A Day In the Workings of My Dream I Will Always Remember

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Today is a day I will always remember to my heart. I went to the Disneyland Resort, the place that inspired my dream to become an animator in the first place, specifically Disney California Adventure. I have had a love for movies and pop music since watching the cartoons made by the Disney Studios. If it weren't for those cartoons and movies, I would still be spending mass amounts of time learning math, physics, and astronomy for fun, which I still do today sometimes. Those characters, especially Mickey Mouse, have touched my life in a very passionate way, informing me about the importance of dreams and never giving up.

My Dream of Fame and Imagination

1. Become famous for my love and passion of bringing characters to life by leading and creating many cartoons and films of all kinds, and even my own animation studio.
2. Move down to Los Angeles to be closer to the entertainment industry and the amusement parks.
3. Marry someone who is a big Disney fan.
4. Eventually open up an amusement park to bring my characters out into the real world.
5. Meet current stars working in the industry.

Anyway, first, after entering the park, my family and I walked through Buena Vista Street to the Paradise Pier. I really like how Paradise Pier represents Southern California's beach culture. Fortunately, for Pixar fans, myself being a big loyal fan, this pier will be transforming into Disney's Pixar Pier in early next year, making this land even more animated and live. I can't wait for this new pier to open!



After Paradise Pier, we walked to Cars Land to ride the Radiator Springs Racers. Cars Land opened on June 15, 2012 as part of the park expansion. I really enjoyed the ride and the animatronics inside. The characters were my favorite part, taking us into their real lives. The imagineers did a really spectacular job making this ride come to life. I then took pictures with Red the Fire Engine.

My parents and brothers decided to go to Grizzly Peak to play on the structure. I thought that I would rather use that time to keep working towards my dream and decided to head on over by myself to the Disney Animation Academy in Hollywood Land. At the Disney Animation Academy, attendees learn drawing techniques, specifically rough sketch techniques, to draw their favorite Disney characters. I attended a total of 6 animation academy sessions, drawing characters that have started my love for animation and bringing the character to life.

I learned and have applied a very important drawing technique that would change my drawing habits for life; the importance of one sketching very lightly and darkening lines that he/she is comfortable with, with no erasing in the process. Erasing every imperfect line is a common mistake a lot of people make when drawing, especially really good artists. If animators kept erasing every bad line, trying to get a perfect line on the first try, their drawings would not look as professional and they would never finish an animated film in time. For mostly anyone, it is extremely hard to get a perfect line on the first try. That's why this technique of rough sketching is extremely important. The animators at the Disney Studios, take around 15 minutes to rough sketch a portrait.

Ever since then, my drawings have changed by a wide margin. I now only take 15-30 minutes to draw a whole character from looking at a reference



My Drawings Before the Disney Animation Academy (A lot of Erasing Involved):

This is a drawing of the 10 Freeway (the Santa Monica Freeway) in Los Angeles just west of the East L.A. Interchange. I erased a lot and took much longer than now to finish this drawing.

My Drawings After the Disney Animation Academy (Little to No Erasing Involved):

A drawing of Donald Duck from Mickey and the Roadster Racers

Myself standing in front of the Disney Animation Academy, proud of my change in drawing habits from that day forward. I will never forget this magical day!

My parents and brothers joined me for 2 sessions. My youngest brother and my father both were very bored during the first session they attended that they left my mom and my other brother; they rarely draw and are very artistically challenged. After 5 of the 6 sessions, I went to watch the Pixar Play Parade and returned to the Disney Animation Academy later for a drawing session of Mickey Mouse, the character behind it all! Soon, my mom wanted us to go to dinner. I wish I could stay at the Animation Academy forever and continue to practice and develop my drawing skills.

We then left the park and headed on the 5 south to the A&J Restaurant, a Taiwanese noodle shop, in Irvine. Noodles, especially rice noodles and fun noodles, are my favorite foods to eat other than fruits. I really enjoyed the noodle soup the most; this will be one of my future local hangouts when I raise a family.








\








Thanks for tuning into my show, sponsored by the future, Los Angeles based, Jonathan Yip Animation Studios! Stay tuned for more posts! Happy trails til next time!