Coffee and Cookies

Noah Pezdek and the Art of Wall-e

2008-10-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

Noah wanted me to pass this on to his heroes at Pixar.

Noah Pezdek and the Art of Star Wars

2008-10-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

This little kid has some impressive skills, especially seeing as how he's only six years old. (Check out those poses!)

His work reminds me a little of Japanese artist Masaaki Yuasa, who's amongst my favorite animation artisans. For a sample, you can view the first episode of his 2006 series "Kemonozume" below.

"Alice in Wonderland"

2008-10-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Though I'm a big fan of Mary Blair, I have to say the newest installment of her work-via-children's book, "Alice in Wonderland" was a bit of a letdown. Despite the beautiful cover, the text design is a little bland for my taste. Plus, all of the images were already published in "The Art and Flair Of Mary Blair," unlike "Cinderella" which offered never-before-seen pieces for animation-art junkies like myself to drool over.

(I saw pieces, like the one below, at the San Diego Comic Con that would've looked fantastic in this book!)

Lastly, a few of the images seemed to be cut via Photoshop "magic wand" without regard for how haggard the edges would look.

I'd say save your money on this one and buy one of Joe Sorren's books. (Some of his work below)

Bill Presing & the Totoro Forest Project

2008-08-16T23:52:00.000-07:00

I really love the work Bill Presing's been doing (I'm sure he'd be proud to know that). I just finished his newest book, "Book Plate Betties." If you like classic pinup artwork or, more specifically, the work of Disney über-artist Freddy Moore, you'll love this book. Bill's the man.

[image above is not from the book but his website]

He did this beautiful little piece for the upcoming Totoro Forest Project, defined by their website as "a fund raising exhibition/auction to support the national trust Totoro Forest Foundation established by Oscar winning film maker Hayao Miyazaki, featuring original art created by internationally acclaimed artists in the fields of animation, comic books, and illustration."

(make sure to visit the website and, at the least, check out the slew of artwork they're previewing)

If you're in the bay area (and have already purchased your tickets to this sold out gathering), I'm green with envy as I'll be missing out on this sweet exhibition and sure-to-be incredible art book. :-(

Ragnar

2008-08-13T12:42:00.000-07:00

I just finished Ragnar's latest book, "Symptomatica." Absolutely beautiful. The pictures are, of course, nothing short of phenomenal. Though I'm excited to see what comes next (in whatever medium he decides to explore), I was sad to read the following:

"No doubt about it. Here it is. The end. The third and final chapter in the vector trilogy. Somehow I think that I should feel some reluctance to close the door on this chapter but I don't. I'm not shutting off the lights, just turning the dimmer down a bit. Well, quite a bit. The things I had wanted to accomplish digitally I've accomplished to my satisfaction. It's run it's course.

"There's never been that 'Where do I go from here?' moment, that hesitancy to move on. One thing inevitably leads to another and soon enough it's a fait accompli. It goes where it goes, just follow it. Thanks for the company. See you on the analog side."

His previous books include, "Chromaphile," "Vernaculis," "Kings of the Road," "Izzy's Very Important Job," and "Got Your Nose."

Ol' Eyvind Earle

2008-08-11T22:58:00.000-07:00

Years ago I was a huge fan of Eyvind Earle. Running into this little gem at Michael Sporn Animation reminded me why.

Since I'm posting pretty pictures, I might as well post this one too. There are more of these sweet little babies over at Cartoon Modern in their "Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom" post.

TR2N

2008-08-11T03:46:00.000-07:00

This film had better be good. Though the teaser (shown at the San Diego Comic Con) looked fantastic, I'm not keeping my hopes up for this sequel-to-one-of-my-favorite-childhood-memories. I've been hurt too many times.

A bit of info for those interested: IMDB reports Pixar titan John Lasseter as co-director with Joseph Kosinski and it's rumored that Jeff Bridges will be reprising his role as Kevin Flynn. However, it's uncertain who will be producing the SFX, though Digital Domain (founded by James Cameron and now owned by Michael Bay) produced the FX for the teaser. It's listed as having a tentative 2010/2011 release date.

(Medicom Kubrick Tron toy set pictured above)

Thesis Update

2008-08-08T23:59:00.001-07:00

This one's just for my friend, Ben, who's constantly insisting I put more of my work on this site. This little piece was done in January and is a development sketch for a possible character in my animated short.

Gorillaz New "Monkey"

2008-08-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

The clever minds behind Gorillaz (Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn) have put together a spot for BBC Sport, promoting the '08 Olympic games. The short (viewable here) is based on the traditional Chinese folklore "Journey to the West."

Disney's "Story: The Archive Series"

2008-08-01T01:08:00.001-07:00

Oh please, oh please, let this book be as awesome as I'm hoping.

Pixar Artists' "Afterworks 3"

2008-07-29T01:10:00.000-07:00

It looks like we'll be getting this tastey new installment in the Afterworks series in '09. [design by Lou Romano]

Update

2008-07-28T13:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since my last post, but that's soon to be remedied. Until then, however, chew on this surreal tidbit: A book for kids that helps them cope with their mothers' plastic surgery.

On a more inspirational note, Enrico Casarosa's newest book, "The Venice Chronicles," will be released November of this year. Sweeeeet.

Kongobot

2007-04-24T10:31:00.000-07:00

This sweet little segment is from Golden Age, a short by Augenblick Studios, which was recently given, by AWN, a great review in Fresh From the Festivals. You can view the entire cartoon here.

Café Sketches

2007-04-11T22:23:00.000-07:00

I love these Moleskine sketchbooks. It makes being sneaky in small cafés pretty easy.

CARtoons Magazine

2007-04-11T15:37:00.000-07:00

Though I had been drawing for years, this little mag played a major role in pushing me as an artist. The cover's drawn by CARtoons legend Shawn Kerri. (Image above: CARtoons Issue Vol. 30, No.1, Feb. 1989)

Some of my other favorite artists were George Trosley (creator of Krass and Bernie), Joe Borer, who had a phenomenal gift for pushing poses, and Steve Austin (no relation to Stone Cold) who's style was always a lot of fun to look at.

Painting Ansel Adams

2007-04-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

My senior year at CalArts I ran across a beautiful color photograph by Ansel Adams. For some reason I had to paint it. I think the actual size is somewhere around 51/2"X8" . This scan is from a 3"X41/2" color copy.

One of the Few Survivors

2007-04-11T15:17:00.000-07:00

Upon my acceptance to CalArts, in the Spring of '94, most of my old life drawings from San Diego City College quickly met their fate at the altar of the Mission Beach bonfire. Somehow my parents were able tuck this one away. I'm kind of glad they did. I haven't done anything like this in years.

More Pianos

2007-04-11T15:12:00.000-07:00

For some reason I'm fairly obsessed with pianos. Probably stems back to spending the better part of my youth staring at those ivory shackles, running through scale after scale. Notice I'll never really commit to one of these. It's usually just a quick sketch.

Jerry Lewis Portrait

2007-04-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

Every once in a while I'll do one of these for a friend. I snagged the reference from an old photo and just left out Dean Martin. This one goes back to '97.

"The Simpsons" do "Pulp Fiction"

2007-04-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

Back in '94 when Pulp Fiction was all the rage in L.A. some drawings leaked out of Film Roman. I don't know who did these, but they're great. Though I've got thirty or so of this series these are my favorite.

From the Vaults: Ben Balistreri

2007-04-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

A lot of my archives were ruined in a flood a few years back and only thanks to my parents does most of my collection survive. These fun model sheets were drawn by Ben Balistreri in preparation for his end-of-the-year film (ca.1997).

From the Vaults: Jae H. Kim

2007-04-11T02:17:00.000-07:00

While at CalArts, I was surrounded by countless, incredibly talented artists. Jae Kim was amongst the best. These two pieces represent a couple of doodles his did while sitting in my cubicle discussing a story outline for his freshmen film (ca.1995). It's important for me to note that the dragon was inspired by Mike Mitchell, our life drawing teacher, who brought in a slew of development work he had done. One of his pieces featured a dragon and Jae was compelled to try and reproduce the drama of Mike's incredible rendering.

A Robot

2007-04-11T01:55:00.000-07:00

For some reason, when I have nothing to draw the first thing I vomit out is a robot. I don't know why. This one goes back (I think) to '97.

Pen Sketch

2007-04-11T01:45:00.000-07:00

I just found this little 11/2" X 11/2" pen sketch in an old book I took to read while waiting for the opening of Eyvind Earle's last exhibition in Carmel (ca.1999/2000).

More Great Quotes

2007-04-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

"Enthusiasm is the mainspring of the mind which urges one to put knowledge into action." -Wally "Famous" Amos (as quoted by Walt Stanchfield)

"You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club." -Jack London

"Art is either plagiarism or revolution." -Paul Gauguin

Fantastic Book

2007-03-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

I just received my copy of Three Trees Make A Forest, by Enrico Casarosa, Ronnie Del Carmen, and Tadahiro Uesegi, and am in heaven. They recently had a showing at the Nucleus Gallery in Los Angeles and still have pieces for sale here.

"300" (aka: The Manliest Movie of All Time?)

2007-03-16T00:13:00.000-07:00

Never before have I seen a movie after which every guy exited the theater sucking in their gut and flexing every bulge-able muscle. Not one of these lunatics washed their hands after using the bathroom and for some disturbing reason this seemed to empower them. I felt a little uneasy being in there only to wash my face. I wanted to fart, or something, just to fit in.

Why I Love François Truffaut

2007-02-27T10:28:00.000-08:00

Not only did Truffaut have a deep love for artists and great art, he believed in everyone's capacity for great art. Here are a few inspiring quotes from his fantastic book The Films in My Life. (Image from Truffaut's Les Quatre cents coups also known as The 400 Blows.)

"Today, I demand that a film express either the joy of making cinema or the agony of making cinema. I am not at all interested in anything in between; I am not interested in all those films that do not pulse." -François Truffaut

"People of the world are so imbued with their own stupidity that they can never believe that one of their own has talent. They appreciate only people of letters who are not of their world." -Marcel Proust

"Bad reviews preserve an [artist] better than alcohol preserves a piece of fruit." -Jean Paulhan

Wes Anderson Does American Express

2007-02-26T13:17:00.000-08:00

For some, Wes' style of filmmaking is an aquired taste. Others simply just don't like (or get) him. However, I'm a big fan hence making the highlight of the 2007 Oscars his American Express commercial.
(PS: Those who are fans of Wes' work can find his original, 13-minute short film "Bottle Rocket" here on YouTube.)

Brad Bird Podcast

2007-02-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

I thought you guys might like this. (Thank you, Spline Doctors!)
53-minute podcast interview with Brad Bird.

Azur et Asmar

2007-02-16T08:27:00.000-08:00

Michel Ocelot's newest animated feature looks fantastically interesting. It's unknown whether it'll be released theatrically or straight to DVD, but it is coming to the U.S... eventually. You can read reviews of it at The Hollywood Reporter and Variety. (Both loved it, incidentally.)

Official Site
"Azur et Asmar" trailer (downloadable MP4)
Teaser (downloadable Quicktime)

Terry Gilliam goes commercial?

2007-02-14T10:49:00.000-08:00

Gilliam made these ads in 2002 for Nike's "Scorpion Knockout Campaign."

Ad #1: "The Secret Tournament"

Ad #2: "The Rematch"

Great Quote

2007-02-13T18:22:00.000-08:00

"A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist."
-Louis Nizer, English Lawyer

From the Vaults

2007-02-10T08:31:00.000-08:00

Here are some older pieces I did for my thesis. Some are studies, a couple are test designs, and a few are just some quick scribbles on napkins drawn while bored at work.

Great Site for Reference

2007-02-08T13:28:00.000-08:00

From Animation Podcast:

"On a little break I came across these clips that I just had to share. Each and every one of them is a goldmine of reference, containing those juicy moments that would challenge any animator. They’re clips of people discovering how to play the new Nintendo Wii. They are put in this room and given the controllers with no instruction. The range of emotions is beautiful to watch, and many times I found myself smiling as much as the people on screen. I hope you’re as captivated as I am by their expressions, body language, and reactions to their discoveries.

I found myself so immediately engaged in watching these people and it reminded me of the Freddy Moore quote from The Illusion of Life:

'They love to see the drawings move and the characters think! Remember that! It’s what they like to see in our scenes. It’s what they liked with Fergy’s Pluto, you know. We should always let them see the characters think!'

It’s also an ingenious bit of advertising to not focus on the graphics and tech, but on the people enjoying the game. Isn’t that what really matters anyhow? What a great way to sell the darned things."

Click HERE to watch and study.

A Sneek Peek

Fun with Nature

2006-12-23T23:26:00.000-08:00

Although cute, running into this in the middle of the woods had me looking over my shoulder the rest of the hike.

Thesis Work

2006-11-18T02:12:00.000-08:00

Here's a few more test images (made in '98 pre-"Nemo") from my currently defunct thesis film.

Vampires

2006-11-18T01:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some vampire characters I've been working on. Mixed media but mostly watercolor.

Bad Elephant

2006-11-17T02:40:00.000-08:00

Yes... this actually did happen to me.

Eyvind Earle

2006-11-17T02:09:00.000-08:00

This was a small watercolor pencil piece I did for Eyvind Earle as a thank you for his invitation to visit his workshop at home. He had a thing for pianos. Sadly he passed away less than a year later (July 2000). The last time I saw him was at his pre-84th birthday. I gave him a copy of my favorite Dr. Seuss book, The Lorax.

Mel Blanc, The Goonies, and Our 1st Anniversary

2006-11-17T00:36:00.000-08:00

My wife stands in front of the "Time Bandit," a miniature pirate ship built for the film "Time Bandits" (and later used as the ship that sails off into the sunset in "Goonies") now used to tour Big Bear Lake in Big Bear, California. (Make sure to bring a sweater, jacket, hat, gloves, and thermals. It gets mighty cold!)

Our guide. She kinda reminded me of Anne Ramsey.

The best part of the tour was seeing Mel Blanc's old home where his son now lives (he comes out and waves at the boat if he happens to be home)

2006 San Diego ComicCon

2006-07-27T01:22:00.000-07:00

I saw this at the San Diego ComicCon and the scene just struck me as funny so I had to snap a pic. Poor Boba.

"Toy Story 2" Little Golden Book

2006-04-11T01:09:00.000-07:00

Those of you who attended CalArts with me might remember Ben Butcher. Well, Ben's up at Pixar's consumer products division and was recently published as the artist for Little Golden Books' Toy Story 2 installment. Make sure to check it out. (Only $2.99! What a deal!!)

How To Ruin Valentine's Day

2006-02-17T08:13:00.000-08:00

I made this comic for my wife for Valentine's Day. I thought it'd be kind of cute posing myself as the ill-tempered Darth Vader against her as the peaceful Yoda. Unfortunately, she wasn't pleased about having been made into an intergalactic lizard rather than a princess. Not pleased at all.