Joybox

Music Picks from Twenty-11

2011-12-29T13:32:00.000+10:00

One of my favourite things about this time of year is reading people's "Best of" lists. Its such a great way of finding new music. The hype has tempered, people have a little more perspective. Its a good time.
This year I thought I'd put together a short list of some of my favourite songs from the year. Not all of them were released this year, but I heard them all for the first time in 2011.(For the sake listenability I put some of the more challenging ones at the end. be warded - swear words happen.)
My picks from 2011 by Alex Grigg on Grooveshark

There are looooads of songs and artists left off this list (for various reasons), but a couple that deserve a mention - Joe Goddard with Gabriel (I couldnt find the right version on grooveshark) Azealia Banks with her genius 212, Realestate misses out purely because I've got another song by Matthew Mondanile in there (under Ducktails) and The Weeknd was left off because I think his songs are a lot stronger when they are in the album.
If you have a list of your own, link me up. I would love to hear

Sleepy Travelers.

2011-12-27T21:00:00.000+10:00

A couple of sleepy train travelers.
Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas! Thanks for stopping by this year. Love you all.
Alex

mademoiselle

2011-12-14T21:05:00.000+10:00

A little something I sketched while I watching Midnight In Paris the other day. So many great costumes in that film!

1 minute sketches

2011-11-25T19:09:00.001+10:00

Work has been busy lately, but I've started trying to fit 10 minutes of warm up sketches in at the start of the day. I took a leaf from Matt Forsythe's book and started using this gesture drawing tool.
Ive got pages of these but none are digital.

Hope you're all well, will hopefully be able to share some of the stuff I've been working on at Mighty Nice soon.

Monkey Up

2011-11-06T23:36:00.000+10:00

Earlier this year I teamed up with the PRA to design their first Mobile platform game for 2Play Mobile. It was a really quick after hours gig, but was loads of fun. Hope you enjoy!

The final scrolling background, and the original concept I deliverd.

The Character concept.

Some Exploration sketches.

Million Faces.

2011-10-31T23:00:00.000+10:00

Hi there blog,This is a part of a really quick, really fun job I did for a client a couple of weeks ago. I was commissioned to pitch a character design template that could be used to populate a game.The first drawing was the template I pitched, and the following drawings are examples of the way the template could be used.

The design wasn't chosen in the end, but it was a nice way to spend a Sunday.

I have a couple of fun things I want to share over the next week or two, so drop by again soon :)

Sketchening

2011-09-17T19:44:00.000+10:00

A few months ago I made the decision not to show my sketchbook to anybody. Not even if they asked really nicely. I did this mainly because when it comes to drawing, I have an ego. Its embarrassing to admit but its true. I like to think that I'm ok at drawing, and I like to think that my peers think the so too. If I'm sketching in my sketch book and there's a chance that other people will see all my ridiculous ideas and shitty sketches I tend to get afraid, and draw something I already know how to draw. Thats not what I want from sketching. I know that to get a good idea I have to work through 9 really bad ones. I cant skip the bad ones. They are part of the good one. So I stopped letting people look through my sketchbook. Now I love drawing more than I ever have.

Because you are my friends I want to share a few pages of my sketchbook. Im not saying these are the good ideas I've mentioned. Just ideas I thought were funny or kind of got into. None of them well drawn or executed, but they were fun. Hopefully the well drawn good ideas will surface over the next few months/years.

An idea for a poster I was asked to make.

I love "There Will Be Blood" the "Fuck" is a study from A Type of Show exhibit

I caught a plane the other day

Theres an amazing pie shop near my place in Newtown called Pie Tin. Its good for drawing.

While I was at Dr D I got a lot of drawing time as I waited for shots to come through.

My good buddy Simon Westlake.

In other life news. I finished working on Happy Feet 2 a few weeks ago. Im now working with the super great folks at Mighty Nice. I should be able to release some really fun work I've been doing with them v soon. Stay tuned! Oh and I'm also studying with iAnimate. Which has taken up a lot of my time, it has been a pretty big factor in not posting anything lately.
Hope you're all well
Alex.

Deep breath.

2011-06-29T13:24:00.001+10:00

I've got a week off before I move to sydney. It feels amazing to sketch again! The more I use ink and watercolour the more I love it.

Rosie Sleeping

Its hard to believe there was a time that I didnt like drawing girls.

Strutten Show. Lino Cut Prints

2011-06-27T11:39:00.004+10:00

I mentioned recently that I'd been invited to take part in Strutten Launch Party exhibition.
Now that the show is all wrapped up I thought I'd share the work I sent them, as well as some thoughts on the process. These are Lino Cut prints, hand pressed on German etching paper.

This was my first gallery show (excluding that Smirnoff thing I did in sydney last year, because that was more of a Marketing/commission thing). I've written a long winded explanation, and then deleted it because I think I can summarise my feelings on it all by saying that - it was a mixture of failure and success.

Im not totally stoked on the final designs, the wolf one is the only one that really converted from my concept. The second two lost a lot during the making of them, and even then the concepts weren't that strong. It was fun to get away from the computer though, and get some ink and blood on my hands. It was also pretty fun seeing if I could make Lino Cutting look fresh and get away from that usual aesthetic.

Congrats to the crew at strutten, who managed to pack 300 kids into the gallery. Keep an eye on them! They are super good at what they do.

Its been busy

2011-06-20T22:59:00.002+10:00

20 minute Vivian Maier study.

The last 5 or 6 month have been really busy. In a good way... but it feels like the manic rush of colliding jobs is finally coming to an end. Or maybe a better way to describe it- I'm hittin the breaks a bit. Limiting the amount and type of work I'm accepting, and hopefully getting to focus on the projects I feel most strongly about. More on that in the coming months.

These are a few little pieces from my hard drive to clear out the cob webs. The guys from Tiger Choir asked if I could help record some of their set while they were supporting the drums around Australia. It was a fun exercise. There are a lot of things I'd do differently next time, so Im looking forward to doing it again when I have some time. Editing spontaneous stuff like this can be a tricky for me, its like putting together an intricate puzzle, but often the pieces you need arent there. Im guessing the more experience I get the more I'll collect the pieces I need when I need them.
A couple of sketch book pages from the weekend-

Oh and contrary to my opening statement about work, Im moving to Sydney for a couple of months to work on what looks like a pretty hectic project. Its all part of my master plan though. Stay tuned!

Strutten launch party/booze fest.

2011-06-12T15:57:00.000+10:00

The fine chaps and chappettes over at Strutten.com are having a launch party/gallery exhibit this Friday, and if the prospect of booze and lovely company isnt enough to get you on there, perhaps a couple of my paintings will.

I wont post any of the work I've done so far, but its a departure from my normal stuff. All designed especially for the event and hand printed. It might be a failure on my part, but it was a nice chance to learn some new skills.

Bleeding Heart Gallery at 166 Ann St in the city from 6-10pm on June 17

Oh, and all bar proceeds go to charity. Totally just planned your friday afterwork drinks for you.

Nude Study

2011-04-28T23:55:00.000+10:00

My cintiq arrived today, so this is a mandatory excited with a quick sketch. Its one of the smaller 12 inch ones, but seems to suit me really well. This is a quick reference study I did to test it out.

On the Reel

2011-04-28T18:33:00.000+10:00

Hi blog, thought I'd share my brand new reel with you :)

A full breakdown is available on my site.
Hope you're well

Alex

Oh New York

2011-04-25T00:42:00.000+10:00

Hiya blog,

A bit of an eclectic mix of stuff here. I was asked to help make a poster for a club night in Brisbane called New York. Basically a late night deal as an alternative to some of the madness that goes down in the Valley that time of night. Im yet to receive feed back on it, and Im not totally sure I've hit the tone they were want. I'll wait and see :) (1 colour print on coloured stock about 85cm tall)

This is a poster and a single cover for brisbane act Blonde on Blonde. As far as I know they are currently on the street.

Last week I got to head home to Rockhampton for the weekend. It was my little sister's 21st. I have a feeling it might be my last visit up there for quite a while, as my family is moving south. It was nice to take a step back from some of the work I've been doing the last few months and just chill. I spent a good portion of the Sunday drawing. This is a collection for studies and ideas-

Biggie Smalls

Hope you're all well!

Alex

Moon Warrior

2011-03-29T12:43:00.006+10:00

I've been working on a heavy scene at work. This is a drawing I did while waiting for textures/characters to load. Inspired by some of Joe Wehner's films. I coloured it later at home (and made her eyes a little bigger).

Hope you're all well

Love
Alex

Interview and Sketches

2011-03-19T17:04:00.006+10:00

Hi there blog,
I shot an interview with Mr Ari Gibson and Jason Pamment recently. Produced for Ozanimate in the first of a series of interviews with Animation Directors and Film Makers.

If you arent a regular reader of Ozanimate then I would really encourage you to check it out. We update it several times a week with Australian content, Interviews and news.

In other news, You may have noticed I've been messing with my blog design the last few days. Its still pretty rubbish but I'll get it finished soon. In the mean time I've completely overhauled my website. Its now 100% HTML and quite easy to update. Check it out if you get a chance. If you have some feed back, that'd be cool too :) http://alexgrigg.com/

These a couple of recent sketches in my sketch book. I realised recently that my observation drawing was making me really confident at drawing people reading books and drinking coffee. I figured I should start to branch out a little more. These are a mix of studies and personal sketches.

Work n Stuff

2011-02-21T23:29:00.009+10:00

I thought rather than actually getting around to scanning and sorting out my latest sketches and stuff I'd make tonight's post about some of my recent professional work.

At the end of last year I was working with the PRA to animate some Promotional Trailers for Blue Tongue/THQ. It was a really fun project to work on, would love if you checked them out-

I think these are the 4th and 5th spots I've done with Deblob 2, but they are the only ones we are allowed to share online. You'll have to buy the game to check out more :)
I also got the chance to team up with Mighty Nice again to help them animate a spot for Artline. It was really great to work on designs done by two of my favourite Australian Illustration entities- Monaux (Karl Kwasny) and We Buy Your Kids. Fun little job.

On a funny little side note, I did an interview with The Design Federation a little while ago. If you're interested you can read it -here-

Mmmm I guess thats it as far as work I'm allowed to share. Hopefully some of the things I have going at the moment wont be too far off sharing. I wont hold my breath though.

Oh, I'll throw this in the mix too :) Part of a present I made for a friend. It ended up having some type on there too. Mr Darcy-
Hope youre well,
love
Alex

Ink and Anton.

2011-01-25T12:46:00.005+10:00

This is an homage to/study of one of Anton Corbijn's photos. I tried to bring something of my own to it as well. Corbijn is pretty much amazing. Actually speaking of amazing photographers, I found this lately- Vivian Maier. Her work has a really interesting story- A man in Chicago was doing research for a book he was making about his suburb and decided to buy a box a negatives from an auction selling repossesed goods. The box had about 30thousand never before seen negatives (he later bought another 2 boxes totalling over 100 000 exposures.) The shots belonged to Vivian Maier, a nanny who had been taking photos for for the last 60 years. She never shared her work with anybody and died in 2008. Maier is quickly becoming recognised as one of the most important street photographers in the 20th century. Her work had a profound effect on me.
(PS this is a new sketchbook because I lost the last one shortly after making my last post. Im glad I took some photos for the blog!)

Happy New Year

2011-01-08T17:52:00.005+10:00

New sketchbook purchase happened to coincide with the new year. These are some scribbles from the last week.

My Parents are in town at the moment and we decided to make a trip to the zoo. I spent a few hours drawing, which was lovely. All life drawing stuff so its prettttty rough...

Hope you're all well!
Love
Alex!

InbetweenThoughts

2010-12-16T17:35:00.007+10:00

Hi guys,
I've been working on a bunch'o'stuff lately. Unfortunately as usual I cant show it yet. These are a few sketches I did between thoughts.

A character I did while designing some stuff for a project. It was completely wrong for the story, but she was fun to draw.

I drew my buddy Hannah during dailies the other day.

Sooo yeh, I'll hopefully have some more sketches and stuff coming soon. Also a new reel within the next month too!

Love
Alex

The Exorcist

2010-12-12T22:12:00.004+10:00

I had a couple of hours free this morning so I got do a little drawing. The drawing above was based on official exorcist for Brisbane's arch diocese- Father Gregory Jordan. The drawing below is what i think I'd look like if i was exorcised...

Some fun stuff coming soon. Sorry for the neglect blog friends :)

Love Alex

Oh Ye Denver Birds Posters

2010-10-23T09:41:00.005+10:00

Hi guys,
I've been working with some new clients a bit lately. They go by the name -"Golden District". A tidy little artist management company comprised of Maggie Collins and Alex Iveson. I will be posting a bunch of branding, illustration and design stuff Ive been doing with them over the next month or two, but in the mean time these are a few posters I've made for one of their bands- Oh Ye Denver Birds.

Poster inspired by a photo I took in paris last year. The headless saint Dennis over looks the entrance to the Notre Dame.
A Text based poster for a halloween party they are throwing.
This was another quick concept I did while I waited for feedback.

And some nekid ladies from life drawing. The first row are 5 minute ink gestures, the second row are 15-20 minute poses.

Hope you're all well,
Love
A.

Life drawings

2010-10-05T09:48:00.008+10:00

I know life drawings are a little dry to be posting on the Internet. What we need is more multicoloured spaz out drawings. Plenty more of them to come soon, but I thought in the mean time I'd put up some of my drawings from Wednesday's life drawing session.

20min poses

10 min poses

I cant believe how relaxed I feel in these classes compared to the classes at uni. Back then I'd either be in fits of anxiety or just give up after half an hour and mess around with friends. I actually look forward to these Wednesday sessions.

On a different topic. This music video has instantly become one of my favourites of all time.

Directed by Nicolás Méndez and Produced by CANADA. I wont bore you with why I'm in love with it, but if you have time check out some more work CANADA has produced. It will almost certainly blow your mind.

Fruit Salad.

2010-09-27T01:33:00.007+10:00

Hiya blog,
So this post is a real mish mash of things, clearing out a stack of files I've been meaning to post. Sketchbook stuff, lifedrawings and designs. The drawing above is almost what I look like. Its for my website, which I will hopefully be updating this week :)
Ink sketch inspired by American Movie-

Recently I took the plunge and started doing real life drawing again. You can probably tell by looking at my drawings Im not very comfortable with lifedrawing. I'm not sure why, but I've always found it particularly hard.That said Im really enjoying it. Its a very different atmosphere to university classes. Its actually almost relaxing.
These are some 5 and 10 minute poses.
Some character development stuff I'm doing with a friend.
I also went to my first Dr Sketchies last weekend. To be honest, it was a let down. I think most Sketchies are run by artists, but Adelaide's one seems to be run by burlesque performers. Its fine, but there is very little emphasis put on the art side. I found it really hard to draw because we were constantly given strange rules for the drawing, and the models would casually move around and talk mid pose... this is the only drawing worth looking at ....
Sketch book stuff-
And a few moleskine observation pages from last week.

This last page was for notes at this years Semi-Permanent. You can read my full rundown of the event over at Ozanimate.
Hopefully I'll be able to share some new 2d animation with you in the next month. Part of a personal project I've been working on. Fingers crossed I get to finish it:)
Hope you are all well!
love
Alex

Leaving that door open has let the cold in.

2010-09-05T16:27:00.011+10:00

I think for a lot of people art is emotional communication. I've never really felt that way about my work. I look at drawing from a pretty rational standpoint and have a real problem with converting emotions into images or words.
The last 12 months has seen some pretty big ups and downs. You know, pretty standard human stuff. Nothing outrageous. But I do think I've got a lot of nervous energy, which looking back through my blog and sketchbooks has inevitably seeped in to my drawings. Im not sure how I feel about it. I dont think it's too obvious so maybe its ok. If my work starts to look sappy and a little bit "Year 12 art class" let me know ok? I cant think of anything worse.

Um anyway, the drawing above was something that came about while I was thinking of ways to redesign my website. I dont think it's right for that, but i still like it as an idea.

Some train/airport sketches
Oh! and my very talented friend Emily Nelson has just unvailed her new site. Its gorgeous, you should check it out!!!!
Hope you are well.
Love
Alex

SlangBang / New Tshirts / Splendour 2010

2010-08-13T11:06:00.009+10:00

Heya blog
So a few months ago I started this Tshirt design, but only just got around to finishing it. Im not sure what the guys are going to be able to afford but hopefully they will be able to get both variations printed. I love the idea of having a story between two shirts.
Oh and this is the finished poster design for DZ's Upcoming tour. Typography isnt my strength, so its a shame that so much text got added to the brief after I designed it. I think it still turned out ok, there are a few hierarchy issues though. Next one will be better :)
On a more personal front, I just took a few weeks off to spend with friends and family in Queensland. Was really great to catch up with everybody!
Part of the trip involved a 4 Day camping adventure at Splendour in the Grass. Seriously one of the best weekends ever. Great weather, finest of company and so much music to lose your mind to. Musical highlights included- The Strokes, SUCH a phenomenal set from one of the bands that defined the last decade. Wall to wall hits. The Vines, Ive never seen these guys before and I know creatively they are a bit passed it. They were however THE band that changed my musical taste when I was 14 and in turn had a massive influence on my creative course. They have a terrible rep live which is why I've avoided them until now, but their splendour set was off the planet. LCD Sound System - Im so sad that I only started listening to LCD in the last 12 months, especially because they are breaking up after this tour. Their set at Splendour was a total party. James Murphy has to be one of the smartest guys in music. Yeasayer- Probably one of my favourite modern bands. They played plenty of old songs, which I loved but probably caught some people off guard. The build up of energy through their set was bliss. Passion Pit- This was just a crazy 30thousand person dance party. Some of the most surreal crowd participation I've ever seen- Everybody in the Amphitheatre stage making spazzy arm movements in the air creating a fleshy writhing pit of humanity for minutes at a time. Pixies- It was really good to see these guys after being mildly obsessed with them for years. Their set closed the festival, and while it didnt quite have the energy that some of the previous musicians did its hard to fault PIXIES. Definitely was a great way to end the festival.

Steve and Liam wait with us to get into the wine bar.

Laura Marling

Passion/Flesh Pit

SOOO much! DZ promo work, Game Art Direction, and Illustrations

2010-07-18T23:28:00.011+10:00

My buddies DZ asked me to help out with some art for their upcoming Single Launch. I did about a million ideas but these are the two that we went with in the end. The first is the tour poster design (sans text), and the second is the single sleeve. You can hear the single hereThe guys have had a pretty massive 12 months. National Tours, much acclaim, EP releases ect. To give you an idea of what they are like, this is their last music video- Teeth'. Its pretty fantastic.

A personal illustration -

I spent the last few weeks helping out my friend Bill Northcott and studio I Love Biscuits with an up coming game release. Bill has produced some really successful flash games off his own back and with the amazing organisation/programming power of Biscuits things came together quite quickly.
I was asked to define the art direction and design the backgrounds and props. Bill took care of the character work and animation.
These are a few examples of frames from the very long back ground. (in game all layers paralax)

And these are a layout of some of the props that I designed
And last but not least- These are a few illustration/doodles that I played around with between projects as well

Anyway, thats a slice of what I've been up to in my downtime! Would love to hear some feed back on it, so let me know what you think :)

Hopeyoure all well
Alex.

PieceMeal

2010-07-02T01:09:00.014+10:00

I always put off buying a scanner. They are something I have to leave behind when I move, and I think this is the 5th that I've bought. Everytime it takes months before I get my act together, and everytime I regret my hesitation. It feels so good to split my workflow between paper and computer. Ideas come more easily with my fingers on paper, and colours and design come more easily with my fingers on hotkeys.
These are by no means good drawings, but it is nice to get them out of my sketchbook.
Inspired by a new friend.(My half cocked attempt at hand lettering. I need to get better at this stuff.)

A drawing of my friend Mel doing her v special "infuriation dance". She can be terrifying but you should listen to her music, it is extremely lovely.

Ive laid off my observation drawing lately. Probably because I dont catch public transport anymore. I have make more of an effort.
Another nice thing about my new scanner is that it scans film. I havent quite figured out the best way to use it because it doesnt seem to automatically shift colours to their natural state (who would have thought colour negatives arent actually exact inversions of the real world?). One of the main reasons I like shooting on film is because it doesnt have any digital interpretation going on, but it seems unavoidable when trying to share photos online... anyway, this was a shot of my friend Bill from our trip to Victor Harbour a couple of weekends ago. Im going to stop making excuses for posting photos here, I think we can all get used to the idea of seeing them :) (Spotmatic F, Takumar 55mm 1.8 Fujifilm Superia X-tra400)

Love
Alex

RealReel

2010-05-26T22:59:00.003+10:00

Heya friends.
So I cut together a new Reel yesterday. Unfortunately most of the work Ive done in the last 12 months still isnt available on the web, I will have to keep working on some personal 3d stuff to rectify this.

If you would like to see some of my newer work, write me an email, maybe we can hang out and I can show you in person :)

Animation Test shot Flash Dance.

2010-05-24T22:48:00.005+10:00

Heya blog,
Ive had a little down time lately, so I took the chance to do some test animation.
About 2 days of animation, 2 days of figuring out how the hell it was going to work, and then another day reanimating and learning how to use After Effects...And then about a day figuring out why vimeo was breaking it.
Animated in Photoshop CS 4.
Would love some feed back on this one :)

Love Alex.

Expect more.

2010-05-19T13:07:00.003+10:00

Heya blog!
Sorry this drawing was just a silly idea. But i have some things Im going to put up here in the next few weeks that im excited about :) Including a brand new reel!, some Illustration and apparel designs, some of my own animation projects and some other sketches. be patient with me k? And come back soon, hopefully i'll have some freshness to splash you with.

Love
Alex

Little Scout Poster and some Photos

2010-05-02T00:17:00.013+10:00

Hi Blog

I was asked by my friends Little Scout to do a poster for their upcoming headline show in brisbane. I messed around with a few new ideas but in the end we decided to recycle an unused idea i did for them a while ago. I made it look prettier tho :)
This is the final design we went with.

And this is another idea i quickly sketched up for them. We were originally hoping to be able to screenprint the posters by hand, but the plan fell through at the end.
Also in other little scout news, I finally have a photo of the Tea Towels I designed for them last year

I know I mentioned earlier that I didnt want to turn this into a happy snap blog but I've been using a new camera lately and really enjoying it. Its a camera that I got a few months ago. It was my fathers when he was my age. I feel extremely lucky to be using it :)If you're interested you can check out some more here.

Hope you are all well!

Love
Alex

Maybe Later Mum

2010-04-19T21:19:00.001+10:00

Rocket boots would be the shit!

Smirnoff Black Room- Essence of Black

2010-03-15T12:00:00.007+10:00

Hi blog,
So this is a segment of the Illustration/Animation project I did as part of the Smirnoff Black Room event. I think it might be a bit weird out of context... The picture was rear projected onto a stretched 1.7m canvas, animated so each stroke of the picture was drawn one at a time. The picture below isnt actually from the finished piece but it kinda shows part of the process that the picture...um reveals (??) itself. Drawing the circle in the final image had about twelve thousand strokes. If I get the files from PRA I will hopefully be able to share the whole thing.
A couple of photos I took from the event.

A shout out to Pei Wu and Brodie McCrossin who also contributed work to PRA's submission.

Lotsa Love
Alex

Ever get that feeling...

2010-03-10T17:06:00.007+10:00

heya friends,
I've got a week or two downtime at the moment so I thought I'd spend a bit of time on personal projects. This is a photo I took off Hindly street in Adelaide recently. Hopefully I'll get some more time to keep exploring this idea. Would love to know what you think :)

For those of you playing at home, you may have noticed an increase in photos on this blog lately. I bought a new camera over the christmas break it has been a great companion for the last few months. I wont bother you all with my happysnaps and photo nerd specs, but I thought I would mention it in my blog because I know how useful i've found it in my animation endeavours. Panasonic Lumix LX3. Alex stamp of approval.

I am off to Sydney tomorow. If you are a sydney kid, please come on down to the Blank_Space Gallery in Surry Hills sometime from the 13-19th of march. -Smirnoff Black Room Public Exhibition 374 Crown St, Surry Hills, Sydney NSW
One of my pieces is exhibiting there as part of a commision I recently did for the launch of Smirnoff Black. I would love if you stopped by.

Lots of love

Alex.

Brainmelt

2010-02-22T18:35:00.009+10:00

Heya Blog,

So I mentioned in a previous post that Im not sure where my sketch book drawings are going at the moment. They seem so radically different to what I was drawing a year ago, and its really hard to tell if Im regressing.

Ive been thinking about it for the last couple of days, and I guess the more I work professionally the more my sketches move away my norm. I'm thinking that a lot of my drawings in recent years have been geared towards getting me work in the animation industry, so maybe as a become more confident in my professional work my drawings are more focused on things I like, rather than things I think employers might like... I dunno...if you are a potential employer I still care what you think!

And some actual sketchbook pages-

I was inspired by my good friend Benjamin Drake head down to the museum on Sunday and do a study or two. This was about 20 minutes i guess, its a life size bronze statue, but it was so poorly signed that all I can tell you is that it was made in 1935. I need to do more stuff like this!

Cafe Sketches-

on a side note, I would like to share with you my two favourite Animation Artist Blogs. I've had them on my side bar for a while, but they are a regular read and constant inspiration for me so I thought I'd give them a mention-
Tekkoman- Amazingly talented Animation Designer and probably a complete pervert.
Nick Sung- Story artist at Pixar. I love his drawings, but I am in awe of his perspective of the world.
Hope you are all well :)
Love
Alex

Yiros Stickup.

2010-02-01T17:12:00.005+10:00

Heya Blog,

So I was taking a few shots over the weekend, and decided that they might be more interesting with people in them. Would love to play with idea some more.

I've also been messing around with water colour a bit as well. Super fun. I still have no idea how to use them properly though.

I was reading about this amazing photographer the other day called Ryan McGinley. His photos are phenomenal. Take some time if you have it, to look through his work.

Hope you're all well!

Love

Alex

Everybody's Got A Screwface.

2010-01-19T17:55:00.015+10:00

HeyaBlog,
So I'm not really sure what song that line is from, or if I even like it. But its been in my head for a couple of days.

This is a drawing inspired by/studying a photo from Facehunter. (pretty similar idea to that keyface drawing right?)

Im back in Adelaide again after spending the Christmas holidays is Queensland with friends and family. It was so much fun to catch up with everybody. My doctor might tell me it was too much fun.

Drawings? Im not really sure what to think about where my drawing is going these days. It feels all over the place. I actually managed to leave my usual sketchbook in Brisbane, so I've cracked out a spare. It was where was doing a few scribbles for various illustration gigs (You can actually see some old DZ drawings on the side of the page below). Its a nice book, but none of the drawings in it are coveted. I think it might have been a blessing leaving my old one in Briz. Its nice having something new to play around in. Ive been using the same kind of sketch book since i was 14.
The one below was largely done while watching Lost Boys for the first time. Holy shit. How amazing is that movie?! The sketch on the right was a quick study done for an upcoming illustration job through PRA ...hopefully more on that after its done...if i dont mess it up :)

And some life drawings. Moving Targets. Adelaide and Brisbane.

Hope you're all well :)

Love

Alex

Things I've Enjoyed in 2009

2009-12-17T23:02:00.029+10:00

Hi there blog.
2009 is coming to an end, and its been a big year. My first turbulent year in the animation industry. Ive lived in 3 states, 9 houses, visited 7 countries, blown all my money, been part of an oscar shortlisted film, watched the company i work for sink, been beaten up by junkies.

I guess as a way to capture some the things that have inspired me over the last 12 months I thought I'd break from my usual pattern of posting drawings and post a ramshambles list. Things I've enjoyed, things that have motivated me. Music, film, artists ect.

SOUNDS-

Animal Collective
I like these guys. I cant really think of a way to express that with enough force. There's something about the way they combine raw experimentation with pop sensibilities that interests me on a level that runs a lot deeper than music. Animal Collective have released my favourite album of the year- the stunning Merriweather Post Pavillion. I was disappointed to find out that they have been releasing music for years, and I hadnt been listening to it. Imagine how much better my life would have been if I knew.

Yeasayer
YEASAYER's album was released in 2007, but its unfortunately taken me this long to start listening to it. I am a fan. Check out these if you're curious- A takeaway show shot in paris. And their latest video.

Girls
GIRLS write the poetry you thought you were writing when you were 16. I thought my obsession for them would be a passing thing...it wasnt. Their album is brilliant. It also carries what is probably one of the best songs of the year- Lust For Life

Grizzly Bear Veckatimest was released early this year. Im not really sure how to explain it. Melancholy, euphoric? Rock solid?

Dirty Projectors
Totally charming Bitte Orca. Pretty choir girls meets amazing and idiosyncratic song writer David Longstreth. They did a recording for Pitchfork earlier this year. Its worth checking out. They've also done some great colabs with Bjork recently.

Phoenix
Hands down, most danceable album of the year.

Passion Pit
Probably a close second.

The Clash
I hope this doesn't look like a token "old band" for the sake of street cred...

Some other bands worth noting- Wild Beasts and The XX both released some pretty exciting albums this year.

VISIONS-

Keith Schofield

http://keithschofield.com/

An American music video and commercial director. I think of him as the Spike Jonze of the Youtube age. He was a total highlight at this year's Semi-Permanent. Somebody who understands the amazing possibilities that the Internet holds for film makers. His advice, summarised as i remember it- If you want to start as a filmmaker making music videos, you'll have to work for friends bands. Work spec, pay for everything yourself, that way they will let you do whatever you like. Music videos arent made for TV anymore, when was the last time you discovered you favourite music vid on TV? Take advantage of that fact. Have a really clear or funny idea- Make a video that people will forward to their friends or be passed around forums.

One example Keith used was his youtube video simply called "how to make meth". It was a music video where the band members make a range of recreational drugs at home. It caused a moral uproar in the US with many news and daytime TV shows referencing it. He also the mind behind Diesel's phenomenal viral XXX campaign (pornography from the 80's animated over to look like innocent activities) check them out on his site. He also shares a whole bunch of his film making tricks and treatments.
Not only is he a great film maker, but he is really positive and clever guy. Really inspiring.

Day 19
Jeremy and Claire Weiss are a couple of American photographers i caught at Semi-Permanent this year. They take great photographs but they also have an amazingly positive attitude towards what they do. During their talk they just rolled through their photos and gave little stories about how they came to be. Most of the stories were- "Well i guess we just met up with the band, had a whole bunch of beers and hung out." I guess that's why they get such intimate photos. They were never staged, just friends documenting friends. A totally inspiring pair of artists.

A Serious Man
The Latest film from the Coen Brothers is both an immaculate piece of black comedy and a searing satire. Deeply unsettling, totally brilliant.

Where the Wild Things Are.
Spike Jonze, Dave Eggers, and Maurice Sendak have created a gorgeous, uncompromising piece of fiction.

The Wrestler
I caught The Wrestler earlier this year. For me it felt like an exploration of sexual identity (in the masculine/feminine sense) through extremes...I'm not totally sure if that was the intended point. I loved it though.

Um yeah so there you have it, a couple of things I've liked this year. Ive almost certainly forgotten some pretty important things. I might update the list if I think of anything big.

Hope you have a great Christmas, and a merry new year. Hopefully have some fresh drawings and animations soon!

Lots of love

Alex

Drawings from Melbourne

2009-12-17T21:25:00.006+10:00

Hey guys, thanks for the suggestions on the last piece!! I've been messing around with them, hopefully I'll finish it soon.
I spent the weekend in melbourne. It was lovely. These are just are couple of studies I did while there. Hope you are all well.

Love,

Alex

PS almost forgot to mention- We are all very excited this week as The Cat Piano won the AFI (australian film institute) award for best short animation. You can see an interview with one of our extremely talented directors, Ari Gibson, after excepting the award. Its at about a minute 20 seconds...he might have had a few shandies... Congrats to the whole team!

Breath in Baby Doll....Work in Progress

2009-11-27T08:25:00.004+10:00

Heya blog
I started this a little bit ago, Im not sure how its going.Trying to push my rendering a little further I guess.
Based on a sketch i did a couple of months ago, and heavily influenced by photography by Ibai Acevedo
Would love to know how you would make this better.

love
Alex

Space Ranger Explorer

2009-11-24T18:46:00.008+10:00

Heya blog,

A quick sketch based on something I'd like to make some time...maybe in 3d, im not sure.
Also the Academy Awards announced some very exciting news on the weekend.

Love
A.

keyface

2009-11-15T13:26:00.004+10:00

breath in babydoll

Y'know, women never really faint

2009-11-08T21:48:00.004+10:00

Hi blog

So i spent the weekend drawing and listening to music. My two favourite things. I was working on another piece, this was an 2minute inbetween sketch. hopefully be able to share the other thing soon :)

Colours Sketches

2009-11-06T23:57:00.015+10:00

Dear blog, Im back in sunny Adelaide. Working with the lovely kids at PRA. Crazy year hey? Adelaide-Brisbane-Melbourne-Adelaide. Ummm so Im house sitting for a friend for a couple of weeks, and he has a cintq. Its so nice to play with. here are a few little sketches, studies and ideas from the last few nights.

Look i know my studies are always as ugly as sin... colour study, from one of my favourite speakers at melbourne semi permanent- Day 19

day 19.

In other news, the company I was working for in Melbourne has officially closed down for good. If you are in the Australian entertainment industry and in need of a union, we have found Alliance to be very helpful.

Love

The Nature of our Industry

2009-10-27T21:49:00.007+10:00

I am currently employed in a large animation studio with over 100 colleagues. Mid last week a large majority of the studio I work at was stood down without notice, myself included, for a yet to be defined amount of time. It was explained by the owner to us in a brief meeting. I think that it is ok for me to mention this here as it seems like it was a story that was spread quite quickly amongst people in the Australian animation industry (i received messages from 2 friends in other states half an hour after the meeting saying that they heard about it.)

I dont think it appropriate to talk about the specifics of how this came to be or to blame any specific cause, but I would like to talk briefly about a phrase that was uttered during the meeting. "The nature of our industry".

It seems to be accepted that people in our industry can be treated differently than those in others. Perhaps its the perception that we are "lucky" to work in our profession. Perhaps it is a lack of a unified body or union. Im not really sure, but I very much doubt that if you stood down dozens of people without notice in other office that it would considered par for the course.

I dont think that the industry can thrive while the people working in it are mistreated. Seniors will retire early into different fields, juniors will be disillusioned, and with the creative quality compromised as a result the demand from clients will decline. I do not accept that the industry has to be this way, and hope that I never facilitate it doing so.

I am hopeful that I will be able to work with talented people on bay st again soon.

If you are involved in the situation and feel that this post in inappropriate please email at afgrigg@gmail.com

Love Alex.

Muggers

2009-10-07T22:01:00.005+10:00

All right, so they werent muggers, but I got attacked by some nutters at the train station last night. One second a woman was asking me for change, the next her and her boyfriend were trying to kick the shit out of me. fortunately they were realatively harmless and i was fine. I did some sketches when i got home. the woman in the bottom right was based on one the nutters.

Also, every wednesday lunchtime some guys at work run.a sketch jam called in 1800. It basically stands for in eighteenhundred seconds (half an hour) and requires you to draw something under a set theme in that time. This week's theme was undead farm animals. My submition wasnt very inspired.
next week im going to try and figure out how to get pressure sensitivity to work on my machine.

Love
Alex

Splish Spash whip lash

2009-09-29T22:51:00.002+10:00

sup blog.

A playblast sketch from today.

Love Alex

Train Sketches

2009-09-28T23:40:00.005+10:00

Hi Blog,

Soooo as I mentioned in my last post, work is really sapping my time so I dont have a lot of time for personal work. The main drawing time i get at the moment is on the short train ride to and from the studio.

These are a couple of the sketches Ive done on trains of commuters in the few months since I've moved to Melbourne. All about 30seconds to three minutes. Hopefully I'll be able to share something more substantial with you soon!

oh and thank you to everybody who's checked out Cat Piano on vimeo. Its got an amazing response, something that I know all the crew is very excited about. it got over 100thousand views in its first 10days and has been featured on a number of very cool sites. Another cyber hi-five to the architects Ari Gibson, Eddie White, Makoto Koji and Jason Pamment for making everything happen :)
Love Alex

Cat Piano Hits the Internetssss

2009-09-06T22:00:00.009+10:00

Heya blog,

You can now officially stop bootlegging your copies of the Cat Piano and start watching the Hi Fidelity Official version on Vimeo.

If you arent familiar with the kids who worked on it, please check out the blogs of fellow cat kids Makoto Koji, Benni "D" Drake, Jason Pamment, Leath Mattner, and of course the People's Republic of Animation website.

Work has been pretty much consuming every waking moment for the last month so I havent got much new work to share with you. soo I thought I'd share some of the things that have been inspiring me lately (just to make sure this blog keeps kicking yo.)

Music Vid for NewZealand badboys of punk/indie/pop- The Mint Chicks

Animal Collective. My newest musical obsession. These guys have released what is easily one of my favourite albums of the year- Merriweather Post Pavilion. Its been on loop on my stereo for the last month or so.

An unofficial music video for super tight band Grizzly Bear, created by Gabe Askew

A simply wonderful short student film by Lois Van Baarie

Off the Planet cool Video Created for Drawing Black Chalks by NitroCorpz

Also music related, a great double album I picked up this weekend- Dark Was the Night. Completely amazing, crammed with some of the most interesting american artists around at the moment. Listen to a few tracks HERE. And the official website-HERE

not enuff for you? check out yayayeveryday for a stream of uberwicked inspiration.
Last and unfortunately least is a little doodle i did tonight. Inspired by the Australian super kids Dappeled Cities

talksoon

A.

Tea Towel Designs for Little Scout

2009-08-16T19:44:00.004+10:00

Heya blog,

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by the very cute kids in Little Scout to do a tea towel design for them.
Between starting my new job and finding a place to live I made these two ideas.
The first one won out. We might use the second for a gig poster or something later on.

I had a lot of fun making these, hope you like.

Love A.

Fresh scars for old wounds.

2009-07-26T22:18:00.005+10:00

So blog.

A few little tid bits of information.
Firstly, I got a new job working in Melbourne as a character animator. Its like a proper salary delio, so that means much less freelance for the medium term. Hopefully I'll be able to keep doing illo work for peeps though. I leave on Wednesday, and start on Monday. Big thing for me!!!
Secondly, Im not doing the DZ cover art anymore. The wolf pic above was my last submission to them, but as its no longer getting used I am sharing it. Check out they're latest release here. you can also get a taste of some of hype they've been getting lately.
Thirdly, I just wanted to say I am glad that I have been blessed with such lovely friends here in Brisbane. I am going to miss them all a lot. they are all loving, patient, and inspiring and I appreciate them with all of my heart.

much love

A.

Im Back!`

2009-07-14T15:42:00.008+10:00

Heya blog,

Sorry for not posting in ages! My trip was completely amazing. I really hope we get another chance to go to Annecy again.

A little montage the festival put together.(Stick Around For the Interviews!)

Here are a few of the drawings I did while there (I did a lot of observational stuff, but I'll share those in a future post:))

Colours slapped on this arve,

Hope you like.
Love lots

Alex

Annecy 2009

2009-06-10T18:02:00.008+10:00

Annecy-The trademark Prison

Ari and Ed, Directors

Dear Blog,

Im in france at the moment to Support our film- The Cat Piano at the worlds leading animation festival- Annecy. Needless to say, the experience is amazing.

There is about 7000 people attending the festival which is set in the alps about 4 hours train from Paris. the town it self is beautiful, Very old french/swiss buildings, winding streets, and pressed against a turquoise blue lake. The atmosphere is incredible here. I cant imagine anything better- thousands of friendly, like minded people, mind blowing scenery and the worlds most cutting edge films.

Im just about to start my third day of the festival. The highlights so far have been seeing the european premiers of Pixars film Partly Cloudy and Henry Sellicks new masterpiece Coroline.

This internet cafe is shoddy, so its hard to share photos. hopefully i will find a better one!

Until then,

DZ Shirt Design

2009-06-02T11:15:00.006+10:00

soo this is kinda the final design for DZ. there were a few tweaks i wanted to do, but I had to leave them.
Also, i got my business card printed. great success. If you are a brisbane kid, use king of print. Their customer service is pretty crap, but the product is great and cheap.

Storyboard Studies. And a note on talent.

2009-05-26T11:46:00.007+10:00

I have no innate talent for storyboarding, but it something I enjoy greatly. These are are some studies done this morning to take my mind off things.Theres no way for me to explain how excited the Where the Wild Things Are trailer made me. It brings together so many things that resonate with me. An amazing director who inspires me beyond words, a fantastic story, and genius music. the cynic in me would suggest that all of this is to much of a coincidence, that some genius marketing department has cooked all this up in their pot- a magic potion that will effortlessly achieve cult film status. but the truth is that i dont care, because i am not a cynic at heart. I am excited that so many talented people were given the chance to make the film.
if you are interested in film stills, for study or otherwise, check out Framefilter. A great collection, regularly updated by cal arts graduate and dreamworks storyboard artist.

To expand on my mention of innate talent (a very controversial topic in creative circles)-
I don't have innate talent for anything i do in creative fields. This is not a designed self-deprecating statement, it is a realisation that i came across years ago and has so far helped me immensely in my development. There are people that have innate talent, ideas and concepts come to them, lines flow effortlessly from their pencil. I have worked and studied with these people, and they are truly inspirational. In contrast to them everything I do is a battle. From start to finish. Despite this, I have so much energy for what I do, and I think this goes a long way to compensate for what I lack.
I would be interested in how you feel about talent, Im sure there are some strong opinions out there.

New Business Card

2009-05-23T12:26:00.002+10:00

So its been coming for a fair while.These are the front and back of my new card. I would have liked to get a Die Cut, but there isnt enough time to print them before I leave the country. Im not a designer, so this stuff is hard for me. Hope you dig it! (sorry i know that "hello!" is a bit tacky, and has been done. but i originally had "FUCK yeah!" and it seemed a little strong)

vanity.!.

2009-05-19T11:49:00.005+10:00

Heya blog,
so ive known you for a while, and it occurred to me that Ive never shown you my face. i think its time to take it to the next level...Just a stupid pic for another site.

Annnnnd something with crazily cliche' subject matter, but hopefully not too boring. Havent really done serious cell shading for a while. i like the limitations. *(slightly updated image based on some ideas offered over at SatelliteSoda.com)
Love Alex

jizzjazz

2009-05-10T18:36:00.003+10:00

A couple of procrastination sketches done today.

SPACE WASPS!!!!!!! theres no escape!!

and another loose study based on a very dapper man on Facehunter. With some liberties taken on the treatment. You can probably tell by now. I Love Half tone.

Also, a couple of things that have inspired me over the last few days, largely via Boooooooom.
an amazing live video from lykki li

A really fun Music Video from a french band Naive New Beaters. The song isnt my scene, but the vid is!

???removed due to lameness (the first time ive ever done this, but the pic just really annoyed me!)

and an infamous Justice video following a youth gang through the streets of paris. violent and haunting.

New Reel.

2009-05-08T14:56:00.001+10:00

So, Its new reel time! Hopefully there will be some dialog in there soon!

Love Alex!

Jump Animation, Second Pass

2009-05-06T23:22:00.003+10:00

Thank you very much for the helpful advice guys. Ive tried to address it the best i could.

Ryan? Which ryan are you? Ryan K? haha, i couldnt stalk you to find out, but all of the advice was great. I would love to hear what you think of the new version (i know its not radically different, but hopefully its...better) :)

Alex

New Animation. Jump!

2009-05-05T16:19:00.003+10:00

Heya blog!

so ive been working on some 3d stuff for my reel. very slowly. This animation was started because the dialog shot i was working on was too overwhelming. the plan was to work on the dialog shot, and then when i was bored of it i could work on this one, instead of mindlessly staring at random things on the Internet. needless to say, this didnt work. i just worked on the easier and more instantly gratifying shot. and the dialog shot sits in blocking phase.

On the plus side. this shot was fun. It started off being a simple jump, but that was mega boring and acting is more fun. so now its a jump, and run and fun little droid.
This is the first pass, so i would love some crits on it. anything and everything would be amazing!

Love

Alex

PS, to answer emily's question from the last post- the girl was drawn in black ink, over red colerase. Scanned, the red lines removed, then turned into a colour half tone, comped over the top of the scan and coloured. I wish there was an easier way to get good halftone effects in photoshop, rather than downgrading the image mode. if anybody knows one (apart from the simple filter) i would love to know :)

New Website, Sketch, Inspiration!!!

2009-04-28T16:46:00.007+10:00

Hey! I made a website!!! JOYBOX:art and craft with alex grigg hahaaha ive been putting it off for years, because i had no idea how to do it. I bit the bullet and made one though. and it makes me happy to have a portfolio i can control completely, and present in the way I want!

ive been playing around with ink over the last week or two. Pretty fun, white ink isnt all I imagined it would be though. This is quick ink drawing, with some colours...

Also there are a couple of sites i think everybody should read every day forever. Motionographer- Ive only just started regularly reading this bad boy, and im kicking myself for not starting earlier. Everything great in animation and moving image. Totally inspiring.There is a link on the side bar----->>>
A couple of quick links that really stood out to me- dvein.com probably on of the coolest companies ive seen.
Also a short film called Onwards, sponsored by nike. Amazing. It looks like it might be mocap, would be amazing. because its such a stylised character. If its not mocap, thats probably just as great! because its some simply brilliant character animation.
The other site I think is great, CartoonBrew. both of these sites are pretty big, and you probably read them already.
Hope you are well

Alex

Winner?

2009-04-13T18:46:00.003+10:00

Heya blog,

So I got some positive feedback from the guys about this design. I can imagine that im going to develop it further over next little while. I really have to talk to the guys a some more.
Once again, would love to hear what you think.

Alex

ColourizedSketchass

2009-04-11T22:18:00.003+10:00

Hi Blog,
Some sketches from the last day or two.
based on a study from a guy on face hunter
Hope you like:)
Thanks for the opinions on the last post, its always interesting to get some outside perspective. oh and ben, ill have a think about your question, im not really sure.

DZ EP cover. Progress 02

2009-04-08T22:29:00.002+10:00

Hiya Blog,

So as promised here are some more progress pics from my development for DZ's up coming EP launch. I started them before I got feed back on the last one. So, predictably, they weren't received well. Actually, they were received well, but the band shared my opinion that they weren't really suited to an EP cover. Its a weird magic. I cant really put my finger on what it takes for a piece to be suitable for a CD sleeve. I guess because its packaging, there are a different set of expectation. Tricky. I find that my favorite covers are photographic, or quite abstract. Most of my skills are focused towards figurative work, so that habit is inhibiting me I think.
All of the designs so far are based on my Feather Wolf concept. Ironically, the Feather Wolf design struck me as the one I liked least of the set. I appropriated the middle design as a blog link button for my myspace page

As always, Im always interested in your opinions.

Love
Alex

DZ EP cover. Progress 01

2009-04-06T01:40:00.003+10:00

Heya blog,

Im working with a band called DZ at the moment; trying to produce a CD jacket, as well as some branding and merch. I think I will keep some of my work in progress up here.

So this is the first colour sketch i sent through, kind of a concept for things more stuff. They liked it but didnt think it fit they're image. So back to the drawing board. I like it though. I hope you do too

Fantasitic News

2009-03-18T00:59:00.002+10:00

I thought I'd Write a quick post about the great news we got last week. The Cat Piano has been accepted into official competion in Annecy. We are all very excited. Congratulations team!

More drawings soon!

Libertyn

2009-03-11T21:36:00.005+10:00

Hi Blog,
So following my scanning sesh last week, i had a few sketches on my hard drive that i was keen to colour. This was one of them. A drawing that was inspired by an australian Muso, whos name escapes me. the colours are influenced by the photography of Hedi Slimane. Photography is something that always inspires me. Especially portrait photography and photo journalism.

Shhakke

2009-03-08T12:12:00.006+10:00

Heya blog,

This is a little sketch i did a while ago, but only just scanned and coloured this morning.

In other news, our film -The Cat Piano won audience choice award for best short at the Adelaide Film Festival. We were very excited. Animated shorts are often over looked at Film Festivals so we were very proud that it picked up the honour, especially on its first festival entry.

Here is the recently released teaser.

The Cat Piano - trailer from PRA on Vimeo.

Check out the HD version on Vimeo.

In other news, Im about to head back up to Brisbane, after my stay here at PRA in Adelaide.It has been great, and Im looking forward to working with these extremely talented individuals again soon.
Big love Blog

Alex

Space Medic - Sketch

2009-02-22T22:41:00.003+10:00

Hey blog

this is just a quick sketch I did Today. Sorry its rough as guts, hopefully I'll have something more developed to share soon.Hope you enjoy

Also, in other news, Its the Cat Piano Premier tomorow night.Very exciting!!!

Ruff And Ready

2009-02-07T15:42:00.003+10:00

Heya blog,

We finished! Thats right, The Cat Piano production is wrapped up. So ive spent the week lazing around and getting some other stuff done too. This is a quick animation i did for kicks. Hopefully ill get to do some more soon.

Ruff and Ready from Alex Grigg on Vimeo.

also I was hoping to enter this weeks character of the week comp at ConceptArt.org. but i got distracted with animating. this is a little snippet of the piece. i doubt it will ever be copleted

Inspiration!

2009-01-23T22:56:00.003+10:00

heya guys, i dont like making a post without putting up something ive done myself, but ive been sooo busy at work lately im not able to. Instead today i want to post some inpiration, well things that have inspired me lately,

Story from North America (FULL VERSION!) from Kirsten Lepore on Vimeo.

I frikkin great student film.

A guy that really inspires me. Lupe Fiasco. Smart, afluent, insanley creative and always suprising. gets me through my shots. ---a recent interview on tripple j a couple of days ago HHEre

night night blog

Pin Up Doodle

2008-12-21T20:50:00.002+10:00

Hey Guys,

Whats crackin? this is just a doodle i did today, inspired by the amazing Kevin Dart. Hope you're all doing well.

Love Lots

Alex

Colour Study 18/12/08

2008-12-18T23:19:00.006+10:00

Hey blog,

We got to leave work early tonight, so i did a little messing around in PS. this is just a colour study from photo reference. about 45minutes. ref found here...(http://orz.4chan.org/hr/src/1229215043939.jpg).the photo is pretty great huh

Also, after posting that last video i found this one- definitely one of the stand out bands for 2008, Fleet Foxes. A quite great live video performance.

Fleet Foxes - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

love lots

Alex

T-shirtss

2008-12-14T22:18:00.006+10:00

Heya blog,

its been a little bit!
recently i was asked to do a Tshirt design for a band called Little Scout. I came up with about 5 individual designs (2 of them ive included) but the band liked the simplest one. the top tree design will hopefully getting printed soon. the other designs might make a camio in other little scouts later.

Speaking of Music, i found this really great video today. If your a Bloc Party fan, have a gander. Its an impromtue performance outside a little pub in france. i thought it was pretty special when i watched it

Bloc Party, 'This Modern Love' - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Hope your doing well guys,

Love

Alex

PS, i forgot to mention that there is a new post on the Cat Piano Blog that features a still from one of my shots. the key featured was first done by ari though, i just re-did the the clean up, and animated it from there. amazing BG done Jason Pammet

LeSailor

2008-11-25T17:02:00.004+10:00

Just a quick sketch i did on makoto's computer while she was watching some of the freshly comped catpiano shots. i wish i had more to update you with, but alas...

The Beaks

2008-11-10T17:48:00.007+10:00

A little art jam benny drake and i had after work. Two members of a gang called the beaks. The one on the left was bens, and mine is on the right. gotta keep the brain limber after a day of in-betweening!

doodle and inspiration

2008-11-08T19:28:00.002+10:00

heya guys,this is just a quick sketch i did after work the other day. and coloured in about... i dunno, u can probably guess from its sketchiness. the real reason i coloured it was so that i could have something to post when i posted this film. its a beautifully animated short film, the chestnut tree. really inspiring.

lotsa love
alex

ScribleScableSketches

2008-10-28T20:56:00.005+10:00

Heya blog. Sorry i havent posted for a little while. Ive been busy with CatPiano. haha it feels very strange to be a 2d animator, but its such a rewarding job. Unfortunately because ive been so busy i havent got much time for drawing, except for moleskine studies, which i cant do even if im exhausted. these are just a couple from the last week or two. Hopefully i'll be able to post a few more soon :)

Oh and Ed posted these drawings on the Cat Piano Blog a couple of days ago so i assume they are fine to share. They are some sketches i sent PRA just before i arrived to show that I'd been practicing. You can see the whole set on their blog, along with some example animation Ari did. He's an animation machine!

The French Connection

2008-10-06T11:16:00.004+10:00

I've had a lot of discussions with buddies about the sheer amount of great french animation designers and artists. I dont know what it is, there must be something in the water, but there is an absurdly large amount of talent in that part of the world.
It is definitely something that influences and informs my work. this is just a sketch i did after reading the blog of Emmanuelle Walker. Gobelins Grad.

News and animation

2008-10-03T14:21:00.006+10:00

Some cool news. Ive been asked to work on a great film called Cat Piano. Its being made by some talented kids down in Adelaide studio's People's Republic of Animation, a studio that I have been excited by for a long time. The film is a 2d short animated film, directed by Eddie White and Ari Gibson, and stars one of Australia's most influential musicians and writers, Nick Cave, as narrator.
I'll reframe from posting anything CP related unless i have permission. In the mean time check out the sporadically updated blog (theres a new link on the the sidebar).

K, beside that, I have had some helpful suggestions about the last animation post. So Ive reworked it. The most obvious change is at the end, but hopefully the many little tweaks throughout make it feel a little healthier

Stairs Revamp 1 from Alex Grigg on Vimeo.

all the best

New Animation, Stairs

2008-09-24T12:32:00.005+10:00

Heya blog,

For somebody who often answers the question "what do you do?" with "duh, Im an animator" I dont dont put a lot of animation up. Hopefully over the next few months, there will be a little more animation going on around here.

Stairs from Alex Grigg on Vimeo.

Im not going to lie to you. this took a little longer than it should have. mainly because i have a lot of trouble sitting down and animating for the sake of animating.

This isnt 100percent so i would love to hear some opinions guys

DZ, cd cover

2008-09-22T23:52:00.004+10:00

Heya guys this is a CD cover that Ive put together for a band called DZ. A kickin little garage/grunge. I haven't shown the guys yet, so there will be revisions for sure.
I wanted to try something a little different with this, so its all hand done. The illustration in the text was inked with nibs at about A4 size. A lot of the story is lost because its shrunken down, but there is one in there. The ornaments at the bottom and top were inked with a finer fountain pen. I think ink is something that i want to explore a lot more.

would love some opinions on this one

Unlikely Crew

2008-09-16T23:52:00.003+10:00

Heya blog,

I was meaning to mention that my last post was my 100th. I think blogging suits me. Its a lot different to other art community websites, like deviant art which i really dont have the stomach for. I guess because it doesnt really act as a community, just like a big blank wall to stick stuff too. and people can leave the occasional postit if they like.
anyway, here you are mr blank wall-

these are some quick character ideas i made. Ive been pushing around different shapes and stuff in my sketchbook and wanted to see what they would look like with a bit of colour. I only have a very vague idea of who they are, but I think id love to see them move one day. once again, im having trouble with the colours between my two screens, so im sorry if this looks terrible on yours...

lots of love

alex

Dad

2008-09-11T21:48:00.005+10:00

Heya blog,

Thanks to the people who figured out the post below was based on me. Its a pretty big stretch, but hopefully i'll do a study soon that will look something like the subject i was studying. Im really not very good at that kind of thing. I guess i'll never be a portrait painter. or wear dinner jackets. . This is a sketch i did of my dad while he was watching TV. Like the last post it looks nothing like the subject, but you dont know my dad, so its all honky dori. About 15mins, Faber Castel Pit Oil Based Pencil, Moleskine.

lotsa love

Alex

Suday afternoon

2008-09-07T17:50:00.006+10:00

I guess I've been thinking about doing this for a while, but Ive always felt a bit weird about it. It took a few hours to get down, and it looks nothing like the subject. Actually I'll give you 5 points if you can guess who it is. Its a pretty obscure reference. the part i liked most about the exersize was looking at the way light changed the natural colour of surfaces. its pretty dramatic.

Speed Paint- Ice Queen

2008-09-04T23:52:00.004+10:00

Heya guys, firstly thanks for all the ideas on the last post. The opinions and crits are much appreciated!
This is an idle doodle that i spent a bit of time on this evening. i guess i wanted to play with a lighter and cooler colour pallet to the last one. and for some reason i really wanted a red nose like santa. i should really plan out these things better though, i could have put as much work in and got something A LOT better if i thought more about composition and stuff, but i guess it was just a doodle...

Lotsa Love

Alex!

More of the same

2008-08-30T01:19:00.003+10:00

heya blog.
just a more finished version of the last WIP. I guess i feel like this could be better, but im not really sure how to pull it off.

Also, ive started using Vimeo over Youtube. I really like it. you can control a lot more aspects, and you can even host HD. It really seems like a site designed for film/video makers. If your into video hosting and communities, check them out! This is just a more polished version of the ball throw animation I did a couple of weeks ago. the other animation i have mentioned gave me too much head pain, so its taking a holiday. for now :)

Ball Throw from Alex Grigg on Vimeo.

Much love

Alex

WIP Swamp Grazer

2008-08-28T18:00:00.002+10:00

Sup blog!
this is a work in progress for an activity over at Satelitesoda. I guess this has about 6 or 7 hours all up. I'd like to pollish it up a bit further, but im a bit stuck at the moment. maybe I'll give it a bash tomorow. 'd love to hear thoughts about it before it take it further though.

lotsa love

Alex

Nikola Study

2008-08-23T14:08:00.003+10:00

There's this really great photographer caller Nikola Tamindzic. this is his website- Home of the Vain And above is a quick study i did from one of his photos. i took a lot of liberties with the colours though.

Love lots
Alex

I should be doing something else

2008-08-22T10:57:00.002+10:00

haha this is just indulgence now...i really should be doing a lot of other things.

I bought a new screen about a week ago. a 22inch samsung to help with the screen realestate issues i was having with my laptop. but man the colours are different. like super intense. and midtones are super saturated. im not sure what to do. and its weird to think that other people could be looking at my work on a screen like it... ive started painting and doing photoshop stuff on the smaller screen and keeping the new one for animation (which it is amazing for!).

I am doing stuff

2008-08-21T19:55:00.005+10:00

its true! im just very slow...this animation is sooo much harder to get down then the last ball throw one. for real. its taking me sooo long.

in between procrastinating unproductively ive been procrastinating semiproductively. this is a part of a larger painting. kinda a sneak peek. mainly coz the rest is balls

oh and just a weird little doodle i did before bed. maybe there will be more to this doodle. im not sure...

Love lots
A.

No words escape

2008-08-05T18:29:00.000+10:00

Sketch done between keyframing a new piece of animation.

GigPoster!

2008-08-01T14:34:00.003+10:00

heya guys, havent done one of these for ages! for my friend's band Little Scout. and a couple of other kids i havent met. if your in the area, you should head down and check it out. im pretty sure it will be messy... when i get the chance i might post some of the drawings i did leading to this. ... maybe!
in other news my last wisdom tooth came out yesterday. so my face is a bit retarded at the moment. but im feeling pretty good. painkillers are the best!

also, if you have any opinions about my last animation, please let me know. would love to hear them before i rerender it and slot it into my demoreel!

much love!
A

Animationwhatnow?!!

2008-07-31T09:33:00.003+10:00

Heya guys,
I've started working on more demo reel clips. this is the first crack at animation since Terror. Its amazing i remember how to use Maya at all.

Theres a few little tweaks I want to make, so I'd love to hear any Crits before I rerender.

Hope your all doing well,

A

Sorry Blog

2008-07-16T20:35:00.002+10:00

Hey blog, its been a while.
A couple reasons I guess. I've been traveling for a bit. So I have been drawing a bunch, buuut i dont have a scanner at the moment. sooo its gunna be all digital for a bit! not ideal, but hey thems the apples.
Thiiiis is a invite i did for my 21st. Sorry interweb stalkers, i changed a couple of details sooo if you turn up to Question St. dont be suprised if im not there. I spent a few hours on the illo, but the text really took it outa me (probably longer than the illo). This was fun.
If your my friend and i havent got an invite to you, please shoot me an email! Ive only sent the to face book peeps so far.

FladaHohub

2008-07-03T00:22:00.005+10:00

Hey guys not much of an update. So i offer you an alternative if my stuff is bland - SHIFT Found it today, japanese art world, in english. fressh

This is a fake gig poster I did for a band called Foals. It was an art jam over at Satellite Soda. still running if your interested! (Pretty much no time for this, so really more a challenge in time management and limmited colours (3 was the rule))

AAAnnd this was a present i did for the amazing people at Cut For You. My japanese family.

Love

Sket Ched

2008-07-01T02:14:00.001+10:00

just playing with ideas. halftones are wicked, i wanna use them for a finished piece

Odyssey

2008-06-30T01:44:00.004+10:00

Hey blog!

so my internet will be turned off from midnight tomorow! i figured i should blog a little before then.
First up is a couple of sketches I did while watching 2001:a space odyssey. i think i will have to watch it again, because it went over my head a little. due in no small part to my split consentration between about 3 other things. i only did a superquick workover with the colours..

A couple of moleskin pages from the last few weeks (im almost outa pages so my pace has slowed)

(i think this the only pencil page in the whole thing)
and a doodle
much love all!
alex