Visual Development/Concept Artist Patrick Awa is one of the most talented artists working in the animation field.
We are honored to feature one of my favorite concept artists working out there in the animation industry today. Patrick is someone whom I met during a charity art exhibit (where we were both contributing artists) many years ago. His art, and his person, are of the highest quality. He has designed for both film and television, and participates in numerous art exhibits and charity auctions, where his work often fetches record prices. I’ve been a big fan of his for many years.
A beautiful Art Exhibit piece by Patrick Awa done for the themed show, Hansel and Gretal.
It’s a rare opportunity to showcase the work of a visual development artist. Due to NDA’s, delayed releases and project cancellations, a lot of the “early” work done by a concept artist is rarely shown even years after a final product has launched (or never seen at all). So it’s a wonderful treat to be able to share some of Patrick’s work here and his thoughts. Now let’s get right to it!
Welcome Patrick! Thanks for joining us!
“Pleasure is mine, James! True honor to be featured at AnimatedSpirit.”
Can you share a little about yourself, as to where you’re from and what your early interests were before becoming an concept artist in animation ?
“Born in Santa Monica, California, I grew up in Tokyo in late 70’s through mid 90’s. Which means serious exposure to rows of giant robots and masked super heroes in crazy costumes on TV. I was one of those kids so completely captivated with those 70’s and 80’s cheesy sci-fi shows and anime, that my sketchbooks and my mom’s kitchen walls ended up being filled with lousy Crayola drawings dedicated to many characters from this genre.”
“Count Dracula in Anubis Armor” is a sensational digital piece by Patrick Awa, done as part of a 2013 “Oscar Legends” themed art show.
“When I grew up a little bit more, slapping my face and wondering what to be in my own future, after recognizing the fact that there were unlikely any mad scientists in my relatives who could give me a secret robot to defend the universe, I thought about being a professional designer. I always liked to draw, but never considered myself as a gifted, fine artist/painter able to make my own living. So I went to university in Japan to study industrial design at its tech dept to be a car designer first. The idea seemed fair to me, drawing something economically practical where you get paid. Things were different back then, there was no entertainment design major and I did not know where to start.”
Concept Designs for Walt Disney’s award-winning, dynamically designed CG Animated TV show, Tron Uprising. Drawings by Patrick Awa.
What inspired you to be part of the animation industry, and ultimately, move to and settle in Los Angeles, California?
“At the university, I came across the founder of the Japanese CG production house called Polygon Pictures while he was teaching graphic design at the school. Although my major was product design I was curious about this new media which was still fresh around mid 90’s, when “Toy Story” was not even released yet. He showed me what his team was trying to do and I was totally fascinated because it looked like the new turf where I could possibly contribute more conceptual/story-driven design work, yet still technically dealing with ‘3 dimensional’ forms that I had been trained for.”
Patrick Awa’s Character Designs for the Shane Acker-directed Animated Feature Film, “9.”
“I was pretty much clueless about CG at that point but I started as an intern there, and then eventually became an art director by the time I decided to leave. I moved to San Fransisco in 2000 as a free-lancer which sounds cool but was equivalent to a hungry job-seeker with a feeble portfolio. The first couple of years did not quite work out for me career-wise, but I was fortunate to meet a group of local talents in the industry while I lived there. I then moved to LA around 2002 for the opportunity to work on a humble CG feature “Valiant”(distributed by Disney) as a character designer and have been lucky enough to survive in the industry ever since.”
Character Designs by Patrick Awa, for the 2005 animated feature film, Valiant, produced by Vanguard Animation.
Establishing yourself as a concept artist in animation is one of the most difficult things to do in the art world. What were the first steps you took to make it all happen, and what/who gave you the confidence to persevere through the challenges?
“I actually think I got lucky to get to know so many of the top-notch talents in San Fransciso in those early days despite the fact that it was a difficult period for me at the time. Many of them were already established senior artists and I learned a lot from them in terms of how to be a good production artist.
So in a way it was accidental, and I have to mention that the industry was a little bit more laid-back and less crowded 15 years ago. But quitting a previous, full-time job in Japan and change of scenery turned out to be a good move for me. Also previously studying industrial design definitely has helped me to approach design tasks a bit differently. I never thought that I was a genius so I wouldn’t jump on my own ‘artistic’ conclusions too easily, and tried instead to resolve the design problems as logical as possible. I was already comfortable designing characters toward 3D execution and was able to build more confidence in this aspect as I proceeded to more gigs. Nowadays, I totally see more and more of young talent with 3D tools under the belt even before they start their professional career.”
Elegant and articulate prop designs by Patrick done for “9,” produced by Focus Features.
Tell us a bit about your work day. How do you get started and what’s your routine?
“It depends on what project I am on since sometimes I go to their office/studio to work on site for a few months, then the next couple of months I work from home remotely. I drink a lot of coffee regardless.
Character designs for Disney’s Toon Studio’s TinkerBell Academy. By Patrick Awa.
I don’t do much ‘start-up drawing’ in the morning, I spend my before-noon time more for gathering refs, reading/re-reading the latest script or character descriptions to measure and reconsider my results from the previous night’s work. I occasionally deal with multiple projects at the same period of time, so every Monday I usually plan out how to invest my time for the rest of the week to catch up on the individual deadlines or dues to report.”
Amazing digital concept work for the Imagi Studios CG feature film project “Gatchaman” based on the 1970’s TV series “Battle of the Planets.” Patrick was the lead concept designer of the show.
What parts of the job as a concept artist are the funnest and what are the hardest?
“Concept artists usually start working at a pretty early stage of the project, which means it is always a wild and untouched frontier in front of you. That’s kind of cool thing, nothing has been determined and it is up to you.
Concept art by Patrick Awa for the feature film, Legends of the Guardian, produced by Warner Bros.
On the other side of the same coin, it’s pretty big responsibility, over 100 artists and animators might end up working on your design to complete the movie and it could be scary if you look at it in that way. It would be terrible to know if animators hate the characters I designed so badly yet have to animate them for the next couple of years.”
“Deadly Poppy Field” by Patrick Awa. Showcased in an exhibit featuring the theme “The Wizard of Oz.”
Besides being an established industry artist, you’re also a prolific gallery artist. What inspires you to create outside of production work?
“It’s based on different kind of desire and satisfaction. I try to work more logically and collaboratively as a production artist and despite the beauty of film production work, it makes me wonder how it would be like if I play solo. I had 2 exhibits in 2015 just to come up for the air.”
Another incredibly gorgeous watercolor painting by Patrick Awa. Draken Flicka (and other amazing works by Patrick) was exhibited at the Gallery Nucleus, one of the greatest supporters/exhibitors of the artist community in Los Angeles.
Being an artist is challenging. What do you do to balance yourself in the face of all the external, as well as personal demands?
“My gallery work effort is partially connected with this factor. I try to find a balance when one of them gets too heavy-handed over the other but the weight shifts all the time. I’m still trying to find the right balance.”
A beautiful piece in acrylic and watercolor by Patrick Awa. Done for the Artists Help Japan Charity Art Auction, created in response to the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Patrick is a prolific artist, both in and outside of production or gallery work. Take a look at these sketchbook drawings!
A hypothetical; if you were to choose anyone in history that you could apprentice under, who would it be?
“I would at least love to apply to be a protégé of Klimt and watch how Egon Schiele draw in the class!”
We all owe artists that came before us. “Solitary Confinement” is a fantastic mixed media using Watercolor, Acrylic and Gel medium on Rives paper. This was Patrick’s contribution to the Mike Magnolia HellBoy 20th Anniversary Official Tribute Art Show.
Thank you so much for your time Patrick! We look forward to seeing more of your awesome work!
“Hey, thank you very much for the opportunity, James!
And to you young talents reading this, I wish my answers would’ve been more like “I aimed it and I obtained it” kind of triumph story but it wasn’t. It’s after struggling for years in those early days, that I started appreciating the opportunity to collaborate more and try new things with different directors/producers and artists. It’s been a bit of jam session. This production artist career can be creatively rewarding – to land in unexpected locations when the codes get harmonized and that’s something great about working in the industry. I hope our paths cross at some point in the near future!”
Check out these cool sculpts!!! Patrick Awa’s Coffee Bear Project is a project of making a series of bear sculptures out of paper cups from local coffee stands in different cities. Patrick re-purposes the original logo designs as if they were meant to be. He hopes to publish a nice “Coffee Bear Table Book” compiling hundred’s of paper bears.
This interview only gives you a small taste of Patrick’s elegant and diverse artistry. To see more, visit his Blog here, or his Instagram site here. You can also purchase collections of his beautiful gallery work, at this link at Gallery Nucleus.
