Deleted scene from "Black Cauldron"

Another gem from Pencil Test Depot.. I'm always fascinated with this movie.. i suppose because of the mark in time it represents, but people often forget to mention how good some of the animation was, you just have to ignore the hyper-disney fluff. Dig wussies.

Jacob Burns

I just returned from my screening of "Idiots and Angels" at the Jacob Burns Cinema. It was a great event, a full crowd and lots of fans. I've been there before, I believe four years ago to show "Hair High", so they've been very supportive of my career—in fact, they're well known in the north east for being champions of animation. In the cinema nect to mine, "The Illusionist" was screening, to good crowds.

They were so happy with the success of "Idiots and Angels" that they've asked me to return with the documentary about me, "Adventures in Plymptoons", by Alexia Anastasio. And at the same time, to do a book signing of my new Rizzoli book, "Independently Animated, Bill Plympton".

So please reserve space on your calendar for this special event. In fact, this spring I'll be making a lot of appearances showing "I&A" around the country, plus doing book signings and hopefully "Adventures in Plymptoons" appearances – so it will be a busy spring and summer.

I hope to meet every one of you in my travels around the US, promoting my STUFF!

Ronald Searle...

I'm new to this master.. i will sheepishly admit. I came to Ronald Searle years ago due to Andreas Deja mentioning him in an interview, as well as this post by Michael Sporn (who has arguably one of the best blogs on the internet).  Ronald isn't my typical influence, and that said, I think what I respond to most is his technique rather than content. I'm hopelessly contemptuous of "cartoons" and other attempts to simply make another "laugh".. but what I do enjoy is character.. and Ronald is a true master in this department.  Furthermore, the characters he renders are done with incredible delicacy and care, you can feel the weight, or lack thereof, of the ink on the paper!  Enjoy, and for more images you can visit his uk site.

  

Annies

It seems that every year, I get invited to the prestigious "Annies", ASIFA Hollywood's answer to the Oscars.

For me, it's heaven, because I get to smooze with the elite of the animation industry. People like Frank Gladstone, Tom Sito, Bill Kroyer, Eric Goldberg—the crème de la cartoon crème.

But this year was a strange one, because of the Disney/Pixar boycott. In the past, there were wonderful hors d'oeuvres and live bands – not this year, fewer sponsors.

The feud started like this: Dreamworks began by giving memberships to everyone at the studio—truck drivers, secretaries—people who had nothing to do with animation—so effectively they stuffed the ballot box. And they always won prizes, naturally.

So, Disney/Pixar cried "foul", and threatened to boycott unless they changed the rules. ASIFA Hollywood stuck by their guns, and Disney walked.

But to me, the Annies hadn't lost their glamour. Tom Kenny (Sponge Bob) was fantastic as an MC, very funny. Of course my film, "The Cow Who Wanted to be a Hamburger", lost to Pixar.

But that's okay, I had a ball. I got to smooze with Matt Groening, who won the prestigious Winsor McCay award, along with Brad Bird and Eric Goldberg.

Me with Peter Chung

I also chatted with Guillermo del Toro, Peter Chung "Firebreather", David Silverman and Tom Kenny. I had a blast!

So, already I'm working on a new film to enter at the Annies. L.A. 2012, here I come!

Road Full of Promise, music video by Jason Mitcham..

Music by the Avett Brothers.. tight vid:



and a great "making of"...

Signe Baumane Blog..

There's very few blogs that get this personal and honest, just like Signe herself. The blog began the same time she embarked on production of her first feature "rocks in my pockets." She posted this image the other day, which illustrates what i'm talking about with precision. Enjoy.

Fran Krause "Nosy Bear"..

Nice little short by animator and Calarts professor, Fran Krause.  Simplicity is king.


also, he includes a great "making of" which is filled with some great info on his technique.

KAWS Lightbulbs for Standard Hotel..

 Kind of cool.. I dig Kaws.

Classics.. Tom Penny from "Sorry"

The original Sorry video by Flip is the gift that keeps giving.. a decade later Penny's style holds up.

Happy New Year! Ryohei Hase...

Since it's the year of the Rabbit, I thought it would be appropriate to post some paintings from Ryohei Hase, an insanely awesome painter/Illustrator from Japan. Enjoy:

Epic Sketchbook: Mattias Adolfsson..

Great sketchbook from Mattias Adolfsson, an artist from Sweden. Super whimsy, light and fun. Technical but lose and natural.. It's like an ice cold Coke Zero after a skate session. Dig.

Epic Sketchbook: James Jean..

One of the best "epic sketchbook's" we've posted here yet!  James Jean fills the damn page! I had trouble choosing which images to include.. so do yourself a fav and flip through them all on his site.  I'm really just freaked out right now.. sometimes you stumble on artists like this, and it's a great thing. Enjoy.

 

Queen of Diamonds.. Julia Sonmi Heglund.

Some great designs here. Julia Sonmi Heglund is an illustrator living in the Los Angeles area. Enjoy.

Adventures in Plymptoons!

About two years ago, I started talking with Alexia Anastasio about doing a documentary about me, to be titled "Adventures in Plymptoons".

She began by traveling to Oregon to interview family and school friends, then she and her co-producer Kevin Sean Michaels went to LA and New York for interviews with friends and artists.

It's been a long process and a ton of work, and finally over the weekend I was able to view a rough-cut. It looks pretty amazing, and very funny. I haven’t been able to look at all the footage she's recorded, so I don’t really know what has landed on the proverbial cutting room floor, but it's a very fascinating look at the whacky world of Bill Plympton.

There are still some minor changes and improvements yet to be added, but so far I'm very happy with the results.

From the beginning, I told her I didn't want a fawning type of portrayal. I wanted something that showed my struggles and my weak points and certainly there are a few who are critical of me, which I think is essential for a good documentary. Hopefully the film will start appearing on the festival circuit this spring and summer and you'll be able to see for yourself. By the way, thanks to all the contributors – financial and artistic – who contributed to this wonderful venture.

Classic Tuesday Inspiration: Ilya Repin

Barge Haulers on the Volga, 1870-73 (State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg):Apples and Leaves, 1879 (State Russian Museum):Composer Modest Mussorgsky:St Nicholas of Myra in Lycia 1889: