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What
time is it?
This
is an extremely common question that I am asked, especially when I am wearing
what is called a "watch." A "watch" is a device that tells you the time, without
the use of the Sun. I heard that it is important to wear it on your left wrist,
or else you will turn into an accordian-playing monkey. Don't ask me why they
call it a "watch." I would have called it "Time-Teller." The answer is 11:22AM.
Alright,
alright. Here are some real questions.
What
does See Out Loud mean?
In
high school, my friends and I had a graffiti crew called SOL: Spraycan Out Laws,
or Styles Others Lack (I went by the tag FOCUS). I consider these years invaluable
in shaping my creativity. I named this site See Out Loud to carry on the SOL
name. The fellas have gone on to direct short films of their own. Check out
their work at www.sevenohfive.com (705 is SOL upside down). Be sure to check
out the short, "3 Card Studs."
Do
you still write graffiti?
Since
I've joined the "working" world, I haven't had much time to do pieces. We used
to paint on the legalized walls of Huntington Beach back in the day, but they
shut that program down years ago. I still paint at UC Berkeley's Annual "Hip-Hop
in the Park" from time to time. If there is anyone out there that would like
to commission me and the crew to do a wall, I'm completely open to that.
How
did you get to work with Aaliyah? What was she like?
I
had the pleasure of meeting her a few times. The 1st time was in 1996, at 106.1
KMEL's annual Summer Jam concert. I was a Berkeley student at the time, and
my hip-hop dance crew won a competition to perform during the show. I met her
backstage, and exchanged contact info with her father to potentially do artwork
for them. A few years later, I showed her label some of my new work, and I was
asked to do her album art and ad campaign. I met her again on the set of her
video, "We Need A Resolution," to show her a rough animatic of the commercial
I was directing for her. Even from those brief encounters, it was clear she
was one of those people that could light up a room with her presence...charming
and beautiful, inside and out. May she rest in peace.
Have
you worked with George Lucas personally?
I've
met with him numerous times for artwork reviews. He's an extremely intelligent
innovator, and I admire his accomplishments and what he has done for the film
industry. Star Wars fueled my imagination and love for drawing when I was growing
up, so I'm grateful to him for that.
I
like to draw, and I am interested in becoming a concept artist for film. How
do I go about doing that?
Even
though I didn't take this particular route, the best thing is to enroll in art
or design school. Most of my peers studied industrial design, transportation
design or illustration. There are a number of really good schools out there:
Pasadena Art Center, Academy of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Otis etc.
and many of them now offer entertainment design courses. But keep in mind that
school isn't everything. What matters is how good your portfolio is. I got into
the ILM art internship program as an economics major with a portfolio of graffiti
and sketches I did for fun. (I was rejected the 1st time I applied and was accepted
the 2nd time) That got my foot in the door, and I worked my ass off the next
four years, constantly absorbing and learning. I would also highly recommend
purchasing "Art of" books for films. Some really good ones are the Art of Star
Wars, the Matrix, Alien(s) and the Disney and Pixar films. Just keep practicing,
and compare your art to the work done by the professionals. I am always analyzing
my weaknesses and searching for ways to improve.
I
am interested in working at ILM as a computer graphics artist. Do you have any
suggestions?
CG
work is not really my area of expertise. I do know that ILM is a really competitive
place to get into, and it helps to have a reel demonstrating experience in film
or video games. If you are a college student, Lucasfilm/ILM does offer a great
internship program, and you can find out more info at www.ilm.com.
What
do you use to create your images?
Almost
all of my conceptual art is sketched with pencil, then I will either tone with
Prismacolor pens and/or scan my drawings into the computer to paint in Adobe
Photoshop. Similarly, my graphic design work is loosely sketched out first,
then scanned in and retraced in Adobe Illustrator. I plan on having a step by
step overview of how I work by March, so stay tuned.
Who
do you admire / Who are your influences?
Too
many to name them all...but here's a shot.
Art:
I was never formally trained in art, so my major influences are my peers that
I have worked with in the film industry. I admire the artistic eyes of Doug
Chiang, Ryan Church, Iain McCaig, David Nakabayashi, Brian O' Connell, Dermot
Power and Erik Tiemens. My heroes growing up were Norman Rockwell, Bill Watterson
(Calvin & Hobbes), Chuck Jones, Syd Mead, Shoji Kawamori (Macross), Los
Angeles graffiti artist SLICK, and the OG Star Wars artists, Joe Johnston, Nilo
Rodis-Jamero and Ralph McQuarrie.
Film:
Films by Christopher Guest, Stanley Kubrick, Spike Jonze, Francis Ford Coppola, James Cameron, P.T. Anderson, Brad Bird, Robert Zemeckis and George! Mike Meyers and Adam Sandler movies are a guilty pleasure, especially Happy Gilmore.
Music:
As with many people, music drives my art and my life...especially hip hop.
I love Common, Nas and Lauryn Hill for lyricism, Gang Starr for Premier's beats, and De La Soul for innovation. Outside of hip hop, favorites of mine are Michael Jackson, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Donny Hathaway, D'Angelo, The Strokes, Weezer, Aimee Mann, Elvis Costello, The Cure, Hall & Oates, Pat Benetar, Billie Joel, Elton John (his old stuff), Van Morrison, The Beach Boys, T-Rex and The Beatles.
Leadership
and Character: Former President Jimmy Carter, Robert Kennedy, U2's Bono, The Beastie Boys, former UC Berkeley Chancellor Tien, and my parents.
I
have a jar of peanut butter, a glass of milk and two slices of sliced bread...and
I'm also hungry. What should I do?
Here
in United States, we are extremely fond of "smoothies." Simply place all the
above mentioned ingredients into a blender, and blend until you get tired of
dancing. Pour into a tall glass and garnish with feta cheese. Voila! "Smoothie."
For the adventurous types, substitute the milk with Grape Nuts cereal. This
is called a "roughie." I will upload a demo of this in March as well, so stay
tuned.
Last
question...Yes, you in the back, with the Spock ears....
I
want to be your friend. I just want to be your friend. Do you need any more
friends? Can I just be your friend?
Uh...
I gotta go.
Where
are you going?
I
have to uh....go feed my...uh...goldfis-
-You're
lying. You hate fish. I've done my research. You're all the same. I thought
you were different....BUT YOU ARE NOT!!! YOU, MISTER, are A LIAR!!! YOU HEAR
ME? DO YO-
-Alright.
That will conclude this session of Frequently Asked Questions. Goodbye.
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