Art-of-Blue-Sky-Studios

Cover to the Art of Blue Sky Studios

When opening any book whose title starts with “The Art of…” it’s a quick and natural assumption that artwork is going to be the focal point of the book. The question that always enters my head is “Just how are they going to frame the artwork?” I was extremely pleased with Jake Friedman’s methodology. First off, I noticed the paper. It was thicker than you would find in other art books. While I was enjoying the book I kept finding myself thumbing the edge of the pages, thinking that somehow they were sticking together. My hand would linger on a page—just to feel its solidity. While my hand lingered, so would my eyes. The book is designed to activate the reader’s appreciation.

If you want to understand an artist’s work, you want to know about the tools of their medium. The unique software created by the studio to implement their vision defines Blue Sky’s films. What made this software so unique was its ability to render light source and create shadow, and to do so in a realistic manner through various opacities, colors onto textures. Light doesn’t move in a single line. It ricochets everywhere, like a stray bullet. As I learned in the first chapter, “The Beginning,” Blue Sky’s focus would be the recreation of light and its multiple hues as it danced in the air, bounced off reflections, and was captured in shadows. I was captivated by the background story of the founders, where they came from, their previous projects, their collective vision on where they wanted to go, and the first steps that took them in that direction. I had no idea that one of Blue Sky’s earliest projects was working on the movie, “Alien Resurrection.” That highly creepy, terror-filled scene of aliens underwater had me squirming in the theater. That little bit of movie magic was Blue Sky’s doing.

I love reading little nuggets of information like that. Each paragraph is filled with them. There are explanations on the choices made for character design that best suited the story and the character’s motivation, the decisions on colors that would best set the mood and flow of the story, and where they explored and made discoveries for creating textures and shapes to best capture that project’s specific world. While my mind was devouring all these enjoyable morsels, my hands kept caressing the pages.

I’m very pleased to report that there are very few actual stills from any of the movies used in the book. Nearly all the book is filled with working conceptual art. By working, I mean that there are page spreads showing color-themed storyboards for a film. There are also character development sketches and models. There are studies on the shape language. And light. And so many images of how the colors of light play in movement, setting of mood, and layout of drama. Blue Sky’s original focus on mastering light in computer animation dominates the artwork in this collection. I’ve been motivated by “The Art of Blue Sky Studios” to think of light and color in a new way, and I’m confident that my hands will reach for those wonderful pages again for further inspiration.

The Art of Blue Sky Studios - book spread 1

The Art of Blue Sky Studios – book spread 1

The Art of Blue Sky Studios - book spread 2

The Art of Blue Sky Studios – book spread 2

The Art of Blue Sky Studios - book spread 3

The Art of Blue Sky Studios – book spread 3