Brad Bird Incredibles 2 Interview - KCRW The Treatment

While flipping around the dial, I managed to stumble upon this rebroadcast:
Brad Bird discusses story, character and film inspiration on "The Treatment" on KCRW 89.9 FM, hosted by Elvis Mitchell. Tune in!

https://www.kcrw.com/news-culture/shows/the-treatment/brad-bird-incredibles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5qOzqD9Rms#action=share

Maya 2017: Quick Rig

2016 What a year!

What a year. And 2016 isn't done with us yet-

(copyright Lucasfilm/Disney)

https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2016/dec/23/carrie-fisher-heart-attack-london-la-flight

Hang in there Carrie!

3D Printing

After all these years, Herman Bear emerges as a 3D print out!

Still have to clean him up, get the support material out of his mouth.

Kudos to Woodbury University's Digital Fabrication Lab. 

http://architecture.woodbury.edu/fabrication-labs/

(Forbidden Planet, original copyright MGM)

We don't have sci-fi replication technology just yet, but we're getting there!

Will update details asap.

Rocket Racoon for President

This fall, put some REAL crooks in the White House!

(copyright Marvel/Disney)

Hey, you could do worse.

Quick sketch, will try to do more.

Crunchy Bunches- A serial about breakfast!

One more web comic, worthy of further perusal...

http://www.crunchybunches.com/

Follow Munchy as he and his pals go on fantastic adventures to bring home the ultimate crispy, crunchy breakfast experience.

Wander over Yonder - the Bot - A character dies!

Well, I didn't see this coming:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-26EHu5kRQY

 Lord Dominator is not turning out to be such a likable villain. At first I thought she was so powerful that she was simply competing with the other supervillains just for fun. But now we see her ruthless side, and executes not just one, but two of her minions in a demonstration of sheer callousness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_NN46_3Pvw&ebc=ANyPxKr2_tug_gmLO8EpvEd_0qo7CdXhcF-Oia5Obzc1T2aUOvfDk6Hx9-kbgZP9aC5NQJqxNuAS 

SPOILER ALERT!!!

http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/wander-over-yonder-and-jon-hamm-show-limited-anima-231835 

First, "Bot" 42 ( a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy reference?) is sent to a fiery death after he turns in a poor survey report. It turns out that Lord Dominator needs a special element, "Volcanium X", to power her army. Dominator then calls on her favorite evil space probe, "Bot" 13. "Bot"13 inadvertently helps cause "Bot" 42's demise when his report shows 3 planets rich in "Volcanium X". In a fit of pique, Lord Dominator tosses poor "Bot" 42 out of her ship, and lets him burn up on entering a planet's atmosphere.

After making an example out of  "Bot" 42,  Lord Dominator demands that the rest of her 'bots to move it, and resume their search for more "Volcanium X" in a hurry. "Bot"13 seems eager to please, and heads off to keep his good record going.

Naturally, "Bot"13 crash lands after getting snagged on Wander's kite. Damaged, "Bot"13 is unable to attack Wander, and Wander, naturally, tries to help him. Unable to speak clearly, Wander mishears the robot's name, and calls "Bot"13 simply "Beep Boop".

After resisting Wander's initial attempts at being friends, "Bot"13 learns to appreciate Wander's kindness, and refuses to cooperate with Lord Dominator. After deleting his files containing the location of the mother load of "Volcanium X", (which happens to be the planet Wander and Sylvia are visiting), "Bot"13 shares the fate of "Bot"42.

Only this time, "Bot"13 takes a last look at photo of him and Wander as friends.

Wander managed to stir something in "Bot"13, and helped him outgrow his obedience to Lord Dominator. Before "Bot"13 vaporizes, his memories go back to the good times he had with Wander, and states: "I am Beep Boop".

At the same time, Wander and Sylvia begin to realize that "Bot"13 did not give their position away to Dominator, and are impressed at his bravery. They look up at the night sky and see a shooting star.

Unaware of "Bot"13's situation, Wander can only say, "Good luck Beep Boop".

Up on the housetop...

No reindeer are pausing...

It's "Cubcake" up on the roof, snug in her insulated super-suit. She's staking out the seedy bar across the street.

It's not exactly Christmas, but the snow is helping her stay out of sight. She'll be ready to pounce on some thugs when they come out. And she's still wearing a cute scarf, even though she really doesn't need it.

 

Basic coloring in Photoshop, bashed out over a rough sketch.

I also wanted to work on some perspective drawing.

In the wake of today's news, I offer the image of another protective spirit for the Holidays.

And to the folks who want it:

Merry Christmas.

Here there be Dragons...

Made from large sheets of styro my neighbor was throwing out, wood glue and tooth picks.

And Cobras!

She's actually on a rod to support plants, styro for the head and a "water worm" for her body.

Happy Halloween!

Marvel settles with Jack Kirby estate

(Photo taken by Suzy Skaar for "The Art of Jack Kirby" (Blue Rose Press, 1993)

http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/marvel-settles-dispute-over-superhero-rights-with-jack-kirby-estate/#/0

It's taken me more time than I thought to comment on this news item, and I hope I've learned a bit more about the artist/employer relationship. When it comes to Jack Kirby, and all the work he has produced, it stirs up a lot of passion in comic fans.

And that's not a bad frame of mind, but it may not be useful when dealing with our current business climate. (My commentary will naturally be biased towards the artist.)

When Disney acquired  Marvel Comics, it seemed like mixing oil and water. I could not see how Disney's wholesome, family image could be balanced with Marvel's gritty superhero themes. Except for the profit motive, of course.

Marvel Comics had been owned and passed along by quite a few different corporations over the years since the first Lee/ Kirby days.The issues of who created which characters, and who signed their rights of ownership away as work for hire seemed to settled.

No one knew who would create the next Mickey Mouse or Superman, so these guys cranked this stuff out just to earn a paycheck. Comics were considered disposable, like old newspapers. Case closed, or so it seemed.

However, I learned recently from a debate on LinkeIn that the families of Siegel and Shuster, the creators of Superman, had been getting some kind of royalties, or share of the profits that the Superman character had generated for DC comics over the years. 

"With great power comes great responsibility"

(Simpsons copyright Fox)

Even though I'm a comic fan, I missed this information somehow. My assumption is the public having an image of the families of the creators of Superman being "left to starve" created bad press. And so a new arrangement was made to cut the heirs of Shuster, if not Siegel, in for some of the profits. Guess I need to hang out at more comic conventions. 

Oi.

Getting back to the settlement with the Kirby estate, a commentator on LinkedIn noted that this Lee/Kirby feud may have been old baggage that Disney did not want to lug around anymore. I can just picture their reluctant hands going down a little ways into those deep pockets and tossing the Kirby descendents a few bones. 

Whether the DC/Siegel and Shuster settlements set some kind of legal precedent will take more digging on my part. (Hooha!) But knowing the image Disney wants to portray may have spurred them into pouring oil on these troubled waters, even though it's quite late in the game.

Another thing that surprised me was how a faceless organization like Time/Warner could have made such a "warm and fuzzy" move with the Superman heirs. By faceless I mean that Disney had Walt, and Marvel had Stan Lee. But Time/Warner has no real "faceman", other than Bugs Bunny. 

Rant time: Business is business, and a deal is a deal, but maybe the world is getting tired of these huge media conglomerates winning ugly. Or else these corporations just want to avoid any more embarrassment.

But here's to Jack, still the King!

Godzilla and Ultraman - The Amazing World of Japanese Special Effects

(copyright NHK and Tsuburaya Productions)

Godzilla and Ultraman - The Amazing World of Japanese Special Effects

It's fun sneaking around "backstage". I missed the beginning, but in Godzilla and Ultraman - The Amazing World of Japanese Special Effects  they displayed their techniques for making miniatures that went back to traditional Japanese gardens. And just good old forced perspective. The host was a westerner who seemed to love Tsuburaya, and even was allowed on a miniature set to pose with Ultraman Victory(?) The special effects people added the classic energy beams coming out of his hands to blast a monster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-vdH86F6ZQ

They also talked to the pyrotechnics guy about his wiring set ups. He had something like the western studios have, sort of an electric xylophone. He could "play" the device so the squibs would go off with the proper timing. They also talked about Manga, and a car commercial using Tsuburaya's techniques where the car has to outrun giant monsters on a twisting canyon road.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/tv/special/201408.html

I don't know if they will run this again, hopefully it will appear on the net somewhere. It's always great to see "old friends"!

http://www.kcet.org/shows/nhk_special/godzilla-and-ultraman---the-amazing-world-of-japanese-special-effects.html

http://io9.com/5939043/behind-the-scenes-godzilla-photos-were-charming-absolutely-ridiculous

Tove Jansson

I stumbled across a copy of "Who will comfort Toffle" while on an expedition to Hi-De-Ho Comics in Santa Monica last week. I had seen some of the Moomin books before, but it never quite clicked in my head that it was all written and drawn by Tove Jansson.

 

Anyway, there were some interesting characters in Jansson's work, besides the Moomins. Earnest, yet surreal at the same time, Jansson's characters grapple with the mysteries of life, along with the humdrum chores that go with it. And also some very strange neighbors:

 

from

http://www.drawnandquarterly.com/blog/2006_11_01_archive.php

Something about the work made me feel young again, as corny as that sounds. It took me back to when I was little, and all ladies were lovely, mysterious giants.

(all artwork copyright Tove Jansson)

Sorry I didn't find these books sooner. But it made sitting on the 405 with an overheating radiator worth the trip.

www.tovejansson.com

Flamingo Rollerskate Waitress for the Holidays

Updating her rig to get more appealing poses; a lot mistakes I missed. I've decided she's more like a Knick-Knack character from Pixar. Had to delete history, freeze transforms, etc. Using Mental Ray helps give her a better look. Need to give her eyelids, better hands and more blend shapes. So early Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays. Lord, I hope so.

Flamingo Roller Skate Waitress returns

Here's my goofy Flamingo Roller Waitress again. Trying to get her rig fixed.
Don't worry, they only serve veggie-burgers.

Flamingo Dancer roller skate waitress

A flamingo waitress on roller skates, but I got this great pose of her using Maya. Haven't worked on her in a long time, was having trouble with her rig.

More fish and starfish acting

This exercise is just to show basic blocking and timing, but I like the starfish going "Huh!?" as the little fish slips past him. I should push the poses harder.

And...Daffy Duck! from my Warner Classic Daze.
Daffy's beak is out of joint from some mishap.
Wabbit Season! Duck Season!