John K. & Rubber Hose animation

Today, I thought I'd post a link over to John K.'s magnificent blog - right now he's posting some of his own insight on the 'rubber hose' era of animation in the '20s/30s. Lots of stills and YouTube shorts posted, including a good number of contributed comments and links and from fellow readers. So far he's got two posts on the subject:

• John K - rubber hose Part 1
• John K - rubber hose Part 2
• John K - rubber hose Part 2b
  

This is one of my absolute favorite periods in animation history. Even if a short wasn't really that good, it was still a blast to watch. Characters, animals, inanimate objects, and whatever else would all interact together in harmony in a surreal, happy almost-utopian universe. The character designs are simple, yet masterful works of art.

A non-cartoon piece

Sorry I've been so busy these past few weeks - I haven't even had time to scan any of my random sketches - I've been working at the caricature booth more than anything else! More stuff is on the way though.

You know, I should really be in bed, but I want to put this up. It's not a cartoon... it's something I don't do enough of - FINE ART!

Last year I decided to begin a little side job doing pet portraits. Not caricature or cartoon types (although those types are welcomed!!!), but realistic portraits done in whatever medium a client may desire. When I think of doing fine art, I always think of animals. They just seem more fun to me than people, buildings, or cars, etc. Although I want to try painting people portraits in the future, when I get more comfortable.

Well, right after Thanksgiving, I made some of those flyers with the little pull-tab things with my e-mail and phone #, and hung them up at various spots in Fargo and Breckenridge. My intent was to get at least a few jobs for the holiday season, to make a little extra cash. Well, I didn't get ONE reply. I was in a local drugstore a little over a month ago and noticed my ad was still hanging there on their bulletin board - and a few of the tabs were gone! But alas, still nothing.

But several weeks ago, a lady in the area happened to call, knowing I was an artist - she was on a mission to get a painting made of her dog who passed away a few months ago, and wanted to know if I knew any painters that could help her out. I said I didn't know any local artists personally, but then I told her I was trying to start up my own gig, doing exactly what she was looking for! Huzzah!

So I told her I was new to this 'pet art' venture, not having any customers yet, but I said I would be glad to paint her dog! Of course, I've never actually painted an entire portrait before (I didn't tell her that). I've dabbled in acrylics and watercolors, but that's it! DABBLED is the key word here. She dropped off some photos a couple of days later, and I was set. And nervous. I don't even know pricing right now, but I charged $100 for a 9x12 acrylic on canvas. That seems pretty reasonable, doesn't it?

Anyway, she's coming to get it tomorrow, so I finally finished up the rest of it tonight, and scanned it for myself. Here!



I think you can click on it to see more detail. Anyway, for being my FIRST EVER acrylic painting, I'm amazed even at myself how well it turned out. Dude, I know NOTHING about painting! I know how to hold a brush, I know how to mix colors somewhat, the basics of layering... but that's about it! The colors actually turned out very close to the dog. I know she was a mutt - a beagle/lab/spaniel type mix, I recall the lady telling me. But obviously it's a bit sloppy in spots... she was originally supposed to be lying in grass, but since I'm a beginner I didn't want to go nuts trying to paint believeable grass. So I gave it a nice solid background and tried to mimic a littlegrass around the feet. I was worried this thing was gonna turn out to resemble a cheap paint-by-number painting, but as I added more detail, I got less worried. I'm satisfied with it!

When I was buying supplies, I didn't know what brushes to get, what kind of canvas to get, what PAINTS to get. Well, I know more now than I did a month ago. Note to self - never buy the low-priced 'student' paints ever again. Now I know why professional-grade 'artist' paints cost more - BECAUSE THEY'RE BETTER QUALITY.

The lady told me that if she likes this one (and I really hope she does!), she has 6 other dogs that she would like to have painted. All I can say is... CHA-CHING!!! Well, not only that, but then I can start building a portfolio of pet potraits. I'm gonna do one of my cat, and my dog who died over a year ago... those should be fun. And my friend's jack-russell - that dog's a riot!

Work pix

I had the camera with me today so I figured I'd take a few photos of my office space. The funny part here is, IT'S NOT REALLY AN OFFICE!!! HA!!! I just use that as a metaphor to indicate my primary work location! See how that works?!? Got you, didn't I? So, on we go. This is Caricatures at West Acres, at the West Acres Shopping Center in Fargo, North Dakota, USA.

(The front)



(The back side)



(The table I use 85% of the time - we have 3 tables total)

In lighter news this evening...

I thought I'd post an example of what I currently do for a job.

I work at a caricature stand and draw funny pictures of people. They usually take 5 minutes per face... anyway I thought I'd post a caricature of my own face. Self-portrait. Why not? I see it every day in the mirror, so I've got it memorized for the most part. I did this tonight at work (trying to divert myself from the incident of earlier today... see previous post), on a whim. I'm still not good at filling in hair.


8 months ago, I knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about drawing caricatures. That is until I stopped in one day last summer and talked to the owner, Jim, and got hired soon thereafter. Of course, I still knew NADA. But Jim taught me the basics of observation, picking out distinguishable features, getting likenesses, etc. I'm still not all that good, but I know I've improved over time. I should find my first caricatures I ever drew, and post them up here. Atrocious!!!

We basically draw up the quick caricatures with graphite and then color them with airbrush. AIRBRUSH - I never even touched one before I started working there either. I should ALSO try to find my first airbrush tests and scan them for you guys to see. They're pretty gruesome. I'm pretty comfortable with it now, but still have a bit of frustration with the tight spots.

Caricatures - it's a great skill to have if you can draw. I've seen plenty of other blogs with caricature examples, and some of them are extremely good, others... embarrassing. But it takes practice, like anything else. I mean, I make freakin' money by drawing people! That's pretty good, right? Of course those slow days with ZERO customers can be a bummer, but busy weekends usually make up for that!


When I finally get some DECENT celebrity examples made up, I'll certainly post them here.

This isn't cartoon related...

...but this morning, I ended up flipping the car upside down into the snowy ditch on the highway.

Go see my wife's post w/pictures to read more.

Basically, I thank God that I'm still alive, and that I walked away from that crash. I came out of the situation without a scrape or bruise on my entire body. But deep down inside, I can feel plenty of 'em.

I got in touch with my own mortality today. LIFE: IT'S A FRAGILE THING. Please, anybody who is reading this, DON'T TAKE YOUR LIFE FOR GRANTED. Do something with your days on this great place we call earth. Tell those around you that you love them. Make the most of your talents. Because at any given time, you face the chance of leaving this place prematurely. All within one rapid moment. BAM! You're gone.

I'm not really afraid of dying. I know where I'm going afterwards. What I am afraid of, though, is not leaving a legacy behind me. I have things to accomplish before I visit the great beyond. LOTS of things. And I'm afraid of being taken away from my loving wife --- I always want to be there for her. To imagine what she was thinking today when I told her what happened.

In closing, here are some lyrics to a song I listened to 3 times in a row tonight on my way home from work tonight (yeah, I still managed to go to work). I've always known the story behind this song, but it sure hits home now...

Title: August 30th
By: Delirious? (Written by Martin Smith/Stuart Garrard ©1997 Curious? Music UK)

Thank you for the chance to live again
I will run always for you
Clouds had gathered all around my head
But these hands they lifted me
And I'll tell of this love that saved me

Thank you for the chance to live again
I will run always for you
Walking closer you are all I have in this world only you
And I'll tell of this love that saved me

And I'll wait for this light to break
I'll come to you, yes I'll run to you
And I'll wait for this light to break
I'll run to you, yes I'll come to you
I'll be one with you

Improvement

One of my biggest weaknesses in drawing is... life drawing. The human figure. I've only had ONE life drawing session in my life, and that was what, 5 years ago already? One of my drawing classes at art school included a day where a nude model came in and we drew her in various poses for a couple hours. I remember alternating between pencil, charcoal, and ink drawings. I think my charcoal ones turned out best because of the ease to shade. We also took a trip to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for a class one day too, and had to draw a Rodin sculpture, which you can see below. Keep in mind, this is from FIVE years ago, and I don't think I'd show much improvement if I tried drawing something like that again today.

(my Rodin study, circa November 2000)

I know, I could be drawing fully-clothed people on any given day (AND I SHOULD BE DOING THIS), but for some reason I never do! That needs to change. I need to get back into the figure drawing BIGTIME.

It's sort of ironic because I draw caricatures as my primary job right now, which has helped me become very familiar with the human face, even if I draw them in a cartoony fashion. But even with caricatures, I rarely draw full bodies - most of the time it's shoulders and upper chests. Is it because part of me is nervous to draw full bodies? Why yes, it is! I mean, if I HAVE to draw a body, I CAN, and it's not CRAP or anything, but it never looks magnificent either.

Even with cartoon characters, I've ONLY begun concentrating more on their entire bodies rather than just their heads. I've always been able to draw the head fine, but I start getting confused and VERY frustrated when an arm or hand, leg or foot looks very incorrect! And trust me, this occurs REGULARLY. I hate it.

I see they have plenty of life-drawing references online, and you can even download hi-res images of nude models in virtually any pose you want... so maybe I'll try those. But I'd REALLY like to be in the classroom doing this instead. It's live, as you have the benefit of a living, breathing human being, rather than just a photograph to work off of. It's just better that way, isn't it? So we'll see. I live in a small town, but if I could find out about some classes in Fargo or even Minneapolis, I'd be willing to enroll.

I know it's practice, practice, practice. And observation. And all that other stuff that I've learned as an artist all these years. I will say that I AM drawing more stuff NOW than I ever was while at art school (not even counting the work I do with caricatures), because I've become more motivated as of late. So if I keep up the motivation and stay inspired, I'm sure I'll see the results. After all, my boss/mentor James Hungaski (check out his stuff!), who is a brilliant artist and caricaturist in his own right (and who has also worked with MAD Magazine's Tom Richmond), has seen my improvements as an artist since I started doing caricatures last summer. And that's been a huge motivation right there. Now let's hope I can see some good results with my upcoming comic book!

Yes, and I also promise to post some of my caricatures on here eventually!

Semi-giraffe

So I wouldn't be able to draw an anatomically accurate giraffe off the top of my head (even in cartoony form) if I was being held at knifepoint... but here's an attempt I made yesterday. After comparing it with an ACTUAL giraffe photograph, I see I made his ears a bit too rabbity. Oh well, I promise I'll get some better stuff posted on here sooner or later!

Givin' it all away?

So we're making this new comic, but unfortunately for you, reader, I refuse to share any details at this time.

I see loads of BLOGS out there (I emphasize that because I still think it's a dumb word) where artists literally post EVERY SINGLE STEP of their progress on a certain project. You see production blogs that give away everything - techniques, secrets, all that behind-the-scenes crap. And to those out there who do that, good for you and thanks for sharing! I still thoroughly enjoy reading up on the process of your creations.

I, on the other hand, wish to keep certain work TOP SECRET until completion. So you won't be seeing much of that stuff. If you go to my studio's site, you'll see that we have next to nothing about our animated short... with the exception of some tiny cropped pictures in the gallery section. Sure, we could post storyboards, various sketches of characters, animation tests, backgrounds, concepts and plots, etc. Then what? There's no mystery left!

With this attitude you may call me a stickler, miser, whatever... BUT THIS IS OUR PRIDE AND JOY. We can keep it all to ourselves if we want, until it's all done. Just because the Internet allows people to share things instantaneously across the globe, doesn't mean they HAVE to. It's overload sometimes, you know? I'd like to keep some of the magic. A guy doesn't always need to have a step-by-step analysis of my character development, or something of that nature. At least not right now. Wait until AFTER I'm done with a cartoon, then maybe I'll share SOME of my tricks. Not all, some!

I'm still going to post plenty of funny pictures and drawings for all to see... things I PREFER to share with everyone out there! That's different. But for my very own productions that take months and months of hard work, you'll just have to wait. Take that cake out of the oven too early, and you'll end up with a big pile of German chocolate MUSH!!! Is that a good analogy? IT IS FOR ME, CAKEY!!!

Hanna-Barbera, part 2

Well, I just doodled this up in a few minutes, just using a ballpoint pen... nothing fancy! I just wabted to try out some Yogi Bear this time, and analyze. Again, I've NEVER drawn Hanna-Barbera characters before so this is all new. I'd like to do a big assortment before all is said and done!


I noticed some things right away with Yogi - a) his eyes go in FRONT of his hat a lot of the time, and b) when drawn in profile, there are definite straight lines on the top and back of his head (then again, a lot of H-B characters have this feature). I think about how awesome that is - watching Yogi Bear cartoons as a kid, and always wondering why Boo Boo's head suddenly turned oval (as opposed to square) when he faced straight ahead to the viewer.


Anybody else notice how much Adult Swim has been playing Boo Boo Runs Wild lately? I think a lot of kiddies on the Adult Swim messageboards are getting pretty mad that they keep playing it week after week! WHICH SIGNIFIES ONE THING - those freakin' kids can't even recognize BRILLIANT animation when they see it. Give me 200 consecutive Boo Boo Runs Wild's over 1 episode of Aqua Teen Hunger Force ANY day!!!

Why I want to do this

I'm still 'new' to this whole world of cartoons. I mean, I've lived and breathed cartoons ever since I came outta the womb... but it wasn't until a little over 2 years ago that I decided to FULLY pursue a career in cartoons and animation.

I went to art school from 2000-01 in Minneapolis (majoring in animation), then later moved and transferred into one of their online program (studying interactive media design), which I attended 2003-04. I took the media design courses because they didn't offer any animation degrees as part of their online studies, and I really felt out of place. I probably have a little under 2 years left if I want to finish earning my degree. But do I want to go back? Not really.

When I was still at school in Minneapolis, I found that I was surrounded by a bunch of - how do I put this lightly - talentless people? Don't get me wrong - I encountered a good share of VERY creative people who really intimidated me by their amazing artwork. But for the rest of 'em, you almost felt bad for how much money they ended up spending for tuition. And when (or, if) they ended up graduating, they still weren't, really, good artists at all.

Anyway, I've learned more about animation SINCE art school. I always knew the basics, yeah, but until I started doing my own research in libraries, bookstores, online, etc.,
I couldn't believe how much there was to know!

One site that's been of great help is Animation Meat. Go there and check out some of the PDFs in the 'notes' section. Seriously, you can find more information on animation there than you could ever learn in an animation class. OK, obviously, if you're in a classroom of a great art school with a legendary animator, that's different - and there's no substitute. However, in my case, the school I went to would never involve a master of animation speaking to the pupils, let alone as a guest speaker!

If you haven't figured it out yet, I want to animate cartoons. My best friend/business partner have had completed storyboards of a short sitting at our studio workspace for a little over 2 years now. Top secret! We did some limited animations of its intro sequence immediately after the storyboards were finished, but haven't done anything else since then. It's just the two of us, and I'm the one who draws all the pictures. Our equipment is minimal and there's a dozen+ number of animation-related items we could still use in our studio. EXPENSIVE items.

So stuff's been on a loooonnng hold with that cartoon, but all is not lost. I began working as a caricaturist at a local shopping mall last summer, and it's really helped me improve on my skills. In addition to that, we're developing a comic book right now that is drawn off a major concept in the universe of cartoon animation. Characters haven't been developed yet, but we're targeting on getting the majority of the first issue done through March. We thought we'd have story and characters ready to go by the end of February, but it's already the 27th and it's been tough getting something put together. In any case, when this comic is done I will definitely post more information about it here.

We worked on a totally different comic book this past year, but it was going very slowly and the frustration set in on a regular basis. I was unhappy with the style and the way it was put together, BUT... it's been one big fat invaluable learning experience. So lemme take the good and the bad of that old comic, and apply that knowledge to the NEW one!!! I look at this current comic book as a stepping stone. When it's completed, I hope it can bring us to the point where we can begin working on our animated short again.

This business is tough, and I know I'm still a tiny guppy in this vast ocean of sharks, whales, and mermaids. But I dream of the day when I can start releasing funny cartoons to the world, so that they can entertain audiences in the same way that cartoons have always entertained me.

First Drawing - Illustrator Live Trace Frustrations - and a RANT!

So disregard that last post. This is gonna be a place to post drawings of mine.

And now here is the very first (and very unoriginal) drawing.

I've always been a fan of Hanna-Barbera animation... not particularly my preferred style of cartoons, but definitely a childhood favorite! When I was a kid I remember watching '50s/'60s H-B shorts on USA before dinner every weeknight! This was back in the '80s... so of course I wasn't even born when The Huckleberry Hound Show and The Yogi Bear Show first aired. But I'm sure over the course of my gradeschool years, I saw practically EVERY short to come out of that era.

Anyway, while I've always admired Hanna-Barbera stuff, I've never been one to DRAW the characters. So yesterday at work I took a stab at Huckleberry Hound. The first Huck I've ever drawn! I kept it in model... no stylized crap right now. I want to draw more H-B characters because it helps me analyze their style much more effectively than looking at pictures alone.

I know, he's limbless! I accidentally drew a thick line where one of his legs is supposed to go, and erasing it wouldn't have done any good, so I just enclosed the rest of the body and decided to make him appendage-free this time around.

I drew this using my Cretacolor lead holder with 4B graphite and some narrower leads for the finer lines. I'm not too happy with the way the thicker lines turned out... probably because I concentrated too much, so there isn't any good 'flow' with his outlines. Oh well, first try, just getting the hang of it.

So then I decided to try live tracing him in Illustrator, but of course I knew it wasn't gonna turn out right because it was graphite on paper. Had I inked this it would've been much smoother. Anyway I really just wanted to play with the Live Paint so here's what I got:



Doesn't look so bad from afar... but LOOK at it up close:


I'm not that satisfied. So anyway, I'm not gonna do the whole vectorizing of the pencilwork anytime soon... unless of course that's the look I'm going for.

Whelp, hope you enjoyed my first artwork post!


On a side note, I'd like to mention that I am saddened and disappointed to find out that Hanna-Barbera Land is being wiped out for a bigger, badder "Nickelodeon Universe" starting this year at Paramount's Kings Island (outside of Cincinnati). I've been to Kings Island every summer since 2000, and I always liked Hanna-Barbera Land more than anything else (well, with the exception of Son of Beast, ha). Meeting Snagglepuss, Quick Draw, Yogi... the H-B carousel that played actual H-B theme songs... but most importantly... HUCKLEBERRY DAIRY!!! Blueberry soft-serve. The absolute MUST-HAVE of novelty foods at Kings Island. Mmm, I can taste it now.

PLEASE, Paramount Theme Park bigwigs: if you're gonna eliminate a Kings Island institution (yes, I mean Hanna-Barbera Land) for rides and attractions themed off CRAP TV shows that are meant for 3-8 year olds, AT LEAST spare the Huckleberry Dairy. You're keeping the Scooby Haunted Mansion, right? It's not gonna hurt to keep one measly complementing H-B themed concession stand to go with it, is it?

I know I can't stop you from destroying Hanna-Barbera. Sniff. Weep. After all, it is amazing that Hanna-Barbera Land has survived this long (since 1992) in your Viacom-ruled entertainment destination. Tears. So please, if Huck's trademark frozen blue dessert has to be removed along with everything else I hold dear in that wing of KI, at least keep serving the frozen blue dessert in your park, sans the Huckleberry Dairy name. I weep at the fact that you'll probably associate Blue's Clues with it now (why do I suddenly think there's a very good chance this will happen?), if you do decide to keep it. After all, my wife and I will continue visiting your park every summer, so I might as well accept it and keep eating blue-hued frozen dairy product.

Although I am still crying over the fact that Little Bill is replacing Atom Ant's Airways. At least Atom Ant has longevity.

That reminds me. Hey Disney World... remember Mr. Toad's Wild Ride? It's not too late to change it back, is it?

First post

I don't know how often I'll post here, but I thought I'd set up a Blogger account so I could comment on others' Bloggerly blogs.

And maybe I'll post some artwork here once I get the sphere rolling.