Started portrait of Kara

I started this portrait Kara tonight and will finish tomorrow.

Cows in the Field

Small pencil drawing warm up. 5x5"

Jade

I don't have much of a story for Jade, except that she is a mechanic and lost her arm. She was doodled in the middle of night a couple weeks ago, and now she's coming to life as a sculpture and a 2D character. I may bring her into the digital 3D realm.  I may move on to another character I have a story for.

Cat Burglar

Daenerys Targaryen Part 2

I admit it... I started over. Another sketch of Daenerys Targaryen. Warm up sketch for the night. I'm happier with this one.

Daenerys Targaryen

Started a digital portrait of Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones.

Adaptation

Director: Spike Jonze

2002

Funny, quirky, and disturbing. Adaptation is about the screen play writer Charlie Kaufman as he tries to adapt the book "The Orchid Thief" into a movie.

This movie was a recommendation from a class I took, and I'm glad I watched it. I enjoy how the movie has these moments of humor and quirk. Such as when the main character, Charlie goes to a seminar about writing screen plays where it is announced that having a voice over narration is weak. Right before that statement the character Charlie is talking to himself in a voiced over narration about how he can not believe he came to this seminar. It was a very funny moment.

Other quirky moments were the dates he was on, particularly with the violinist, Amelia Kavan, where he would narrate to himself to say something. Another moment was when he was sweating while trying to impress the executive, Valerie Thomas, to give him another screenplay to write.

The Second plot in the movie was following Susan Orlean and her interview with John Laroche. Watching their relationship progress and getting to know their characters was great. Susan was dull and I never liked her character. Her greatest moment of utter weakness was in the end. John Laroche was interesting as he at first seemed like a stereotype of a dumb hick, and then you find that he becomes obsessed with things and learns about them in his obsession. He was a sad character, just pushing through life trying to catch a break. Susan became his break and his end.

You really felt like you were following Charlie around as he tried to write this adapted screen play. The ending was a twist and unexpected and did take me out of Charlie's real world and into the fantasy Hollywood universe. Which makes sense, since in the movie Charlie is 1) Charlie writing a Screenplay for a movie 2) The movie he is writing is playing out for us at the same time 3) Those two worlds come together in the end. Clever, and fun.

Finished dog portrait

Dog portrait

Unfinished pencil drawing of my dog.

Witness For Prosecution

Witness For Prosecution

Director: Billy Wilder

I honestly believed that... his wife did it. Witness for Prosecution is about a man accused of murdering the lovely Ms. French and his only alibi is his wife. When it comes time for court his wife turns the tables and testifies for the prosecuting side.

I really honestly thought she was the murderer. That her plan was to get Leonard Vole (her husband being prosecuted for murder) put in jail so she could return to her homeland of Germany. What a twist when she pulled off her acting veil to reveal how much she loved him.

The dialogues were excellent through out the movie. Particularly the court scenes where Sir Wilfrid skipped around the prosecution as they presented their evidence. I couldn't believe how thrilled I felt as Sir Wilfrid “zinged” the prosecuting lawyer as he kept presenting his evidence. It seemed no matter the amount of evidence Sir Wilfrid found a way to poke a hole in it and create doubt.

The point of comedy through out the movie was Sir Wilfrid and his nurse, Miss Plimsoll. In the beginning scenes where Sir Wilfrid rides his electric chair up and down the stair case contemplating whether to take the case or retire for the afternoon was very funny. Particularly when Miss Plimsoll finally got him upstairs and as she made the bed, he escaped. Miss Plimsoll looks up and quietly says “Sir Wilfrid? … Sir Wilfrid!” The scene cuts and you hear the noise of the electric chair moving and see the back of Sir Wilfrid riding down the stairs. I laughed so much!

The shots through out the movie kept the dialogue moving. Scenes where the characters are staged in a triangle on the screen and zooming in slowly on the character whom is talking. Other shots consisted of staging the characters so they were looking at each other opposite on the screen and cutting from one close up or mid shot to the other. 

I sketched out two thumbnails of compositions that I enjoyed from the movie. The first is from the first half of the movie where Sir Wilfrid is listening to Mr. Vole's story of how he is innocent. Enjoyed the light coming in from the window and casted shadow from Sir Wilfrid on the wall. Another reason I enjoyed that scene was for all the things that could be found around him. His desk, books, a painting, a light, small pictures on the wall, curtain, a couch. I noted this because of a project I worked on where I recreated the hotel room of John Wilkes Booth. It's amazing how many things you can put into an area and how all those things give the room life. The Second scene is when Mr. Vole is walking through the jail. The light and shadows created from the jail bars, fences, and the figures themselves really gives off the feeling of being trapped and ominousness.

Over all the movie was a treat and if you haven't seen it, take the time to watch it. The jokes are in the dialogue so make sure to have your ears open.

Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! I am Jenna Zona, and am currently a Graduate Student at Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. I am earning my Master in Fine Arts while studying ANIMATION! Here I'll keep a series of postings of current works, sketches, and short discussions about various movies. The image is of my mechanic character, Jade. The next step for her is... paint!