Man vs. Art

Today I am going to introduce to you a very special friend of mine from way back in my Disney days. His name is Dana Reemes and he is the cat's pajamas! I used to stay late at the studio every night and work on my own animation projects. You know me, I'm always trying to better myself. I figured I wasn't going to be at Disney forever and wanted to take full advantage of my time there. Dana worked nights as well and we became friends. Dana met Robert Crumb in 1967 in the flea bag Miramonte Hotel on Mission Street where Robert was staying at the time. Dana brought his sketchbook and Robert kindly went over it with him! Not only that, Crumb gave some sage advice as well as a Crowquill Penpoint! Believe it or not Dana still has it!

Well I learned that there is no free lunch in Animation. The first hundred years of modern animation was no picnic! Especially for the Artists. Producing animation is tough. It takes hard work, devotion, and vision. Even animation that is "phoned in" or "hacked out" requires effort. Animation has dealt with B.S. and adversity at every turn. But more importantly I learned that the greatest achievements in animation no matter the era, always have the most humble of beginnings.

Hola Minions! I certainly hope all is well. Today's podcast is the first of a two part series on.... The History of Animation according to me. Why am I doing this? A good question to which I have a good answer. I  recently came to a big decision concerning my technique for producing animation. For the longest time I've been clinging to my traditional animation shtick, and it has served me well. But now I need to scale down the fancy stuff and streamline my whole process. This is a must if I ever expect to increase my cartoon output. I want to tell stories that are more involved and work with a bigger cast of characters. I believe that by adopting a Ghettomation attitude  I can knock out more toons without sacrificing quality. I decided to research the history of Animation to learn  how our cartoon forefathers handled technique, technological change, and social conventions. That way I could find ideas on ways to scale back on my own process and learn what not to do from their past mistakes. When you want to make a giant leap forward sometimes it's a good idea to look back first. For as long as man has been creating art, he has also tried to depict motion. [youtube uvqLujgcLyI 480 385] Instead of the smoking gun, for animation there is The smoking pot. The images found on  five thousand year old clay pot in Iran shows  a sequence of a goat jumping up to take a nibble from a plant. Piper vs. Superfly Snuka! Here we see the a four thousand year old Egyptian Mural that clearly attempted to capture the motion of two wrestlers going mano y mano. Phantasmagorie by Emile Cohl. The earliest known paper drawn cartoon  is the 1908 French short. [youtube aEAObel8yIE 480 385] His exalted Holiness Winsor MCcay Winsor MCcay is considered one of the first true animators . In the early 1900's he took full advantage of the recently invented motion picture camera and used his love for drawing to animate films that were pure  genius.  MCcay's animated films have stood the test of time and to this day are considered masterpieces. I think the word exquisite describes MCcay's work perfectly. Gertie the Dinosaur [youtube mnuhP2URCoo 480 385] [youtube ixK1DffOsbE 480 385] MCcay stunned audiences with this wonderful animated piece that showed a character with personality, solid anatomy and weight! While other animators were using quarters and nickels to trace out heads and bodies for their cartoons, He  was light years ahead of his peers producing elegant pieces that blew the pocket change brigade out of the water. How A Mosquito Operates, Set mind to blown. [youtube yvzAJouHh7k 480 385] Little Nemo. [youtube kcSp2ej2S00 480 385] Some really good drawing and acting in this work! The Sinking of the Lusitania. [youtube nN-KdPBhyjc 480 385] Brilliant depiction of the terrible maritime disaster that shocked the world. Walt Disney's Steamboat Willy It all started with a mouse that was a big F.U. to Universal. [youtube PRbzOm9dqMY 480 385] Steamboat Willy marked the beginning of a new era early on, barely in the infancy of animation. Cartoons could finally talk.  Disney Studio held vast influence over the development of the animation process for decades.. The Fleischer Brothers [youtube BPulJzMIzck 480 385] [youtube Mb8iYqIVBzQ 480 385] Best Superman Animation  adaptation ever. These guys created very unique cartoons  that I am a total sucker for. With their studio in Florida  they were able develop independently of  all the other cartoon studios for many years! Warner Brothers The cartoon asylum  known as Termite Terrace produced the unforgettable Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes. I think I now know what I must do. Speaking of awesome..... Jim Lujan's nominee for the Man vs. Art Pantheon of Awesomeness. Andy Kaufman   Link: Ode to Andy. There can only be one "first time". You can only be a pioneer if something is undiscovered.

Free swag! Citizen Sanchez Mini Comic and Official Man Vs. Art Minion Pin! Bad Art will prompt zero emotional response in the viewer.Good Art is art that produces an emotion that you have felt before. Great Art is art that produces an emotion that you have NEVER felt before. As many of you know, I am very passionate about art. In fact it gets pointed out to me quite often. I guess a majority of it stems from my refusal to completely grow up. William Shatner is the epitome of the artist who never says die! For over four decades this guy has failed as much as he has as succeeded. He has put out as many stinkers as he has brilliant gems! What's more William Shatner has humiliated himself a few times. But he always bounces back and we love him!

Sherm is a storyboard artist with 16 years experience on many hit cartoons including The Ren & Stimpy Show, Hey Arnold, SpongeBob SquarePants, The Mighty B, Phineas and Ferb, and "Kick Buttowski, Suburban Daredevil." In addition to his storyboard work, Sherm has written and directed episodes of Hey Arnold, SpongeBob and Phineas and Ferb. When asked who his greatest cartoon influences were Sherm was all about Harvey Kurtzman. And lastly we talked about the highly inspirational video from the 2008 Comic Con featuring Ralph Bakshi.

Artist reps AKA Agents. Why would you need one? We artists dream of being represented by an agent who will market our work, set up pitch meetings, score us an in-house or freelance gig, and do all that boring non-art stuff like marketing, negotiating, and selling. Well if you have a great idea for an animated TV show, Movie, or book and want to pitch it to the major studios and networks, you'll have a tough time getting a meeting without an agent. The stark truth is that it's extremely tough to find a good agent. For artists it's best if you're already known enough in your field to have agents seeking you instead of you going to them. Sadly this rarely occurs. Very few artists get this privilege. The rest of us must submit material to many agents and agencies and choke down the pile of rejection slips before eventually hooking up with an agent willing to take a chance on us.

I feel strongly that the future of comics is going to be in Motion comics. When done correctly they are very cool. They look like traditional comic books, but use sound sometimes and movement for effect. As of now the motion is pretty simple. A zoom-in or out, pans, light effects, etc. But in the hands of a comic artist with an understanding animation and acting, the sky's the limit.

Some tips when sketching in public. When you are drawing people in public, it's a good idea to be discreet. You never know how some folks might react. Especially the ladies and vain guys. You know "Metro" guys. Try to be tactful also. Save the mean drawings to do at home. And for the love of god, if you are going to let people flip through your sketchbook make sure there isn't anything in there you don't wouldn't show to your mother! I recently attended a wedding where this lady fell victim to my pen.

No one else but you takes your art home and dwells upon it at dinner, in the evening, during the wee hours of the morning or when you wake up. A good understanding of the fundamentals of drawing will go a long way in helping you achieve your goals as an artist!

What should mindset as an artist be? I say you need to be enthusiastic, passionate and dedicated. Most importantly you must have the love. If you don't love drawing, I mean really LOVE IT! You won't last. Sorry. Look, creating art is hard. You must love your art enough to get through the tough times.

If you are serious about learning how to draw, there are a few things you need right off the bat. The desire to to learn, education, patience, dedication, and most important of all, you need tons and tons of practice! Before embarking on your lifelong quest to master drawing, you must be aware of what I call " 5 unavoidable truths of being an artist." If you can't accept ALL of these, perhaps you should try something other than art.

In today's podcast I present you guys with part two of my chat with my friend and esteemed colleague Los Angeles Indy Comic Creator Geo Brawn IV. We get down to brass tacks about Geo's technique and approach!I learned for example he uses Tuxedo Black Acme Bic markers. A pretty common pen you can pick up at any office supply store for your drawing needs.

Then I am proud to present part one of my two part chat with local Indy Comic Creator and Illustrator Geo Brawn IV. Here is the initiation ceremony where Geo and Luis Escobar were sworn into the Cartoonistas!

Since when did it become uncool to be a good guy? In the latest Superman movie he's a dead beat dad stalker!!!! That's not the big blue boy scout I recall! If you ask me the world needs more good guys, both in reality as well as fiction.

One of my absolute favorite Holiday specials ever in the history of the universe is without a doubt Charles’s Schulz’s t's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown produced on a shoestring budget and against an impossible deadline by the late great José Cuauhtemoc “Bill” Meléndez. To this day nothing comes close to the warmth and charm this cartoon radiates.