2.21.2005

Updating Links and such

For all you new-comers to The Ward-O-Matic, there are some past posts that clue you in on who in the heck I am. The best bet is to go HERE for a brief background on me as well as how I got into animation. And for those who are curious as to what I do as an animation director (myself, included), I'll be writing something about that later on. For the uninitiated, I work at Primal Screen, an animation and broadcast design company in Atlanta, Georgia. We do work for broadcast, most notably for Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and PBS Kids, to name a few. We also do commercials from time to time, as well as the occasional music video. If you check out our site, there's loads of Quicktime movies for you to view and to get a good idea of what we do.

Soooo, I did catch up on my sleep this weekend, and was even able to check out a movie or two. The main movie that I've been meaning to go see for quite some time was...THE POLAR EXPRESS? Yup, no joking here. I saw that movie for the second time, but this time it was the IMAX 3D version. I've been hearing (and reading) about seeing the film in that format from so many people, that I just had to go see for myself what the hub-bub was all about. So yes - expect a follow-up to my now world-famously long-winded two-part commentary on the film (Part 1 and Part 2). It'll be fun, believe me.

A couple of things, I've added a pull-down menu for Ava Thursday over there on the right, to make it easier to choose your favorite drawing by your favorite 4 1/2-year old, Ava. It's a joy to behold.

Also, I've been adding some links in the Linky Links and Atlanta Animation/Artists section and I'm sure that some of these fine people would simply love for you all to check their sites out. Some of the newest links are:

The World According to Ron Lim: a very cool designer with some great links.
Tyson McAdoo: comic book artist (DC, Marvel) who's done some excellent inks for me. He likes tattoos. And girls. And girls with tattoos.
Sanithna Phansavanh: graphic designer/artist who did a slam-bang-up job on Primal's site.
Andre Moore: animator/inker who freelances for us frequently. He likes girls.
Jo Davidovich: very promising animator on the traditional side who is finishing up school at SCAD. She has an innate ability to animate, which is saying a lot these days. She knows her stuff.

I've added a section titled, Atlanta Connections, listing artists and companies who have at one point lived here in the ATL and now have moved onto greater pastures. From this list:

House of Ingri: Ingri freelanced at Primal for quite a while before she moved to NYC, making her famous collection of dolls. She had a fun habit of leaving little doodles and sketches around here of her quirky and wonderful little characters. She's definitely missed here at Primal.
Saxton Moore: once a director here at Primal, now in Cleveland working for American Greetings doing some more of his fantastic character designs and animation.
Graphic Havoc: Yes, these guys originated from the Deep South. Represent.

Curious to know what I'm listening to right now? Check out my Audioscrobbler page, or better yet, my Last.fm page (looks better to me). I have thing for hip-hop. And Prince. Don't hate.

More soon....

7 comments:

  1. Thanks for all the links my man! I'll have to go and check those out! I, myself, went to visit Mandy's mother where I read an article on Hayao Miyazaki in the New Yorker that brought tears to my eyes...

    Saw yer music stuff also. There's a killer, slowed-down, male version of Our Lips are Sealed. I don't know who sings it but it is awesome--if you can find it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you Ward! Your words are very encouraging. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Junior;
    after re-reading the comments relating to your sleepless night of work, (boo-hoo!) I think it'd be a gas if you did a "what DOES an animation director do, exactly?" dissertation. Like you said the other day, the real fun is seeing how each director's work philosophy differs and how that affects his/her work, etc. That having been said, there are almost always constants from one director to the other. Might be a topic worth exploring. Or not, ya never know! See ya, chum!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes yes, I do agree. I'm just afraid that if I start to explain my way of working, Robert, you'll be there to jump on my every misdirection!

    And no problem, Jo. You deserve it.

    And James, I found a version of "Our Lips..." by Fun Boy Three (remember those guys?)-- is that it? It's a bit slowed down, but not too much so.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ok, so I can admit I am an Adam Ant fan here? LOL I'm in finals week so understand your lack of sleep. Why did I go to a school on the quarter system?! Loved that Davidovich's site!!

    Man, I need to find a way to get the cartoon network! Due lack of $$ I'm currently subscribed to the low 16 channel cable version... -stop laughing at me.

    Can't wait for the Polar Express update. BTW my Prof and the gaming students loved the article. Thanks again.

    (sorry for deletion, too many typos - should not post on only 1/2 cup of coffee, bad)

    ReplyDelete
  6. No problem, cher. I went ahead and deleted it completely (we can do that now - props to Blogger for that!). And I hope that your prof and fellow students dig what I have to say for that next installment on PE.

    And I've been getting on an 80's kick lately, haven't you noticed? It's a bit embarrassing, but hey-- I don't care. I grew up with it and it's kinda fun to take a trip through nostalgia lane every once in a while.

    ReplyDelete
  7. >>"I have a thing for hip-hop. And Prince. Don't hate.<<

    Hahahahahaha! I do to, I'm not mad at ya! Hey great site. I especially enjoy your sketches. You have a very nice kid-friendy touch. And your idea of posting your daughters sketches, I'll have to steal that one.

    Thanks for helping me out with posting pictures. All the best.

    And heres a subject you might discuss on your blog: How do artist like me, who would like to develope a cartoon series to present to a Nickelodeon go about doing that. From an insiders view. I know how to bet a book published, not an animated cartoon series.

    ReplyDelete