Overlord Propaganda Video

One of my many projects is coming together, slowly but surely. This is the first released animation for 'The Overlord' my animated webseries about a villain that kills all the superheroes and rules the world. This video is a propaganda piece that is played for a huge chanting crowd at the 25th anniversary celebration of his reign over the world. It sets up the world of the story.

Work in underway on the next release, a teaser which introduces us to the story's main protagonist, Citizen Alice. I plan to put that out there early in the new year.

The Lockout Sweater

This is an animated spot I did for CBC's 'This Hour Has 22 Minutes' which aired last night on their Holiday Special. It's a satirical take on the classic NFB short 'The Sweater' by Sheldon Cohen, which was based on the book 'The Hockey Sweater' by Roch Carrier. I painted the backgrounds in Photoshop and animated the characters in Flash.

A Storyboard

Checkmate

Something I was working on today. Working on a new intro concept for the Overlord

Line Quality Demo

I did a lecture and demonstration today about line quality - showing how you can clean up a drawing to show different qualities. I cleaned up the rough bed drawing two different ways, to demonstrate.

So yeah, I'm enjoying the Cintiq. I hope santa brings me one for x-mas

Raw Clay

I started working on my next film, an adaptation of my sketchbook/graphic novel 'Your Days Are Numbered' which I did last year. When I wrote it, I was making it as a book, with the focus on that medium. It uses drawing and typography and bookmaking. Time is flexible in print media; the reader can flip back and forth through the book, stop and start, or linger on a particular moment as long as they like. I made the book with these sorts of things in mind, and for a film there are other considerations. The material will make a good film, but it needs to be re-interpreted and re-written. I don't simply want to animate the images that I drew for the book, as I don't think that will get the point across; also I think a film offers opportunities to convey some new ideas.

Hyperquench

My latest animation - done for a contest put on by CBC's WireTap with Jonathan Goldstein

Angry Dwarves

Today I did a quick sketchy drawing of three angry dwarves, ready for battle. I like the woodcut approach, using a hard brush and alternating black and white ink to shape the lines.

Cintiq Sketches

During my morning storyboarding class at the Centre for Arts and Technology I sketched some abandoned buildings on the Cintiq as demonstrations for drawing exterior locations. I am now in love with the Cintiq, and I need one or else I will never be happy again.

Here's some more that I did - it's like drawing on paper, but with layers and an undo. GUH

Animation With Love 3

Animation With Love 3 was a blast! We got to show a bunch of animation by local and come-from-away animators, and we had a great panel discussion about the state of the animation scene in Halifax, and in general. I met some cool people, and got inspired to make more films. Looking forward to next year!

Hey so yeah - here I am posting a blog about my event after the event is over! WOOT - go marketing department - Sil and I were a bit busy with our various day jobs, personal lives and actually trying to pull the event together... so some details got shuffled to the bottom

The two previous years we were hired as curators for the event that was run by the Centre for Art Tapes. This was our first year trying it on our own, and it went really well. We were not really sure we could do it on our own, but we did, and knowing that I think we'll be better able to organize things next year.

So to all you animators out there, get busy and finish your films for next October. And to all you people with eyeballs and brains, get ready to sit in a comfy chair and eat popcorn and watch awesome animated films next October!

Yellow Flowers

clean/UNCLEAN

I made a piece of video art. I'm not sure why, I just felt compelled. I mean, it's not like I don't have a million other projects on the go. I have scripts I'm working on, books I'm writing, films I'm making, comics I'm drawing, sketchbooks I want to fill. Not sure it makes sense to take time away from all of those, things that need finishing, and do something else. But I think art isn't primarily about doing what makes sense. (My son is in a philosophy class, and the teacher asked them 'What is art?' which is of course one of those age-old philosophical debates to which there is no one correct answer that satisfies everyone. So he and I have had a few interesting chats about the topic, which has kept it at the top of my mind.)

So in the middle of my life, which in addition to other projects, has a large and busy family, I stopped what I was doing and made this video. I wasn't really sure what the final product was going to be when I started. I didn't write a script or draw a storyboard, and I didn't pitch the idea to anyone. I just had a grain of an idea and then followed wherever it led me.

Your Days Are Numbered

http://www.arthousecoop.com/library/9491

I participated in an event put on my the Arthouse Co-op called the Sketchbook Project 2012. My submission has been added to their Online Library and is now viewable at the above link.

They sent me this little blank sketchbook and a theme (you can choose the theme from a list, or have one assigned randomly - I opted for the random selection option) and you just fill it up however you want and send it back to them, to be added to their collection, which tours the world.

The theme I got was 'Writing on the Wall'. I looked up the expression and found it comes from the Old Testament, from the story of the Feast of Belshazzar, who was the last king of Babylon.

The story goes like this: Belshazzar had come into possession of some treasures looted from the Temple of Solomon, and was using them during one of his ritual feasts, honoring some heathen god. This displeased God so he sent a warning to Belshazzar; a ghostly hand appeared out of swirling vapors and wrote these words on the wall: Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin. More or less, that means 'Your Days are Numbered'. Belshazzar was like 'whatever, man' and he kept on feasting. Next day Babylon was conquered by the Persians, and his kingdom was no more, erased from the earth forever.

Not a bad story I guess. My sketchbook reflects my own personal perspective on those themes.

El Santos - NSFW

This here is a promo clip for an animated feature that I worked on. It features several shots of my animation. I also coloured most of it. What is it you ask? It's a mexican feature film... more than that I do not know, other than it's really funny...

Oh and it's NSFW

big time

It was my birthday this weekend

A GRAND ADVENTURE IS UNDERWAY

I sketched a little teapot

Colour Study

Drew some fruit today.

We happy few

Storyboarding on Wild Grinders S1 has finished - it was a fun gig, and I'm eagerly awaiting the launch of the series. Maybe there'll be a Season 2...

So 2012 has started with me switching to animation. I'm doing 2D stuff at Copernicus, and so far I've worked on 2 projects, a feature and a preschool show. Hopefully I'll have some work to share in the future, but for now it's all under wraps. Maybe the 2013 demo reel will have some.

As for my own projects, 'Onions' is proceeding pretty well. We'd like to have a rough cut put together by the spring... maybe enter it in the Film Fest.

Jan 31st is the deadline for The Sketchbook Project, and my contribution is almost finished. Just a few hours this weekend and it will be ready to go. I'll have to remember to make some scans of it before I send it in.

And The Overlord is also moving along - a merry band of talented adventurers is rallying to the Overlord's call and it is looking more and more like Episode One will become a reality. I should be recording the vocal stuff next week, and then animation can begin.