Continue reading »]]> As mentioned in my trip report from the Dickens Fair this past weekend I attended the Pre-Raphaelite Artist Salon at the Adventures Club at the event. Here we were transported to a period drawing session with models recreating a religious scene while live harp music was played and poetry recited. It was a pretty awesome experience that I would recommend all artist visit when at the fair. The salon was at 3:30pm and ran about 45 min.

Warm up sketches while the event was getting set-up…

My drawing from the posed models… (note: the club seal was actually on the back of the drawing paper, but I photoshoped it on front so you could see it)

And some photos from the session…

Continue reading »]]> I have been wanting to go to the Great Dickens Fair in San Francisco for at least have of my life and this year I took the plunge and went today, Sunday November 27, 2011 with a friend of mine. This is just some highlights and not every detail.

I apologize that the photos are pretty ‘ghostly’ with the dark environments being hard to capture on my camera. I will posting more photos on my FLICKR page later this week.

I started off taking BART to the Glen Park station and took the FREE shuttle to the Cow Palace in South San Francisco. The fair starts at 11 am and the first shuttle did not arrive till 11:15 am, but the trip takes about 10 minuets and we had per-bought are ticket and were able to get in fairly fast.

You enter the Cow Palace through a switchback and find your self on a ‘movie set’ with false front buildings filling the space to create Victorian London. At first it seems odd as you enter a world of perpetual ‘twilight’, but that helps mentally to help hide the limits of a show like buildings with no roofs. Here the characters from Charles Dickens’ books wander the streets with the people of London on Christmas Eve and go about their business whether they have an audience or not.

I did not wear a costume per-say, but tried to be in spirit at least with a dress shirt, vest and cap. I think it is a good way to feel part of the fair’s story if you can accommodate it. When I was younger they actually gave away a poster that had tips on simple costumes for guests to wear. I have not seen that for a long while, but I bet you can find something online to give you some ideas.

Our first stop was to the Victoria and Albert theater to see a classic Christmas Pantomime ‘Cinderella and Aladdin meet the Monkey King’ with a mixture of music hall spirit in a family friendly production. Here fairy tale characters are mixed together with all rules thrown out and some men are played by women and some women are played by men. There is a happy ending followed by sing-alongs and slap stick fun. Next time I would like to also catch their production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Mikado’ that plays once a day.

Next we headed to food and I tried Haggis for the first time and maybe the last. It actually tasted good, but there are other things I prefer. I also had some Chocolate EggNog that was really really tasty.

While sitting down to eat we found a flyer for a life drawing art salon and 3:30 pm at the Adventures Club and we both agreed we wanted to go. We learned how to play the harp and wandered the streets looking into specialty stores. San Francisco’s Dark Garden had a store front selling period corsets and had live ‘manikins’ in the windows. The store always had a male heavy crowd gaping at the lovely girls in the windows and I noticed that there were service men in dress uniforms that seemed to always be there gazing as we passed by, but as a guy I can see why.

A procession of carolers passed by with Father Christmas in tow shouting ‘Happy Christmas’ and the temperance society stopped to tell me about their cause and at the nearby Adventures Club some officers were having some naughty fun with some lovely ladies till they fled their revelry when a high ranking general confronted them. The adventures club was an area that I would have liked to have experienced more with lots of tableaux and presentations throughout the day. For example, near the end of the day we found Prince Albert presenting a model of the Crystal Palace for the Great Exhibition of 1851.

On a friend recommendation who was working one of the booths we tried the Hard Black Cherry Cider which was really good and really relaxes you and puts you in a holiday spirit. There was a royal precision of Queen Victoria and her husband Albert that marched by on their way to Fezziwig’s Dance Party. Next time I would like to learn some of the period dances as well, the dancers were still going at closing time with a large crowd.

Along the way we stopped by the steam-punk inspired La Legion Fantastique, but sadly seemed to miss most of their presentations. Next time I would make an effort to see some of them from a steam powered robot to giant squid feeding. Another thing is to keep an eye open for characters like Scrooge walking with the Ghost of Christmas Future as the stories of Charles Dickens play out thorough out the day.

After doing some shopping we headed back for the Artist Salon at the Adventures Club where they provided paper and pencils to draw from costumed models while live music is played and poetry is read. I would have loved for them to have their own space and have events going all day cause it was lots of fun and the models were very good. The life drawing session was at 3:30 pm if you are going, but be early enough to get a good seat.

(I will post my drawing later this week when I have some more time.)

As we got closer to the end of the day we sat down for some dinner where I had Yorkshire Pudding which was tasty, but I should have purchased a side dish to go with it. I also got some rich roasted chestnuts. While a few of the food items at the fair can be pricy, they are mostly all unique items and at full range of different prices. If you are worried about diet or on a budget, I would make sure to eat a hearty breakfast/brunch before coming and then enjoy the special food/treats knowing that you had something substantial before coming. Next time I want to get one of the small meat pies run that about $6.50 and looked really good.

While my friend shopped I headed back to the La Legion Fantastique and found an impromptu boxing match in progress first with street ladies and then with Gorgeous George vs Charles the Chap who had posters announcing the fight throughout the streets. I was impressed that they had gone to the detail of the posters announcing the fight.

At the Legion Fantastique I chatted with Professor Phineas J. Flockmocker III F.H.S.C about his new discovery: electricity (he claims it might catch on some day a little) and his plans to harpoon his way to the moon. The gent was really in character and was surrounded with props to help tell his story. Definitely worth a visit.

As we neared the end of the fair’s day (the events run till 7:00 pm with the last shuttle at 7:15 pm) we headed to the 6 pm performance of Mad Sal’s Music Hall Extravaganza (featuring the Le Can Can Bijou) which featured all the performers from that day coming together for a bit naughty, raunchy fun. The most adult material in the show was sexual innuendo and lyrics about booze. The other big night time show was the 18 and over only Saucy French Postcard Tableaux Review at the Albert and Victoria Music Hall, but you have to get a FREE ticket to get in due to popularity. Tickets were gone when we check, so go early in the day to get one if you want to see it.

The show runs about 50 min which gave us enough time to stroll to the exit and catch the shuttle back to the BART station. Note: the last shuttle is 7:15 pm by-the-way.

So, was it worth it?

Heck ya. It really was a great way to celebrate the holidays and it feels very organic and alive. The tickets run $25 per-person (unless you have a 2-for-1 coupon to use at the door or buy your ticket early) but you really get your money’s worth with just the entertainment alone. There were so many events/productions that I would have loved to have seen that I would think of trying to get discount tickets early next year and even planning to go more than once. We went on a Sunday and the crowds were never to crazy, so if you don’t like crowds that might be helpful since they say they get more busy as we get near to Christmas. The biggest cost beyond your entrance ticket is transportation and food and drink, but if you are on a budget you can still do a lot with some careful planning. I definitely plan to go back next year and maybe even with more of a costume.

So…

- If you want to see the Saucy French Postcard Tableaux Review, make sure to get a ticket early in the day (tickets are free, ages 18+), if you can’t, don’t worry and go to Mad Sal’s.
- Eat a hearty, nutritious meal before you come and then explore some of the unique food and treats at the fair with out fear.
- Interact with the characters and be part of the story. Feel free to pretend you are from the Victorian era yourself.
- Get there early in the day to get your moneys worth and avoid the crowds.
- Dress the part, even if it’s just a hint of Victorian London to make you feel part of the story.
- The Adventures Club hosted an artist salon with costume models which was a blast. 3:30pm this year when I went.
- Be open to follow your ‘bliss’ and to not feel guilty missing something cause there is a lot going on.
- Use this as a chance to recharge your adventurist spirit and get ready for the holidays and don’t forget to try something new.
- Sunday early in their season might be a great day to go.

Continue reading »]]> Hey all, here it is the last of the CAM-JAM 2011 events I am organizing with the Bookstore at the Cartoon Art Museum and inkDrinkDraw San Francisco. The events this year have really been quite fantastic with the final results being Animation and Paper Toy Monsters! But for this one we will be using the inspiration of the new Wizard of Oz Comic exhibit at the museum to draw our version of the iconic characters as well as having a Cartoonist Boutique! The Cartoonist Boutique will allow museum guests to buy work directly from the artists as well as get customized Holiday Cards and Mini-Buttons. (more info below the poster image)

WHEN: Saturday December 3rd. 2011 12 noon to 5pm
WERE: Cartoon Art Museum – 655 Mission St. San Francisco CA
COST: FREE with admission to the museum

Brought to you by inkdrinkdraw.weebly.com

On Saturday December 3rd, 2011 the Bookstore at the Cartoon Art Museum and InkDrinkDraw San Francisco will present the Holiday Cam-Jam and Cartoonist Art Boutique. The Cam-Jams are a series of artist collaborative events that happen a few times of year, but this December a new element is added…our Art Boutique.

Guests visiting the museum will have the chance to watch artist creating work inspired both by the winter holidays as well as the new Wizard of Oz comic exhibit. A selection of great holiday gifts will be for sale directly from their creators including:

- The premier of the first anthology from InkDrinkDraw SF
- One-of-a-kind Holiday Cards and buttons made while you wait
- Personalized comic books, prints, cards and more!

Another bonus is the artist-in-residence Kraig Rasmussen (www.monkeygong.com) will be located in the museum’s lobby signing his books and demonstrating how he creates his work from 1pm to 3pm.

So come on down between 12 noon and 5:00 pm and check out the current exhibits (Archie 70th and Wizard of Oz) while meeting some very talented artists and celebrate the season cartoon-style.

ARTIST:
Artist wishing to participate in the CAM-Jam can sign-up by contacting me at the links below or showing up at the day of the event. Participating artist get free admission into the museum.

Artist wishing to sell some of their home grown items need to contact me by December 2nd, 2011.

We will be making custom cards and buttons to sell to guests, but a donation for materials will be required with a sale.

Contact info: staff (AT) atomicbearpress.com or DM at https://twitter.com/#!/AtomicBearPress

Continue reading »]]> Here is a fun parent-child cartooning class I will be teaching in San Francisco at the Cartoon Art Museum Wednesday December 28th, 2011.

December 28th (Wednesday) Critters, Creatures and Monsters
Ages: Parents and Children (7 to 12 years old) recommended
Time: 11am – 1pm
Cost: $10 per person (all children must be accompanied by an adult, ideally no more than two children for each parent)
About: Adults and Kids team up to learn how to create their own Critters, Creatures and Monsters wheather they be scary, cute or something else. The class will teach basic cartooning skills mixed with lots of fun creativity challenges.
All classes are taught by instructor Brian Kolm (Atomic Bear Press) atomicbearpress.com.

(((CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP TODAY!)))

Continue reading »]]> I will be teaching a parent-child cartooning class at the Cartoon Art Museum on Tuesday December 27, 2011.

December 27th (Thursday) Heroes and Villains
Ages: Parents/Guardians and Children (7 to 12 years old) recommended
Time: 11am – 1pm
Cost: $10 per person (all children must be accompanied by an adult, ideally no more than two children for each parent)
About: In this Adult/Kid combo class we will learn how to create our own Hero and Villain characters while learning some of the basics of cartooning.

Celebrate the end of 2012 with fun classed that will have adults and kids teaming up to cartoon at the Cartoon Art Museum over the winter holiday break December 27th and 28th. All classes includes materials and admission to the museum.

(((SIGN-UP ONLINE HERE)))

Continue reading »]]> On September 28, 2011 I had the pleasure to attended a talk by Craig Thompson as he talked about his eagerly awaited graphic novel Habibi at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. I am a huge fan of Thompson’s art and have been following the creation of Habibi on his blog. Nathan Parker was nice enough to post some short clips from the talk on his YouTube page which I have posted below.

It’s inspiring to hear the artist/author talking about his processes as well as the artistic growth that were part of the process.

I would love to do a formal review of Habibi, but I do not feel confident in writing it just yet, but I can tell you that I have read the whole 672 pages and it is pretty amazing. The book is pretty adult in nature and not for kids, but I can whole hardly recommended it. The art is beautiful and the pacing and storytelling flow effortlessly with the author controlling the flow to amazing effect. Even the book in it’s epic hard cover form is part of the experience.

Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, HABIBI tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them.

At once contemporary and timeless, HABIBI gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.

View the next parts at the videographers YouTube pages HERE.

Continue reading »]]> Once again I am helping organized another CAM-Jam with InkDrinkDraw San Francisco and the Bookstore at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco CA. Were calling it our Spectacular Super Sonic Paper Monster Party X. The theme will be making Paper Toy Monsters from basic shape constructed of card stock and decorated to add details the models do not have. See below for all the details or visit

Where we meet next:
InkDrinkDraw presents:
Spectacular Super Sonic PAPER MONSTER PARTY X

Location: Cartoon Art Museum
655 Mission St. San Francisco, CA http://www.cartoonart.org
Date: Sunday September 11, 2011
Time: 11:30am to 5:00 pm
Being an artist can be a solitary job, so we want to find a way to meet more like minded artists who are interested in Comics, Animation, Illustration, Video Games and more! After all what’s better than to meet, talk and network with people who “get” what you do as a creative!

For our September InkDrinkDraw SF Meet we have teamed up with the Bookstore at the Cartoon Art Museum for another of their CAM-JAM events aimed at artists of all levels.
In the past we done everything from create animation to draw full mini-comics and even designed a tarot deck, but this session we will be having
a Spectacular Super Sonic PAPER MONSTER PARTY X.

In last few years some new type of art forms have appeared, making customized toys with artistic flair. For us we will be cutting, folding and customizing simple paper shapes into characters, embracing the limitations and letting our imaginations go wild.

Participating artist can sign in at the front desk and then you will be able to come in and have some fun with us. Planning on coming, why not RSVP to us or to the Museum’s Bookstore at bookstore@cartoonart.org.

Note:
We are asking for a $2 donation from participating artists to help pay for the
materials (as well as some treats and surprises) The museums full admission is required for anyone who is not participating.

“Paper Monster/character creation”
Come Cut, Fold and customize characters of paper and… maybe even with other materials. We will have plenty of blank, pre-printed shapes to use and will have some coloring tools too, but feel free to bring your own materials if you like and even your own customization projects.

“Share and Tell”
Bring your current projects, copies of your comics and art prints and share with us and even visiting guests to the museum.

“More monsters and open projects”
Come and just sit with us and draw and create all sorts of monsters and creatures or even just work on your own projects.

(While It’s not “required” to participate in any of these particular activities, we’ll have them on hand if you wish too.)

“Open Projects”
As always “Open Projects” is working on whatever project you brough with you, want to try or are currently working on.
Please feel free to discuss your projects with the group! We love hearing about what people are working on and will gladly give feedback!

To stay in touch you can:
On Twitter Follow:
@inkDrinkDraw or @NoCashComics & @AtomicBearPress

Read the inkDrinkDraw
Blog at inkDrinkDraw.weebly.com

Hope to see you there!

Continue reading »]]> As you know from my previous posts, I participated in the Cartoon Art Museum’s Sketch-A-Thon at the SDCC2011.

Most of the time we created original art for a donation to the Museum for an individual, but sometimes we did drawings that were just examples while waiting for a customer. A few of mine that did not sell I was able to borrow from the Cartoon Art Museum to Scan and return.

YOU can buy a drawing if it’s still available for a donation of $10+ (plus shipping and handling if needed) and all proceeds go to the Cartoon Art Museum.

All characters are © there respective owners and these are only done as fan tributes and not for reproduction.

I did a few drawings that were “Kick Butt” version of Disney Princesses. This one is Princess Tiana from the “Princess and the Frog” who I saw as a warrior with voodoo powers. (below) To see my version of Belle from “Beauty and the Beast” visit my previous post.

Another Disney character I drew is the mysterious Hat Box Ghost which was a character in the famous Haunted Mansion attraction at Disneyland. The character did not last long in the ride and was removed shortly after it opened making it a mystery that the fans love. Me too.

The last piece of art is my version of DC Comics Superman as a steam punk hero.

Continue reading »]]> When I was at the San Diego Comic-Con 2011 (July 20-23) I got a few sketches to add to my collection that were drawn in a cool blank picture book I got at Artist and Craftsman Supply. Some I got from the booth of certain artists and some I bought during the Cartoon Art Museum Sketch-A-Thon. All are very cool.

The art is by Chris Giarrusso, creator of the all-ages comics G-Man. The comic is really fun and a good read.

- www.chrisgcomics.com/

The art is by Dan Goodsell creator of Mr. Toast. I got the sketch when I bought a small book of the Mr. Toast characters as superheros. (BUY IT HERE)

- www.theimaginaryworld.com

The art is by Chris Houghton the artist on a great new all-ages comic series about Reed Gunther and his best friend and steed Sterling the Bear. I got the first three issues of the comic and have read and re-read and keep enjoying them.

- reedgunther.com/

The art is by T.Cypress who is the creator of Rodd Racer, a new graphic novel. I love Toby’s style which I feel inspired by with my own work with brush and ink. This drawing is marker, dry brush, splattered ink, and charcoal. It was really great to watch him create it.

- www.tobycypress.daportfolio.com

The art is by Scott Shaw who is just super-dupper-awesome. He has done everything from storyboards and animation to comic books. See more of her work on this post on the Sketch-A-Thon.

- www.shawcartoons.com/

The art is by Jamaica Dyer who is a talented bay area artist. See more of her work on this post on the Sketch-A-Thon.

- www.jamaicad.com/

The art is by Travis Hanson the creator of the web-comic “the Bean” which you can buy from his website or even better, help out with a current Kickstarter fundraiser.  The comic is really a great read for all-ages.

- www.beanleafpress.com/

The art is by Kostas Kiriakakis is just amazing. I saw his first sketch during the Sketch-A-Thon and knew I wanted one. I had to quickly figure out what I wanted him to draw and so I had him draw Samurai from the Superfriends cartoon series. He has work in the new issue of the comic anthology Flight.

- wwww.kiriakakis.net

AND as a bonus, here is a cool drawing of Sabrina the Teen Witch last weekend at the Cartoon Art Museum’s Archie Family Fun Day. The exhibit that it celebrates is really good and here is a review.

The art is by Rich Koslowski who did free sketches to everyone who came to the event which was really really cool. He is a very versatile artist, so go check out his work at the URL below.

- www.richkoslowski.com

Continue reading »]]> So here is the second chunk of photos from the first day of the Cartoon Art Museum Sketch-a-Thon at the San Diego Comic-Con 2011. We were doing a fundraiser to help the museum by having artist rotate ever hour and create original art pieces for donation of $10 or more. As you can tell that most folks got their money’s worth.

To go back and see PART 1, FOLLOW THIS LINK.

Anthony Hon busy drawing.

Scott Shaw’s Captain Carrot.

A drawing I got of Fred Flintstone as Batman.

Another amazing drawing by Mike Dubisch.

Scott Shaw and Chari Pere busy drawing for their fans.

Anthony’s awesome Hulk drawing.

Dirk Tiede draws Batgirl.

Museum Curator, author and artist Andrew Farago draws his version of Daffy Duck.

Brad Rader’s drawing of Goliath from the TV show Gargoyles which he worked on.

Wow, someone got a drawing by Chari and Scott. Lucky lucky lucky.

My first ‘kick butt’ Disney Princess drawing.

The amazing Jamaica Dyer gives us the mysterious adversary of Batman, Poison Ivy.

And one more from Seamus Smith.

To go back and see PART 1, FOLLOW THIS LINK.

Continue reading »]]> This year I again volunteered to help one of my most favorite organization at the San Diego Comic-Con 2011, the Cartoon Art Museum of San Francisco. I can only wonder around the convention so much before getting burned-out and this was a way to also promote my art as well as help a great non-profit.

The idea is that the Museum has artist scheduled every hour to do original art for a donation of $10 or more. The art was amazing and it was great to hang out with other artist.

These photos are from the first full day of the convention Wen July 21, 2011. I did not get photos of everyone and every drawing I am sad to say. This is just the start of posting a lot of images of the artist at work as well as the final results.

Enjoy.

a drawing by…Me of Adventure Time characters

a drawing by Seamus Smith

Rick Lucey and Renee making art

The fabled Hat Box Ghost from the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland by…Me.

Andrew Farago draws Captain America

Mike Dubisch painting a very cool dragon.

World famous Captain America from Marvel Comics and the new movie.

Continue reading »]]> SEE THIS YEARS SCHEDULES WHEN I AM DOING SKETCHES FOR THE SKETCH-A-THON this year.

I will be participating at the Cartoon Art Museum Sketch-A-Thon at this years San Diego Comic-Con, July 21-23, 2011. While I am scheduled as a featured artist in the list below, I will be working the booth as well and should be there a good chunk of the time, so come on by and say ‘Hi’.

Thursday, July 21 through Sunday, July 24, 2011
$10 Suggested donation per sketch

The Cartoon Art Museum is pleased to announce its programming for this year’s San Diego Comic-Con International, to be held at the San Diego Convention Center from July 21-24, 2011. This year marks the fifth annual CAM Sketch-A-Thon, which features a host of artists donating their time and talents to support the museum in its fundraising efforts. This year’s roster includes professional animators, graphic novelists, newspaper strip cartoonists, political cartoonists, comic book illustrators, webcartoonists, underground cartoonists and self-publishers, providing the Cartoon Art Museum’s booth one of the most diverse artistic populations at Comic-Con.

Artists will draw for visitors during one-hour sessions at the Cartoon Art Museum’s booth, #1930 on the convention floor. In exchange for a donation of $10 or more to the Cartoon Art Museum, supporters will receive a customized convention sketch from a professional cartoonist.

Thursday, July 21

11am-12pm: Kraig Rasmussen, Rick Lucey
12-1pm: Brian Kolm, Steven Kunz
1-2pm: Mike Dubisch, Brent Schoonover
2-3pm: Dirk Tiede, Brad Rader
3-4pm: Anthony Hon, Andrew Farago
4-5pm: Chari Pere, Scott Shaw!
5-6pm: Seamus Smith, Jamaica Dyer

Friday, July 22

11am-12pm: Brian Kolm, Mick Gray
12-1pm: Karen Luk, Debbie Huey
1-2pm: Ron Yavnieli, Kimo Yancey
2-3pm: Raina Telgemeier, Dave Roman
3-4pm: Tom Gammill, Mell Lazarus
4-5pm: Seamus Smith, Michael Capozzola
5-6pm: Kraig Rasmussen, Frankie Addiego

Saturday, July 23

10-11am: Brian Kolm, Larry Marder
11am-12pm: Jon Macy, Brad Rader
12-1pm: Rachael Moore
1-2pm: Seamus Smith
2-3pm: Michael Gross, Michael Capozzola
3-4pm: Kostas Kiriakakis, Jamaica Dyer
4-5pm: Keith Knight, Brian Kolm
5-6pm: Kraig Rasmussen, Mia Morgan White

Sunday, July 24

11am-12pm: Seamus Smith
12-1pm: Carolyn Watson-Dubisch, Mike Dubisch
1-2pm: Rachel Dukes, Megan Rose Gedris
2-3pm: Kraig Rasmussen
3-4pm: Michael Capozzola
4-5pm: Andrew Farago

Continue reading »]]> Well another fun Summer of classes at the Cartoon Art Museum for Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 is over  with our last week focusing on Storyboard to Animatic (June 27-July 1). But what is a Storyboard and what is an Animatic?

Storyboard’s are a visual script to help the creators of films, videos, video games, theme park attractions and other forms of entertainment plan there production before money and time are spent to produce them.

The Animatic (or Story Reel or Pre-Visulization) takes the storyboards and brings them to film or video where they are edited to match the shots of a proposed film along with temporary sound effects, voices and music to simulate what it might look like in real time. The processes has become fairly standard as a way of showing what can be with out spending a lot of resources, especially for expensive live action special effects extravaganzas where the film can go over budget if not careful.

For our class we had six students who broke into four groups to produces a short story or segment of storyboards that were then scanned into the computer with audio and special effects being added.

All of our students did a great job and really brought a lot of creativity to their projects. Congratulations to all of them for their hard work.

Let’s see what the final results are…

The first team done were Eric and Leo who did a short and sweet gag story…

‘The Walnut’ – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 – Storyboard to Animatic from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

Next was Danie who did this short gag of transformation…

‘PlantMan’ – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 – Storyboard to Animatic from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

Then Leslie, our youngest student did this short educational story…

‘Giggles New Food’ – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 – Storyboard to Animatic from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

And last, but not least was Javon and Dont’e with a scene from a martial arts epic…

‘Chickens of Fury’ scene animatic – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 – Storyboard to Animatic from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

Further exploration: The same techniques used to bring Storyboards to video or film as an Animatic have also been used for the final productions that uses Picture Book Illustrations (Reading Rainbow, Rabbit Ears videos) and Comic Art (motion comics like ‘Watchmen’ and ‘Batman: Black and White’) To find out more about re-purposing artwork into animation, check out my posts on Motion Comic Magic.

Continue reading »]]> Hey all, below you will find a video slide show featuring artwork my students created for the Character Design Cartoon Boot Camp at the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. The goal of the class was to design and draw a character the students could call their own for a final project and I happy to say that all the kids did a great job.

In the slide show I included two images of my choosing as well as their final piece. The two pieces I picked for each student were tough choices since I had only to work with the images we had time to scan into the computer. So, the art presented in the video below might vary in it’s subject matter for each student, but shows their creativity and process.

I hope you enjoy the video sideshow below and visit the Cartoon Art Museum when you get a chance.

Character Design – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

Note: the music was created by Kevin MacLeod who licenses’ it for free through the Creative Commons. by http://incompetech.com/. Excellent work.

Continue reading »]]> Week 1 of Cartoon Boot Camp is coming to a close today.

links to 2011 FINAL ANIMATION FROM THIS CLASS: “Alien Attack”, “I’m not going to Mars”, Cut-Out Animation, Action Figure Animation, “Danger Alley” and “Box Head’s new friend”

First off we have some of our group exercises… note: they are all silent since we did not have time to add sound.

Cut Out Stop-Motion and other stuff – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

Action-Figure Stop-Motion tests – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

“Danger Alley” stop-motion – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

And then the final projects from our three groups…

“Alien Attack: the Moon” stop-motion animation – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

“I’m not going to Mars” stop-motion animation – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

“Box Heads new friend” Stop-Motion – Cartoon Boot Camp 2011 from Cartoon Art Museum on Vimeo.

Continue reading »]]> I will return this summer to the Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa CA.

July 11-15, 2011 – Drawing 101

MONDAY–FRIDAY ? 9am–12:30pm

Have a fun-filled week designing and drawing your own characters—from superheroes to cute critters—and developing stories and comic strips. Join cartoonist Brian Kolm to learn the basics of cartooning and create your own mini-comic book.

Continue reading »]]> Just an update of where you can find me this Spring and Summer

Looney Toons Family Fun Day at the Cartoon Art Museum – San Francisco CA (ages 10-14)
Saturday April 30 – all ages with admission to museum

CAM-JAM 2011 : Animation – Cartoon Art Museum – San Francisco CA (ages 10-14)
May 22, 2011 – Artist event

Cartoon Boot Camp at the Cartoon Art Museum – San Francisco CA (ages 10-14)
June 6-10, 2011 – Story Board to Animatic
June 13-17, 2011 – Intro to Stop-Motion
June 20-24, 2011 – Dynamic Character Design

Kids on Campus at Chabot College - Hayward Ca
June 20-24: Cartooning: Monsters & Critters
June 27-July 1: Cartooning: Star Wars Art

Schulz Museum – Santa Rosa CA
July 11-15, 2011 – Drawing 101

July 21-23, 2011 – appearance at the San Diego Comic-Con