Author: James Chiang

What’s Not Acceptable

MIlt Kahl’s standards were (and still are) the highest when it comes to character animation.

“I don’t mean to say that I’m all these things, but I try. I got accused over the years of being a fine draftsman. Actually I don’t really draw that well. It’s just I don’t stop trying as quickly. I keep at it. I happen to have high standards and try to meet them. I have to struggle like hell to make a drawing look good.” — Milt Kahl

Life is hard. So is making art. But it’s important to at least try to do better. And that means, some things we just can’t allow ourselves to accept if we are to be good artists. Here are a few that come to mind:

  • Doing things halfway with half effort or at half quality when you know you could do better.
  • Leaving things in a state or condition that makes it hard for others to follow up on. It’s not cool and it’s unprofessional.
  • Not giving your full attention to whatever you’re doing. When you’re doing a task, there should be nothing else on your mind but the task. (This is the toughest, so it’s more a “try” rather than a “must.”)
  • Heading into a performance, such as animating in Maya, with little vision or preparation. That’s a definite no go. (Abstract or personal art can be exceptions.)
  • Not putting ideas on paper and depending soley on your memory or feeling. This is a visual craft, layout your plans visually.
  • Assuming other people always know better, or always assuming that you do. Instead, listen to the work; the right answers will come from there.
  • Doing things out of order. Examples: animating when you should be planning, polishing when the acting and design choices are poor.
  • Overrationalizing things or overreacting to your emotions. Use your intelligence but follow your heart. Guide your passion with reason.
  • Rushing into things. Nothing good ever comes from rushing.
  • Allowing technique to override imagination. Your skills are there to support your ideas not the other way around.
  • Trying to be efficient instead of effective. Only by doing things the right way will you avoid wasting time.
  • Disrespecting your tools. Keep them clean, orderly and well-maintained . Treat them as you would treat your body and you will be rewarded during its usage.
  • Working when you have no energy or the ability to be mindful. It’s not possible to do good work in a poor state.
  • Spending too much time with people who are too rational, critical or cynical, for they will drain you of all your energy and passion.
  • Accepting laziness or inferior results. The artist who accepts lower standards soon loses his ability to see and do.
  • Overdoing it. Sometimes it’s best to leave it alone and say it’s done and move onto the next step or next piece.
  • Constantly doubting yourself (and others). Doubt impedes possibilities.
  • Using your reference as your roadmap. If you do this, you’re only copying and not creating.
  • Leaving critical issues for later. Examples: trying to solve story issues while animating or waiting to solve acting or weight issues during polish.
  • Believing that your skill or your personality alone will cover for your other deficiencies. It won’t. The code is pretty simple: do good work and be good to others. Always.
  • Not returning other people’s emails or phone messages. The people who sent them to you will remember.
  • Being too obsessed with success or failure. Both are imposters.
  • Spending every day and all day doing what you don’t want to do. Either learn to love it or, if it’s really a torture, leave it; doing a job you hate helps no one.

Knowing vs Understanding

The nearly 8 meter (26 ft) wide Guernica is one of the most powerful paintings I’ve ever seen in person. When an artist understands and controls his craft, like Picasso for instance, he can do incredible things.

“I merely told stories at a temperature from experience.” — Kim Ki Duk, Filmmaker

It’s all too easy to confuse knowledge — as it is commonly used today — with understanding. Often times, when I have lectured in schools or studios, or even to my private clientele, I’ll ask if the techniques shared with them have been understood. They often nod yes. But more often than not, they’ve not grasped the concepts. It is common, out of pride and fear, for people to lie in order to not look stupid. When something is understood, the lights goes off in the head; we suddenly “see” the truth of the matter, but this seeing can’t quite happen except in the midst of action, i.e. in performance. You see, the word “grasped” carries both weight and metaphorical significance; to understand something means more than the mere accumulation or recollection of information, it implies having mentally and physically untangled the concepts in question. For example, you can’t understand what animating weight means unless you begin to consistently animate with weight!

We always have to remember that knowledge, which is useful, is primarily a storehouse of information gathered by reading, hearing and general first hand experience. When the artist accumulates knowledge, he’s exposed to data and techniques that he must carry or store in memory. He has not achieved “know-how” yet, which is, ironically, the original definition of knowledge. Understanding, on the otherhand, is taking one’s level of perception of such knowledge to greater heights. Understanding is not memory but can use memory The artist who has understanding carries the ability to switch perspectives when looking at his craft and access appropriately the tools he needs. In otherwords, with understanding he needs not to remember how to use his tools or techniques. He is already intimate with them, have taken the knowledge and thoroughly explored every aspect of it. It’s much like someone who understands how to drive a car well — he doesn’t need to remember the many steps or activities involved with driving, he just drives to where he needs to go. The artists who truly comprehends anatomy, will not struggle with the construction or proportion. And someone who has studied design well, will naturally see his work interms of composition, shape, line and colour. Knowledge, often times, must be forced but understanding operates more naturally and more effectively. Hence, the time and effort to understand something is always worth it.

So, with this in mind, let’s look at these quotes and ask ourselves what we do know and don’t.

“Failure to prepare is to prepare for failure. ” — John wooden, NCAA Coach

If we’re still skipping this crucial step in our work, we don’t truly understand the seriousness of the consequences.

“Drawing is the probity of art.” — Ingres, Artist

If we don’t yet realize that drawing is NOT optional, we’ve not only lost access to the tremendous power that drawing brings (espcially to our capacity to see) but we’ve lost what it means to be a visual artist.

“If you can’t tell what’s happening by the way the character moves then you’re not animating.” — Chuck Jones, Animator

Neither technology nor the attempt to look real, should alter the fact that animators express ideas with the craft through movement.

“Low Art is just telling things; as, there is the night. High art is the feeling of the night. The latter is near a reality although the former is a copy.” — Robert Henri, Artist

If all we’re doing is copying reality, we’re not making art of any signifance. Reality is created, not duplicated. A visit to any art museum of significance will make this fact crystal clear.

“A work of art is the unique result of a temperament.  It’s beauty comes from the fact that the author is what he is.” — Oscar Wilde, Writer

All true art is personal. If we’re just going through the motions because it’s “just a job” being done for someone else, then we haven’t really thought this through. If we don’t make our art uniquely ours, not only will it not be any good, we won’t have much fun doing it.