Tag Archives: Animation

May 14, 2023 · 8:21 am

SIFF: MY LOVE AFFAIR WITH MARRIAGE by Signe Baumane

Signe Baumane is a significant animator, right up there with Bill Plympton. I’m so happy to see her film at Seattle International Film Festival this year. And, if you are in Seattle, you must go! Details on this funny and frank flick follow including how to seek it out in Seattle:

My Love Affair With Marriage uses music and science to examine the biological chemistry of love and gender, as well as the societal pressures on an individual to conform to social mores.

Go to the official movie website here.

Seattle International Film Festival takes place Thu, May 11, 2023 thru Sun, May 21, 2023.

My Love Affair With Marriage at SIFF takes place May 20th and May 21st. Details are right here.

A battle between Zelma’s prefrontal cortex and her nucleus accumbens.

Signe Baumane’s work has been accepted in over 300 film festivals around the world and received many awards. She was also awarded a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2017.

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Filed under animation, SIFF

Tagged as Animation, Art, Bill Plympton, Entertainment, Humor, Marriage, Media, Pop Culture, SIFF, Signe Baumane

December 6, 2022 · 2:45 pm

Director Interview: Animated Short THE CLEARING

A marriage on the rocks about to implode.

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Interview: Greg Cipes and NFTV – the Blockchain and People Power

Greg Cipes, a winning smile and good heart.

Greg Cipes snagged the role of Beast Boy on the Teen Titans franchise on Cartoon Network on his first-ever audition. That was twenty years ago. It’s one of the highlights to a wonderful career which also includes playing Michelangelo on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It could not have happened to a nicer guy. Cipes is a mellow and spiritual person with a deep respect for animals. He also happens to know a lot about blockchain technology. This led to him becoming a founder of Bright Moments DAO, an arts organization focusing on NFTs. And that has led to him founding NFTV, a new form of entertainment showcasing the work of NFT creators.

NFTV, boldly heading to Web3!

Imagine a mellow day on Venice Beach. That’s where you’ll find Greg Cipes taking it easy with his dog, Wingman G. Greg is just the right person to be leading a venture that taps into the people power spirit of blockchain technology. His connection to the public and entertainment has led him on this journey. As someone with a keen interest in pop culture, spiritual matters, and the next big thing, I couldn’t help but be interested in the opportunity to chat with Greg. My impression is that he’s very sincere about his efforts to create a space where people can go to get educated about NFTs, build a community and support NFT creators.

NFT art on NFTV!

Greg is in a very good place to be part of the early adapter phase to Web3. He is a co-founder of Bright Moments DAO, an NFT arts organization. And now he is leading the way with NFTV. His advice is to learn all you can before buying anything. Greg believes that NFTV can be an oasis during this time of change when most people, of all ages, are still very new to anything having to do with Web3 innovations.

In the not so distant future, NFTs will become more and more common and the path to becoming involved will be smoother. Of course, there is plenty of buzz on the net about the metaverse, avatars, tokens, and the blockchain. If you’re patient and willing to take the time to focus on the details, in no time, you too could have a digital wallet and participate in the brave new world of disruption and decentralized autonomous organizations. The biggest stumbling block of all is lack of money. You need money to make money. Greg says his main reason for starting NFTV is to help level the playing field and make the price of admission affordable to all. He stresses the need for NFT education and community. And he says that NFTs featured on NFTV will be within reach for everyone at an average starting price equivalent to a hundred dollars.

Much like NFTs are new, Greg Cipes is riding a new wave with NFTV. I can see that progress is steady and the network will continue to grow and develop. It will be very interesting to see where it’s at in the coming years. The NFTV segment below is just a taste. Keep in mind that this is all blowing up and expanding before our eyes. These are early field notes from the pop culture frontlines.

Greg Cipes is very much a guy on a mission. Before we ended our talk, he wanted to bring out one last very important fact and it demonstrated where his head is at. Greg wants to share with you a special NFT connected to Dog Blessed, a charitable group that helps connect people with dogs. The idea is to provide the means to connect people with dogs and that includes paying for dog adoption, dog food, and paying the “Dogblessed” certified and trained human to take care of the dog. This is a project that is under development and will be featured on NFTV. You can keep up with the progress of NFTV here, here and here.

Dogblessed #50

Go to OpenSea to find the DogBlessed NFTs!

Helping those in need that love dogs! The first series of “Dogblessed” pays for dog adoption fees, dog food and pays the “Dogblessed” certified and trained human to take care of the dog. A Greg Cipes social impact project around meaningful intellectual property and an extraordinary community of Dog lovers.

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Filed under animation, Comics, Interviews, NFTs, Web3

Tagged as Animation, Art, Blockchain, Community, DAO, Entertainment, Interviews, Media, NFT, NFTV, Pop Culture, Publishing

April 23, 2022 · 12:20 pm

Disney Sketchbook: Samantha Vilfort

Samantha Vilfort has been a Story Artist with Disney Animation for four years, working on Ralph Breaks the Internet and Frozen 2. In this episode of Sketchbook she draws Mirabel, the star of Encanto. (Disney/Richard Harbaugh)

SKETCHBOOK: an intimate instructional documentary series featuring talented artists and animators. Disney Plus Originals. Premieres on April 27, 2022.

Sketchbook is a new behind-the-scenes series, that features Disney top artists sharing their art process in a combination of a profile and dynamic how-to-draw demonstration. In a brief interview, I chatted with one of the featured talents, Story Artist Samantha Vilfort. She recently worked on the Disney acclaimed 2021 animated feature, Encanto. For her episode of Sketchbook, Vilfort did a step-by-step character study of Encanto‘s main character, Mirabel.

Mirabel Madrigal struggles to fit in a family where everyone has been blessed with magical powers – everyone but her. Determined to prove she belongs within this extraordinary family, she strives to contribute in meaningful ways—denying to everyone, including herself, that she feels all alone, even in her own house. Opening in the U.S. on Nov. 24, 2021, “Encanto” features Stephanie Beatriz as the voice of Mirabel and songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. © 2021 Disney. All Rights Reserved.

Mirabel is a kid just trying to figure things out, someone anyone can relate with. As a longtime cartoonist, I was intrigued by Vilfort’s very natural, careful and graceful approach to the character. This is an impressive demonstration that will inspire anyone interested in drawing, whether you’re totally new or a seasoned pro. During our conversation, I had to share with Samantha the drawing I did from following her instruction on Sketchbook.

It was a lot of fun drawing along with Samantha!

Samantha gained so much inspiration as a kid drawing from a Mulan how-to-draw book. So, it all comes full circle as she has a chance now to give back to fans and guide them on their creative journey. “I firmly believe that drawing is a teachable skill just like anything else,” says Samantha. “Anyone can draw–and not just stick figures!” This is something that I love to pass on to folks every chance I get! I encourage you to seek out Sketchbook on Disney Plus!

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Filed under animation, Disney, Drawing

Tagged as Animation, Art, Disney, Drawing, Entertainment, Media, Movies, Pop Culture, Publishing, Storyboards

July 27, 2021 · 3:40 pm

French Graphic Novelist Ugo Makes Animation Debut, ARCO

Ugo’s ARCO

I love this still from the upcoming animated feature, Arco. I have to hand it to the French as this looks like something very weird and wonderful–and will live up to its promise. All the little details, so delicate and precise, speak to the dedication of a true graphic novelist, which Ugo surely is as he has a fine and consistent track record of actually creating numerous graphic novels. You really can’t call yourself a graphic novelist without actually being one! So, here is a bona fide bande dessinee artist!

Here is the news on Arco which appeared in Variety last month:

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Review: CARTOON ANIMATION with Preston Blair

The wide wonderful world of Walter Foster books!

Maybe like me, you grew up with Walter Foster books. In the ’70s, when I was a boy, these oversized (old Life Magazine format) books were already wonderful relics from a bygone era, most dating back two or three decades. I knew, right away, that they came from another time and place but they were so well put together and the instruction seemed so crisp and clear that I just loved them even if I had no idea how I was supposed to take that information and become a famous cartoonist in New York or a famous animator in Hollywood. No matter. That could always be dealt with sometime in the future. These same Walter Foster books have been reprinted many times over filling the heads of countless people of all ages with fanciful dreams that may or may not ever come true. It didn’t seem to matter. The books themselves were so wonderful! I have been looking at a recent book from Walter Foster, now an imprint at Quarto Publishing Group. It is a classic and brings up a lot of happy memories, Cartoon Animation with Preston Blair.

Cartoon Animation with Preston Blair

Animation with Preston Blair is a fine example of the lineup of Walter Foster books from Quarto in a contemporary trade paperback format. Preston Blair, born in 1908, was trained in fine art and illustration and went on to become a leading animator at Disney. Blair animated such famous work as the Hippos dance in “Dance of Hours” and Mickey Mouse in “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” both in 1940’s Fantasia. Blair is also known for his work at MGM, most notably his animation with Tex Avery. And he is also known for his work at Hanna-Barbera for The Flintstones. Blair offers plenty in the way of lively and inventive examples.

A page from Cartoon Animation with Preston Blair

Upon a closer examination, it’s clear that this book is a treasure trove of samples and guidelines to inspire an artist at any level. A book like this will help get you on track because it makes no pretense and gets to the heart of the matter: page after page of straightforward drawing. And new animators will appreciate plenty of examples of anatomy, perspective, and various movement along with timeless principles.

From Cartoon Animation with Preston Blair

Combining two previous titles, this manual is organized into six chapters covering cartoon construction, character development, movement, animation principles and animated acting. The retro drawings alone are worth the modest price for this 128-page fully illustrated book. Solid instruction never goes out of style and is timeless. This is recommended for all ages.

For more details, visit Quarto Publishing Group right here.

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Filed under animation, Art, Book Reviews, Education

Tagged as Animation, Art, Books, Cartooning, Education, Entertainment, Illustration, Media, Pop Culture, Publishing

August 16, 2019 · 6:10 pm

Interview: Dave Pressler and ‘The Right Tool for the Job: The Future of the Robot Industrial Revolution’

Dave Pressler in 2004 for a Halloween show at The Key Club, We Have Your Toys.

Robin Williams and Scarlett Johansson are among the stars who have flocked to the art of Dave Pressler. Do you like robots? Do you like monsters? There’s bound to be something to your liking from the multi-hyphenated artist. Indeed, Pressler excels as an illustrator, painter, sculptor and character designer. You can always find him at his website and, if you’re in Colorado, you can go view his latest show, The Right Tool for the Job: The Future of the Robot Industrial Revolution, at Telluride Arts HQ Gallery from August 30 to October 1, 2019.

Scarlett Johansson buys a Dave Pressler sculpture from Munky King in 2004.

In this interview, we chat about the process of making art, the loneliness of robots, and how anyone with a healthy determination can become the artist they’ve always wanted to be.

Dave Pressler at Telluride Arts HQ Gallery

Telluride Arts HQ Gallery

presents

DAVE PRESSLER
THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB
The Future of the Robot Industrial Revolution

EMMY AWARD-NOMINATED, MULTI-HYPHENATE ARTIST DAVE PRESSLER RETURNS TO TELLURIDE WITH NEW SHOW EXPLORING THE FUTURE OF ROBOTS AT WORK

OPENING RECEPTION

Telluride Art Walk

Thursday, September 5, 2019 | 5-8 pm

ON VIEW

August 30, 2019 – October 1, 2019

Telluride Arts HQ Gallery
135 W Pacific Ave, Telluride, CO 81435

The Telluride Arts District is proud to present the next solo exhibition of artist Dave Pressler, The Right Tool for the Job: The Future of the Robot Industrial Revolution. As the specter of automation and artificial intelligence continue to advance, slowly replacing more and more blue collar jobs, Pressler imagines a parallel universe in which his classic robot characters must show up for factory work the same way we begrudgingly did at the turn of the 20th century. The illustrator, painter, sculptor and character designer has already had a busy 2019, but this show once again breaks new ground for him as an artist: it will be the first time he’s exhibiting a new body of work comprised almost entirely of graphite on paper.

“We’re having another industrial revolution right now, but most people aren’t really talking about it,” explains Pressler. “There’s all this rhetoric about immigrants coming in and stealing blue collar jobs, but it’s not really true. It’s the same thing that happened in the 1800s, when local furniture-makers and garment makers were suddenly replaced by factories powered by steam and assembly-line workers. We’re seeing the same kind of job displacement that we did at the start of the 20th century, but this time it’s being driven by automation and AI.”

Pressler, a self-described blue collar artist, hails from a working class background in the southern suburbs of Chicago. Growing up in a factory town, he was always surrounded by people who made a living working with their hands. To this day, it informs how he sees his role in Hollywood and the low-brow, pop art worlds. Pressler originally moved to Los Angeles in his early 20s to pursue work as an actor, but in the 90s, he shifted dramatically toward production and character design. This work required the creativity of an artist, yes, but more importantly, it required the discipline to sit down and do it—to put in a hard day’s work and get ‘er done, not unlike a blue collar job. From there, his career path almost became traditional, seeing him rise through the ranks to become production designer on the Jim Henson Company’s B.R.A.T.S. of the Lost Nebula, followed by The Save-Ums and Team Smithereen. Eventually, he co-created the Emmy-nominated Robot and Monster for Nickelodeon, all while continuing to develop himself as an illustrator, painter and sculptor in the low-brow art market. All of his two decade plus career was explored recently in his retrospective museum exhibition, “Idea to Object,” at Lancaster Museum of Art.

The humorous but gritty worlds populated with robots and monsters that Pressler creates have always involved his characters begrudgingly fulfilling their duties, almost like holding up a robot-tinted mirror to the lives we have to live to make money and keep society going. For the first time ever, with this automation and AI-driven industrial revolution we’re currently witnessing, Pressler’s whimsical robot world is coming into its own and perhaps serving as an extension of reality. Pressler’s newest exhibition humorously goes behind the scenes of what the robots will have to deal with as we pass off more and more work to them.

Listen to the podcast interview by clicking the link below:

www.davepresslerart.com

www.telluridearts.org

Review: ‘Inside Family Guy: An Illustrated History’ by Frazier Moore

Inside Family Guy: An Illustrated History by Frazier Moore

Family Guy, is celebrating being on television since 1999. If you look it up for a basic description you get a “sick, twisted and politically incorrect animated series featuring the adventures of the Griffin family.” That’s a good place to start. It’s one of those shows that may or may not have been on your radar and, if it did catch your attention it could leave you loving it, hating it, or scratching your head. And that’s okay since that is apparently what creator Seth MacFarlane had in mind when he first conceived of the show back in college. Twenty some years later, it a good time to take stock of a pop culture icon with the release of Inside Family Guy: An Illustrated History by Frazier Moore, published by Dey Street Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

The family at rest.

Here’s the thing to keep in mind about Family Guy: this is the brainchild of Seth MacFarlane, a young, talented, ambitious guy with a certain point of view with a subversive edge. If you don’t care for his idea of satire, then this show may not work for you. If you revel in his particular sense of humor, then this show may work for you without a problem. It’s one person’s vision of crossing the line. That has so much to do with what Family Guy is all about. You’re looking at an unrelenting pursuit of crossing the line, much in the same vein as South Park. In this regard, this book does a great job of presenting the ins and outs of such a journey, warts and all. It also does a fine job of providing an in depth look at how a major network animated series in put together covering ever detail from drafting a script to post-production.

The notorious un-aired abortion episode, “Partial Terms of Endearment,” from 2009.

The book’s author, Frazier Moore, makes no secret about being a superfan of the show no matter what. What makes for the most interesting section to this book is when Moore explains the controversial history of Family Guy, a mashup of kooky family TV tropes and explosive content. It is in-your-face humor and that can be quite a bumpy ride for all involved. The best case in point is the notorious abortion episode, “Partial Terms of Endearment.” The justification from Moore for a Family Guy episode on abortion is that Norman Lear wrote about it for Maude in 1972. Well, let’s just say that this justification is quite a stretch. The way Family Guy handles the subject is to have the main character, Peter Griffin, engage in a variety of acts of torture to induce his wife, Lois, to have a miscarriage. Towards the end, Peter begins to have misgivings but, at the very end, matter-of-factly, Lois has an abortion. So, yeah, not exactly Norman Lear. That said, a typical episode of Family Guy is pretty impressive and just what you can expect from a show that is upfront about its goal of being “sick, twisted and politically incorrect.” This new book honors the eight-time Emmy Award-winning show and proves to be an essential guide.

Character designs

Inside Family Guy: An Illustrated History is a 256-page fully illustrated hardcover, published by HarperCollins, available as of May 14, 2019. For more details, go right here.

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Filed under animation, Comics, Family Guy, Satire, Seth MacFarlane, Television, The Simpsons

Tagged as Abortion, Animation, Entertainment, Media, Pop Culture, Television

March 2, 2018 · 12:00 am

ECCC 2018 Interview: Nilah Magruder and M.F.K. and Diversity in Comics

ECCC 2018: Nilah Magruder

The original webcomic, M.F.K.

Nilah Magruder is a writer and illustrator of children’s books and comics. From her beginnings in the woods of Maryland she developed an eternal love for three things: nature, books, and animation. She is the author of HOW TO FIND A FOX (First Second Books) and M.F.K. (Insight Comics) among other works.

It all began, or a lot of things started to fall into place, with the M.F.K. webcomic. That’s a significant work in Nilah Magruder’s career which includes both the comics and the animation industry. It was a story she had to tell and embarked upon back in 2012. The underlying theme to Magruder’s work is giving voice to those who have not been heard in the past. As she puts it, her stories come back to what she would have wanted to read as a child. “I’m writing the stories that I wish I would have read as a young black girl growing up in a predominantly white community.”

M.F.K.

Nilah Magruder’s postapocalyptic story about a deaf girl crossing the desert to release the ashes of her grandmother would go on to be the first recipient of the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics. In the summer of 2017, Insight Comics would publish the first installment of M.F.K. as its first original graphic novel.

HOW TO FIND A FOX

Magruder is as busy as ever. Among her work, she is the first African American woman to write a story for Marvel Comics. She has just completed storyboard work for the Disney “Tangled” animated television series. She is just as adept at creating children’s books as demonstrated by the adorable HOW TO FIND A FOX. Well, the list goes on. This week, for instance, a new anthology of queer teen stories, including a story by Magruder was released by Harlequin Teen, “All Out: The No-Longer-Secret Stories of Queer Teens throughout the Ages.” And looking out to Spring 2019, there is “Creeky Acres,” from Penguin Books, a graphic novel by Magruder and First Second editor Calista Brill.

Take a closer look at her professional journey and it follows an arc of determination to excel. “Comics and animation are highly competitive. It has to be a perfect storm of having the right skills and being at the right place at the right time. You have to have stamina. Success in this business is being the last person standing. What really drives you is the passion.”

It was my pleasure to get a chance to chat with Nilah Magruder and get a sense of her multi-faceted work. I hope you enjoy this video interview!

Be sure to visit Nilah Magruder at her website right here. And, if you’re in Seattle and heading out to Emerald City Comicon, be sure to stop by and visit with her in person! You will find her in Artist Alley at Booth P11 and on some very fun and interesting panels!

Nilah Magruder and ECCC

Nilah Magruder will be at Booth P11 in Artist Alley.

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Filed under Comics, Emerald City Comicon, First Second, Insight Comics, Nilah Magruder, Webcomics

Tagged as Animation, Children's Books, comics, Diversity, ECCC, Emerald City Comicon, Entertainment, First Second Books, graphic novels, Illustration, Insight Comics, Media, Pop Culture, Publishing, Queer Youth, Seattle, webcomics

December 7, 2017 · 11:00 am

420TV Acquires SUPER SLACKERS from David Silverman, Director-Animator of THE SIMPSONS

SUPER SLACKERS on 420TV

As cannabis steadily moves from counterculture to mainstream, the time is perfect for 420TV, the new hub for cannabis news and entertainment, set to launch in early 2018. One of the new shows on 420TV will be a first-run animated series from long-time director of “The Simpsons,” David Silverman. Created for mature audiences, “SUPER SLACKERS” is a comedy about a group of lazy friends unwittingly thrust into the life of superheroes.

Another distinctive feature of this show is that it will be voiced by a a veritable “who’s who” of social influencers whose combined following tops 35 million. “SUPER SLACKERS” features hip-hop artist/actor Jerry Purpdrank; video/music producer & infamous slap-cammer Max Jr.; martial artist, dancer & comedian Dan Nampaikid; professional soccer player-turned-actor, director & content creator, Jon Paul Piques; Smosh YouTube star Olivia Sui; stand-up comedian/writer Arantza Fahnbulleh; and traditional actor/comedian Mickey Gooch, who was recently featured in the hit movie “How to Be Single,” and the indie comedies “Clapper” and “Deported.”

420TV.com

The animated series’ six-episode first season follows a group of friends who discover they have superpowers after their weed is switched with a new strain being used in a government experiment. When a Professor Xavier-type shows up to train them, they have no interest in saving the world. They agree to move into a rent-free government compound, but all they want to do is watch TV and play video games. The Professor is convinced he can turn them into the heroes that the world needs — but can he do it before their infectious laziness spreads to the rest of the agents?

“SUPER SLACKERS” is created and directed by David Silverman (“The Simpsons”), written by Joelle Sellner (“Sonic Boom”) and animated by Mike Blum (Pipsqueak). Executive Producers are Mickey Gooch (Skit Bags Entertainment), Warren Zide (“American Pie”), digital entertainment manager/attorney Ash Venkatram and entrepreneur Ranajit Chaudhury. Usman Shaikh is Co-Executive Producer. The series was introduced to 420TV by talent manager Leanne Perice.

SUPER SLACKERS on 420TV

“‘SUPER SLACKERS’ is the first original animated series from a director in the traditional space that leverages the talents and audience of household digital stars,” said Ash Venkatram. “By choosing a racially diverse cast and throwing them into the culture of cannabis, we hope to give viewers a refreshing change from the vanilla content they normally consume on linear television.”

“420TV is thrilled to be offering the latest animated comedy created by David Silverman, a wonderfully gifted animator who has a long history of producing tremendously successful shows. His new, first-run series, which will make its global premiere on 420TV, is equal parts funny, twisted and cool. ‘SUPER SLACKERS’ is also a perfect complement to our lineup, as we look to create and secure cannabis-friendly content for both the converted and the curious,” said Alex Nahai, a partner in 420TV.

Added David Silverman: “I couldn’t imagine a more fitting home for ‘SUPER SLACKERS’ than 420TV, with its appeal to a very open-minded, socially connected audience.”

Debuting in early 2018, and initially available through 420TV.com and its mobile applications, 420TV is a premium 4K video-on-demand network devoted to all things cannabis. It will deliver original programming produced exclusively for the multi-platform channel, in addition to acquired long and short-form entertainment. Content categories in development include news, information, food, fashion, comedy, music and animation, as well as acquired feature films, documentaries, music and live streaming events. 420TV was developed by 420 Entertainment Group, comprised of OWNZONES Media Network, Genesis Media and Alex Nahai Enterprises. For more information, follow www.420TV.com.