Liesje Kraai

I Am Iron Motoko

2011-06-13T17:53:00.004-04:00

Should have some puppet-y goodness for you in the coming weeks. For the moment, though, you'll have to make do with some more tutorial fun -

Here's a still from a test I'm working on. I've got all the futuristic gadgets up and animating in After Effects but wanted to take it a step further by rotoscoping over the live footage you get with the download, replacing the (rather rotund) actor with a more appealing Major.

I rotoscoped the 5 second clip in Flash and after some tests in Photoshop and Illustrator, decided it would be smarter to clean and color it in Flash as well.

I'll post the final if I ever actually manage to finish it.

I'm Only Dancin'

2011-05-20T17:20:00.003-04:00

Made this fellow yesterday - he kinda reminds me of my friend Adam from college with the headphones and all.

Next up, some cool dance moves.

Papercut

2011-05-19T13:16:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Photoshop, today After Effects...

Well, technically I started this Tuesday but here's how it's shaping up. Learning a bit about expressions and playing around with the Puppet Tool for the first time (I know!). More to come...

Photoshop Phun

2011-05-18T12:02:00.004-04:00

I rarely play around in Photoshop.

So, when I do and the results are somewhat decent, I like to brag about it. Plus who doesn't like Giant Squid?

Old Time Felting

2011-04-20T14:03:00.002-04:00

Last night - err, last week - okay, fine - Last month, I dropped by a cozy little gallery by the name of Hanahou for a show with the rather weighty name Four-Ring Needle Felting Extravaganza.

The show featured the work of four artists who focus on the intense but seemingly therapeutic art of felting. Specifically, the work of Hine Mizushima who I 'collaborated' (and I use that term loosely) with on a TMBGs' music video. Basically, she made the music video for the re-booted version of "Why Does the Sun Shine?" and I dropped scenes from it in to the music video Dave Cowles and I made for the updated "Why Does the Sun Really Shine?".

Despite 'working with' Hine and being Facebook 'friends', we've never actually met before so I knew I needed to walk the block from work to check it out, give her a hug and snap some pictures.

Hine with squid!

Close-up of creatures over her shoulder -

Her Ectoplasm series -

And some fancy jellyfish! And while I'm slightly biased in my estimate of Hine's Unnatural History work being the best, the other artists, particularly Yoko Nomura's Fractured Fairy Tales -

And Moxie's Icons & Totems & Pieces of the Past were equally charming and photogenic (this is the company camera, which I might need to borrow more often)!

I particularly love needle-felting as a technique and would LOVE to employ it making puppets for a stop-motion video some day. In fact, I've toyed with the idea of a re-telling of the Owl & the Pussycat set to Jim Stafford's Spiders & Snakes using just that...

There are planets you don't know...

2011-04-16T08:17:00.000-04:00

The company I work at full-time is gearing to move in to a new space uptown (W. 19th, not that uptown). The result is a slight drag in workload.
Fortunately, I can log hours under 'Learning' and whip up some neat looking effects with the help of hundreds of online tutorials - really, the only trouble is deciding which one is worth tackling.

For one of my first outings, how about some science!

It's mostly solid layers with fractal noise and some expressions, paired up with a lot of adjustment layers and the mind-blowing CC Sphere Effect. Seriously. My jaw literally dropped.

You're Going Places!

2011-04-15T11:00:00.004-04:00

The announcement of an April 25 release date for Inchworm Animation, a new animation app for the Nintendo DSi, got me thinking about the portable animation-station options out there.

Developed by Flat Black Films, which brought you the rotoscope animation in Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, Inchworm Animation has grabbed my attention as a way to make sure animation stays 'fun'. I think it's safe to stay most of us got into animation because we thought it was a 'cool' and 'fun' profession. Not to say that it still isn't (I love writing 'Animator' on forms as much as the next gal), but when you're changing the font size for the tenth time in Camp Rock 2 ads, you start to second-guess your career choice.

But video games are and always will be 'fun' and the idea of having a make-shift animation station tucked away in my bag is kind of exciting.

This helps explain my actions online this morning - while trolling Etsy, a favorite past-time during my downtime at work, I came across the Etch-a-Sketch Animator.

How had I not heard of this as a child? Why had my parent's not bought me one? Did it actually work?

I like how even with those sweet electronic beats

to back it up, "Draw it, Save it!" still sounds really lame.

A quick Youtube search turned up this great old commercial along with a few other videos of the Animator in action - enough to convince me it was worth dropping the $25. Honestly, they had me at "a dot that's hot" but the promise of "going places" with it doesn't hurt!

Of course, I could always just drop $15oo on a laptop, but will the Lenovo ThinkPad X201t play my saved Super Mario game? I'm already up to World 6!

Life Imitates Art

2011-04-12T10:55:00.011-04:00

In a lithograph dated November 1951, M.C. Escher brought the Pedalternorotandomovens Centroculatus Articulosus into being - 'generatio spontanea' indeed!

Escher, in his own words, invented the creature "as a result of dissatisfaction concerning nature's lack of any wheel-shaped living creatures endowed with the power of propulsion by means of rolling themselves up."

"In its fully stretched position this creature can move slowly and gingerly forward, by using its six legs, over almost any type of terrain... But as soon as it needs to undertake a long journey and has the advantage of a suitable level path for the purpose, it presses its head on the ground and rolls itself up with lightning speed, pushing itself with its legs... In its rolled-up position, it has the shape of a discus, the central axis formed by the eyes on stalks.... Furthermore, it is thought to be capable of retracting its legs and freewheeling onwards (for instance when coming down a slope or going full tilt)."

In 1951, Escher invented the 'Curl-up', as its come to be called, "to fill a long-felt want". Almost 30 years later, he might not have had the need.

In 1979, Roy Caldwell observed the small stomatopod Nannosquilla decemspinosa (Rathbun, 1910) performing a feat Escher only dreamed off.

N. decemspinosa is found amongst the intertidal sands along the Pacific coast of Central and South America. Reaching a length of 23mm, the predatory marine crustacean is a 'spearer', lying in wait at the entrance to its shallow water burrow, ready to ambush any soft-bodied fish or crustacean.

As may be deduced, these incredibly small crustaceans with their thin, elongated bodies can't walk on dry land which poses a problem when the ocean waves toss them up on the beach - a problem solved thanks to evolution. Much like Escher's Pedalternorotandomovens, N. decemspinosa has the ability, when thrown up the beach, to curl-up around itself repeatedly, 'somersaulting' back to the shallows. And by curling backwards, it becomes the only known animal capable of wheeling itself uphill (hmm... walk-cycle, anyone?).

And while there are many organisms that capable of rolling themselves in to near-perfect little balls - the pill bug, armadillo and pangolin* - very few actually use it for locomotion. In the Namibian desert, the Golden wheel spider uses it to evade predatory wasps, curling its legs in towards it's body and rolling downhill. Rolling uphill, however, is another matter.

In the end, Nannosquilla decemspinosa stands alone as an evolutionary marvel only an artist could dream up† - life evolving in to art.

*There's also this great little guy, the Armadillo Lizard.

†Unless, of course, you believe all that nonsense about the 'Fifth Day'.

Jeff Scher's Studio

2011-04-09T10:57:00.004-04:00

So long ago, I can't remember when I dropped filmmaker Jeff Scher a line, asking for some rotoscoping advice from the expert. To my surprise and delight, I was subsequently invited to stop by his studio in DUMBO for a tour.

I snapped some photos of his setup for reference, with the plan of sharing them here within the week. Then they got lost in the mess that is my personal computer.

Some spring cleaning turned up these.

I dream of the day when I can have a basement studio like this - I'll even take a loft or spare side room! Hopefully our somewhat listless apartment hunting will prove fruitful and serve up a 2BR for just this purpose.

Jeff's setup is ingenious and simple: digital or old fashion, nothing more than a projector mounted to a re-purposed stand or shelf complete with peg-bar, paints and whatever item he might need in the moment.

Some are purely decorative, perhaps inspirational.

And it's not only his setup I envy. It's the location too. Nestled between the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridge, the surrounding area is just as warm and full of life as the artist himself.

Braneworld

2011-04-06T15:19:00.006-04:00

Working with Dave Cowles can be a mixed blessing. On the one hand, I get a chance to play around with some unique animation techniques and some wonderful designs (one of the bonuses of working with an overwhelmingly talented illustrator!).

My first real marionette puppet (unfortunately, un-intentional)

On the other hand, these one day shoots might be the death of me. Started shooting about 10:30AM, Sunday, wrapped 9:45PM. Three shots. Total. Once again, a HUGE thank you to Richard O'Connor and Asterisk Animation.

Makes me feel like a real puppeteer!

In the end, of course, it's all worth it. The spot is a cute little commercial for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra starring a baby grand piano. Done entirely with puppets made from cut paper, black tape and LOTS of glue of both the hot and stick variety, it was a lot of fun to put together. I'll be sure to share once it's finished.

And FYI - cats do not like lights, tripods, drop-cloths or really anything else to do with film shoots.

Cinetropic

2011-03-21T10:15:00.003-04:00

Haven't posted in a while but couldn't help but throw this up here, even as a 'quickie':

The Bellows March (2009) from Eric Dyer on Vimeo.

One of my favorites from the Ottawa Animation Festival from TWO YEARS AGO - that's how much I liked it - has finally been posted online (or at least, I just found it online).

It's a film of technical genius and yet wonderfully simple. Here's a 'how-he-done-it' video to boot:

The Bellows March production/cinetrope slideshow from Eric Dyer on Vimeo.

Enjoy and I promise to post more in the future!

Why'd it have to be 2008?

2011-01-13T11:02:00.007-05:00

Why couldn't it have been 2006? Hell, I'd even take 2007! But 2008 means I had absolute no excuse for missing this incredible installation by the artist (possibly formally?) known as Banksy.

2006? I was in Japan. 2007? Well, I was state-side by the fall but being fresh-off-the-boat there's good enough reason to believe I wouldn't have heard of it. But by 2008 I was making regular trips into Manhattan a-courting and, by this point, may have even been living right across the river in Jersey City.

Allow me a personal moment here:

By trade, I'm an animator. I earn my wages working in Flash and After Effects making banners and motion graphics. But I'm beginning to wonder if I'm 'an animator', meaning if I had something I wanted to say as an artist, would my brain be hardwired, set to 'Animation' when it came to executing the idea? It's something I've been grappling with recently and I think I've decided the answer is 'no'. Makes it a little awkward at animation parties, like I'm more of a groupie than part of the band. I'm surrounded by folks who 'live and breath' animation. They 'have to' animate. They bring sketch pads to parties and sing the praises of Richard Williams, John Lasseter and Glen Keane.

None of these are negatives (some of my best friends are animators), I just feel out of place sometimes. This installation by Banksy is more my style. This is what I want to do: Installation - Sculpture - Surreal - Pop Art - ANIMATRONICS.

Argh... that was what tipped the proverbial scales. Throw in the animal aspect and it's almost infuriating. Why didn't I do this?!

A question which, thankfully, has become 'Why don't I do this?' Not this exactly, but why don't I pursue my strange passions, regardless of whether or not they involve animation? Biology, electronics, puppetry, sculpture, installation, taxidermy?

Luckily, I already have a few ideas swimming around in my head...

This is the Face

2011-01-02T15:27:00.002-05:00

This is the face Murray makes to let you know his Murray Food quota has not been filled.

Christmas Card I Write...

2011-01-02T10:08:00.004-05:00

This was the first year I decided to tackle the elusive 'Christmas Card'. I've made individual ones before for significant others and family before but had never branched out. This year, an idea came to me and I decided to run with it.

The concept: a quiet night in the museum. A tree stands out-of-place amongst the still forms. I have a peculiar love of taxidermy, dioramas and, as logic follows, Natural History Museums. I am not, however, a train-o-phile. That obsession must have skipped a generation.

A few folks (my mom, basically) thought I snapped a shot of a diorama at the AMNH and Photoshop'd in the tree. Here's some pictures to see what went in to my first official Christmas card and set the record straight...

The lions were bought at one of the only Toys 'R Us still in business. It took a whole day of driving around Brooklyn and Queens to find it (yes, I know... there's one in Times Square but I didn't want to trek all the way into Manhattan especially with the car). I have the most patient co-pilot EVER.

I spent a long time at the Toys 'R Us deciding what animals to use. The lions came in a 'family pack' and the cub offered a nice pose in relation to the tree. By the time I had finally decided, my co-pilot had complete re-organized the trashed section so that all the animals were now filed under their appropriate name (though we still aren't sure if we put the right cow under 'Holstein').

The Savannah tree was cut from a fallen branch pilfered off some church's yard in Red Bank, NJ. The tall grass, faux rocks and yellow 'earth' were purchased at various art/hobby shops.

The center-piece was bought from Ace Hardware through Amazon.com. For all my worrying that it wouldn't arrive in time it was the least stressful part of the project. It came already wired with lights and a battery pack, all I had to do was saw off some of the base to help it fit.

The wood was cut and stained while watching the Eagles destroy the Giants (maybe I should have cut and stained some more last Tuesday). Those pillars are a paper towel tube cut in half and painted. The floor texture and background 'painting' are images found off teh internets and printed at teh Staples.

The final card was printed twice, once at a terrible place called Paper Presentation Print on 18th and then again at an amazing place called Printicon, also on 18th. Make sure you go to the right one! I accidentally walked in to the first thinking it was Printicon and their terrible service cost me a day.

And for anyone looking to build their own dioramas, I found this user's Youtube videos extremely helpful as is his website, www.stormthecastle.com.

I Can Haz String

2010-10-29T11:49:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to set little goals for myself lately. I spent most of August and September pressed up against two massive deadlines, so figured a change of scale was in order.

These short-term objectives include exercises, mostly illustrating 'character animation' since I feel somewhat lacking in that department, but also tests using different techniques and programs as well.

First up, I hadn't done a whole lot of 'tradition' hand-drawn animation in a while. Doodles of my cat, Behemoth lead to a quick little test digitally drawn with the Wacom and then 'inked' and 'painted' in Flash.

Early Rough Animation

After clean-up, I exported PNGs with an Alpha from Flash and brought them into After Effects. For a background I wanted mixed-media, something like a dollhouse or diorama. I Googled about and found this incredibly talented woman's blog. I grabbed an image off of her blog* and dropped it in AE after separating out the foreground from the back in Photoshop to create some depth.

Finished MOV

Next, an exercise in 3D layers and camera moves in After Effects with digitally created cut-out characters. Will post character designs when finished.

*Call of the Small - I hope this is OK! I promise I'm only putting this on my reel and would be happy to send you a MOV of the animation for your own use as well!)

Liesje Kraai, Animator

2010-10-27T12:12:00.003-04:00

And apparently Crazy Cat Lady. At least borderline according to New York Magazine.

I was super surprised (not really - they told me last week) to find my face on a full-page spread this week in NYMag's Look Book. I'm also excited I got to drop Behemoth's name as well as get the tag 'Animator' featured so prominently. Maybe I'll actually start believing it.

Thanks NYMag for (hopefully) directing traffic to my new reel on Youtube, Rachel for the nice interview and Pinkyotto for the adorable, Master & Magarita (at least I like to think so) shirt-dress.

Fresh, Juicy Reels!

2010-10-26T13:39:00.003-04:00

Headed up to Ottawa for the annual International Animation Festival (more about that later). Before hitting the road, I made sure to squander some of my down time at work on cutting together a new reel.

It was time for an upgrade (new website coming shortly as well) and Richard was heading a workshop on sample reels so I thought it'd be helpful. Considering there may actually be folks looking me up now, I figured I should post it online in the meantime.

Enjoy! Suggestions are welcome!

Treguna, Makoidees, Trecorum, Sadis Dee

2010-07-22T19:37:00.001-04:00

When I was little, my brothers and I use to drag our parents to the armor room.

Now, apart from some hints of nostalgia and fond memories of Bed-knobs and Broomsticks, it's petty dull.

The same goes for Bed-knobs and Broomsticks if you were wondering.

Actually, one of my favorite areas recently got re-done.

I liked it better before - plus some foliage, minus a 'cafe' - but I will admit this lady looks much nicer in the sun.

I suppose two years living abroad ruined the awe of the Japanese 'garden' for me. Now I'm more interested how the ancients were also taking lessons from 'How to Draw' books.

I seem to have also become an admirer of fashion in the classics.

The expressions in this one are almost as extravagant as the costumes.

While he is looking rather chic in his crimson robes and lace gown, this fellow caught me eye as the inspiration for one of my favorite Bacon paintings.

And in case you were curious, the cats here are far superior to the ones found at the MoMA.

And now you know where Walt Disney got the idea...

With all this great art, it's a wonder Richard spent the whole day wearing this expression.

Back on the Wagon

2010-07-08T13:25:00.005-04:00

While my position at LBi technically makes me a full-time with benefits 'Animator', moving images of the Jonas Brothers around in Flash can be a bit draining on the 'soul'.

One reason I've decided to start giving myself little exercises to complete for a shiny new reel. Here's the rough animation for my first outing:

I've since cleaned it and started coloring it in Flash. Next I'll make a fun little background, possibly as a real, three-dimensional diorama (of the 3rd grade book-report variety).

And, yes, my cat really is that fat.

Directed by Michael Bay

2010-06-13T17:31:00.003-04:00

Been editing the footage we shot a little under a month ago for the They Might Be Giants puppet-extravaganza!

Here's a snippet of from the shoot:

I don't know if the explosion was a good sign, but I'll take what I can get.

Cupcakes!

2010-05-21T10:31:00.000-04:00

Frivolous post about some very classy cupcakes I made last night.

In between editing footage in Premiere (ol' school, bitches!), I whipped up these (hopefully) delicious Sour Cream and Fig cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting.

They're filled with fig jam, shhhh!

In other news, I plan to start a 'Fashion' blog. Possible titles include 'Spiders n' Snakes', 'Pea Green Boat' or 'Runcible Spoon'. Opinions? Suggestions?

Rosabelle -

2010-05-20T07:06:00.001-04:00

Answer —

tell —

pray, answer —

look —

tell —

answer, answer —

tell.

Bang bang, shoot shoot...

2010-05-14T11:26:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I got to flex my puppet muscles. Literally. I was sore till Tuesday.

(You may think Richard is hiding from the camera, really it's the imminent shards of glass)

Richard O'Connor at Asterisk Animation was kind, gracious and all around just plain awesome enough to lend us some space for most of the day Sunday. He also single-handedly played the role of cameraman and lighting. Like I said, just plain awesome and I don't think I'll ever be able to fully thank him for it.

(Dear me, Dave! That Opossum's as big as your head!)

Dave Cowles flew in from Rochester, NY for the shoot and managed to snag an award or two at the ASIFA Screenings later that evening. A Sunday well spent, I'd say.

(Johnny's most demanding scene)

It's safe to say the whole day wouldn't have been half as fun without the presence of Johnny(A). Playing the role of gopher/puppeteer/comedian, he kept the pace going and the mood up.

And I guess I should also thank Dunkin' Donuts for the copious amounts sugar we consumed throughout the day. You can buy a lot with 30.00.

(Paint-roller and Mogubgub)

Next comes the tedious task of keying... UGH.

Kanpai!

2010-05-12T17:06:00.005-04:00

Chin chin, skaal, cheers, slainte, prost! The moment you've all been waiting (even if you didn't know it)...

The new Hendrick's Gin global website is up and running. Check it out here:

www.hendricksgin.com

I'll venture to guess I did about 30 - 40% of the animation you see there. That whole LDA (Legal Drinking Age for those not 'in the know') page? All me. Contributed to the 'Gin Made Oddly' section as well as the 'Treasury of Tipples' and 'Unusual Times'.

It took a team of about 6 or 7 directors/designers/animators/coders six months to put that together (well, more like two years but that's a long story) so please, check it out! We worked our butts off and I didn't even get to enjoy the celebratory drink after!

Animal House

2010-05-07T07:12:00.000-04:00

Shoot this weekend for the long awaited They Might Be Giants video. It's been a long time coming.

Means this week was filled not only by my new full-time position as Flash extraordinaire at LBi, but also with about 4-5 hours each night making last minute mouths...

Painting rods bright green...

Keeping them out of cat's reach...

And wrapping their 'handles' with duct-tape for extra grip.

Look at him, getting into trouble!

Hit and Run

2010-05-05T22:46:00.003-04:00

I was greeted by this sad sight on my walk home today.

With our music video shoot less than a week away and an overwhelming sensation I'm forgetting something REALLY important, I certainly can sympathize with this poor fellow.

Sef-Portrait (with Cat & Gun)

2010-04-16T17:15:00.006-04:00

Spent most of my free-time this week at work drawing this.

Just in case you didn't know how much I adore my cat, Behemoth.

The first pass was done in Photoshop.

Clean-up in Illustrator, then brought back into Photoshop for color, etc.

I'm happy with it, though I miss clean-up with good ol' fashion pens. Maybe I'll break out the ink well next time.

Those were the days...

2010-04-01T17:51:00.001-04:00

Found these last night while playing with my HP Touchscreen.

Here are some folks I use to work with at Asterisk Animation!

Elliot!

Christina!

Here is my desk, clattered with Christmas cards.

Close-up of said Christmas cards.

Cupcakes for whoever can tell me what the heck Brian is doing there in the first picture.

Needle Pulling Thread

2010-03-25T15:02:00.000-04:00

Whenever I come across a dress or top I want but can't have, I tell myself "I could make that." Sometimes, I'll actually go so far as to buy fabric and think about a pattern.

The mantra "I could make that" isn't completely unfounded. I know how to sew, understand how certain fabrics work and can sort of operate a sewing machine. In college, I even made this -

So last night I decided to actually put a little effort into seeing one of these whims to its conclusion.

Here's the sketch with measurements and start of a dress pattern. With some luck, I'll be able to have a dress that looks vaguely like Debbie Harry's in Blondie's Heart of Glass video.

And with cats helping, I'll definitely have it ready in time for my friend's wedding in April.

Unfortunately I was too tired to remember to take a photo of the final cut dress pattern. I'll see what I can do about this in the future.

A Screening a Day...

2010-03-24T11:58:00.011-04:00

Keeping with March's trend here's another film I had the pleasure of contributing to -

(The one time I'll let Papyrus slide.)

David Grubin's documentary The Buddha had it's New York premier last night. Sold out, I might add. It's a good thing I grabbed a ticket when I first heard about it several weeks ago; There were little old ladies forming a waiting list several benches long by the time I got there.

And the response to the 25 minutes of animation I helped out on couldn't have been better. The instant the following Q & A session ended, the section of 'Animators' was bombarded with a multitude of audience embers with nothing but words of admiration.

Truth by told, I was a little nervous sitting down to watch the two hour documentary. As someone who has spent a good two months staring at every frame of select scenes, it's hard to take a step back and appreciate the film as a whole. All I can see are the flaws.

But whether it was time (my role in the project wrapped about three months ago), Richard Gere's smooth narration or just plain good fortune, the flaws went unnoticed.

My heartfelt congratulations to Brian, Richard, Christina, Marina, Doug, Fran, Elliot, Larry, Carolyn, Kristin, Kelly and of course, the venerable Ed Smith.

Oh, and Johnny A.

Mazel Tov!

2010-03-04T10:43:00.005-05:00

Last Spring I got pulled on to a web series by Nick Fox-Geig. The goal was to animate a chapter of the Torah a week. The first one I animated was a fun little piece set to music all about which animals are not kosher.

(Click Here)

Try getting that song out of your head.

Last night I got an email from the Producer, Sarah Lefton informing me that the film had be selected to compete in the Seattle Jewish Film Festival. Definitely something I never expected to happen. Awesome if surreal.

The only unfortunate thing is that you have vote online and in order to, you have to register. So any of you out there that want to prove how much you care (or if you haven't bought me a birthday present in the last 10 years) go here.

And VOTE!!!

Time, time, time...

2010-02-24T07:47:00.001-05:00

I completely forgot about this and the fact that I promised to post it weeks ago.

Bob Lyons was so excited that my partner, Chris Farinella and I were tackling some strata-cut animation for his class Animated Camera he decided to recorded the process. This is the result.

There are any number of folks who walk by the camera at some point - Stephanie Yuhas, Adam Cusack, Lauren Cipollo Etkins, Stephen Murphy, Kea Alcock, Justin Hillman, etc. Chris and I take turns shooting and handling the log of clay, though I think he spent most of his time behind the camera.

Look how cool I was with my shoulder-less black top. The final strata-cut is at the end, cut together from bits taken out of 'Take 5'. I'm sure I have the original footage somewhere on 16mm.

Once Upon a Pair of Wheels

2010-02-23T08:01:00.001-05:00

I love having a car in the city. Means I'm not restricted to the subway, can avoid walking in the snow and, once in a while, get to play chauffeur to Richard O'Connor.

For example, last Friday Richard and cameraman, Ben Shapiro needed a lift to New Haven. Specifically to the Yale campus to interview Helen A. Cooper and get some first-hand footage of Thomas Eakins' watercolor "John Biglin in a Single Scull".

While they headed up to the conference room to set up the cameras and prep for the interview, I was given the task of parking the car. When I finally got back, the painting had already been unveiled. Somehow, this in no way mitigated the feeling of seeing such a work for the first time in person.

When I was younger, I was obsessed with Salvador Dali. Not so much his philosophy (I feel he was more a salesman then an artist) but his technique. The tiniest brush strokes for the most minuet details.

When I was introduced to Eakins in college, it was as though I had truly matured as an appreciator of the arts. Here was an artist and a scientist, two of my favorite subjects wrapped up in one.

There are few experiences in my life I can liken to those several hours spent at Yale and it's all thanks to a couple of talented folks and one Ford Focus in need of an oil change.

With two arms and two legs...

2010-02-11T11:10:00.004-05:00

Due to certain events that took place last Sunday, I haven't been able to draw, do dishes, shave, shower or do much of anything else properly. Believe me, I've tried.

As a result today's post will be fairly simple.

Here's the puppets to date.

Rabbit, Possum and Bear are done. Rat's half-way there. Problem is, I've gone about as far as I can since I need to start cutting fabric and using scissors at the moment is basically impossible.

I'm also not entirely happy with the Cat character. I think it's mostly because he's kind of unnecessary. I think I'll end up nixing him altogether; 8 characters is more than enough.

More to come soon...

Some familiar faces...

2010-02-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

I'm stealing this post from Matt over at ALTJapan. It's too good not to post (and animation-related to boot!)

Below each image is a translation of the Japanese.

"The Simpsons: a family of idiots from Australia. (Actually, only the dad is an idiot.) This is Bart-kun. He's cool. He skateboards into his house."

"The terrifying Yoda-zombie. Gyahhhhhh!"

"Very popular with children! A no-brainer of a gift."

"Best of Pixar Pez! Huh!? Is this Nemo? I think it's Nemo..."

It's nice to see that even in Japan, retail workers can have a bit of fun and get away with it.

If I could, I would....

2010-02-08T14:21:00.003-05:00

... furnish my entire apartment with finds from the Meeker St. Flea Market.

I don't know where we'd put this (or how we'd get it up the stairs) but how could I not entertain the idea of a retro-bar in our kitchen.

Upstairs is where you find the real treasures.

I want this chair-

This telephone table/chair/cat-hide-away -

And this cabinet set.

And even the things I have absolute no use for are enticing (that last one is a mortician's table).

Part of me wants to believe I'd have use for this but it would probably just end up collect dust.

The best though has to be the collection of dis-guarded paintings downstairs, apparently all by the same hopeful artist. This is the best and also the most unfinished. It's still there if any of you want to color it in.

Ancient History

2010-02-05T00:27:00.000-05:00

I came across this last night while ransacking my DVD collection, looking for a missing Paranoia Agent volume.

The video quality isn't the best and the watermark is unfortunate, but I'm cheap and don't feel like buying the proper software just yet.

The whole thing was shot using a good ol' fashion Bolex with some under-the-camera shots using an Oxberry. Most of the effects are done in camera, though most of the tinting was added in post, editing in After Effects.

Chris Farinella (the spastic face that keeps popping up) did the lion's share of the editing while I stepped out to a Simon & Garfunkel concert. Then I took all the credit. Lauren Cipollo (now Etkins) and Adam Cusack are also seen in some of the clips, mostly the ones shot in a park off of South St. Stephen Murphy is the man who couldn't act his way out of a paper bag. I think his performance is hilarious and he was a good sport about us dragging him all over Philly. I'm the chick in the baseball cap with the serious biceps.

Towards the end of the video is the part I'm really proud of - some simple, yet still mind-boggling strata-cut animation. I'm pretty sure Chris and I are some of the only folks at UArts to have tried the technique.

Tomorrow I'll post the timelapse Bob Lyon's shot of us creating the strata-cut animation.

Hooray For YouTube

2010-02-04T12:48:00.003-05:00

I've been pretty lazy when it comes to blogging lately. I'll try to remedy this.

For now, here's some rough sketches I had to do for work. We needed ideas on how to illustrate the "infusion of rose petals and cucumber" into HENDRICK'S gin. I suggested a Busby Berkley-style dance number with girls dressed in cucumber bathing-suits.

Everyone in the meeting stared blankly. "Busby Berkley?"

Thank you, YouTube. Move over Hollywood, there's a new kid in town. I'm sure you can guess what happened when I suggested Winsor McCay's Gertie for inspiration...

Men in (Stripey) Tights

2010-01-29T09:55:00.000-05:00

Last week, my brother David passed through town on his way to a reading with Sam Shepard and Patti Smith. We took the opportunity to check out Tim Burton's exhibition at the MOMA, an event I was actually slightly dreading.

Let me explain.

Like almost every outcast 'art girl' in High School, I went through the black stripes and eyeliner Tim Burton phase. Hell, I even declared a Tim Burton week one year (don't ask - if you don't already know the details, well, you're just not meant to).

Over the years, my outlook expanded and I began to realize how narrow Burton's niche was. Not to mention the fact that his films just, for lack of a better phrase, 'got bad'. I remember deriving some amusement out of Sleepy Hollow, mostly due to the 'Walken Factor'. But Planet of the Apes, Willy Wonka, Sweeney Todd? Ugh.

Beetlejuice was a blast. Scissorhands, wonderful. Ed Wood, interesting. And of course, Batman. Not Batman Returns. Just Batman.

Batman's a tough character to make a movie out of. So are most comic book heroes. Why? Cause they were born out of the comic book world and it's really hard to make that leap to the silver screen. Movies need a genre and what genre best fits a movie about a guy who runs around in (albeit rubber) tights? You'd probably say "Action" but I don't think Die Hard would have worked quite as well if ol' Bruce had been saving the day in skin-tight leather. Regular old "Action" is even hard to pull off. The better superhero movies (Spiderman 2, in my opinion) have thrown in a bit of humor.

But recently superhero flicks have tried to take the more serious approach. And it just doesn't work. Batman is especially hard because it's title character is particularly dark and somewhat psychologically disturbed (at least since Alan Moore's 'Killing Joke'). The Batman movies have ranged from the cartoon-ish (Schumacher) to the dramatic (Nolan), neither of which work.

Tim Burton's first Batman works because it has just the right balance of dumb action and macabre humor. Also, Keaton is kinda 'off-his-rocker' as both Batman and Bruce Wayne ("You wanna get nuts? Come on! Let's get nuts!") Burton's second Batman becomes a little too much about Burton.

But I've gotten off-track...

I was slightly dreading the exhibit. All I could think of was Depp's frightening performance as Willy Wonka.

Then I was reminded of Burton's excellent drawings and design sense, what drew me to his work all those years ago. And really, that's what's worth braving the stripey-tight wearing crowds - the hundreds of doodles and drawings of random dog-walkers and kissing couples he's brought into his own demented little world.

And of course, all the movie props from the films I loved in grade school (special thanks goes to my brother for blocking the guard's view while I snapped these photos).

You're all a bunch of...

2010-01-22T16:27:00.005-05:00

At least as far as Van Gogh's concerned.

MOMA - Part I

2010-01-22T11:59:00.001-05:00

Took my second tour ever of the MOMA yesterday (last time was for a Chuck Close exhibit). My brother David was in town and invited me out to see the Tim Burton exhibition. I'll save my thoughts on that for a future post. For now, let's just enjoy some art.

Rauschenberg, a personal favorite. It's in the textures and the way the frame transforms everyday objects and vice-versa.

View of a blonde bombshell from Rauschenberg's bed.

More mix of the dimensions. Not as interesting as ol' Robert's, but fun to photograph.

These boys seemed particularly taken with Lichenstein. For some reason, I was amused enough to take a picture of it.

One of my favorite Picasso pieces. I guess I'm a sculptor at heart. One of the other six reproductions is in Philadelphia, where I first saw it.

Stern looking gentleman. Probably tired of losing all the crowds to 'Starry Night'.

Last time I was here (for a film screening, not a tour) they were setting this fellow up. View from above remains the most impressive.

Next time, my musings on Tim Burton, Batman and Elliot Cowan.

The Distant Future

2010-01-19T06:56:00.000-05:00

Jeff Luce, a friend I met while working abroad in Japan, is a big nerd. Don't believe me? Just ask him to tell you his ROYGBIV joke.

Every now and again, he'll send me a link to something unusual and always awesome. Like this book -

Well, actually he just sent me some images from it. I immediately found a cheap first print on Amazon, no small feat considering most copies are going for 75.00 and up. May have something to do with this -

That's right. It's weeded (or stolen) from an Naval Base library. Already enough to make it worth the 30.00 I dropped.

Then there's the illustrations -

I'm hoping to post each page eventually, with descriptions or clear enough scans so the text is legible. It's really a great find.

One of the reasons it really works is the author's background in paleontology. I haven't gotten too far in the book yet (so I'm not sure exactly why rabbits develop hooves) but he does delve into evolution, explaining how environment can effect an animals genealogy through mutation and natural selection -

And give us what might be 50 million years in their (not our) future.

Old Dog

2010-01-14T10:45:00.003-05:00

A friend and former co-worker linked to this page yesterday. Many of you may not know this, but I'm a bit of a dog nerd. I spent a fair amount of time in my youth reading through stacks and stacks of books covering Afghan Hounds to West Highland Terriers.

Clicking through the site, I came across some great photos.

I love how owners can so resemble their canine companion and visa-versa.

It reminded me of my original plan for my Senior Thesis. A short film along the lines of 'Creature Comforts' using interviews with performance artists, beauty pageant contestants, etc. paired off against animated dogs backstage at a show.

Sifting through stacks and stacks of backup CDs, I managed to find some old character designs -

- and even my example still.

I'm not crazy about the designs. I feel like they're close, but not quite there yet. Maybe that's why the film never made it past this stage. At some point (when I actually have some free time, hah!) I think I'll give the audio a listen and take another crack at it.

*And since there's been some surprise over this, the Pomeranian is clay-on-glass, not digitally painted in Photoshop.

Update (With Opossum)

2010-01-13T08:24:00.001-05:00

For those who don't know, most of my spare time is dedicated to producing a music video for They Might Be Giants.

Remember this little fellow?

Well, now he has some friends. Ears and more animal friends to come.

By the way, for those interested in obscure factoids, opossum is the proper form of the word. It was shortened to possum later after it's first appearance around 1610 in Jamestown. Or so the internet says...

Cabinet of Curiosities

2010-01-08T12:11:00.002-05:00

A while back I posted an image of this great find I came across at a yard sale. I believe someone demanded pictures once it was full of oddities.

While not as odd as I had hoped (really where am I going to find a two-headed baby in a jar at a reasonable price?), here it is. Most of the items are from my time abroad.

A 'Lucky Cat' given to me by a student along with a 'Oni' bell, a gift from a co-worker at a make-shift birthday party (see Snoopy shot below).

A few objects are from my childhood. This is a statue given to me by my Opa, at one time a well-known family physician in Fairport, NY. I'm fairly certain I wasn't more then a few years old when he gave it to me.

Also from my Opa, though rediscovered just this past winter in storage-

Yes, it's a walnut, although I think my dad said it was called a 'Fairy Nut' or something like that.

Basically, every Christmas, my Opa would gather some walnuts, stuff them with strange, random knick-knacks (my brother got a vintage California State pin) and hand them round at dinner.

The Snoopy dates all the way back to 1968 and still (barely) plays. The most sentimental object housed by my cabinet?

My cat Titus' ashes. I'm hoping to find a nice jar to transfer them to, but for now I'm kind of enjoying the charm of a simple tin box.

Moving Day

2010-01-06T08:58:00.000-05:00

About two weeks ago, I said 'goodbye' to the gang at Asterisk Animation (hopefully not forever) and rejoined the troops back at Special Ops Media in DUMBO.

Then yesterday, I said 'goodbye' to DUMBO as our team of designers, animators and coders picked up shop and moved into new offices in Manhattan.

Goodbye Manhattan Bridge!

Hello Puck Building!

All in all it was the easiest move I've ever experienced (try moving two years worth of stuff across an ocean). The van even seemed a bit unnecessary. I'm sure we could have just lugged it all in one subway ride.

And while the office may seem a little lackluster (particularly since the lights weren't up and running yet), our 'Event Space' is far more impressive.

I'm actually kind of hoping it stays this empty for a while.

It's nice to sneak away for a few minutes and just hang out in here.

Not to mention the seventh floor view.

Otaku in Love

2009-12-29T07:35:00.001-05:00

In Japan, Christmas might as well be February 14th for most young lovers. In fact, if I remember right, Valentine's Day doesn't exist in Japan but don't quote me on that.

Either way, it's a time for couples to spend some quality time together, usually in the privacy of a secluded Love Hotel booked months in advance.

But what of all the lonely and loveless? Some of them (mostly those I'll loosely labeled here as otaku) have found a sweet, though slightly unsettling substitute.

I came across these images yesterday while clicking through my morning supply of blogs. Some are actually very sweet (again, in a strange, eyebrow-raising kind of way). Others though...

... border on the unwholesome. These are enough to make me wonder if I'm getting punk'd. But, regardless who am I to judge?

Fortunately, I have a some folks in my life who care enough about me to put up with my silliness this holiday season. But if I didn't? Well, I doubt I'd be sitting in front of my computer sharing a meal with the Doctor but, who knows?

Got Me Some Wood

2009-12-24T08:51:00.003-05:00

LIESJE: "You know what would be REALLY cool, Dave? What if we did this whole video with puppets? Actual puppets! No animation."

DAVE: "Great idea! Maybe socks? Like they're really amateur, handmade sock puppets?"

LIESJE: "Perfect! And maybe a few of 'em could even be made out of wood."

DAVE: "Great."

Okay, so maybe that wasn't our actual conversation, word for word, but you get the idea.

A while back, Dave Cowles and I embarked on a new music video for They Might Be Giants. A decision was made to not only build all the characters as hand-puppets, but also to construct several of them out of carved wood.

Neat? Hopefully. Time-consuming? Definitely.

Here they are, after a month and half of filling my apartment's living room with copious amounts of saw-dust and probably permanently damaging my lungs. From left to right, we've got Mole, Fox, Porcupine and, of course, Cat.

And here, following the same line, Rat, Raccoon, Bear and (O)Possum. Each will get his very own sock shirt with accompanying fabric/spring/felt arms, as well as button eyes and assorted other goodies.

The Bear is the tough one. He needs to have a month we can (roughly) operate.

Hopefully my plans of rigging his jaw up with fishing line and dowel rods will do the trick.

And yes, I know. The Raccoon needs a tail. And the Cat.

Mickey-san!!!

2009-12-23T07:23:00.000-05:00

One of the greatest assets I had working as an ALT in Japan was dozens and dozens of handmade karuta cards.

Popular in most Japanese schoolyards, karuta cards can be used for any number of various games, the most popular (at least amongst ALTs) being the 'Recognition' type games (you teach them the alphabet, spread out the cards, each with a letter, and then watch as the kids fight over the 'B' when you call it out).

I had all sorts - animals, shapes, fruits, etc. - but I never had any as awesome as these! Found at a suburban Tokyo flea market by a fellow gaijen (though I'll confess we've never met), these cards seem to have been made for me. Japan + Animation + Yokai!

Mickey seen here getting along quite well with one of the hundreds of various Japanese spirits.

And here again, in quite different company. Apparently "ano ne no ossan" translates into something like "Mr. You Know Who." I won't make any assumptions, but the mustache is certainly suspicious.

Mickey is joined by a few other recognizable characters (Japan, well outside Disney's jurisdiction, tends to 'borrow' from them a lot).

Donald Duck, with neighboring "American Soldier".

Pop-Eye and Tarzan make a rather unexpected appearance, though I'm sure these were in circulation well before "Stitchu" won the hearts of all pre-teen schoolgirls.

And there's been no end to the appropriation of characters as you can see from this 1980's menko card featuring E.T. alongside 2001's Discovery.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2009-12-22T08:05:00.001-05:00

In spite of the weather this weekend I manage to drag myself (and at least one other) to opposite ends of the island this weekend for two - TWO - concerts.

Friday brought the first (and more interesting of the two). A film screening followed by a short concert hosted by friends (of friends) Ian and Jade Marshal. I haven't seen them since I first met them in Toronto this past August (and it was a wonderful relief that they recognized me!).

The film? Clips of a documentary Ian is putting together about Peter Ivers. I entered knowing next to nothing about the man or the movement (honestly, it was the cast of characters on the guest list that intrigued me) and left probably knowing just as much.

After the film, Jeff Jensen, Doug Pressman and Co. played a few Peter Ivers originals, welcoming one or two guest singers on stage as well. I was told Doug had spent the last few days stressing about what he was going to wear. He finally borrowed a pair stretch-pants from Shari.

I can't remember her name but hot voice and hair (though I've never been one for cowboy boots).

Jeff upstaged himself by pulling this kid up from the audience. I believe Jeff is saying something along the lines of "Well, now your shirt is off." This was followed by an interest in having him double-check that they were both still male.

As for the other concert... You really don't want to know. It was so much worse.

Where Cartoons Go to Die

2009-12-10T08:11:00.000-05:00

Over a year ago, I took a job at a company out in Parsippany, NJ. Pay was good, it was traditional, hand-drawn animation and lasted a good three months or so. In fact, it would have been longer save for the fact that the ($1,000,000) project was canned about halfway through production.

Last night, while stiffing through my old hard drives, I came across A LOT of work in what can only be described as a Cartoon Cemetary, graves marked by folders and file names.

Here, some character designs that were nixed.

Here, some turnarounds of the final designs.

And a true gem, a pencil test of what may be my first and only musical number to date. All the voices were cast from folks around the office, including the hilariously crazy Greek Witch who enjoyed making voodoo dolls of the client.

What did you do this weekend?

2009-12-08T09:04:00.000-05:00

I, myself, managed to do a lot without actually, well... doing a lot. Friday night entailed a very brief appearance at the opening of an art installation thrown together by some friends.

It was Christmas-themed if you couldn't tell. While the paintings and friends were fun, there's only so much 'Early-December Christmas Joy' I can take. It's a good thing I didn't note what time we arrived - I might start to feel bad.

The next day brought a early evening trip up to the MOMA to check out one of the few non-Christmas-themed Rankin and Bass films, Mad Monster Party. I don't know how I didn't develop a fear of Phyllis Diller by watching this as a child.

The scariest part? The sleet, snow and sea of umbrella-wielding tourists swarming the sidewalks at Rockfeller Center. Needless to say, umbrella-less, we got soaked. Nothing a little warm apple-crisp and cappacino won't fix.

I also learned that when challeneged to a game of Jenga -

Richard's on my team.

Thanks...

2009-11-30T07:48:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my Uncle Pete for taking care of Titus in his last few hours.

Thanks to Behemoth for showing me how many other rad cats are out there.

Thanks to Richard for a wonderful home-cooked dinner last Thursday (best Mac n' Cheese!)

Thanks to Hiroko for treating us to an awesome and always educational day at the Natural History Museum.

And thanks to this mysterious woman here for finally filling up that empty wall space in my room. Of course, I still need to figure out what to do with the other half of the wall...

300 YEN!!!

2009-11-19T07:02:00.000-05:00

Speaking of Japanese advertising methods, here's a few from the streets of Sendai -

I'm not sure why this store thought a suspiciously tanned body builder in a Darth Vader mask would entice passers-by. Maybe it's the fact that he appears to be selling for only 300 YEN.

Here a familiar face turns sinister as it gropes the air with lifeless hands.

I'm not really sure what he's selling but that little girl sure seems interested.

To the Dogs...

2009-11-17T08:12:00.000-05:00

Every so often you experience something that can only be described as a triumph.

About two years ago I heard the song 'To the Dogs or Whoever' by Josh Ritter for the first time. The instruments, vocals, lyrics, all make you want to throw your fist in the air, celebrating the pure triumphant joy the music shares.

Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox is no different.

The stop-motion is refreshing and charming. The characters, well-designed, directed and cast, are easy to love and identify with even after only a few quick scenes. The shots and framing are pure genius, artful and emotional.

And as with every Wes Anderson film, the music is a treat. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person in the theater, the knowledgeable* included, who got the tender reference to another animated film starring two enamored foxes. If it hadn't of won me over by then, the strains of Bruns and Huddleston's Academy Award nominated "Love" certainly would have had me pumping my fist in the air in triumphant joy.

Simply put, go see it.

*For a more finely articulated toast to Mr. Fox, visit Mr. O'Connor's review here. I couldn't agree more.

Hemingway Would Be Proud

2009-11-09T12:10:00.001-05:00

For those who don't know I adopted a fantastic feline last Thursday.

His name is Behemoth ('B' for short). He's a black Maine Coon mix, has approximately seven toes on each foot and is prone to sticking his tongue out. He also sounds a bit like a Cylon when he purrs.

When I rescued him from an apartment housing at least 14 cats, 4 dogs and 3 children he looked a bit like this.

Now, thanks to the wonderful girls at Petco, he looks more like this.

Hopefully, in a month or so, he'll look more like this.

Windows 7 Whopper

2009-11-05T07:27:00.000-05:00

I'm sure we've all seen the commercials for the new Windows 7, almost as grating as those arrogant Mac commercials. Maybe if I still ate meat, Japan's approach to advertising would have won me over.

Documented here by my friend Eric Robinson, a resident of Tokyo (where he has a plush job designing video games for a major studio - he can see Mt Fuji from his office!) this re-envisioned Burger King Whopper holds 7 -

Yes, 7, 'all-beef' patties. Now, while I can't ignore the very neat and organized tray (try getting that at your local Burger King) I must point out that Japan's population has been slowly tipping the scales in the past ten years, though certainly nowhere near America's waistline.

Yet.

Like to take a minute, just sit right there...

2009-11-04T07:47:00.000-05:00

You should all go here.

When you get here you should watch the web-ad at the top of the page (click on EXPAND). Then, you should click on the ad and check out the webpage that it links to.

Somewhere on the webpage, you might come across these.

All of the above, I worked on, start to finish as my first official job for Asterisk Animation. The art is created by Steve Brodner with the animation and coding handled mostly by yours truly. I can't take credit for the great animation that opens the website (especially the super-awesome fire effect) - that's all Christina Riley.

Of course, if you don't want to click on any of the above links, you don't have to. But then you'll never find out what Big ERP is (we never really did)...

Boils n' Ghouls

2009-11-03T07:44:00.002-05:00

Last year I spent Halloween at home handing out candy to the two kids that stumbled upon my parent's house in Warwick. This year I got to take it all in from a spectator's point-of-view while waiting for Murray the Cat to get a clean bill of health.

Not Murray the Cat, but close to how he was feeling all day.

The best part about this home's decor...

...was their next-door neighbor's lack-there-of. Something tells me once Christmas comes a-calling, they'll deck the halls.

Or else...

Based on this kid's reaction I'd say this was the fifth or sixth time he spilled his candy.

And while there were some great runners-up, this boy won for Most Confusing Costume.

And, of course, Best Couples Costume.

Cutest, though, goes to the dog-topus (and French to boot!)

Lisez Ceci Avant de Commencer a Utiliser Votre Outil Dremel

2009-10-28T07:39:00.000-04:00

I bought a dremel well over a month ago and finally found a few hours this past Sunday to break out and see what that guy at Home Depot was talking about.

Unfortunately, all I had for eye protection were these.

Needless to say I wasn't able to get much done (apart from spend an hour or two pouring over the manual). Luckily, my landlord lent me a pair of safety glasses the following evening.

Rat's done, moving on to the Possum. I'm sure that'll make more sense in the future.

And yes, I'm wearing a robe I stole from a ryokan in Japan. Between that and the bandana, I look like some lame reject from a Tarantino flick.

Took a Trip to Another Land

2009-10-23T08:16:00.001-04:00

Last week marked my fourth Ottawa Animation Festival and I have exactly 0 pictures to show for it. You'll just have to take me at my word that it just keeps getting better.

Last year was decidedly lackluster in the short film section but, thankfully Nina Paley's Sita Sings the Blues made up for the depressing showcase of talent. This year, the shorts stood out while the features took a back seat.

My personal favorites? Well, I shall list them for you-

Git Gob

I had actually seen this already but catching it on the big screen made it even better. What's more, the filmmaker Philip Eddolls seemed to be the only interesting character at the Meet the Filmmakers the following morning. His process for coloring the film was refreshingly creative.

The Bellow's March

The best part about this film is knowing how Eric Dyer made it. Several folks were thinking stop-motion, others 3D. I geeked out (for lack of a better term) when I heard the word 'cinetrope' mentioned followed by 'what's that?' and realized I knew exactly how he dunnit.

The Black Dog's Progress

Wonderfully thoughtout film using nice stark black and white imagery and a flipbook-like set-up that boggled a few audience members enough to ask the 'how-did-you' question the following morning. Great sound work too.

Dog In a Burning Building

Made by the very talented Krause brothers, this film oozes fun from the music to the torn textured paper to the 3D to the hand-puppets. And what better way to end it than with a omage to the Muppets? The great thing about this film is that it's obvious Fran and Will had a blast making it and it's nice (especially when working the 9-5 grind) to remember why we all decided to do this for a living.

Please Say Something

When the film first started up I was immediately concerned. I had seen a film once before staring a cat and mouse rendered simply in 3D and trust me, it didn't end well. After a few seconds it was obvious this was one of the strongest, emotionally driven films in competition and the crude-looking digital characters were only driving the message home more. In fact, for all the folks out there that think animators could take a tip or two from live-action films, here's one a few live-action should look to.

I've linked the films that are currently online. I guess I'll have to bug Fran and Will for a copy of Burning Building...

Sock it to me, baby!

2009-10-12T18:26:00.007-04:00

Hey, remember this?

For the last month or so, in between churning out web-ads and trying to get some semblance of sleep, I've been stitching up puppets. So far I've finished a grand total of one.

In my defense, I really made two. The first was kind of a 'test run'. In other words, I botched him up. I blame my supervisor...

His nose was too short, the quality of the sock was terrible and the stitch was shoddy at best. I was about halfway through sewing his ear up when I realized I hated the colors and needed to just go back to square-one.

After several long nights involving many movies and some musicals (much to my roommate's chagrin I'm sure), he finally started to take shape.

Like my Middle School art teacher, Mrs. Swanson, always told me, "If you have to do it over again, don't worry. It always comes out better the second time around."

I'd say she was right. His other forest friends will follow soon (I hope).

We are the...

2009-10-08T15:42:00.000-04:00

Today's post may seem somewhat random, but indulge me.

I came across these photos on Facebook. An English friend of mine had been tagged in oe of the photos (the squid if I remember correctly) and it looked intriguing enough that I clicked over.

In Senior year of High School, I took a class called Portfolio which focused on getting a portfolio (duh) for the students who planned on studying some form of art in their upcoming college years.

We also had to write a few variations on an 'artist statement'. At the time, I planned on studying animation but mostly because I had no idea where to go to study the things I really wanted to do (puppeteering, animatronics, matte painting, makeup effects, etc.). I even went to far as to make my final project for the Portfolio class a (rather crude) animatronic bat-like creature.

Unfortunately, it looked nothing like this. I can tell you it was similar in color, about a foot and a half long as oppose to eight and could manage to 'walk' along at a sloth-like clip.

Fortunately, I threw out all the slides that had images of the beast. Instead, you'll have to settle for this awesome robotic menagerie.

Too bad this exhibit is somewhere in London; I'd love to see it. Maybe the AMNH will surprise me this winter...

Now and forever...

2009-10-07T15:56:00.000-04:00

Last April, Ron Tanner, a writer from Baltimore contacted me (through Facebook of all things to work on a 'short' film based on a 'short' story he had written.

As usual, the 6 minute read through ballooned in to a 10 minute, traditionally animated project. For those reading who don't understand how this happened, try reading a paragraph straight-through, no intonation, no pausing for effect, etc. Then read again as if you were actually telling someone a story. Where'd that extra 30sec. come from?

But, my complaints on actually having to do work aside, I really like the way it's turning out and figured I should share some of the boards.

Ron wanted a loose line for the characters. It's not very apparent in the drawings here, but will definitely be applied when moving into animation.

Speaking of, once animation gets seriously underway, if any of you out there are or know of students looking for credit, let me know. I'll be the first to admit I've bitten more than I can chew and would love an extra set of hands.

Day-Tripper Part II

2009-10-05T08:18:00.000-04:00

Instead of going into why I haven't been keeping up with my blog or promising endlessly to never let it happen again, let's just jump right back in to it, okay?

So two weeks ago I posted a image heavy blog about my trip down to Philadelphia. I seem to recall promising a 'Part II' so, without further adieu...

Two days after my trip down south, I hopped a quick and rather pleasant flight to Boston. Richard at Asterisk had called me up the week before, starting the conversation with the unexpected question "Can you fly to Boston for a stop-motion shoot next Thursday?" The answer was an obvious 'Yes'.

He may not know this, but I've been eager to work with Asterisk for a while now. I like the type of work they do, the caliber at which it's produced and Richard and Brian know how run a fun while efficient studio.

Not to mention the fact that I was being flown. To Boston. To shoot stop-motion.

And while it did fall in the middle (the Thursday shoot turned into a Wednesday shoot) of a rather tumultuous week, it was wonderful being hired to do the kind of animation I love to do, the type of animation that made me want to take on this whole tiring profession in the first place.

To see the finished (but still rough) animation, head on over to Asterisk's blog.

20,000K

2009-09-28T22:28:00.007-04:00

As you might have noticed, I took last week off. Between switching jobs (more about that later), catching flights (again, more about that later), stitching socks (you get the idea), etc... I decided it'd be best to ignore my obligations here for a few days, give or take a little.

But, I'm back and to start the week off nice and easy, how about some pictures of Japan? Specifically, Tokyo Disney Sea.

Japan boasts the only Disney Sea Park in the world, but don't get too excited. It's basically MGM Studios complete with Tower of Terror and Indiana Jones. But wait, what's that?

That's right. Nestled between Aladdin's Arabian Coast and Ariel's Mermaid Lagoon sits Jules Verne's Mysterious Island complete with -

'Journey to the Center of the Earth' and -

'20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'!

The later is fairly lame. The nostalgia was not lost on me, though, remembering back to the first time my family and I visited Florida's Disney World when it still housed a 20,000 Leagues ride.

Unfortunately, this version trades the (slightly lame) sea dragons of Atlantis for the (really lame) sea aliens of... umm... The Abyss? Not to mention the very non-Nautilus looking pods...

I seem to remember a squid at least, but I'm not too sure about that...

Day-Tripper Part I

2009-09-18T16:12:00.001-04:00

Did a lot of traveling this week, which thankfully, kept my mind off other things.

First stop, Philadelphia! I've been SLOWLY working on a side project with a writer from Baltimore, Ron Tanner. The piece involves cats (somewhat therapeutic) and about 10 minutes of hand-drawn animation (not so therapeutic).

The film is narrated by the main character, an old 'cat lady' hosting a afternoon brunch. I immediately thought of my friend and occasional business partner, Stephanie Yuhas who lives and works down in the Philadelphia area. We booked the sound room at our old college and spent a good four hours locked in a padded room.

Stephanie - voice artist, animator, writer, producer, curry and rice cooker... Is there any job she can't do?

Myself - trying to make sound editing look hawt...

The real fun came before and after, though. I haven't gotten a chance to just walk around the city in a while. First we headed to up to West Philadelphia so Stephanie could yell at some people.

The ice rink we use to 'hang' at.

View of Center City's skyline from Drexel's campus.

Then it was off to UArts to start the recording, with a brief stop at Hamilton Hall to pick up our Alumni IDs.

Afterward, we took a stroll down Pine, past some familiar sights.

Pine Street Pizza where the owner complimented me on my Greek pronunciation of 'gyro'.

Our old 'Slum-lord's' office and -

- preferred mode of transportation. Oh, the temptation...

Remember this?

Finally got a good shot of that Take-Out lovin' T-Rex! Would have loved to get a full-body shot but the weed-turned-tree was blocking it.

I finally headed out about 6:30PM, saying goodbye to the city that boast most murals in all of the grand US o' A (or at least it was 5 years ago).

Next post? Boston!

He is Not a Monster...

2009-09-17T22:31:00.002-04:00

June 2000. I had dumped my first 'love' (who was a monster) and was about to graduate. Holly Howe's cat had a litter of kittens, most of which had already found homes. She was worried the last, a small black ball of fur, would head to the shelter if no one took him.

My family was already supporting two cats, but being the headstrong, rebellious teen I was (not), I decided to take him home that night. My parents eventually accepted him.

I gave him the name Titus after one of my favorite Shakespeare plays (I wanted to call him Saturninus but my mom forbid it).

I'm sure everyone believes this of their own, but he was the best cat in the world. He'd greet me when I came home, watch me from the driveway when I went to work in the morning, sit on my lap when I sang, roll on his back for rubs, lick my hands (even when they weren't covered with human food) and even bring me half-eaten rabbits.

He was 9 and died this past Tuesday of FIP (I had to look it up). There will never be a better cat. As my brother once pieced together from bits of newspaper clippings:

Titus- He is Not a Monster, Love Him.

Thanks Skwidspawn!

2009-09-14T22:30:00.008-04:00

They Might Be Giants' new children's album is officially out. Released of my NDA-obligations, I can finally post the video I co-directed with Dave Cowles here!

In fact, I meant to post this last week, but couldn't find the time to shift through the external hard drives to find the 'decent-looking-but-still-compressed' movie file. This weeks, the denizens of 'teh inter-webs' have saved me the trouble.

Here's 'The Sun is a Miasma of Incandescent Plasma' OR 'Why Does the Sun Really Shine?' (yeah, check out that monster o' a title card!)

I'll go into the process and post drawings and such from it in future posts. You can also see some more of our (Dave and me) work in front of each They Might Be Giants podcast promoting the album (but you'll actually have to buy 'em to see those)!

The Job That Ate My Week

2009-09-11T07:30:00.000-04:00

Last Wednesday I got a call from a production manager at DCA, a company I had done some freelance for in the past.

The job basically entailed drawing up about 15 boards in a specific style to illustrate 6 videos to be shot for a client of DCA. The final videos will involve an actor and no hint of animation, but they wanted some spiffy images to catch the clients eye.

The hardest part was making sure i captured the emotions of the man in the video. They started off by giving me very simple, rough boards with clear directions as to the setting, time of day and feelings the actor would be portraying.

Not entirely confident with my abilities to convey these emotions through a realistic sketch of an actor I had about 4 reference photos of, I decided the task would fall to his gestures and posture. Hopefully, it worked-

Busy.

Stunned.

In pain, trying to maintain.

Explaining, trying to be hopeful. Kinda like me right now. I definitely feel confident a few of the boards nailed the emotions. Hopefully, you'll agree. In the end, the client did and really, that's all that matters.

It's amazing how much this industry is all about who you know. A little over a year ago I was commuting out to Parsipphany, NJ, working on a hand drawn viral ad for FLOMAX at DCA.

My college friend and former roommate, Stephanie Yuhas got a call from Phil Schadt, a guy she use to work with at the local art store in Philadelphia. The company he worked for (DCA) needed an animator. While working there, I met Brian Russell. About three months ago, Brian called me up out of the blue to see if I could start 'tomorrow' at Special Ops Media.

Then this call. DCA needed a storyboard artist and Phil suggested they call me. We have come full circle.

Labor Day

2009-09-07T11:13:00.007-04:00

In celebration, here's something I labored away on last week.

That's right! More G-dcast-tic Animation! What may most likely be my final episode was a fun one. Once again, my fellow feline-lover and current roommate Chrissy Fellmeth lent a hand (and wondrous Cintiq), helping me get work out of the way long enough for me to enjoy some fun in the sun-

- and a bit of history this weekend.

But today it's back to the grind. New job, new criteria, same short deadline. Should be good to post images by Wednesday.

That's a Wrap!

2009-09-04T08:59:00.007-04:00

Been one of those weeks again (aka - another G-dcast due by end of day)... In an attempt to run off one more blog before the week's end, here it is! My week in photos-

Some crew has been shooting a film up and down Lewis Ave. all week. While I'm sure Mr. Cage is not involved (his latest local film most likely wrapping up in post-production), it's still nice to see all that fancy equipment.

And a little further down, a different sort of roadblock.

This is a new area that just been renovated in the building I work at. The door's locked, by the way. I guess we know where the next Ghostbusters is being shot. "There is no Dana..."

Douglas reminds me that with the end of every week comes recycling!

Train Traffic

2009-09-02T07:36:00.001-04:00

Did a bit of traveling by train this weekend (more than usual considering the fact that I have a car here in Brooklyn). The results?

The first guy, more stylized, just looked angry. I don't blame him. This was at Delancey, waiting for the F. If you've ever been held up there, you'd know why he looks a bit irritated. The other guy, a more realistic sketch, was just nodding off.

I'm almost certain no one will recognize this chap, partly due to my terrible caricature abilities, partly due to the fact that it's suppose to be Steve Winwood, a la 1972. I just dug his chiseled looks, like some emoting Roman bust you'd find at the Met.

Unfortunately, I can't claim the rights to these awesome bitches. We came across this in the trash (among other more useful items) walking to the J about a week ago. I like it and figured I'd share, taking today's theme and running with it.

Man Bites Dog

2009-09-01T07:38:00.001-04:00

Ended last week with a picture from Japan. This week, let's start with one.

I've seen all manner of impersonations in my time. Good, bad, brilliant, weak.

This, though? Possibly one of the best.

I promise some doodles tomorrow for all of you out there wondering "Wait, I thought you were an artist? Where's all the notebook scribbles and self-pitying?"

No quero...

2009-08-28T11:38:00.000-04:00

In Japanese, the word for octopus is tako, pronounced the same as that Mexican delicacy enjoyed by so many chihuahuas.

This was and still is kinda funny to me, but it was especially amusing to my students when I tried to explain what a taco was. One thing I learned in Japan is that they love puns there.

Oh, and tako, not to be confused with taco, is also really disgusting.

No CGI here!

2009-08-24T12:00:00.007-04:00

About a month ago, I was doing this to books.

It looks like I'm killing them, when, in fact, I was giving them life! Proof? You want proof? Well, unfortunately, due to a looming deadline and lack of sleep, I neglected to take any pictures after this point. Oops...

But I do have this to show for it!

If I remember correctly, 5-6 books were rigged with fishing line to 'jump off the shelves'. One of those books had a 'flying double' who was rigged with a rod and 'marionette strings' to give it's 'wings' the flapping motion. About 4-5 other books were also rigged for flying, but these were 'stiff' (no strings), the 'wings' locked with metal struts stuck through the pages.

Hence the knife, which more then once, ended up nailing the book to the floor. However, I can't take any credit for the amazing work in post; Alex de Campi is the wizard responsible for that magic.

There are places...

2009-08-21T13:51:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday marked the first time I've seen a Miyazaki film since returning home from a two year stint in Japan. The result? An unexpected nostalgia.

The quality of animation, character design, layout, scoring, etc. has been discussed at length already and by folks who are far better at articulating these points than I. So, I'm simply going to comment on the nostalgic charm I've found in Miyazaki's films, namely Ponyo and another favorite of mine, My Neighbor Totorro.

One thing Miyazaki is a master of, which many Americans may or may not fully appreciate, is capturing rural Japan in his layouts and backgrounds.

Kannari-cho, my 'hometown' in Miyagi-ken, is a spitting image of the small town in which Totorro takes place, complete with rice fields, moss-drenched forests, rickety buses, half-hidden stone statues, a single-car red train and cat-bus.

Okay, well, I wish the last one was true but you get the idea.

About an hour west of Kannari was the coastal town of Matsushima known for it's wind-worn islands and shrinking pines. Having ventured out to the islands several times, I'd be tempted to say this is where Ponyo's story plays out (although I'm certain it takes place somewhere further south).

Many people describe Miyazaki's films as 'magical', further mentioning Japanese folktales and mythology as heavy influences. I guess as 'Westerners', it's only natural that we find ourselves so intrigued by the East. Why is anime so popular? Because it's foreign to us. And this only heightens the sense of mysticism.

Yes, there is something VERY magical about this setting.

But there's also something VERY real about it. Japan actually looks like this. It's Elementary Schools, Senior Centers and bus stops actually look like that.

But to most Americans, these settings are foreign, yet welcoming and therefore, 'magical'. When I first saw Spirited Away, I was in love with the 'magic' of it. Watching it now, I'm still 'in love'. But there's a fondness mixed in now, a longing to be back there surrounded by that 'magic'.

I worked in 'that' Elementary School, I visited 'that' Senior Center, I lived near that house. The foreign became familiar and now I miss it. It's a strange feeling and one that I honestly don't know how best to describe.

Corner of York & Washington Ave.

2009-08-19T08:54:00.002-04:00

On my way to work yesterday morning, I came across this-

Overcautious bridge work? Or cleverly disguised government cover-up of a virus quarantine? You decide...

I will warn you, though, I have been watching a lot of X-Files.

Beachtown - the beach = Nyack!

2009-08-18T10:28:00.007-04:00

Headed out of town this weekend to see what was what at one of my former spots of employment: the Renaissance Faire.

We never made it. Always one for an impromptu adventure, when Richard suggested the Hopper House 1/2 mile from the exit for Nyack, I took the turn.

I had only been in 'downtown' Nyack once before, to drop off a DVD to the They Might Be Giants folks. It's 'quaint and cute'. My problem with 'quaint and cute' is that it's usually synonymous with hippies and I'll let you guess how I feel about those. I also have a problem with 'quaint and cute' when there's no beach attached to the town.

But on to the main attraction!

Despite the negative comments above, it's always wonderful to walk in the footsteps of giants.

When visiting the Florida Keys one year, my mom and I took a tour of Hemingway's house. In a way, this was even nicer than that, being so 'off the beaten path'. There are guided tours of Hemingway's estate, Hopper has a girl sitting in a side room selling postcards. It was more personal.

Inside also housed a gallery for local artists. The outside caters to them as well, mostly in the form of outdoor concerts. Unfortunately, as far as the fine arts are concerned-

This sign was tacked up out in front. Apparently Nyack has problems with cat-burglars.

A few blocks down was this sign. Coincidence?

Now for those of you still upset by my negative view of the folksy downtown area, I'll confess it wasn't that bad. This book store (and it's non-human employees) saw to that.

Such unoriginal reading material.

Keeping an eye on everything; the store's muscle.

Tooting the horn...

2009-08-12T11:05:00.004-04:00

Like most other XX-ers out there, I enjoy buying clothes. Unlike most other XX-ers, though, I can't stand Sex & the City (so much so that I just had to Google whether the title was Sex & the City or Sex In the City). I digress...

I like buying clothes. However, to buy clothes, I need money. To get money, I need work. And thus, I have come to the point of today's blog.

It's been a while but I just finished up a new episode for the folks over at G-dcast.com. You should check it out. This week brings a nice little song (I can't seem to get away from music videos these days) about following God's guidance and celebrating the benefits. While I'm not religious in the slightest, it's a sweet song and (hopefully) the visuals echo that.

And FYI, my awesome roommate Chrissy Fellmeth lended a hand with the verses. It was such a relief to work with someone (that I also live with) and have it go so smoothly.

Our Town

2009-08-10T08:12:00.004-04:00

I like to think my little town of Kannari was the best in all of Kurihara-shi, perhaps all of Miyagi. Now, even I know that isn't true (how can you beat karaoke and kaiten sushi in Tsukidate?), but we did have this great little park on the edge of town...

In the distance, you can make out the bridge that lead out of town and to the 'secret' back-route I'd take out-of-town.

Every spring, the park wouldbecome home ot thousands of fireflies, thus establishing one of my town's claims to fame - the Firefly Festival. Although I did see LOTS of Firflies around that time, I never actually attended the official festival at the park.

I did got there quite often to just sit, relax and sometimes even sunbath which amused the locals to no end.

They could tell I was around by my signature 'Cherry Red' bike, passed on to me by the previous ALT. Lately, I've been day-dreaming about getting myself a bike here in Brooklyn. I think I'll try for one with working breaks and gears this time.

Been searching for the dolphins...

2009-08-07T08:38:00.001-04:00

Somewhere in between sorting out click tags and trying to figure out how to script three different sets of time-sensitive 'Premiere' messaging (I didn't understand any of that and I don't expect any of you to), I decided to do a random Google Image search for 'Amazon River Dolphins'.

Well, not all that random; we're in the middle of designing a particular web ad that calls for a collection of exotic animals.

Aside from finding some really beautiful images (especially considering the murky waters of the Amazon)...

... I came across this website. Immediately imagining my apartment covered with a menagerie of these delicate paper sculptures, I frantically started downloading PDFs. I was almost afraid someone would suddenly realize they could make money off of these things and stop the 'FREE DOWNLOADS'.

Unfortunately, I always loose in the end. Each image seems to be password protected and with no mention of said encryption on the website, I can only hope it's my home computer's copy of Photoshop and that I'll be able to open it tomorrow at work.

My Little Ponies

2009-08-05T08:34:00.001-04:00

While flipping through an old sketchbook in search of some blank pages, I came across something I doodled a few years back.

Now, I'm not sure what it is and I'm fairly certain I didn't even know then. Either way, figured this would be the place for it.

Enjoy! It's back to animating more Jewish tales for me.

Journey to the Center of Japan

2009-08-04T10:55:00.000-04:00

Looking back, I realize I neglected to post any pictures from Japan last week. As penance, I shall post a whole slew, taking you on a tour of one park I'm almost certain you have never been to.

Uguisuzawa's Mine Park!

Arriving in the parking lot. Out in the inaka, folks are big fans of scarecrows. If you've ever seen a Japanese crow, you'd understand why.

The Mine Park has it's own little mascot. This Astro Boy look-alike greets you as you enter. His mouth is suppose to move to the audio, announcing the beginning of your journey to the center of the Earth, it's jammed over the years.

It's hard to tell (low light and all), but this long, surprisingly scary tunnel is decorated by tin lanterns hammered out by little kids which just seems to make it even more creepy.

This somewhat unsettling scene is the first thing to greet your eyes as they adjust to the darkness.

Yes, those are Japanese animatronics.

And yes, they were just as creepy then as they are now.

At this point, the temperature dropped an ominous 10 degrees, signaling what in my mind was the 'Point of No Return'. We were about to delve deep into the Japanese interpretation of how the Earth was formed.

In this version, God is replaced by Lava Baby.

My poor memory mixed with poor image quality leads me to guess this was a picture of said Lava Baby's effects on the Earth.

This part I didn't get. All the lava stuff disappeared and turned into a 'Pan For Gold' station. The weirdest part about this section was that it was manned by two employees of the park who's day is apparently comprised of sitting by themselves some 1000ft below the Earth's surface waiting for folks to come by and hopefully pay the 500YEN to sift through a pan of mud.

After that, it was back to the history lesson with murals further depicting Earth's past.

That's right all you logic-impaired people, the Japanese 'believe' in dinosaurs. Than again, it could just be some 'mech' deposited there by an elite group of teenagers chosen to save the world.

Not really sure about this part but at least it was getting warmer by now.

Really not sure about this part- I'm guessing the plants are suppose to signal that we're heading towards the surface-world.

Oh, now it makes sense. This must be where those teens get the power to run their 'mechs'.

And finally, the end. I was somewhat relieved to see they hadn't locked in; we arrived 20mins before closing.

To quote the Ninth Doctor...

2009-07-31T07:58:00.001-04:00

I didn't even know about Wes Anderson's new feature till about a month ago when I stumbled across an article about it while 'Googling' something that was quite unrelated I'm sure. So, once again, I'm late to the party. But really, who wants to be on time or worse, early?

Normally, I wouldn't even bother mentioning it seeing as how, by now, everyone must be sick of hearing about it already. But after watching the trailer, gazing longingly at production photos and reading a barge of negative comments on various sites I felt I had to deposit my two cents.

First, it looks, for lack of a better word, fantastic. The visuals are fresh and lush texture-wise. As someone in the middle of assembling puppets out of household objects, I loved the use of cotton especially. I run hot and cold with Wes Anderson's films (as does most of the public) so I really won't comment on his interpretation of the story till I see it. As a child, though, and still even now I have a love and respect for Dahl as a writer of surprisingly 'mature' children's books.

I guess that's why it surprised me to find so many negative comments towards the film's trailer. Yes, yes, yes... the voice-acting is decidedly stiff. But have you ever seen a Wes Anderson film? Life Aquatic is filled with dead-pan deliveries and what might be considered stiff performances, particularly when comparied to the latest Speilberg schtick (all that screaming must get pretty tiring).

I guess that's what really irks me - the idea that there are people out there that think this would have been better in the hands of Dreamworks or Pixar, with a keyboard and mouse in place of an exacto or tie-down.

And I'll be honest, I didn't like Coraline. There. I said it. Trust me, I wanted to like Coraline. I even chose to see it over My Bloody Valentine in 3D. If given another chance, guess which one I would have gone to see now?

I know that Henry Selick was attached to Fantastic Mr. Fox before Mark Gustafson took over for him. I also think Selick operates one of the best stop-motion houses and delivers some of the finest puppet animation this side of the Atlantic (and I would be extremely honored and star-struck to work for him). But we should all know thanks to the likes of Jan Svankmejer, Fred Mogubgub, Oskar Fischinger and even those pesky Hubleys that not all animation needs to be the smooth realism we get from 'Beauty & the Beast' (a film I really don't like).

I guess that's why comments like this-

"I was really hoping this would be another stop-motion triumph. Unfortunately, it looks more like Robot Chicken than Coraline."

- kinda upset me. It's sad to think that a film can be deamed as 'good' or 'bad' based solely on whether or not it was shot on ones. Sure, my jaw dropped MANY times at the slick movements Selick's team was able to glean from those puppets. I love smooth, fluent animation as much as the next graduate holding a BFA in Animation.

But sometimes that slickness can sacrifice character and, more importantly, charm. And to me, Fantastic Mr. Fox looks to be brimming with both. Maybe I'm wrong, maybe I'm right. In the end, it's all about taking a risk. Some of the greatest films stir up controversy while some of the weakest are adored by millions.

Power Tools

2009-07-30T12:28:00.002-04:00

After a short hiatus, our They Might be Giants' video is back! It's undergone a few changes while laying dormant for the past month, so I could say it's back and better than ever!

What kind of changes? Well, for starters, it's not for kids anymore so we get to 'dirty it up' a bit. Rougher character designs and some more 'adult' themes... well, not those kinds of 'adult' themes.

The best part of the changes is the fact that yesterday I got to take a trip to Home Depot to buy this.

And last night I got to start sketching out these patterns.

I guess I shouldn't go too much further into detail. As construction actually begins, I'll try to post some obscure pictures that don't give too much away. (NOTE: Those who actually care about me might want to keep a running count of body parts. I almost melted my fingers together as a child with an iron and nearly sawed my foot off in college with a power saw.)

Counting the cars on the NJ Turnpike...

2009-07-29T08:41:00.002-04:00

This past weekend brought with it the longest drive I've ever endured. Sure, my family and I drove to Florida when I was little, but all I had to worry about then was what cassette to pop in my Fisher Price tape player next. Needless to say, I'm still exhausted and the top of my right foot is surprisingly sore.

That being said, it was an absolutely wonderful weekend, with some of the most enjoyable parts actually taking place while driving. Sunny skies, torrential down pours, fields of wind turbines, rainbows, sunrises, sunsets and giant electrical storms contained in clouds that looked like a whale coming to swallow the road up (kinda like this)...

Looking back at the pictures now, the one thing that stands out is how colorful the trip was.

Pinks and reds.

Reds and whites.

Whites and greens.

Oranges and yellows.

Yellows and purples.

And to top it all off, just as we were leaving Guelph, homeward bound, we came across these.

There are few things I enjoy more than dilapidated life-size dinosaur statues... one being the strawberry-rhubarb-crisp pancakes I had for brunch Saturday. Another, this picture Jenny took of me at the wedding...

Best blog ever...

2009-07-24T08:24:00.005-04:00

Somewhere in my Facebook Past I 'became a fan of' USA's TV series Psych. This was mostly due to the fact that J.J. of Sedelmaier Productions and John Grimaldi of 8 Hats High had already 'become fans of' it and I felt a bit obligated. Why?

Because for about six months, we all put together some 18 to 20 thirty-second animations for the show called 'The Big Adventures of Lil' Shawn & Gus'.

Produced, designed and storyboarded in-house at Sedelmaier's, the work was then outsourced to us at 8 Hats High in Middletown, NY (kinda like India but with more college kids). There we did most of the animation and all of the inking.

Animation was handled by John Grimaldi, Paris Hall and myself (I think Phil jumped in there at the end... can any of you Hats High folk confirm this?). The inking was all up to Sonha Bowen and your's truely. My hand still hurts from the thin-thick line we used.

Story-wise, they were cute, throw-away gags mostly. Visually, though, I'd say we did a damn good job... especially for a thirty-second spot on USA.

Foreign Foreign Food

2009-07-23T08:03:00.001-04:00

So where do you go to get decent 'foreign' food in Kurihara-shi?

Le Bonte!

Located in the 'happening' town of Tsukidate (compared to my town, Tsukidate might as well have been Manhattan) served up an interesting take on French-Italian cuisine including what maybe some of the best pizza Nippon has to offer.

The decor is strikingly non-Japanese; it looks like some strange take on the American log-cabin complete with drying wild flowers and herbs.

There were the stranger items, such as the 'salad pizza'. I'm sure I'll never see the like but, boy was it good!

And, an absolute treat! Decent French pastries, 'NY-Style' cheesecake and... oh, my! Is that creme brulee?!?

Of course, the desserts can't escape the occasional oddity. Modeled here by one Eric Robinson is a cup of coffee jell-o. To complete the coffee drinking experience, it comes with a small pitcher of cream to pour over it.

I once watched a fellow ALT eat six of these in one sitting. I've never been the same since.

One of us!

2009-07-20T16:39:00.000-04:00

Seems like all I've been posting these days are excuses for why I don't have better posts or pictures. Today will be no different.

This past Saturday, I got to see Cirque de Soleil for FREE. How? My cousin Fritz is part of the show. No, he can't spit fire or sit on his head. But he can play at least ten different instruments and had to in order to ace the auditions.

Unfortunately, circus folk don't like cameras so I had to rely on my camera phone (which makes the whole 'No Camera' policy seem somewhat silly), hence the bad exposure and graininess.

On top of the free tickets, we got to stick around afterward and get a backstage tour. Not as glamorous as it sounds considering it's just the Prudential Center in Newark, but still neat to see some of the performers hanging out and exercising in the back to Russian rap music.

And then there's all the masks.

And costumes.

And washing machines.

Fritz is touring with the Alegria show, which is all about birds, apparently.

Between that and the planes landing nearby, we couldn't help but strike a few ridiculous poses before saying good-bye.

There isn't too much of a resemblance. Maybe it's just the pure awesomeness we Kraai's radiate.

The colors, Duke!

2009-07-17T16:23:00.003-04:00

One thing I've noticed recently is how drab the city is. Or rather, one thing I haven't noticed since it didn't occur to me till I happened by this church on my way home yesterday.

Reds! Pinks! Greens! I've actually passed by it before. What caught my eye that day was Mary's original paint job.

(artist's recreation)

It's since been toned down, sadly. I liked it better before, actually.

It matched the fountain behind the church.

I don't know why I find this scene so attractive. The bright red bench with matching awning? The tacky blue concrete pool? The exposed lighting? The huge crucifix?

I think it's all in the saturation. Green, red and bright blue. The juxtaposition of tacky and sacred is wonderful as well, like those little religious figurines made out of seashells you find at boardwalks. Hopefully no one will find this one "offensive" enough to demand a new coat of paint.

And as more proof of my obsession with color, this great sign a block past the church. The awesome font helps, too...

Thanks for the memories...

2009-07-15T08:59:00.000-04:00

I’m sure you’ve heard the theory that smell is associated with memory, like how the scent of McDonald's reminds you of the three cat boxes you have to clean when you get home. My sense of smell is terrible so I guess my ears had to make up for my nose’s incompetence.

Beatles bring to mind my gym-side locker in Middle School and cafeteria lunches but mostly our family road trip to the Florida Keys. I remember my brother drawing ridiculous pictures of Ringo, my dad falling in a mud bank on the side of the road trying to climb a tree and a giant sculpture of a manatee holding a mailbox. All this just by starting up Sgt. Pepper’s.

Simon and Garfunkel are pure Arizona. 'El Condor Pasa' recreates driving through the Painted Desert while 'The Boxer' brings images of the train’s lounge car, ice caves, fire ants, and Winslow, Arizona.

Ani Difranco is synonymous with one name: Pam Sprecher. My best friend throughout my first few years of college, Difranco sets off memories of her dancing around the dorm at 3AM and the fact that she’s the only roommate I’ll probably ever have that stored pounds of pig intestines in the refrigerator for most of our Sophomore year.

College is also the first time I was introduced to They Might Be Giants so, naturally, hearing 'Birdhouse in Your Soul' conjures up images of the animation room, the Stop-Motion closet (er, I mean, room) and the frigid computer lab.

Equipment Room employee turned freelance animator (finally) Seann Corrigan introduced me to his sister’s band, the World Inferno Friendship Society just before our class headed up to the Ottawa Animation Festival in 2002. Now images of the capital building and hostel are mixed in with shouts of “Hey, Peter Lorre!”

Japan brought a wave of new music (well, new to me) so it’s interesting to see which artist invokes what recollection of my home away from home.

Josh Ritter? I get a vivid image of driving across the red bridge leading out of my town along with rows and rows of rice fields stretching from Kannari to Semine.

System of a Down? Brilliant for driving at 12:00 at night when you’re half asleep and it’s freezing in the car despite the fact that you have to heat turned all the way up.

Whenever I hear Leonard Nimoy’s rendition of ‘The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins’ I always think of Angela’s enormous house (it use to be a Post Office) in Hanayama and more specifically, of Jeff doing his strange wavy-arm dance.

I guess a lot of these memories are also associated with driving, since long trips give me time to listen to an album from start to finish.

Neko Case has been the most recent addition to this collection, carrying images of weekends in Brooklyn and fall in the Hamptons mixed with the back roads of Middletown.

An important point in closing: I wouldn't even call half of the music listed above my favorites by any means. But, I'll still throw on 'Fixing a Hole' when I want to think of warmer climates. Hey, it's better than Jimmy Buffet.

Come hungry...

2009-07-13T20:11:00.005-04:00

Warning: Today's blog will feel somewhat unsatisfactory (at least more so than it usually does). Why? For starters, I had to work from 7Am to 7PM today. Also, I forgot to bring my camera to Queens this weekend so no pictures from that excellent venture.

Instead, I'm pulling one (or two) from the vaults. Today, some things I miss about Japan (both concerning food, oddly enough).

Kaiten Sushi. Cheap, tasty sushi, free green tea and the best kappa-maki rolls ever. Plus, it was one of the few places I could hang out at where I was able use what little Japanese I knew. Luckily, I'm told these actually exist here in NYC (I have yet to actually go to one).

Japanese vending machines. Sure, we have vending machines here, but not Japanese ones. They carry cold and hot beverages (coffee, hot chocolate, tea) as well as beer, liters of soda and cartons of milk. You have no idea how many times this comes in handy at 2AM when you're in the middle of baking cookies and find you're out of milk.

I have yet to find a suitable substitute for these State-side.