Animation Artists - Sexual Harassment

Hello, I'm still working on changing the direction of this blog, so that it presents relevant material regarding the animation business, and general artistic training. While I'm trying to steer away from trivia and doodles, there have been major shifts in our business, and society in general that need some commentary here.

(copyright Jen Sorensen)

John Kricfalusi is the latest animation mogul to be accused of sexual harassment. No more heroes anymore? After the accusations against John Lasseter and some other animation heavy hitters, most studio employees may still be in the dark about what the boss does behind closed doors. Go along to get along, to hold on to a cool animation job, sure. But I still hold the people in the know responsible, especially those in management. How can the victims be compensated, if that was even possible?

Yeah, it's Hollywood, and "dirty deeds happen all the time".
But I can never look at my favorite animated films the same way again.

https://www.cartoonbrew.com/artist-rights/200-women-l-s-animation-industry-demand-studios-end-sexual-harassment-workplace-154100.html

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-entertainment-news-updates-women-in-animation-industry-write-memo-1508441980-htmlstory.html

http://time.com/5221876/sexual-abuse-accusations-john-kricfalusi/

 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ren-and-stimpy-john-kricfalusi-creator-sexual-abuse-allegations-under-age-girls-a8281241.html

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/comic-riffs/wp/2018/03/30/ren-and-stimpy-creator-john-kricfalusi-is-the-latest-animation-leader-accused-of-misconduct/

CGI Dreamworks Animation Studio Pipeline

Hello group, 2018 has been off to a rough start for me, and I'm behind as far as re-purposing this blog for education, and updates on animation technology in general. DreamWorks has been kind enough to put together a presentation on the CG pipeline for us. Enjoy!

Net Neutrality

Ready to spend more, and enjoy it less?

https://www.battleforthenet.com/

https://www.savetheinternet.com/net-neutrality-what-you-need-know-now

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-11-23-games-could-be-hit-hard-by-net-neutralitys-death

Contact your senators and congresspeople

and the good folks at the FCC.

https://www.fcc.gov/about/contact

Ajit.Pai@fcc.gov
Mignon.Clyburn@fcc.gov; Brendan.Carr@fcc.gov; mike.o'rielly@fcc.gov

Wild Wild West Star Trek Mashup

Surprised on one has come up with this yet.

(original copyright CBS)

With apologies to Robert Conrad, Ross Martin and Gene Roddenberry.

#inktober Girlie Space Monster

Okay Inktober, here's a Halloween nightmare for you:

I give you-

SPACE GIRLIE MONSTER VENUS!

I told you it was weird.

Enjoy!

#inktober Bear and Athena and the Falling Star

Slice of life on the planet Solstice-

#inktober Cubcake Vs Dragon_V02

And here is another Inktober offering, no real story here, except it could be a dream Herman Bear is having while he is stranded on the planet Solstice. 

#inktober Cubcake Vs Goopface

Hello Damsel Fans, and webcrawlers and 'bots too!

Here's a crack at "Inktober"-

Cubcake plays the role of a dashing aviator who accidentally gets an alien device attached to her left arm while battling a "melting man" type character.


Enjoy!

Mark Twain - Star Wars - Jedi Knight - Lightsaber

Hello blog, things have been hot and hairy in August, so here's a Halloween idea as we enter into Autumn:

(Light saber copyright Disney/Lucasfilm)

Some hastily done Photoshop bashing. 

With apologies to Mr. Twain, and the unknown photographer.

Enjoy!

Martin Landau - Artist - Cartoonist!

And a belated tribute to Martin Landau.

(Martin Landau hitting the inkpots! photographer unknown)

I didn't know the commander of Moonbase Alpha was also an artist!
The writers on these links really do him justice.

Rest in Peace Martin Landau, your presence on screen brought me hours of pure enjoyment.

http://potrzebie.blogspot.com/2010/11/martin-landau-cartoonist.html?m=1

http://www.newsfromme.com/2017/07/16/martin-landau-r-p/

Falling Hare - 1943 - The Gremlin

Hello blog, it's been a busy spring and crazy June, so I haven't posted in a while. Finally having some time to muse, a stray thought struck a spark, which kindled a small, but revealing flame:

What happened to the Gremlin in Bob Clampett's 1943 Merrie Melodies "Falling Hare"? And is he still a trademarked character of Warner Brothers? I worked at Warner Classics in the 90's and I missed seeing his model sheets and other references around the studio. But a post on Facebook lead me to the fate of this cute little saboteur, and who owns him now:

(original copyright Warner Brothers)

http://www.thegremlin.com/about.html 

According to this news, Steven Grossfeld of Gremlin Fine Arts Galleries in Vermont has secured his claim to the Gremlin back in 1990. Steven related to me that since this cute little stinker was used in a U.S. Army Film Corps propaganda short, he was never copyrighted. I didn't know that he was originally created by author and RAF pilot Roald Dahl.

Dahl's books were later used for animation with James and the Giant Peach and The Fantastic Mr. Fox. And you can't forget Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, (except for, maybe Tim Burton's version.)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gremlins

https://www.roalddahl.com/global/roald-dahl-titles 

To heap more shame on my ignorance, I learned that Disney wanted to use the little guy for a feature, even bringing in Walt Kelly of Pogo Possum fame. (I think Kelly was a Disney artist at the time). 

But when Disney could not secure the copyright, Warner's took over, and the Gremlin floated in legal limbo for years, until he was acquired by Steven.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falling_Hare

http://looneytunes.wikia.com/wiki/The_Gremlin

According to Steven Grossfeld, Steven Spielberg was given the okay to use the Gremlin in a couple of  "Tiny Toons." I've never seen them, but nothing can beat "Falling Hare", 

and the "Gremlins from the Kremlin" short "Russian Rhapsody".

 (original copyright Warner Brothers)

So, for this Fourth of July celebration, try to laugh with the first seven notes of "Yankee Doodle", in spite of what is going on in Washington D.C. And remember, the Gremlin was the only character who ever got the better of Bugs Bunny. ("You know how it is with these 'A Cards' ".)

 (original copyright Warner Brothers)

Happy Independence Day everyone.

UPDATE:

Steven also mentioned that Virgil Ross was the key animator and character designer on the Gremlin. Ross told Steven in secret that working on the Gremlin was one of his most favorite projects. So keep it under your hats folks! Loose lips an' all that.

 https://www.facebook.com/groups/254411461352100/permalink/1217100878416482/?comment_id=1217138998412670&reply_comment_id=1217875545005682&notif_t=group_comment&notif_id=1498987944477939

R.I.P. Adam West

Well, whether it be comics, TV or animation, Batman always held my attention. I didn't get the campy attitude of the 1960's TV show, especially when the cliffhanger endings meant to me that the danger was REAL. My parent's chuckling, and rolling their eyes was lost on me. But here's to Adam West who kept a six year old in suspense every Wednesday night on ABC. To me, the Bat-Signal will never go out.

(Batman's symbol done in Maya. copyright DC comics)

The History of Cartoon Network

Compiled by Saberspark.

More outsourcing of VFX jobs - New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/04/magazine/why-hollywoods-most-thrilling-scenes-are-now-orchestrated-thousands-of-miles-away.html?smid=fb-share

Legend Quest - Netflix

Stumbled on Legend Quest on the Animation Scoop website. Netflix is putting out this new series from Anima Estudios. Looks like fun so far. The style and characters look like they took some inspiration from Gravity Falls and Star vs. the Forces of Evil.

(copyright Anima Estudios & Netflix)

The plot revolves around Leo, and his new friends as they challenge the evil schemes of Quetzalcóatl.

The story takes place in 18th century Mexico where Leo has encountered ghosts and demons as a child, and now must do so again with his new friends: Don Andrés, who is the ghost of an old conquistador, Teodora, who is a actually a hologram of a girl somehow transported from the 21st century, and Alebrije, a magical creature based on Mexican folk art.

Looks like it has a lot of fun and action, I hope it does well.

http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi1381414425/

http://www.animationscoop.com/netflix-legend-quest-full-opening-titles/

https://mic.com/articles/166148/netflix-s-legend-quest-is-enjoyable-for-adults-and-reminds-latino-kids-that-they-matter#.V6O5uCxbl

Pinterest

Well, somebody at the Guild got me hooked on Pinterest.

https://www.pinterest.com/ken_roskos/

What do you think?

2017 Annie Awards winners

http://variety.com/2017/film/news/annie-awards-2017-zootopia-winners-list-1201978375/

ASIFA-Hollywood's 44th annual Annie Awards

Watching the streaming of the 44th Annual Annie Awards from UCLA's Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California.

(copyright Disney)
 

 (copyright ASIFA-Hollywood)

http://annieawards.org/

Maya 2017: Quick Rig

'Vicious Cycle' by Michael Marczewski

 Tragic commentary on society, with superb computer animation and good basic storytelling.

http://floobynooby.blogspot.com/2017/01/vicious-cycle-by-michael-marczewski.html?m=1

 http://www.michaelm.tv/

Vicious Cycle from Michael Marczewski on Vimeo.

Kelly Clarkson - Underneath the Tree (Official Lyric Video)

Kept hearing this on the radio, nice sentimental song. Some good motion graphics here: Art Director: Scott Brucato Produced by: Laura O'Connell Animation: Erika Lepke, Tyler Donnelly, Amanda Schmick Agency: Gupta Media, http://guptamedia.com Enjoy!

Watchcat xmas 2016

http://watchcatfiles.blogspot.com/

Watchcat teams up with Ol' Saint Nick to foil some last minute Holiday crimes. Looks like Santa has learned to handle himself over the years!

(copyright Jim Richardson)

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!

Frosty the Snowman directed by James Cameron

Just some quick bashing in Photoshop...
Update: Good to see it again on CBS.

(original copyright Rankin/Bass)

I thought it would be a kick if James Camero, or Ridley Scott directed the old Rankin/Bass Frosty the Snowman TV special...

(copyright 20th Century Fox)

Of course, if it were this intense, it wouldn't be fun.

Just trying to get some ideas down, don't know when I can finish this...

CTN Expo 2016 photos

A few snapshots of CTN Expo 2016 photos...

 

Woodbury University...

with its media heavy presence...

Me old Alma Mater, Edinboro University of Pennsylvania.Go Fighting Scots!  Good to see Mike Penz again.

The Animation Guild, my other bread and butter! Should be everyone's.

The stars from Moana... (copyright Disney)

And Woodbury's neighbor across the way, Disney. (copyright Disney)

 

The new tent was HUGE...

 Had some hassles with the rain, and a minor power failure, but it was CTN's largest and most impressive Expo yet. Congrats to Tina Price and everyone!

Ghosts of Christmas Future

Politicking is dangerous, but not speaking out is also a great risk.
These are my opinions, and I have tried to be well informed.
It's not so much about how Trump won, but how Hillary lost.

HRC needed to be more than just the anti-trump. She finally adopted some of Sanders' talking points, but the DNC could not connect with the battleground states, and took the "firewall" states for granted.

Millions of voters in middle America believe liberals have left them to rot. And they have proof. There are other factors at work, and critics can't lay this at the feet of Jill Stein or Bernie Sanders:

Billions of dollars in free media exposure for Trump.

Electoral college countermanded the popular vote.

Voter suppression among minorities.

Public's perceived electability of candidates vs. actual capabilities.

Low voter turnout due to unappealing candidates on both sides.

Mysogyny, and the hatred of Obama.

Gerrymandering.

* * * * * * * * * *

Trump has exploited the fears, prejudices, and misery that the GOP has created in the South and the Midwest. Many people there believe the money elites have abandoned them, left their towns to rot, and also coddled other people who are "unworthy". A Trump administration may toss a few bones to these states with infrastructure projects, but will also run up colossal deficits. I believe quite a few people in the U.S. also hope the "unworthy" people will quickly deported... or imprisoned.

This post is grim, and it is meant to be. The idea the pendulum will swing back to the left is obsolete. We also thought George W. Bush was the worst, but conditions in the U.S. will only bring out people like Trump. And worse.

Happy Holidays.

The CTN animation eXpo 2016

 Here we go again-

http://www.ctnanimationexpo.com/axFaq.php

Election Day

Many people want this to end, but whoever gains the White House, and Congress will need steady feedback, and complaints to keep our nation from slipping further into barbarism.

 (copyright Disney)

In other words, it's never over!

Get out there for election day.

Stick-Gods

I was doing some Googling about the Egyptian god Anubis, 

and this popped up

http://inonibird.tumblr.com/stick-gods

(art copyright Inonibird)

Cute, fun stuff! Well designed, low key, but clever humor. 

He has a fresh approach. Spiced up my day a bit.

http://rebloggy.com/post/egyptian-gods-thoth-bastet-egyptian-mythology-sekhmet-stick-gods-mafdet-thoth-th/73007660820

"You attract what your focus on."

At least Inonibird's Egyptian gods have seen the 

Charlie Brown Christmas special. 

Here's to counting down to Halloween, and then the winter Holidays!

Good Grief!

That's All Folks - AT&T owns Time/Warner

AT&T owns Batman, Bugs Bunny and the HB library...

Nuff said.

UPDATE

http://money.cnn.com/2016/10/22/media/att-time-warner/index.html

Okay, I'm confused:

http://qz.com/821938/the-us-government-just-summoned-time-warner-cable-twc-instead-of-time-warner-twx-to-testify-about-the-att-t-deal/

AT&T to buy Time Warner Inc.?

 Groovy, just what we need:

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2016/10/merger-mania.html

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/peter-chernin-poised-top-time-940567

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/time-warner-at-t-deal-940450

Less jobs, less customer choice, and more media mono culture.

(copyright Time/Warner...for now.)

UPDATE

It's done.

http://www.avclub.com/article/t-buys-time-warner-85-billion-giving-it-hbo-cnn-an-244676

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Sneak Peek

Here it comes, Rocket rules!

The Flaming Skull

Quick Halloween sketch, with very ruff inking.

Halloween old marker drawing

Here's an old drawing I did during my internship at the old Tele-Media local cable access channel,

back in the mid 1980's in Concord, Ohio.

 

 

This was used as a title card on the Tom Morrow show, sort our version of the Johnny Carson show.

 

I was going over my old portfolio, and found this little chestnut. I had fun making it, and the show's producer seemed to use it quite a bit.

I hope it gets more exposure here than it did on old local access 

channel 6.

Happy Halloween!

Planet Soltice - More Sketches

Late Summer/Early Fall sketches

 

One point perspective on some Borg-like tech, this is actually for something else...

Landscape...

 

Another one point perspective, need the practice.

NBCUniversal To Eliminate 200 Jobs At DreamWorks Animation Glendale Campus

Well, it had to happen...

(copyright DreamWorks)

When elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers.

It won't be DreamWorks without Jeffrey Katzenberg.

According to the Animation Guild blog, no artist positions have been affected... yet.

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2016/09/dwa-downsizing.html

http://deadline.com/2016/09/nbcuniversal-200-animation-job-layoffs-1201820305/

Shane Acker's 9 movie

Just realized it is September 9th, seven years since the release of Shane Acker's "9"movie.

(copyright 2009 Focus Features)

While everyone else is celebrating 50 years of Star Trek, (which is fine), I thought I should bring this little gem back out into the spotlight. As a student at UCLA, Acker created this short film about war, oppression, loss of personal freedom, and science run amok as his student project. "9" caught the attention of Tim Burton who worked with Acker to produce "9" as a feature film.

While I am a little tired of the post apocalyptic story theme, the David and Goliath struggle of the little doll people struggling against a devil device bent on devouring their souls is still worth watching. Acker's commentary on current world affairs is still disturbingly trendy, even more now today!

And it has one of my favorite actors, Martin Landau providing the voice of "2".

 

Enjoy!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472033/

http://www.focusfeatures.com/9

 

 

NBC-Comcast-Universal takes over DreamWorks Animation

Jeffrey Katzenberg steps down after 22 years at DreamWorks Animation...

 

 

(copyright DreamWorks Animation)

http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/latest-news/nbcuniversal-announces-new-senior-management-for-dreamworks-animation

http://animationguildblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/adios-jeffrey.html

 

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/thank-jk-dreamworks-artist-remembers-studio-katzenberg-created-142622.html

 

After hits like "Kung Fu Panda", "Madagascar" and "How to "Train your Dragon", we'll have to see how it goes with the new management. I was at DW back in the day, but I had to move on due to office politics. A student who had assisted me this summer has landed his first job there, I wish him all the best for the future, and the future of DreamWorks Animation.

Herman Bear on the planet Solstice

Here's some sketches from July in Canada...

Herman Bear lands on my new planet Solstice...

I didn't want him to be alone on the planet,
so I gave him a new companion.

(Cubcake is also there, but I'm not sure I'll keep her in the story.)

 

The bear has to make a new friend, literally! Herman assembles "Athena" from different organisms to build a composite creature. Sort of a cross between Larry Niven's Pierson's Puppeteers, and Sylvia the "Zbornak" from Disney's "Wander over Yonder".

http://larryniven.net/puppeteer/pupbod.shtml

(It's a long story)

When Herman first sees Athena, she is just some kind of seed pod that drags itself along the ground with some sort of beak. Herman has to put her together as an intelligence test designed by other aliens. Enjoy!

Kubo and the Two Strings

(copyright Laika studios) It's mortals vs. the gods in Kubo and the Two Strings. An outcast boy whose music and stories that brings origami to life goes from hustling on the street to a real challenge when he learns more about his true origins.

Laika has got another winner here! The plot is a little vague at the beginning, but things are not what they seem, as Joseph Campbell might have once said, and that's good for the film. The stop motion is well done, almost looking like CG animation. Director Travis Knight and his crew didn't cut any corners on this film

The action, although theatrical, is intense, and I am still surprised (and annoyed) at parents bringing very small children in the cinema. Still, the story succeeds on concepts of being true to yourself, appreciating your parents, and your gifts.

Get a good seat! I'm looking forward to the Blue Ray already.

3D print dragon

Finally got my female dragon head. The resolution is a little low, 

but it gives the figure an interesting texture.

Sculpted in Maya, "Cassandra" was made in 

Woodbury University's Digital Fabrication Lab, kudos to Matt and his crew!

Here is the Dimension UPrint + (SD) unit that did the dirty work.

Super cool! Good modeling experience, 

but I need more practice in modeling the interior 

to get the proper wall thickness.

She has a few errors on her surfaces, and the eyes 

didn't print for some reason. Will have to go over that again.

Matt and William use Rhino software to convert .obj files into .stl (stereo lithography) files.

Have a good summer gang, school starts at the end of August.

Jack Davis, R.I.P.

Ah, no...

http://www.newsfromme.com/2016/07/27/jack-davis-r-p/

All those Mad magazines, gee whiz.

Still, a great artist, great caricaturist.

http://www.americanartarchives.com/davis,jack.htm

(copyright publisher, from The Art of Jack Davis)

Maybe he's still doodling in the great bullpen in the sky...

http://onlineathens.com/breaking-news/2016-07-27/famed-cartoonist-jack-davis-noted-uga-bulldog-drawings-dead-91

The Iron Giant's Dream (New Scene)

Exceptional Minds on KPCC

 Caught this bleary eyed on KPCC this morning:

http://www.scpr.org/news/2016/07/12/62437/how-young-people-with-autism-are-making-movie-magi/

http://www.exceptionalmindsstudio.org/studio2/mission.html

I met Ernie Merlan at Studio Arts years ago.
Good to know his school his helping young people find work in animation and effects.

Jodorowsky's Dune (2014) - HD Trailer

I just found out about director Alejandro Jodorowsky's plans for Frank Herbert's book from a Dune quiz on Facebook. The art by Moebius, and the storyboards look fantastic. I think this would have been far superior to David Lynch's creep-out movie. Now if I can just find it!