Granted, generic foods are known for their unoriginal names. But when my wife and I saw this in the grocery store it was just too funny. I had to buy a box.
I can see the commercials now: “Crispy Hexagons: For the Geometry Major in All of Us. Free Protractor Inside!”
So how would you promote this product? Granted, not too many words rhyme with “hexagon” (Lexicon? Mexican? Pentagon?). But I’ve got some clever and creative readers. Let’s see what slogans you can come up with….
I’ve been super busy lately, but I wanted to take a minute to plug a terrific art blog: “The Temple of the Seven Golden Camels”. I have no idea what that title means, but it’s a great blog for any artist interested in filmmaking. Animator and storyboard artist Mark Kennedy consistently writes thoughtful and informative nuggets about animation and film. His posts read like mini-lectures, full of great insights and techniques about animation and film from the artist’s point of view. A must-read.
I just spent the last three days at Flashbelt, one of the midwest’s largest conferences for animators, designers, and developers who work in Flash. In the last couple of years I’ve animated a few client projects in Flash and since the conference was here in Minneapolis it was a no-brainer to attend.
There were some great presentations, including a couple of studios from New York who are doing some really exciting and innovative stuff. Locally, the very talented folks at Big Time Attic gave a presentation including an animated cartoon created just for the conference (complete with a live banjo and clarinet soundtrack). Another local studio, Ham in the Fridge, walked away with four awards (all well-deserved). The creative community in Minneapolis is doing some super fun and exciting work.
I also got a chance to brush up on my networking skills, which are quite rusty. Since I’ve been freelancing alone at home for several years now, and have only lived in Minneapolis for the last two, it was fun to hang around with so many other talented creative folks. On Thursday night we schmoozed at a local pub called Nye’s and even dabbled in some kareoke. It was a blast getting to know some of the other local talent (as well as creative folks from out of state). It gets me energized to go back to my studio and keep creating, improving, and growing.
Here’s a short but sweet interview with Peter de Seve about his sketchbook. I own a copy and it is incredible stuff. De Seve’s work is amazing. Besides being one of the world’s most sought-after illustrators, de Seve has also done character design work for movies such as A Bug’s Life, Prince of Egypt, and Ice Age. His website is well worth a visit.
This looks really cool! From Cartoon Brew:
We’ve come a long way since Dragon’s Lair. Disney animator Broose Johnson has been applying his talents to a neat new interactive project, The Act, “a romantic comedy filmgame with a unique story, visually stunning graphics and personality animation.” Watch the trailer here. “Using only a simple control knob, players intuitively manipulate the emotions and consequent actions of a short film’s main character while being immersed in an appealing story.”
My friend Abraham tagged me, so I thought I’d post my answers. If you’ve been dying to know my deepest, darkest secrets…well, that’s for another day. But if you want some mundane trivia about me, here ya go:
Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. School bus driver
2. Grocery store night manager
3. Sanitation at a factory
4. Bookstore clerk
Four movies I could watch over and over:
1. Toy Story 2
2. The Shawshank Redemption
3. The Passion of the Christ
4. Beauty and the Beast
Four places I have lived:
1. Cleveland, MN
2. Waterville, MN (Bullhead Capital of the World!)
3. Moorhead, MN
4. Bloomington, MN
Four TV shows I love to watch:
1. M*A*S*H
2. Monk
3. Everybody Loves Raymond
4. Inside the Actor’s Studio
Four places I have been to:
1. Los Angeles, CA
2. Washington, DC
3. Phoenix, AZ
4. Colorado Springs, CO
Four websites I visit daily:
1. Blogger.com (Lots of art blogs!)
2. WorldMag.com (news of the day)
3. apple.com/trailers (movie trailers)
4. drawingboard.org (art forums)
Four of my favorite foods:
1. BBQ ribs
2. granola mixed with yogurt
3. string cheese
4. jelly beans
Four places I would like to visit:
1. Hollywood/Los Angeles (been there once but would love to go back)
2. The art museums of Europe
3. Sites from Colonial American history.
4. New York city
