My last blog post was published to my RSS feed about a jillion times and then forwarded to my Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts where it also published itself over and over. My apologies. I’m experimenting with a new way to manage all my accounts under one app (HootSuite.com) and apparently I’ve got some bugs to work out.
I’ll be publishing some test posts until I get it all figured out. I know how annoying it can be to see all those multiple posts so I’m grateful for your patience.
A few months ago a charity art auction was held to support animation artist/director Tim Hodge who’s teenage son had been hit by a train and is now in a coma. It was a tragic situation but fortunately $79,000 was raised to help with medical bills. Some terrific animation and comic book art was donated. I myself snagged an animation maquette of Kuzko from Disney’s “The Emperor’s New Groove”.
Chad Frye, who organized the “Help the Hodges” auction, has just sent out a notice about another similar charity art auction taking place tomorrow (Sunday June 20) for animator Pres Romanillos who is fighting Lukemia:
We just wanted to let all you Help the Hodges supporters know that tomorrow (June 20), there will be a live auction of some AMAZING artwork to help support fellow animator Pres Romanillos who is suffering from Leukemia. When we were collecting art for our own auction earlier this year, Pres did three drawings for us. Since then, his cancer relapsed and needs our help.
If you cannot attend the live auction, there are instructions on their website on how you can place an absentee bid. Much of the artwork will astound you. They even have at least one piece we sold (original Peter Pan art) that was generously donated by the buyer.
Pres is really a great guy, and Help the Hodges wishes him and his family all the best.
I browsed the auction listings and there is a very impressive collection of art available for bidding. This auction is being done live instead of on ebay but if you can’t attend in person you can bid absentee.
My best wishes go out to Romanillos and his family.
To my faithful blog readers (all three of you):
It’s been a busy spring, which is great for freelancing but not so great for having any kind of a life outside of my studio.
Over the next few days I’ll be finishing up a few freelance projects. Then I’m taking some much-needed time off to spend with my family. I’ll be back in the studio refreshed and ready to work starting Thursday, May 20. Blogging will resume shortly thereafter.
Artist David Paccia runs a blog called David Wasting Paper. Among other things he has posted over 100 interviews (and counting) with various illustrators and cartoonists. As of yesterday I’m one of them. Check it out.
As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I’ve had the privilege of doing a little animation for a new series from the Phil Vischer, the creator of VeggieTales, called What’s In The Bible?
Partnering with Tyndale House Publishers, Vischer’s plan is to build a library of DVDs that use puppets, animation, and live-action to take you through the Bible from cover to cover, using humor and music to educate people about what the Bible is all about.
Volumes 1 and 2 are now in stores. For now it is only available through Christian retailers, so check your local Christian bookstore or order online from ChristianBook.com.
Here’s a short promo video for the series:
I did some animation work for three segments on Volume 2, including the puppet choir shown in ths video.
More info at the official site. You can also follow What’s In The Bible? on Facebook and Twitter.
I’m excited to finally tell you about a project I worked on that has recently gone live: An animated website for Hasbro/Playskool starring Mr. Potato Head!
Last fall I was approached by Minneapolis agency Popular Front to help them update an activity page on Hasbro’s Playskool Kids website. At the time the site featured four host characters—a turtle, a dog, a cat, and a dinosaur—that would guide kids through various games and activities. Hasbro decided they wanted to shine a spotlight on Mr. Potato Head by making him the new host of the site. The plan was to introduce Mr. Potato Head in a “transitional role” as host. He would join the site as a fifth host and then, over time, he would eventually take over as the primary host of the site.
There’s a few activities on the site so Mr. Potato Head had a lot to do and say. Popular Front needed Mr. Potato Head to speak/act 150 different lines of dialogue on a very tight schedule. Popular Front approached me to do the job, and I in turn hired several freelance animators to help me get it all done on time. I’m proud to say we pulled it off.
I had the privilege of supervising an excellent team of very talented animators from the US and Canada: Stanton Cruse (who also built the character pack), Ben Meinhardt, Tod Carter, Michael Foster, Enoc Castaneda, and Ed Olson. They all worked extremely hard and did some fantastic work. Thanks to their help we met the tight deadline and still produced some quality animation.
You can watch Mr. Potato Head in action here: http://kids.hasbro.com/playskoolkids/
Here’s a few screen grabs from the site:
