Gianni the Deranged Cat

For the film.

More to come of this character in a short little while.

More Cats!

Trying to decide on one to go with...

Also, I've updated my online portfolio today. It's still a work-in-progress (for some reason storyboarding isn't working) but definetly check it out!

The word on the Grapevine..

Lotsa Pixar news today...

First! Check out this tour through Pixar Animation Studios.

Then, check out the TAG Blog's second post on Pixar Storytelling. If you missed the first post it's here. Don't like reading? Check out Jeremy Bernstein's illustrated version of the talk.

The TAG Blog also re-confirms that the Frog Princess, Ron and John's 2D Animation flick, is going to be made.

I don't know the cost of this thing, or more importantly, how well it works, but it looks like someone's made a plate that can be mounted onto a normal LCD display and essentially turn it into the equivalent of a Wacom Cintiq. Either way, it's nice to see alternative to the CIntiq popping up because everyone loves drawing directly on the screen (compared to a normal tablet), not to mention getting carpal tunnel. Read all about it on this (sans price, availability, and usability) Gizmodo post.

Doing Some Exploring...

Yes, I am alive...

Finally put story for the film on the backburner while I get to focus a little more on design and layout.

Here's some stuff I threw together.

Reminds me of First Year...

Today...

Plugging it up...

I've been bugging this girl to start a blog for the longest time and she's finally started to put some stuff up. Check it out when you have the time! Can't wait to see more stuff Marceline!

And if you haven't already, check out Arzu Fallahi's blog too, because she's got some pretty sweet stuff as well!


Last but not least, check out Jordan Wan's blog - he just started it up and it's got some pretty nice stuff up already.



Also, check out this post on Pixar Storytelling from the TAG Blog.

Heather

Lay-oot.

Apparently that's how it was pronounced at the Florida Disney Studios because there were so many canadians in the layout department.

Anyways...



Throwing some ideas around for the building designs in that little thing me and a buncha people are working on. I'd like to paint it up if I can find the time.

Janine

Things are definetly getting crazy at school - I'm surprised I can get anything up at all!

Enjoy...

Two Shorts

AH



No Time For Nuts

Scrat - No time for nuts
Uploaded by Juraya

Via [Cartoon Brew]

A news post...

I know I haven't been posting news lately, so here's what I've been seeing around.

If you wanted to know some spoilier's for Pixar's upcoming short, Lifted, then check out this page on Ain't It Cool News.

The TAG blog has been posting really interesting stuff about what it's like to work in the industry. Specifics like pay and women in the workforce. Check out their post on average pay, the percentage of women in the workforce, and a panel discussion on the same subject.

Apparently Over the Hedge is shipping with a new short entitled "Hammys Boomerang Adventure." Check out the post about the rest of the deets of the DVD here

Speaking of Dreamworks, Aardman has a post on AWN about Flushed Away. Check it out!

Elephants

We had a visitor to Sheridan today..

Life...

Try something new every day...

Dogs and Cats

Glen Keane lecture at Calarts

I've received a few emails about these videos popping up on YouTube. Check it!



Thanks to all who made me aware of this.

Dogs

I think I like drawing cats better...

Online Portfolio!

Hey there!

Sheridan was gracious enough to start hosting our portfolios online - they ain't pretty, but it's all about the work, right? You've probably seen most of this work before but then again, maybe not! It's linked at right - and in this post. Here is mine as it currently stands.

Yes, I'll try and get a better domain name for it....

Rej Bourdages Visits!

Dreamworks Head of Story on Shrek 3 Rej Bourdages gave us a little visit a few days ago. Here is the audio recording of his presentations and some photographs whenever I could take them.

Rej On Pitching (unfortunately I forgot my camera for this first lecture):

Part 1:

powered by ODEO

Part 2:

powered by ODEO

Part 3:

powered by ODEO

Part 4:

powered by ODEO

Part 5:

powered by ODEO

Rej on Boarding:
Here is a Flickr set of this second presentation.

I have an audio recording of this seminar as well but I will have to wait for the release of Flushed Away to upload it. I'll update this post with that recording when the time comes.

Thanks for visiting, Rej!

Sharin some love...

I recently got my grubby little fingers on a storyboard sequence by our good friend Glen Keane, from Tarzan. It's around 100 drawings in pen and ink and it's absolutely wonderful. I've uploaded the pdf to MegaUpload as the file is around 155 megs in size - but I definetly recommend taking a look! Get it here. Don't know how to use MegaUpload? The download button is to the right of the MegaUpload logo (above the text ads). You'll have to enter a three digit confirmation number and the download will start. Drop a comment if you have any problems snagging the file.

Also...

John K/Weird Al Collaboration, "Close, But No Cigar"



Watch out for a mega-post coming soon (i.e. this weekend) on Rej Bourdages' visit to Sheridan.

Laters!

Just one today...

Don't you just feel like this sometimes?

It's the Tooth Fairy!

This for now...

I'm wanting to post about the recent visit by Rej Bourdages to Sheridan but I think it'll have to wait until the weekend. Until then, check out some stuff I've been working on for the film:

Never a dull moment...

On the Tooth Fairy Logbook...

Deb

Me and Cats...

It seems as though there could be a cat in our little tooth fairy story. My family has always considered me a cat, being born on the year of the tiger and my zodiac symbol being a leo, and all. I suppose it's also no coincidence that I'm allergic to their fur.

YouTube Never Sleeps....

I try not to either.

Miyazaki TV Spot...



Le Papillon...



Making of Le Building...



Henry Selick's Moon Girl...



Deleted "Soup Scene" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs:



4 Stages of Animation:



I think that's all for now...

[Update] It seems that's it's true after all - Google actually seems to be buying YouTube. Let's hope this means higher quality video. Sheesh.

[Update x 2]
Ben De Schrijver pointed me towards this: there's some linetests in it and the spanish is amusing (to me, at least):



Thanks Ben!

Posting Slacker?

No, I haven't been just loafing around and not paying attention to the animation news - I've been saving up stuff to post!

October marks the one-year-old mark of my blog. Cooked Art is now 1! That puts me at just under 40,000 hits a year - not too shabby, I say!

I hear that Hayao Miyazaki's starting a new film due out in Summer 2008. Make sure to keep an eye out for Goro Miyazaki's film - Tales from Earthsea - hopefully due out soon!

Have you heard the rumours? Is it true? Is Google really in talks to by YouTube for 1.6bn?

Mark Mayerson posts some very interesting figures of animated feature film grosses in the past few years, and neatly categorises it for easy dissemination and scrutinization: here.

An area of repeated frustration for me has been the iTunes Music Store - a while ago I posted that you could purchase a selection of Disney Shorts (Back in January) as well as the fact you can get some of the Oscar-nominated shorts released in the past year (such as Jasper Morello and Badgered). But the problem for Canadians is they just can't buy these short films on Apple's Store due to their licensing - and I'm sure Apple is eager to release the films as soon as possible even if there is a disparity between the selection available geographically. I'd like to give Apple my money for these shorts, but they won't let me - which only seems to encourage looking to the more legally murky alternatives. This is just an open complaint without any real solution - but it's just something I'd like rectified so that I can watch Jasper Morello again.

I recently ran into this post on IGN.com on their visit to the Disney Animation Reference Library. It's a 4-page article with 55 images within the accompanying gallery. Check it!






Glen Keane Tarzan Test...



... Yes it's very short.


Linetests from "Jin-Roh"



Linetest from "Asterix and the Vikings"



Panel of Speakers before the screening of The Little Mermaid at the El Capitan Theatre...



Speaking of the Little Mermaid, I finally got the DVD and I have to say the special features are overall quite disappointing. A definite plus is that it includes Roger Aller's (Director of Open season) The Little Matchgirl, and two featurettes on the making of the movie - "Treasures Untold - The Making of The Little Mermaid" and "The Story Behind the Story" - as well as a few storyreel deleted scenes. Also, it has an audio commentary with Ron and Jon and Alan Menken - all of which are worth checking out - but beyond that, it's pretty much a bust. Where are the linetests, dammit?

Note that there are three hidden extras in the "Treasures Untold" menu - one of Ron and Jon doing caricatures of each other, another of them displaying the "Mermaid Handshake" and the last of Glen Keane on his use of live action reference for Ariel.

Didier Ghez posts to his blog about the exhibit "Il était une fois Disney" exhibit in Paris, France. Looks like quite the show!

Anyways, have a good long weekend!

Some quickies...

These are all between 30 seconds and 1 minutes.

What do you guys do when you're in a drawing rut? I've found myself in a little of a rut myself with life drawing and from time to time can get pretty frustrated when things aren't looking the way I think I can usually make them.

How do you guys deal with this, and how do you overcome it? I know it happens to even the best of us, so I figure some of you can answer this one!