The Cuckoo County Fair

I like to try to make something out of even little ideas and doodles. Something like this only takes a couple of hours but it was fun and now it is out of my head so I can move on!
 

Food Sketches for Daycare Mural

Here are some food character sketches for a daycare mural proposal. 

Eyes are Important! - Designing a Character for a New Story

I am starting some concept work for a new story.  This is my favorite part of the creative process (I have strong suspicions that this is the favorite part for most creators.)  It is easy to get lost in world building, character design, and style concepts.  It is possible to stay at this stage indefinitely -  refining, adding, and style-jumping to "get it just right".  This is why there are millions of unfinished projects out there.  I have a few dozen myself.

It is important to take the time to plan out a good story and work on the art style, but I have also started giving myself deadlines.  (See my previous post on the importance of finishing personal projects here.)  I am in the early stages of writing and concepting my new story called "Stacks".  I will have it finished this year (hopefully in time for the holiday season so you can buy a copy for your favorite rugrat).

There are a ton of details to play with at this stage.  I've posted some pictures of the hamster character from "Stacks".  All six pictures are exactly the same, except for the size, color, and placement of the eyes.  Here are some questions that I am asking myself.

• Do I use a consistent eye style for all of the characters in the book?
• Do the eyes change style to show emotion or reaction?
• Do the pupils move, or does the whole head move when the character is looking at something?

Not sure what the answers are, but  I do know that I'm leaning towards #3, #5, or #6 for this character.

You can click on the image for a larger view.  Any opinions?

Mouse in the House

This little guy was inspired by some recent podcasts over at Art & Story Supreme.  Kevin Cross and Mark Rudolph have been discussing their love for the "cartoon modern" style of 1950's animation and design.  It is a style that uses simple shapes and as few lines as possible.  It is much harder to pull off than it sounds!  It is easy to "hide" a bad drawing in lots of lines and shading.  There is no place to hide in the cartoon modern style. 

Night of the Axolotl

I had one of these when I was in school. They called it a "water dog" at the pet store. When it grew too big for my bed, I released it in the sewer. It grew and grew and ate a beauty queen, a pack of stoned teenagers, and the mayor before it was finally captured. The whole town was pretty angry with me. Luckily, they never traced that face-ripper demon back to me.

Guess Where I Am

Topet & Rehmy

...Aaahhh shuda...
...Gupa Nupa :) ...
...Ning-a-ning-a Ningu...
...Gunda = Yub Yub...
... lol...

And Shirley Was Never Seen Again

This is an excellent site for classic and new comic strips: GoComics.com http://www.gocomics.com/

Some of my favorites are:

• BC by Johnny Hart
• Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Waterson
• Fox Trot by Bill Amend

Unfortunately, Gary Larson's The Far Side is not available (legally) online. It is my favorite comic of all time.

By The Power of Geek Skull

A nerd may use his children as an excuse to watch He-man. That's right, my daughter is a Masters of the Universe fan. My wife...not so much. Eighties television cartoons were cheaply produced but I think they had some of the best character designs of all time.

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Hulu.com has a bunch of episodes of He-Man, She-Ra, and Transformers. Kidswb.com has a Thundercats channel. I have Dungeons and Dragons, DuckTales, Rescue Rangers, and Tiny Toons in our Netflix queue. Now I just have to find Silverhawks somewhere...and lots of time.

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Some of my favorite cartoons from the 80's were Warner Bros.' Looney Toons and Merrie Melodies. I was an adult when I learned that most of these were actually made in the 1940's, 50's, and 60's. These are quality cartoons. The artistic animation, humorous story lines, and fully developed characters are rarely seen in modern television animation. You can find dozens of these shorts on Youtube.

beep beep zip dang!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vl-4XdVVjaM

The Putdowns

My good buddy and one of the few readers of this blog (Howdy, Matt!) asked me to throw together some "band photos" for a facebook page. He asked for something quick and cartoony so I tweaked some existing artwork. Over the last year, I've scanned hundreds of sketches and other pieces of artwork in various stages of development/completion into my computer. It's my own little catalog of all original clipart. It makes throwing together silly little illustrations like the ones above faster and easier than starting from scratch.

I play(ed) drums in The Putdowns (formerly Chet & the Choreboys). I feel bad that I can't devote much time to the band these days. They are really cool guys and I love the music but...I have kids. Kids are nature's time bandits and coolness suckers. I am exhausted by ten every night. My favorite shows and movies are cartoons. I know what a onesy is. I've peeled grapes. I talk in ridiculous voices so much that I'm not really sure what my real voice is. And, of course, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world.

I would like less belly and more hair, however.

Happy Labor Day Weekend

Frankenstein's Monster meets Michigan J. Frog

Having some fun with concepts for Frankenstein's Monster

Here is a clip from James Whales' 1931 film Frankenstein. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lld7DIuWwnw I love old black and white horror movies. I think this scene from the beginning of the movie is especially creepy. And I love the surreal set design of the graveyard. A very high recommendation from me. The sequel, Bride of Frankenstein, is just as good and adds some humor to the mix.

Maybe it is a little hokey by today's standards, but Frankenstein shocked it's 1931 audience and introduced horror icon Boris Karloff to the world. One of my favorite roles by Boris Karloff was the narrator in Chuck Jones' adaptation of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Three very talented and creative forces collide in a great cartoon that has stood the test of time.

from How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Chuck Jones was an animator and director at Warner Bros. Studios. While at Warner Bros., he created a ton of great classic characters including Wile E. Coyote, Pepé Le Pew, Marvin the Martian, Road Runner, and Sam Sheepdog. He also added to the development of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and others.

Here's a short from Chuck Jones:

One Froggy Evening

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jhq0N4ORYjM

Dr. Seuss will get his own blog post soon!

the Blubber Slug and the Alligator King

C.O.W. #151 Venomous, Pale Blue, Obese Egg-Layer

The blubber slug lives deep in the forest of the forgotten wildlife. As a juvenile, while it is still mobile, the male blubber slug slithers through the undergrowth to find an ideal spot to live it’s entire adult life. It emits a powerful pheromone that attracts the female blubber slugs. For months the females deposit their eggs at the male’s mouth, which he immediately devours.

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Some of the eggs are digested but most continue to grow inside the male’s bloating body. His body continues to expand and may contain thousands of developing eggs. Finally, his skin secretes a slick venomous slime and the eggs begin popping out of his vent. The process super heats his tail end which converts the slime into a poisonous steam cloud which covers and protects the eggs until they hatch. The male’s flabby sack of a corpse will be the young blubber slugs’ first meal.

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Bud Luckey is an artist, animator and musician. He is currently a character designer and animator at Pixar Studios. You can see his work in most of their films: Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, Cars, Ratatouille, and WALL-E.

I've attached clips of some of his early work originally aired on Sesame Street in the early 1970's. Both clips are co-written, animated, and performed (banjo and voice) by Bud Luckey. Enjoy!

The Alligator King http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5zAdYFN_Hk

The Ladybug Picnic http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlp1w-6XPHU