Blue Sky's Ahead

In recent news (because I haven't done good about filling in the timeline) I have been recently blessed with the phenomenal opportunity to be a Temp Animator at Blue Sky Animation Studio on the Peanuts Movie. It has been a blast working with all the talented people at Blue Sky. So much talent and care has gone into this film. I cannot wait to share my first animated feature with you all.

In theaters November 6th and be sure to check out the trailer!

www.PeanutsMovie.com

If this experience hasn't been a tremendous experience already, back in June the Temp Animator chapter closed and a new one opened as a full time Character Animator for Blue Sky Animation Studio! There is so much talent and I am eager to grow and learn from all my new co-workers.

Taking the Sketchbook to a Dodgers Game

Back in June we went to a Dodger's game. I took a second to sketch a little during the festivities. I need to do this more often. Both sketching and going to games. :) The kid on the left page was really into the game. Although he never took his eyes off the field he also couldn't stop putting food/things in his mouth.

Superhero Family +1

Rob got a hold of me to help him come up with a surprise for his wife while also announcing to friends and family about their new arrival. Inspired by his ideas, here is the design we came up with. I was honored to be apart of it. There is a new member to the team coming; congrats family! Evil doers beware. 

Inside the Sketchbook II - Travels

I have been blessed to get to travel to some beautiful places over the past couple of years. I wanted to challenge myself by pulling out the sketchbook on these expeditions. To use the sketchbook as a camera. Trying to capture where I was, what I saw, and how I felt. I like this exercise and I hopefully can keep doing it on all the new adventures to come.

 Cambria, CA

 Walt Disney's Barn 

(Awesome Place!)

 House on Mulholland Dr.

 Brand Library

Inside the Sketchbook

Nickelodeon has costumed models come in for life drawing. This mad-steam-punk-scientist came with plenty of costume and props which made for a great challenge and fun subject matter.

 

  

This model came on a different day but brought her own twist to the steam punk theme.

Noble Hospital Ball - Rock Star Art

Earlier this year I was contacted by a representative from Noble Hospital (a non-profit organization) in Springfield, MA. Every year Noble Hospital has a themed ball fundraiser to help raise money for something the hospital desperately needs.

Somehow, they found my blog and came across my Family Rock Star piece. They then reached out to me and inquired if I would be willing to contribute a piece to their ball being held in November 2014.

I was honored they asked me to be apart of something like this. Since this year's theme was Noble Hospital ROCKS The Noble Ball 2014 I decided to look close to Springfield, MA for inspiration.

I knew I wanted my "Rock Star" piece to come Massachusetts (specifically Boston) since that is close to home for the hospital that contacted me. After doing some research the three finalists were; The Cars, Aerosmith, and (of course) Boston.

I got into Aerosmith in high school and during the design faze I really enjoyed working with their characters. After further exploration and nostalgic enjoyment I focused the design towards Aerosmith.

Here is the piece I submitted to this year's Noble Ball. It is a digital painting but I had it printed on a wrapped textured canvas. I really enjoyed working on this and I hope it does well in their auction. You can see the piece in their auction page HERE. When Meg sent me this link it was fun to see it amongst their other auction pieces!

 

For more information about Noble Hospital Ball check out these links. 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nobleball
Website: http://www.noblehospital.org/news-and-events/noble-ball.html
Auction: https://qtego.net/qlink/noblehealth

Rocket Racoon

Wanted to keep practicing my traditional skills and enjoyed the character, so why not do something fun with both?! Rock-et-Roll!

Tyler Kakac - Rocket Racoon from Tyler Kakac on Vimeo.

Splinter Shot Progression

I put together the progression of a shot I got to animate of Splinter from Nickelodeon's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This is the first shot I got to animate of a TMNT main character when I first started at Nick. Enjoy!

Storyboard by the talented Byron Penaranda.

Tyler Kakac - TMNT Splinter Shot Progression from Tyler Kakac on Vimeo.

Updated Demo Reel!

Got some personal and work animation together and the result is an updated demo reel! The personal work is from the time I spent at AnimSquad. Follow the link to learn more. It was an amazing learning experience and inspirational to my growth as an artist. I'm planning a separate post about my time spent at AnimSquad but for now here's what I've been working on.

 

Tyler Kakac - Character Animation Reel from Tyler Kakac on Vimeo.

SpongeBob Bounce About

Since working at Nickelodeon, I haven't had the opportunity to work with SpongeBob or the Bikini Bottom crew. It's hard to see a 3 foot LEGO statue of SpongeBob at work and not want to help out on the show. So I decided to try it on my own and have a little fun at the same time. Plus practice is always a plus. Here is a short, simple, and, hopefully, sweet test I did. Enjoy!



I do have other SpongeBob related tales from my time and Nickelodeon that I am eager to share. Hopefully soon!

TMNT: 2nd Season Poster

The second season of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kicked off today. I had the opportunity to work on this press piece for the launch of the second season. One day a co-worker showed me the poster had appeared on Nickelodeon's twitter feed.

These assignments are fun but we aren't always sure how they are intended to be used. I can't believe one season has already passed. Be sure to keep watching!

Here's an article that IGN produced covering season two's premier. There is even a sneak peak with Casey Jones.
http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/09/26/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-season-2-premiere-date-announced-by-nickelodeon

The Adventures of Miles and Doug

Not too long ago some good friends of ours welcomed a new member into their family: a baby boy titled by the name Miles. Miles father and I go back to the early days of high school and I couldn't be happier for him, his wonderful wife, and their two pugs.

This project was an absolute blast. My friend's sister, my wife, and I worked together to come up with a unique and special gift for their growing family. We were imagining adventures a little boy and his dog would have that is unique to my friend and his family. We knew one of their dogs, Doug the Pug, had to have quite an influential role in our designs. After we came up with the four themes for the canvases, I threw open my sketchbook. Here is a page from my sketchbook where I thumbnailed ideas for the fishing, Star Wars, biking, and the music designs.

When I had locked down my ideas the painting process began. I loved putting my paint brushes to work again and I really enjoyed doing this project traditionally. Thanks goes out to my wife for all the great pictures you took to document this gift. Please feel free to check out more of her work here. ~ ElahTree ~

 

 

The final paintings. I am truly blessed to know this family and am excited to see all the continued adventures of Miles and Doug the Pug.

Rest well Miles and Doug. Many more adventures await.

Man of Steel

For along time I have been a fan of Jerry Siegel's and Joe Shuster's big blue boyscout. My fan hood started by the amazement that a man (I know technically he's an alien) could be "Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!" I watched all the old cartoons and even have a couple lunchboxes. Over the years my intrigue in the Man of Tomorrow has shifted to an appreciation of his integrity, character, and heart. Torn between what's right, what's wrong, and what is wise. Goodness and light trying to give hope amidst the darkness. The parallel's to my faith became more inspiring than this Kryptonian's powers. Although the power of flight would still be pretty awesome.

It's good to see Superman returning to the sliver screen.

What good is being a fan without some fan art?

This find came from Austin Madison's blog but I had to share.

A Gift For A Good Friend

We are out of town this weekend to celebrate two good friends as the begin their lives together. Here's a peak at the gift I made for them. Today is the big day they become husband and wife. It's going to be a great wedding and we are looking forward to the trip and making new memories.

42

I grew up playing baseball. I loved to play. I especially loved the snow cones, Gatorade, and/or ice cream after the games. I grew up when all the baseball movies came out too; Angels in the Outfield, Rookie of the Year, The Sandlot, Field of Dreams, and I have sisters so you bet I saw A League of Their Own.

As I got older I pursued other interests but my love for the game rounded a different base. I loved learning about the history of the game and about the players and the stories from a different day and age. Athletes who's motivation was to prove something as they played for the love of the game and not for the fame or monetary reward. One such player was Jackie Robinson. Once I learned who he was, I was hooked.

Here is a pencil on paper piece I did many years ago. I didn't plan this but I happened to find a frame to fit it the same week 42 hits theaters. All these years it finally has a frame and a part of his story will cinematically be told. Needless to say I am excited for 42.

"The way I figured it, I was even with baseball and baseball with me. The game had done much for me, and I had done much for it." 
- Jackie Robinson

A Day at the Zoo

Great company, great weather, creatively inspirational subject material, and a great day to bring along the sketch book. Who doesn't love the zoo?

This little monkey was one of my favorites.

 He finally slowed down for a quick sketch.

NunchuckTASTIC!

This Saturday tune in to Nickelodeon for some action packed entertainment! Many talented artist have worked very hard to bring these brother's together again. 

I had the honor of spending some time on this project. I look forward to sharing more but not now. For now head on over to Nick.com, order yourself a pizza, and get psyched for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles coming to Nickelodeon 9.29.12 - 11/10c am! Don't miss it!

Family Growth Spurt

An early week in July featured much change for my family. In one week my family grew by three nieces and one nephew. One of my sisters and her husband welcomed a beautiful little girl into this world. That counts for one of my nieces. Another sister and her husband were finally able to call three amazing kids theirs on that wonderful adoption day back in July.

I wanted to do something special for their family so this post is for them. It had been a long road when they began their foster parenting journey. It's been exciting to watch my sister, her husband, and these wonderful kids grow together. Super proud of you sis and I am happy to be your uncle Gabby, Lily, and Noah. (You too Adalyn!) Thanks for family growth spurt!

sAvengers!

This mild mannered animator has been eagerly awaiting this silver screen team-up! To conceal their identities (and to keep this fan-art legit) I have changed their names. This began with The Bulk and it originally was only going to be him, Steel Guy, Thodin, and General USA. White Spouse, Rick Furry, and Opticbird came later but completed the sAvengers! (click on images to see larger... enjoy!)

May the 4th be with you.

Keep your eyes peeled. We may see The Unbelievable Bulk again...

A Summer Date

Inspired by personal events and a lot of fun to create. Tried something new for an exciting new chapter. 

Oh yeah, and that new chapter is... I'm getting married! WOOT!