More Meaningless Vignettes From the Life of Tealin

[tealin]

Today I went for Dim Sum. In the restaurant, they were playing a DVD of what looked like a show from Las Vegas China, which had a Chinese Jimmy Durante singing 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' with only the title line in English.

It was odd.

Yesterday, for the first time, I fulfilled one of the goals I had set to do every day of my unemployment, which was to draw from the screen. (I've been putting it off because my portfolio has a deadline and I can do this after that.) I picked Ratigan because he is very unlike any character I would ever draw myself, and also I am in a Holmesy mood thanks to BBC7 and felt like watching Great Mouse Detective again. In the course of drawing him, I realized some blindingly obvious things:
1. Ratigan is a really really great design.
2. Glen Keane has done some serious life drawing. I was drawing a flat image of an oddly-proportioned rat off a screen but it still felt like life drawing.
3. I don't do nearly enough of this.*
That's the really important part of this entry; if you want to see the drawings, they are here:

Later in the day, I got a fortune cookie which told me 'Wednesday is the day to make your move.' This seemed strangely specific for a fortune cookie. I'm sure Ubiquitouspitt will have one interpretation and Disneyboy will have a completely different one, and others may have a few more besides. As for me, I shall attempt the triple-gyratory mega stunt flip from the top of the library. Or maybe not.

Hunchback came out on video ten years ago today. [Dies a little inside]

*... especially considering I learned most of what I know about design by learning to draw Disney characters for a comic strip I did back in Grade 9, before the age of DVDs and easily accessible reference.

Comments

[salamandersoup.livejournal.com]

HOBOY. Those are amazing to look at. It's like, it's like ... a delicious feast for my eyes. Even if they are screen drawings. :D

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

All credit goes to Glen Keane. It's amazing how much cooler Ratigan looks rough (if you can call that rough) than cleaned up.

[fordanglia.livejournal.com]

IAWTC.

[smokingguncafe.livejournal.com]

Your drawings are ALWAYS on par (or below par, if you'll take that as a compliment). GMD was one of my favorite movies a few years back, and Ratigan really is a gift of a design.

[soloproject.livejournal.com]

Great Mouse Detective is one of my fave animated films ever :D And when I was a kid, I was completely smitten with Ratigan so it's very nice to see him again :D

[dried-frog-pill.livejournal.com]

Those sketches are phenomenal . He really does have the best expressions. This makes me want to watch it again (and I have the VHS of that, how old am I! XD)

[lync180.livejournal.com]

DIM SUM!! AHHhhhhh.......I miss dim sum :( heh heh. Love the drawings too btw.

[ardys-the-ghoul.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure what he would do life drawings of for that movie. Have you ever tried to draw an actual mouse? It's really hard to do, even if they're asleep. They won't sit still!

Equally hard to get a photo of them, I might add.

Then again, I'm not a professional artist by any stretch of the imagination, so I guess it's bound to be harder for me. And I bet there are mice in the world less energetic than mine (I have three--Charlotte, Emily, and Anne).

[canisdoofus.livejournal.com]

Glen Keane took Adam's OTHER rib and transfered it to paper. :P

Anyhow, yes, Ratigan is fun. But it REALLY bothers me when rodents aren't drawn with the appropriate incisors! I mean come on: that's what makes them Rodentia: 'gnawing animals'! ...Just a little something that I've always found annoying. At least Jenner from Secret of N.I.M.H. has the right incisors.

[verselus.livejournal.com]

Ah, Ratigan. Such a big guy compared to all the other mice around him, but still oh so stylish. I loved this movie when I was little. Basil of Bakerstreet was my hero. And I was always fascinated with Ratigan's feet. They were so small compared to the rest of his body, but he moved so lightly.

[azvolrien.livejournal.com]

I have never actually seen that film... And I can't find it anywhere.

[hobbitnat.livejournal.com]

OMIGOSH YAY! Ratigan is amazing! yay for Vincent Price! That was my favourite movie when i was like 5! and i still love it! Ratigan and Basil were my favourite, heck all the characters rocked! i liked how all the mice are drunk through it, and it's like a Disney movie haha! I even had a GMD fancharacter and stuff! Ratian is definately Pocsh! i mean the World Greatest Criminal mind!!!! *sings* awesome drawings!!

[michiness.livejournal.com]

It saddens me that I can bring to mind the scene from about every one of those expressions (and notably the expression that immediately follows - he was so mercurial). . . on the other hand, that makes a point about how well you've captured them ;)

[ubiquitouspitt.livejournal.com]

Do it! Dooooo it!

(not the suicide thing).

[ardys-the-ghoul.livejournal.com]

Uh, sorry if that sounded too harsh. I think I'm still feeling a little frustrated from the last time I tried to draw one of my mice.

See I had this idea for a kid's book about super-intelligent mice from another planet, and I wanted to use my mice as references to draw a few of these alien mice, but they wouldn't stay in one position long enough for me to draw them.

Even when they were asleep, I'd look down at the paper to draw a line, and when I'd look back up they'd be in a completely different position. I finally just gave up.

[infiniteviking]

Marvelous movie. Gorgeous pictures. The shoulders really make the rat. XD

[twirlynoodle.livejournal.com]

But ... but ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.


Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, I say.

[tannhaeuser.livejournal.com]

[tannhaeuser.livejournal.com]

[ubiquitouspitt.livejournal.com]

Surely that deserves an exclamation point in order to be sufficiently courageous..?

[ubiquitouspitt.livejournal.com]

*licks your icon*

[ubiquitouspitt.livejournal.com]

Do not despair. I ran out of things to say years ago. I've come to replace commentary with random exhalations, screams and the occasional threat. You should try out making your own words!

Chirrel!: Happy to see a squirrel!

(C) Now Show

(...I never follow my own advice.)

[pooryorick.livejournal.com]

"Life Drawing with Professor Ratigan" - now that's something I'd sign up for.
Great stuff! I love how delicate the hands are.

[infiniteviking]

*sputter* XD Yes, I'm rather proud of that one.