When I first wrote about concept and visual development artist Samuel Michlap back in 2006, he had recently started his blog and his website was still under construction.
Since then, of course, he has added a considerable volume of work to his redesigned website, and his film industry credits now include titles like The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Prince of Egypt, The Road to El Dorado, Sinbad, Shrek, SharkTale, Monsters Vs. Aliens, MegaMind and The Rise of the Guardians.
For his professional work, Michlap has a versatile range of stylistic approaches, varying his technique to suit the demands of the project. All of them, however, retain his lively, energetic handling of drawing, color and value relationships.
In addition to his entertainment work, his website has a portfolio of his gallery painting, which focuses on urban scenes and train themes, often with a retro touch. There is also a nice selection of his plain air work, much of which appears to be in gouache.
There is an interview with Michlap on YouTube, from the CGMasters Academy Evening with the Masters.
Michlap will be teaching an online course, “Dynamic Color Sketching for Entertainment” through LAAFA in September. Registration deadline is 9/4/14.