Uploaded June 2021 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Marshall reconnects with his friend Chris Appelhans to discuss his journey from working as an artist on movies like Monster House and Coraline to writing and directing his first animated and independent feature film, Wish Dragon. Chris tells his story on how he came to the realization he wanted to get into animation, how his time living in China influenced his film, and the importance of mastering “the pitch” if you want to get a movie made.
Time Codes:
00:00 - Intro
03:07 - The Story of Wish Dragon
41:12 - Chris’ History
47:33 - The Art Direction of Wish Dragon
01:05:53 - Storyboarding
01:07:22 - Blindspots
01:15:51 - Would You Do It Again?
01:22:22 - Do You Miss Drawing and Painting?
01:24:51 - Art Training
01:32:23 - Building the Career You Want
01:47:01 - Where to Find Wish Dragon
Show Links (some contain affiliate links):
Sparky! Illustrated by Chris Appelhans - amzn.to/35uOhBz
Monster House - amzn.to/3gCltfI
Polar Express - amzn.to/2UajzLR
Caroline - amzn.to/3iJCk38
The Art Of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri - amzn.to/3iFYa7l
Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch - amzn.to/3wwkmow
Artwork mentioned - proko.com/527
“Draftsmen” is available in audio. Subscribe on these platforms to keep up to date:
Spotify: bit.ly/DraftsmenPodSp
Stitcher: bit.ly/2JLMShh
Apple: bit.ly/DraftsmenPodA
Google: bit.ly/DraftsmenPodG
#animation #wishdragon #filmmaking
FOLLOW PROKO:
Marshall's Art - marshallart.com
Email Newsletter- proko.com/subscribe
Instagram - instagram.com/stanprokopenko
Twitter - twitter.com/StanProkopenko
Facebook - facebook.com/prokotv
Tumblr - stanprokopenko.tumblr.com
Pinterest - pinterest.com/stanprokopenko
ABOUT DRAFTSMEN:
Stan Prokopenko and Marshall Vandruff are art instructors. If you love the arts, particularly the craft of drawing and painting and image-making… and you want to level up your skills or even make a living with your skills, we are here to answer your questions. We’re here to offer you advice, refer you to our resources, share your love of the craft and maybe inspire you! Learn to Draw - proko.com Marshall Vandruff - http://www.marshallart.com. Subscribe to the podcast at bit.ly/DraftsmenPod
CREDITS:
Guest - Chris Appelhans (froghatstudios.com/)
Hosts - Stan Prokopenko (http://www.stanprokopenko.com), Marshall Vandruff (marshallart.com/)
Production Assistance - Charlie Nicholson (instagram.com/shloogorgh/), Editing - Charlie Nicholson
Intro Animation - Cody Shank (codyshank.com/)
Intro Jingle - Tommy Rush (instagram.com/tommyrush/)
Music Used with Permission Intro - The Freak Fandango Orchestra
Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com)
Marshall reconnects with his friend Chris Appelhans to discuss his journey from working as an artist on movies like Monster House and Coraline to writing and directing his first animated and independent feature film, Wish Dragon. Chris tells his story on how he came to the realization he wanted to get into animation, how his time living in China influenced his film, and the importance of mastering “the pitch” if you want to get a movie made.
Time Codes:
00:00 - Intro
03:07 - The Story of Wish Dragon
41:12 - Chris’ History
47:33 - The Art Direction of Wish Dragon
01:05:53 - Storyboarding
01:07:22 - Blindspots
01:15:51 - Would You Do It Again?
01:22:22 - Do You Miss Drawing and Painting?
01:24:51 - Art Training
01:32:23 - Building the Career You Want
01:47:01 - Where to Find Wish Dragon
Show Links (some contain affiliate links):
Sparky! Illustrated by Chris Appelhans - amzn.to/35uOhBz
Monster House - amzn.to/3gCltfI
Polar Express - amzn.to/2UajzLR
Caroline - amzn.to/3iJCk38
The Art Of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri - amzn.to/3iFYa7l
Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch - amzn.to/3wwkmow
Artwork mentioned - proko.com/527
“Draftsmen” is available in audio. Subscribe on these platforms to keep up to date:
Spotify: bit.ly/DraftsmenPodSp
Stitcher: bit.ly/2JLMShh
Apple: bit.ly/DraftsmenPodA
Google: bit.ly/DraftsmenPodG
#animation #wishdragon #filmmaking
FOLLOW PROKO:
Marshall's Art - marshallart.com
Email Newsletter- proko.com/subscribe
Instagram - instagram.com/stanprokopenko
Twitter - twitter.com/StanProkopenko
Facebook - facebook.com/prokotv
Tumblr - stanprokopenko.tumblr.com
Pinterest - pinterest.com/stanprokopenko
ABOUT DRAFTSMEN:
Stan Prokopenko and Marshall Vandruff are art instructors. If you love the arts, particularly the craft of drawing and painting and image-making… and you want to level up your skills or even make a living with your skills, we are here to answer your questions. We’re here to offer you advice, refer you to our resources, share your love of the craft and maybe inspire you! Learn to Draw - proko.com Marshall Vandruff - http://www.marshallart.com. Subscribe to the podcast at bit.ly/DraftsmenPod
CREDITS:
Guest - Chris Appelhans (froghatstudios.com/)
Hosts - Stan Prokopenko (http://www.stanprokopenko.com), Marshall Vandruff (marshallart.com/)
Production Assistance - Charlie Nicholson (instagram.com/shloogorgh/), Editing - Charlie Nicholson
Intro Animation - Cody Shank (codyshank.com/)
Intro Jingle - Tommy Rush (instagram.com/tommyrush/)
Music Used with Permission Intro - The Freak Fandango Orchestra
Additional music provided by Epidemic Sound (http://www.epidemicsound.com)
