CG Sky Domes

GUEST ARTIST: Akiko Crawford

Akiko recently finished working on the latest Tinker Bell production and is currently a painter on the DisneyToon Studios feature, "Planes."

While on Tinker Bell, Akiko spent countless hours painting sky domes, which are like matt paintings, but curved to encompass the whole sky, far mountains, or anything else that might be in the distance in a CG movie. The appreciation/effort ratio of sky domes is extremly small, as most of the audience's attention is focused on the characters or foreground sets. Next time you watch a CG movie, take the time to stare past the characters, past the houses, past the trees, and appreciate the work of a sky dome painter.

Discovery's Last Mission

GUEST ARTIST: Akiko Crawford

Today in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the space shuttle Discovery took its 39th and final launch into space. This closes a chapter in NASA technology, allowing the scientists to move on to their next challenge: producing bunny ears that won't burn up in the atmosphere.

Akiko was born in Japan and raised in the suburbs of Manhattan. She currently makes a living painting backgrounds and concept designs for the LA animation industry.