Davids new book, African Diaries is an artistic journey as seen through the drawings, sculptures and observations of David Derrick. All of the drawings paintings and sculptures were done from life while David was on Safari in East Africa. With 140 pages of full color imagery, African Diaries is a great gift for the astute art lover and nature enthusiast. David is an artist in the animation industry, working currently at DreamWorks Feature Animation where he has been for five years. Prior to his career in animation, David studied fine art at the University of Utah and furthered his education at California Institute of the Arts (CALARTS). As a student his films were very successful garnering many awards including a student Emmy Award. In addition to his work in the animation industry David also works as a fine artist sculpting and painting and is a member of Artists for Conservation. His artwork can be found at select fine art galleries.
David Derrick is the creator of Sid the Squid. He is a story artist at DreamWorks Feature Animation. He has worked on the films How to Train Your Dragon and Flushed Away.
A wildlife artist and bronze sculptor, he wrote African Diaries: Sketches & Observations. He has participated in the United Nations 2009 Year of the Gorilla campaign. David has donated artwork to raise awareness and funds to save these primates and their habitat.
In December 2009, he was awarded the AFC Conservation Artist Award for my ongoing efforts in supporting conservation primarily of gorillas and chimpanzees. The "Artists for Conservation" award is awarded monthly to honor a member for outstanding artistic talent and extraordinary contribution to the conservation cause. As the AFC noted:
"David has been promoting conservation through his artwork on his own at an extraordinary level - traveling to Germany to sell art for conservation, hosting Ian Redmond at DreamWorks, and participating in several auctions and fundraisers.
The artwork of David Derrick is unique due to his experience in the film and animation industry. To animate literally means to give life. David conveys movement and life in his pieces through strong poses and powerful gestures. When preparing a sculpture David spends hours observing and sketching his subject matter. Heavily influenced by great animalier sculptors Rembrant Bugatti, and Antoine Louis Barye, David adds his own unique style and perspective thanks to his extensive experience as an artist in the animation industry. Once completed David's sculptures are cast and bronzed using the lost wax method."
Previously he contributed the illustrated story Kadogo: The Next Big Thing in the children's anthology Scrambled Ink.
