Shintaro Ohata's Painted sculptures..

Heading to Japan in a couple weeks.. thought I'd share this amazing artist's stuff..

Shintaro Ohata is known for his technique of putting his painted sculptures in front of regular canvas paintings, showing them as one work.

Bloomers and a Gun

Electrified

Classic Tuesday Inspiration: N.C. Wyeth..

Cowboy

Shoot out!

The Wolf

Dynamite

Ugly Cowboy

Two Cowboys

Cheatin' Production Blog - Episode Seventeen - Animation - Part 1

Cheatin' Production Blog - Episode Seventeen - Animation - Part 1 from Bill Plympton on Vimeo.

In this episode, Bill references his storyboard to draw 3 key frames for a new shot in which the Thug boldly "salutes" a police officer.

Nice shot!

Drunker Than a Skunk

Even though I am hurriedly finalizing my drawings for the soon to be finished "Cheatin'" I also wanted to do a short to qualify for Annecy's animation festival.

Having done a documentary on the legendary Oregon poet, Walt Curtis (Walt Curtis, Peckerneck Poet" 1998) I loved the poem he wrote called "The Time The Drunk Came To Town And Got Drunker Than A Skunk Or So He Thought." I believed it would be great for an animated short. I needed to shorten the title for simplicity's sake. So now the short film is called "Drunker Than A Skunk"

Over the next few months I'll be displaying some of the cool ballpoint pen art.
It's a lot more weird and stylized than my usual style.
As a kid I loved drawing cowboys so this film is basically me having fun drawing the sordid lives of western folk.

I'd love to hear your comments on the art!

Thanks,

Bill

2 Animated Features

Just a quick review of two films that have been in release for a while – but I've just gotten around to seeing them.

"Hotel Transylvania" has had a rocky history, but apparently Genndy Tartovsky came in and fixed its problems, and helped create a successful film. 

I had some problems with the film – two many characters and bad character design.

But I like the original idea that monsters are afraid of humans – and I believe that they should have concentrated on that central idea, and not wasted my time with throwaway gags with so many scary creatures. 

I give "Hotel Transylvania" a C+.

The other film I was finally able to see was "Wreck-It Ralph". I believe this film is very strong, with terrific characters and design. 

It also has a great story – it really gets fun when we go to Kiddie Land. The colors and production design are wonderful. 

However, I thought they missed a big opportunity for humor without the macho babe going gonzo in Sugarland. That would have pushed the humor over the top.  Imagine what havoc the military babe could have raised, going up against the sweet little girls of Sugarland.

It's still a wonderful, entertaining film. I give "Wreck-It Ralph" a B+.

Kickstarter

Great news! I've reached my Kickstarter goal! Two weeks early! So we've decided to go for 100,000. The added money would help pay for prints and advertising, assuming “Cheatin'” doesn't get picked up for distribution. Which considering my history is a definite possibility. So please tell your friends all about my Kickstarter campaign for “Cheatin'.”

We need your help, plus there are some very cool goodies as prizes. Since I'm talking kickstarter my good friend and “Queen of Indie Animation” Signe Baumane is just now starting her Kickstarter push for her animation feature. “Rocks in my Pockets.” It's a very powerful and funny film about depression. I've seen a rough cut and was very impressed.

So please give the little lady a hand. The cool thing about Kickstarter is not only the money one receives but also the visibility it brings to a project. 

Here is her direct link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1055277857/rocks-in-my-pockets?ref=category

I was so amazed how many people found out about “Cheatin'” through Kickstarter and how many new fans I've accumulated. So I want to thank all the folks at Kickstarter for their great support of my feature “Cheatin'!”

More Jason Freeny..

here's Jason's epic anatomical diagrams i mentioned on friday..

Oscars

The Oscar nominations were just announced and some were justified, others were not. Here are my thoughts...

I feel very badly that “Django Unchained” did so poorly. Perhaps it was Spike Lee's negative comments about the film. “Django Unchained” is the boldest, most imaginative and the most entertaining film of the year- for Quentin not to get a best director's nod is a travesty.

In the animated feature category I agree with most choices, but I feel that “The Rise of The Guardian” should have gotten a nom and “Brave” was a disappointing Pixar film. Why did it get a nom?

In the Animated shorts category I was surprised! “Head Over Heels” got the nom over a much superior “Tram” short. Perhaps “Tram” failed because the older academy voters were offended by the sexual content of Michaela Pavlatova comedy. 

A very big congrats to my buddy PES for getting a long deserved nom for “Fresh Guacamole”. It's a hilarious film and the only one to get applause in the Academy screening I went to.

 

If you haven't seen the short yet it's you can click here

Good luck PES!

Cheatin' Production Blog - Episode Sixteen - Guest Episode - Meet Lucas Plympton

Cheatin' Production Blog - Episode Sixteen - Guest Episode - Meet Lucas Plympton from Bill Plympton on Vimeo.

In this episode, My son Lucas makes a strong case on why you should help me fund my feature film!

Visit the Kickstarter Page here - kickstarter.com/projects/billplympton/bill-plymptons-cheatin-an-animated-feature-film/

Sculptures by Jason Freeny..

I love Jason's drawings and diagrams.. and his sculptures within the same body of work are equally brilliant. Enjoy.

Django Unchained

 

OK, I admit it, I'm a total Quentin Tarantino groupie. “Pulp Fiction”, “Kill Bill” and “Reservoir Dogs” are some of the greatest films ever made.

So, I've just seen his new, much-awaited feature “Django Unchained”, and I think it ranks up there with his best. 

It's the story of a slave who searches for his long-lost wife through the pre-Civil War racist plantations of the South. That story in itself is very powerful – but what Quentin does with the characters is what's so amazing. The wacky killings, strange costumes, offbeat music and bizarre set pieces are what makes this film special. 

One of my favorites is the big lynching scene, featuring a forerunner of the Ku Klux Klan, where the whole group complains about their eyeholes in their sheets being impossible to see out of.

The film is brutal, profane and completely original – and at 2 ½ hours, it seemed to fly along at a quick pace.

I give “Django Unchained” an “A+”.

Classic Tuesday Inspiration: John Singer Sargent Drawings..

Haven't done a tues inspiration in a long time..  Enjoy.