SIGNED, SEALED AND DELIVERAMATED

Some signed books for a coupla sooper awesome KND fans!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YA!

A HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE FANS WHO KEEP THE KND ALIVE WITH THEIR DRAWINGS, FAN FICS, WEB PAGES, AND SECRET TREEHOUSES IN UNDISCLOSED LOCATIONS!

HOPE ALL YOUR HOLIDAYS ROCK LIKE A HURRICANE!

KIDS NEXT DOOR RULES!

MR. W

MEMBERSHIP HAS IT'S PRIVILEGES

Ya'll know that back on the East Coast I was a rough and tumble member of the ASIFA-EAST mafia and wasn't ashamed to admit it.

And now that I'm cold representin' the West Coast, I totally had to join ASIFA-HOLLYWOOD to see how they roll.

Now, I haven't been to one of their meetings yet but I already like how they roll stuff into my mailbox.

In the last month I've received a DVD of Monsters vs Aliens (w/ bonus disc), very pretty promotional booklets for The Fantastic Mr. Fox and 9, and a copy of UP, along with Partly Cloudy, the original soundtrack and yet another gorgeous booklet:


So why all the free stuff?

Well, this IS Hollywood and we're getting into Oscar-time around here.
So the studios are trying to get everyone's attention. And they come up with some pretty fun ways. For instance...

This just came in from the makers of Coraline:


Popcorn?

Here's why:



So I hate to say this...

Yo, ASIFA EAST I miss you but ASIFA-HOLLYWOOD has the best free stuff of all time...

OF ALL TIME!

ALREADY?!

Hey...

Didn't I just start a new sketchbook way back HERE?

I mean, it usually takes me a coupla months to finish one, but this baby practically got polished off in a month.

But I know why... I do a lot of scientific research into these things.

First, the book itself was not really a sketchbook, per se.
Technically it was a scrapbook that I used as a sketchbook. I liked the grey paper inside and figured I'd give it a try. And since it was a scrapbook, the pages were a lot thicker than usual. Which means less pages.
So that's one reason it went fast.

Another was that I got kinda lazy and depended on other artists to fill the book up for me. Like when I was at CTN-X (which I talked about HERE and HERE). I never even got to post ALL the drawings I got from that weekend.

Which leads me to a nice segway... See this awesome drawing:


That's by the sooper brilliant artist/designer/vampire hunter Stefan G. Bucher.
He has a blog called Daily Monster where he draws a monster daily (duh) by squirting some ink on paper, blowing it with compressed air, and then creating a monster from the Rorshachish blot.

Quite genius. Check out the site and watch the videos to see it happen in real time HERE!

But I digest from telling thrilling (?) sketchbook tales...

Another reason this sketchbook went by like over-caffienated ninjas working at Benihana was because lately I've been forcing myself to draw BIG. You know, just to get out of my usual comfort zone of drawing within the page.

So here are a couple spreads from the latest book of sketchiness:















And then here's the NEW sketchbook...


Fresh and clean with 160 pages ready for fillin' up with drawlings. Here's the first one:


And away we go...

RANDOM KND SPOTTING

You never know where them KND will pop up next...

For instance, one of my best sooper pals from college was getting some printing done at some place down in Atlanta. And whilst the sales assistant was in the back getting his order (undoubtedly bleary from the jedi mind trick my friend used to get a 30% discount) he casually picked up one of the company's brochures.



And lookie who was inside:


It's the KND... oddly on a Camp Lazlo background!
Since it's Atlanta I'll assume that's in the Cartoon Network offices somewhere.
Or maybe it's a lawyer who fights for kid's rights.
Regardless... I LIKE IT!

Thanks for the spot, Mr. Peck!

CN ACTION PACK #44

While the series has long gone underground, the Codename: Kids Next Door comics keep coming at ya!

And you know who else keeps comin' at the KND?

Lizzie.


Love her or hate her... You know things get nuts when she's around.
But if she's not going on a date with Nigel then...

WHO?!

Grab Cartoon Network Action Pack #44 and find out!

THE SECRET OF KELLS

Wanna see something pretty?

I mean, REEEEEEEEEEEALLY PRETTY?

Then go see The Secret of Kells, please.

It's a masterpiece of design and just stunning to behold.
The story is nice...
But for my money
(which wasn't much since I got a
free pass from the Creative Talent Network...thanks guys!)
it was the production design that kept my attention.

Every shot was meticulously composed. Like this one:


And this one:


Yeah this one, too:


Wonderful character design based on solid shapes and flowing lines...
Simple, yet clever animation with interesting quirks...
(LOVED how Aisling's hair stayed flat with the ground when she walked)
Gorgeously painted BG's with texture you could just FEEL...

Here's the trailer... which is kinda deceiving since they try to make it seem more
epic and adventuresome than it really is.



Why couldn't they just say it was really pretty?

SAY NO TO THE HOLIDAYS!

I think I read in a medical journal that the absolute best gift you can give someone is a book. (or maybe it was a coupon for a free appendectomy...)

And I read in Muscle and Fitness that giving someone a book signed by the author is the surest way to a flat stomach.
(if you stick under your shirt...)


So why not get that special someone a signed copy of 1000 TIMES NO as an early 4th of July present? Or just get another five copies for yourself. You deserve it!

It's totally easy! Just go on over HERE for all the details!

PANELIZING at CTN-X!

I mentioned all the butt kickin' panels that went on at CTN-X so I thought I'd start with this one:


PIXAR IS IN THE HOUSE: STORY STORY STORY moderated by Roger Allers.

Usually we hear from the Pixar big guns about the production process of Pixar films... the Brad Birds, Andrew Stanton and Pete Docters. But this time we got to hear from the guys working deep in the story trenches... the Bill Presings, Scott Morses, Derek Thompsons and Ted Mathots. And it was really cool to hear about their individual histories, processes, daily travails, etc. Some memorable bite-sized chunks:

• Most, if not all, of these guys came out of comics. That kind of visual story telling set the stage for each of them to become the story tellers they are.

• If you want to work at Pixar, you'd better have an encyclopedic knowledge of cinema history and technique. Live action, animated, long form, short form... all these are discussed, referred to, copied, alluded to, and joked about at length-- especially at lunch, where many artists coyly admit which famous films they have not seen.

• The 'Art of...' books you see really only include the sooper pretty art work. Most of the drawing these guys do is raw and sketchy and whipped out to just get the point across and only later gussied up-- usually by other people.

• Speaking of which-- a scene or sequence is rarely your own. Often you'll be asigned a sequence and it will later get shifted off to someone else to get their take on it. It's a very collaborative process.

• A favorite quote I liked about writing and/or drawing a scene is "Get in late and get out early."

A really great panel that I enjoyed thoroughly!

Added Bonus #1: My friend working the event who shuttled me to the front of the line so I could sit in the front row! THANKS!

Added Bonus #2: Trading a signed copy of 1000 Times No for one of Scott Morse's delicious paintings!!! I got the waaaaaay better end of THAT deal and I'm grateful for it!


Thanks, Mr. Morse!