Walking Your Octopus | Brian Kesinger | Talks at Google

TL;DR

Brian Kesinger, a Disney animator, discusses his career, art, and series of books featuring Victoria and her pet land octopus, Otto.

Transcript

KEN ARTHUR: Hi, everybody. I'm Ken Arthur. I recently joined the Talks at Google team, so I'm here to introduce this talk. So without further ado, I'd like to introduce Brian Kesinger. Brian joined Disney when he was 18, becoming the youngest animator at the company. He started as a layout animator on Tarzan and his career has filled many positions... Read More

Key Insights

• 🤕 Brian Kesinger started his career at Disney as a layout animator at the age of 18 and has worked in various positions for 20 years.
• 😆 Kesinger's Tea Girls illustrations celebrate the prettier side of steampunk, focusing on Victorian fashion and retro sci-fi elements.
• 🧑‍🎨 He draws inspiration from a variety of artists, including Arthur Rackham, Leyendecker, Charles Dana Gibson, Brian Froud, and Mike Mignola.
• 😂 Kesinger's unique tea painting technique involves using actual tea as a medium and adding watercolor accents.

Questions & Answers

Q: How did Brian Kesinger's career at Disney begin?

Brian Kesinger started at Disney as a layout animator on Tarzan when he was 18 years old, becoming the youngest animator at the company.

Q: What inspired Brian Kesinger to create his Tea Girls illustrations?

Kesinger was asked to create an illustration for a steampunk tea party invitation, which led him to research and appreciate the steampunk genre. He decided to focus on the prettier side of steampunk, incorporating Victorian fashion and retro sci-fi elements in his artwork.

Q: What artistic influences can be seen in Brian Kesinger's work?

Kesinger draws inspiration from artists such as Arthur Rackham, Leyendecker, Charles Dana Gibson, Brian Froud, and Mike Mignola. He particularly admires their draftsmanship, use of line work, and composition.

Q: How did Brian Kesinger develop his unique tea painting technique?

Kesinger accidentally discovered the tea painting technique when trying to age a piece of artwork. He realized that the tea gave the art a unique splatter effect and a vintage feel. He further developed this technique by adding watercolor accents to the tea-stained paper.

Q: What other projects is Brian Kesinger currently working on?

Kesinger is currently working on a third book featuring his characters Otto and Victoria, titled "Time Traveling With Your Octopus." He is also developing a board game based on Otto and Victoria.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Brian Kesinger is the head of story at Walt Disney Animation Studios, with a career spanning 20 years in various positions, from layout animator to storyboard artist.

• Kesinger's love for drawing led him to create a series of illustrations featuring steampunk-inspired characters called the Tea Girls.

• His Tea Girls illustrations celebrate the prettier side of steampunk, focusing on Victorian fashion and retro sci-fi elements.

• Kesinger uses various artistic influences, such as Arthur Rackham, Leyendecker, Charles Dana Gibson, Brian Froud, and Mike Mignola, to create his unique art style.

• He also discusses his process for creating tea paintings, where he uses actual tea as a medium and adds watercolor accents.

• Kesinger's Tea Girls illustrations have gained a significant following online and have been featured in books and even a board game.