[Kratter] I was raised with art all around me.
My mom is a ceramicist,
and instead of giving us a lot of formal training,
she just threw tools at us.
I was playing with pencils and markers and paintbrushes,
and I knew from a very, very young age
that I either wanted to be an artist or be a teacher,
which worked out pretty good.
I'm Tia Kratter.
I've been working here at Pixar for 26 years.
In 1980, I got a job as a background painter
at Walt Disney Feature Animation.
The first film I worked on was Fox and the Hound.
Then I moved up here to the Bay Area.
Disney would send me backgrounds, and I would paint them from home.
Worked on some great Disney films: Aladdin, Beauty, Hunchback.
In 1993, Toy Story was starting to develop.
I had absolutely no computer experience.
The idea of putting a stylus down on a tablet
and seeing it show up on the screen was foreign to me.
So, I volunteered here at Pixar until I could prove to them
that I was a good enough painter on the computer to be hired.
I started working on Toy Story as an imperfectionist.
My job was to mess up and beat up things
that were made so perfectly by the computer.
So I might put scuffs on the baseboards.
Sid's desk was covered with hammer marks.
Sid's mattress had a big pee stain on it.
That was the best work I did on Toy Story.
To be able to be part of that initial wave of CG animation
is one of the greatest experiences I've ever had.
Pixar invests in allowing us to create a very robust program
so that we can offer avenues of growth in a lot of different ways.
So, I'm so glad you're all here.
Are you ready to learn how to paint with gouache?
-Yes. Good. Okay. -[woman] Yeah!
As the manager of Art and Film,
it's my goal to educate Pixarians as much as I can.
Either by showing them lots of films
or expose them to different hands-on art projects.
The very first...
All with the goal of developing a better eye
so that we can make more beautiful films.
See if you can not show your brushstrokes.
Um, by the way, I've hid the black paint
-[chuckles] so you have to use color. -[woman] Why?
And little by little, really trying to get them to gain self-confidence
in what they're doing, and that's gonna make them happier.
Pixar has allowed me to invite anyone to take these classes.
Not just our directors. Not just the artists or story people.
We get this great cross-section of people who might not know each other otherwise.
It gets them away from their computers, it lets them use their hands,
and it builds a sense of camaraderie and morale.
The real goal is to let people just completely lose sense of time
and to enjoy what they're doing.
[laughs]
-Perfect. It's so good. -[chuckles]
The sense of humor may be the most critical thing.
It's really easy to get caught up in the stress or the deadlines.
It's really healthy to put your arms out and say,
"This is simply an animated film."
And I know that enriches people's lives when we put out a really good film.
Just the same, I don't want to take us too seriously.
I think that would be silly.
-I'm bringing you a cheat sheet. -[man] Thanks.
One of the things I do every April Fools', is I quit Pixar.
I concoct a utterly ridiculous reason for leaving,
and I send out an e-mail blast to the whole company.
When I first did it, I would get about 30 to 40 people who just took it,
including Steve Jobs, who believed it three separate times.
-It's been a really fun way... -Excellent! [chuckles]
...to keep it light around here, which I think is critical.
When I was about 50, I thought I'd work here till I was 70.
I still think I might be able to make it to 70.
My big hope is that I get to call the shots.
And if I get to call the shots...
I know I'm gonna leave on April Fools'.