Character designer Stephen Silver will release his fifth book, Passion for Life, July 1, 2009, which gives insights into his philosophies of life drawing and life itself.
“The title ‘Passion for Life’ came to me on the day that my fifty-year-old cousin Ellen Wahl passed away,” he writes in the book. “It is not only a reminder of how short our time here on earth can sometimes be, but also a reminder to make every day count”
Silver, who has worked for Disney Television Animation, Sony Feature Animation, and Nickelodeon Animation, is the character designer behind “Kim Possible,” “Danny Phantom,” and the characters of Kevin Smith’s animated “Clerks” series. He teaches at CalArts and has an online course at www.schoolism.com.
Passion for Life grew from a personal collection of over 300 of his own life drawings. The figures are drawn in a range of styles. Some are finished, some are rough. In the essays accompanying the artwork he addresses artistic and life themes including balance, passion, gesture, rhythm, experimenting and inspiration.
On passion, he writes: “As you can see within these pages, to me, the meaning of life drawing is . . . having fun, experimenting, just drawing, and sharing my art and insights with you. Being an artist does not have to be a curse; it is a way of expressing yourself and your vision, a way of screaming on the blank paper. What do you want to be in your life? What do you want to do for you? What do you want to say?”
Passion for Life shares the insights of its author not just through its drawings but also through Silver’s essays and inspirational thoughts. “I intend the book not just for artists, but for anyone who aspires to be happy, content and productive,” Silver said.
Silver is the recipient of a 2000 Golden Nosey award from the National Caricaturist Network and the 2007 National Cartoonists Society’s television animation award. Stephen will have a booth at the 2009 Comic Con International in San Diego, California July 22-26, 2009.
Passion for Life is a 12″ x 9″ 200 page full-color hardcover available through Silver’s web site http://www.silvertoons.com). The list price is $40.00. See Silver’s web site to view sample artwork from the book..
It’s a beautiful book, very well done. The charcoal drawings are printed so well, I found myself checking my fingertips to see if they had charcoal from accidentally touching the drawings.