Concept Art for “Celery Night Fever”

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The new VeggieTales DVD “Celery Night Fever” (Amazon link) has just been released. It’s a story about forgiveness with Bob and Larry playing 70’s-era disco stars. I had the really fun job of coming up with costumes for Bob and Larry, both as young celebrities and as old modern-day grandparents:

Bob and Larry-"Celery Night Fever"

Old Bob & Larry-"Celery Night Fever"

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Young Bob-"Celery Night Fever"

Old Larry-"Celery Night Fever"

Grandpa Bob-"Celery Night Fever"

Here’s a screen shot of the final animation:

CeleryNightFever

There’s even a plush version of Disco Larry based on my design. Cool!

Larry-DiscoPlush

I also got to design a fun little frog character. He’s only on screen for a moment but we still had to figure out what he would look like so the animation studio could build him:

Frog Turnarounds-"Celery Night Fever"

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I almost forgot…the villain is voiced by Terry Crews (the Old Spice guy)!

CeleryNightFever-TerryCrews

Celery Night Fever is available now in stores or for digital download (iTunes, Amazon, etc.). Here’s the trailer:

[youtube_sc url=HgpCZUFulC8 width=450]

Concept Art for ‘Veggies In Space’

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Last year I was hired by Big Idea to help develop some character designs, costumes,  and misc. artwork for their new DVD Veggies In Space. Now that the DVD is available for purchase I’m allowed to show a bit of the artwork I did. I haven’t had a chance to watch it yet but it was a lot of fun to work on.

Here’s a few of the characters I worked on. The costume designs for the main characters were inspired by Star Trek. For the villains I thought it would be fun to do something reminiscent of the cheesy Flash Gordon serials of yesteryear.

VeggiesInSpace-CostumeThumbs-v1VeggiesInSpace-Cuke-Turns-v1VeggiesInSpace-Vidcap2

VeggiesInSpace-Ziggy-Turns-v1

Bean-Turns1VIS_ZiggyandBean_SS-1024x576

VeggiesInSpace-Lunt-LuntarVIS_Luntar2

T-Bot-Turns-v5VIS_TBot2I also got to illustrate some misc. background signage. Here’s a billboard and the cover of a brochure:

Print
PopcornRing-v2

Veggies In Space is now available from Amazon, iTunes, etc. Here’s the trailer:

[youtube_sc url=34RxF1nu_KQ width=450]

 

Now Available! “Bringing Your Drawings To Life”

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Pose Drawing Sparkbook Webinar by Cedric Hohnstadt

After months of work I’ve finally recorded and uploaded my new webinar, “Bringing Your Drawings To Life”. It was originally conceived as an optional reward for backers of my Kickstarter project (the Pose Drawing Sparkbook) but now it’s available for you to purchase and download as well.

The webinar is 90 minutes jam-packed with just about everything I know about making entertaining drawings. I’ve worked really hard to make it as helpful and informative as I can, including creating lots of sketches to illustrate the concepts.

It’s not a “how to draw” video, it’s about how to think as you draw. It expands on many of the ideas included in the Pose Drawing Sparkbook, such as:

  • Four ways to make your drawings more entertaining
  • How to think like an actor
  • Tips for making your drawings read clearly
  • Ideas for bringing out the personality in your characters
  • Understanding how your characters fit in the larger story
  • Recommended resources for further study

 

Here’s some sample clips:

[youtube_sc url=tJEbD1TQ3uo width=430]

[youtube_sc url=uWmqWcv9tKA width=430]

The video is 90-minutes, HD, and recorded in .m4v format. You can purchase it below or in the Sparkbook store:

[wp_eStore_add_to_cart id=3]

$20.00 USD.
Checkout

‘Sir Cumference’ Mascot Design

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Sir Cumference character design by Cedric Hohnstadt

I sometimes get hired by business owners to create mascots for their companies and products. An appealing mascot has many benefits, several of which I’ve listed here.

Earlier this year I was hired by a blogger who is building a website about chronic pain and weight loss. He wanted a mascot for the blog who could interact with readers in a friendly, conversational tone. The idea was to create a humorous, jovial knight who is in a bit of denial about how seriously overweight he is.

Here’s some of the initial concepts I submitted:
Sir Cumference character concepts by Cedric Hohnstadt

And here’s a few illustrations using the final design (the last one is a badge for an upcoming blog series called “Not Safe For Breakfast”):

Illustrations of Sir Cumference Mascot by Cedric Hohnstadt

The website isn’t live yet, but when it is you can check it out at itmeansfat.com.

The Power Of A Mascot

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mascots

As a freelance illustrator I work on a variety of projects, but my specialty is character design. I periodically get calls from ad agencies, design firms, and business owners wishing to hire me to design a mascot to help promote their product or service.

Mascots are powerful, which is why so many companies use them (like the well-known brands pictured above). Having a character or mascot to represent you in front of the public can have several advantages:

1. Mascots get attention – People are constantly bombarded with messages so you need to go the extra mile to stand out. Mascots get noticed. When people see a mascot they are more likely to stop and listen to what he/she/it has to say.

2. Increased brand awareness. A good mascot is memorable. If an appealing character can work its way into the public consciousness it will become an instantly recognizable symbol for a product. When you look at the Geico gecko you immediately think of Geico. You see the Pillsbury dough boy and think of gooey chocolate chip cookies. The company logo is barely an afterthought. The mascot says it all.

3. A friendly image. Mascots are fun! They are entertaining to watch and send a positive message. A likable character can instantly create a positive connection with your potential customers. It’s much harder to do that with only a logo.

4. Mass appeal. A good mascot can appeal to a wide demographic, across many age groups and backgrounds. Mascots appeal to children as well as adults, extending your brand message to a wider audience. A mascot can even transcend languages and cultures.

5. Lucrative licensing opportunities. If a mascot becomes popular it opens the door for all sorts of profitable merchandise (clothing, toys, etc.) that can make you money while at the same time raising awareness of your product. Mars Inc., the makers of M&M’s, recently opened an entire M&M’s retail store in New York City, thanks in large part to the popularity of their cartoon mascots.

If you think a cartoon mascot might be the right choice for you or for a client, download a PDF of my character design portfolio to view samples of various characters and mascots I’ve designed. You can also contact me about a free consultation, or download a free questionnaire. It’s designed to help you think through your brand message and also to give me a clear idea of what your needs are so that I know the best way to help you.

Pose Drawing Sparkbook: Bookmarks, PDFs Added

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If you’d like to order an ebook version of the Pose Drawing Sparkbook, I’ve now added a PDF option! You can also order bookmarks printed on the front and back with drawing tips from the book.

Pose Drawing Bookmarks

My upcoming book, the Pose Drawing Sparkbook, will officially launch at the CTN Animation Expo (November 15-17, 2013). If you’ve already ordered a copy, either through my Kickstarter campaign or on my Sparkbook store just stop by my table at the Expo and pick up your copy. Otherwise, as soon as I get back from the trip I’ll start mailing out pre-orders.

I’m having bookmarks printed containing drawing and acting tips from the book. These are sturdy 2 in. x 6 in. bookmarks, printed in full color on the front and back. Everyone who ordered a physical copy of the Sparkbook through my Kickstarter campaign will automatically get one when the orders are filled. The rest of you can pre-order them from my Sparkbook store.

Pose Drawing Sparkbook by Cedric HohnstadtPose Drawing Sparkbook by Cedric Hohnstadt

The Sparkbook is available both as a physical book and as an ebook. I had resisted making the ebook available as a PDF, limiting the choices to Kindle, Nook, and iBooks. After getting feedback from my backers and doing some more research, I’ve changed my mind and decided to make a PDF option after all. If you have already placed a pre-order and would like to change it to a PDF, just contact me and let me know.

Hundreds of people have pre-ordered the Pose Drawing Sparkbook, and I can’t wait to ship them out. See you at the Expo!