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Craig Elliott (born 1971) is an American fine artist and concept illustrator. He is well known for his depictions of the female form. He is also a freelance visual development artist working primarily for DreamWorks and Disney Feature Animation.

Background and Education

Craig Elliott grew up in the orchards and open spaces that were to become Silicon Valley. This early exposure to nature fostered his love for the natural environment. He attended Monta Vista High School in Cupertino where his initial lackluster performance lead his mother to conclude that he had a learning disability. In the process of testing for this, his teachers discovered that his IQ was actually around 160. He was immediately moved up to advanced classes instead of into the intended remedial classes. <br/>
He took his first basic art class in his junior year of high school, where his teacher was so impressed by Elliott’s natural ability, he encouraged him to study art in college. After graduation, he enrolled in architecture and graphic design classes at California Polytechnic State University. During his freshman year (1989), he immersed himself in many disciplines including glass blowing, metal smithing and sculpting. He experienced a watershed moment when received his first instruction in figure drawing. Again, his instructor was so impressed by his talent, he encouraged Elliott to transfer to Art Center College of Design in Pasadena to focus exclusively on training for a career in Fine Art and Illustration. He then took some time to build up his portfolio before applying, and was immediately accepted into the program. <br/>
Elliott holds a BA in Illustration from Art Center, where he is currently on the faculty of the Illustration department, teaching courses in Imaginative Landscape, and Visual Development for Feature Animation.¹ <br/>

Film and Television

His extensive body of work includes concept design for some of the most well known animated films of the last decade. Elliott has worked primarily as a visual development artist for DreamWorks and Disney Feature animation on such titles as Treasure Planet, Mulan, Emperor’s New Grove, Hercules, Father of the Pride, Shark Tale, Flushed Away, Chicken Little, Puss in Boots, Bee Movie, Enchanted and the Frog and the Princess, Disney’s return to 2D animation.
<br/>

Medical Condition

In late 1990 after his first three terms at Art Center, Elliott began to suffer from what his doctors believed was Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. He spent nearly the entire next year confined to bed with exhaustion. Elliott spent much of this time honing his drawing skills while he recovered, after which he returned to his studies and completed his degree. Then, in 1996, still plagued by bouts of exhaustion and illness, he started to become aware that he was slowly losing his vision. After a routine visit to an ophthalmologist, he was diagnosed with a non-malignant tumor of the pituitary (pituitary adenoma) and was given two weeks to live. Doctors suspect that his this tumor had been present for many years prior to his diagnosis. He subsequently underwent brain surgery to remove the tumor and has since recovered. <br/>

Publications

In 2004 he formed Aristata Publishing, an independent publishing house devoted to producing works featuring contemporary art and artists. Aristata holds an annual international art contest and has produced two volumes of the resulting book Aphrodisia: Art of the Female Form which focuses on works exploring and celebrating women in art. <br/>

His published works include Craig Elliott Sketchbook I, II and III. His work has also been featured in four volumes (10, 11, 12 and 13) of Spectrum, the annual publication which showcases the best contemporary fantasy Art, and Treasure Planet a Voyage of Discovery. <br/>

Some of his work can also be seen in the 2005 and 2006 Tori Amos calendars, a fully painted comic book Dream Corridor I written by Harlan Ellison for Dark Horse Comics, and the March and April 2006 issues of Realms of Fantasy Magazine. <br/>

Exhibitions and Awards

In 2005, Craig Elliott was awarded the Society of Illustrators Bronze Medal for Visual Development for Treasure Planet Development artwork.
He was also selected for Spectrum the Exhibition, a retrospective show held at the NY Society of Illustrators displaying a range of works spanning the 13 year history of the publication.

Craig Elliott currently resides on a 3 acre retreat in Santa Clarita, CA with his cat Amelia where he enjoys landscaping, organic farming and goofing around on his tractor.

Influences

Harry Carmean, Brothers Hildebrandt, Roger Dean, Mark English, Frank Frazetta, J. C. Leyendecker, Dean Cornwell, Toulouse Lautrec, Edouard Vuillard, Edgar Degas, Jean-François Millet, N C Wyeth, Harvey Dunn, Walter Everett, Pierre Bonnard, Howard Pyle, Japanese woodblock prints, Genji Monagatari Emaki-e, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Greek bronze sculptures, Minoan Art.

Notable Works

Fine Art and Illustration <br/>
Eagle Strafe 1992 <br/>
Trinity Cat 1993 <br/>
Yukionna 1993 <br/>
All I Want is You 1994 <br/>
Earth Fusion 1994 <br/>
Aristata and her Brother 1994 <br/>
Natural History Museum Poster 1994 <br/>
Jade 1995 [1693]<br/>
Fall Rising 1995 <br/>
Egyptian Procession 1995 <br/>
Dragonfly Girl 1998 <br/>
Judith 1999 <br/>
Parasol 1999 <br/>
Winter Declines 2000 <br/>
Vampiress 2001 <br/>
Fishing Vampiresses 2004 <br/>
Floating II 2005 <br/>
Lily Bath 2006 <br/>
Tori Amos Fan 2006 <br/>
<br/>
Film and Television <br/>
Enchanted <br/>
Moobeard the Cow Pirate <br/>
Aristocats II <br/>
Abi & Afya <br/>
Puss in Boots <br/>
Bee Movie <br/>
Shark Tale <br/>
Flushed Away <br/>
Tusker <br/>
Rex Havoc <br/>
Father of the Pride <br/>
Chicken Little <br/>
Home on the Range <br/>
Treasure Planet <br/>
The Emperor’s New Groove <br/>
Mulan <br/>
Hercules <br/>
<br/>

See Also

Brom <br/>
Iain McCaig <br/>

References

[1] Art Center Illustration Department Faculty List:
http://www.artcenter.edu/accd/faculty/fac_prog.jsp?pts=MA&ps=ILL <br/>
[2] Aphrodisia 1 on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Aphrodisia-Craig-Elliott/dp/0975491229/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-2133388-7606411?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183781753&sr=8-1 <br/>
[3] Aphrodisia II on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Aphrodisia-2-Art-Female-Form/dp/0975491237/ref=sr_1_2/002-2133388-7606411?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183781801&sr=1-2 <br/>
[4] Craig Elliott Sketchbook I on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Elliott-Sketchbook-1/dp/0975491202/ref=sr_1_7/002-2133388-7606411?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183781828&sr=1-7 <br/>
[5] Craig Elliott Sketchbook II on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Craig-Elliot-Sketchbook-2-Elliott/dp/0975491210/ref=sr_1_8/002-2133388-7606411?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1183781828&sr=1-8 <br/>
[6] Dream Corridor Review [1694]

External Links

Interview with Craig Elliott on Jasma Online [1695]<br/>
Craig Elliott Gallery [1696] <br/>
Aristata Publishing [1697] <br/>
IMDB Entry for Craig Elliott [1698] <br/>
Official MySpace Page [1699] <br/>