elephant art

Work designs

2011-12-12T17:31:00.014-05:00

For the past couple years I've been the character designer for Nickelodeon's Kung Fu Panda TV series which recently aired. Here are my attempts at replicating the style of Nicolas Marlet, the designer of the original movie characters.

All artwork is © Viacom International 2011.

Rhino!

2011-11-03T20:50:00.011-04:00

Had the chance to photograph a black rhino up close recently, here are a few shots.

2011-09-26T03:47:00.017-04:00

Indian elephants.....swimming

lion & elephant

2011-08-08T20:14:00.014-04:00

Yunnan elephants

Birds

2011-07-06T01:24:00.018-04:00

Photos from the Safari Park.

Pachyderm reference

2011-06-18T02:17:00.026-04:00

Sketching some ideas and a shot of my reference board near my desk. I find real photos more inspiring than staring at a monitor so I have a lot of printed reference around.

Dogs III

2011-06-06T23:49:00.009-04:00

Sculpting at the Zoo

2011-05-09T22:15:00.008-04:00

I did some sculpting at the zoo recently with live elephants. They were good models because they stayed close to the front of the exhibit and didn't move too much. It was helpful to see the way the light and shadows hit the real elephant then be able to compare it to my model at the same time.

2011-04-26T20:40:00.010-04:00

Zoo photos from this weekend.

Old project

2011-04-12T23:59:00.012-04:00

A few rough/semi-finished pieces from a 2008 project that was never completed. The story was about the fight for shade and sun.....but in the end, no one won.

2011-03-29T17:12:00.000-04:00

Zoo portraits II

2011-03-08T23:42:00.016-05:00

Indian elephants

2011-02-23T00:24:00.012-05:00

2011-02-01T01:35:00.000-05:00

rhinoceroses

2011-01-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

Giraffe sculpt I

2010-11-29T00:49:00.010-05:00

Running giraffe in mid stage of completion.

Dogs II

2010-11-16T22:55:00.004-05:00

Dogs

2010-11-05T16:29:00.007-04:00

Custom brush testing

2010-10-22T16:40:00.008-04:00

I made some custom brushes in Photoshop trying to replicate charcoal and conte, these are just some early tests put on paper textures. I wanted the brush to act like the side of a conte stick so I could block in a form and still have lots of texture show through.

Hollywood uses elephants.....secretly

2010-10-03T01:42:00.034-04:00

Here are some examples of elephants used in movies that you never even knew were there.

STAR WARS

The Bantha wich appeared in the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, was played by an female Asian elephant in a large custom made costume. However, during shooting the elephant would frequently take off the costume because it wasn't accustom to the extra warmth generated from wearing it in the California heat.

The Bantha as it appears in the film.
Bantha production photos source.

The same elephant was used as reference by ILM when they were working out the locomotion of the Imperial walkers.

The sound of the tie fighter is a mix of an elephant call and a car driving on wet pavement.

JURASSIC PARK

The roar of the T.rex is a combination of a baby elephant cry, a tiger, an alligator and its breathing was the sound of a whale's blowhole. Elephant rumbles and trumpets were also used in some of the T.rex scenes.

ILM also studied elephants for the brachiosaurus scenes where it rears up on its hind legs.

The roar as it appears in the movie.

A roar of an Asian elephant for comparison. First is a sharp trumpet, then some rumbles, then the roar.

Most people think that elephants only trumpet but they have a wide range of vocalizations as demonstrated in this video clip.

cat drawings

2010-09-21T18:47:00.006-04:00

Pandas

2010-08-25T18:43:00.009-04:00

ZOO portraits

2010-08-02T16:00:00.017-04:00

Renewed my zoo membership and took some photos over the weekend.

Woolly mammoths!!!

2010-07-29T21:27:00.006-04:00

life drawings

2010-07-14T18:48:00.008-04:00

Zebra sculpt

2010-06-27T02:26:00.005-04:00

So today I tried sculpting a Grevy's zebra and here are some progress photos. The legs are in the early stages and I still have to fix the anatomy and smooth out areas. It was a bit difficult to get the model to balance on the thin legs but it stands by itself now. I will post more pictures when its baked and painted.

Sharks

2010-06-08T23:37:00.009-04:00

I was watching a shark dissection while sketching these. I haven't drawn them much so it was interesting to learn more about their weird anatomy.

Hippos

2010-06-02T23:45:00.005-04:00

The top image was inspired from an exhibit I visited at Busch Gardens, underwater hippo tank.

Arctic swimming

2010-05-18T19:45:00.006-04:00

Indian lineup

2010-05-11T23:47:00.011-04:00

the wildlife of India

old art

2010-04-15T18:24:00.004-04:00

Some old quick note paper sketches and a velociraptor zebra hybrid.

2010-03-30T13:53:00.004-04:00

Straights vs. curves

2010-03-08T18:06:00.011-05:00

I just posted these images on the Art center blog, some ideas regarding straights vs. curves in the animal kingdom.

All artwork & photographs © andrew shek 2010

tigers + tutorials

2010-02-24T16:19:00.007-05:00

I was recently invited to contribute to the Art Center blog which is run by Randall Sly from the Character design blog. There are a bunch of really talented artist who will be putting up drawing tips and tutorials.

Any ideas of what you guys would like to see from me for the first lesson? Please leave a comment if you have any request.

rhinoceroses + 1 elephant

2010-02-01T00:25:00.010-05:00

2010-01-05T22:26:00.006-05:00

leopard sketches

2009-12-06T18:21:00.004-05:00

2009-11-28T21:16:00.009-05:00

2009-11-03T18:05:00.018-05:00

2009-10-22T21:41:00.011-04:00

The African elephant (loxodonta africana) could be EXTINCT in the wild in 15 years with approximately 100 animals dying each day.

The current population is around 600,00 with 38,000 dying each year from poaching, drought, habitat loss etc. A lift of the ivory ban and recent droughts have quickly reduced the populations in many parts of Africa.

A self sustaining captive population as backup is also not an option unless large financial commitments are made. Historically, elephants have been difficult to breed in captivity and require a lot of space/money to maintain.

read more----> HERE

tiger!

2009-09-22T22:38:00.003-04:00

Neotropical Macaws

2009-08-29T03:01:00.006-04:00

2009-07-28T23:35:00.006-04:00

Over 40 different animals having a good time......try to find the drugged giraffe!

Tarzan guys

2009-07-10T02:03:00.010-04:00

Cheeta and Tantor from the old Tarzan movies.

ROM

2009-06-25T15:59:00.007-04:00

Some museum sketches from earlier this year. The mastodon only had one tusk, so it looks kinda weird.

2009-05-31T03:52:00.000-04:00

Practicing some painting

elephants again

2009-05-06T16:22:00.006-04:00

Some unused designs for a new portfolio I'm working on...its hard to draw elephants different each time. Even though I draw them a lot, I spend the most time on them compared to other animals to get new shapes and looks.

2009-04-15T19:51:00.001-04:00

model making + AMNH

2009-03-25T20:48:00.013-04:00

I'm trying to sculpt from memory and see how accurate I can make this model. Right now its in the early stages with only one half roughed out. Its a 1/27th scale model of a female African elephant.

Some inspiring old pictures from the American Museum of Natural History (NYC).

Visit their picture archives, so many good photos--->HERE

Giraffes

2009-03-10T20:23:00.002-04:00

Marker sketches

Comic

2009-02-01T23:25:00.009-05:00

Art from a project I was working on last summer.

2009-01-05T21:39:00.002-05:00

Some old designs

2008-12-04T02:24:00.001-05:00

Zoo again

2008-10-29T23:22:00.018-04:00

Recent zoo pictures and sketches

moose

2008-10-19T23:06:00.005-04:00

Moose designs from an old project. He didn't talk so I wanted to make him like a mime, with those black marks around his eyes.

2008-09-23T15:57:00.001-04:00

marker zebras for new portfolio

Zbrush is fun!

2008-09-10T23:02:00.011-04:00

Here's my first rough attempt at using Zbrush....trying to make a photo real Asian elephant. (its not done yet...needs more sculpting)

I made the top model in MAYA , then I morphed and pulled it in Zbrush to form a realistic looking elephant. Zbrush is so powerful and easy to use, its just like sculpting with digital clay.

Old stuff....

2008-08-08T14:33:00.006-04:00

Pages from last years Africa sketchbook... done while waiting in Kilimanjaro airport

list of animals I saw

A highlight of the safari when a bull elephant walked in front of our van

Indian residents

2008-07-08T11:47:00.008-04:00

Indian gaur plus rhinos with dorsal neck plates

2008-06-03T09:59:00.002-04:00

2008-05-20T23:30:00.006-04:00

Story sketches of a rhino and his arch-enemy

elephant model

2008-05-05T23:01:00.008-04:00

African elephant (loxodonta africana)
model made from super sculpey.

Painting elephant

2008-04-03T21:18:00.008-04:00

Asian elephant trained to paint...........elephants!

Since the logging ban of 1989, many elephants have found work in tourist centres doing tricks to earn money. Profits from these centres help fund conservation for wild and captive elephants in Asia.

2008-03-20T00:03:00.004-04:00

lion

pigeon

lion + pigeon

orcas

2008-03-12T15:29:00.002-04:00

darkroom

2008-02-13T00:49:00.001-05:00

gigantic elephants

2008-01-18T12:48:00.000-05:00

2007-12-30T16:06:00.002-05:00

g i r a f f e s

rhino pig

2007-12-04T00:40:00.002-05:00

rhino sketches from Africa

Pig life drawing

walking the frog...

2007-11-07T16:52:00.000-05:00

new website....

2007-10-26T11:50:00.003-04:00

Here are some designs I did for work (the main character Dibble is based off a design by Robin Joseph)

Africa...

2007-10-18T20:52:00.003-04:00

Photos from my African safari.

war...

2007-09-19T13:59:00.001-04:00

During WWI, Germany used elephants from Hamburg zoo to transport machinery and haul logs used for building their trenches.

The Japanese army also used elephants to transport supplies and artillery in the Burmese jungles during WWII.

Zoo-tography...

2007-08-27T00:35:00.002-04:00

a design inspired by Charley Harper

Photos from the zoo this weekend and some inked zebras.

pre-history..

2007-08-13T14:19:00.001-04:00

Pigeons....

2007-08-05T21:38:00.002-04:00

Photos taken at Highpark Zoo, plus some marker sketches

sketching...

2007-07-24T10:57:00.001-04:00

Teak forest...

2007-07-12T01:49:00.001-04:00

chimpanzees?!?

2007-07-06T02:52:00.002-04:00

chimp studies....

2007-07-02T19:03:00.001-04:00

Cleaned out the archives...now for some new work