Hey, guys! In this episode, I am chatting with Brian Ajhar, a character designer, illustrator, and storyteller. His art career has spanned 3 decades and his clients include magazines, newspapers, advertising agencies, corporations, and book publishers.
Get in touch with Brian
- Website: http://www.ajhar.com/Brian_Ajhar_Studio/Brian_Ajhar_Studio_Click_on_image_to_Enter.html
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ajharart/
Key Takeaways
“Be a student of life, experience and observe. There is always a story!”
“It’s not about what the character looks like, but what emotion you get from what the character is doing”
- Brian started to take art seriously when he saw the old Disney programs where they would show behind the scenes. He was just fascinated by all the animators and their process.
- To get first jobs, Brian would ‘cold call’ the art directors in newspapers, magazines, studios. While at Parsons School of Design, during the summer break, he would take his portfolio around to get feedback and grow his network.
- Brian is usually doing portfolio reviews at CTN Expo in Burbank and what he noticed is that the young artists are not being as unique as they could be, they tend to be generic and there is no point of view. You should have your own vision and point of view to tell a story
Resources mentioned
Note: some of the resources below may be affiliate links, meaning I get paid a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you use that link to make a purchase.
- Convention – CTN Expo
- Books
- Books illustrated by Brian Ajhar
- Ronald Searle – To the Kwaiand Back – his life as POW
Thanks for Watching and Listening!
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Special thanks to Brian for joining me today. See you next time!
All artworks by Brian Ajhar, used with permission