Donald Duck gets taught about Pythagoras, sacred geometry, and the fibonacci sequence!
Walt Disney being a 33rd degree free mason puts his knowledge in plain sight in this eye opening cartoon!
I was first introduced to the Golden Mean in an advertising design class in Eugene Oregon. The beauty of it all took my breath away. Something that was everywhere, common and yet so amazingly genius. In the videos you learned about the golden ratio. In art it is also as common as water. People are naturally drawn to designs that incorporate the Golden Mean. Yes, it's big in the advertising world. Even a playing card is a golden ratio. I suggest studying the subject as much as possible and you'll see the magic of it all around you!
One aspect that intrigues me is the Mind or Consciousness behind the mathematics. How does a flower know to grow in this sequence, or a sea shell or the that matter even our own bodies? It must be a frequency or a code. Like the genetic code. The ratio is passed on from generation to generation and yet no two are exactly alike. It is a living treasure with a mind and a focus. Now contemplate that and let me know your thoughts. Happy Drawing!
The Flintstones Daily Comic Strip Original Art - Artist Gene Hazelton
Hanna-Barbera Artwork: Crossing the Delaware - Artist Gene Hazelton
The definition of a role model is: A person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.
As a child I was “wowed” by Gene Hazelton. Micky Mouse, Cinderella,
Sleeping Beauty, Fantasia and all the magical Disney characters were
amazing to me. Gene Hazelton began as a cartoonist for Disney and I
wanted to be just like him. He was my Dad’s first cousin and he could
not only draw cartoon characters but animate them. My first drawings
were cartoons and they were inspired by Gene. We just never know who
and how are lives may touch another. He had a huge influence on my child
mind and I know he stirred the desire in me to begin drawing. I am
forever grateful.
Gene Hazelton
News From Me by Mark Evanier Published Saturday, April 9, 2005 at 5:53 PM “Sorry to report the recent passing (I don’t know precisely when) of
the great cartoonist, Gene Hazelton, whose career stretched from Fantasia to Flintstones.
Gene was born in 1919 and by his teenage years, he was a good enough
cartoonist to get a job assisting Jimmy Hatlo on the popular newspaper
panel, They’ll Do It Every Time. In 1939, he took a low-level job
at Disney and set some sort of record for working his way up to gag man
and animator. He animated the goat kids and cherabims in Fantasia and a number of sequences in Pinocchio. When a strike was called at Disney in 1941, Gene moved on to other
studios, including Warner Brothers where he did the main designs for the
legendary short cartoon, Coal Black and De Sebben Dwarfs, directed by Bob Clampett. He also began doing a lot of magazine gag cartoons and commercial art. Gene spent many years working with Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera at MGM
on their Tom & Jerry cartoons and with Tex Avery on his
highly-acclaimed shorts. When Gene Kelly wanted an animated sequence for
his feature, Invitation to the Dance, Hazelton designed the
“Sindbad the Sailor” sequence. There were also commercials and
commercial jobs: The animated titles for the I Love Lucy TV show were also designed by Gene Hazelton — one of many such projects he handled for the studio. When Hanna and Barbera started their own studio, Gene was a key
artist in the establishment of its style and the development of the
early H-B programs. He is often credited with the main design work of
certain important characters, including Pebbles and Bamm Bamm. (It is
said he based the image of Bamm Bamm on his own son.) Beginning in 1961,
one of his main duties was to supervise the production of — and
occasionally write or draw — the syndicated newspaper features of The Flintstones and Yogi Bear.
Around 1974, he took over the writing and drawing of both strips
full-time, doing them until 1988. (The distinctive inking on them was
usually the work of Lee Hooper.) Following his retirement, he drew many
of the Hanna-Barbera “sericels” that were sold through animation art
galleries and also did some teaching, but his main interest became his
golf game, which he honed until illness forced him to quit.
Gene was enormously well-respected by his peers and by many younger
cartoonists who cite him as a personal and professional inspiration. I’m
sure there will be more obits and tributes that will list his many
other impressive credits. I’ll try to link to them as they appear.”
I imagine that my thoughts are like a beautiful flower. First the seed is planted
watered and nurtured. Before long roots begin to take hold in the soil and green shoots pop up in the sunlight. Everyday I water my little plant and watch it as it grows. I notice new leaves and the buds begin to form. One day I
awaken to find that the seed has grown into a magnificent plant. It's all dressed up with flowers and the aroma is intoxicating. I'm in absolute joy. Everyday I tend to my drawing and lend to my growth. One day I awake and my dreams have grown and blossomed. The roots are strong and deep. The lesson is to never give up. Just love your dream, stay with it, and one day you will be in full bloom. Remember that every drawing begins with one single dot. It is like the seed and from that starting point, you can create anything!
I love sculpting. When I began sculpting, dolphins absorbed my attention and I studied everything I could about them. I watched movies, read books, drew pictures and of course sculpted dolphins jumping in the water. It became an obsession with me. Then one night the unexpected happened. I had a dream and in the dream I WAS a dolphin. Swimming in the ocean and jumping and diving. It was as real as my everyday life. I will never forget it. Now how cool is that! I would suggest that if your attention is intent on any one subject, the unexpected can happen. I will never forget the experience and suggest that something unexpected can happen for each and everyone of us. Hold your dreams close to your heart and life will respond in the most amazing ways.
The Zen of Seeing by Frederick Franck taught me to sit quietly and focus on one thing. I chose to sit outside and explore a blade of grass, a leaf or a blossom. Of course, you can choose whatever you wish. In those moments I began to become ONE with the smallest of life's miracles. I began to realize that all of life is connected. It was as if the object of my focus spoke to me and I spoke back. Sometimes it took a while to quiet down but when it happened all the cares and worries in life faded away like an ebbing tide. In those moments of peace I began to draw while keeping my focus on the blossom. Again, it didn't matter how wonderful the drawing looked. What mattered was my connection to it and my connection with my mind and my hand. It was worth every moment!
Yes, let's just try it for fun. Imagine a picture in your mind and draw it with your eyes closed. In your mind's eye, allow yourself to see your image in detail. It really doesn't matter how great the drawing turns out. What matters
is that you are making a mind - hand connection in your brain. Well, no
promises here but why not give it a try for five or ten minutes a day for a
couple of weeks. Only wonderful can happen.
When I signed up to take a botanical drawing class at UC Berkeley, I didn't know I would be in for such a treat. The unexpected treat was learning to do
the opposite of how we usually approach life in general. If our drawings were precise and tight we were instructed to buy newsprint and free hand draw with
a huge crayon and then throw it away. If our life was wild and out of control we did just the opposite. The wild thing required drawing with precision within an outlined box. Learning the disciplined mind was the challenge. Within a week or two everyone in the class found a new lease on life and art! I've never seen such remarkable change in my own abilities. I was jazzed! I learned to step out of my own limitations into a world of new possibilities. I'll talk more about the class in another post. For now, I highly recommend doing something out of the ordinary today. It may just surprise you.
