photo vault: animator overtime

Back in college, I took a Photojournalism course and was assigned to do a photo story. My boyfriend at the time was a student in the prestigious Character Animation program at CalArts in LA. His endless nights of animating intrigued me, so I decided to take a trip to SoCal and cover a late night in the CalArts animation cubicle hall for my photo assignment.

I observed a lot of wacky antics that evening: puppet shows, celebrity impersonations...an especially fond memory was learning how to skateboard through the hallways using a shopping basket. 

All photos were shot on 35mm.

Animator Overtime: A brief chronicle of a typical late night / early morning in the Character Animation department at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, CA. 

11:36PM: The workday has just begun as CalArts character animation student, Scott, 22 (center) reviews story ideas for a short film called Monster Hunter with fellow animators Dan, 28 (far left) and Bailey, 23 (back).

12:45AM: Character animation student, Sean, 20, spends his 36th hour without sleep in his cubicle animating a sequence for his upcoming student film, Hot Date on a Stick.

Atop Sean's cube is his newly constructed puppet "Mr. Walters", modeled after his high school science teacher. 

1:13AM: Amidst the mess of his tiny cube, Armen, 28, sketches some last minute storyboards for a class assignment. 

2:40AM: Through the pinhole into his cube, Travis, 22, busily sketches a sequence for his short film Incons'pig'uous.

Inside the wall of Travis's cube, a friendly creature greets visitors. 

3:10AM: Bogged down by the stress of the semester, Ron, 25, takes a moment to read the next chapter in his self help book.

Remnants of Ron's frustrations dangle from his doorway.

4:02AM: After 47 hours of animating, Tony, 21, takes a brief nap at his desk beside his puppet-friend Chuck, before getting back to work.  

pacific northwest

Craving a summer vacay, I spent the past week exploring the great Pacific Northwest with my close friend Sydney (red lips pictured below). It was a jam-packed, non-stop, unforgettable trip!

We started our journey in Seattle where it was a melting 95 degrees! We kept cool with a first-time visit to the International Fountain in Seattle Center and ended the day with dinner & drinks with family and friends on the lawn of the Seattle Tennis Club. We then road tripped north to the San Juan Islands where we took a ferry from Anacortes to Friday Harbor (our car even got to go with us!). We enjoyed the little shops and restaurants on Friday Harbor, ate fried food and fudge amongst the farm animals at the San Juan County Fair, drove out to historic British Camp, and ended our stay on the dock of Roche Harbor Resort. I discovered my new favorite latte on the island too: the London Fog (earl grey tea latte w/ vanilla). So yummy and cozy. 

Sydney's hometown of Bellingham was our third stop. Hovander Homestead Park was my favorite site, an expansive pioneer farming property with the cutest red barn, a fragrance garden, and walkable trails along lily pads. After a brief visit in Bham, we continued north to Vancouver (my first time in Canada). Vancouver is an oddly amazing city. It's like New York meets San Francisco meets Europe... meets Asia meets Middle East, yet everyone speaks English and there is zero traffic?! There are endless awesome neighborhoods in Vancouver: Gastown (home to Pixar Canada!), Yaletown, Granville Island, and Chinatown.

We stayed at some amazing hotels along our journey: Ace Hotel (our room was sans a bathroom, my first time in a hotel with communal showers!), Lairmont Manor (historic and absolutely lovely), my favorite The Chrysalis Inn & Spa and the posh Opus Vancouver. 

International Fountain, Seattle, Washington

Downtown Seattle

Bellingham Bay, Washington

Aladdin's Antiques, Bellingham, Washington

Hovander Homestead Park, Ferdale, Washington

Bow-Edison, Washington

British Camp, Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, Washington

San Juan County Fair, Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, Washington

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

St. Francis Catholic Cemetery, Friday Harbor, San Juan Islands, Washington

Bellingham, Washington

8 years

The end of June marked an unbelievable 8 years at Pixar! I started at the studio during the tail-end of production on The Incredibles, as a nervous, wide-eyed college intern doing everything and anything to please my colleagues in the Consumer Products department. My desk was the size of a night stand, placed strategically next to a copy machine (which quickly became my best friend...her name was Frida). All eyes were on me and my little desk, so I had to perform. I must have done something right to later secure a spot on the Publishing team!

Publishing is a very workload-heavy, hard-deadline environment, but what's cool about it is the wide variety of projects and people our team is involved with. Pub oversees all domestic and international storybooks for all the Disney•Pixar feature and short films. This includes book formats like: sound book, novelty, educational, color & activity, sticker, junior novel, Little Golden Book, and more. We also have our hand in digital eBook and App development and manage specialty art books and global magazines. We are busy year round!

What I have cherished most during my experience at Pixar is all that I have LEARNED (and continue to learn) from the most talented creatives in the world. It's been such an honor to collaborate with these brilliant minds everyday, take in their teachings, and apply it to my own creative work.

Below is a sampling of my FAVORITE book titles I have overseen over the years:

I am most proud of my work on this book! Many thanks to my buddies Bill Cone and Ralph Eggleston for their creative guidance in creating this comprehensive beauty. Available from Chronicle Books. 

My two favorites in the Pixar Art of series. Both shows were amazing to work with, the filmmakers were so accommodating and efficient! Available from Chronicle Books. 

As a kid I was a huge fan of DK's Eyewitness books. Now I love coming up with fun facts for the DK Essential Guides to the films. Available from Dorling Kindersley.

Little Golden Books, a coveted classic. Available from Random House. 

One of the most amazing film trilogies of all time wrapped into one book. Available from Disney Editions. 

Every Pixar fan needs this book! You might even catch a few glimpses of Kelly B. inside! Available from Disney Editions. 

I have loved partnering with Leapfrog to create these interactive/educational titles. Available from Leapfrog.

Happy Reading!

sassy sheila

One of the coolest perks during my career at Pixar was the opportunity to name a Cars die-cast Mattel car after my mom, Sheila! Sheila is a member of Flo's Motorama Girls, a trio of 1950's showgirl cars (Sheila, Rhonda, and Laverne) from the World of Cars storybook. These sweet and sassy girls can be seen in the Flo's V8 Cafe at Cars Land in Disney's California Adventure park.

These girls quickly became hot items as "Storytellers" exclusives at Target (the tri-pack is now selling on Amazon for $300!).

vineyards in brooklyn

This month, I had a fabulous time being involved in Pixar's first annual wine event "Vineyards in Brooklyn", which took place on the rooftop terrace of Pixar's new Brooklyn building. The evening was a toast to all the Pixar filmmakers and creative staff for their continuous support to Pixar's Legacy Team: Interactive, Publishing, Consumer Products, Marketing, and more. 

A fine selection of wineries and winemakers from Sonoma and Napa Valley shared their reds and whites: Cardinale, Delectus, Etude (best Pinots!), Groth, Gundlach Bundschu, Lasseter Family Winery, Mayro-Murdick, Peju (best Rosé!), Pine Ridge, and Schug. Local chocolatiers provided delectable sweets: Barlovento, Chocolatier Blue (peanut butter & jelly truffles!), Poco Dolce, and Toffee Talk. 

To commemorate the evening, I created a paper piece celebrating the spirit of Pixar and the beloved wine country. I presented the original piece to my dear friend, John Lasseter, and shared art prints with all of the participating wineries, chocolatiers, staff, and filmmakers who made the event a success. 

Cheers! 

my mentor

One of my closest mentors is Ben Butcher, Art Manager for the Consumer Products department at Pixar. For years, Ben has guided and influenced me through my professional career and creative pursuits. Whenever I'm down on myself, stressing at work, or need a new creative challenge, Ben is always there to lend an ear and offer the BEST advice anyone could ask for. Ben, I thank you for your continued mentorship and friendship, you are my #1. xoxo Kelly B.

Meeting Martha...Again!

 

This past week was non-stop excitement in NYC! Not only did I celebrate the big 3-0 but I had the fabulous opportunity to present Martha Stewart with the paper faces I created of her and her two Frenchies, Francesca and Sharkey.

I attended a taping of Martha at Chelsea Studios, which featured judges and doggies from the Westminster Dog Show. Martha also brought in her duo of Frenchies along with her very regal Chow Chow, Ghengis Khan (GK) who won Best of Breed at Westminster. GK was a real crowd pleaser, complete with a fresh and fluffy coat, a stately swagger, and a striking blue tongue. An added treat was getting to pet Malachy the Pekinese, the top dog at Westminster--what a coat and what a face!

After the show I presented Martha with her piece, which she and the staff LOVED! I am so unbelievably honored that Martha now has one of my originals in her possession. I also gave Martha a handmade card and a little box of BeautyBug accessories for her grandbaby, Jude. :)

The remainder of my trip consisted of shopping the endless aisles of Strand Books, catching up with an old childhood friend on Valentine's Day (while dining at Mario Batali's Eataly and sipping on the most decadent Love Potion Hot Chocolate at The City Bakery), witnessing the powerful performances of Stockard Channing and Judith Light in Other Desert Cities at the Booth Theatre, admiring modern collections at the Met, perusing the windows of Madison Avenue with my favorite Pixarian, walking the Upper West Side with my pal Tony Danza (yep, Who's The Boss), and spending many late nights laughing it up at Hotel Gansevoort in the Meatpacking District with my favorite Pixarian boys.

An experience I will treasure forever!

Select photos courtesy of www.marthastewart.com

Happy 2012 from Luxo & Ball!