Scribble Junkies

Fig 1 Big Mo

2012-01-27T16:36:00.000-05:00

Kung Fu Panda 2

2012-01-26T16:46:00.003-05:00

OK. I knew this review is a little bit late – but I’ve been traveling a lot this year and I finally found time to watch the animated features I missed.

Even though I heard good things about Kung Fu 2 – and I really liked the first film – I’ve finally watched KFPII. And I must say I really liked it.

The art was even better than the first and the humor and character development were terrific.

The only drawback for me was the action came on too fast and intense.

In fact it was brain overload and my mind shut down and I fell asleep through sections. (The same thing happened during “9” and “Arthur Christmas”) Now, you might say that my fuddy duddy brain is too slow for the new action films. That’s a fair criticism.

But nevertheless I have to grade the film to my own standards: and even though I liked KFPII, I can’t give it my highest score. So I’ll give the Dreamworks feature a B.

Epic Sketchbook: Audrey Kawasaki...

2012-01-26T10:19:00.003-05:00

Here's a treat..of course she would use toned paper. pro-tip: toned sketchbook adds the ability to add and take away, light wise. it's something I keep meaning to look into. Enjoy.

Face Shadow

2012-01-26T04:35:00.000-05:00

Animation 101: 11 Tips from Jeremy Cantor, Animation Supervisor Sony Imageworks...

2012-01-25T21:53:00.000-05:00

Good stuff, some really valid advice all around. Jeremy is a wellspring of information and is a great teacher (he has taught just about everywhere), Enjoy.

1. Establish and maintain good contacts.
The old adage, "It's not what you know, it's who you know", certainly applies (to a certain extent) in this industry. I landed my first "real" job on my own, but every one I’ve scored since was the result of a contact (including freelance side-jobs). Keep in mind though, that contacts only help you get in the door. Your skills and professionalism are what will keep you employed. Where do you meet future contacts? At school…on the job…at professional lectures and gatherings…online mailing lists and forums (www.cg-char.com for example) It is also extremely important to keep in mind that if you "burn bridges" and make enemies, the notion of “who you know” can actually be a significant disadvantage to your career growth. Just as a positive referral can help you "get in the door", a negative referral can ensure that certain doors will always remained closed to you. Remember that everyone knows everyone in this field. Try putting someone else’s work on your demo reel and see how long it takes to get blacklisted from an entire industry. (Actually, don’t try that. Just trust me).

2. Don’t go after jobs/compaines where you’re not interested in the subject matter of their end product
Once you gain a foothold in the industry, choose your career path wisely. If you think video games are stupid, why would you want to work for a video game company? You won't have much to talk about with your co-workers and you certainly won't "climb the ladder" because doing so often requires working above & beyond the call of duty (long hours in stressful environments), learning new software or techniques on your own time, and taking the initiative to "push the envelope" creatively or technically. Someone who lacks a passion for the end product will be very unlikely to do such things. These jobs demand a lot from you: Time, creative spirit, and the ability to handle a lot of stress. Anyone taking on such a job "just for the money" will certainly not last very long. When you’re just starting out, however, try not to be too picky or think that any job is “beneath you”. If the industry is somewhat slow (like today), grab whatever you can to gain experience. Do a cheap, local cable TV commercial for the stereo store down the street. Design a tee shirt for your neighbor’s son’s Bar Mitzvah. Take an internship.

3. Have the ability to receive and professionally respond to criticism and failure.
The ability to accept defeat on occasion is perhaps the single most important quality that separates successful talented people from non-successful talented people. How many times have you heard the story of the author whose million-selling novel had been previously turned down by dozens of publishers? (Can you say: “J.K. Rowling”?) Accept the fact that you won't get every job you apply for. Your short film won't get accepted into every festival. Your director might not like your animation, and he might be in a bad mood that day and will therefore deliver his critique without much concern for diplomacy. Be prepared for the possibility that you might spend a month on a shot only to have the editor cut it from the film at the last minute. Remind yourself that a criticism of your work is not necessarily a criticism of you as a person. In "creative" fields, a lot of the work is highly subjective. Not everyone is going to like everything you do. Bill Cosby once said that while he doesn’t know the secret to success, he knows that the secret to failure is trying to please everyone. You can certainly strive to please everyone, just don’t expect to. If you can at least please yourself most of the time though, you’re pretty much ahead of the curve.

4. Take (and create) opportunities to learn and grow on your own time.
You need to keep up with the creative and technical standards and advances in these industries in order to stay employed. There are always going to be fresh, new, talented college students out there willing to do your job for less money. You always need to stay a few steps ahead or you'll get left behind. Don't look at your fellow students' work as your competition. Look at the best work in the world and strive to be better than that.

5. Develop the ability to FINISH.
The ability to take something through to its conclusion is another significant ingredient for success. How many people do you know who have a dozen unfinished project ideas sitting on their desks? Very few people finish absolutely everything they start and achieve every single one of their goals, but if you've ever felt the satisfaction of completing at least one task, it'll be that much easier for you to do so in the workplace. It’s a learned skill. Why is finishing so hard? It often comes down to one word: “Stamina”. The start of a project is usually fresh and exciting. It's easy to stay motivated in the beginning. The latter stages, however, can often become tedious and frustrating and require a lot of hard work to muscle through to the end (like the last mile of a marathon race). If you can only stay motivated and focused during the fun parts and you lose interest when the fun level diminishes, you won't finish too many projects.

6. Go where the action is.
If you want to be an animator in the Visual Effects industry and you live in Louisiana, it's rather unlikely that your dream is ever going to come true unless you're willing to relocate to California (or New York, or Vancouver, etc). You'll never become a professional surfer if you refuse to leave your home in Northern Alaska. If, however, you already live in a hotbed of animation activity, such as Los Angeles, take advantage of your locale. Join professional organizations like ASIFA & Siggraph and attend their meetings and lectures. Go to pre-screenings and film festivals. Visit museums and galleries. Take classes at the Cartoonist's Union. Seek tours and internships at local studios.

7. Always be “Scottie" (ABS).
…as in Engineer Scott from Star Trek. When asked to solve a problem, he'd very often respond by saying "I don't know if I can do it, Captain! The forward thrusters are shot and we're all out of Dilithium Crystals". In other words, it's often advantageous to overestimate (within reason) how long it will take to complete a requested task, and then negotiate down (and you can always expect to negotiate down). That way, you'll be much more likely to come in ahead of schedule and look like the hero (or at least a competent professional). Resist the temptation to impress your bosses and demonstrate a positive attitude by always saying "No problem, I can knock that out in an hour!" More often than not, because of forces beyond your control (technical snafus, supervisor inaccessibility, inconsistent direction), tasks in this industry tend to take longer than you might initially think. You don't want to be constantly making excuses because you were too enthusiastic and optimistic with your initial time estimates. Be reasonable with the ABS technique however. If you wince and grimace every time you're asked to do something and your time-to-completion estimates are always obviously over-inflated, you could end up being labeled as "the boy who cried wolf" or worse yet, be accused of having a "negative attitude".

8. Take responsibility for your actions
In general, supervisors hate it when artists constantly blame others for their problems. If something weird pops up in your shot during dailies, and you know it was the result of a mistake or an oversight on your part, cop to it. In fact, it's usually best to nip-things-in-the bud by pointing out the mistake before anyone else does. Sometimes, of course, things do go wrong and you are truly not the one to blame. But it's generally a good idea to look to your self first before pointing the finger at others. Place the blame elsewhere only after you've ruled yourself out as the culprit. Admitting to a mistake empowers you to fix it. And, furthermore, doing so validates your successes. (How can you take the credit for your positive achievements, if you won't take responsibility for the things that go wrong?) This, of course, does not imply that it's okay to screw up all the time just as long as you take the blame and apologize.

9. Don’t expect the quality of your work to make you immune to the consequences of unprofessional behavior.
Some folks want to believe that if their work is strong, nothing else matters. Professionalism is just as important to career success. In rare cases, someone who does not play well with others will somehow manage to stay employed for a while if their skillset is deemed irreplaceable. However, a bad reputation always catches up to them eventually. Dennis Rodman could get away with dressing like a woman, hurling obscenities at referees and kicking cameramen as long as he was the number one rebounder in the NBA. However, such imbalances of talent vs behavior never seem to last. Stats will eventually slip or others will come along with stronger stats and better attitudes. I’ve seen a number of talented individuals fall from grace after becoming corrupted with power. Always work to continually improve your skills, but don’t forget to continually improve your professionalism as well.

10. Backup!
No matter how careful you are, it is inevitable that you will someday accidentally overwrite an important file or sit down at your PC only to find that your hard drive has crashed. Backup your files regularly and save copies in alternate locations.

11. Keep things in perspective.
Working in this industry is often not nearly as glamorous as it may sound to folks on the outside. Hours can be very long. Stress levels can get very high. Supervisors can be really nasty at times (and occasionally you might find yourself asking, “Why am I working for this clown? I know more about animation than he does!”) Step back once in a while and remind yourself why you got into this field in the first place. Someone (hopefully) is actually paying you to do your hobby! When things get really stressful, take a breath and remind your self that it’s just a movie (or a game or a commercial, etc). Do the best job you can, but don’t let yourself get sucked into the stress so deeply that you miss out on having “a life”. If you’re on a high profile film production, accept the fact that it’s not your film. On such projects, you will have limited (if any) creative control over your animations. Start a shot with enough artistic passion to do a great job, but not so much that you’ll be unable to sleep at night when the director completely changes his mind and makes you start over at the last minute, or worse yet, cuts your shot from the movie after you worked on it 14 hours a day for 20 straight days. It takes a while to find that balance within yourself, and every project will require you to do things just a little bit differently. Make necessary sacrifices and put in the extra hours as needed to “climb the ladder”, however, be careful that you don’t find yourself looking back after 10 years to find that, while you have a few decent films under your belt, you have no friends, you have more gray hairs than your grandfather and you missed all of your kids’ little league games and school plays. Make sure you’re enjoying your work most of the time and you have an appropriately balanced life.

Thinking Man

2012-01-25T16:35:00.000-05:00

Knee Up

2012-01-24T16:34:00.000-05:00

Idiots Model

2012-01-23T16:33:00.000-05:00

Vernon Courtland Johnson..

2012-01-20T08:27:00.003-05:00

Credit to my earliest exposure to art (prob around 1984), Vernon Courtland Johnson.. Vernon helped shaped Powell & Perallta skateboards and basically created the skate/art tradition that has been carried to this day. I've gone on and on about Jim Philips so many times on this blog, so I owe Vernon some props. Enjoy.

Bent Over Lady

2012-01-20T04:33:00.000-05:00

Kodak Focus on Animation

2012-01-19T16:41:00.002-05:00

Image from "Paths of Hate"

For the 8^th year, I think, Signe Baumane and I put together the best animated shorts from around the world for our annual Kodak screening.

This screening has been such a popular event that it sells out immediately! Our good friends Anne Hubbell, Susan and Dewitt are always so hospitable and welcoming to our January cartoon show. They put out a great spread, then we moved to the fancy screening room where it was standing room only.

There were the usual celebrated films “Luminaris”, “Paths of Hate” and “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”. But we put in some surprises: a clip from Signe’s new feature film “Rocks in my Pocket” that looks and sounds fantastic! David Levy’s new short and a delightful film I discovered at the Burbank Festival called “Notes on Biology” by Danny Madden.

After the screening we all trekked down to Billy Mark’s Bar and got drunk and talked about our favorite film and ripped apart our least favorites.

I love introducing new artists and films to audiences and I believe that’s why I enjoy so much doing the Kodak Show.

Thanks to everyone at Kodak!

Illustrations by Gerhard Human..

2012-01-19T06:28:00.000-05:00

Cape Town artist/Illustrator Gerhard Human has got some interesting stuff, visit his blog for more. Enjoy!

Reaching Arms

2012-01-19T04:32:00.000-05:00

Epic Sketchbook: Joao Ruas..

2012-01-18T06:26:00.000-05:00

Drawings by Joao Ruas. Enjoy...

Spread Arms

2012-01-18T04:31:00.000-05:00

Skull Nickels.. awesome..

2012-01-17T06:20:00.001-05:00

These are called Hobo Nickels crazy. Most are the work of unemployed artists during the depression (thus, “hobo”). A number of artists etched away the flesh of the subject to reveal these awesomely macabre skulls. Hobo nickel carving remains a popular hobby today and it even has a society. Images linked to their sources, most of which are live ebay auctions. Enjoy..

Utrecht

2012-01-17T04:30:00.000-05:00

Fig 2 Big mo

2012-01-16T16:30:00.000-05:00

Viktor Bykov..

2012-01-15T01:12:00.000-05:00

Viktor Bykov is a Russian painter living in the general vicinity of Moscow. He studied at the Cheliabinsk Art College and the Stroganov Art and Design Institute in Moscow. Stumbled on this genius from the epic Lines and Colors blog. Viktor's work has an animated feel to them.. I'm almost expecting a line drawing to enter and walk around or explore:) Enjoy..

Epic Sketchbook: Kiah Klean, Part 3..

2012-01-14T00:47:00.000-05:00

More Kiah Klean..

Size: 28 x 76 cm
Media: Chinese ink & watercolour on paper

Size: 28 x 76 cm
Media: Chinese ink & watercolour on paper
Year: 2011

Size: 28 x 76 cm
Media: Graphite & watercolour on paper
Year: 2010

Shadow Face

2012-01-13T16:29:00.000-05:00

New Don Low..

2012-01-13T01:00:00.000-05:00

I'm already getting anxious to return to southeast asia, and looking at Don's drawings reminds me why.

"Over here in Singapore (located near the equator), it has been raining non-stop for the past weeks...
We spent most of out time in the malls doing our shopping too. I have to resort to sketching indoors because it is quite impossible to stay dry outdoors. So cafes, restaurants and coffee shops have become my favorite subjects now. Most of these were done either during lunch or over dinner. Sometimes, it's tea time and chilling at cafes". -Don Low

Baby and Pets

2012-01-12T16:28:00.000-05:00

Academy Short List

2012-01-12T16:16:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday was a very exciting day for me – it's the screening of the ten animated short films that were short listed for the Oscars this year.

You probably all know the list by now: Matthew O'Callaghan's “I Tawt I Taw a Puddy Tat”, sound by the late Mel Blanc and June Foray. “Sunday”, a Canadian film by Patrick Doyon, “La Luna”, Enrico Casarosa (Pixar), “The Magic Piano”, by Martin Clapp, “A Morning Stroll”, Grant Orchard, “Paths of Hate” by Damian Nenow, “Specky Four-Eyes”, Jean Claude Rozec, "Wild Life," by Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, "The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore," by William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg, and "Luminaris," directed by Juan Pablo Zaramella.

They're all very good films, selected out of about 50 eligible shorts. I have 3 favorites of the group: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore”, an epic gem of digital animation.

“Paths of Hate”, a brilliant CG recreation of a World War II dogfight. But women hate this film.

And “Luminaris”, a wonderfully zany stop-motion fantasy comedy from Argentina, which I think is the odds on favorite to win the statue this year – but don't listen to me.

Tune in on February 26^th to find out who wins!

Epic Sketchbook: Kiah Klean, Part 2..

2012-01-12T00:44:00.000-05:00

More Kiah Klean, Enjoy:

Size: 28 x 76 cm
Media: Chinese ink & watercolour on paper

Detail

Detail

Size: 28 x 76 cm
Media: Chinese ink & watercolour on paper

Detail

"Fische" and "Flying Objects" by Thomas Thesen

2012-01-11T10:55:00.001-05:00

Great hand drawn short film by Thomas Thesen, a very simple film made while he was studying at Calarts. Thomas now teaches with me at Tisch-Asia. Enjoy.

Fische from Thomas Thesen on Vimeo.

And another great film he did at Calarts, "Flying Objects", Dig:

Flying Objects from Thomas Thesen on Vimeo.

Skinny Face

2012-01-11T09:26:00.000-05:00

Leaning Girl

2012-01-10T16:25:00.000-05:00

Society of Illustrator’s “Flying House” Premiere

2012-01-10T15:13:00.005-05:00

I’ve been talking a lot about my resurrection of Winsor McCay’s “Flying House”. Well, we just finished the new version a few weeks ago, and now we’re ready to hold the premiere.

Since I was a young art student at SVA, I loved going to see the great art at the venerable Society of Illustrators. About 2 years ago, when I mentioned the project to Anelle Miller, the director of the society, she was very enthusiastic and offered to help me financially with the project, since Mr. McCay was such an icon to all illustrators. I couldn’t have made the film without their support.

So we decided to have the world premiere at the great society building on East 63^rd Street. The scheduled event will take place on the evening of February 8^th, doors open at 6:00p.m, and there will be a cocktail reception after.

We’re planning all sorts of surprises. We hope to have some animation historians to talk about the project, and of course, all the people who worked on the project will be present. Two of the voice artists, Matthew Modine and Patricia Clarkson are projected to be there.

And we’ll offer DVDs of the film for sale after – so bring your friends and come see the world premiere of “The Flying House” at the Society of Illustrators.

Resurrection

Society of Illustrators

February 8^th, 2012

6:30 – 9:00 p.m.

$20, or $10 with a valid Student I.D.

Cocktail Reception to follow

Epic Sketchbook: Kiah Klean, Part 1..

2012-01-10T00:40:00.000-05:00

There's just too much amazing sketches by Kiah Klean for a single post.. Ch’ng Kiah Kiean, born 1974 in Penang. A trained architect, artist and designer. So let's begin with a trip of his to Bali last year.. Enjoy:

Pura Taman Sari

View from Dewi Antara Guest House's Balcony

Besakih Temple 01

Besakih Temple 02

Besakih Temple 03

Pura Tirtha Empul

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan 01

Pura Ulun Danu Beratan 02

Tanah Lot

Smiling Man

2012-01-09T16:25:00.000-05:00

Some of the Best Political Cartoons of 2011..

2012-01-09T11:57:00.001-05:00

Enjoy.. only dug around for an hour or so, so this may not be complete, please feel free to share your favs.

Epic Sketchbook: Jose Louro.

2012-01-08T00:55:00.000-05:00

Jose Louro draws other artists drawing.. a great sketchbook activity that we're all so familiar with. Jose is an artist from Portugal. Enjoy..

New Banksy.. Liverpool

2012-01-07T10:26:00.000-05:00

Still great, despite the corrupting mob of popularity..

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2012-01-06T12:18:00.003-05:00

Last night, I stayed up very late to watch David Fincher’s version of “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”.

I usually like to go to bed early because I need to wake up at 5:30 to create my animation. But the film was so engrossing, I didn’t hit the sack until midnight.

It’s a superb film, great story by the deceased Stieg Larsson, wonderful screenplay by Steven Zaillian, and terrific cinematography from Jeff Cronenweth, as well as great performances from Daniel Craig and Stellan Skarsgard. But the real show is Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salender.

What I loved about her was her raw tough exterior, yet you knew deep inside she was a creampuff. Her character was so much fun to watch, I’ve got to see her in more films.

The only problem I had with the film was that it really wasn’t a nail biter, cliffhanger story. It was more of a character study, political film and for that reason I’m knocking down the score to a B+.

But please check out the film – you’ll love it!

Most Popular Street Art from 2011..

2012-01-06T10:33:00.001-05:00

Some of the most popular images from 2011 from Unearth (sick source of images!) Full list here!

"Unurth is not about popularity; often it's almost the opposite - it's more interesting to find the artists doing really great work than posting the big names all the time. But it's also interesting to see what people are responding to, so here are some of the most popular posts from 2011. Compare and contrast to 2010's favorites.

Phlegm

Isaac Cordal

kislow

Liu Bolin

ROA

Slinkachu

Crouching Guy

2012-01-06T04:22:00.000-05:00

Cigarette Man

2012-01-05T16:24:00.000-05:00

Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival..

2012-01-05T10:36:00.000-05:00

This Friday the sixth annual Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival is featuring my short film "Masks", so if you're in the area try to make it! Santa Clarita is a small but awesome festival that both Bill and I have quite a bit of history with. They've awarded several of my films best animation over the years which is always a good way to make friends, but more that that, Santa Clarita has a distinct filmmaker oriented mission and an intimate audience atmosphere and all around approach.

Located 20 miles north of Hollywood, SCVFF is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to screening true independents by providing an open forum for the filmmakers and audiences, both professionals and students. Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival has a special focus on short films appropriate for all audiences (I'm sure "Masks" barely squeaked in).

For filmmakers, I would encourage you all to send your films in for consideration for next year, for audiences, I would highly recommend attending!

Scrubble Man

2012-01-04T16:21:00.000-05:00

brilliant..

2012-01-04T10:30:00.000-05:00

What I did this Christmas.

2012-01-03T17:03:00.001-05:00

Sandrine and me, with Mr. & Mrs. Guard Dog

If you haven't read my posts lately, there's a very good reason.

As you know, I very rarely talk about my personal life in Scribble Junkies. And it's because what Pat Smith and I are trying to do is to talk about art and animation, and not about the cult of personality. I don't want to be the Kim Kardashian of animation.

However, I have very good news!

Me and my long time French girlfriend, Sandrine, have gotten married over the Christmas weekend. It was a small family event at my sister's house in Oregon. After the ceremony, we went to the beautiful Oregon Coastal town of Cannon Beach for a little relaxation and intimate time. And what happens in Cannon beach stays in Cannon Beach...

But now I'm back to work, and ready to continue my faithful reporting of the world of animation. So stay tuned; there's a lot of really cool events coming up!

Carol Anne, Sophie, Sandrine, & Caroline.

Terry Casebeer, Peter Plympton, Me, Ken the Preacher, Sandrine,

Sophie Kaars Sijpesteijn, Caroline Eydeli, and Mom, seated.

Falling Man

2012-01-03T16:21:00.000-05:00

Fictional Anatomy by Jason Freely...

2012-01-03T09:21:00.000-05:00

This is awesome.. from Jason Freely, enjoy.

Pen Ink Model

2012-01-02T16:20:00.000-05:00

10 Tips from Terry Gilliam..

2012-01-02T10:16:00.001-05:00

This is great, Enjoy. I think the best filmmakers are animators.

1. Growing up is for losers.
As a child, I always drew funny creatures, funny characters. But I think the trick is not to grow up, not to learn to be an adult. And if you can maintain the kind of imagination you all had when you were babies, you would all be wonderful filmmakers. But the world tries to make you grow up, to stop imagining, stop fantasizing, stop playing in your mind. And I’ve worked hard to not let the world educate me.

2. Film school is for fools.
Live and learn how to make films. I didn’t go to film school. I just watched movies in the cinemas. And probably my greater education was actually making films, so that’s all I would ever say: watch movies, get a camera, make a movie. And if you do it enough times, eventually you start learning how films are made.

3. Auteurism is out. Fil-teurism is in.
Being an auteur is what we all dreamed of being, as far [back] as the films of the late ‘50s and ‘60s, when the idea of the auteur filmmaker arrived on the planet. And people kept using that term, and they do with my movies because I suppose they are very individual and they give me all the credit, so they say I’m an auteur. And I say no, the reality is I’m a ‘fil-teur.’ I know what I’m trying to make but I have a lot of people who are around me who are my friends and don’t take orders and don’t listen to me, but who have individual ideas. And when they come up with a good idea, if it’s one that fits what I’m trying to do, I use it. So the end film is a collaboration of a lot of people, and I’m the filter who decides what goes in and what stays out.

4. Put your ideas in a drawer. Take them out as needed.
I do have a drawer in my desk with all the ideas that I have and that I scribbled out. I put them in there and some day I use them. At the beginning of a new film, I often go in that drawer and look at everything I’ve done and see if there are some ideas that might apply to what I’m doing. But things grow, so I just start with a sketch and then refine it. And you do it with other people’s ideas coming in. That’s the fun part.

5. All you’ve really got in life is story.
I think the important thing is stay true to what you believe. I mean it’s much more important to make your mistakes than somebody else’s mistakes. Like too many other filmmakers have compromised because somebody advised them [that] if you change this, the film will be more successful commercially. And then the film isn’t successful commercially, and these people get so depressed and destroyed because they didn’t ever finish making their film the way they intended it. You’ve got to believe in what you’re doing. And you’ve got to be willing to take the consequences of whatever it is. If you succeed, fantastic. If you fail, you might have to get a proper job.

6. Command the audience with your lens.
I keep wanting to see more of the world always. When I’m looking through the camera, when we’re setting up a scene, I don’t feel like I’m in the scene. And the wide angle lens, because we see so much, it seems to wrap around me a little bit. I also like the fact that with long lenses, the director controls the audience much more because you show the audience only exactly what you want. Everything else can be out of focus. And I like it to be a little bit more vague so the audience has to be aware of the environment as well as what I want them to look at. I don’t want to really separate the character from the world that it’s in. So the world is as important, and the rooms and everything, as the character sometimes.

7. Nothing can defeat a director who is one with his actors.
I think the key is to make sure that the cast, especially if they’re big Hollywood superstars, likes the movie. My first film in Hollywood was The Fischer King, and Robin Williams and Jeff Bridges are playing the two leads. And I knew as long as Robin, Jeff and I were united, there was no way the studio could break it, and the film would go out. Same way with Twelve Monkeys. Brad Pitt, Bruce Willis and I were one. In both instances those films went very smoothly.

8. Surround yourself with improvisers.
I like the actor to surprise me all the time because the problem when you’re making a film, if you’ve written it and you’re directing it, you’ve been with it so long, it becomes a bit rigid. It can become mechanical when you’re shooting because you’re just trying to do exactly what you were thinking about for the last year. And what’s wonderful is when the actors come in and they do something that’s completely surprising, and suddenly every day becomes fresh. And it makes me stay awake.

9. Directing is not for the faint-of-heart. Or the sane.
What I love about Don Quixote is that he keeps misinterpreting the world. He thinks the world is either worse or better or whatever. He gets it wrong every time. But in the end he has these heroic, epic moments, and he seems to be unstoppable. He just goes on and on and on. I think it’s a great example for people, especially in film, in how to get through life, because film can often be incredibly disappointing. What I like about the Don Quixote documentary is that so many other filmmakers when they saw that, they started telling me their stories of equally horrible disasters. It’s a very difficult business. [Lost in La Mancha] should discourage anyone who is not willing to live in a world where disasters like that occur. Don’t make films if you’re not going to be able to deal with things like that.
I’m always working on it and one day it will happen. It’s changed me. If you’re going to make a film about Don Quixote, you’ve got to be as mad as Don Quixote, so the nature is helping me go crazy.

10. Be an enlightened despot.
I expect the actors to really be totally committed to the film and to their character and forget about who they are. Get rid of your vanity. Just be whatever the character demands. I think it’s horrible when I hear stories of actors coming and they bring their own makeup people and their hairdresser. Wait a minute, what’s going on here? The power is in the wrong hands. And if you let the power go to the actor, then you’re not directing the movie. And the actor is not thinking about the entire movie. Only the director is thinking about the entire movie.
I don’t ever want to be the guy that is saying, “this is the only way that it can be done.” I don’t want to be a dictator. That’s not interesting. It’s interesting if you can have a dialogue going all the time and trying to all agree to find what is the best way for this film to go.

Bonus Lesson: And whatever you do, don’t ever work with the Weinsteins.
I suppose it would have been nice to have made more films in the 71 years that I’ve been hanging around this place. And if I have a regret, there’s only one really, and that was working with the Weinsteins [giggles]. That’s the only one.

Asian Girl

2011-12-30T16:16:00.000-05:00

Tropical Dog

2011-12-29T16:16:00.000-05:00

Skinny Man

2011-12-28T16:15:00.000-05:00

Hipsters

2011-12-27T16:14:00.000-05:00

Sadam the Stoner

2011-12-26T16:13:00.000-05:00

W/Abreva

2011-12-23T16:13:00.000-05:00

Happy Man

2011-12-22T16:12:00.000-05:00

TV dog

2011-12-21T16:10:00.000-05:00

Puss in Boots

2011-12-21T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of the films I was not looking forward to this season was "Puss in Boots." I liked the first Shrek, but after awhile the franchise and characters lost their attraction for me. Then Jeffrey K decides to spin off what I think is one of the weakest characters into its own franchise!

Now I know America (and perhaps the world) is obsessed with felines, but this character is so ugly. It's like they motion captured a human then stuck on and ugly cat head and thought if they camouflaged the character with over-sized boots and a large floppy hat, then no one would know how poorly designed he is.

Also, the story is very weak. Lots of exciting chases that lead nowhere. I was not emotionally involved in the characters Jack & Jill, the female cat or Humpty Dumpty. I give it a C+.

Anyway, Happy Holidays and don't forget to check out our holiday card here!

Tom Penkins

2011-12-20T16:09:00.000-05:00

Luncheon

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of the cool things about award season at the Academy is the opportunity to sit down and chat with a lot of the famous people who hope to get nominated. I just left one such gathering - it was a luncheon at the classy La Guenouille for both "Young Adult" starring Charlize Theron and Patton Oswalt, and "Rango" with director Gore Verbitsky.

Patton Oswalt, me and Peter Riegert

I'd just seen a wonderful animated short using Patton Oswalt's standup rant, called "Christmas Shoes." So, naturally, after a few drinks I yellow out "Christmas Shoes!" Patton asked me my name, and when I told him he replied by singing "Your Face"! I joined in to form a nice harmony, and then he asked me all of these questions about the film. We bonded. He's such a comic genius I was so flattered that he knew all my shorts. To top it off, I sat at Gore Verbitsky's table, and HE knew my work too! Maybe I'm not so underground after all...

Gore Verbitsky and I

Unfortunately I wasn't able to chat with Charlize Theron - she was mobbed, but she sure looked great!

Men's Faces

2011-12-19T16:09:00.000-05:00

Jerry Seinfield

2011-12-18T16:08:00.000-05:00

Robot Sketches

2011-12-15T16:07:00.000-05:00

War Horse

2011-12-15T13:47:00.001-05:00

The Oscar blitz continues – I went to a screening world premiere of Steven Spielberg's “The War Horse” at the prestigious Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center.

It was the full Hollywood red carpet treatment – hundreds of paparazzi, the cast, and of course Mr. E.T. Himself. I said a few short statements and introduced the young cast. He stated that the sold out theatrical show was playing right next door in Lincoln Center, but he couldn't convince the horse “Joey” to appear at the premiere.

Then the film began – it was very beautifully shot, reminiscent of “Gone With the Wind” visually – black silhouettes against a red sunset sky. The acting was terrific, especially Joey the horse, but for some reason I wasn't entirely invested in the story. Perhaps it was made for kids, like “Black Beauty”, and a number of people I talked to thought it was a little melodramatic.

But I enjoyed the film and I give it a B-.

Happy #4

2011-12-14T16:06:00.000-05:00

Gigante #3

2011-12-13T16:05:00.001-05:00

Gigante #3

2011-12-13T16:05:00.000-05:00

Ball Boy #2

2011-12-12T16:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Feet 2

2011-12-12T11:56:00.003-05:00

I realize that Happy Feet 2 can out a few months ago, and I'm a little behind schedule – But I was finally able to see the animated sequel by George Miller.

I saw the original film and thought it was full of charm and entertainment, even though it's not my kind of story. And it of course did great box office.

The sequel, however, is a mess. I was never sure what was going on – (spoilers to follow) there were all these strange references to moss taking over the terrain, then an evil read tsunami was approaching, and we follow two krill on some kind of lost adventure. Then we see the polar bears struggling, humongous icebergs floating about, and then humans on a trawler cruising about. And all these ideas never came to anything, except for one large iceberg that inexplicably traps thousands of penguins in an icy death valley and the only way to save them is by dancing that somehow builds a snowy staircase for their escape.

It's bizarre how Warner Brothers, once the great animation studio of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, can't seem to release an animated success.

I unfortunately give Happy Feet 2 a D.

Pointillist Miguel Endara..

2011-12-12T00:13:00.000-05:00

“Hero” by artist Miguel Endara is a pointillist portrait of his father. Endara estimates he used 3.2 million dots to create the portrait (see the making-of video).

Giant 100,000 Dollar Bill in Chelsea..

2011-12-11T00:09:00.002-05:00

Very appropriate work of art for our political climate. “The First $100,000 I Ever Made” by artist John Baldessari is a giant replica of a $100,000 bill installed on a billboard next to the High Line park in Manhattan. The installation is the first in the three part High Line Billboard art series. “The First $100,000 I Ever Made” is on display until December 30. The $100,000 bill does in fact exist.

Angela Cunningham Paintings/Drawings..

2011-12-09T21:36:00.000-05:00

Good stuff From Angela Cunningham, Colleague of my studio-mate and epic painter Tony Curanaj from the Grand Central Academy.

Tin Can #1

2011-12-09T16:03:00.000-05:00

MoCCA Master Class

2011-12-09T11:36:00.002-05:00

I was one of the early champions of MoCCA (The Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art). I believed that New York needed a focal point for all the cartoonists and animators that lived in this culturally rich city. Of course, I go to a lot of their wonderful events and openings, and always have a great time.

Well, now it's my turn to hold an event at MoCCA! On December 13^th from 7-9pm I'll be holding an exclusive master class on my career and new work. I'll be showing 3 new films – “Waiting for her Sailor”, “Summer Bummer” and a sneak peek at my brand new TV pilot work in progress, “Tiffany the Whale”. Also, I'll be talking about my career as an independent animator and creating drawings to illustrate my career. To top it off, everyone who comes gets a free Bill Plympton Christmas card and sketch! So bring your friends (it makes a great Christmas gift) and I'll see you there at MoCCA! I think there are still a few seats left.

For information, check out the site here: http://moccany.org/content/education

Art in our Real World.. MESA..

2011-12-08T21:43:00.001-05:00

In his own words.. very broken English, but clear (Just a note.. I know nothing of the politics behind any of this.. I'm only admiring the art and context, and the artists contribution to beauty):

Artifariti 2011, students meeting
Great lived experience in the refugee camps in Tinduf. Thank you very much to the organization and all Saharawi´s families who welcomed us because I can,t never forget.
Is incredible the history of the Saharawi people who live since more than 36 years in exile. Fighting a peaceful way with projects as Artifariti. The Sahara, under hard conditions of life, living in the so called “desert of the deserts” a land that has no end, where time doesn’t exist. This mystic culture, full of magic is in a political conflict whose solution isn´t appropriate for many countries, including mine.
The old Saharawi’s villages that are found in the Moroccan occupied Western Sahara, have been and continue today being victims of crimes against humanity. Are separated from the liberated Sahara by “the wall of shame” a military wall, defended with large military forces on the front line, and protected with millions of land mines by the liberated part.
Say that art crosses borders, after seeing the reality I am proud to contribute mi little grain of sand, transmitting a message of peace and freedom

Free Sahara!

for more info, access MESA's photostram on Flickr here. Amazing stuff, really happy to have stumbled upon this.

50's couple

2011-12-08T16:02:00.000-05:00

Frat Folks

2011-12-07T16:00:00.000-05:00

Jan Svankmajer

2011-12-07T14:14:00.001-05:00

I've been a fan of Mr. Svankmajer's surreal animation ever since I first saw a selection of his films in Annecy about 25 years ago. I particularly liked “Dimensions in Dialogue”, where all these everyday objects come in confrontation with each other and battle for domination.

Well, I was I invited to the prestigious Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, NY for the US premiere of “Surviving Life”, his newest feature. I don't know if he's getting tired in his old age or if he's running out of money, but the usual beautiful surreal images were replaced by cheap Photoshop paper cut-outs on black and white city photos that gave it a Terry Gilliam Monty Python look, but without the humor.

The story was actually pretty interesting, about a guy who falls in love with a beauty he discovers in his dreams, and his wife goes into his dream to get back at the temptress. Unfortunately, it was slowed down by weird excursions to his psychiatrist session – very boring!

The film was completed in 2010 and never released in the US (it was financed by a Japanese corportation) But if you want to see some animation that's pretty unique, or if you're a diehard Svankmajer fan, check out “Surviving Life”.

I give it a C+.

HipHop Couple

2011-12-06T15:59:00.000-05:00

Happy Holidays from Plymptoons!

2011-12-05T13:19:00.002-05:00

For 40 years I've been creating Christmas book stories as my Christmas card, but this year I've decided to make it animated! The whole Plymptoons Studio (all my artists) created a compilation of an animation. We chose "Deck the Halls" as our musical sing-a-long. They divided it into sections and each of us animated our separate scenes, so it's a nice festive variety of styles and techniques. Check it out!

The individual artists are Desiree Stavracos, Lindsay Woods, Sophie Kaars Sijpesteijn and Jonathan Rosen, with John Holderried doing the writing and singing direction.

So Happy Holiday to all of you from The Plymptoons Studios - hope our card gets you all in the holiday spirit!

Hippies

2011-12-05T13:00:00.000-05:00

Pencils of Claudiu Cândea..

2011-12-02T22:40:00.001-05:00

Wonderfully drawn and beautifully grotesque drawings from Claudiu Cândea..

Profile Man

2011-12-02T15:57:00.000-05:00

Flying House Prize

2011-12-01T16:00:00.001-05:00

While I was at the CTN event, I heard through Facebook that my Winsor McCay project “The Flying House” won the animation prize at the Williamsburg Film Festival. Wow – just think about it! Winsor McCay won a film festival prize! What a concept. 80 years after his death, one of his animations wins a festival award.

The earliest major film festival was held in Venice in 1932, only two years before his death, so he did not have much opportunity to have his work shown.

My hopes are that Winsor McCay is somewhere up in his surreal cosmos smiling down on me, happy from the fact that 90 years after creating “The Flying House”, his last film, the cartoon is finally getting the attention and respect it deserves.

Wow, a 90 year posthumous animation prize – let's hope that this will be just the beginning of more accolades for Winsor McCay and his wonderful “Flying House”. Also, be sure to watch for a DVD of the Flying House which includes both versions of the great film, plus expert opinions by the likes of Jerry Beck and Leonard Maltin, plus a few cool surprises – so check it out this spring!

Manhattan 9 pm

2011-12-01T15:56:00.000-05:00

Funny Cars

2011-11-30T15:56:00.000-05:00

Hugo

2011-11-30T13:32:00.003-05:00

If you love the history of film, then rush out to see Martin Scorsese's "Hugo." It's a wonderful, imaginative, visual feast. I especially loved the Ben Kingsly (Georges Melies) part.

It's such a wonderful story of a dreamer and an innovator who created the whole world of fantasy film, and how he lost it all during World War I. In fact, his library of films was melted down to make lady's shoes!

The other part of the story is about a young orphan boy hiding out in a Parisian train station clock tower.

That part is not so interesting and unfortunately takes up a majority of the film. He romances and adventures with a young girl and visits a book shop... it just takes up time. I did, however, LOVE the Sacha Baron Cohen character.

In fact, he could have been enlarged because they added an important dose of humor and whimsey.

I give the film a B.

Clinton

2011-11-29T15:55:00.000-05:00

Sex on the Brain

2011-11-28T15:52:00.000-05:00

Animation 101: More Thoughts on Story..

2011-11-26T23:08:00.000-05:00

Story is the buzzword of the film world. Every Tom Dick and Harry wields it like a un-stoppable creative weapon. How many times have you heard the phrase "You don't have anything if you don't have a good story".. I submit that story is merely one key element of making a film, it shares the stage with Character, Timing, and Aesthetic. I've been dealing with a lot of "Story", both with my own film "Pull" and with my Tisch students Thesis productions. It's a tricky little subject that all too many people get carried away with. Last month I posted a four part series on the subject, part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4.

My latest film "Pull" is rolling along, aiming for a March 2012 release.

I believe the fixation on story is a product of not understanding the other three elements. It's also a typical buzz-word because it's often perceived as the first step of the process. The truth is that an "image" is typically the impetus for a film. For example Ridley Scott began the story process of "Gladiator" with the famous painting by Gerome. Read my entry on this topic here.

The famous painting of a Gladiator by Gerome. In an interview, Ridley Scott admitted that this was the inspiration for "Gladiator."

Story is skeletal.. Character is flesh. The flesh covers the bones, not the other way around. It is vital to shroud your story with character, timing, emotion, subtleties, and an aesthetic to unite it all. There should not be a tiny bit of white bone showing. The story is there to serve the Characters, to give them a context, a situation. The Characters will and must exist without the story. This is why "Establishing the Norm" is so important in storytelling.

If we were a walking Short Film:
-Story would be our Skeleton, it's our framework.
-Character is our flesh, consistent and always working.
-Aesthetic is our health, how we present ourselves.
-Timing is our speech, our skill of communication.

CTN

2011-11-25T17:04:00.002-05:00

It was my good buddy Rick Farmiloe who turned me on to the CTN gathering, or convention or whatever it is. The CTN stands for “Creative Talent Network” – its a broad description for a meeting of great animators, cartoonist, character designers and storyboard artists. Basically, any art-based animation creator.

It is organized by Tina Price, and in fact I've done signings in her booth at the San Diego Comic Con in the past. Well, I've recently returned from the event in Burbank, CA, and I must say it was one of the more fun experiences of my life.

It was held at the Burbank airport Marriot and I was invited to do a lot of events – an interview with the great Bill Kroyer in the Big Room kicked off the weekend. I showed Winsor McCay's “The Flying House” (my version) and the pencil test of “Cheatin'”. I also did an intimate workshop where I talked about my work process. The convention floor was packed with super artists like William Stout, Dean Nagel, and Andrea Deja. Then there were some old friends just cruising the aisles. David Siverman (Simpsons), Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold) Matt Groening, Spike Decker, Jerry Beck, Don Bluth, Gary Goldman, Robert Valley, and the brilliant illustrator Peter DeSeve.

But the highlight for me was reconnecting with the genius Oscar Grillo – I met him a few years ago at the prestigious Annecy Animation Festival, and I've been a subscriber to his “Drawing a Day” service. He was one of the greatest animators ever, but he got tired of the biz and retired about 10 years ago. It was a very sad day, because he was such an original and entertaining illustrator/animator.

If you can track down his stuff, do it! His work is amazing, and you may see a little influence of his genius in my own work.

One of the final events was a gigantic signing of the new Sketchtravel book, people like James Jean (who worked on “Hair High”) and Robert Valley, Peter DeSeve and myself – sponsored by Stuart Ng books. It was the largest in terms of number of artists I've ever been involved with – about 12 different contributors.

I plan on attending next year if I'm invited, and you should go too if you're a fan of great animation – I give the event an A!

Karl

2011-11-25T15:49:00.000-05:00

Roscoe

2011-11-24T15:47:00.000-05:00

Ernest

2011-11-23T15:45:00.000-05:00

Flip and Edit

2011-11-23T11:13:00.002-05:00

If you saw the trailer I did for Pat Smith and my show called “The Drawn Animation Show”, then you saw the trailer I originally created for the Edit festival.

I've been going to this FX festival based in Frankfurt for a number of years, and even though I'm not exactly an FX specialist, it's always fun to attend. A few years ago I was able to have a cool dinner with Farely Granger (“Stranger on a Train”), and Tippi Hedren (“The Birds”). She was very sweet and we talked about doing a film together.

Anyway, this year the special guest was James Horner (Titanic, Avatar). I was lucky enough to chat with him about music, and he seemed like a very laid back guy who just did it for the love of the music.

Before landing in Frankfurt, I stopped off in Wolverhampton, England for the Flip Animation Film Festival. It's a small but well-attended festival, and they have some great animation programs. I love the spirit of the festival – I recommend you all send your animation to their gem of a festival. I give it a B+.

See you!

Rodger

2011-11-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

Big Smile

2011-11-21T15:41:00.000-05:00

Young Adult

2011-11-19T08:00:00.000-05:00

Now that it's award season, I've been getting a lot of invitations to film premieres. Since I'm an Academy member, the great and powerful actors and directors are sucking up to me for my valuable Academy vote.

Last week I was invited by Diablo Cody to come witness her newest film, "Young Adult", directed by Jason Reitman (of "Juno" fame). I loved it. It reminded me of "Sideways" - intelligent people making very bad decisions. In fact, the decisions are so bad, the film turns into a black comedy.

It took me a few scenes to recognize the gorgeous Charlize Theron as the star; a "young adult" writer who returns to her old high school stomping grounds to try to win back her ex-boyfriend (played by Patrick Wilson) who is happily married with a newborn. One very interesting side character is one of my favorite comics, Patton Oswalt, who plays a high school nobody that was beaten by a gang of bullies because they thought he was gay. It's a very touching and emotion role that counterpoints wonderfully with Charlize's high school queen-like character.

I give the film an A-!

Red Hair

2011-11-18T15:39:00.001-05:00

Standard Self Portrait

2011-11-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

Sragow Gallery Exhibition

2011-11-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

I forgot to report on our wonderful art exhibition at the Sragow Gallery opening last month! It was a smashing success; crowds of people. Desirée Stavracos and Ellen Sragow did a masterful job selecting and mounting my artwork.

It's a wonderful sampling of the creme de la creme of my entire career, from "Your Face", "Mutant Aliens", "How to Kiss", my entire "Dog series, to "Idiots & Angels". What's really cool is that they were able to include large complete sequences of very interesting scenes (like "Your Face" and "How to Kiss", for example). They are absolutely fascinating to view.

If that's not enough to entice you to visit, artist Alphonse VanWoerkom created a very large over-size portrait of me that hangs in the gallery alongside my animation art.

So get your friends a rush down to the Sragow Gallery - 153 W 27th Street #505 (5th) floor before it closes December 17th!

Life Drawing 9

2011-11-16T15:32:00.000-05:00

Leon Keer's 3d Street mural..

2011-11-15T21:53:00.004-05:00

The artwork was produced by a group of Dutch street artists, as part of the Saratosa Chalk Festival in Florida. Artist Leon Keer, who led the project, said he was inspired by the iconic image of the 8,000-strong Chinese terracotta army which was first uncovered in 1974 and is now one of China's biggest tourist attractions. Enjoy.