Merry Christmas 2010

Every year I pledge to make a printed card for snail mail, and every year it...doesn't happen. Oh well! Merry Christmas anyway!

The Little Racoon

I have a lot of things I want to post, but I'm slow getting around to it. My here's a trot cycle I just finished for the Little Raccoon in Monkey Rag. Not what I hoped, but he's not on screen for very long and I just have to move on. I'm getting some other goodies ready to post, so stay tuned!

Monkey Rag Updated Animatic: Pencils Hit One Minute!

I had planned to hit the one minute mark several months earlier, so I'm very happy to have gotten it done tonight! I've been working on this almost every night (which is why my Daily Crapbook entries have all but ceased) and I hope the next thirty seconds will come much more quickly. Crazy sleepy now- bedtime!

I Put My Hand In There

This is something a little bit different from usual- I actually appeared in this spot! Well, my hands did at least. In the middle of the BlueBird project (to be posted within the next couple of weeks, stay tuned) the executive producer at Artifact Design asked if I wanted to be part of a shoot since I was a) a girl and b) a drawing-type person. I am also c) a ham, so I said yes yes a hundred times yes. I did draw all the drawings, but I can't take credit for the design: that was Chris Rainey, affectionately known as "Hip Hop" by his colleagues. It was a very fun shoot- I think I may quit animation and become a hand model.

Monkey Rag Sc. 07 Keys

Hey, its been a while! (Now why do my blog spots always seem to start out that way?) I'm just coming off another job binge, and I've got a few days to work on Monkey Rag. I was hoping to finish Sc. 07 by today and although Mitzi is nearly done, Spanky is still just keys. But I'm hoping I can finish the whole shebang this weekend so I can update the animatic! I'm excited about that, but I'll refrain from commenting until I've actually done it.

Equifax Debtwise - 2009 -

In spring 2009, the good folk at Dagnabit Animation brought me on to do a couple scenes for their Equifax spot. I just got the final version (yes, it took a while), and thought I'd throw it up on the ol' blog.

Daily Crapbook

Daily Crapbook

Improv. Its funnier if you're loud.

Unused Keys of A Certain Cat

This is some unused work from a spot that wrapped recently at Artifact Design. I'm excited about the final, and I can't wait to talk about it. But for now, since I don't want to cause any trouble, here's just a hint of what I've been up to most of this summer. This character was scrapped early on (hence the rough keys) and in no way has anything to do with the final.

Daily Crapbook

Until we get our new HVAC system, this is pretty much how my day goes.

Daily Crapbook

I think this is a good color test- maybe some time I'll redo this properly.

Shooting Boards

I didn't have time for free drawing today, so I thought I'd post something from an old job. Backstory: A few months ago, I started taking on jobs for sketching out shooting boards. I really like doing shooting boards- they don't have to be finessed like proper storyboards, they just need to be a quick visual reference for each shot in a spot. While I'd like to venture into proper storyboards some time, for now its fun to see how fast I can do these suckers.

I should actually be working on another one right now, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow morning.

Daily Crapbook

This is what I think of every time I see bing cherries in the supermarket.

Daily Crapbook

Monkey Rag Sc. 06 Pencil Test

Hey, I actually got a scene done! This was a really short one, but I wanted to be sure I got Mitzi's bobbing action down. I'm really inching up on the 1-minute mark. If I can make it this next week, it will be a wonderful birthday present to myself.

Daily Crapbook

Baaah, another day of a ton of messy doodles. But in the spirit of the Daily Crapbook, here's a girl I saw at Dragon*Con today dressed as Waldo (not as a candy cane with a beret as my drawing indicates).

A Crapbook? ! Ye Gads!

You know, I've been trying for days to put something lovely and exciting up to mark my return to the Daily Crapbook. But at some point, you just have to say "Screw it! This is what I got" and move on.

And yes...my cat did do something unspeakable.

Heather For TeesWithTude.com

Hey! I'm not dead! Work (real work- the kind that pays) has been so crazy since June that I haven't had time to do any Daily Crapbooking. I earned a brief reprieve this weekend, so I thought I'd at least post some old work. Here is "Heather" from TeesWithTude.com.

Tees With Tude Designs

Well, TeesWithTude.com has launched, and after that whole rigmarole I'm happy with maybe one or two designs. Maybe t-shirts just aren't my thing. At this point, I just hope I get paid. I do like this turtle though. He is so self-confident.

Daily Crapbook: Hair Moods

I've had most of my nights an weekends eaten up by various projects for the past couple weeks. Tonight I should have worked on "Monkey Rag", but felt more like doing a Daily (weekly? monthly?) Crapbook drawing instead. I was inspired by my hair and recent devolution back into glasses. I am such girl.

What I Thought of "Day and Night"...

I loved "Toy Story 3" and cried buckets at the end, but what really capitvated me was the amazing short that preceded the film. "Day and Night" floored me- this is the kind of animation I've been struggling to create since the beginning. Spirited, lively characters with loads of appeal telling simple stories with big meaning- thats for me! When I came home from the theater, I looked at my pencils for "Monkey Rag" and could hardly believe how stiff and awkward my characters were. Its discouraging that I still haven't gotten out all my bad drawings, but at least I now have a clear idea of how to fix everything. I can't wait to get back to animating. Bravo Pixar! And thank you!

Monkey Rag Sc. 05 Pencil Test

Bah hah ha! At last, I have finished this beast of a scene! Just in time to go back to work (real work, the money-paying kind).

Letting Go of LOST

This is a quick and dirty sketch- I would have spent more time on it but I think I've already wasted enough of my time on LOST. The last thing the internet needs is another rant about LOST, but I have to voice my opinion at least briefly. I am not angry. I am not disappointed. I am INSULTED. I watched LOST because it promised to be a work of..well, not genius, but of competence. Heaven knows that's rare enough these days. So at the end, after all the mysteries, characters arcs, and plot points were established, when the writers decided they didn't need to resolve anything and said "Nothing of that matters- all that matters is friendship and love!", I felt like they were saying to me "Hey you in the audience, you're so stupid that we don't need to work at creating something intelligent. You'll sit through anything. Ha ha!" I admit it- I fell for the long con. After Battlestar Galactica, and now LOST, and the way Dr. Who is going, I think I'll be taking a break from watching television for a while. I'll be watching reruns of "I Love Lucy" and "The Twilight Zone" if you need me.

Daily Crapbook

From Gene Kelly I somehow got to centaur... that logical on some other planet, I bet.

Daily Crapbook

I've been sketching for two days and just can't seem to squeeze out anything interesting. I decided to focus on drawing just one thing, so I got out my reference of Gene Kelly, an old favorite. If by the end of this week I've done just one good drawing of him, I'll be happy. Here is my most successful sketch so far... meh.

Shuttle Launch

Since NASA is practically being shut down, Nate and I decided that it was important to see a shuttle launch while we still had the chance. So off we drove to the Space Coast for the weekend. We were unable to secure tickets from NASA, but luckily there are other places to see the launch, for free even! We weren't close enough to feel the pressure wave, but at least we got an unobstructed view of the launch pad from across the Indian River. I don't know quite how to describe to feeling of watching men go into space- I'm not even sure if my puny mind can really understand the meaning of it. It's just...brilliant. I only know that everyone needs to witness a launch first-hand, and there are only two more opportunities left.

Monkey Rag Sc. 05 Pencil Test In Progress

This is another long scene that seems to get longer the more I work on it. I'm uploading it in its current state because I just feel like I've gone too long without anything to show for myself. I thought I didn't like posting works in progress, but then I realized, isn't that what a pencil test is anyway? I remember at Primal, I'd be so on edge whenever I was using the pencil tester because someone might come by and (gasp) see how the animation looked! Its like my characters are naked while I'm animating, and its just not decent for anyone to look at them until I've finished dressing them up. So..this is me getting over that. Plus, it'll make the final animation look so much better if everyone has a crappier version to compare it to!

Daily Crapbook

Some more unused characters.

Raising an Eyebrow for Mistborn

As I like to listen to audiobooks while I work, a friend recommended the Mistborn series for me. I'm about halfway through the second book, and the story is very interesting. However, as a work of literature, its getting difficult to listen to. With sentences like "they did not associate with her lest they be found guilty by association" and "pain blossomed like a sunrise" I'm impressed that someone published these books at all. Seriously, it bad. Particularly irksome is that the phrase " raised an eyebrow" appears at least five times per page. Even the dog can "raise a canine eyebrow". Curse you, Brandon Sanderson, for not using a better editor for your unique and interesting story!

Daily Crapbook: Gotta Dance

Trying something out...meh!

Daily Crapbook: Butterfly Hair

Daily Crapbook

: Leftover Devil

A leftover sketch from "History of the Devil".

Daily Crapbook

Here's some old concept art I did last year that didn't get used.

Daily Crapbook: Angel Lion

A sketch I've had in my crapbook for a while. I'm not sure what it is, but he's grown on me.

Daily Crapbook: Freckles The Farm Girl

I'm trying to figure out a better technique for coloring. I'm not sure if this one will work, but at least I slodged through it. Also, I added a chicken. Freckles seemed like she needed a chicken.

Daily Crapbook

Sally Sweet, loosely based on an outfit from "I Love Lucy."

Daily Crapbook: Racoon Flower

I haven't had anything for my Daily Crapbook for a while now, so I decided to noodle a sketch from Monkey Rag.

The Real Secret of Kells

Today I had the privilege of seeing "The Secret of Kells" in the theater- what a lovely experience. Its a quiet little film, unpretentious and honest. The story was slow, but never boring. The characters were endearing without being saccharine. The design was breathtaking- there's almost too much to look at in every frame. I think the character animation could have used more time and money, but as thats always the case, its hardly a legitimate complaint. There was so much care and craftsmanship put into this film that I'm not at all bothered by a few characters that are timed on threes and fours. My friend summed up the experience by saying "this is exactly why 2D animation will never die. There are just some things that can only be done traditionally." I highly encourage everyone to go out and see it if its playing near you. But I just gotta say that the main character, Brendan, looks exactly like a kid Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable would have. Thats not really a complaint, but it was on my mind as I was watching the movie.

Monkey Rag Updated Animatic- Scenes 01-04, & 12

I've breached the 40 second mark for completed pencils, so I thought I'd celebrate by updating the animatic.

Mystery Afoot!

My dear friend Zoran Gvojic of LowCarbComedy fame has branched out into the comic world with his collaborative work Mystery Afoot! I contributed some artwork for the first issue (see above). If you're in the Chicago area for the C2E2 convention, be sure to check them out at the Chicago Comic Vault booth!

Daily Crapbook: Owl Owl Owl

Maybe this will get finished? Heh?

Daily Crapbook: RAAAGH!

Sometimes it fun to draw ugly. As the dog from that cartoon once said "I better stop this- I might get to like it."

Daily Crapbook: Back To Owls

My drawing warm-up today. Owls upon owls- the madness!

Daily Crapbook: Ugly Colors! Yay!

When I look at my drawings and see the same color swatch over and over and over, it makes me want to go KA-RAZY and do something awful like this.

Daily Crapbook

I think I'm going to try and actually do an illustration this week. Gasp! Here's a rough idea. Very rough.

Daily Crapbook: I'm Blue

Not that I'm going emo on my art blog, but I had a disappointment today and maybe blogging will help me get over myself. Voice acting has always been a fantasy of mine, and recently I had a chance to do some real honest-to-goodness voice work. Though I was all but assured the part was cinched, the client ended up deciding I didn't sound old enough and hired someone else. At the start of it all I told myself not to get too excited, but I still can't help being pretty bummed out today. There! Do I feel better now!

Daily Crapbook

A key of Mitzi I ended up throwing out.

Power Ranger A-Go-Go

The "Go Go Power Ranger" song has always made me snicker ever since I watched them during the commercial breaks on Fox Kids back in the 90s. I always imagined the Rangers doing the frug in psychedelic nightclub. Come to think of it, would it really be that different from the actual show?

Daily Crapbook: Prreow?

This is a sound my cat makes periodically. I think it sounds like a question.

Daily Crapbook: Fire Cat

Markers with blending modes...verrrry inter-est-ing.

Tees With Tude, Coming Soon!

I'm doing designs for a new t-shirt website to be launched in April called TeesWithTude.com (I'll announce when its officially launched). Here are some design concepts for the site's hostess character, Heather.

Monkey Rag Sc. 01- 03 Pencil Test

I wanted to put together the first couple scenes just to feel the flow of it all.

Daily Crapbook

Daily Crapbook

You know, I'm awfully busy for someone who's unemployed. I haven't been able to do my Crapbooking much this week. But I will be able to post Sc.02 on Monkey Rag pretty soon.

Daily Crapbook

Daily Crapbook: Done With the Cold

Its snowed in Atlanta...again. I'm over the winter, and very ready for spring.

Daily Crapbook: Guh?

This is a margin doodle that I tried to redraw properly, but for some reason I just couldn't do it. There's just something in her face I couldn't quite draw a second time, so I just went ahead and scanned the original. Its not like this is anything important, but still its maddening when I can't draw the same thing twice. Does anyone else ever have this problem?

Daily Crapbook: Ninja Pirate Cowboy

A happy family.

"Hildy, Don't Be Hasty. Remember My Dimple."

"His Girl Friday" is one of my favorite movies, and I've always wanted to draw something inspired by it. I got a little wrapped up with it today- I'll be back to animating tomorrow.

I Love Lucy Cartoons

I'm loving the "I Love Lucy" DVD set. It includes all the lost Lucy animated bumps- I love those cute little stick figure caricatures.