3 Act Structure

McLaren Retrospective

I haven't posted here in forever! Here is a retrospective I produced for TAAFI (Toronto Animation Festival International) last year. It includes new interviews with people who knew and worked with Norman McLaren. I filmed the interviews with Kaj Pindal between cat naps and 18 hour stretches of work to be able to finish personally a requested scene that stretched beyond my given quota on "King Star King". When KSK was over, I took a road trip to Montreal to interview Mr. Verrall and Mr. Potterton.

Enjoy!






 The Retrospective on TAAFI's website:http://taafi.ca/blog/2014/10/01/norman-mclaren-taafi-2014/

"King Star King" Animation Reel

TV-MA. Intended for audiences 18 and older.

Hey folks, this is the show I've been working on since November 2013. It has just been released on adultswim.com!  I was stoked when Ben Kalina and Titmouse contacted me and asked if I wanted to work on this show, I've always admired the studio's work!  Even more amazing were the facts that Mike Carlo was the animation director and my friend James Surgue was one of the great stars of the animation crew. I've been a fan of Mike since his amazing short "The President of the Universe" and a fan of James since his wonderfully cartoony short "Wright Meat". His skills have skyrocketed to wizard-like powers and he's been like a big brother to me on this production. Also, this show had the best notes an animator can ever hope for "Keep going!" and "Go crazier!" This has been a wonderful experience and I am staying on for another show! 

For all of  you over 18, I highly recommend watching episode 5: "Springtime in the Gigantiverse" and episode 6: "Kwa Kwa City"! I love the stories and characters in those, when the leica/animatic became available to the animators I watched them over and over. There's many original ideas and moments of contrasting values. The contrast between Rachel Butera's voice acting and JJ Villard's hilarious and inventive storyboard drawings in a climactic scene of episode 5 created an aesthetic that really spoke to me. I asked if I could animated that scene, and to my delight I got it! It's at the 1:05 mark of my reel.

KSK was created by the inimitable JJ Villard. The level of imagination, surrealism and utter craziness he brought to even the mildest moments of the show are completely beyond me. My favourite moment is in episode 6 is when KSK's head turns into a Rubik's Cube as he grasps a mind-bending reality: "YOU MEAN ALL THIS IS INSIDE PINCHY LAROUX'S HEAD?!?!?!?!" 

I got a wonderful note from JJ at the end of the production:

THANK YOU AMIRRRRRRRRRRRR !!!!! WE WRAPPPED KING STAR KING  EPISODE

6 ON FRIDAY !!!!!! AND I WANTED TO CRY I WAS SO HAPPY !!!!!!!!

YOUR ANIMATION MADE ME LAUGH ,,,, AND SCREAMMMMM IN WONDER

HOW THE F**K YOU GOT SUCH BEAUTIFULLLLLLLLLLLLLL CARTOON

SCENES DONE !!!!!!! SIMPLY SAID "YOU F****G KILLLLL

KILLLL KLLLLLED IT" I LOVED WATCHING YOUR WORK //// AND

SINCERELY HOPE WE GET TO WORK TOGETHER SOOOOOOOOON !!!!!!!

YEEEEEEEEEHAHAHAHAAHHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!!!!!

YOU THE BEST !~~!~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!

BES

BES

BES

ALWAYS !

JJV

 I'll work with him again anyday! 

"Grojband" Demo Reel

Some of my favorite scenes that I animated for "Grojband"

The dental floss gag wasn't my idea :p

Official Grojband promo on YouTube

This one is longer and more exciting than the iTunes promo! Series opening animated by Evan Staecy

Grojband preview on iTunes!

Here's a free 5 minute preview of the show I'm animating on:
https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/grojband-vol.-1/id647391024?showLC=true 
Full episodes will start airing on Cartoon Netwrok US in June.

Sorry about the lack of posts here, I hope to be generating some new content soon.

Expecting some traffic today

So I am re-posting my FILM! :)

Behind the scenes look at the film's many influences: http://thebarleyway.blogspot.ca/ 

Another neat thing to watch, my Demo Reel (YEAH!)

Now it's time for bed, so I'm less hyperactive in the morning.

Check out the Grojband production blog!

http://grojband.blogspot.ca/

Grojband is a show I'm currently animating on, production started in late June and I've been loving every minute! Amazing crew, fun and imaginative stories and characters!

Kaj Pindal Retrospective at TAAFI

Come to the Kaj Pindal Retrospective screening at TAAFI, curated and edited by yours truly. Q&A with Kaj moderated by Coordinator of Sheridan's BAA Animation program, Mark Mayerson.

Event details:
http://taafi.com/events/taafi2012/schedule/?id=47
Article:
http://taafi.com/blog/2012/07/03/kaj-pindal-a-lifetime-of-acheivement/

Hope to see you all there!

Flustering anatomical study

I sometimes find it helpful to draw anatomical studies of my own characters: how they would look if they had a real skeleton. I only do these for humanoid characters that aren't overly stylized.

On a blog dedicated to drawing, it makes sense to want to show drawing ability. But I don't have a fully clear conscience about this. Even though it's my own fictional character, I have mixed feeling about this rate of exposure (x-ray-ted). Here's how she would react if she saw this:

Some of the reaction shot process:

Rough drawn rather fast with the side of the pencil

Committing to interesting shapes, I think cartoons are most interesting to look at when there is asymmetry and slight 'cheating' of perspective. Funny shapes first.

Title card inks

I inked the title card drawings for John Kricfalusi's new commercial, I'm especially happy with the George Liquor ink:

Another day, another Sherlock!

 

Bugs Bunny doodles

It's fun to doodle in meetings

New updates at the Kaj Pindal blog!

Check 'em out!

KajPindal.Blogspot.com

Random sketches

Lessons from the Famous Artists Illustration Course:

 

Drawn in Photoshop with a Wacom intous 3. 

Heads

Dulce and Pam channeling a lil' Jay Ward

Dulce's head is based on Porky Pig, I initially studied the screenshot below to better understand the head, But thought the pose was all so great that I had to draw the entire character.

This one is based on Katie Rice's 

hell characters from "Skadi"

 

Nothin' like an ice-cold "Joe Shmoe" 

to water down your thirst

Fred Flintstone and a Kitty

Off Topic: Straight from the Horse's Mouth

This has nothing to do with cartoons, but everything to do with my other passion: Freedom.

Son of Hamas founding member says "Israel is not the problem in the middle east, It is the SOLUTION!"

The talk is in English

Mosab, you're a trooper! I'd love to hear you speak in person and shake your hand.