ArtistInsights

Bill Silvers: Passionate Production Painter

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 22:26:00 -0500

Bill Silvers has worked on some great recent movies, and began working in the film industry right before everything changed and hand painting became a thing of the past. He can work digitally or traditionally, fast and flamboyant or slow and meticulous, he can create a wide variety of styles and designs. He creates art for official Star Wars and Disney fine art releases, and his originals are highly prized by collectors like George Lucas and other discerning celebs.

Here is a 2 part interview with Leslie at ArtInsights about what inspires him, how he creates, and what he loves about his life in art.

Mike Peraza: From Princesses to Pixar

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:53:46 -0500

Mike Peraza has been working in the animation industry for many many years, and has the patience, skill, talent,
and pedigree to prove it. He was the art director for the new Disney classic The Little Mermaid. He still does freelance work for Pixar, Disney, and commercial projects for other studios and fortune 500 companies, and creates official Disney fine art. He may be the busiest man in animation.

He has known some of the greatest names at Disney, but Mike is a humble chat-master. Here is an interview conducted at our special studio visit with official Disney art company, Collectors Editions, with my friend Noka. It is a marvel how many animation masters he’s played with, and learned from!

Did he make Ariel’s hair red? Find out now:

Craig Kausen: Celebrating the 100th Birthday of Chuck Jones

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 01:12:02 -0500

To kick off the beginning of Chuck Jones’s 100th birthday year, ArtInsights was lucky enough to have the first official celebration! As part of that, we had his grandson, Craig Kausen, who grew up learning to find inspiration from him from a very early age. Watch this interview about his experiences with him and listen as he talks about Chuck’s life.

Andreas Deja: From Awful (Scar) to Zany (Roger Rabbit)

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:57:29 -0500

Animator Andreas Deja has been creating a wide diversity of inspiring and unforgettable characters at Disney for over 30 years.

From Scar and Jafar to Roger Rabbit and to Lilo and Hercules, his designs and creations span from regally evil to over the top to subtle and restrained. He has never rested on his past experience but has always pushes himself to learn, to take risks, and become a better artist.

The world of Disney animation cannot ask for a better ambassador. With the knowledge and wisdom he has gleaned from his close friendships and interactions with 7 of the 9 Old Men of Disney, he carries in his head the tricks, stories, and solutions to problems they encountered that led to everything we now know of modern animation. It has helped him become one of the most well known and favorite of all Disney animators.

We sat with him and discussed his career, his inspiration, heard great stories about his characters, and got treated to a journey through some of his favorite pieces of Disney animation from his impressive collection of drawings...

We will be releasing this 5 part interview over the next weeks as part of the great “The History of Disney through Courvoisier” original art show we’ll be having at ArtInsights this fall...

Chris Rankin: Playing Percy

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 00:45:52 -0500

When Chris Rankin began as a Weasley, he was quite young...he, like all the Potter actors, have lived a lot, learned a lot, and of course, never expected to be part of such a phenomenon.

As the story comes to a close with the last book, and the two movies that have been created to tell the story, Chris has to say goodbye to a character he has inhabited onscreen for his entire adult life (so far!).

He talks to ArtInsights about what’s next for him, what he is passionate about, and where he might be headed post-Potter.

We also meet his “better half” Megan, or Megs, as he calls her, and talk about what partnership is like in the movie business and how they support each other.

Chris Rankin has a website where you can see some of the films he has worked on in school, and keep up to date on where he is and what he’s up to--www.chrisrankin.com.

We look forward to seeing Percy in HP7.2, playing an important part of one of the best loved stories in recent history on film!