by Jake Friedman

With the June 9th release of Cars, Pixar takes a step back towards its roots of animating anthropomorphic objects. However, this time the trap is sprung with a cultivated talent for art direction and design that has taken decades to perfect. As we’ve seen in making-of books, DVD extras and museum exhibits, the Pixar design team works as hard on the pre-production process as it does on the actual animation. Though maybe not as technologically innovative, the approach of these artists using clay, wire, pencil, paints and paper is to inspire the final product just as the classic artists have done since the golden age of animation.

Jay Shuster, as a Pixar sketch artist, is one such person. Though his art cannot be seen directly on the screen, he is one of the talented few who shapes the look of the movie. I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about what work is like for a sketch artist at the world’s most popular CG studio. (Read the article)

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