Back from the Brink

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 06:59:06 +0000

Juggling teaching, filmmaking, and masters classes has taken me out of my web routine. I hardly ever go on Facebook, Vimeo, or even my blog! But I will be back soon, with more art and images.

For now, here is a rough concept image of my upcoming film.

9/11/01, Living in lower NY

admin — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 02:33:14 +0000

I have never posted these photos. They were taken from my rooftop on 9/11/01, while living in the Lower East Side.

By this, I mean the REAL Lower East Side, which is below Houston. I lived on Henry and Montgomery Street, 1.3 miles from the World Trade Center. Land line and cell phone service were knocked out for two months, and the air was barely breathable. For weeks, all you could smell was burning electrical equipment, freshly laid tar, with a hint of death.

Here are the photos I took that morning.

These were my roommates at the time. No photos of me were taken on that tragic day.

One interesting piece I worked on this year was this one: a beautiful film made by the Rauch Brothers of Brooklyn, NY. It brings extra significance to me on this particular day:

The weeks after were unforgettable. I hope everyone has a thoughtful and creative day.

War Birds and Character Design

admin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 16:49:44 +0000

While much of the animation industry went to the San Diego Comic Con last week, I went to the EAA air show in Oshkosh. It’s the biggest air show in the world, and I have the sore legs to prove it! The weather was beautiful, and planes were amazing, and I saw some nice character art.

Much of these characters look better than anything you would see at a recent comic con!

Lastly, here is a gentleman painting in front of a crowd. World war II re-enactment is a big part of Oshkosh.

Okay, okay, one more thing! I thought the packaging of this breakfast roll was pretty cute.

Banjo Bear Returns

admin — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 04:50:34 +0000

A while back, I posted a nice little digital drawing of a bear. He is now a mascot for the band, Northern Divide.

This version of the drawing is for printing T shirts.

Portrait of Steph

admin — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 16:18:29 +0000

I did this last winter, for a friend’s winter art project. I whipped it up quickly, but didn’t forget to scan before I sent it off in the mail.

I’m in a Museum

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 17:38:50 +0000

Last month, Art in the Streets opened at The Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. It was ENORMOUS, what felt like 30,000 square feet of open space, dedicated to the various forms of street art: graffiti, installations, sculptures, photos, cars, airbrushed trucks, and murals. Three hours wasn’t enough time to get through it all. I left the museum feeling spellbound.

WHY WAS I THERE?

I made a video that was featured in the retrospective for the artist/ performer, Rammellzee. I have come to know Ramm over the last nine years, and was given the opportunity to make a four minute video for him. Details can be found in an earlier post.

I made the film (as well as my college thesis) on a cheap Dell computer, using After Effects 5.0 and a digital camera, (kindly leant to me by Rammellzee). Images were cut up in photoshop, spray paint blotches were cycled and filtered, and photos of New York were taken. One day, Ramm and I shot footage of the Williamsburg bridge together. Once in Brooklyn, he treated me to Peter Luger (my first and only time). Unforgettable.

The results of the video were gritty, and experimental. The perfectionist side of me winces at what I produced at the time. And yet, the lack of polish seems appropriate. Upon completing the video in 2002, I would have NEVER imagined seeing it in a museum.

Winter Figure Drawing

admin — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 02:15:40 +0000

I have been drawing in Flash and Toon Boom, and not enough on paper. Luckily, I had a few moments to work on my figure drawing.

2010 Wrap up, Part 2

admin — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 19:00:41 +0000

Here are a few screen shots of the various things I did in 2010.

For most of these projects, I was hired late to make the project’s deadline. Just about all of them were done in Flash, except for one, which was requested to be done in the burgeoning new software, Toon Boom Animate Pro.

This has been my 10th year of using Flash, and sixth year using it primarily for digital animation. Never have I been asked to animate in Flash more that in 2010. Why? Can’t say for sure. But I’m learning Toon Boom now, and hope to master the software in 2011.

I don’t have the final footage for all of these projects, but I have cobbled a medley of images anyway. As you can see, it was a very diverse year!

Birthday Card

admin — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 04:54:44 +0000

I whipped up this little birthday card for my niece. Yes, the kitty is wearing socks!

2010 Wrap-up, Part 1

admin — Fri, 24 Dec 2010 02:16:06 +0000

Hello folks!

I would like to spend the rest of the year to post the things I did this year. This is a spot I animated for Nickelodeon. Thanks goes out to the spot’s designer, Rob Kohr.