The Ward-O-Matic

Why Make a Film?

2008-05-16T11:50:00.003-07:00

As you may already know, I've dropped enough hints here that I'm currently working on a short film on my own. I guess you can call it a cartoon, since I'm paying homage to the great cartoons of the 40's and 50's. I've been studying a great deal of those films, most specifically Tex Avery's SYMPHONY IN SLANG. (See previous posts HERE and HERE.)

Let's start off with the obvious question at hand: Why am I doing this? On top of my full time job as an animation director at LAIKA/house, along with my blogging duties on The Ward-O-Matic, not to mention my permanent titles as husband and father on the personal side -- why on earth would I want to forge through in making an animated film?

Why not?

There is a great short film by legendary designer and filmmaker Saul Bass called WHY MAN CREATES -- it won an Oscar for Best Short Film in 1968 -- about this sort of thing. Bass explores several venues regarding the issue of creativity in this film. The main jist of WHY MAN CREATES is that there is a desire by mankind to emphasize the individual, to stand out from the typical crowd and make a mark upon this earth. As human beings, it is in our blood to establish who we are and where we've been. From the ancient cave drawings to Greek temples to towering skyscrapers -- throughout entire generations, all of it is basically saying the same thing: I WAS HERE. The most simplistic and base ideal known to man -- identity. Knowledge of self, knowledge of awareness, knowledge of existence. And out of that self awareness, man creates.

For the Artist, this desire to create consumes his/her entire being. It is an uncontrollable urge that makes him want to record his surroundings in ways only he knows how.

That's pretty much the academic take on it. Honestly? I just want to work on something that I can call my own. To create characters in my style, and animate them however I want. To be able to work on something where I don't have to answer to anyone. I'm calling the shots here. No art directors, no producers, no creative directors to answer to! Freedom. Liberation. Joy. And once it's done, there'll be such a feeling of accomplishment you can't even imagine. I look forward to that moment -- it's what will drive me throughout the entire process of making this film.

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More about WHY MAN CREATES:

One lone ping pong ball stands out among the crowd in a segment of WHY MAN CREATES titled, "A Parable."

The film is split up into eight different segments -- the first one, "The Edifice," features a great bit of animation by Fred Crippen who used to work at UPA back in the 50's. It contains one of the longest pans in animation history, I'm sure, as the camera pans up, up, up, through the centuries. We witness the basis of all our creative output by a single cave drawing of a hunt: a recording of an event that sets forth a chain of events that ultimately ends up at the top of an enigmatic column. There's some great humor and satire in the piece, setting the pace for the rest of the film.

Saul Bass finds a great balance in this film between the humorous pieces and serious debate about the creative process in general. In one section, we hear several scientists and doctors talk about the various projects that they've been working on for years and how it's lead them to dead ends. The voice over then asks each interviewee the big question: "What are you going to do now?" It's wild to hear one answer rather sullenly: "I don't know."

In the section "Fooling Around," Bass stops the film to poke fun at a woman being interviewed.

Here's what Bass thinks of critics.

You can order a copy of WHY MAN CREATES directly from the Pyramid Media website. A word of caution, however -- it's mighty pricey. Little bit of trivia about this film: a young, budding filmmaker was credited as the camera operator. Who might this filmmaker be? Why, none other than George Lucas.

More on Saul Bass's career HERE.
Nicely designed site utilizing some of Bass's graphic elements HERE.

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I've given it much thought about whether or not I should share my thoughts during the course of production of my short film here on this blog. Problem is, I can never find enough time to work on the thing. It's beginning to bother me, but I'm trying not to let it get me down. I did start up a production blog for the film, but don't bother looking for it. It's private and I've only invited a few family members. Once I get the ball rolling with actual artwork to show, maybe then I'll make it public and share with you all the concept of what I've been working on all this time. In the meantime, just keep checking the Ward-O-Matic and maybe I'll drop a few hints about the project from time to time.

The passing

2008-05-13T11:18:00.006-07:00

Photo: Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

I'm sad to say that perhaps the biggest influence in my life as an artist has passed away. Robert Rauschenberg died yesterday at his home in Captiva Island, Florida. He was 82.

I will write more when I have the time. In the meantime, you can read more about the man and the artist here:

New York Times Obit

Robert Rauschenberg on Wikipedia

From "An Interview with Robert Rauschenberg by Barbara Rose":

BR: It's interesting that in all your years of producing new directions in your art, you have never gotten into death imagery. A great deal of risk but not death. Is that something that you ever think about?

RR: Not often. I have always said that life has nothing to do with death. They're two separate things, and that's the way it ought to be. If that's innocent, so be it. Innocence is not like virginity. Virginity you can have only once. Innocence you have to nourish every day.

my wish

2008-05-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

"Here go, daddy. make a wish!"

Ezra hands me a dandelion. We are sitting on the steps in front of a house where Ava is taking a drama class. It's a quiet Saturday morning.

"What should I wish for, buddy?"

"For stuff!"

"What 'stuff'?"

"Like your downstairs?"

I laugh at this. Downstairs is where I've been working on getting my workspace in order. Right now, there's a large desk with my animation desk set up, a bookcase filled with books, and lots of 'stuff' all around, ready to be organized and placed in shelves, drawers, tables.

I closed my eyes, took a breath, and wished for 'stuff'.

Uncle Wiggily

2008-05-08T10:22:00.006-07:00

How about some more Little Golden Book goodness? I've been meaning to scan this for months now. Finally found some time to do it. And it's a beaut:

Uncle Wiggily, by Howard R. Garis. Pictures by Mel Crawford. 1953.

Let's just say that Mel Crawford is THE MAN. This is a fantastic LGB, with gorgeous illustrations by Mel. One of my favorite children's books in my collection. Oh, and yes, this is the book that I'm holding in my icon image over there on the right.

For the record, Mel Crawford is still alive and doing well. He's got a blog, even.

Here's his official site: MelCrawford.com.

He's listed on this site for Little Golden Books illustrators: Collecting Little Golden Books: Illustrators - Authors.

One thing I noticed on this book is that there are a great deal of two-page spreads. This gives the book a greater sense of landscape and wider scope. Like the film industry's push to go wide screen in the '50's with Cinescope and Cinerama to attract more viewers, I almost get the sense that Mel was doing the same here in this book. Notice how almost all of the pages are two-page spreads -- it opens the book up considerably. (I know that these 400 pixel wide images don't do it justice. I'm allowing larger downloads of these pages for a short while on my Flickr. Just click on the images below and then click on "All Sizes" right above each image to get the full effect.)

I love how he went completely yellow for the main background color, instead of white. Nice overall tone here.

This is the last page. Lovely stuff. What a jolly guy.

Here's the full endpapers for Uncle Wiggily. In excellent condition. Well, I should say that I Photoshopped out the name that was written there on the left. Thought that everyone should get a nice glimpse of this artwork. Not sure who did this, but it's wonderful.

I've started up a new Flickr set: My LGB's. I'll be adding more to this set shortly. Stay tuned.

And oh, yes. I have to plug my Flickr group once more...if you like this sort of stuff, definitely check out The Retro Kid.

Gay Purr-ee

2008-05-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

Gay Purr-ee, Adapted by Carl Memling. Pictures by Hawley Pratt, Harland Young and Herb Fillmore. 1962. This Little Golden Book is based off the UPA motion picture, which was released in the same year. I was taken aback by this book since I never knew that they had even made a book for the film. And strangely enough, this is not the only one. There was another LGB published, but features Mewsette's storyline. Click here to check it out.

Hawley Pratt was Friz Freleng's layout artist for many years, working at Warner Bros. and DePatie-Freleng. I should say that Hawley should not be confused with Pete Hawley, who was a well-renowned illustrator. Harland Young is still alive and paints for a living. Not sure if Herb Fillmore is still alive, but I did find a few prints of his paintings (scroll down a bit).

The colors are a little washed out on this book, thanks in part to both age and my terrible scanner. I'm currently scouring the market for a decent one.

Gay Purr-ee on IMDB.
Gay Purr-ee on Wikipedia.

Here are some scans of the book for you to enjoy:

Oh man, I love those trees. Nice work on this page.

I love that guy there. Tell me that all French gardeners dress and look like this, please?

This is a nice page here. Love the layout and deep colors.

More fun vintage goodies like this can be found at The Retro Kid. I've got another LGB ready to upload and post about probably later on tonight. Stay tuned. You'll dig it. Very fun.

Me as a teenager

2008-05-05T17:06:00.003-07:00

There's a meme going around: Draw yourself as a teen. I like it. Here's my take. This is me, circa 1984, I guess. The spiky hair with sorta wings and flippy hair in the back was big. At least I was lead to believe it was. I always seemed to be a bit behind the times, if I recall. The Izod shirt was a standard for me, though. And the Levi's 501 jeans. Back then, there were no 'boot' or 'baggy' or 'straight' cut -- just regular cut. The shoes I wore out constantly were those brown leather Bass 'deck' shoes. No socks. Dork!

Care to take a closer look? Here ya go.

Nowadays, I don't really follow any sort of trend, however I would have to say that these dark narrow frames seem to be worn by everyone. Or maybe they used to? Again, me behind the times. I wouldn't know. But oh, I do love those Nike Vintage shoes. Yes, I do.

Me thinks I should've put color to this illo. Maybe next time?

UPDATE: Because I really should be spending my time on more important things like getting things ready for upcoming Mother's Day, I present to you....Me as a Teenager in TECHNICOLOR! Here ya go:

Closer look!

The Rising Gorge

2008-05-05T10:05:00.004-07:00

The Rising Gorge, by S. J. Perelman. Cover art by noted artist Ben Shahn. 1961.

Love me some Shahn. I found this book at a flea market shindig in Aurora, OR, of all places. I saw the unmistakable Shahn type on the spine and grabbed it immediately.

More about S. J. Perelman.

More about Ben Shahn.

Thought it seemed fitting to post this today since I'm going in for either a root canal or tooth extraction later on. As crazy as it sounds, I'm hoping for extraction -- it's a wisdom tooth so I'm figuring that I don't really need the thing and I'd much rather get it over and done with and not have to come back for more dental work. But what do I know?

[sarcasm]Happy Monday![/sarcasm]

Nothing like Nonbreakable Vinyl

2008-05-02T09:42:00.009-07:00

Finally got around to scanning some fun vintage children's records. I have to laugh every time I read on the cover that these records are "nonbreakable" or "unbreakable." Never underestimate the power of a 2 year-old, people. Seriously? Kids that age are tough. If something doesn't break right away, they'll find a way. Believe me. Anyway, some of these 45's came my way via the wifey. She'd buy one here and there and then suddenly, I'd have a nice little collection of cool old records. A few shown below were actually in her booth when she sold vintage items for a short while. Don't tell her, but I would secretly "re-own" them by stashing them under my shirt and put them safely away. Couldn't stand to see them leave my clutches. Does that make me a bad husband? Don't answer that.

Onto the "nonbreakable" records:

Tom Corbett: Space Cadet Song and March, A Golden Record. 1951. No mention of illustrator. Gotta love sci-fi of the 50's.

Michael Pinto of Fanboy.com posted about this record recently, sharing a little bit of insight about Tom Corbett: Space Cadet, which was a TV show that aired from 1950 to '55. Thanks for the mention, Michael!

Brave Cowboy Bill, A Golden Record. 1950. No mention of illustrator, but looks like JP Miller. Any suggestions? Aurelius Battaglia, perhaps?

The following two are from Columbia Records, where Alex Steinweiss created the concept of the album cover. These two have some sort of Steinweissian style to it, but there's no telling, since no illustrator credit is given. Good grief, Mr. Steinweiss is still alive! Give 'em a pound.

The Bear Went Over the Mountain b/w "A-Hunting We Will Go" and "Today is Monday (Soup Song)." Playtime Records. No mention of illustrator nor copyright date.

The center labels on these two 45's sport some nice illustrations. I'll have to scan them in some time.

Home On The Range b/w "Doney Gal." Playtime Records. No mention of illustrator nor copyright date.

Donald's Singing Lesson b/w "Pluto the Pup." A Little Golden Record. 1949. Illustrations credited 1948, '49 to Walt Disney Productions.

The Saggy Baggy Elephant b/w "Elephant's Walk." Little Golden Records. 1950. No mention of illustrator, but we know that this is based off the book by Gustaff Tenggrenn. Classic Little Golden Book. We had this book when I was a kid. One of my earliest memories involves The Saggy Baggy Elephant, wherein Mom would record herself reading the book for my sister and I. We then could take the tape and read along while she did housework or whatever. She did this with several of our favorite books -- oh, how I wished we still had those tapes. Mom, any idea where they could be?

Bikes and animal heads

2008-05-01T09:04:00.002-07:00

I need to post more about things that interest me, that intrigue me, that give me a chance to look at things in a new light. I've got several posts in draft form that are just waiting to go live, but I can't seem to find the time to tweak the content. I'll see what I can do to get these little tid-bits of thought and inspiration out in the open.

In the meantime, here's a video that I really dig:

Bats for Lashes: "What's a Girl To Do"

An interview with the director about making the video. When I read about projects or film shoots that went awry, where things had to be re-shot and redone, I don't bat an eye. I nod and think to myself, "yes, been there, done that." It's all part of the artistic process. Sometimes you have to redo everything in order to see your vision through, even if cameras, computers, or the most basic technology happen to work against you.

All this talk of bikes and kids with animal heads reminds me of this bit of freakish-ness:

One Got Fat, a bike safety film from 1963. Directed by Dale Jennings and narrated by Edward Everett Norton, of "Fractured Fairy Tales" fame. You know, we need more safety and instructional films like this. Freak the kids into submission.

Primal Screen DVD Show Reel

2008-04-22T09:57:00.002-07:00

I designed and animated these characters for the company I used to work for, Primal Screen, in 2006. It was for Primal's DVD Show Reel. I loved working on these guys. Loads of fun. I animated them in pencil and paper and then had the drawings scanned into Photoshop, composited together in After Effects, and then exported QT movies into Flash. There, animator Joe Kubesheski traced over my rough pencil animation to create the final look of the characters and their movements. He did some tweaking here and there, as well. Both he and Jeremy Seymour worked on Flash animation. Overall design and concept by Rick Newcomb (he was also the art director). Sound design by Stephen Mank. He's the man.

I originally uploaded this on YouTube, but DANG. This looks much, much better. I'm impressed. I know that a lot of people are down on Flickr for adding videos, but hey, I'm okay with it if they can keep the quality of the videos looking like this. Very nice.

Here are some screen grabs:

The concept called for four different types of characters, with each having their own way of transitioning to a separate menu. The transisitions had to be original and take the viewer completely by surprise. I had a great time brainstorming, trying to come up with some fun ideas for these guys. For the blue guy on the far right, I thought it would be funny if when you select him, you somehow disengage his hovering ability. That's why he falls right away and reluctantly gets up.

Here's the inside menu for the blue guy, designed and animated by Rick. In fact, Rick did all the internal menus for all the characters. Wonderful work. Below is the menu for the dual-faced orange guy. He was originally designed by an intern, but I went in and re-designed him so he'd better fit with the look of the other guys.

This is my favorite transition:

Poor guy. I think we dubbed him "Cuddles." There's so much pathos going on with this green one. When you see him walk up to the main menu, he's walking very intently, like he's a man on a mission. Like someone wronged him and he's fixin' to go all Bronson on 'em. But his demeanor totally changes once he plops down and starts to caress his tail. That tail -- what a strange relationship Cuddles has with his appendage. Do you find it interesting that the same thing that provides security and comfort for him also takes his head off? So, it's a false sense of security, I guess. Go figure. Kinda demented, but cute. He's my kids' favorite, of course.

During repeat viewings, be sure to check out how each of the characters exit the scene when a particular section is selected.

Cuddles' menu:

This is the menu for the dude on the left. I love his transition, too. It was a stroke of luck for me to have his nose become some sort of alternate arm, making it easier for the guy to pry himself apart. Playing around with some visual trickery there.

For the easter egg part of the DVD, when you select the Primal Screen logo up at the top, you're taken to a whole different world (dimension?), featuring one final character. Here's the menu for that guy.

Once I posted it up on my YouTube last week, Aaron of the excellent all-Flash blog, Cold Hard Flash, immediately posted about it, scooping me on my own content! Oh well, it's nice to be noticed, anyway. Thanks for the mention, Aaron!

This project has been winning design awards left and right, including The Art Directors Club (this link features more details about the project), The Create Awards, and BDA/Promax (where it won a Gold).

It was also featured in last year's How Design Annual, voted "Outstanding Motion Design" in the April '07 issue. Designer Jeff Andrews was kind enough to scan the page from the magazine and post it on his blog. However, I'd love a copy of this magazine for myself. Anyone got an extra copy? I'll pay ya for it. The cover can be seen on the left there. Many thanks!

One last thing: If you go to Primal's website, there's a splash screen featuring other characters designed by me that were featured throughout the show reel. They just weren't on the main menu.

Pulp Covers

2008-04-16T13:01:00.004-07:00

Occasionally, when I'm browsing for some neato vintage finds, I'll come across a pulp paperback novel with a great cover. Below you'll find a few worth noting. For an added bonus, these novels have some great synopses written up, either on the back cover or right when you open the front cover:

The Girl in 304, by Harold R. Daniels. Cover art by Walter Brooks. 1956.

On the back cover:

Standing in front of her mirror in Room 304, slipping on her yellow dress for the Sunday evening's work, Lucy Carter wearily hoped the bright color would be the bait she needed for a successful night.

Sometimes, though, it could hook the worst sort of fish...like Lt. Cox, whom she'd refused to pay off....

Still, these were the risks of her trade. But when Sheriff Ed Masters found her the next day in the weeds of the Georgia swamland, the risks were over for Lucy Carter...and just beginning for the man who had ended them.

The Man Who Got Even With God, by Reverend M. Raymond, O.C.S.O. (Originally written in 1941, this printing: 1963.) No credit for cover art.

On the back cover:

"I'll get even. I always do," said John Green Hanning, the violent-tempered schoolboy. He was stating the principle that would govern his life. His teachers knew him as the boy with a chip on his shoulder. As a young man he "got even" with his father in a violent, evil way. He became a cowboy who refused to become friends with anyone. He was an outsider, all the way.

But there came a change–a complete transformation of character. The man who couldn't get along with anybody became a Trappist lay brother and got along with everybody.

Brother Joachim, who was John Hanning, sounds like a character out of fiction, yet his story is as real as the world he left and the world he entered. Father Raymond, a Trappist monk at the same monastery, tells the story of this ex-cowboy–a life as fascinating, as moving, as any fiction.

(The cover art wraps around to the back. I might have to scan the whole thing and upload it later.)

In a Deadly Vein, by Brett Halliday. Cover art by Bob McGinnis. (Originally titled "Murder Wears a Mummer's Mask", written in 1943, this printing: 1962.)

From the inside cover:

I'm on vacation when I meet this gorgeous trick with a head of golden hair that's worth half of Fort Knox. Her old man has found a mine worth the other half. Putting them together, she stacks up as a lucky girl.

Then she disappears. With her looks, and her old man's loot, I figure she's a diamond-studded candidate for the morgue.

That makes her my dish. After all, murder and blondes are my business.

Man, I totally want to read this now.

More about old paperbacks:

Pop Sensation: blog.
Pulp Fiction: Flickr group.
Vintage Paperbacks: site with tons of images.

RIP: Ollie Johnston

2008-04-15T09:28:00.003-07:00

The big news in the animation industry is the sad passing of the last of Disney's Nine Old Men, the great Ollie Johnston.

My heart goes out to his immediate family and friends during this time of mourning. It's never easy when a loved one passes on -- and for someone who was 95, there's so much history there. Ollie's life was full, vibrant, and touched millions of people on this earth. Not many can said of this achievement. I have so much gratitude for this man. He'll certainly be missed.

May you rest in peace, Ollie.

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I wrote about meeting Ollie and his co-hort in animated crime, Frank Thomas, back in 2005: Meeting Giants.

More on Ollie's life and career can be found here:

Cartoon Brew: Ollie Johnston 1912-2008

Animation historian John Canemaker sent in a wonderful tribute to Ollie on Cartoon Brew: Canemaker on Ollie Johnston.

Cartoonist and caricaturist Pete Emslie has a great remembrance of Ollie on his blog: The Cartoon Cave: Ollie Johnston.

Ollie's work is extensive. Here's a quick lowdown of what he's accomplished:

His Disney feature work.
His Disney shorts work.

Ollie on Wikipedia.
Frank & Ollie: Frank & Ollie's official site.

Ava Thursday: Pap Paw's Birthday Card

2008-04-10T17:59:00.005-07:00

My Dad and his wife came to visit us for the first time this past February. We had a blast. During the course of their visit, Dad celebrated his 67th birthday. What would be the perfect gift for a man his age? Well, I wrangled the kids up to make some birthday cards for him, of course! Naturally.

This is what Ava came up with:

The front.

The inside.

On the back, Ava added a little logo down in the lower right-hand corner, "Daddy Cards." I had made a card with that logo on it a while back and she really liked it. So this is her version. Love little details like that.

Oh, and here's Ezra's card:

I think it says his name over and over.

He was real proud of it.

Ava then got all creative and us and made this Crayon wrapper sculpture-thingy:

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I've been meaning to do a follow-up post on Marjane Satrapi's talk from Monday night. I'm working on it. I took some good notes, but most of it's chicken scratch, so whatever I type out will be paraphrased. She had some good things to say. Very inspiring talk. And very funny.

I've also been meaning to update the long-overdue Blogroll over there in the right column. Still have all my Atlanta peeps' links up -- what's up wit that? It's been over a year now! I'll keep the ATL links up for the newer version, but I plan on putting up Portland and NW links as well. Gotta keep it fresh.

And, one other thing: I think it's about time for a new look here for the blog. Feels a bit stale to me. Whaddya think? We'll see.

Reminder: Satrapi Tonight

2008-04-07T10:12:00.002-07:00

Just a gentle reminder about Iranian/French graphic novelist (and now, Oscar-nominated filmmaker) Marjane Satrapi speaking tonight here in Portland, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m, downtown.

More info about this event can be found HERE.

Hope to see you there!

Photobooth Friday: Fools!

2008-04-04T13:12:00.005-07:00

My best friend Lane came to town about a month ago. We haven't seen each other for several years. It was so good to hang out and be silly with him. We realized that this was the first time we've ever been in a photobooth together. Rest assured, when you get us two together, there's lots of conceptualizing going on. It was like choreography doing this strip -- we were worn out by the end of it.

By the way, that first frame was a re-enactment of a photo Lane and I did back in college. Har har! See below:

This was probably back in, oh, lessee, 1988? '89?

There's so much history between us, it's hard to know where to start if I ever decide to talk about him here on this blog. He's the closest thing to a brother that I could possibly have -- we're both first-born with one younger sister, so I guess we both longed for a brother.

There's some great stories to tell, but it'll all have to wait until I find a more opportune time.

For Andrea's Photobooth Friday Monthly Challenge: Fools. Yup, that we are.

Persepolis: Marjane Satrapi speaks

2008-04-03T09:16:00.012-07:00

I saw PERSEPOLIS the other night. I was swept away by this film. It's astounding. I'm having second thoughts about RATATOUILLE -- I thought that film was great and incredibly entertaining and totally deserving of the Oscar, but... I'm beginning to think that PERSEPOLIS was probably even more deserving.

Lots of great press have been written about Marjane Satrapi's film. Boasting a 95% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it certainly has support from the critics. Sooooo, if that's the case, then...why aren't we talking more about this film? It's a 2D animated feature film with some great animation, great story -- a true personal historical tale told from a single individual artist's view; a graphic novelist who's been able to successfully visualize her story up on the big screen. That's what all of us strive for, right? This is what it's all about for us filmmakers, us artists, us animator/directors, right? To be able to tell our story the way that we want to tell it, without studio interference, right? (However, I'm sure that Marjane probably had her ups and downs in getting her story told here. That's bound to happen when you convert your graphic novel into a film. But the end result is still 100 times more personal than any studio animated feature, if you ask me.)

Why aren't we screaming at the top of our lungs, telling everyone we meet to go see this film? We need to support these types of films or else we're going to have to subject ourselves to typical studio output. Base, trivial, executive-driven, vapid, stale studio output.

For the uninitiated, PERSEPOLIS is Satrapi's account of living in Iran as a woman, from a young girl with idealized visions of becoming a prophet, to growing up midst the Iranian revolution and forced to be stifled by gender politics and fewer civil liberties. Humorous and poignant, abrasive and tender, PERSEPOLIS moves like no other animated film. I got wrapped up in its story, its characters, its tone and settings. The graphic, stylized 2D world that Satrapi creates (in black & white, mind you) become flesh, blood and bone right before your very eyes. I was transfixed. GO SEE THIS FILM.

For all you Portlanders and NW'ers: It's worth noting that Marjane Satrapi herself will be speaking here in Portland, next Monday, April 7th, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 7:30 p.m, downtown. More info about this event can be found HERE. I'm seriously thinking about going to this. I'd love to hear her speak. Looking forward to it.

Links:
PERSEPOLIS official site.
PERSEPOLIS Wikipedia entry (The Iranian government's reaction to the film are mentioned here.)
NY Animator/Director Michael Sporn's take on the film.

You can help me out by buying Satrapi's Complete Persepolis here:

GO SEE THIS FILM. SUPPORT.

Heal Emru

2008-04-02T14:50:00.001-07:00

My good friend Emru Townsend has been diagnosed with leukemia and now needs a bone marrow transplant. Hailing from Montreal, Emru started up the excellent fpsmagazine, an online (former print) magazine that boasts some of the best writing about the animation industry you'll find today. (He's a big big fan of stop-motion, by the way. And anime.) I met him at Ottawa several years ago and was astounded by his knowledge of the art-form. Plus, the dude never stopped talking. I was left speechless by the guy. Now, I'm afraid, his voice could be silenced. And I don't want that to happen. He and his sister have started up a site for others out there to learn more about Emru's situation, as well as about donating bone marrow:

Heal Emru

There's a great deal of info to read through on that site, so here's a direct link to the FAQ page: Heal Emru FAQ

I've never donated bone marrow before, but this has prompted me to do something about it.

From the site:

In mid-December, Emru was diagnosed with leukemia, and a condition called monosomy 7. Due to the monosomy 7, he has an increased risk of the leukemia coming back, no matter how successful chemotherapy is. This is where you can help save his life.

Emru needs a bone marrow transplant. This kind of therapy is administered through a transplant of bone marrow stem cells from a matching donor. The highest chances for a match are from siblings, but his only sister is not a match. As a result, he must to turn to national and international bone marrow registries to find a compatible donor. There are 11 million donors worldwide, but there is still no guarantee that he will find a match: The chances of matching another person can be as high 1 in 450 or lower than 1 in 750,000. Time is of the essence as the optimal window of opportunity is in the first few months after remission.

Emru's situation is tricky because of his ethnic background. That's why I'm sending this out to everyone I know. The more people know, the better his chances. More about Emru's chances from the site:

Q: Who is more likely to match a recipient?
A: There is a greater chance that someone from the same ethnic background will match, but the match can come from anybody. Emru will be harder to match because there are fewer people in the general immediate population with the same ethnic background.

Emru's ethnic background is mostly people of African descent, and his parents are from Jamaica and Trinidad; essentially, the more black people and West Indians donate, the better it is statistically. However, this only increases his chances. Anyone from any background might be a match. The match may come from the most unexpected donor, or may help someone else who is waiting for a donor.

Please help. Do whatever you can. Send this out to everyone you know. Donate bone marrow. Anything. Even if you might not have the same ethnic background as Emru, donate anyway -- you'll be helping others out who might be looking for a match.

Want to email Help Emru? Here: info@healemru.com.

One Whole Year

2008-03-27T11:00:00.004-07:00

This week marks one year living in Portland. It's wild to think that it's been one whole year. Time certainly has flown by.

In the next couple of days, I plan on uploading more photos of The Big Move from one year ago. Where we traveled from Decatur, Georgia, to Decatur, Illinois. Then from Illinois to Oregon. It was a fantastic trip.

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So, yes! I'm back. Things are slowing down for me here at work -- slow enough for me to timidly poke my head back into The Ward-O-Matic. It's been a wild & crazy two months, but the break from the blog was totally worth it. I sorely needed that time to do my thang at work. Even though production is still going strong on this particular job, the biggest hurdles have been thoroughly cleared. For now, at least. You never know in this line of work, though.

Lots has been going on during these past two months. On the home front, I was finally able to break in my dreamy, massive Galant desk from IKEA that's now in place downstairs in my recently-cleaned out basement workspace. And even though the breaking in was for work purposes, hopefully down the road I'll be able use my desk for good, not evil. With the desk finally up and running, I've been doing a bit of decorating, which includes putting up my favorite starburst clock.

The following is what happens when you mix late-night decorating, a mid-century wall clock, and a camera:

We'll Be Right Back

2008-02-08T15:19:00.000-08:00

Often I'm asked "how do you find the time?" when it comes to this blog. Honestly, I don't really know. I never have a good answer to that question, so the person asking the question tends to leave flustered. Obviously, I don't give them what they were looking for. Straight up, most of the posts on this blog are created long before I post them. I then eek out time here and there, updating and adding new things to the draft until I find it necessary to finally post it. Some posts take months to write out. Some are done in minutes. The key factor is finding the time. And now, I'm afraid, I do not have the time. At all.

I'm putting a halt to The Ward-O-Matic for the time being. Whenever I've taken a break in the past, it seems like a good idea at the time, but I never adhere to it. I tend to post something, anything -- just so long as it seems like I'm still alive and/or give off the impression that I care about this blog thing. I guess that's pretty much what motivates me to keep blogging, though -- I feel I have an obligation to fulfill. And I want to share my stuff. Again, I always manage to find the time to sit and write a bit, scan a book (or two), post neato links, etc. Because I love doing this, I'll always manage to find the time.

Be that as it may, this time it's different. I'm about to embark on a ambitious job and it's going to stretch and pull me in ways that I've never been stretched or pulled before. I don't want to go so far as calling it a "make or break" situation, but, to quote De La Soul: "stakes is high". All extraneous time will be devoted to this particular job -- no time to blog or upload scans to my Flickr. A total and complete lockdown, people. Should be interesting.

It's odd for me to say goodbye for a while, but I know it's necessary. I don't even want to do a short, "I'm still here!" post, either. I fear that if I keep that door open, it'll only keep me from doing what I need to do at this point, and that's to focus all my energy and efforts on this job. I know you all understand. I'll still check out blogs and such, but I probably won't comment. I can't say I'll get back in touch with you if you email me, either. I'm still debating whether or not I'll keep my Facebook updated. At any rate, just wanted to let you all know that for the next three months, there won't be any new updates here.

Never fear, though! Once I'm back, it'll be as if I've never left. I promise.

See ya in May.

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One thing before I go, I'll be speaking at IUPUI on Tuesday, February 12th (right around the corner). Check this link for more info. This'll be my second time speaking there. My ol' Primal buddy, Brian Ludwick has asked me to come back to speak, and I appreciate the great honor in doing so. Can't wait.

Ava Thursday: Self Portrait

2008-01-31T10:19:00.000-08:00

"Daddy did I do good?"

That sweet, delicate handwriting in the upper right-hand corner speaks volumes to me. While waiting in the car, I handed Ava my sketchbook and a pen for her to draw whatever she wanted. This is what she drew. A wonderful self portrait of a 7 year-old girl, growing up and being fully aware of the details around her. The question in the corner is a loaded one. Upon reading it, I immediately gave her a smile and said, "Oh, yes, sweetie -- you did an amazing job!" But I couldn't help but think about how much that question means to Ava. Obviously, it means that she's trying her best here. And she definitely wants to appease me, since she sees me draw all the time. But I never want her to gauge how well she's doing based off others' comments and opinions -- I want her to judge her own work for herself. But that's a lofty concept for a 7 year-old. At this stage in her development, she wants encouragement from her family. And that's what we try to give her, as much as we possibly can.

After Ava's self portrait, you turn the page and you come upon this. More self portraits. Of a little girl's hands. A sweet, delicate little artist's hands.

Drawings for you

2008-01-24T12:38:00.000-08:00

Well, you asked for it:

Start it off with Grandmaster Flash. Bonus points if you know where that quote came from.

One of my favorite characters in The Office. I should draw the entire cast some day. Yeah, right! Like I've got time to do that!

A character I'm working on. Tell me what you think. Took the ol' Prismacolor pencils out for a spin. Forgot how good those pencils feel on paper.

Ezra likes to taunt and bug Ava. It's his vocation. And what he's saying? From a Spongebob episode, natch. Probably a Plankton line.

Ava has a hole in her smile. Ezra has shoooz.

I see that dude over to the left on the bus all the time, playing with his phone.

More Prismacolor action. Click to view larger.

Busy busy this week. I'll probably take a break from posting for a while. Things are just way too crazy for me right now. I'm sure you'll understand.

and i mean it

2008-01-23T16:44:00.001-08:00

Meet Ezra, resident no parking bully.

UPDATE: If you cannot see this image, sorry, but I've decided to private all photos of my children.

Flickr-itis

2008-01-20T21:29:00.000-08:00

Interesting. This shot of my Primal Screen business card is currently in the #1 spot for Flickr's Explore for January 18th, 2007. (However, this changes constantly, so it probably won't be there for long.) Nice to see it on the calendar page. In fact, it's pretty wild to see it there.

Funny isn't it? Most of what you see in the Explore pages are pros struttin' their stuff. I mean, some serious camera-headz sporting their talent to pick the right lens, the right filter, the right moment. These dudes are deep in it. And here's this simple shot right in the middle of it all -- just a quick close-up shot of my hand holding up my new business card at my desk at work. No special lighting, no big props or special lenses. Just a simple Canon Powershot A610, and a super-cool business card. Honestly, I have no clue how that Explore thing works, with its "interestingness" and whatever-ness. It doesn't go by views or favorites, that's for sure.

For the record, let's check out a couple of my Flickr images and see what's the most viewed, most favorited, most commented on, etc.

Most Viewed:

Fallout Shelter Handbook: Cover: 11,585 views

Because of the mention on Boing Boing back in November of '06, it's been my second most viewed post on my blog, behind my posts on The Polar Express. However, I suspect it'll be #1 soon, since the interest in this handbook never ends. I get SO MANY visitors to my blog who do a search for "fallout shelter" on Google. Go ahead, do a search. See what comes up. It's crazy.

Second most viewed:
While You Are in Shelter, with 8,232 views. But only because it's right next to the Fallout Shelter cover in my Flickr stream.

The third most viewed (with 7,108) is also my...

Most Favorited:

Party Perfect: 117 people call this photo a favorite.

A delightful scene depicting the seemingly perfect 1950's teenage party, the cover to Party Perfect has been favorited by 117 people. And I don't blame them -- it's a fun and quirky image. Oh, and the author is none other than Gay Head.

Most Comments:

A tie:

Vertigo!: 34 comments

Sawyer sketch: 34 comments

But only because both these images were springboards for conversation -- trying to stay connected with all these Web 2.0 sites, and LOST. Not much going on in these conversations besides the usual, "hey, I'm with you on that!"

Other Flickrstuff:

Yet another time waster for me has been Flickr's new stats feature. What's always been bugging me was trying to find out where my Flickr images have been linked -- Technorati is fine, but you can only go so far with that site. Here, Flickr finds out who's linking your images, even if they're linking the root image. Nice. And don't tell me it doesn't feed the narcissist in you to find out who's linking you and your photos & images. Quite a fascinating feature. Thanks, Flickr. Thanks for making me miss my deadlines...!

Woman aircraft worker, Vega Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif. Shown checking electrical assemblies (LOC): David Bransby, photographer. June 1942.

I'm curious to see how Flickr's new project, The Commons works out. So far, it's a winner -- they've combined forces with the Library of Congress, of all people, and have been uploading some amazing photos. Be sure to horde some time away before you get sucked in. It's a fascinating journey you'll take through our government's photo library. Fascinating! Fascinating, I say! I love checking out color photography back before the 1950's. If you do too, then waste your time away, my friend. Incredibly crisp and stunning photos from 1939 to 1944. Oh, and by the way, I love the fact that other Flickr members can chime in on the photos, even noting that the image shown above is staged -- her pen is capped.

This week, I promise to crank up ye olde scanner for some quirky vintage goodness. I promise.

Umm...does anyone care to see any drawings I've done lately? Just checkin'.

ezra

2008-01-17T12:44:00.000-08:00

Back in August, we checked out a very cool outdoor market downtown and walked about the vendors, smelling the smells and ooed and ahhed over the sights. As Andrea went with Ava to get food for lunch, Ezra and I lounged about on the grass, underneath the trees. After some running around, my son stops and falls to the ground. I don't see him do this at first -- I was looking the other way. But suddenly I have this realization that the usual ball of energy I call my son is strangely quiet. So I turn and see him laying down on the ground all by himself, looking up into the trees.

He doesn't move. He's like this for several minutes. For those who have 3 year old sons, you know that that's like a small eternity.

I got real close to take his picture, and he still did not move.

A couple of Christmas goodies

2008-01-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

Like I mentioned earlier, the mrs. and I decided to mix it up this Christmas, giving each other only "gently owned" gifts found in thrift stores, antique markets, and the like. Thought I'd share with you a couple of fun goodies that she lovingly wrapped for me:

Oh, the wifey knows me so well. Allow me to squeal with girlish glee, yes? This was found in my Christmas stocking. She found it at an antique mall here in Portland. Thankyouverymuch. This is my second watercolor set from her -- you can see the other one from this shot of my old workspace at Primal:

It's the red one in the bottom right-hand corner with "Kopy Kat" on it. I should take a photo of the inside of that one. Some very nice lettering for each of the colors. Very art deco-ish-like.

I also got this wonderful children's 45 for Christmas:

There's no mention of who did the illustration on the cover (of course), but the character design looks very similar to Aurelius Battaglia's style. Anyone?

One of my resolutions for this year is to scan more of my old stuff and post them for everyone to check out. I've been sitting on all that junk for far too long. I want to share! I promise I will keep my word on this. Expect to see some great gems for 2008.