Animation

  • Most Topular Stories

  • Rio 2 in Early Stages of Development

    Animated Views
    Whitney
    26 Jan 2012 | 7:34 pm
    Rio, the Oscar nominated film about bird smuggling set in Brazil, is set to have a sequel, says Cinema Blend. Director Carlos Saldanha is progressing on the potential film, which may be set during the 2014 World Cup. Fox hasn’t signed any script deals, but all signs are in Rio 2′s favor. Share this article with others:

  • Before they were Stars, They were Disney Cast Members

    The Disney Blog
    John Frost
    27 Jan 2012 | 4:19 am
    The WDW Fan Zone has collected a great list of current day celebrities who got their start as Cast Member at one of Disney’s theme park or cruise ships.Here are a few of the big names you probably already know,Jennifer Hudson – Actress/Singer – Cast Member Job: Singer on Disney WonderJohn Lasseter – Animator – Chief Creative Officer Pixar & Walt Disney Animation Studios – Cast Member Job:  Jungleland Cruise CaptainSteve Martin – Actor/Comedian – Cast Member Job: Merlin’s Magic ShopMichelle Pfeiffer – Actress – Cast Member Job: Alice in the Main Street Electrical…

  • Goodman Beaver

    Michael Sporn Animation - Splog
    Michael
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:03 am
    - Bill Peckmann sent another strong piece by Harvey Kurtzman. Here’s Bill to introduce it: I came across my stash of Harvey Kurtzman’s HELP! magazines that I haven’t looked at in 45 years. Surprise, surprise, what a wonderful comic cornucopia is in those forgotten books. There’s all of our favorite cartoonists and then some. As always, Harvey was ahead of the curve in format and style, there wasn’t quite anything like HELP! when it came out those 50 years ago Here’s Harvey Kurtzman’s and Bill Elder’s series “Goodman Beaver” from the…

  • 27 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am

    Disney History
    Didier Ghez
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am
    Italy, February 1933, during the carnival of Viareggio.

  • Andrea Brown Holiday Card: Step by Step

    The Ward-O-Matic
    Ward Jenkins
    17 Jan 2012 | 1:55 pm
    I thought for sure I had shared this here, but apparently the craziness of the holidays took its toll on me and I completely forgot. Better now than never, right? Well, I had the wonderful opportunity to illustrate the annual holiday card for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. My agent, Jennifer, is of course, one of the agents and she asked if I could offer my talents for such an honor. I immediately said yes. Here's a little step-by-step of my process working on the card (click on each to view larger in Flickr): Here are my first initial ideas put together and presented to the powers that be…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Animated Views

  • Rio 2 in Early Stages of Development

    Whitney
    26 Jan 2012 | 7:34 pm
    Rio, the Oscar nominated film about bird smuggling set in Brazil, is set to have a sequel, says Cinema Blend. Director Carlos Saldanha is progressing on the potential film, which may be set during the 2014 World Cup. Fox hasn’t signed any script deals, but all signs are in Rio 2′s favor. Share this article with others:

  • Javier Bardem chooses not to be Despicable

    Dacey
    25 Jan 2012 | 9:21 pm
    No Country for Old Men’s Javier Bardem is no longer set to lend his voice to Universal’s upcoming Despicable Me 2, Screen Rant is reporting. Bardem was set to play the new villain in the film, but that role is now apparently up for grabs now. It is not set to have any impact on the sequel’s planned summer 2013 release date. Bardem, meanwhile, will still be seen on the big screen playing a villain soon, in this holiday season’s upcoming James Bond adventure Skyfall. Share this article with others:

  • New Promo for Studio Ghibli’s Arrietty

    Whitney
    25 Jan 2012 | 7:15 pm
    A brief one minute promo for Studio Ghibli’s 2010 film, Arrietty, is now available for streaming. Via ANN the promo highlights the dub voice actors Bridgit Mendler and David Henrie; they play the leads in the film. Arrietty reimagines the 1952 British novel in a Tokyo suburb. It will be opening February 17 in the US. Share this article with others:

  • DreamWorks Updates: Gregg Taylor and Mr. Peabody and Sherman

    Whitney
    25 Jan 2012 | 7:09 pm
    The Sacramento Bee has two major headlines from DreamWorks. Gregg Taylor has been named the new head of development. Taylor started his DreamWorks animation relationship began with Shrek and prior to his promotion worked on expanding the How to Train Your Dragon, Penguins of Madagascar and television projects. Alex Schwartz is the new producer for the upcoming Mr. Peabody and Sherman. Schwartz is the current head of animation development and looks forward to working on the movie. Share this article with others:

  • Pirates drops leprosy joke after complaints

    James
    25 Jan 2012 | 7:49 am
    According to Deadline, Aardman Animation will be changing a scene shown in the trailer for The Pirates! Band Of Misfits after complaints from leprosy groups. The scene in question featured a character with leprosy demonstrating he has the disease by showing his arm falling off. An Aardman spokesperson told Deadline, “After reviewing the matter, we decided to change the scene out of respect and sensitivity for those who suffer from leprosy. The last thing anyone intended was to offend anyone and it is clear to us that the right way to proceed is to honor the efforts made by organizations…
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation

  • “Prologue: The Recurrent One” by Andres Tapeton

    jerry
    28 Jan 2012 | 2:05 am
    Here’s the perfect film for me to post in the middle of the night. Andres Tapeton’s graduation film from the Classical Animation program at the Vancouver Film School. It’s quite a trip. Tapeton wrote us to explain: “This one is really personal, since it’s a representation of the most recurrent dream I have since childhood. I’ve been writing my dreams sporadically through the years, and I always joked when I was in school that some day I would make films out of them. And well, luckily my life brought me to the point that I actually know how to do that now,…

  • Don Hertzfeldt Launches His 2012 Tour

    amid
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:16 am
    On February 1st, indie animation rockstar Don Hertzfeldt kicks off a coast-to-coast 13-state US tour. The main event is the debut of It’s Such A Beautiful Day, which completes his ambitious trilogy about a mysterious man named Bill. Head to BitterFilms.com for ticket info, and go there quick because tickets have already sold out for a number of the cities. Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation | Permalink | One comment | Post tags: Don Hertzfeldt, It's Such a Beautiful Day

  • FEATURE TRAILER: “Asphalt Watches”

    amid
    27 Jan 2012 | 7:25 am
    Canadian cartoonists Seth Scriver and Shayne Ehman recently finished raising over $10,000 to complete their animated feature Asphalt Watches. They describe their collaborative two-man animated epic in the following way: Asphalt Watches is a true adventure story: in 2000, we hitchhiked across Canada together. The animation captures our crazy journey, full of hilarious and amazing encounters. Using music and songs we make ourselves, alongside hand-drawn Flash animation, we tell the tale of making our way from a 7-11 near Chilliwack, BC where a guy was hanging out with a knife in his…

  • Cartoon Brew Will Livestream the Annie Awards on February 4th

    jerry
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:05 am
    Actor/comedian Patton Oswalt (Ratatouille) will host the 39th Annual Annie Awards on Saturday, February 4th at UCLA’s Royce Hall. The annual event will begin with a pre-reception at 5 p.m. followed by the Annie Awards ceremony at 7 p.m. and an after-party celebration immediately following the ceremony. All events will be held at Royce Hall. And for the first time ever, Cartoon Brew will live stream the event! This year’s Winsor McCay recipients are Walt Peregoy, Borge Ring and Ronald Searle. Searle’s award will be posthumous, as he passed late last year at the age of 91. Other animation…

  • Stephen Colbert’s Must-See Interview with Maurice Sendak

    amid
    26 Jan 2012 | 4:57 am
    Stephen Colbert’s two-part interview with Where the Wild Things Are author/illustrator Maurice Sendak easily ranks as the most entertaining interview I’ve ever seen with a children’s book author. I’m sure it’ll be much discussed at the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators winter conference, which starts tomorrow in Manhattan. Cartoon Brew: Leading the Animation Conversation | Permalink | 29 comments | Post tags: Maurice Sendak, Stephen Colbert
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    The Blackwing Diaries

  • Hope for Hand Drawn Animation: Minkyu Lee's "Adam and Dog" trailer

    Jenny Lerew
    10 Jan 2012 | 1:51 pm
    Traditional character/hand-drawn animator (and current Disney visdev artist) Minkyu Lee has been working on a personal film over the past two years, a short that from the looks of the footage I've seen proves it's possible for beautiful and polished work to be achieved by a very small number of individuals, if the people involved--and especially the person in charge--has the chops to pull it off.Obviously Minkyu Lee does. This has the look of what we tend to call "classical animation". By the way, Minkyu painted all the backgrounds himself. There are only 6 key animators listed in his…

  • Merry Christmas from a couple of legends

    Jenny Lerew
    20 Dec 2011 | 1:27 pm
     A Christmas card from Ray and Charles EamesLast night for their season finale, the PBS series American Masters aired a new documentary about the work and lives of Charles and Ray Eames, called "America's most important and influential American designers" in the PBS description--a claim I'd be hard pressed to argue with. Watch the trailer for the film here: Watch Charles & Ray Eames: The Architect and the Painter on PBS. See more from American Masters.Bob WirthThere's a brief shot of the two working around what looks for all the world like Ward Kimball's train room, though I'm pretty…

  • Icons of Animation-another great Fred Moore piece going, going...

    Jenny Lerew
    17 Dec 2011 | 2:52 pm
    Profiles In History's "Icons of Animation" auction is happening right now, 11am PST, Saturday the 17th, so you still have a shot at acquiring the Fred Moore piece pictured above.[5pm PST: it sold for the low-end estimate of $3,000]Everything published on Blackwing Diaries is copyright Jennifer Lerew 2007; no unauthorized swiping and reposting of text or images from this site will be tolerated. Linking is one thing(I do too, of course), but plagarism is bad, bad, bad. Do NOT do it.

  • Christmas in Manhattan, 1934

    Jenny Lerew
    15 Dec 2011 | 7:28 pm
    ...as imagined by Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett, Woody Van Dyke, inspired by Dashiell Hammett and interpreted by Myrna Loy, William Powell and Asta, I give you Christmas morning with the Charles family.Everything published on Blackwing Diaries is copyright Jennifer Lerew 2007; no unauthorized swiping and reposting of text or images from this site will be tolerated. Linking is one thing(I do too, of course), but plagarism is bad, bad, bad. Do NOT do it.

  • A Merry Christmas from Disney's in 1955

    Jenny Lerew
    13 Dec 2011 | 3:43 pm
     This is a repost of one of my earliest entries, shortly after I began this blog in 2005. I think it suits the season and so merits an encore.This is the front of the Disney Studio's 1955 Christmas card.  It's quite a beautifully done thing; printed on a soft, high-quality paper, it's a large card that opens into a double-spread of the brand-spanking-new Disneyland, with a calendar running down the sides.  I was unable to scan the entire thing, as it's just a bit longer than my scanner is.  Great artwork--I don't know whose...anyone have any ideas?May your fifty-years-on…
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    TAG Blog

  • Viacom Compensation

    Steve Hulett
    28 Jan 2012 | 12:12 am
    The movie business has been very good to Uncle Sumner and a chosen few. Billionaire Sumner Redstone got a 39% boost in compensation last year in his role as executive chairman of Viacom Inc. The 88-year-old media mogul and his top two lieutenants together collected compensation packages in 2011 totaling nearly $100 million. Of course Sumner got a 39% bump in pay. Viacom stock went up close to 9%; we can never do enough for the Job Creators.

  • Ian Abercrombie, RIP

    Steve Hulett
    27 Jan 2012 | 8:50 pm
    The British actor was 77. ... ... Abercrombie ... had a recurring role as Palpatine/Darth Sidious on George Lucas’ animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars, did voice work on animation hit Rango this year and, just before his death, completed his work on the latest episode of the Green Lantern animated series for Cartoon Network. .... A busy man, Mr. Abercrombie. ("Rango" is always an "animated hit." And the current DreamWorks Animation releases are always "disappointments," no matter what sort of money they pull in. ...)

  • The Deserving Rich

    Steve Hulett
    27 Jan 2012 | 5:23 pm
    Face it. The Top Dogs are better and more entitled than you are ... And if you don't like it, you're a whiner. ... [T]he World Economic Forum, in a recent report, named the growing income divide as one of the biggest risks facing the world in the years to come. “In developed economies, such as those of Western Europe, North America and Japan, the social contract that has in recent decades been taken for granted is in danger of being destroyed,” the report said, warning of the threat of a “dystopian future for much of humanity.” ... We are a labor blog, after all. We do occasionally…

  • Del Toro on the Animated Oscar Nominees

    Steve Hulett
    26 Jan 2012 | 11:28 pm
    Guillermo del Toro reflects on DreamWorks Animation's two Oscar nominations. ... On “Puss in Boots,” I felt like one of the many parents that the movie has. Every experience I’ve had at DreamWorks has been really rewarding in terms of how they connect with the audience. Following “Kung Fu Panda 2,” all of the audience test screenings and seeing it get a really strong foothold and then “Puss” also getting the CinemaScore that it got and getting the critical consensus that it got — all of that is hugely satisfying ... I'm guessing that the folks at Pixar ... and Mr. Spielberg…

  • A Day at Fox Animation

    Steve Hulett
    26 Jan 2012 | 10:49 pm
    Although traffic was awful, I made it to Fox Animation early enough to hit all three Fox shows: American Dad, The Cleveland Show and Family Guy ... Things are steady as they go on FG and TCS, but the equilibrium is a bit different on American Dad: ... We haven't been picked up for another season, and artists are getting laid off one by one. We're pretty much in limbo ... I've got a couple of weeks left, and then I'm out of here. There hasn't been any big farewells, it's just ... people disappear and nothing is said. Nobody knows if we're coming back or not. It's kind of weird. ... As of early…
 
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    The Disney Blog

  • Before they were Stars, They were Disney Cast Members

    John Frost
    27 Jan 2012 | 4:19 am
    The WDW Fan Zone has collected a great list of current day celebrities who got their start as Cast Member at one of Disney’s theme park or cruise ships.Here are a few of the big names you probably already know,Jennifer Hudson – Actress/Singer – Cast Member Job: Singer on Disney WonderJohn Lasseter – Animator – Chief Creative Officer Pixar & Walt Disney Animation Studios – Cast Member Job:  Jungleland Cruise CaptainSteve Martin – Actor/Comedian – Cast Member Job: Merlin’s Magic ShopMichelle Pfeiffer – Actress – Cast Member Job: Alice in the Main Street Electrical…

  • Brazil a replacement for Euro-Tourism?

    John Frost
    27 Jan 2012 | 1:38 am
    Anyone else noticing a lot more Brazilian tourists at Walt Disney World these days? We certainly have. There’s a good reason for that, not only has the economy of Brazil stabilized producing more disposable income, but the volume of European tourists is down as their economy slowly crumbles. The in-balance makes the South American tourists stand out even more. Disney World has even gone as far as hiring 50 ‘Super Greeters’ to help these tour groups make their way into the parks smoothly.A spokesman for Disney World said 2011 has been “one of our best-ever years for…

  • Valentine & Princess Segment Coming to Magic Memories and You in February

    John Frost
    26 Jan 2012 | 6:42 am
    As we saw with the 2011 holiday version of Magic, Memories, and You the digital projection nature of the show makes it relatively easy (there’s still a lot of creative work involved) for Disney to update the show for special themes. The next theme to be announced centers around the romance of Valentine’s Day and the Disney Princesses.Of course, there are differences between Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. Chiefly the project occurs on the facade of It’s A Small World instead of the castle. I love how this scene from Rapunzel will play out.Check out more beautiful concept art…

  • Annual Walt Disney World Bird Count

    John Frost
    26 Jan 2012 | 12:14 am
    You may know that Disney’s Animal Kingdom takes great care in caring for the animals in the theme park, but did you know that the animal care team also has responsibilities for every animal in Walt Disney World. Yes, even the vultures that hang out in the worst places.One of those activities involves counting all the birds at Walt Disney World Resort and the surrounding area. In the video below, Anne Savage, Ph.D., Senior Conservation Biologist, Disney’s Animal Programs, explores the second annual holiday bird count at the Walt Disney World. Cast members from across the resort are…

  • Walt Disney World Merchandise Review

    John Frost
    25 Jan 2012 | 6:39 am
    While strolling through Disney’s theme parks I’m always keeping an eye out for what’s new. That includes new merchandise too. What can I say, it’s a hobby. Here’s a collection of some merchandise that caught my eye over the last few weeks. Some of it’s very new, some of it, not so much. But I like it all.If you like this or other Disney theme park merchandise, you can find a lot of it on DisneyStore.com these days. If you hurry, they’re offering a free shipping promotion today for all Disney Parks Merchandise ordered. Just use code: PARKSFREE. Which…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Upcoming Pixar

  • 'La Luna' Nominated at the 84th Academy Awards!

    Martin
    24 Jan 2012 | 11:14 am
    Nominations for the 84th Academy Awards were announced today with an honorable mention reserved for one of Pixar’s films. Disappointingly but unsurprisingly, Cars 2 didn’t garner any nods making it the first Pixar film not to land a spot in the Best Animated Feature category since its inception. On a positive note, Enrico Casarosa’s short, La Luna, is now in the running for Best Animated Short! Short Film (Animated) • Dimanche/Sunday – Patrick Doyon • The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore – William Joyce,…

  • Pixar's 'Brave' Website Update!

    Martin
    21 Jan 2012 | 5:13 pm
    The Pixar website debuted its "brave" new look today with banners dedicated to the studio’s upcoming film. Along with the home page, Merida and company also have a preview site available in the Feature Films section. Expect to see much more as we get closer to Brave‘s summer release. Brave opens in US theatres on June 22, 2012. Your thoughts?

  • Trailer: 'Finding Nemo' 3D!

    Martin
    12 Jan 2012 | 5:56 pm
    After a pseudo-preview on the Ellen show, a new trailer has been released for the 3D theatrical re-issue of Finding Nemo. I’ve always thought the underwater environment in Nemo would work amazingly in 3D, so I’m excited to see Pixar’s 5th back on the big screen. Fans will be able to catch the Andrew Stanton-directed feature when it dives into megaplexes later this year. Check out the trailer below:  Finding Nemo 3D opens September 14, 2012. Are you excited for the re-release?

  • 'Finding Nemo' 3D Featured on 'Ellen'!

    Martin
    9 Jan 2012 | 8:07 pm
    Late last year, Disney announced its plan to re-release four animated movies in 3D-capable theatres beginning in 2012. Two of these films happen to be some of Pixar’s most beloved, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo. Appropriately, the first in line to make its 3D debut, Finding Nemo, was recently featured on Ellen Degeneres’ namesake talkshow. Take a look at the “preview” footage: Finding Nemo 3D opens on September 14, 2012. Your thoughts?

  • New 'Brave' Still: Family Reunion!

    Martin
    6 Jan 2012 | 10:41 am
    Pixar invites readers to ‘sit’ at Merida’s dinner table in the latest still from the studio’s upcoming epic, Brave. First appearing via USAToday.com, the freshly released shot features the royal family central to the film, triplets Harris, Hubert and Hamish, Princess Merida, King Fergus and Queen Elinor. From the Queen’s expression, there is clearly a disturbance at mealtime. Voiced by an all-star cast including Kelly MacDonald, Billy Connolly, and Emma Thompson, Brave promises to deliver excellent performances. That said, we should never lose sight of…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Big Screen Animation

  • New Short: The Last Belle

    Mike Bastoli
    26 Jan 2012 | 2:57 pm
    The 2011 Oscars aren't even behind us yet, and we're already starting to see some of the 2012 crop of short films. One of them is The Last Belle, directed by Neil Boyle. A rarity these days, every frame was hand painted on cels and shot on traditional film stock. Boyle is proud to point out that Belle was in production for a total of fifteen years, though it was squeezed in between his 'paid

  • 84th Academy Awards Nominations

    Mike Bastoli
    24 Jan 2012 | 9:11 am
    Nominations for the 84th Academy Awards were announced this morning by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California. The nominees for Best Animated Feature Film are: A Cat in Paris Chico & Rita Kung Fu Panda 2 Puss in Boots Rango Contending in the Animated Short FIlm category are: Dimanche (Sunday) The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore

  • 'Tintin' Takes Home Producers Guild Prize

    Mike Bastoli
    22 Jan 2012 | 4:12 pm
    Producers Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, and Steven Spielberg won the animation prize at the 23rd Annual Producers Guild Awards last night for The Adventures of Tintin. The recognition from the Producers Guild of America comes less than a week the film's success at the Golden Globes. These two wins significantly boost Tintin's chances at the Academy Awards next month. Oscar nominations

  • La Luna Storybook Coming in May

    Mike Bastoli
    19 Jan 2012 | 12:47 am
    Disney Press will publishing an illustrated storybook based on Pixar's La Luna this May. It's already available for pre-order from Amazon.com and will arrive before the short opens in theatres with Brave. Director Enrico Casarosa posted a photo of the glossy cover to Twitter on Wednesday, shown at right. He later followed up, tweeting: "Read the La Luna book to my daughter tonight. She was

  • Golden Globe Win for The Adventures of Tintin [UPDATE]

    Mike Bastoli
    15 Jan 2012 | 8:59 pm
    ©HFPA The Adventures of Tintin took home the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature Film at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards this hour. Director Steven Spielberg was on hand to accept the award from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). Following Cars, Ratatouille, WALL-E, Up, and Toy Story 3, Tintin becomes the first non-Pixar film to win in the animation category since it
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Michael Sporn Animation - Splog

  • A Penny’s Worth

    Michael
    28 Jan 2012 | 4:45 am
    - This was a pretty quiet week, except for Tuesday. That was the day the Oscar nominations were revealed. I don’t think I’ve been as happy with the overall nominations since the year Doctor DeSoto got nominated. Since I’ve been a member in New York, I’ve always felt that our voice was barely heard in the Hollywood awarding of the prizes. My vote always felt like a little guppy in the salmon swim upstream. This year I feel well represented. I had hoped that one of the French and Spanish 2D features would be nominated against the blockbuster boys club of Spielberg,…

  • Goodman Beaver

    Michael
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:03 am
    - Bill Peckmann sent another strong piece by Harvey Kurtzman. Here’s Bill to introduce it: I came across my stash of Harvey Kurtzman’s HELP! magazines that I haven’t looked at in 45 years. Surprise, surprise, what a wonderful comic cornucopia is in those forgotten books. There’s all of our favorite cartoonists and then some. As always, Harvey was ahead of the curve in format and style, there wasn’t quite anything like HELP! when it came out those 50 years ago Here’s Harvey Kurtzman’s and Bill Elder’s series “Goodman Beaver” from the…

  • Bill Charmatz

    Michael
    26 Jan 2012 | 4:26 am
    Bill Charmatz is a cartoonist/illustrator whose work has graced many high volume magazines: Playboy, the NYTimes, Harpers and the Saturday Evening Post. Bill Peckmann sent a number of pieces from Charmatz as wwell as an article in Cartoonist Profiles about him, and I’m glad to post them. Here’s Bill: Here is Bill gracing the pages of CARTOONIST PROfiles No. 100, Dec. 1993. My only complaint about the wonderful article, is that it is way too short, with not enough illo’s! 1 2 3 4 5 6 When Walt Reed’s exceptional book, “The Illustrator In America” came out in…

  • Roger Sc 15 - part 1

    Michael
    25 Jan 2012 | 5:42 am
    - Did I ever tell you that I love 101 Dalmatians? This film hit me hard at just the right time in my life; I was susceptible. Here was a new way of animating humans, almost a caricature but not quite. Those opening scenes of Roger playing the piano and Pongo looking out the window in search of two mates (one for him; one for Roger) are just first rate. Milt Kahl did Roger, the human, and I have four scenes all used within the first fifteen minutes. They’re good. This is the first of them, Sequence 1 Scene 45. He’s turned to look at the clock, yawns and checks his watch.

  • Sam Norkin’s Caricatures

    Michael
    24 Jan 2012 | 6:33 am
    - Sam Norkin was a theatrical caricaturist in the mode of Hirschfeld. Norkin was the house cartoonist for the NY Daily News for many years. Bill Peckmann recently sent me two articles from the Dec. ‘76 and the March ‘91 issues of Cartoonist Profiles. I thought, before posting the CP article, I’d give you the obituary published in Playbill last year when he died. Sam Norkin, Theatre Caricaturist and Drama Desk President, Dies By Robert Simonson 31 Jul 2011 Sam Norkin, who captured seven decades of stage performance with fine-lined caricatures, died July 30. His age could not…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    DUCK-WALK

  • a couple ducks walked into my mailbox

    Marc Deckter
    25 Jan 2012 | 1:25 am
    envelope drawing by Mickey Zacchilli Mickey Z mallard mail art w/ my price tapes Bubul shirt drawing by Tom Bubul bonus Bubul bird art nitewalker with my ZOLA’S #8

  • .

    Marc Deckter
    23 Jan 2012 | 2:01 am
    drawn November 23rd, 2011 Raw: CM Punk proclaims he will be an agent of change

  • .

    Marc Deckter
    16 Jan 2012 | 3:00 am
    drawn November 20th, 2011

  • .

    Marc Deckter
    9 Jan 2012 | 2:01 am

  • .

    Marc Deckter
    2 Jan 2012 | 3:00 am
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    FALLOUT

  • Revolver

    James Baker
    12 Jan 2012 | 11:03 am
    REVOLVER (directed by Jonas Odell, Stig Bergqvist, Marti Ekstrand and Lars Ohlson) is one of my favourite animated shorts ever. I first saw this film at a festival in the early 1990s and I was mesmerized immediately. (Seeing it projected in a theatre is definitely the right way to go). “Cyclical” is the only way to describe the structure and the end result is evocative, poetic and haunting, at least to me. I had a copy on VHS which went missing (permanently borrowed, is my guess). So years later, when in Sweden, I made a trip to Film Tecknarna to buy the copy I have now. I was…

  • As seen on TV

    James Baker
    1 Nov 2011 | 12:34 am
    The older I get the longer a haircut takes, despite having fewer and fewer actual hairs on my head to cut. A similar principal is in effect at a grand-master chess match: fewer game-pieces on the chessboard means longer deliberations between moves. Despite receding hair, getting a haircut now causes me no anxiety whatsoever. Ironically, I most worried about my hair when I had plenty to spare. As a small boy, I saw the world through an unruly mop, but even attempts by my mother to merely WASH my hair caused me to howl with as much tonsil-quavering gusto as being dragged to the dentist. The…

  • Tasty Eyeball Food

    James Baker
    22 Oct 2011 | 3:11 pm
    I am only just now going through the incredible array of books I bought, traded or was given, at APE last month. The very next day after the show, I went to PORTLAND for two weeks, where I was given another great book by Graham Annable. SCORE! The totality of my reading stash of graphic wonders now includes the following: “EDWARD THE TREE CLIMBING DOG” by Kris Pearn “THE NUN WITH TWO GUNS” by John Hoffman “HOLLOW VICTORIES” by L Frank Weber “GIRLS LOVE PICTURE BOOKS” and “DEAR EVERYDAY” by EunJu Newhouse “LA LA LAND” and…

  • APE this weekend!

    James Baker
    27 Sep 2011 | 2:45 pm
    Once again, it’s time to GO APE. My favourite San Francisco comics-show will be held this coming weekend at the CONCOURSE EXHIBITION CENTER. I will be exhibiting there, at table #108, flanked by friends on either side; John Hoffman will be at #107 (with his crew; Kris Pearn and Craig Berry) while Michael Aushenker and Javier Hernandez will be at #109. Not to mention the fact that TONS of other friends will be exhibiting at the show too. Now that Wondercon will be moving to Anaheim in 2012, not only is APE San Francisco’s coolest comics show, it’s the ONLY comics-show left in…

  • Dr Sketchy’s

    James Baker
    18 Sep 2011 | 2:15 pm
    Last night, for the first time, Julia and I attended a life-drawing session at San Francisco’s branch of the famous Dr Sketchy’s anti-ArtSchool. It was a lot of fun. My understanding is that the models are always dressed and posed to a theme and this time it was “burlesque clowns”. Three 20 minute poses and one 40 minute pose. After several hours of drawing a sexy clown, we went with Julia’s friends Nadine and Lisa (who had also been at Dr Sketchy’s) to Meet my pal Bosco at HENRY’s HUNAN, where we all enjoyed a tasty dinner and several hours of…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Entertainment News from Disney, Universal and more - Jim Hill Media

  • "Be Our Guest" features an unvarnished take on Disney Company history

    Jim Hill
    26 Jan 2012 | 10:10 am
    I have to admit that It's been kind of amusing to watch the reaction (both here and elsewhere around the Web) that Tuesday's "What's really behind the sudden change in Disney Parks & Resorts' facial hair policy" story has been getting. With all sorts of would-be Disney scholars weighing on whether The Happiest Place on Earth actually had an official policy in place in regards to personal grooming when this theme park first opened to the public back on July of 1955. The...(read more)

  • What's really behind the sudden change in Disney Parks & Resorts' facial hair policy?

    Jim Hill
    24 Jan 2012 | 11:05 am
    You're going to read a lot today about how - by revising their long-standing policy on facial hair - Disney Parks and Resorts is now turning its back on nearly 60 years of tradition. Which isn't entirely true. I mean, if Walt Disney himself really insisted that no one with a beard or a mustache be allowed to work inside of one of his theme parks, then how do you explain Sheriff Lucky and Black Bart ... Sheriff Lucky and Black Bart from Disneyland's 1957 souvenir guidebook. Copyright Disney...(read more)

  • Presented By:

    24 Jan 2012 | 11:05 am

  • Desperate Housewives Kiss Them Goodbye Auction - Own a Piece of Wisteria Lane

    All the News
    24 Jan 2012 | 10:11 am
    Click here to view the current auction items from Desperate Housewives . Desperate Housewives Auction To commemorate the final season of this landmark series, ABC Studios, in partnership with VIP Fan Auctions, is offering fans a once in a lifetime opportunity to bid on iconic props, wardrobe and set decorations from Desperate Housewives ! Launching January 24th and with new items being offered every week, fans will have access to an array of amazing items from all eight seasons of Desperate Housewives...(read more)

  • Magic Kingdom presents an abbreviated "Dream," Blue Man Group regroups

    Jim Hill
    23 Jan 2012 | 12:01 pm
    January used to be the start of the slow season at the stateside Disney Parks. How so? So slow that - immediately after New Year's Day -- Disneyland Park wouldn't even open on Mondays & Tuesdays. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved Which -- as far as the maintenance crew who worked at this Anaheim theme park was concerned - was a good thing. Given that - with no Guests in the Park underfoot for two days out of the week during the early Fall & late Winter ... Well...(read more)
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    John K Stuff

  • New Character Design Blog

    JohnK
    25 Jan 2012 | 3:56 pm
    http://johnkdesign.blogspot.com/Hey folksI am putting together a new blog site just for my design work - mostly from commercials and short spots.That image above is a layout from Rex Hackelberg's fancy designs.Take a gander if you are interested...

  • The Precious Years

    JohnK
    20 Jan 2012 | 11:03 am
    MORE ABOUT THE PRECIOUS TALES OF CHILDHOOD INNOCENCE

  • Mike's Thrills

    JohnK
    18 Jan 2012 | 1:03 pm

  • Does Anyone Still Have A Real Job?

    JohnK
    4 Jan 2012 | 11:47 am
    Are People always asking you to "friend" them on a million social media sites that promise you rewards of eternal life, love and great jobs? Someone got me to sign up for "Linked In" about 4 years ago and it has not ever gotten me any work. All the work I get is from people who are already familiar with my stuff and they call or email me directly. I think my job description is too simple: "I make

  • Dr. Mr. Horse, Hospital Heart Throb

    JohnK
    29 Dec 2011 | 10:13 am
    I found a bunch of old model sheets from Stimpy's Pregnant. I thought about spinningoff Dr. Mr. Horse in his own soap opera series....supported by his faithful love interest, Nurse Sheep who worships the stable he trods in. Tears and laughs abound.Girls would eat this shit up, I tell ya.
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    2719 HYPERION

  • On Storyboard: New Heights - Mount Disney and Sugar Bowl

    Jeffrey Pepper
    16 Jan 2012 | 10:31 am
    My latest contribution to Storyboardthe official blog of the Walt Disney Family Museum has just been posted.  The article showcased is New Heights: Mount Disney and Sugar Bowl.  This is easily one of my most favorite explorations of obscure but very interesting Disney history.  It all began with a quick and almost hidden reference in the Goofy cartoon The Art of Skiing, and culminated in the article now featured on Storyboard.  It is a perfect winter diversion for any Disney history buff, so certainly check it out when you have the opportunity.

  • Exhibition Hall: Walt Disney's Christmas Carol

    Jeffrey Pepper
    21 Dec 2011 | 11:00 pm
    Every Christmas season, I still get emails about Walt Disney's Christmas Carol. In those very early days of 2719 Hyperion, back in the latter months of 2006, I featured what I thought was an interesting, if rather obscure piece of Disney ephemera from the 1950s.  A friend, upon cleaning out the nooks and crannies of his elderly parents' home, presented me with eight torn, water-stained and near crumbling pages that had been removed from a copy of the December 1957 issue of McCalls magazine.  Contained on those pages was an illustrated holiday vignette entitled Walt Disney's…

  • The Rocketeer: High Flying in High Defintion

    Jeffrey Pepper
    14 Dec 2011 | 9:50 am
    First the good news: The Rocketeer has been released in a remastered high defintion Blu-Ray.  It appears that Disney took note of the numerous pundits and bloggers who, earlier in the year, called for such an edition to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the film's original release.  The not-so-good news: the Blu-Ray release is an embarrassing bare bones affair, devoid of all but the film itself.  It is yet another reminder of the sad state of Walt Disney Home Entertainment and its utter lack of interest in marketing to Disney enthusiasts and historians.  With The…

  • Featured on Storyboard: The Very Sad Story of Bobby Driscoll

    Jeffrey Pepper
    14 Nov 2011 | 11:50 am
    I am back on Storyboard again this week, the official blog of the Walt Disney Family Museum.  The article showcased is Once You've Grown Up You Can Never Come Back, and tells the tragic story of actor Bobby Driscoll, Walt Disney's very first contract player.  As noted in the introduction to the article, "There are many who suspect that these sad events forever informed the way that Walt and his staff managed their juvenile contract players—and played a more active and supervisory role in their transition out of Studio contracts and into adult lives."

  • Celebrating Spin and Marty on Storyboard

    Jeffrey Pepper
    4 Nov 2011 | 10:08 am
    My latest contribution to Storyboard, the blog of the Walt Disney Family Museum has been posted today.  The Museum's featured movie of the month is a collection of episodes from The Adventures of Spin and Marty, the popular Mickey Club serial from the 1950s.  The article, Vinyl Magic - Yippi-A, Yippi-I, Yippi-O!, showcases the program's trademark tune, "The Triple-R Song."  I am also very happy to be in the company of Mickey Mouse Club historian Lorraine Santoli, who penned for Storyboard a wonderful article on Spin and Marty entitled Saddle Up Boys, and Saddle Up Well.
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    The Pen Addict

  • Zebra R-301 Stainless Steel Refillable Roller Ball Review

    dowdyism
    27 Jan 2012 | 8:21 am
    I take reader requests from time to time, and the Zebra R-301 Stainless Steel Refillable Roller Ball was one such request. I first learned of this pen last year from Brian at Office Supply Geek and knowing the style of writing instrument I prefer I wasn’t too eager to give it a shot. Wide tipped liquid ink pens just aren’t my thing, but it obviously doesn’t take much to twist my arm. The first thing I noticed about this pen is that the design is based directly off the Zebra H-301 Highlighter. That is a good thing because the barrel design is great. I love the look of the stainless steel…

  • We Interrupt Your Regularly Scheduled Programming

    dowdyism
    25 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Enough - Episode 104 - The Pen Addict Patrick Rhone and Myke Hurley do an amazing job on the "Enough" podcast and I was honored to join them recently for a chat on two of my favorite topics - pens and paper. It was my maiden voyage into the world of podcasting and Pat and Myke made me feel right at home. Our topics run the gamut from when I first knew I was a pen addict to my favorite pens and paper. If you can't tell by the show notes, we crammed a lot into a 35 minute podcast! I had a blast doing it, and I would love to hear your thoughts. Download the audio file directly, or subscribe to…

  • Pilot Hi-Tec-C Line Width Comparison Video

    dowdyism
    23 Jan 2012 | 11:42 am
    Pilot Hi-Tec-C Line Width Comparison from dowdyism on Vimeo. I have to come clean. I completely FORGOT to schedule a post for today. I had an awesomely busy weekend, and Monday's are always packed on the work side of the ledger, so it slipped off the radar somehow. To rectify this, I am going to phone it in a bit. I recorded a video comparing the line widths of all the Pilot Hi-Tec-C sizes, but I'm not too thrilled with it. The intro is lacking and the overall vibe is somewhat dull. I am going to run with it though and I promise to keep improving my video skills. Enjoy!

  • Ink Links

    dowdyism
    21 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    -- Zebra SK - Sharbo + 1 2 Color 0.7 mm Ballpoint Multi Pen + 0.5 mm Pencil Black (Multi Pen Dimensions) -- Tech Pen Showdown (Keep on Truckin', Nattosoup) – Kaweco Sport Roller (The Intangible Blog) – Another one of the multiple multi pens: Zebra Surari 4-Color Emulsion Ink Multi Pen (0.7 mm) (From the Pen Cup) – Fountain Pen Friendly (Rhodia Drive) – Review: Uni-ball Signo Scents Gel Ink Pens (Gourmet Pens) – Los Angeles Barrio Calligraphy (Handselecta Blog) – Seven Year Pen by Seltzer (Pocket Blonde) – Pentel EnerGel-X .7 Violet (Economy Pens) – Uni-ball (Rugged Flair) –…

  • Pentel EnerGel X 0.5 mm Blue Review

    dowdyism
    20 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    (This is a guest review by Brian Draghi. You can follow Brian on Twitter @sketchscape) I have been using the capped Pentel EnerGel Euro Needle version of this pen with some excellent results. I wanted to try out the retractable version for work to write down quick notes without having to worry about losing the cap. The Pentel EnerGel X retractable pen exceeded my expectations with it's comfortable grip and smooth, quick writing quality. Needle points make all the difference in the world, and this pen is no exception. At first glance, this pen looks very generic with its disposable plastic…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Ice-Cream Monster Toon Cafe

  • The Art of Kung Fu Gallery Show Invitation

    Alina Chau
    18 Jan 2012 | 9:36 pm
    Dear all,I would love to invite you to my up-coming group show - The Art of Kung Fu: Myths & Legends Gallery Show at Meltdown Comic, Los Angeles.Address:7522 West Sunset Boulevard  Los Angeles, CA 90046Opening Reception:7:30-9:00 p.m. on January 20th, 2012Cheers,AlinaBelow are some older sketches I found in my hard drive lately.Oh!! I also up-dated my web-site with latest show information and artwork, please come and check it out!

  • VS. A Show of Opposites Invitation

    Alina Chau
    12 Jan 2012 | 10:15 pm
    Dear all,I would love to invite you all to my up-coming art show at Mission Comic.VS. A Show of OppositesShow from Feb 4 - March 3, 2012Opening ReceptionFeb 4, 20127 - 10pmMission Comics & Art3520 20th. Suite BSan Francisco, CA 94110Hope to see you there!CheersAlina

  • Happy 2012 everyone!!

    Alina Chau
    2 Jan 2012 | 12:33 am
    Just get back in town ... it has been a fun and productive vacation- visiting friends and family and working on my Children Picture Book.  New Year resolution - get a book published this year!  WOO HOOO!!!

  • Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

    Alina Chau
    4 Dec 2011 | 6:38 pm

  • Doodles Doodles!!

    Alina Chau
    30 Nov 2011 | 10:48 pm
    Will be busy till Christmas, so only have some doodles for now!Dear all, I would love to invite you to my up-coming "What if ..." group show at Gallery Nucleus:"What If..."December 10, 2011 - January 2, 2012Opening Reception / Dec 10, 7:00PM - 11:00PM
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Hyrumosmondanimation

  • A visit with John C

    Hyrum Virl Osmond
    24 Jan 2012 | 9:53 pm
    Had an awesome visit with John C Reily (voice of Ralf in our upcoming film). Always so cool when voice talent is willing to sit down with the animators. He's just as funny in real life, by the way.

  • Tangled may be best Disney Movie of all time

    Hyrum Virl Osmond
    13 Jan 2012 | 4:14 pm
    http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/13/10141375-tangled-may-be-best-disney-movie-of-all-time#.TxCHfPRawvU.facebook

  • 13 Jan 2012 | 11:43 am

    Hyrum Virl Osmond
    13 Jan 2012 | 11:43 am

  • Tangled Ever After

    Hyrum Virl Osmond
    6 Jan 2012 | 5:21 pm
    Will show in front of Beauty and the Beast 3d

  • Unicorn City

    Hyrum Virl Osmond
    3 Jan 2012 | 2:48 pm
    My friend Bryan Lefler made this film. Already won best film in LA and Chicago comedy film festivals. Can't wait to see it!Coming to theaters in February
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Daily Peril

  • Comix Buro

    bpresing
    16 Jan 2012 | 2:52 pm
    A few pages from the Comix Buro sketchbook.I'm hoping to have them for sale here on the blog once they become available. So keep your eye on this space.Sketchbook PresingAuthor : Bill PresingISBN : 9782916518534Format : 18x22 cm (roughly 7 x 8.5 inches)48 pages - PaperbackComix BuroAttakusFacebook

  • Sketchbook PRESING

    bpresing
    10 Jan 2012 | 12:07 pm
    Coming soon from Comix Buro!I'll be signing them at the end of the month at the comics festival in Angoulême.January 26th - 29th. You've seen some of the contents here on the blog, but for the most part it's all unpublished material.

  • Burlesque!

    bpresing
    30 Dec 2011 | 8:37 pm
    A relatively new drawing, however, it's based on some life drawings I did a couple years ago at Dr. Sketchy's in San Francisco. The model was Flame Cynders, I wasn't really going for caricature here, but it's not a total unlikeness I suppose.

  • Kimono

    bpresing
    21 Nov 2011 | 10:56 pm
    I did this one a while back. Been meaning to post it.

  • Bananas For Process

    bpresing
    24 Oct 2011 | 11:01 pm
    I scanned this one in progress for your enjoyment.First I "inked" the line art with acrylic.Second I built up layers of acrylic wash. to create the forms and values. This is the underpainting.Thirdly and finally, I lay down a transparent layer of concentrated watercolor.The study is done simultaneous to test the colors.
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Disney History

  • 27 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am

    Didier Ghez
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am
    Italy, February 1933, during the carnival of Viareggio.

  • 26 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am

    Didier Ghez
    26 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am
    Here is another book about True-Life Adventures naturalist-cinematographers Lois and Herb Crisler, which I had the pleasure to discover a few days ago.

  • 25 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am

    Didier Ghez
    25 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am
    I think that most of you will thoroughly enjoy this article, which I discovered a few days ago.

  • 25 Jan 2012 | 2:01 am

    Didier Ghez
    25 Jan 2012 | 2:01 am
    There is an new blog in Italian which will be worth checking out from time to time: La Grotta del Fumetto.

  • 24 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am

    Didier Ghez
    24 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am
    I was caught totally by surprise yesterday when I read about this newly released book.A collection of Disney-related interviews is always a "must-have" for me so I will be ordering right away.The book includes interviews with Fess Parker (Davy Crockett), Tommy Kirk (Old Yeller, The Shaggy Dog), Ann Jillian (Babes in Toyland), Billy Mumy (Rascal), Arthur Hiller (director of Miracle of the White Stallions), Marta Kristen (Savage Sam), James Drury (Pollyanna, Ten Who Dared), Eddie Hodges (Summer Magic, The Happiest Millionaire), Peter Brown (Summer Magic, A Tiger Walks), and many more.
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    The Daly Blog

  • Hi, I'm Molly!

    donnachada
    19 Jan 2012 | 2:29 am
    So here's the start of the live web comic of Molly. Looks like it will be easy to add the posts here, so over the next while I'll add them. There'll be a lot at first, but then it will get to a normal pace. Let's see how it goes!

  • Stockings

    donnachada
    19 Jan 2012 | 2:15 am
    So, something new for the new year. I started a live web comic on Instagram. Search for my handle "thedalyblog" and you'll find it. The ink is still wet when I take and post the picture. Maybe in the next post, I'll start posting them here, or give a taste of what they are like. Now that Blogger made it easy to post with their app, it might be simple to post them here too as I do them.For the moment, here's one of the girls :)© Daly 2005-2012

  • Necklace

    donnachada
    6 Jan 2012 | 8:30 am
    © Daly 2005-2012

  • Goth Bride

    donnachada
    6 Jan 2012 | 2:02 am
    © Daly 2005-2012

  • Content

    donnachada
    5 Jan 2012 | 10:54 am
    Content now at the STORE  © Daly 2005-2011
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    The Ward-O-Matic

  • Andrea Brown Holiday Card: Step by Step

    Ward Jenkins
    17 Jan 2012 | 1:55 pm
    I thought for sure I had shared this here, but apparently the craziness of the holidays took its toll on me and I completely forgot. Better now than never, right? Well, I had the wonderful opportunity to illustrate the annual holiday card for the Andrea Brown Literary Agency. My agent, Jennifer, is of course, one of the agents and she asked if I could offer my talents for such an honor. I immediately said yes. Here's a little step-by-step of my process working on the card (click on each to view larger in Flickr): Here are my first initial ideas put together and presented to the powers that be…

  • Merry Christmas

    Ward Jenkins
    25 Dec 2011 | 11:18 am
    I've posted this several Christmases before and it's always worth posting again: The First Noel, a small Golden Book illustrated by the brilliant husband-wife team of Alice and Martin Provensen, 1959. You can view the book in its entirety HERE.Here's to a very Merry Christmas to you and your family. Peace,Ward

  • Peeping Covers

    Ward Jenkins
    9 Dec 2011 | 6:53 pm
    Well, would you look at this! How about a peep at the covers for the two new books that I illustrated for Chronicle Books to be released next May 2012? Yes, you read that right - not one, but TWO new books: NEW YORK, BABY!SAN FRANCISCO, BABY!This is the start of a fun series aimed at the traveling baby and/or toddler - a way of looking at each of these iconic cities through their eyes. I had such a fun time working on these books! Hope you can see my enthusiasm through my artwork.Check out the first mention of the books by Elizabeth Bird of A Fuse #8 Production on the SLJ blog the other day:…

  • New Sketches from New Books

    Ward Jenkins
    3 Dec 2011 | 1:27 pm
    Well, hello there. I'm finally poking my head out from the long sabbatical I've taken to share some sketches with you. Character sketches done for two books that'll be released by Chronicle Books in May 2012. I'm quite happy with the final results - the final designs have some slight changes made to the eyes. The books are the beginning of what we hope will be a continuing series focusing on young kids (toddlers or younger). It's been a long road from start to completion, but the final results I think are wonderful. Very happy with everything (and I just so happened to see the color proofs…

  • Saul Bass's Henri's Walk to Paris to be reissued in February

    Ward Jenkins
    6 Sep 2011 | 1:33 pm
    Okay, so this is big news to those of us who collect neat old children's books: Universe (the wonderful imprint of Rizzoli who reissue the marvelous "This Is..." series by M. Sasek) are reissuing one of the rarest children's books out there (well, at least in the circles I hang out in): Henri's Walk to Paris by Leonore Klein and illustrated by designer Saul Bass. As far as we know, it's Bass's only venture into children's books, and it's a doozy: incredible, bold colors, with glorious use of type and design. The best way to check out the book is by visiting Grain Edit, from a post in 2007:…
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Temple of the Seven Golden Camels

  • Using Tones and Values, and Your First Homework Assignment!

    mark kennedy
    21 Jan 2012 | 9:19 pm
    Kidding, there's not really homework, but an exercise at the bottom that you could try if you like (but I'm not looking at them, there's no prize for doing it, and no grades involved). First, some background... At work, on of our story trainees were asking about working with tones and values in story boarding (basically, adding black, white or grey to a story sketch).My friend Nathan Greno suggested an assignment: give them a complicated line drawing and have them add tones to it to get practice in using values. He suggested that we have them do it two ways: pick one drawing and shade it…

  • "Tangled Ever After"

    mark kennedy
    11 Jan 2012 | 11:00 pm
    I'd be remiss if I didn't mention "Tangled Ever After", a short film (and a sequel of sorts to "Tangled") that is opening this weekend along with the 3D version of "Beauty and the Beast". It'll be shown on television in the spring as well (at least...as far as I know).The short has an interesting past: there were a lot of people who wanted to see (SPOILER ALERT) Flynn and Rapunzel get married at the end of "Tangled". We didn't do that for a number of reasons, the best one being that Rapunzel's journey is about much more than just meeting a man and falling in love; she gains her freedom,…

  • A Good Comic Book Resource

    mark kennedy
    9 Jan 2012 | 11:35 pm
    As I've said before, I didn't really get interested in superhero comics as a kid. Mostly I read Disney and Looney Tunes comics and comic adaptations of movies like "Star Wars". I read Mad magazine religiously too.Anyway the point is that my knowledge of comics and their "rules" is pretty non-existent. When I decided to try and create my own graphic novel I started looking around for resources to learn more about comics and how they're put together. One great free resource I found is all the articles on Blambot.com. Nate Piekos has written a few helpful pieces, including this one on grammar in…

  • New Changes Coming

    mark kennedy
    1 Jan 2012 | 10:47 am
     In March I'll have been posting for six years and it's been amazing - thanks for all your great comments and kind words. I wanted to take a moment to mention some changes that are coming.This is kind of a long post so here's the tl;dr (too long; didn't read) summary: I'm going to put ads on the blog this year, and also in 2012 I am going to start posting my graphic novel online for free.Here's the long explanation: Originally I had a different plan. I've been working on a graphic novel for over a year and a half and my plan was to always post that in installments on a different website…

  • Happy Holidays!

    mark kennedy
    23 Dec 2011 | 12:59 pm
    Here's my Christmas card this year (once again featuring our Miniature Schnauzer).Best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a happy New Year!!!
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Spline Doctors

  • New Look Coming Soon

    Dr. Gordon
    19 Jan 2012 | 12:23 am
    We are reformatting Spline Doctors. Hopefully, it will be easier to navigate. Most importantly is the content. I will be recruiting some new Spline Doctors that are eager to share their knowledge. As always I hope to do some more Spline Casts. Here is a peek at the proposed slight makeover. Please add your comments and feedback and what you would want. One thing you may notice will be some space for ads. Yes… in order to keep the site running I will have to make room for a little ad space. It will be minimal, but its required to keep it going. Thanks for the support. -Andrew  …

  • The Mountain

    Dr. Gordon
    9 Jan 2012 | 1:49 am
    Every shot can be seen as a mountain that animator has to climb. Some go on that mountain without the proper gear and bad weather comes quick and blows you farther down the face. This happened to me recently. I find that whenever I cease to do the work of planning a shot, I get lost. I think “How the hell did I get this job?” The shot becomes like a lump of wet clay that I am trying to find form within. There are drawbacks and some positives to this. The drawback is that you are not clear. You have not found the idea yet. You are searching for everything from strong poses to ideas…

  • Over Acting

    Dr. Gordon
    2 Dec 2011 | 11:16 pm
    How can we tell if a scene we are animated is overdone? Are the gestures to big? Is the scene upstaging another character? Is that character to broad or not giving enough? This topic came up at a talk I was at. Its fascinating how closely animators and actors think about the same problems. When I asked the actor what over acting was, she commented that its when the character does too much or does not know there place is within the scene. It can be many things such as pulling attention away from the other characters. It can be as simple as a character over doing something as simple as picking…

  • BRAD BIRD on NPR

    Dr. Gordon
    2 Dec 2011 | 7:11 pm
    A fellow animator found this interview. Here is the direct link — LINK  

  • All quiet on the western front

    Dr. Gordon
    2 Nov 2011 | 11:39 pm
    I realize its been quiet on Spline Doctors lately. I’ve been quite busy with the Animation Collaborative. The workshops are going well and it has been a great experience. Spline Doctors is not dead! I hope to keep the site going and even plan on doing some podcasts and new posts. I hope to enlist the help of some new docs that may have a bit more time than I do right now. Thank you for your support of the site and please know that I plan on waking it up with some fun stuff soon!   -Andrew
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    About.com Animation

  • Reader Question: Difference Between AutoCAD and other 3D Programs?

    21 Jan 2012 | 9:04 pm
    Santos writes: "so look i hear people talking about autocad like its not a 3d program but it makes 3d models and that kind of stuff, right? so whys it not like other 3d software? how come its different from stuff like maya and blender and 3dsmax?"...Read Full Post

  • Reader Question: Freelancing - Self-Employed, or LLC?

    19 Jan 2012 | 8:54 pm
    George asks: "I've been working as a freelancer for a while, and I'm getting to the point where I'm self-sufficient and taxes are becoming a problem. I know as a self-employed animator I have to handle all my tax expenses myself, but what if I register as an LLC or some other type of corporation? I've heard you can save a lot of money that way."...Read Full Post

  • How to Use a Light Table for Animation

    17 Jan 2012 | 8:45 pm
    The purpose of a light table is fairly straightforward - but many times beginners don't have the experience to know the multiple ways a light table can be useful for animators...Read Full Post

  • 2D Animation Tricks for a Distinctive Style

    15 Jan 2012 | 1:33 am
    While it's not fair to say that all animations that follow the standard rules look alike, every once in a while something comes along that breaks the rules so brilliantly ...Read Full Post

  • Animation Software Review: Pivot Stickfigure Animator

    13 Jan 2012 | 1:39 am
    You've probably seen Animator vs. Animation, a clever animation that shows an army of stick figures rebelling against their creator in a dashing, swashbuckling fight sequence that takes place with ...Read Full Post
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Lineboil

  • Aardman’s DC Nation Launches on Cartoon Network

    Aaron
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:54 am
    The unexpected merger of Aardman’s Creature Comforts and the DC character universe is DC Nation. As with Creature Comforts, sound bites from adorable youngsters are transposed onto unlikely figures for our eyeball’s pleasure. This clip probably won’t be up long – so click the triangle. DC Nation – Aardman by redruger

  • StoryCorps Documents a Coincidental Romance

    Aaron
    27 Jan 2012 | 8:24 am
    The Rauch Brothers have steered yet another beautiful StoryCorps animated short through production. With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, we’re introduced to a couple in a long-distance relationship that starts with an interesting twist. Gorgeous designs by Bill Wray. Here’s To R.P. Salazar, with Love.

  • My Pet Skeleton Gives Life to The Lady ParaNorma

    Aaron
    27 Jan 2012 | 8:15 am
    Did it just get cold in here? I think a window is open. Or maybe it’s this eerie ghost floating on my laptop screen. It’s the star of The Lady ParaNorma (not to be confused with the upcoming Laika feature ParaNorman), a new CG short written and directed by Vincent Marcone, a.k.a. My Pet Skeleton. Here’s a trailer:

  • Blinkink Tears Through Peugeot Spot

    Aaron
    25 Jan 2012 | 8:56 am
    The crafty folks at Blinkink have folded up a new stop-motion spot for Peugeot. It was direted by Joseph Mann, and produced in just 4 weeks.

  • SVA Student Produces Animated Mirror

    Aaron
    20 Jan 2012 | 11:08 am
    Q-hyun Kim, an animation student at New York’s School of Visual Art has revealed a teaser for an upcoming thesis project titled Mirror. Eighteen months in the making, the project follows two cats from different worlds who swap places. The full short will arrive next month. Stay tuned!
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Comedy For Animators

  • Giant foot

    Jonathan Lyons
    25 Jan 2012 | 7:39 pm
    Here is a Japanese commercial directed by Michel Gondry. It features one big foot. Cartoony big.

  • Conducting Comedy — updated

    Jonathan Lyons
    23 Jan 2012 | 7:30 am
    With his black tie and tails, serious expression, leading classical music, the conductor of an orchestra is the epitome of high culture. That makes him the perfect target for parody. The musicians synchronizing to every motion is why the clown can work so well with the challenge. I have found several entries that show how different comedians take different approaches. One situation, many possibilities. Here is a classic example form Denis Lacombe. What prompted this post was my viewing of “One Good Turn” starring Norman Wisdom. He happens to be wearing a tuxedo, and gets mistaken for the…

  • CKN News

    Jonathan Lyons
    20 Jan 2012 | 11:55 pm
    My friend Johnny Turco has been learning Adobe Flash. Here is his first short.

  • Kenny Delmar — Foghorn Leghorn

    Jonathan Lyons
    19 Jan 2012 | 7:30 am
    Here is another example of a live comedian as inspiration for an animated character’s voice. Kenny Delmar was a radio personality, and actor, and his character of Senator Claghorn eventually became the model for Foghorn Leghorn’s verbal delivery. Here is a youtube clip from the movie “It’s a Joke, Son!” which was one of his catch phrases. Here is a thoroughly researched article that details the development of Foghorn Leghorn, and Kenny Delmar’s contribution.

  • Want reference videos?

    Jonathan Lyons
    18 Jan 2012 | 6:00 am
    Online reference videos have been a great boon to animation. SOPA, the Stop Online Piracy Act, could make it illegal to post useful clips on youtube.
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Latest from The Leaping Lamp

  • The Dude Covered with Rust

    20 Jan 2012 | 12:18 pm
    My favorite character in Pixar's Cars 2 was undoubtedly, the very adorable Mater. The rusty old truck works in a great manner providing relief against

  • Tow Mater Takes the Lead

    18 Jan 2012 | 8:26 am
    Tow Mater was the best thing about the original Cars, and made Cars 2 a great movie! His quirky personality and his looks (he is a real bucket) stood out

  • Cars 2 Critical Movie Review

    12 Jan 2012 | 1:02 pm
    Now call me an optimist, but I like to believe that it's because of Pixar's fastidiousness,and not in the least due to the billions amassed from merchandising,

  • Cars 2 and the Transformation of Mater

    11 Jan 2012 | 8:20 am
    Overall, I found Cars 2, as a whole, to be quite enjoyable. It contained all the joy, excitement, and good times I have come to expect from a Pixar film,

  • Family Anime Entertainer ----- Cars 2

    10 Jan 2012 | 3:05 pm
    Lightning McQueen is very cool in the dusty town of Radiator Springs with his buddy and the buck-toothed Mater waiting for the new racing season to begin
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Extracurricular activities

  • Sketchcrawl at Disneyland

    21 Jan 2012 | 9:07 pm

  • Still thinking about winter

    14 Jan 2012 | 4:03 pm
    An experiment with crumpled paper texture.

  • Revisiting the Past

    7 Jan 2012 | 2:11 pm
    Another quick sketch to start off the year! This is very different than everything else I've been posting and I wanted to revisit the sort of work I was doing before graduating from Art Center.

  • Paging Winter

    30 Dec 2011 | 12:03 pm
    It's been unseasonably warm in Los Angeles this holiday season & the local mountains look like they could use a bit of snow. I can't wait for a few big storms next year and it's off to Mammoth and Big Bear for me.Hope everyone's having a great holiday season and here's looking forward to a great 2012.

  • Season's Greetings!

    24 Dec 2011 | 12:00 pm
    It's been a rough few weeks at work, but it's great to finally get some time off. Dreamworks gives us a week off at Christmas and I plan to put it to good use - catching up on sleep, planning my upcoming Visual Development class at CDA, finishing up various projects and getting ready for 2012.
 
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Toon Radio

  • Kool Kids Klub PodKast Episode 39 - Madox 01 and Mailbag Review

    25 Jan 2012 | 9:26 am
    This week the Kool Kids Klub does there review of Madox 01, and does a general discussion of stuff, and does their mailbag. Join the regular crew in this weeks installment.Download HERE!!

  • Music Update For January 23 2012

    23 Jan 2012 | 10:34 pm
    More Music for the playlist. This completes everything up to 1996. Remeber, if you don't see something you want, feel free to request it.Today's musical bounty includes:Wing Commander AcademyAka-chan to BokuBakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go!! Brave Command DagwonYawara! A Fashionable Judo GirlYAT Anshin! Luxury Space Tours B't XKnights of Ramune & 40 FireCinderella MonogatariViolinist of HamelnGanbarist! ShunThose Who Hunt ElvesHell Teacher NubeIe Naki Ko Remi

  • Music Uodate January 22 2012

    22 Jan 2012 | 10:16 pm
    More music for you. Music from teh followng cartoons are now present in the Toon Radio playlist.Case Closed (Detective Conan)Dragon FlyzNanook's Great HuntStickin' AroundBruno the KidDragon Ball GTBoys Over FlowersAfter War Gundam XBlue's CluesDennis the Menace and GnasherKaBlamMortal Kombat: Defenders of the RealmThe Mighty DucksThe Wubbulous World of Dr. SeussWayneheadJungle CubsCaptain Simian & the Space MonkeysThe Incredible HulkRurouni KenshinSaber Marionette JFlash Gordon (1996)Once Upon a Time... The Explorers

  • Kool Kids Klub Podkast Episode 38 - Baoh review

    16 Jan 2012 | 7:30 pm
    Once again we are back to go into the forgotten realms of old titles licensed by AnimEigo as we review Baoh. Zeonic Freak also does a brief review at the end to talk about Gundam games. Join the gang with a newcomer to our podcast, Steve.Download HERE!!

  • Kool Kids Klub Podkast Episode 37 - Late Christmas Special

    10 Jan 2012 | 3:06 pm
    We are joined again with Steve and Jeff once more were we talk about a bunch of stuff and how our holidays went. Join us in this yule tide carol of completely killing your time in this weeks installment.Download HERE!!
  • add this feed to my.Alltop

    Savage Animation

  • Music Video

    22 Jan 2012 | 10:26 pm
    My friend I recently decided to co-produce a music video for my rapper friend (Rowdy Rage). Using my newly-acquired GoPro HD HERO2 and her Canon 7D, we headed over to San Francisco for the day. This video was edited and color corrected in After Effects and cut together using Final Cut Pro. Some plugins used were: Twixtor (for the slow-mo shot), Twitch, and Optical Flares.

  • Even Cooler Intro Animation

    23 Oct 2011 | 4:13 pm
    Here's an even cooler title sequence for Savage Animation than the one I previously posted. I used 3D Studio Max to model and texture the bacteria particles which I then brought into After Effects with the help of Trapcode Particular to instance them as sprites. I used Particular again to make that badass smoky text title appear. I moved the camera around, added some depth of field, and put some Twitch effects on there and voilà this is what I got:

  • New Intro Animation

    19 Oct 2011 | 3:28 am
    I managed to find some time in between going to class and doing homework to make this really cool "Savage Animation" title sequence. I followed this tutorial to create the awesome crumbling text effect and then added some lighting, rain, and camera shake to give it my own touch. If you haven't already clicked the link then... click the link! Video Copilot is an awesome website and they have loads of After Effects and 3Ds Max tutorials as well as plug ins. Here's my video:

  • Fun With Effects 2

    12 Sep 2011 | 7:06 pm
    Here's the latest and greatest video that I've been working on. This one is more of a test of composting 3D stuff on top of live action footage. I was just messing around with the fluid effects to create fire in Maya and I thought it would be cool to have it in my dorm hallway. Once I get more experience, I am trying to have the camera follow water flowing through the window. Here's the vid:

  • Make Human

    21 Aug 2011 | 6:36 pm
    Sorry for the delayed post, I've been on vacation for the past few weeks and haven't had any free time. I'm also heading off to college in the few days to further pursue my passion for animation. So, in between I thought I'd do a post about this amazing open-source software called MakeHuman. Using this software and its very simple interface, you can create a highly detailed (or not) mesh of a male or female human in around 5 minutes. After the mesh is created, you can then export it to the 3D package of your choice. Although it was mainly developed for use with Blender, you can still export…
Log in