EPISODE 013: PARTY!

Though all the episodes of "El Tigre" have a similar feel... I tried to give each episode a unique pass of color that would describe the story and emotions of the characters. Often I would give a "straight" color treatment that I thought would fit the story well... then try another pass of something a bit different. That was the case of episode 013.

This episode was in fact one of the most difficult to design... just for the reason that there were LOTS of characters. I was very fortunate to have directors that were willing to let me experiment. Most of the time these experiments lead to interesting ideas... and other times... well ... looking back I often wonder what I was thinking about. :)

At the time of this post I am working with "El Tigre" creators Jorge and Sandra (as well as "El Tigre" art director Roman Laney) on Jorge's feature film "The Book of Life." It's been a joy... and we are getting to do a lot of the things that weren't possible in TV.

Episode 012: The Moustache Kid Color

Above: A first pass on the color script for episode 12, with color variations for some of the scenes.

A first pass like this would be discussed by the core creative crew of the show... then adjustments made accordingly. Unfortunately in TV you don't get much time for adjustments.

In the world of "El Tigre" facial hair is a sign of power and manliness. In this episode Manny gets his, and more than he bargains for.

Episode 011: Mother Color

Some of the episodes mostly take place in established locations, which means that there are less new locations to design. However, the color of new locations must enhance the overall story, and work well with more established locations.

Episode 010: Late Manny Color

Above: A sketch by art director Roman Laney.
Sketches like these would help both the storyboard artists, and the art team about the area that the story would take place. This is really useful when planning color and light.

Episode 09: Old Money

Above: A first pass on "Old Money."

When working on a t.v. show, it's important to establish a look and feel that translates from episode to episode. If you're beginning to see a bit of repetition of color between episodes; you would be right!  The worlds were pretty much defined by this point... My major concern was making sure characters read, and that the color truly followed the emotion of the episode.  I got more latitude to play when new villains, locations, and sequences were added.

Above: One of the panels from this episode was later turned into a poster (which I have yet to see) Here is the rough color pass on that particular panel.

08: Zebra Donkey Color

Above: Zebra Donkey was a fun short to design, lots of different locations and moods.

Above: For "El Tigre" I almost always worked off of director Dave Thomas's beat boards. Dave's stuff is great, because everything is always so clearly drawn and staged.  Once I got the beat board, I would go over it shot by shot with creator Jorge Guttierez, and art director Roman Laney. We would discuss mood, and emotion. By episode 08 I was beginning to get a clearer idea of what Dave, Jorge, and Roman were looking for as far as color.

I feel very fortunate to have worked with this creative group. They are all the very best at what they do... and I think it shows in the final episodes.

Episode 07: El Jefe Color

I kept the color palette of episode 07 pretty simple, playing with the idea of red vs. green. Using complimentary colors is a simple way to get exciting color compositions. This sort of scheme is often used in advertising... one must be careful not to overdue it though. As you can oversaturate the audience!