Star Wars: A Look Back with ILM Veteran Jeff Light

http://blog.siggraph.org/2015/12/star-wars-look-back.html/

Cartoon Crossroads Columbus - CXC

Managed to stumble on this while channel surfing in Ohio before Christmas.

Very good discussion.

Will have to get back down to Columbus someday soon.

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.

Stop using Flash Player

Will try to dig up more asap.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/adobe-is-telling-people-to-stop-using-flash/ar-AAfTImb?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout

"Too easily compromised, eats up battery power on devices."

Update:

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/flash/adobe-kills-flash-name-rebrands-animator-friendly-animate-cc-124189.html 

Update:

http://www.engadget.com/2015/08/20/the-agonizingly-slow-decline-of-adobe-flash-player/

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/07/14/adobe_response_to_security_holes/

Phoebe and her Unicorn

Some nice Magritte action here by Dana Simpson...

http://www.gocomics.com/phoebe-and-her-unicorn/2015/11/22

https://www.facebook.com/HeavenlyNostrils/?fref=ts 

One of the most enjoyable and steady webcomics I've found so far:)

Learn Maya in 1 hour - Speed Course

Courtesy of CG Meetup

                     

http://www.cgmeetup.net/home/learn-maya-in-1-hour/

CG Buildings in Maya 3D

Here's some quick poly modeling in Maya, I was thinking of the old Ghostbusters' fire station in New York.

I think I'm also beginning to control Mental Ray, at least enough to get the results I want.

CTN Expo 2015

My first photos from the 2015 CTN Expo:

I met the stars from Disney's next animated feature, "Zootopia"...

(copyright Disney)

Helped set up our table for Woodbury University...

Saw another ghost from he past...

And witnessed more signs of the craziness yet too come!

I'll try to update this with more useful information asap.
http://ctnanimationexpo.com/

Holiday Cup Controversy

Sorry, I have to throw more fuel on the HCC (Holiday Cup Controversy). Maybe this will get more folks into Starbucks this Holiday Season.

Bashed together with clip art.

The evil within

Another rough sketch: the Ibex reveals Herman Bear's dark side. In this case, she uses her magic to bring his shadow to life. The Ibex claims that HB's shadow represents every murderous thought, an destructive impulse he ever had...

Started clean up in Adobe Illustrator. Illustrator has always been my Kryptonite. This drawing still has a long way to go, but I'm finally getting some cool brush strokes.

My hats off to Jose and Sue at the Animation Guild computer lab for helping me start to overcome one of my biggest software roadblocks. Clay Butler's tutorial on YouTube is also invaluable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5wW_65iAiU

The Screaming Skull!

Just some rough sketches; 

Herman Bear goes on little evening stroll with his new companion, the Ibex.

But instead of getting some Trick or Treats...

They find a different Halloween item!

(Another version, want to have the skull facing them a bit more as they approach.)

(Another version, still need to get my ink line back.)

Happy Halloween!

Walt Disney - American Experience on PBS

Well, I have to post this:

(copyright PBS)

(UPDATE) Man, where to start? What Walt did with film making, technology, copyright, marketing and celebrityship (if that can be a word) laid the foundation for the world presently we have. I would compare him to Thomas Edison, or even Steve Jobs. I think the key thing here is power. Walt had a vision, and an incredible sense of direction. By a combination of charisma, determination, and what  I believe were just plain lucky breaks, Walt saw ways to go beyond what even Windsor McCay was doing. And he wasn't afraid to push the envelope.

But success has its price. There are many stories of artists who created great works, but quite a few were impossible to live with. Walt was going to get what he wanted, and that was that.

The established studios that were successful at the time seemed to keep Disney on the run. Mintz studios? Gone. Fleischer? People still remember Popeye and Betty Boop, but those characters belong to King Features. Warner Bros. has Bugs Bunny, but with no "Walt" or Chuck Jones at Time/Warner to support him, he's fallen by the wayside.

Micky Mouse is known around the world, and is here to stay.

I will try to have another update asap.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/walt-disney/?utm_source=amex_homepage&utm_medium=direct&utm_campaign=waltdisney_2015

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/

http://www.pbssocal.org/tv/schedule/#page=schedule&day=20150914&provider=Broadcast

http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2014/american-experience-disney/

I wouldn't be here, many people wouldn't be here, for better or for worse, if it weren't for Walt Disney.

Inside Out - Pixar's version of Disney's Reason and Emotion

(UPDATE) After seeing Pixar's Inside Out, I couldn't stop thinking of Disney's original head trip, Reason and Emotion. Here, only two characters respond to the external world, and "drive" human behavior.

Reason is usually in the "driver's seat", and is shown to be calm, collected and rational. Stuck in the back seat, Emotion just wants to indulge in every impulse. Emotion will overpower Reason from time to time, usually in response to external stimuli.

(Copyright Disney)

Reason and Emotion are also shown as female versions. Reason is caricatured as a prim and strict schoolteacher, while Emotion is a saucy, voluptuous sprite just looking for fun.

In Inside Out, director Pete Docter makes the situation much more complex: Instead of just Emotion and Reason, we have Anger, Disgust, Joy, Fear and Sadness. These five basic emotions influence a good deal of the young girl Riley's behavior, with Joy acting primarily as leader.

The Emotions reside in the "Headquarters" of Riley's mind, which somewhat resembles the bridge of the starship Enterprise. Here the Emotions record and store Riley's memories as colored spheres, each bearing the feeling of their particular situations: Joyful, Sad, Angry, etc. The memories are ultimately sent off to "Long Term Memory". The emotions manipulate Riley through their control console, primarily with a pair of bulldozer-style joysticks. They can also plug "ideas" into the control console, which are represented by light bulbs.

(Copyright Pixar/Disney)

In a stereotypical way, Fear, and especially Anger, are shown as male characters, supposedly representing negative emotions. Disgust, Joy, and Sadness are shown to be appealing female characters, foreshadowing that even Sadness has a positive potential. Joy loves life, and sees everything as a happy adventure. Disgust keeps filth and things that might cause harm and displeasure away, while maintaining a chic sense of style.

(Copyright Pixar/Disney)

The "Headquarters" of Riley's mind towers precariously over the "Memory Dump"; a bottomless pit where old useless memories are discarded, and are considered lost forever. "Headquarters" is connected to Riley's five "Islands of Personality". Beyond the islands is the vast labyrinth of "Long Term Memory" where the adventure takes place.

Riley's parents have almost identical situations occurring inside of their minds: The "Headquarters" of Mom's head is like a pleasant TV studio, with smooth shapes and warm colors. Here the five basic emotions also sit at a larger console, looking at the world through the mother's eyes. Sadness has the center seat of the control console, but she is supported by the others, and does not seem depressed the way Riley's Sadness is.

The five basic emotions basically resemble Riley's, except they have all been femininized, and wear glasses like the mother. These five are much more mature, and act in a more sophisticated manner. But from time to time, they still manage to cause trouble for poor old Mom.

(Copyright Pixar/Disney)

In contrast, the inside of Dad's head is more like a military command center, very dark, or very "boss" and high tech, like the ultimate man-cave. The five basic emotions are all macho, male versions watching the action on a giant screen. In this "Headquarters, Anger has center seat, but Anger's reactions seem to be tempered by experience, and he needs the cooperation of the other four to maintain Dad's personality. Curiously enough, Fear is Anger's lieutenant, so that gives us some clues into the Fathers' background. (Each character also sports the father's mustache.)

(Copyright Pixar/Disney)

 Docter's other key story point was how our emotions colored our memories. This was a major issue for Joy, who was always anxious to keep Sadness from touching Riley's core memories, which would tint them in her sad, blue hue. Apparently, even emotions have emotions in Inside Out. And their own thought processes as well. While entertaining they were not always insightful when it came to supporting Riley's mind and personality.

Inside Out also reminded of the 1972 NBC TV show "Search" with Burgess Meredith. Here a team of experts help guide special "Probe" agents the way NASA's mission control technicians would support astronauts. But I'm getting off track. Inside Out was very dialogue heavy, and a bit slow in pacing to arrive at the crisis and climax points of the story. There was also the obligatory sacrifice of a character, in this case Riley's old imaginary friend Bing Bong. His "big goodbye" scene seemed a bit contrived and cloying. But I suppose they needed to kill off a character to show the audience that the situation was still serious.

(Copyright Warner Bros.)

Where was Reason, Love, Jealousy, Greed or Courage? Too abstract for the story? Or just too many characters to keep track of. Personally, I think the general concept of little people inside our heads is a bit overworked. I suppose this relates to the Archetypes of human personalities. Philosopher Alan Watts commented on this in one of his lectures, arguing that humans are a much more subtle combination of dimensions and elements.

Still, go and see Inside Out. I wouldn't devote this much work to a film I didn't enjoy. It's fresh, and much more original than all the sequels Pixar has produced lately.

Inside Out Bing Bong's self sacrifice

I finally saw Inside Out, so I don't think I'll give anything away here at this late date. But I wasn't expecting this: 

http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Pixar-Changed-One-Inside-Out-Scene-Because-It-Was-Devastatingly-Sad-72344.html

Wander Over Yonder Season 2

Disney XD - Wander Over Yonder ID from Golden Wolf on Vimeo.

Siggraph 2015

Didn't get there in time for any seminars or movies, but lots of learning opportunities for students to make their own toys, robots, gadgets, etc. Young people are doing more with laser cutters and 3D printers.

 

Also demos on more total immersion with virtual reality systems. The vendor floor was smaller than usual, but the Foundry, Autodesk , Mocha and some pipeline system companies were there.

Wander Over Yonder Season 2 Trailer at Comic-Con

 Looks like they are turning up the heat on Wander Over Yonder. There's a lot more action, and the new super villain is a girl. We also get to see some male Zbornaks.

I like the MST3K tribute with He-Man thrown in, and Sylvia as Gigantor. According to Disney XD, new episodes will be begin Monday, August 3rd.

                               

(artwork copyright Disney)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kg00b_nz8PE&feature=youtu.be

Matthew Luhn from Pixar at Woodbury University

All day session at Woodbury today with storyboard supervisor Matthew Luhn from Pixar. Some great stuff on storyboarding, especially when he shows how vital it is to hammer out a story before you commit to millions of dollars in animation. Matthew covered things from not crossing the line of action to "stacking" a shot. I'll try to update this post with more details asap. Glad I made it:)

(copyright Matthew Luhn/VanArts)

http://matthewluhnstory.com/cartoons/

http://www.vanarts.com/

Joe Sinnott sketch of Ben Grimm, the Thing.

I don't remember if I went to comic con that year, but I met Joe Sinnott on an Amtrak train going east in the summer of 1995. He saw me sketching, and seemed impressed that I could draw on a moving train. He later gave me this sketch of Ben Grimm, the Thing. I think he said something about not wanting to be deterred by a rocking train.

(Ben Grimm - the Thing by Joe Sinnott, now copyright Marvel/Disney.)

Found this sketch in the bookshelf today. (I have it framed now.) Man, it's been almost 20 years?!

I've lost track of time it seems. Joe Sinnott gave me this beautiful sketch 2 years after I met Jack Kirby. Just wanted to set the record straight. The Thing is truly one of Jack's creations!

Jack Kirby San Diego Comic Con

This was my most cherished memory from the San Diego Comic Con. This was the day I met Jack Kirby. (I think this was 1993.) He was just standing there in lobby by himself. I hesitated, then asked if I could get a picture. He seemed more than happy about it. I was surprised that he didn't have a whole crowd around him. I said thank you to him, but beyond that, we didn't say much. It didn't occur to me much, much later that he might have wanted to have been left alone.

(Photo taken by Mark Evanier for the L.A. Weekly  Suzy Skaar for "The Art of Jack Kirby" (Blue Rose Press, 1993)

This is a collage I put together in tribute to Jack. The newsprint article is from the 1994 L.A. Weekly.

Later that year, In August 1995, I met Joe Sinnott on a train ride going east. Sinnott was Kirby's inker during the Silver Age, I believe. He saw me sketching, and gave me a sketch of Ben Grimm.  Whatta year. Long live the King!