Happy New Year

Have a blessed one, ya'll. I'm going to chill out for a couple of days and think.

BLACK to work

Hope everybody had a good Christmas. I spent a GRIP this year. But, hey...it's once a year and if you're lucky, you get to be around those you love. That's priceless. Sniff....I LUV YOU, MAN!

Anyway, here's some ol' sh*t and some new sh*t. The top were for a rock artist named Derek McKeith. He was going for a Gorillaz feel for his album packaging. Can't post that yet. So, these are actually "takes" of him and his bandmembers with some "borrowings" from Hewlitt's style. The bottom analog b/w pieces were inspired by a post my Bloggin' Associate, The Clown Ninja. No reference 3 rd generation sketches just to ink something for a change. - Inna minute, ya'll...gotta goda work.

Stay outta HOtels.

uh...yeah.

Design and Rant

Earlier this quarter, ALICIA KEYS had a project in development at WDTV. To summarize without saying too much, in the cartoon, she was supposed to be a teenager. Unfortunately, it's no longer in development so I "suppose" it's okay to post these (we'll find out later if it's not). Nothing ground breaking design-wise but, I'm satisfied with the likeness. I did about 4 other style variations from graphic cut-out to Kim Possible'ish...but, the bottom one was my springboard to the "clean-up" top. Ugggh,You "always" lose something if not everything in the clean-up. Guess that's why I'm veering more into painting.

I admire all the anal types out there with the clean lines. No dis, but, seriously, that's how you gotta be with that stuff. "OH GOD...MY LINE...MY LINE." Yo...get over it. Worry about that in clean-up. And, really, most of the time, that "line" that people are so worried about isn't even their line, yanawmsayin'. Of course you do, we've all done it, some still do it, ALOT, but, why so early in the PROCESS? Did you give yourself any time to think on your own?

I like that organic/abstract approach of "finding"..."thinking with your pencil" as John Nevarez calls it. Justin Bua told me to draw with my left hand and see what you come up with...cuz he does it...ALOT. Nick Pugh scribbles on about 150 + sheets of paper with random sh*t that looks like grafitti just to break the monotony. The monotony of the same stuff. What's funny is alot of really good pro artists work this way...but, they won't let you see it or even tell you they do this. They rather just show the final product or some 4th generation ruff/thumbnail to make you believe they did "that" at first. Hey, that's cool (chuckles). I understand...I used to do that too...but, I'm past that. Each side has its time and place...like when people are paying you for one or the other...or for your personal enjoyment. And what's cool is that just as much as a clean line drawing can be considered finished...so can a 'ruff' drawing. People PAY for ruff drawings too...so at the end of the day, clean or ruff, it's like, "did you get YOUR point across" in a way everyone can still understand...and wanna pay you for :)

The point is...FREE UP...LOOSEN UP, FOOLS...DON'T BE AFRAID TO F**K UP and just KEEP CREATIN (I stole that last one from Charles Zembillas...thanks, man!)

Flash Animation (REMOVED)

Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends is a copyright of Cartoon Network Studios

Sorry guys. I'd love to still have these tests up, but, Cartoon Network is still looking for animators on their show. Good luck to the candidates currently taking the test! Thanks again, Pringle.