6.07.2007

Blurkers Rejoice!

It's been quite a while since I gave total and complete amnesty to our fellow readers who visit blogs but never comment or email, affectionately known as blurkers. Even though it's June and November is half a year away (Blurker Amnesty Week), and because 2005 is, like, so 2005 and not even close to 2007, and because my readership has morphed and changed drastically, I'd like to open the floor to hear from all you blurkers out there! You! Yes, you! You know who you are! The one who visits my blog but never comments, never makes a connection by emailing me -- I love you dearly, but how am I going to live if we never get to know each other? For reals?

In case you need to know:

Blurker (BLUR-kur): n. 1. One who reads many blogs but leaves no evidence of themselves such as comments behind; a silent observer of blogs. 2. One who reads many blogs but has no blog of their own; a blog-watcher or blog voyeur.

And I'm going to add these questions in the mix because it'll be fun and mostly I'm curious:

Why do you visit my blog? For the writing and stories? The artwork? My artwork? For the vintage stuff? The photos? Out of sheer curiosity?

Who are you? What profession are you in (if any)? Animation? Artist? Illustrator? Parent? Filmmaker? Sanitation worker?


Also: How did you find my blog? Link? Another blog? Drawn!? Flickr? Doing a search on Google? Boing Boing?

Curious minds want to know. Okay, just me.

So, who are you? Let's hear from ya!

65 comments:

  1. I actually had commented on one of your posts ( The Mother day present one). But I'm afraid I tend to Blurk. Partly because I use a news reader to get all of my updates and partly because I feel like jerk typing these comments. I don't remember how i found your blog, but I enjoy reading it. Sorry for the blurking

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  2. 1. Love the artwork (yours and others) that I see on your blog. The photos are cool, too.

    2. I'm an animator in the game industry working in the Seattle area. I'm also an avid photographer.

    3. I can't remember exactly how I found your blog. I think it was either through Drawn or Flickr. Or maybe it was from your wife (we frequented similar photography groups a while back). Or it was from a conversation that Jon Madison and I had a long time ago (back when he first found out I was an animator). Somehow I found your blog and have kept up with it since.

    OK, back to blurking. ;)

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  3. Hi!
    I started to visit your blog because of the artwork, I think, and then Ava Thursdays conquered my smile and I turned into a fan (of both your work and hers).
    I like pictures and I like the way you tell your stories, so I've been reading your feed for some months now.

    I'm a Portuguese web engineer living in China. :)

    I don't remember found your website - maybe Drawn, maybe a link on other blog.

    Take care and have a nice day :)

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  4. I love your blog... and yes I've blurked since I first saw your blog in the top ten blogspot list. Then Andrea's blog came along... And I love it just as much.

    Find me on Facebook
    Sue Pietersen, London

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  5. Ok, Ok....you got me to deblurk ;)

    I found you a while back through your lovely wife's blog - and really enjoy your writing, artwork...photos...the whole caboodle. Reading about your journey to a new life has been so exciting....I am really happy for you and your lovely family!

    I am a Designer [Jewellery, mainly]...and have had a blog myself for a year and a half.....so I read a lot of blogs not, and guess blurk a lot too [time!].

    No more Ward, no more ;))

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  6. I've also commented before but since I used to be a blurker (great word - in fact I might go back to being one just so I can keep saying it. Blurker blurker blurker - it keeps sounding funnier!) I figured I'd weigh in. After doing my own blog for a while now I've realized comments are fun to get, especially after a blogger takes the time to scan sketches, write posts, etc. Thusly (word? not as good as blurker unfortunately), now I comment frequently, even if only to say "good job!"

    What I like about Ward-O-Matic is the good mix of posts between sketches, photos, stories, etc. Plus anyone who loves their family as much as you obviously do should be required reading in these Jerry Springer relationship times.

    Keep up the great posts - it's always fun reading!

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  7. Yes Ward, I have been lurking around your blog...but only in amazement of the random distribution of arm hair in the "Ward" cartoon in your header. BTW the photography is great from both you and Andrea.

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  8. I guess I've been blurking.
    heh.

    j.

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  9. Well, the guilt trip worked. So here goes.

    I can't remember how I started reading your blog but I have been keeping an eye on it for a while. It may have been through Drawn.

    I am a mum (and Australian) and a primary school teacher with interested in design and illustration.

    We also moved a young family from our home city so know what it is like to have the excitement of a new place, especially through the eyes of kiddies.

    Thanks for the great posts and artwork

    Sam

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  10. Hey Ward, I'm a part-time blurker, but I have commented. You'd know my comments they're the clever, witty, thought-provoking ones. I wish.

    I enjoy the variety of your blog: artwork, writing, pics and no celebrity gossip!

    Me? I'm a sign designer and I enjoy the stories about your creative process. Parent, too.

    I've been reading since the Polar Express posts-'Ol skool, bro.

    Thanks for the effort, keep it up.

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  11. I'm a hardcore blurker, I confess.

    I'm an animator/motion designer, so I always enjoy seeing your finds in some old stuff, or the new stuff you make, and I must confess I'm totally hooked to Ava's drawings.

    Found the blog through Cartoon Modern when he said he'd been "Warded".

    I blurk because I write with an Quebecer accent...

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  12. I found your blog from the review of The Polar Express you did so long ago. It really explained why the movie was like the walking dead.

    I keep reading because of the spray paint artwork, Ava Thursday, the scans of your retro finds, and the stories of being an animator.

    Glad you're finally settled in.

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  13. If I remember correctly, I encountered your blog during some sony viral ad clashes with the graffiti community. (sound right?) The link certainly came from another blog though. Anyhow, I've been checking in regularly since then...
    I'm an illustrator, animator and instructor in Germany. I'm particularly interested in authentic intention in artwork and film-making (particularly indy stuff) and 2 1/2 D production techniques.
    This is a good time to thank you for your thoughts and visuals...
    so, thanks!

    I have a blog too: http://www.the-book-of-worms.de/blog/

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  14. i have enjoyed reading your wife's blog for awhile, and was led to your's through that.

    i read only a handful of blogs written by people i don't know personally and within that little pool, you and andrea are the only husband/wife i know of who both blog. it's sort of fun to see your different perspectives within the context of your shared experiences.

    my goodness, there's so much talent packed into your little family--what a gift! thanks for sharing a bit of it with us.

    ok, i fessed up. are you happy now?

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  15. Hiya Ward,

    I've been reading your blog off and on for over a year now. I probably found it linked from another blog. I'm a sucker for good ol' fashioned retro artwork. I find your posts very insightful and downright entertaining to read.

    I'm a freelance animator that JUST moved to the Portland area, Beaverton to be exact, last week from Austin. Kinda coincidental that our travels to the Northwest mirrored each other. Perhaps we'll run into each other at Powell's or something :)

    I'm in the middle of putting together a photoblog that should be up in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you can see who I am at my website:

    www.jimmy-tovar.com

    Hope to hear from you. Keep up the fantastic work!

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  16. wouldn't you rather people learn to use more discretion? comments, message boards, etc., are all experiencing serious bloat problems. if i don't have something interesting to say, then i imagine no one's going to be interested in reading it. so more than simply grant "blurkers" amnesty, i think we should celebrate those of us who know when our thoughts aren't clever enough for the public eye. :)

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  17. Thanks for indulging me, people! It's great to read these comments, to see who else is checking out my blog. Very fascinating. I really appreciate the fact that anyone actually visits and reads up on me and checks out the stuff I post, so thank you all. Really, I mean it.

    Anonymous: No offense, but really, this wasn't meant to be taken seriously. I harbor no ill will towards those visitors who choose not to comment. If you don't feel like commenting on a particular blog, so be it. Really, this was a chance to have fun here -- for others who normally don't comment to say hi, hello, how-ya-doin'. Plus, it's meant to satisfy my curiosity.

    Surely you can forgive me for that one bit of weakness, yes?

    Anyway, thanks again guys. I really enjoy reading all your comments and checking out your blogs and/or sites (yes, I really check 'em out).

    ReplyDelete
  18. well your bloglines has 147 subscribers, so there are a lot of people not commmenting. I found you through your wife. I love your art, I especially love Ava's drawings.

    I am a SAHM with no connection to animation but that I love "cute things" :)

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  19. ...is he gone? Nobody's looking anymore?

    ....whew.

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  20. I guess I've been a blurker for quite awhile, and I'm pretty sure I've yet to leave a comment. There's always something interesting to check out whether its your writing or your artwork, which is a great source of inspiration. I think I spotted it back when I first started going on Drawn! Right now I'm a graphic design student, but I'm really hoping to get into animation eventually.

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  21. I'm not completely a bluker since we've met out of the realm of the www. But I mostly blurk here at the Ward-o-matic. I mostly read to keep up with your family and all the cool things that are happening to ya. I feel like we were all on the cusp of a friendship and we both moved away! Maybe in the future we'll live close again.

    I'm a SAHM(most importantly)and an artist.

    I found your blog via flickr. My maiden name is Ward and I was looking for family and wouldn't cha know, I found you!

    God Bless!

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  22. I've commented on occasion, but not often. To the questions: I came here via Andrea and added you to my Bloglines as something a bit different. Many of the blogs I read are written by American SAHMs and I wanted to mix things up a bit, so an artistic guy, whose ability to apparently draw anything I envied, seemed a good addition.

    I'm a self-employed web designer, general geek from Kent, England. Working at home affords me great opportunities to keep up with my blog reading during the day. Really who'd want to work in an office, where I imagine browsing Flickr instead of keeping up with invoicing is most likely frowned upon? ;-)

    What I enjoy about reading blogs is the different viewpoints on the world it gives me - and your art, animation and stories make up one more part of that.

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  23. I'm Lindsey. I found your blog through your wife's. I think I found hers through flickr. I like reading your blog, because I like reading about your family. But even more, it has really opened my eyes to the art of animation. So, thanks for that.

    I am a Scandinavian Studies student at UW Madison. I get paid a little to sit at a desk and waitress part time.

    I'm happy your blog is around. :)

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  24. There are a lot!

    I found your blog only about a week ago, but have enjoyed catching up and especially reading about Ava! So fun! When I have kids, I totally want to do Ava Thursdays!

    I found your blog through searching to see what people have to say about 5-sensing as a creative avenue. I lead a group of college students through the creative process during the summer and want to teach them some of those cool kind of things. (I am a graphic designer by profession, for a non-profit Christian missionary organization.)

    I enjoy the art, the stories and wanted to keep reading. Thanks! :)

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  25. I've been checking your blog regularly for a long time now... I guess that makes me some sort of uber-blurker. :) I forget how I found it though. I keep coming back because you update regularly and what you write (and draw) is actually interesting (two qualities sorely lacking in most blogs).

    I'm an animator in Atlanta (gasp!), currently working at Cartoon Network. Coincidentally, I'm next door to Mr. Lau, who loves to reminisce about working with you at Click back in the day. (double-gasp!)

    I wish I'd had the chance to meet you at one of the ASIFA events here before you took off, but it's all I can do to drag myself to figure drawing on a semi-regular basis.

    Then again, I may get another chance yet. I keep joking that Laika is sucking up all of the talent in the U.S., so maybe one day I'll end up in Portland too.

    You're a talented joker and I wish you all the best in starting your new life in Oregon.

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  26. I found your blog by clicking on link after link after link from other blogs. Sort of a game I like to play when I've got some spare time. Your blog happens to be one of 5 that I like to visit on a regular basis. That number may change to 6 now that I found your wife's blog.

    Your photos are neat and I'm fond of retro artwork. Interesting tidbit, I work with one of your online friends, Brad Ross-MacLeod. Seeing your artwork made me think of his album cover and then I made the connection.

    I usually don't leave comments because I like to be a quiet observer. Please keep the Ava pieces coming as I am a HUGE fan of kid art. I am a teacher and love it when kids give me drawings - they really know how to put their heart and soul on paper.

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  27. Hi Ward,

    Yep, I'm one of those Blurkers you speak of. I don't exactly remember how I got linked to your site...it could have been through some other portal site about 1.5 years ago....actually the polar express posts drew me here I believe as stated in another comments. Thanks for taking the time to post those!

    I really enjoy the illustration samples from Primal/Personal you choose to share as well as the some of the behind the scenes tales.

    I'm originally from Seattle and was lucky enough in college to have the opportunity to tour the then Will Vinton Studios in 2002. It was pretty cool back then...and I think they just finished one of their first CG M&M spots. I remember all the computer guys were in complete darkness working away as our group skirted through their territory. I also remember the tour guide pulling out a clay model of James Brown's head that they used to bid for a commercial. I'm sure a lots changed since then...or maybe not.

    In my free time I do like dabble good ol' pen and pencil drawing.

    I miss the Great NW, currently living and working in Omaha, NE primarily to work in video editing/motion graphics for a corporation. Hope to move back sometime.

    Congratulations on your move and the new job, and thanks for the incredible blog!

    steve
    (skywell72 at yahoo.com)

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  28. Well, yes, I love the writing, the stories, the artwork, Ava reports, the photos.

    I have no idea why I visit. I don't know you from Adam. LOL It's a very new and pleasant form of nonfiction, blogs are, and yours is particularly pleasant. I pick favorites in novels and columnists and studios. Of those I read for fun, yours is my favorite personal blog. Little I know you; little do I know whether you pull it off as smoothly as it seems; but I look up to you because I see in your writing the sweet notion of the seamless integration of art, work, and life. If I get anything from your posts, it is that.

    I do not read Andrea's regularly but love her style too. She deserves more attention from me than she gets (you'll take up the slack, I expect).

    As you find me I am an electronics technician, with drawing and 3D animation as infrequently practiced hobbies that take second fiddle to raising two small children. Most of the drawing I do is with them, and as soon as I can get them telling stories we'll try our hand at cartoons of our own, or whatever strikes their fancy. It is purposeful (we are home schooling, and art will be in the curriculum from the beginning) but it is also fun.

    I can only guess that one day I somehow hopped from Keith Lango (another inspiring favorite) to you.

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  29. Hello. My name is Annie and I am a blurker in recovery. I believe I made my first comment to your blog in response to the recent "nose-glasses" photo. I found your blog via a link on Swapatorium. I read your blog and check out your flickr account for all the very neat retro stuff there. :-) Mainly I am occupied with being a single parent of an almost-16-year-old daughter. :-/ Professionally I am a graphic designer for a small PBS station. Some might say I'm an artist who "sold out." Others might say I'm a professional who could/should be doing better than working for a non-profit. But I prefer to think of myself as one of the lucky ones who get to play all day and actually get paid for it! :-) Love your stuff, Ward!

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  30. Hi Ward, i found your blog via Andrea's. i'm a writer and photographer, and mainly read you in my Bloglines feeds, which probably makes me an uber-blurker. Great photos, amazing artwork and Ava Thursday melts my heart, as do all your family stories. love the way you guys are raising your kids/lovin' each other :-) oh, and that mother's day graffiti? WOW
    x

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  31. i blurk on yours and andrea's. shh...
    i love the art, i love ava's thursday, and so love to read about your family here and over at andrea's too. can't remember where i found you, so many moons ago.

    me no post comments coz me thinks me english no good. shhh... :P

    anyways, thank for sharing your colourful world of the jenkins. hugs to andrea and the kiddies.

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  32. Hi Ward. I visit your blog almost daily. It's routine for me -- like checking my email, monitoring my bank account and reading the news. It's habit. It's what I do. I love reading your stories about your work, your interests and your family. I am not really into animation or illustration, but I do appreciate that you do great work. I am more interested in the graffiti and the photos. Plus I have an unusual interest in your family. Why? Because you're all so cute and you have what seems to be such an interesting life filled with love, creativity, and adventure. Very charming.

    I am a single, female designer working at an ad agency. I also love art, design, collaging and photography as a hobby.

    I'm not exactly sure how I found your blog, I think someone sent me a link to it a long time ago. And I'm so glad they did. Always wishing the best for you and your family. (LOVE your wife's blog also, she is a great writer and photographer!)

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  33. My favorite is Ava Thursday

    I work in animation

    I don't remember how I found your blog. I think it was through a reverse search on ASIFA.

    Thanks!
    Steve

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  34. Howdy, Ward. I visit your blog because I really like your graffiti work, design work and taste in vintage images. The personal stuff is engaging as well, though I've never met you and likely never will. Stories, just by their nature are compelling to me.

    Who I am is someone that's always played with art but who isn't a professional. I do a weekly webcomic, I paint and Illustrate for myself. The pro market is a big scary place. There's some examples of my work at my blog if you're interested. Otherwise, I work retail.

    I don't remember how I found your blog though it was likely through Drawn!. I generally don't comment as I don't know that pros really need random folks making comments.

    Thanks for asking!

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  35. 1. I visit because I like your artwork and you have interesting stories, and I also like vintage stuff.

    Who are you? Little old me? I went to school for animation and illustration and now i'm a teacher. I teach flash to High school students. But I'm also working on illustration stuff on the side.

    How did you find me?
    I acutally don't remember, probably through Drawn.

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  36. I'm an attorney in Austin, and have enjoyed drawing and all other creative artistic outlets since I was a kid, so I enjoy seeing someone make a living through their art. I've got a blog that I infrequently update, so I admire your dedication to this blog. I'm also a dad of two, so I enjoy your family updates. Finally, I love love love retro graphics and ephemera, which is how I found your site in the first place (Googling for fifties clip art). Keep up the great work, both professional and blog-related.

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  37. Hi, I am young artist from Poland (Central Europe). I work as a graphic designer for 3 years now, and I am trying to became illustrator. I am also studying printmaking at Academy of Fine Arts. I will have my bachelor exm in a few days.

    I blurk ( ^_^) your blog because of few reasons: first of all your illos - they're great, then voyeuring USA from your pov, then learning about animation stuff. Actually key frames are just good, dynamic illustrations, aren't they?

    I like your work, and appreciate your effort putted in bloggin. Sorry I am blurker (^_^), most of times I read your blog being exhausted after work...

    I've found you after illustrationfriday, sorry I dont remember theme.

    Hope I would read more of you. :) mike.

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  38. I think I found your blog through Illustration Friday a couple of years ago. I had just discovered the world of artists and creative people on the Web. I stayed because of the appealing variety of topics (your artwork, vintage illustrations, family life)

    As for myself, I am a 50 year old woman in California with interests in nature and art. My kids are young adults, but I do enjoy reading about your children, and seeing Ava’s prolific and prodigious artwork. I guess at this point, I might as well say I have started reading your wife’s blog too. I like her informal writing style and her heartfelt sentiments. I love her photos. As a family, your closeness and your creativity make you stand out, and keep me coming back.

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  39. Why do you visit my blog? For the writing and stories? The artwork? My artwork? For the vintage stuff? The photos? Out of sheer curiosity?

    .......All of the above:)

    Who are you?
    Brad Clark, animator/character TD turned full time dad and freelance from time to time with The Animation Farm.

    and found the site from another blog.

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  40. Hi, i'm from Singapore and i stumbled upon your blog in Yr 2005. i've since grown to be a fan of Ava Thursday! i keep reading because my husband is a producer and also a photographer. he's into animation as well.

    sharon

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  41. Wow, look at all the blurkers!!!

    I've commented once, but I just blurk...

    I found your site on Blogger's 'Buzz list', and since the title looked interesting, I clicked on it, looked around the blog and added it to my favourites!

    Keep up the blogging! :)

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  42. Hey, Ward! I've been "blurking" for a while now--sorry I didn't post anything sooner. I probably found you through Drawn!, but it's been so long I can't recall.

    I am a cartoonist and illustrator, and I've actually got a graphic novel coming out this fall. Jay Stephens was nice enough to give me a blurb for the back cover! Check out my website if you're curious to know more.

    Anyway, I dig your style, and I really enjoy checking out your posts. Keep up the good work!

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  43. hiya ward. *k.knutson told me that she found you here, i think i simultaneously found andrea at/around the same time. i enjoy your art, wish sometimes you still "threwup" pieces because i like graffiti. i especially like the fact that we get to hear about the same sort of things going on in your family through you and hula but from different perspectives. i don't feel like a blurker but maybe that is because i have met you...for what it is worth thanks for the op. take care.

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  44. I am a serial blurker. I blurk on too many blogs to count. But - I do try and leave a comment now and again.

    Out of order - answers to your questions:

    I found your blog via Andrea's, whose blog I found via my good friend meegan's blog.

    I come for the stories. The images and the glimpes into someone else's day. It is fun to see the world through someone else's eyes.

    I live in Portland and am very protective of this place. I love it, I really do. In general I am a little apprehensive about all the people who move here. It makes me nervous. That said - after having read your blog and Andrea's, and reading all about your move here - day by day, decision by decision - I got a big kick out of knowing that you had decided to make the move. You and your family are a great addition. Welcome. I hope it brings you much happiness.

    I am a landscape designer at a Landscape Architecture office. I am a gardener and a crafter.

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  45. I've been Blurking on your site since I was directed here from (probably) the Brew about your Polar Express posts. Have been checking back occasionally since then, more often since I heard of the move out West.
    Am a SAHM (first) and a chemist with no drawing skills, but a big fan of classic animation. HAve a copy of 'Drawing on the Right side of the brain' which I am going to dig up and work from again this summer. Keep up the good work and drop us a note about any tasty Coraline tidbits. :)

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  46. MHey ward!
    had to be named Ward to have such great taste when it comes to animation design.
    Thanks for all the info on 50´s animated commercials and art,hombre!

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  47. jjihI think I found you through Retro Kid via Drawn. I subscribed because you got me hooked on the story of your families move to Portland. I'm an Animator/Character Designer /Illustrator and I enjoy digging up illustrators and cartoonist from the past mostly 20's-40's. I started a blog a while back on illustrators from that time period. but quickly realized i didn't have a lot of extra time to keep it going. Once things slow down I will start it up again. http://greatillustration.blogspot.com/

    No personal blog yet but my website is www.gabrielvalles.com

    I noticed my pal Jimmy Tovars comment above. I can't get away from that guy. Well he is Portlands problem now. I WASH MY HANDS OF YOU JIMMY!(Said with shaking fist elevated above head;)

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  48. I missed this post the first time around...

    I enjoy your artwork, vintage scans and photography. You're writing not bad either.

    I'm a graphic designer in Vegas. And I don't remember how I found your feed.

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  49. Love your blog, for all the above reasons and more!

    But I'm not so sure about this new word of yours... in fact, I think I just blurked a little in my mouth. ;-)

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  50. Pretty sure I've posted at least once. Found out about you either from my pals' links, Cartoon Brew, or Drawn!... I forget which. I'm another LA animation guy (Currently at Nick). Dig all the archiving you do via Flickr (We're contacts, yo!), and your art rocks! Your wife's photos are really cool, too. (She's got a good eye) Just keep doing what you're already doing... we'll all keep coming back for more.

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  51. well, embarrassingly enough i too am a blurker. i used to comment, but as a SAHM I have been reduced to blurking by the wants and needs of the kiddies. i love to read your blog as well as andreas because, well, it's like having a conversation with you all now that you've left us and headed out west. and to be honest with you, sometimes i just miss you all so much i cant find the words to say so i remain a blurker.

    we miss you ward, and are so looking forward to our visit this summer!

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  52. Hi Ward,
    Yes, I'm a blurker. There, it's out. I haven't commented because in general most commenters are either personal acquaintances, or people arguing the bloggers point, or idiots. So, unless I feel strongly enough about wanting to say something- I haven't. I stumbled across your blog thru cartoonbrew and seem to have made a habit of checking it almost daily.
    I'm a traditional 2D Animator in Melbourne, Australia and recently worked for Disney animating on those electronic babysitters you dissed a while back (I restrained myself on commenting there too- blurker alert).
    I suppose I visit your blog for the mix of Animator/Illustrator/Parent that you present and the familiarity in what you present. I found your interview with John Canemaker particularly interesting, as too your high school reunion posts (altho' I felt like an intruder-mine's next year), and your recent posts on the big move. I have also found your roles, both at Primal and now at Laika appealing as I have primarily worked in large studios (and moved across the country), and what small studios are about in this country don't have a regular work flow, making it hard to support a family. The variety in what you get to do is something I personally would also like to do. The animation community and events you have access to is also very inviting, and makes me green with envy reading of it.
    Keep up the good work and I'll comment more regularly.
    Cheers,

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  53. I came to your blog because I frequent hulaseventy's blog. I enjoy Ava Thursdays the most and all your family mishaps and adventures. I am a pediatric emergency room nurse in southern california. I am a blurker. Sorry

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  54. love reading all your posts!
    i want to be a filmmaker, only just completed my studies, and looking for work! :)
    found your blog on andrea's... guess it's been a year or so...
    you people rock - the two of you and your kids :)

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  55. 1. Love your blog and your work.

    2. Graphic design/illustrator.

    3. I saw a link on Andre Moore's or Brian McGee's page and have been reading for a while now. My thunderbird has you Atom feed so i know when the new one goes up.
    I commented on one of the Ava Thursdays

    Now i must toss down the smoke bomb and return to BLURKING.

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  56. J to the N to the W in tha house. keep up tha luv...yo

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  57. Blurker! That's fantastic. I'm Meg, and I've been a blurker around these parts for some time. I often find an artist/blogger I enjoy and simply click down their list of friends, and I think finding you was a result of that. Oftentimes I don't revisit those blogs, but yours I had to return to. I enjoy your thoughtful and humble lessons on animation, your career, and family. Your passion sums it up. The eye candy certainly doesn't hurt and is what likely got my attention in the first place. I've also fallen in love with your wife's photography, which has inspired me to document my own days through photographs, although not nearly as successful.

    I'm currently finishing my portfolio class for a degree in 2D. I have a BFA in Communication Design, but my heart wasn't in advertising. I'm so much happier in animation.

    Be honored, yours is the first blog I've de-blurked on. :)

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  58. Why do you visit my blog? For Ava Thursdays!

    Who are you? I'm just a person who likes art and the Internet and art on the Internet.

    Also: How did you find my blog? It has been so long, I can't remember. Maybe through "Drawn!"?

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  59. I occasionally post a comment, but mostly lurk. I'm not sure how I originally found your blog -- possibly a link from Jenny Lerew's site or Cartoon Brew... or Drawn!

    I guess I enjoy the mix of personal work, vintage stuff and, as a soon-to-be-one myself, the fatherly/family stories -- oh, and Ava Thursdays too! I occasionally have a peek at Hula Seventy's blog as well -- and I truly am a lurker there!

    As for me, I'm a graphic designer with a weakness for animation -- wanted to be one when I was growing up, but took a wrong turn somewhere!

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  60. Have been blurking for a while. Found you through Drawn and loving the art work.

    I'm a landscape designer from Finland.

    My blog in in Finnish only at the moment, sorry.

    Never answer these question, but now felt a bit quilty ;) Loved the word Blurker! The British use Lurker, I believe, to descripe the anonymous person behind the screen.

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  61. haha, blurk - sounds like a web 2.o site.

    1- initially for the art but when you started to document your work space and then moving that became a reason

    2- i'm a recent grad at sheridan college, where i received my BA in illustration. i maintain a blog which gathers the student/alumni/faculty illustration community called the mighty wall. and i also have my own portfolio site i like ritz crackers.

    3- a friend my mine had sent me to your article regarding polar express and uncanny valley. still a fascinating read.

    ok thats about it, i'll try and be less of a blurkr in the futr:-)

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  62. Ward, You Are Cool. Love this blog. I'm trying to teach myself animation, and found your site while googling John Canemaker. Just figured out you made the Sundance animation!! I admired that many times, waiting for the movies to start. What did you use to make it? I want to be like you when I grow up.

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  63. I get to your blog yesterday and yes, I am a blurker. Never comment BUT whem I'm asked to (I'm sooo discrete). I landed here through a link on papelcontinuo.es, and i'm really loving it. It's nice, it's funny (you and the kids, so lovely) and it's delicate. Love the beautiful, funny, crazy little things surrounding us everyday.
    What about me? A wannabe illustrator since ever, seriously tring to be an anthropologist and someday I will be a mum too (so I also like Andrea's blog). Dreaming about getting a graffiti for my mother's day. Italian living in Spain. Have a blog full of blurkers.

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  64. t1. Your art work, especialy the Graffiti. Clossest I've come to graffiti is sticker-bombing. There aren't any permision-walls within 100 miles of me.

    2. I'm a (well,I will be come Septmber) an Animation/Sequential Art student at Savannah College of Art and Design.

    3. Drawn! I check that site almost religiously.

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  65. Thanks, again everyone for taking the time and checking out this blog. I really appreciate all the great comments here! Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up the (somewhat) decent quality of posts here on The Ward-O-Matic.

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