ASIFA EAST AUCTION PREVIEW #2

I love Tom Kenny!

YOU love Tom Kenny!

EVERYBODY loves Tom Kenny!

So, who the heck is Tom Kenny?

Practically every voice in every cartoon made in the history of forever, that's who!

He's the narrator AND the mayor in Powerpuff Girls!
He's Eduardo from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends!
He's Scoutmaster Lumpus and Slinkman!
He's Heffer!
He's Dr. Two Brains!
Jake Spidermonkey!
Val Hallen!
Raimundo!
Mr. Wink!
The Common Cold!
Starscream!
Spyro the Dragon!

And some unknown guy named Spongebob.

So after much negotiation, threats, pleading and late night phone calls I got him to agree to do something ultra-cool for the upcoming ASIFA-EAST USED ANIMATION ART AUCTION AND UNDERWEAR EXPO on November 20th:

A personalized recorded message to the person of your choice from Spongebob Squarepants along with a signed 8x10 photo! Imagine your child/nephew/cousin/best friend/or whoever's face when they play a disc with Spongebob talking right to them, wishing 'em a happy birthday, telling them to say hi to their pet turtle Fuzzy as well as his or her best friend Mimzy O'Donnell (or whatever their best friend's name is).
I can just smell the furious bidding war now- or is that someone nearby eating lasagna?!

You may drool now.

The 2008 ASIFA-EAST Used Animation Art Auction and Underwear Expo!

So... how many of you have heard of ASIFA?

No? Then allow me to explain while those of you 'in the know' go grab a snack.

ASIFA is an international animation society with chapters all over the place.
(The acronym ASIFA stands for 'Animation Something In French Apparently'. I think... All I know is that it stands for a bunch of French words). They hold screenings, write newsletters, and keep archives of animated films, all in the name of promoting the art of animation. Here in New York, we've got the ASIFA-EAST chapter which happens to boast the United States' oldest continually running animation festival!

I've been a member since 1990 when Candy Kugel, my boss at Buzzco Associates, asked me if I wanted to be on the Executive Board of ASIFA-EAST. of course I accepted immediately, never stopping to wonder WHY, on my 2nd day of my 1st ever animation job i was asked to be on the Executive Board of ANYTHING.

I quickly found out that Executive Board meant sitting around stapling, stamping, and putting address labels on newsletters with a bunch of other volunteers. But I got to meet a lot of people in the industry, see a lot of films I would have never had the chance to, and become part of a great community.

And these days, between work and family, I barely have time to go to ASIFA events anymore. But in order to stay somewhat involved, every two years I put together a little fundraiser for the group.

THE ASIFA-EAST USED ANIMATION ART AUCTION!
I got the idea from indy animation rockstar and ASIFA legend David Ehrlich who used to run an auction for ASIFA. Back in the days when NY was an independent animation hot spot, he'd have a screening of all the latest films by folks like George Griffin, Paul Fierlinger, and Karen Aqua and then auction off actual pieces of artwork from the films! Cels, colored pencil sketches, prints... it was amazing to see these films, meet the makers, and then hold, and maybe buy, a piece of them!
David only did it a couple times, but it stuck with me. And when ASIFA-EAST ran into some tough financial times a long time ago, I suggested bringing the auction back.

Me and my big mouth.

Now every two years I gotta put an auction together...
But I always keep these goals in mind:

1. Show some great films!
2. Make some money for ASIFA!
3. Make animation art available and affordable to those in the business.
(that means we don't sell no art to no dealers... dig?)
4. Use my sub-standard auctioneering skills to pit bidders against each other for my own evil amusement.

So here's this year's flyer:



Problem is... with all these computers and stuff, there's rarely such thing as physical, final art anymore. So I gotta hunt down animators and twist their arms so they make pretty original drawings for me.

So in the next couple weeks leading up to the auction, I'll be telling the tales, blow-by-blow, of how I use my sooper triple ninja skills to strong arm art out of world famous animation folk.

Wanna see what my first victim gave up?





Dude...

Blah Blah Blah...I drew THIS...Blah Blah Blah... I drew THAT...

Extra bonus thanks to everyone who came out to Kutztown University to hear me blather on and on Friday night! We had a great turnout and lots and lots of great questions. Extra thanks to those who patiently hung out afterwards waiting to get stuff signed, ask career questions, or have me draw some strange furry thing named Norbert. (Apparently Mo's done it, too: see?)



And speaking of drawing... dya have any idea what the most requested sketch of the evening was?


Someone in the audience even asked why, for the love of all that is sooper chunky, were there never any REAL Rainbow Monkey's made?

Answer: Because some people were afraid we'd all drown in the buh-trillion dollars they'd make.

The LEAST requested sketch?

A catapus. Not sure why, but I gave it a a shot.

And one last thing: KU was nice enough to put me up at a new bed and breakfast in town that i think is worth mentioning- the Main Street Inn. Really nice place with really nice people. So if you ever find yourself needing to spend a night in K-town- do it here. But make sure to ask for, no DEMAND, the creme brulee french toast for breakfast. And lunch. And dinner.

(thanks to KU's own Craig Williams for the pics!)

Me in 1986

In honor of my semi-triumphant trip back to Kutztown University, I thought I'd post this picture from my Freshman year.

So why is this event 'semi-triumphant'?

Because after over 20 years I STILL have bad hair.

Regardless, I'll be showing some pretty fun stuff tonight, including:

• The first animated 'films' I did in college shot on sooper grainy Super 8 film and transferamafied to VHS and then digitally transferamated to DVD.
(it's a wonder anyone gave me a job rewatching these things...ugh)
• A clip from "The Maltese Cat', a theatrical short based on the story by Rudyard Kipling and one of the first films I got to work on.
(don't blink or you'll miss the inbetween drawings I did)
• Lots of commercials- some never aired for assorted bizarre reasons!
• A banned episode of Beavis and Butthead!
• "The Tale of Mr. Morton', one of the new Schoolhouse Rock songs I directed.
• My first Cartoon Network pilot 'Kenny and the Chimp'
• The Kids Next Door pilot
• And more, more, more!

What better reason could there possibly be to go Kutztown on a friday night?

Don't answer that.

Representin' PA

For all my people from the streets of Pennsylvania... here's the Morning Call letting ya know I'll be in Kutztown this Friday.

Check it HERE!

If you live nearby... come on out and say HEY so I'm talkin' to more than 9 people (who probably only came to get extra credit anyway). I'll be showing some early embarrassing college films that prove you don't need to be good to get a job, along with assorted highlights from my career including some fun commercials, pilots, and favorite TV episodes.

Be there... or be somewhere else!

KND on Demand!

While KND is NOT currently gracing the airwaves of Cartoon Network, it IS on CN Video, streamin' like there's no tomorrow in all it's magnificent low-res glory! Currently, there are only a couple episodes playing, but they're goodies:

SUPPORT
TAPIOCA
FISHY
OUTBREAK
VIRUS

And they're all 100% free... if you consider having to watch a couple commercials 'free'. Then it's something like 78% free. I gotta check the math on that, though. Regardless, here's the link:

http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/

Hopefully they'll get more episodes up soon. I hear they're putting up all 6 seasons of Billy and Mandy!

But if ya got something against commercials, you can always go to iTunes and grab all the episodes of KND season 6 or the sooper huge movie Operation: Zero (STILL one of the big selling movies in the 'Top TV Seasons' category!). They'll cost you a couple bucks per episode, but they look prettier and there ain't no commercials.

So what're ya doin' readin' goofy blogs? Go do yourself some KND watchin'!

It's Pretty Easy...

SKETCHBOOKS

Me love sketchbooks.

Especially these 9x12 Canson jobs with the heavy cardboard covers.

For me they're part diary, part idea factory, part show piece, part time capsule, part therapist, and thing to stuff other things into. Aside from the usual writing and drawing for work, i scribble in what songs i'm listening to, what i'm reading and watching, assorted loose ideas that come to mind and other detritus of life. I also tape in pictures and quotes from books and magazines i'm reading.



And there's this great feeling when I finish one. Like I've got this little piece of my life documented. Sometimes it takes 6 months to fill one... sometimes just a month. Either way, you've got this physical THING that kinda shows what was going through your head at that time in your life.



But there's also this terror when you're starting a new book. Being faced with a big book of empty white pages... so full of possibilities- or stinky drawings that remind you to go back to art school. Hence this page from the new book I started last week:

The Semi-Triumphant Return of Mr. W

For those of you interested in not so interesting Mr. Warburton trivia... a long time ago in a Pennsylvania far, far away I attended Kutztown University- home of the Kutztown Folk Festival, stomping grounds of pop artist Keith Haring, alma mater of football star Andre Reed and place where other random things have happened.

And I hadn't been back there in years- that is until last spring when Mr. Willems called and said he had to attend a librarian's conference at Kutztown. He needed a 'cultural attache' to speak to the natives, show him the local customs, and help him convert American money into root beers. And he asked me if I'd do the honors- mainly because the first 34 people he asked said 'no'.

Regardless, we had a blast! The other authors attending the conference, Eric Rohmann, Christopher Myers and Kate Dicamillo were all AMAZINGLY fun to hang out with and I actually got a little, teeny tiny, maybe choked up a couple times whilst wandering the campus remembering the good 'ol days. I even got to see a bunch of my old professors at a nice reception the President of the University threw for us all (his kids are BIG KND fans!).

And while I was there, one of the professors asked if I'd come back to do a little lecture/film festival/chat in the Fall.

Well, it's the Fall now:


(awesome poster designed by KU student Jared Bischoff!)
So stop on by if yer in Kutztown. And if yer not... there's always the Bieber Bus!
('Remember: If it doesn't say Bieber... it doesn't go to Kutztown')

Cartoon Network Action Pack #29

What's that on on the cover of the latest Action Pack? Just a sneak preview of Cartoon Network's latest show Secret Saturdays, which is gonna premiere Friday, October 3rd. But look inside for something even BETTERERER: new KND vs. DCFDTL comics from the likes of comic book soldier Scott Shaw! and the stylish Stephanie Buscema (who just so happens to be the granddaughter of comics legend John Buscema!).

Most of you know the deal... KND vs. DCFDTL is a loose semi-homage to the great Spy vs. Spy comics in Mad magazine. For each set we get a different artist to interpret the KND in their own style!

Check out this sneaky peak by Stephanie:



Cool, right? I love seeing what each artist brings to the look of the KND world. If you wanna see more examples of wild styles, head back to the old Kids Next Blog for a post i did a couple months ago.

In other rockin' news... make sure you grab the latest Peanuts anthology!
Firstly, because it really is the greatest comic strip of all time and EVERYONE should read, learn, live, love and laugh with it. And secondly, because sooper pal Mo Willems did the introduction, which is a dream come true for him!