Portfolio: Grimm Update

I added the flowers, added shading and I changed a few minor colors. I'm back to fleshing these out and once although I'd like to say I'm done with the first one, I want to keep my eyes out and touch up some things over the next couple months. I'll have animated scenes using these backgrounds soon!

Random Painting: Goro Brush Practice

I recently came across Goros brushes and decided to start practicing with those to make my work more detailed. I am deeply in love with the cloud brushes as well as the grass. For 3 minutes painting, I like this and I'm going to try and flesh it out.

Portfolio: Concept Art

Waterfall Concept for my portfolio project "Up-Stream"

A quick painting of a waterfall shot for my portfolio project currently titled "Up-Stream". It's a short animation about salmon swimming up stream. Heh

Working on concepts now and I'll be finalizing them within the next couple weeks!

"Camron Turn Around", by Kris Tucker

Another project for my portfolio which I am focusing on backgrounds and layouts is from the mind of my friend, Kris Tucker. His idea is about these cherub-like children who float using balloons of various shapes, each one representing something. Camron (Seen at top) has a heart balloon. When it pops, he falls from the kid friendly cloud world into the polluted realm that seems like dystopian earth.

I've begun work on a shot for the first world, the "above" world. It's very much kid friendly with bright pops of blues yellows and other pastel-ish colors.

I'm excited to begin work on the "lower" world because I've never really gotten to do grungier environments and it'll definitely help to show variety in my portfolio.

Team Production: Progress

A single storyboard frame from our production. You could even call this a teaser to our teaser! I drew this for one of the final scenes in our storyboard which we are completing tonight! Once it's compiled, I'd love to show the animatic off in one of my upcoming posts

Sketch Doodle

I recently went to South Carolina for spring break and decided to do a really quick sketch of the main street by the boardwalk in Myrtle Beach. It was a really cool place to be and I hope to flesh this out and make it more detailed showing the variety of signs and buildings.

Along with it I drew a shot concept for a library/reading room for my "Grimm Beginning" project over it.

Team Production: Lantern Warrior Concepts

For my Team Production class, we're doing a story of Light vs. Dark. It's more of a teaser animation than an actual story being told but it's in early development and should hopefully be completed in the next 6 weeks!

I am currently in charge of background and layout concepts for the village that the story takes place in and also the shot ideas for our storyboards and animators. Below I have one of my sets of concepts I was particularly proud of because I got to use a couple new brushes!

I'm really excited for the group to get past pre-production this week and move into finalizing designs. If we continue at the rate we're going, we should have an awesome final product.

Portfolio: Grimm Beginnings

I am currently in the process of building my portfolio around Background and Layout art as well as background animations and minimal animations in general. My biggest project in my portfolio is a show pitch that one of my teachers assignments for a character and background class inspired me.

"Grimm Beginnings" is the story of the adolescent Grimm brothers, who live in a village in a secluded forest. Within the surrounding forest lies magical creatures, witches and other oddities that later inspire the brothers to write their own stories we know and love today.

The first shots I'd like to show are from the Village Gate scene. It is the transition from beautiful to dark. The brothers approach the gate and contemplate going in to explore.

I am currently in the process of animating both of these shots as well! I have another student working on character designs.
More to come!

An Introduction

          Well hello there! My name is Casey Stallings and I am an upcoming graduate at the Art Institute of TN-Nashville. I study Media Art and Animation with a focus on Background and Layout art. I mostly do little doodles and sketches of background ideas for my main portfolio work but this blog is dedicated to that work as well as random sketches or drawings that I do in school or in my spare time. I would also like to include animations and storyboards I might work on for other projects.

          So sit back in your chair and get ready to relax because I'll try to update this blog as much as possible. I hope that it will inspire anyone who sees it as much as it would inspire me to continue my craft.