Popmart Doodley Brainstorming

(click to enlarge)

In celebration of the 10th Anniversary of U2's 1997-98 POPMART (which launched in April '97 in Las Vegas) I decided on making a nice Popmart-like illustration. I happened to see Popmart when U2 came through Minneapolis later that fall. Thinking back to that night, all I can say is... HOLY CRAP was that an amazing concert!!! It's definitely one of the best shows (and live events!) I've ever attended.

I was thinking maybe doing this in acrylic/airbrush/colored pencil on illustration board. I don't know how I'm gonna draw it yet, but what you see above is my first sloppy roughed out sketch to get the ideas rollin'. I added a bit of digital color to experiment further. Should I place the Popmart stage in the center, and draw the 4 members around it? Kinda like how I have Bono and The Edge up there. Or should I focus on an actual stage shot, and flair it up that way? Any U2 fans out there got any ideas?

(P.S. Yes, I know MacPhisto Bono up there was from the Zoo TV era... I just drew him because it was fun!)

My First Vector: 2001

Here, this'll tide you over until I post a REAL drawing...

Back in 2001 Jasc Software was developing a new product called WebDraw - a Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) program. I was working there at the time. As the intelligent software guys were working out the final bugs I decided to give the program a whirl, and so I made this Spongebob. It was the first time I ever tried making a vector graphic, and as you can see, he's as stiff as a dry sponge! I drew this with a mouse - please don't laugh.


I don't know what happened with WebDraw after Corel acquired the company.

Funtime Links on the Left

I haven't made a post for February yet, so I better get movin'. I don't have any artwork right this second, but I'll post something shortly. In the meantime, how about giving a little rundown of everybody/thing in the 'Funtime Links' menu to your left? There is a reason for each link, and I will now tell you why I link him/her/it/them. Although, I'm ready for a nap, so this might seem a bit sloppy:

Blorch! Studios
This is the official website of the cartoon studio that I run with my best friend, Jef. We recently went through some domain troubles, and I ended up taking everything down from the old site. Perhaps some new artwork will surface on there soon?

WeDrawFaces.com
This is a new venture I am starting with my former boss, Jim Hungaski (see next link below). And I mean NEW. As of today, the site is still under construction (I just started putting it together last week), but it's basically a site for our caricature work. Something on the side. We're just using it as another way to pull in some extra business, whether it's booking for parties or just some random customer wanting to order a caricature. If I can get a few jobs here and there, great! Extra cash for me.

Hungaski Illustration
Jim Hungaski - the guy who trained me into becoming a professional caricaturist. He's also the first "real" professional I got to know in the artist world. I've known him for nearly two years now. He's a great friend and all-around cool guy. Before I met him, I had never drawn a single caricature in my life. He's really helped open me up to a whole new world of art, and I can't thank him enough for that! Check out his site - he's a very accomplished caricaturist and illustrator out of Anoka, MN.

Tom Richmond
One of the current members of MAD Magazine's "Usual Gang of Idiots." And he's RIPPED! Also a fellow Minnesotan, and one of the most talented caricaturists around. Really! His coloring techniques are amazing as well, and he's great with the gags. Jim (above) trained under him, so I feel like I learned some of my caricature techniques courtesy of the "School of Richmond." Tom is a very nice guy and I feel privileged to know such a master in the caricature world. Pick up a copy of MAD and there's a good chance you'll see one of his hilarious parodies!

Reed
A former college floormate - he lived across the hall from me during my sophomore year at Concordia College. We lost touch for 6+ years but just started talking again last year! He lives out in Oregon with his wife and is gonna be the next big composer. He already scored an independent film, and I hope one of these days he will score one of my cartoons! That would rock!

Cartoon Brew
The definitive blog for cartoon news. Go here daily like I do.


WOXY is an independent radio station based out of Cincinnati, OH. I discovered them when I was living in Ohio over five years ago. They used to have a terrestrial signal out of Oxford, OH from 1983 until 2004, when they went online only. The button above was created last year when WOXY started offering a subscription service, and it was meant to spread the word as they started to struggle financially to keep up with bandwidth costs. I was a proud subscriber, but things took a turn for the worse. There was a scare last September, when they went off the air for good. Crap. Suddenly, a "white knight" known as Bill Nguyen (from the addicting lala.com) came in and saved the day, and WOXY went back on the air in October. This station plays the best mix of modern and indie rock - you SERIOUSLY won't find a better mix anywhere else. And they have a "Vintage Channel" as well, which plays everything rock, alternative and punk from the past 30 years. Bottom line, it's my favorite radio station and that is why I link/support it!

John K.
A cartoon legend! Spumco! Like many of you, Ren & Stimpy was my favorite cartoon as a kid. It's still one of my favorites! His style has produced copycats by the zillions. John Kricfalusi recently celebrated the 1-year anniversary of his blog, as linked here. His blog is the most thorough, eye-opening, tell-it-like-it-is analysis and commentary on everything related to cartoon animation, past to present. Many people disagree with him in the comments, but this guy knows his stuff. So many people think he's stubborn, and I don't know why. It's is his blog - he can voice whatever he feels! He's always honest in what he says. It's another blog I visit daily and I've learned so much already.

Jim Smith Cartoons
Jim was the other big guy at Spumco and is currently working on a thrilling project called "Chestacles!" I happened to receive a hand-written letter from Jim a few years ago, and it's one of my most prized possessions. He probably doesn't even remember writing it, but he scribbled one of his signature "Spumco girls" at the end of the letter in ballpoint pen! The link above is to his website - order one of his sketchbooks!
Jim Smith Blog
This is Jim's blog - he's always updating it with random sketches and vintage art. Another great place to go for some inspiration!

Vincent Waller
Yet another guy from the classic Ren & Stimpy days at Spumco - he's mostly doing Spongebob stuff as of late. I really like his blog because he posts a random mix of bizarre doodles, Spongebob production art, and crazy stories!

Uncle Eddie's Theory Corner!
Yeah we're still in the list of ye olde men of Spumco. I visit Eddie Fitzgerald's blog because it's all about theory and life observations. Many posts relate to art and cinema, others about cartoons, but he also tends to pick apart the little things in life, and it really makes me think! I also enjoy Eddie's cartoon drawings of himself, which pop up regularly on his blog.

Bill Wray
Bill Wray painted many of the close-up shots in Ren & Stimpy. He also drew Big Blown Baby, Hellboy Junior, as well as the Monroe comic for MAD! His work has also been seen in comics such as Dexter's Lab and Samurai Jack. Visit his site above for a look at his delicious paintings. He's also become quite the prolific landscape/scenery painter as of late...
Bill Wray Paintings
Check out this blog for a ton of Bill's "realistic" fine art paintings. "If Thomas Kinkade is the painter of light, I'm the painter of blight," says Wray.
Bill Wray - Mad About Cartoons
A second blog by Mr. Wray, featuring cartoon-related work!

Nick Cross
Nick Cross was at Spumco during the Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon days, and just recently finished his brilliant short, "The Waif of Persephone." Go to his "plog" (production blog) and check out some previews! He JUST released it on DVD too! I'm definitely ordering myself a copy! It appears to be one of the funniest, cartooniest shorts to come out of anywhere in a long time!

Stefanie Achtnig
Stefanie is from Germany and has some of the sharpest, cleanest cartoony drawings I've seen online. It's no secret that she is heavily influenced by John K., but her talent goes far beyond her amazing Ren & Stimpy renderings! She really seems to have a knack for drawing FUNNY. A lot of her stuff is marker and I only wish I was that good! WOW is all I can say!

Krüger News Blog
I chose this over his official site because of the news updates. Sebastian Krüger is probably the most famous living caricaturist in the world. Even if you aren't familiar with his name, you've most likely seen his work - such as the Rolling Stones. I don't even know how he does it - his paintings are like Rockwell, but twisted and contorted. Yet his subjects still retain a complete likeness!! I wish I had enough money to buy one of his originals... I could just look at his paintings for hours. He's another great influence as I continue to learn the art of caricature.

Shane Glines
Shane's worked for Spumco, Warner Bros., DC, and currently runs Cartoon Retro (below), an amazing online collection of vintage cartoons that'll inspire the heck out of anybody! Check out his site above for some of the sleekest and elegant character designs around!
Cartoon Retro
Check it out for some cartoon retro fun! That was original, no?

Katie Rice
Katie also worked for Spumco during the APC era, and now you look at her "funny and cute" character designs at her blog, FunnyCute! Her drawings make it look so easy, yet I've never been able to draw womanly characters well! I think she's working on stuff at Nickelodeon right now.

Marlo Meekins
Marlo burst onto the scene within the past couple years as one of the most zany caricaturist/cartoonists around. I think her blog finally got updated after a 3-month hiatus, but that's OK... go check out all her past stuff today! The energy and excitement she pours into every drawing is unreal, and it's a huge inspiration. She makes drawing FUN and that's what it's all about, right?

John Rozum
Mr. Rozum actually discovered my blog out of the blue... I can't remember exactly how - a Hanna-Barbera search? In any case, ever since his first comment, I've been a regular visitor to his blog. He writes for comics, is a classic horror film buff, but is also a workhorse when it comes to his insane paper collages! He's created over a hundred different collages of Hanna-Barbera characters, and I really wish I could have his Space Ghost one.

Chris Wahl Art
Chris animates, does caricatures, and is a very talented individual. I don't know much about him, besides the fact that he's worked on some big projects in the industry. Other than that, I definitely like his art! Hence, he gets a link.

C. Martin Croker
Mr. Croker is probably best known as the voice of Zorak on Space Ghost Coast to Coast! But he's also done a lot of animatin' at the Williams Street studios. I really enjoy his blog because he uses it as a place to discuss nostalgia, with a lot of it relating to cartoons and pop culture from yesteryear.

David Gemmill
This young man is gong places. He posts a lot of funny drawings, comics, and sometimes short animated cartoons on his blog, all done by himself. The character designs are strong and the humor is top-notch. He gets a lot of inspiration from the "people studies" he does, many of which are done in clubs - I can't help but laugh out loud at some of his "hipster" depictions... he seriously needs to put out a book of all these characters! A highly enjoyable blog.

Mark Kennedy
I don't visit this site every day, but I linked it here because I think Mark Kennedy posts some useful information at times. His posts mainly talk about theory in animation - what works, what doesn't - and it's just another resource I like to have available!

Corbett Vanoni
I think I found Corbett's site through Tom Richmond's blog... after discovering his blog I really enjoyed his caricatures and the strong foundation behind them. Sometimes his work reminds me of Drucker or even Richmond's... but you can definitely see his own style too. His blog is just another I like to look at for some fun caricature inspiration.

Pedro Vargas
Of ALL the cartoony-type artists out there, I think Pedro is my favorite! When I think cartoons, I think of one of Pedro's characters, Jackrabbit McGee! That character is UN-FREAKING-BELIEVABLE! I seriously hope I can work with this guy someday... I hope he doesn't think I'm stalking him, because I'm always telling him that! It's just that, when it comes down to the kind of cartoons I want to create, Pedro's drawings match the look. I don't think I'm as good as he is, but I hope I will be one day. This is exactly the kind of cartoon style that needs to be shot back into the arm of the animation industry! He recently posted a short Misfits music video (Braineaters), and it makes me wanna dance. And I don't dance! This fella's got a bright future in the animation business.

Louie del Carmen
Louie works in the animation industry (Billy & Mandy, Kim Possible), but I'll be honest - I don't know much else about the guy. But I will tell you this - his website is so cool that I HAD to link him so I can always go back there and check it out! His blog is linked about, but here's the link to his website here!

Jessica Borutski
Like Stefanie above, Jessica has amazing control over her cartoon designs. And they're SO expressive! She is another alum of Spumco (APC), and you may have seen her short film, "I Like Pandas." I think it just won an award from Channel Frederator too!

Noir Nouar
I recently added Noir to my list of links because I think her oil and acrylic on wood panel paintings are incredible. They display a wacky sense of humor, but also remind me of advertisements from '20s and '30s. Check out her site - the cow squirting the milk is my favorite!


Your ultimate source for everything related to cartoon and animation history! And please donate money (or volunteer some time if you're in the L.A. area). I hope this place never goes away, and I wish Steve the best of luck with its continued growth! We should consider ourselves lucky for having a resource like this!!!

Kyle Baker Luxury Cartoons
I just love Kyle Baker - I first got into him when his Plastic Man comic came out 3 years ago. It's no longer being published, but there is a lot of Baker's work that I have yet to see.
Kyle Baker's QUALITY JOLLITY Animation Podcast
Here, Kyle presents animated versions of some of his comic scenes! They audience sound effects are the best!! Go watch these for a good laugh!

The Bruce Timm Gallery
I go here to look at hundreds of drawings of Bruce Timm characters! You should too! Enough said!

The Inspiration Grab-Bag
This blog hasn't been updated in a while, but I hope it will soon. I do know that Clarke, who runs the site, recently made a big move from the East Coast out to L.A... to pursue his dream of working in animation. But go there and look back at some of his posts - some of the artwork will definitely inspire you in one way or another.

The Blackwing Diaries
Story artist Jennifer Lerew brings us a regular update of sketches and Disney-related posts. I especially enjoy when she talks about Freddy Moore! Just a fun site that I like to visit every once in a while.

Cartoon Research
He may post more on CartoonBrew, but Jerry Beck has his own site with lots of information and stills from cartoons, past to present. I'll usually go here first if I'm having trouble finding the year a certain cartoon was made. Just another great resource to have online - thanks Jerry!

DRAW! Magazine
The perfect read for all your cartoon and comic types out there. It only comes out maybe two or three times a year (if that), but it's a spectacular magazine. DRAW! includes interviews with popular artists in the industry, as well as drawing and inking tips and other tutorials! I've read almost every issue, and each one is chock-full of useful information!

Animation Meat
I go to this site because it has a load of animation notes, model sheets, and templates! All in PDF's that you can print out! I've filled up 4 binders full of printouts from this site alone!


A podcast featuring animator Clay Kaytis interviewing (mostly) Disney animators from past and present. There hasn't been a new podcast since last year, but it sounds like Clay is getting ready for more! These are fun to listen to, because it takes you into the mind of a real animator. You learn how they got into the industry, what they worked on, and how they work on things. I'm looking forward to the next one - check out the past interviews if you haven't already.
Diggnation
I used to be a huge fan of The Screen Savers on the old TechTV, even after Patrick and Leo left - leaving it up to the two new hosts - Kevin Rose and Alex Albrecht. This was back in '04... and then... G4 took over everything fell apart and the Screen Savers perished and I never watched Attack of the Show. Alex was canned, and luckily Kevin left soon afterwards... ANYWAY if you never watched TechTV this probably makes no sense. But about a year and a half ago, Kevin and Alex started doing a podcast where they discussed the top stories that got 'dugg' on Digg.com. If you're still confused, I'm not gonna explain anymore - just go visit the site for crying out loud. I listen to this podcast every week and it's a riot. Well, a riot if you're a geek like me.

CartoonSupplies.com
A good place to buy animation supplies.

Chromacolour International
Also a good place to buy animation supplies - including stuff you might not be able to purchase at CartoonSupplies. So use 'em both!


Last but not least: GET FIREFOX ALREADY you IE-usin' dolt!

So, that took a lot longer than I thought... and now I'm about to pass out. So, goodnight.