tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106320652024-03-18T05:48:01.907-04:00THE DEMON DUCK OF DOOM ( or '3D' for short)Various rantings from a raving lady cartoonist.
"The world decorates its heroes with laurel, and its wags with Brussels Sprouts".Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.comBlogger306125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-1120653512416653162024-02-23T09:09:00.000-05:002024-02-23T09:09:50.928-05:00Another Giant Leaves Us<span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;">This morning I received the news that Selby Daley Kelly passed away over the 4th of July weekend.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;">Selby was a pioneer woman animator and a tireless campaigner against the discrimination that relegated her and other talented female artists to the anonymity of the Ink and Paint pool at the Disney studio.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;">Selby was the head of the paint mixing department at the studio at the time of SNOW WHITE. She is pictured in the original 1938 program from Radio City Music Hall.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;"><br />Selby is also pictured in many of the 'strike' photographs at Disney in 1941; at the time, she was dating Art Babbitt and so was very active in the union.<br />She was once President of the Screen Cartoonists' Guild and ran her own animation studios in the USA and Mexico with Roger Daley, her first husband.<br /><br />Selby was a published children's book illustrator when she applied to Disney in 1936 as an animator. "They laughed at me and told me to go across the street to the Ink and Paint department."<br /><br />A conversation:<br />Selby: "They paid me $15.00 a week."<br />me: "It was the Depression."<br />"Well, I gave up a job at the drugstore that paid <em>twenty</em>."<br />She described Walt Disney as a 'benevolent despot' toward the women and told me that if a woman walked into the Animation Building for any reason, she would be fired. Animators could visit Ink and Paint.<br /><br />"We were told that women <em>can't animate."</em><br />"Why?"<br />"We just <em>can't."</em><br /><br />Inkers could not afford the commissary on their low salaries, so they had a 'sandwich wagon' instead.<br /><br />"I met my first husband in Chuck Jones' unit, and I also met my <em>second</em> husband in Chuck Jones' unit." </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;color:#006600;">Walt Kelly apparently used to watch Margaret Selby walk to the Ink and Paint building, but though they worked in the same studio, they never met until thirty years later.<br /><br />Selby told me something once that I have never forgotten.<br /><br />"My first husband was as talented as my second husband. But he was a perfectionist and was never happy with the result. Kelly was satisfied to get it 80% right, and leave it at that."<br /><br />(Arguably, 80% of Walt Kelly is 150% of most of our efforts...the man was a drawing dynamo.)<br /><br />Selby was a very good friend of mine for many years after we met at Zanders'.<br /><br />I interviewed her in 1983 for <em>Cartoonist PROfiles </em>magazine. The interview will be posted on this blog.<br /><br />Farewell, Selby. I hope in the Big Studio in the Sky, the women <em>can</em> and do work with 'the boys'.</span><br /><br /></span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-52720862707846942912022-11-07T11:52:00.002-05:002022-11-07T11:52:44.772-05:00ANIMATION ANARCHY ON SUBSTACK<p> <span style="font-size: large;">Hey.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">Frank and Ollie were right.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">And I have a new blog on Substack. Why? Well, I might want to sell something there eventually. You can never tell.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://nancybeiman.substack.com/p/28-points-of-animation">Read all about it here.</a></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-19065537842496464642022-10-05T18:33:00.003-04:002022-10-05T18:33:57.716-04:00Fantasy-Animation Interview October 2022<p><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.fantasy-animation.org/all-episodes/episode-105-in-conversation-with-nancy-beiman" target="_blank">I was interviewed for this podcast </a>and they asked excellent questions. Look at some of the others, too, it's a very interesting site.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-size: large;">The picture of me was my official Disney portrait, taken in 1995. If you look carefully at my shirt, you will see little Mickey Mouse hands and feet and pants in the pattern. Subtle.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaCx3kyq-Hy6h1qxmphZCgX_KKoOitB01NrUwsGkIxTQyV8OPsEFTgNgzvdTHTb7bYSWFWm35lP8uhr67Xo9FTBK2q9sL_1U8P2LQTLpXbbUzK9I-Yc1aP4RK5tVoXSAZ_TAK4aLMzxsWbu5STsJbqcQGS6mAqjf-xEBrLGYFvQ6atyPsl7U/s238/bennbeiman01.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="159" data-original-width="238" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHaCx3kyq-Hy6h1qxmphZCgX_KKoOitB01NrUwsGkIxTQyV8OPsEFTgNgzvdTHTb7bYSWFWm35lP8uhr67Xo9FTBK2q9sL_1U8P2LQTLpXbbUzK9I-Yc1aP4RK5tVoXSAZ_TAK4aLMzxsWbu5STsJbqcQGS6mAqjf-xEBrLGYFvQ6atyPsl7U/w487-h326/bennbeiman01.jpeg" width="487" /></a></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></p>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-41943730275342055802022-10-04T19:07:00.002-04:002022-10-04T19:07:45.456-04:00A nice shout out from a nice site<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">If you aren't visiting the <a href="https://www.awn.com/" target="_blank">Animation World Network</a> site regularly, you should be. It covers 'worldwide' animation, not just the usual suspects. There are articles, reviews, and blogs...and today, <a href="https://www.awn.com/news/nancy-beimans-how-i-finally-got-live-cats-life-cartoon-diary-2020-2021-sale-now" target="_blank">there's this:</a> along with a review.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRHLQe_6c8BUYoy4N8XkN6GHIGnsV86vKWN7QRhDTw7tX1C2IvjQ7Fs6CsslSpkxlnDSIVZxlTrAGKknxKRZiCFcBrT-SX9l6YGpXfftaMad9ZMvL-XKF2iOlRbGKyhtAMEBcAV8reA8OHVKsEteVCojODOV8OL87GQto2Bsjr4nBQMRkrbI/s2400/FINAL%20AD.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2400" data-original-width="1745" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQRHLQe_6c8BUYoy4N8XkN6GHIGnsV86vKWN7QRhDTw7tX1C2IvjQ7Fs6CsslSpkxlnDSIVZxlTrAGKknxKRZiCFcBrT-SX9l6YGpXfftaMad9ZMvL-XKF2iOlRbGKyhtAMEBcAV8reA8OHVKsEteVCojODOV8OL87GQto2Bsjr4nBQMRkrbI/s320/FINAL%20AD.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">Writing a book or making a film and showing either one publicly means you listen to people who say its mom wrote it funny. (I left out the ugly part, and I want people to think I wrote it funny.)</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">So, we'll see what develops.</span></p><p><br /></p>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-80209091300121285862022-10-03T06:50:00.003-04:002022-10-03T06:50:19.943-04:00<p> <span style="font-family: Didact Gothic; font-size: medium;">Leonard Maltin and Jessie Maltin were kind enough to mention HOW I FINALLY GOT TO LIVE A CAT'S LIFE on their October 2 HAPPY SUNDAY livestream. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hHYDLK0R7U" target="_blank">The review comes at 1 :01 :30. </a>Thank you, Jessie and Leonard. </span></p><p><br /></p>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-63358781434559268792022-10-02T18:34:00.000-04:002022-10-02T18:34:00.494-04:00No More Teachers...No More Books...except that last part isn't true.<p> <span style="font-size: medium;">The book launched on October 1, and since it is the weekend, some things only will appear on Monday.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">The first: Shipping. This is already happening, or so I am told. Good. The second: Ebooks. Now, I know very little about the latter object, but they are the modern way to read a book. So, they are available. They are also listed at two different prices on ebook sites. This is a mistake. The higher price is the correct one. Just so you know. Ah, Mondays.</span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;">There are fifty 'diary entries' and four Pandemic Postage Stamps in <a href="https://www.amazon.com/How-Finally-Live-Cats-Life/dp/0986770027/ref=sr_1_1?crid=26QWOFP78RFL2&keywords=How+I+finally+got+to+live+a+cat%27s+life&qid=1664748554&sprefix=how+i+finally+got+to+live+a+cat%27s+life%2Caps%2C68&sr=8-1" target="_blank">How I Finally Got to Live A Cat's Life.</a> I drew more than fifty cartoons during the past two years. <i>Many</i> more. There wasn't a whole lot else to do, and not all the scary stories involved viruses.</span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">But the other cartoons weren't cute little diary entries with cats. They were about an 'influencer' who wasn't imaginary like Sleazy Homemaker-- he was real.</span></h3><div><span style="font-size: medium;">He even got elected to high office.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Originally, I was going to have my diary be a novelty 'two books in one' like <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Flipsville-Squaresville/dp/B001902LSY" target="_blank">FLIPSVILLE/SQUARESVILLE</a> by Stan and Jan Berenstain. *<a href="https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a7664693/mandela-effect-examples/" target="_blank">Yes, that is how their name is spelled</a> and any 'alternate' is not from a 'mandela effect' --it's from functional illiteracy. You're welcome. (And the line from SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS is "<u><b><i>MAGIC</i></b></u> mirror on the wall." You're welcome.) </span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I believe that the Berenstains invented the technique. One character's viewpoint was seen on even numbered pages; the other's was there too, on the odd pages, upside down, and you'd turn the book over to read the second version on the odd numbered pages. The back cover would become the front and vice versa.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">So you'd read cute cartoons about cats on one side of my book, and a horror story about a horrible man on the other side. And no publisher wanted anything to do with this concept. Actually I didn't, either. I could have done this version when I self published, but I thought...the cartoons would be dated by the time the book came out. And I couldn't stand to look at the ugly faces.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">Sadly, they aren't dated at all. A friend said that he, and perhaps others, would be willing to look at the ugly faces. Eager, even.</span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;">So, they will be posted here. You're welcome.</span></h3><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEecVJIem-SKqj_-DjJ3xAXZneYqkwgxBP63om9ue1bVXBJyXEiKA2JA4yhyLMsaD9TFnrDAXuAPEy73Kg1H5bJfsZOK0UOyJ83dUTCyY4KOGRiPh9J0zaUIe_Xqf7MC3ozeELBDRhtKNsAeDHYZClP0QxwrbvOZWVivZO0RJD4qJTOj54v1I/s4800/GROUPIES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4200" data-original-width="4800" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEecVJIem-SKqj_-DjJ3xAXZneYqkwgxBP63om9ue1bVXBJyXEiKA2JA4yhyLMsaD9TFnrDAXuAPEy73Kg1H5bJfsZOK0UOyJ83dUTCyY4KOGRiPh9J0zaUIe_Xqf7MC3ozeELBDRhtKNsAeDHYZClP0QxwrbvOZWVivZO0RJD4qJTOj54v1I/s320/GROUPIES.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">This one was just updated, because this record WILL NOT stop repeating, and it's being played by an entire party. (actually, we're the ones being played). The reference, for those of you Not In the Know, is to Leslie Gore's hit <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIsnIt1p978" target="_blank">IT'S MY PARTY AND I'LL CRY IF I WANT TO. </a></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;">I'll get to the others later on. There are about twenty of them. I can't stand drawing any more...but someone wants to see them. You're welcome.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-74565319801395100802022-09-30T09:14:00.002-04:002022-09-30T09:14:33.963-04:00Retired From Sheridan Today<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn079ZqDzlzIkWkrnSC5CHDrYxnp0gQonAwiBa5T0xK9W2j6KatGGIA0yzQbRx9zvCZBKem-ZHiQhV4F4U4Tzl68tSKgGkiwAfxGkgnjqRrOBjKC4UtjaALRMlNamhAJ97wyU1OAIXSblMlWLnAhjg6RfeMRGDPaDQHwbDZufg-IliCAsPc20/s400/and%20don't%20think.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn079ZqDzlzIkWkrnSC5CHDrYxnp0gQonAwiBa5T0xK9W2j6KatGGIA0yzQbRx9zvCZBKem-ZHiQhV4F4U4Tzl68tSKgGkiwAfxGkgnjqRrOBjKC4UtjaALRMlNamhAJ97wyU1OAIXSblMlWLnAhjg6RfeMRGDPaDQHwbDZufg-IliCAsPc20/s320/and%20don't%20think.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"> But that's NOT all, folks! The book is released tomorrow, and there will be some exciting new announcements next week!</h3><div><br /></div><div>Stay tuned. This page is easy to update, and I have a link from my portfolio site,</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://nancybeiman.com">nancybeiman.com</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Go there to look at films. Come here to see stuff I can't put on that other page, including over fifty cartoons about...well, you'll have to wait for the update.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p></p>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-88317520573705174972022-09-28T06:15:00.004-04:002022-09-28T06:15:55.144-04:00A NEW BOOK OF CARTOONS AND A NEW WEBSITE<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh121_9ZwN86YffaRzvHTvJ81XFBWJ9Cx5OpeFPDE75reEoH-uqKeI8-R8xLUn52J3pDbT0hkcxlsotpPCDoFUtmS6OtA_ogEbmboWLWX8HOL4jI-Uj_hRT3J30PXPztUFXDfZQnEvmiYk8TQjLa29kwrDmea7BASE8c7vVtzVFy7y-41EDatU/s3000/i%20cover%20revised.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2625" data-original-width="3000" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh121_9ZwN86YffaRzvHTvJ81XFBWJ9Cx5OpeFPDE75reEoH-uqKeI8-R8xLUn52J3pDbT0hkcxlsotpPCDoFUtmS6OtA_ogEbmboWLWX8HOL4jI-Uj_hRT3J30PXPztUFXDfZQnEvmiYk8TQjLa29kwrDmea7BASE8c7vVtzVFy7y-41EDatU/s320/i%20cover%20revised.png" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">This wasn't supposed to be a book at all.</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">I started drawing cartoons in the winter of 2020 to cheer up family and friends as we adjusted to the new 'normal' in 2020 and 2021. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">The cats took over the book because they insisted on helping. And they cheered everyone up.</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">A neighbor asked for printouts of each cartoon and assembled them in a sort of book. I saw that there was actual continuity, and the neighbor loved the cartoons, so I decided that maybe this could actually become a book.</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">But no publisher wanted it. So I did it myself. 'Little Red Hen Editions' is a good joke if you know the story.</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">HOW I FINALLY GOT TO LIVE A CAT'S LIFE is available from online booksellers worldwide. Ebooks will be available on google play and apple in the near future.</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">And there's my <a href="http://nancybeiman.com">new website</a>. </span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So enjoy!</span></p><p><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-11248989197059276852017-09-12T09:12:00.000-04:002017-09-12T09:13:28.901-04:00NEW BLOGHello everyone!<br />
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I know it's been a few years since I updated this blog. I have been rather busy, but the efforts have borne fruit: there is a third edition of PREPARE TO BOARD which contains images from a film I wanted to make, OLD TRICKS. I was that confident that the picture would be finished by the time the book was published, I actually put some of the model sheets into it.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5v56Qtrsp_k/WbfcJYKpN3I/AAAAAAAABBU/meLwi2Go-sIvcqIfCDzc5FlynCf7tG5AwCLcBGAs/s1600/poster%2Bpaste%2Bup.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5v56Qtrsp_k/WbfcJYKpN3I/AAAAAAAABBU/meLwi2Go-sIvcqIfCDzc5FlynCf7tG5AwCLcBGAs/s320/poster%2Bpaste%2Bup.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a poster for OLD TRICKS</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fBBI6kK3-p8/Wbfb02CEFiI/AAAAAAAABBQ/00BB8apbK8szFsnYgqT0xqURgK7vOf_dgCLcBGAs/s1600/first%2Bcover%2Brevised%2B2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fBBI6kK3-p8/Wbfb02CEFiI/AAAAAAAABBQ/00BB8apbK8szFsnYgqT0xqURgK7vOf_dgCLcBGAs/s320/first%2Bcover%2Brevised%2B2.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">third edition cover</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Well, surprise, surprise....my life took a dramatic turn when I met author Thomas King at his presentation at Sheridan College, and he immediately announced that he wanted one of his short stories animated.<br />
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And so I made an animated cartoon called A SHORT HISTORY OF INDIANS in CANADA.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j0FVbOQcSF8/WbfcqbO3TEI/AAAAAAAABBc/Lvb7VJ5unxEeoxBl8mv1ZOQaQjHmW5juwCLcBGAs/s1600/short%2Bhistory%2Brevised%2Bposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j0FVbOQcSF8/WbfcqbO3TEI/AAAAAAAABBc/Lvb7VJ5unxEeoxBl8mv1ZOQaQjHmW5juwCLcBGAs/s320/short%2Bhistory%2Brevised%2Bposter.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poster for the film.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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You can read about it on my new blog.<br />
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This one will still continue...hell, I may still blog on it...but if you want to learn about the book and the films, here's the address of the new one. See you there.<br />
<a href="https://nancybeiman.com/" target="_blank">https://nancybeiman.com/</a>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-86260232226794326332012-09-19T05:45:00.003-04:002012-09-19T05:45:57.778-04:00<a href="http://www.skwigly.co.uk/prepare-to-board-book-review/">http://www.skwigly.co.uk/prepare-to-board-book-review/</a>
<br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Here's the first review of the second edition of PREPARE TO BOARD!, from Britain's Skwigly animation site.</span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-32214051036796117172012-08-27T10:07:00.002-04:002012-08-27T10:07:18.137-04:00Best Design Book of 2012<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0240817346/ref=cm_cr_mts_prod_img" target="_blank">Roland Wilson's last book</a> is a stunner. Susan Lemieux Wilson edited a lifetime's worth of knowledge into the new book<br />
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<span id="btAsinTitle"><span style="font-size: small;">Rowland B. Wilson's Trade Secrets: Notes on Cartooning and Animation.</span></span></h1>
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<span><span style="font-size: small;">I bought it at once and am going to be recommending it to my students. Wilson's color theory is specifically adpated for motion pictures, specifically animation. While his compositional tips are from an illustrator's perspective, they can still be applied to the animated image.</span></span></div>
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<span><span style="font-size: small;">This is a wonderful book.</span></span></div>
Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-37269154120168232282012-07-04T10:06:00.003-04:002012-07-04T10:06:59.306-04:00Blogimation<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">I think I should mention some blog sites where you (students especially) can learn something about animation in other parts of the world. The industry was Hollywood-centric for so long that it's a positive pleasure to see the center of gravity shifting, or at least evening out. The Internet is a huge aid to animators: not only for communication, but for actual production. How many of you realize that you now don't need a distributor, or a studio, to get a short film made? Thanks to YouTube and Facebook and Kickstarter, we can network, fund, and distribute indie animation online. That's a pretty powerful set of tools for a bunch of crazy artists to handle.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">But on to the blogs. First and foremost I would like to talk about the British site <a href="http://www.skwigly.co.uk/articles/podcast/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Skwigly</span></a> . This was revived recently with a series of amazing podcasts with people like Barry Purves, Billy West, Fraser McLean (author of SETTING THE SCENE, the first book on layout history--really) and yours truly. (You can hear me starting at 18:00 in Podcast Number 3.) They have just posted a podcast from the Annecy festival. Take a listen!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Raul Aguirre, Jr.'s <a href="http://manvsart.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">MAN VS. ART</span></a> is an eclectic blend of interviews, reviews, and articles about working in the biz, and is also very entertaining.</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">One of my favorite bloggers is Steve Moore, whose <a href="http://www.flipanimation.net/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">FLIP magazine</span> </a>was actually written by and for animators. (Yes, I have a couple of articles in there but Steve is unquestionably the best writer on the site.) He's now revived <a href="http://flipanimation.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">FLIP as a blog</span></a> and has a British contributor as well!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Elliot Cowan's <a href="http://sandwichbag.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Sandwichbag</span></a> <span style="color: blue;">chronicles, among other things, its owner's production of an independent feature film. Read about it there, and view some more of Elliot's stuff. He's drawing, but everything is done on computer. This is the way cartoon animation is developing and (frankly) I don't think I will miss paper much if the results look like the ones I've been seeing here and elsewhere. (by the way, I've been drawing on a computer since 1997 and produced two animated films without paper; it's not such a big deal if you have the right tools.)</span></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Jenny Lerew is a story artist and author whose <a href="http://blackwingdiaries.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Blackwing Diaries blog</span></a> is an interesting combination of history and industry news. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">Lastly, there is the blog of Animation's Editorial Cartoonist, <a href="http://mrfun.squarespace.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">FLOYD NORMAN</span></a>...whose autobiography is being published in about a month's time. Don't miss the Gag Wall!</span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">I know there are other blogs out there, but these are the ones I visit regularly. I hope you enjoy them.</span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-18429543193926175132012-07-04T09:35:00.002-04:002012-07-04T09:35:29.563-04:00<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Well, I have to tell you, it is just WONDERFUL here in my new apartment. I enjoy the neighbourhood, I like the vibes, and most importantly, I enjoy coming home to the place. That can be a very important thing when your life is basically divided between work and home, during the school term. This is Gizmo, in the eat-in kitchen. I haven't had one of these since I was a kid. It took a little getting used to but it is fun having breakfast in the charming, well lit place. Even though the building is old and rather ugly on the outside, it has a beautiful interior. I suppose there is something profound to be read into this except that I cannot figure out what it is.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">I'm on summer break now but that does not mean I've stopped working. There are people (not just Sheridan students) who ask for help on various projects. I do what I can.</span> </div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia;">There are some interesting developments in the Toronto animation scene as well. This weekend is the first <a href="http://taafi.com/events/taafi2012/" target="_blank">TAAFI ANIMATION FESTIVAL</a> . It's about time that Toronto had its own animation festival, and the <a href="http://tiff.net/" target="_blank">Tiff Bell Lightbox</a> is an excellent place in which to have it. They have a number of events, masterclasses and so on, that might be fun. Truth to tell, I'm only attending the opening screening and party, but I think that the other events should be really good, and I hope that they are booked solid.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia;">And I'm going around camping and traveling in Canada a bit this summer, so there will be pictures. The bicycle trails here are just gorgeous, and I plan to use them as much as possible. So stay tuned...</span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-18919769203422235272012-05-04T09:33:00.001-04:002012-05-04T09:33:51.835-04:00<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: large;">The winter 2012 semester ended well. There were a lot of motivated and interested students in the classes, and it's a pleasure to teach when this is the case. Sheridan has a tough selection process and that's good preparation for our courses, and for real life.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">I'm teaching my 'acting for animators' workshop again, beginning this Monday. It was fun last year and I'm looking forward to seeing the scenarios the students come up with.</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;"></span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">We're also doing some retraining, ourselves. This should be quite useful and interesting.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">now, unfortunately there is some bad news about the book. Its publication is delayed again since Focal Press was purchased by another publisher. I'm told they are excellent, but it nevertheless does make me a little unhappy that I cannot use the new edition for the fall classes. It really is quite an improvement over the original. But that's the way it is. The publisher will 'push' sales in the spring, but I don't know how many schools actually would buy the books at that late date. </span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">So, the second edition of PREPARE TO BOARD will have to be used in the fall, 2013 classes at this rate. The original is still useful, but I have supplemented it with so many handouts over the years. I'd like to not have to do this any more. One more year should do it.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">I had to take a short visit to see my parents due to illness in the family, and it's almost over now.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">The move to the new apartment will take up all the remaining time not spent in retraining and teaching the workshops.</span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: Georgia; font-size: large;">At least Gizmo is healthy. I hope she stays that way.</span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-90133727111077925642012-03-17T08:12:00.004-04:002012-03-17T08:20:10.899-04:00Gizmo the Survivor Kitty<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8fHAX_JxuOE/T2R_9V_pV2I/AAAAAAAAAVE/izypT5axHNc/s1600/P1000794.JPG" style="font-size: 100%; font-family: Georgia, serif; "><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8fHAX_JxuOE/T2R_9V_pV2I/AAAAAAAAAVE/izypT5axHNc/s400/P1000794.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5720838118520215394" /></a><span>I had no idea, when I got this unwanted little cat in November of 2005, that she would prove to be (a) a wonderful animation model and inspiration for many illustrations in two books; (b) as friendly and loyal as any dog; (c) so sickly that her grievous illnesses would cost me much more than mere money. Gizmo is not just a cat; she is a friend. And when friends get sick, you help them.</span><div><span>Fortunately Gizmo is also a survivor. Her nicknames "Tenacious G", "Iron Kitty" and "The Fighter" (this last one, admiringly, awarded from her vet) were awarded after she survived large cell malignant lymphoma that entailed the removal of most of her large intestine in March of 2010. This is a picture of her recovering just after she came home from hospital on March 20, 2010.</span></div><div><span>Her operation took place on the 18th. Does this look like a sick cat to you?</span></div><div><span>Since then Gizmo has had another close scare in December of 2011...this one, (a nasal polyp) nonfatal, though just as pricey and difficult and painful to remove.</span></div><div><span>But she seems to have beaten both of them.</span></div><div><span>And this is quite an achievement, because the vet did confirm that all of the other cats with large cell malignant lymphoma have died within two years of diagnosis.</span></div><div><span>Gizmo even beat this cancer without chemo. I wouldn't get it for her and it wouldn't have helped anyway. But she is still here. The anniversary of her surgery: March 18th, 2012. It's been two years. She is possibly the longest lived survivor of this condition.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>She is indeed a Fighter. And I say this with great admiration.</span></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-19684641467448923692012-03-17T08:05:00.002-04:002012-03-17T08:08:53.449-04:00Publication date for PREPARE TO BOARD second edition<span >Well, since I got the text and illustrations for PTB's second edition done early, the tentative publication date has been moved up a month to August 2012 (formerly September.) This seems like a good idea, since it is, after all, a textbook; and September is when most of the books would seem to be needed.</span><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >There will be a website for the new edition and I've sent in several videos to go on it; none of them can be presented here for obvious reasons. Sheridan students Mincheul Park and Bram Cayne very generously allowed me to use two projects completed in my class using exercises from the book; and podcaster Raul Aguirre, Jr. allowed me to excerpt some of the fine interview he got with me in December 2010.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >I had to film myself pitching, and while it was a distressing experience seeing myself in front of a camera (especially after a week of viewing over 500 portfolios--) I did manage to complete the pitch successfully, albeit a bit tiredly.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >Term is winding down now and the group Leica projects turned out quite well this year. I wonder if it is possible to post them?</span></div><div><span >Let's find out.</span></div><div><span ><br /></span></div><div><span >More anon.</span></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-77956203610783267662012-01-22T10:29:00.000-05:002012-01-22T10:30:28.995-05:00<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LlsadhrivR0/Txwrfe0-q9I/AAAAAAAAAUo/ia2KfagmZ8w/s1600/dragon.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 291px; height: 400px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LlsadhrivR0/Txwrfe0-q9I/AAAAAAAAAUo/ia2KfagmZ8w/s400/dragon.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5700479048195419090" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span >Happy Year of the Dragon!</span></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-45309765015333343232012-01-04T18:54:00.002-05:002012-01-04T18:56:54.886-05:00Oh yeah, then there's this.<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I3WcotAjjB8/TwTnQ7usSQI/AAAAAAAAAUM/WaFksnVaUQI/s1600/new_cover_2012_small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 216px; height: 267px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-I3WcotAjjB8/TwTnQ7usSQI/AAAAAAAAAUM/WaFksnVaUQI/s400/new_cover_2012_small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693930107000604930" /></a><br /><span >The second edition of PREPARE TO BOARD will be published this year. There's a lot of new artwork in it...and I've revised or rewritten about a third of the book. So anyone who wants to buy it will not feel that it has merely received a cosmetic makeover. I think that it is very much improved, not that the original is junk, you understand; but I write better now, and have fixed some parts that I found needed fixing. Here's the new cover, once again featuring cover girl Gizmo.</span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-71469393629390527962012-01-04T18:48:00.002-05:002012-01-04T18:50:51.364-05:00The Moon Never Sets on the British Empire<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UBysfqgUpao/TwTlZqKWUII/AAAAAAAAAUA/WrCKs9QZUEM/s1600/moonneversets.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 233px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UBysfqgUpao/TwTlZqKWUII/AAAAAAAAAUA/WrCKs9QZUEM/s400/moonneversets.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693928057880334466" /></a><span >A friend of mine is doing some writing for this new version of Sherlock Holmes...and since I was curious, but still don't have a television, we watched an episode or two in a coffee shop in an undisclosed location. The infamous "Scandal in Belgravia" episode had aired the night before, and when I saw the 'sheets to the wind' scene I had the idea that it could have been staged more like this. I guess I'll never get my Canadian citizenship now.</span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-42115056658648213392012-01-04T18:42:00.002-05:002012-01-04T18:47:16.744-05:00I have Been a Naughty Person<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MP0i5TOBex4/TwTkbzxN0SI/AAAAAAAAAT0/SZ3W6GcMStA/s1600/robfordnewyaer.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 286px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MP0i5TOBex4/TwTkbzxN0SI/AAAAAAAAAT0/SZ3W6GcMStA/s400/robfordnewyaer.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5693926995307385122" /></a><br /><span >Well, it's that time of year when we make new year's resolutions, and mine is: to start keeping this blog in some kind of shape again. You just never know who is going to read it.</span><div><span >Here's what has been sort of going on here: thanks to this blog (yes), two of my caricatures are going to appear in the NATIONAL POST on Saturday, January 7. The first one is the "Potato Head Ford" cartoon that appeared here in 2010. The other one is...this.</span></div><div><span >Yes, Mr. Ford's cuts are being implemented as we speak. Subway/streetcar fare is going up. Garbage pickup has been 'privatized' (and surprise: there were no bids on it; it was awarded to a company that is doubtless in someone's good graces.) Libraries, the arts, everything that makes Toronto pleasant, is being cut back. As I said to the journalist who spoke with me last week...the only thing not being cut back in Toronto is...the mayor.</span></div><div><span >He's certainly good copy, and very easy to caricature.</span></div><div><span >I drew this thing while waiting to hear whether Gizmo had survived her latest bout with surgery. Unfortunately this charming cat has been prey to some alarming illnesses for the past two years, and is probably down to her last one or two lives. I get the biopsy result tomorrow. The article will be in the TORONTO section of the paper in an article called "Ford as Muse."</span></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-43184298190230190572011-01-19T19:18:00.002-05:002011-01-19T19:21:54.211-05:00High School Confidential<span style="color:#3333ff;">Well I just wrote a lovely post about my visit to the Etobicoke School of Art, but right now I am as mad as Gizmo (who spent the entire day locked in the animation studio, having slipped in under the desk and hidden when I closed the door.) She came out MRAWRING loudly and then deliberately, angrily flushed the toilet! </span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">I feel about the same way, since the entire post was deleted by blogger. (Wordpress is calling, y'all.)</span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">Here's my second try. Today I was at the Etobicoke School of Art. It's a fine little 'magnet' school in a town about 25 miles to the east of Oakville. My hostess described it as the "New Jersey of Canada" and it did indeed resemble my childhood home of West New York, except that it was a lot cleaner.</span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">The school is bright, cheery, covered with student artwork of great sensitivity, and filled with motivated students. Many of them piled into the library to see me lecture. I showed representative samples of Sheridan films in CGI, hand drawn, and stop motion; one group project; a lot of last semester's Leica reels; two rare Disney films I storyboarded; and some examples of the exercises done by the Taiwanese students last summer.</span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">I think it was a success.</span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;"></span><br /><span style="color:#3333ff;">I just have to explain it to the cat.</span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-51843468066725024322011-01-17T20:57:00.004-05:002011-01-17T21:07:26.929-05:00Gizmo is in the Movies<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyiF_PsF60zVuvYvOIK6KCw_gra6NpJEPADUznnLuzndx1oHWPIZ3AL5N4hsgTffRBZHB9c4EOjcFI' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >I bought a Flip Camera this weekend and shot this movie of Gizmo. Animators should all have pets (when they have money to take care of them, that is). Gizzy is quite inspirational...she has appeared in two of my books, modeled for most of my holiday cards since 2005, and she wakes me up every morning, meowing loudly for me to get up and play this game with her. We did this shoot at 3:45 AM recently. Seriously, I don't mind it...since Gizzy is nearly ten years old and is a loyal and extremely loving friend. I don't take her for granted since she very nearly didn't live to this year. Giz was diagnosed with malignant lymphoma last year and lost most of her large intestine in a very complicated operation...which saved her life. It's hard to believe she was even sick when you watch this footage.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" > Gizmo was given away by her previous owners; I got her when she was four, and she was very sick then too. I've pulled her out of the grave on two occasions. She was worth the expense.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Gizmo is a little clown (harlequin cats are all known as extroverted 'clown cats'). She is extremely fond of people, loves being photographed, enjoys watching this video, and is a huge fan of Nora the Piano Playing Cat. And she has a gravelly, deep voice, which sounds very funny coming out of such a tiny cat.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Who could deny such a charming creature the simple pleasures of a mink tail on a shoelace?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >I never tire of watching her.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Cat toys are mostly dangerous and badly made, so I made this Minky for Gizmo; the tail was purchased from a furrier, and the shoelace is a leather, industrial model attached to a wooden dowel. She loves it...as you can see.</span></div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-21196467736453450012011-01-15T19:32:00.003-05:002011-01-15T19:49:38.749-05:00Indie Animation and The Future<span style="color:#000099;">First the good news: It's now possible to make an animated feature film by yourself without losing your shirt. In fact it has been for some time now, as Bill Plympton could tell you.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">Bill has been joined by Nina Paley and Paul and Sandra Fierlinger. Each artist works in a different medium; Plympton draws on paper, the Fierlingers draw on the computer, and Paley is a master of Flash animation.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">The films are doing well. Bill Plympton's <a href="http://www.idiotsandangels.com/">IDIOTS AND ANGELS</a>, which I feel is the best of his features, is playing in roadshow engagements. Nina Paley's <a href="http://www.sitasingstheblues.com/">SITA SINGS THE BLUES </a>is getting rave reviews and is doing well in theatrical and digital distribution. The Fierlinger's <a href="http://speakery.com/mydogtulipfilm/">MY DOG TULIP,</a> though only in 'platform' release, is also getting good press.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">The big-budget-by-European-standards <a href="http://www.sonyclassics.com/theillusionist/">THE ILLUSIONIST </a>by Sylvain Chomet is nearly certain to have an Oscar nomination this year, as Tomm Moore's <a href="http://newvideo.com/secretofkells/">THE SECRET OF KELLS </a>did last year.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">All in all, this is a good thing, and I hope that more artists join the ranks of independent feature/featurette producers in the coming year.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">Of the big budget films out this year, I rate DreamWorks' <a href="http://www.howtotrainyourdragon.com/">HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON </a>highest. I enjoyed it immensely, it was beautifully directed and designed, the dragons were fantastic, and if the world was just, it would be nominated for best cinematography along with the live action pictures. I haven't seen chiaroscuro like that since PINOCCHIO. It's also the only 3D film I've seen that really used that medium well.</span><br /><span style="color:#000099;">Will the modestly budgeted indie features indicate a new direction to the big producers? A film's quality doesn't necessarily correspond to its cost. Animated features with overblown budgets fail at the boxoffice not because they aren't popular, but because they don't make enough to cover their negative cost (which if you don't know, is double the production cost.) Some are grotesquely overproduced. Lower budgeted productions with good stories and interesting design would entertain audiences and make a good profit--IF the right people were in charge. The example of the independent animators can help the lions of animation as well as the mice. </span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-54005536175922161692011-01-02T00:02:00.001-05:002011-01-02T00:04:34.029-05:00Sarah Palin<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mxAWGL_IUh0/TSAHISTLM4I/AAAAAAAAAR4/65KwjO4SFnA/s1600/gaga%2Blady.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 278px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557449779107804034" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_mxAWGL_IUh0/TSAHISTLM4I/AAAAAAAAAR4/65KwjO4SFnA/s400/gaga%2Blady.jpg" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:180%;">I had a notion to draw the most notorious woman I know of. </span></div><div> </div>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10632065.post-62046793727063765882011-01-01T15:22:00.002-05:002011-01-01T15:24:38.542-05:00Mr. Potato Head<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mxAWGL_IUh0/TR-NLJu4kWI/AAAAAAAAARw/so_MnLDxTCc/s1600/robford.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_mxAWGL_IUh0/TR-NLJu4kWI/AAAAAAAAARw/so_MnLDxTCc/s320/robford.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5557315687929123170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size:180%;">As long as I'm at it, here's a caricature I did of Toronto's new mayor, Rob Ford, who spends his time answering telephones and worrying about five cent charges for plastic bags while putting the city 60 million dollars in the financial hole on his FIRST day in office. (This must be the world record, but I'm not sure whether Bush did anything like this as well.). I swear, he LOOKS like an angry potato. </span></span>Nancyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03559138404570089435noreply@blogger.com2