. I will be uploading the video soon. It was grueling and delightful at the same time to finish this project on time.

Kalyan Samayal Saadham Credit&Opener.mp4 from PRADEEP SONI on Vimeo.

in transition...

Every now and then i manage some time to read a chapter or two of the book, "Angel of Darkness", the grand murder mystery by Sidney Sheldon. Without doubt, it is a very gripping story. Among the countless extraordinary storytelling qualities of the author, the one which i cannot help mention is his ability to start a chapter which is completely oblivious of the narrative flow and then bring about a transition which links it  all. Speaking of transitions, the summers in Mumbai are nearing an end and the intimidating monsoons are taking subtle steps. Wonder what they are going to be like this time ?! Below is a sketch of some of my colleagues from my previous workplace. All flash.

Some sketches in flash. 

Life is sometime full of pleasant surprises. I submitted the above sketches as an artist to a lifestyle product company and they used it for their T Shirt. I got a free T Shirt too!! Yippeee!! 

A work flow of how i converted my amazing yet depressing table into an awesome one.

new story..new post..

Often mentioned as the "Master Story Teller", Sidney Sheldon has been, a part of my life since i was a child. I had not been a great lover of thick and non illustrated books back then or someone who would meticulously notice the show credits. Else, i would have known that the show with an ancient Jeannie and an astronaut, which entertained me for a while, known as, "I Dream of Jeannie", was created by him. "Angel of the Dark", apparently not one of his best creations, an averagely rated novel by him, is the first one i have come across. Things have definitely flared up in the story, but i suppose i will be writing about it in my upcoming posts.

Above is an illustration i created for my sister's business venture. All flash !

An exploration illustration. All flash !

Some vector illustrations for a print project.

HAPPY !! 2013 :)

"The Aviral" 

A very very happy new year to all of you. Hope this is your best year ever. As per the Chinese culture this is the year of the water snake. And as per the characteristics of the animal he does not settle for mediocrity. That being said, predictions for the year are that of achievements and reaching new horizons.Well, i recently re read one my favorite science fiction writer H. G. Wells's, "The Time Machine". "The Time Machine", apart from being a groundbreaking work of science fiction introducing the intriguing idea of time travel, also comments on the current social structure and and it's repercussion on the future. It, very fascinatingly describes the evolution of the humans into two different species, "The Eloi" and the ,"Morlocks". I wouldn't go on writing about the story any further as you may not have read the book.  Very often the morphing of the human stereotypes into fictional characters reminded me of the allegory by George Orwell, "The Animal Farm", which again is another great novel, and maybe i will write about it someday again when i am re reading it or making an illustration inspired by it. Above is the caricature of one my college senior and friend Aviral Saxena http://www.facebook.com/aviral.saxena . He is a magnificent and brilliant graphic designer and an artist. Below that is a tiny tutorial of how to go about making, "The Aviral". 

My year started with a little encouragement as the brilliant "Creative Gaga Magazine", featured some of my recent works. I want to thank them and i hope to do a lot more and better work in future. http://www.facebook.com/CreativeGaga?fref=ts

DIWALI 2012

A very happy diwali to all of you. Festivals, give us a reason to be close to our close ones, celebrate our life and culture. I suppose that is why they hold such an important place in our lives. Hope, we all made this diwali Eco friendly and a little quieter. I made this illustration to acknowledge and wish friends and family. It was joyous creating this artwork and i hope it bring joy to you all. Below are the steps for creating a work like this. Hope you find it helpful. Please feel free to get in touch with me in case you have any queries. Past few months, i have been catching up on the episodes of some of my favorite shows, which are The Big Bang Theory, The Modern Family, Tarak Mehta Ka Ulta Chashma and How I Met Your Mother. I think the quality of comedy in the TBBT is uphill, TMKUC and TMF are somehow maintaining the fun while HIMYM is mostly down hill.

                                    

Background details and foreground elements.

  

Working on the background.

MACABRE !!

Horror, Thriller and Comedy are one of my favorite genre ingredients for the brew of a deliciously entertaining animation film. This being so, because the creatives from every aspect of the film can unleash their imagination.  Be it the story, design or animation, each can be taken to a whole new realm.Well, two really amazing films, "Paranorman" a phenomenal stop motion film since Coraline and "Hotel Transylvania" the first feature length film directed by Genndy Tartakovsky  (the director and producer of animated television series which are milestones in the history of animation such as Dexter's Laboratory and Samurai Jack) released world wide this month. The trailer and promotional artworks  are making the wait tougher. So to make my patience count i created this art work, which is all Photoshop. Below is a tiny tutorial, hope this helps and interests you.

As i work on the visual i feel more can be added to the artwork which will not only help the composition but also the mood and value of the visual. Do not shy away from the details but do not let them suppress your original idea. Use the flow of the form ,colors ,light, composition to direct towards the focus of the visual. 

     

Start coloring and mostly what you have to keep in mind is using colors which convey the intended mood and the focus remains intact.It helps to have the elements on different layers so you can edit them as and when you want. 

At this stage you should let your imagination run wild. The last of your worries should be how you are going to execute it. Sometimes you can also start off with writing down all that you wish to show in a visual. Do not hold your self back as you can edit the image at further stages.

SUPERSONICS!!

OLAAA !! Another great work by Craig Thompson  "HABIBI",  read and appreciated. To state the obvious, inspired beyond words. Excellent adaptation of cultural aesthetics, stark and balanced contrasts with elegant compositions. The drawings are full of life with brilliance of brush textures. Last but not the least an intriguing story which takes unimaginable turns. Next, i am back to reading a classic "The Time Machine" by H.G. Wells gifted to me by a friend, and i am loving it so far. Well, a few weeks back i was at Blue Frog, a brilliant pub in South of Mumbai, to attend a show by a friend's band called the , "SUPERSONICS".Great band, do attend their performance, if they are playing in your city ever. I reached the venue much before the show started, so ended up making a couple of sketches. Here they are inked and colored by brush pens and  Photoshop.

TIME TO CELEBRATE!!

DIVA!!

THE GRUB!!

Rohan on the guitar, SUPERSONICS!!