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Maybe you could be the next Art Clokey!

Laguna College of Art and Design is proud to announce the Animation Master Class for Summer 2013 featuring Stephen Chiodo. This workshop will be held for 12 consecutive Saturdays at the Animation Department of LCAD in Laguna Beach, California from May 18th-August 3rd.

Sixteen students will have the opportunity to work on all phases of a stop-motion animated short film mentored by award-winning director and animator Stephen Chiodo whose credits include Tim Burton's Vincent, Team America, Elf, The Simpsons and the cult classic Killer Klowns from Outer Space.

http://www.lcad.edu/news.php?id=309

For more information about LCAD and it's four-year BFA program in Animation please see our website: http://www.lcad.edu

Short term summer housing is available in student dorms for participants from out of the area. Rates and any further questions may be directed to:

animationmasterclass@lcad.edu

Ralph Kickstarter

In 1986 I was working for Ralph Bakshi developing pitches for TV shows. One of them was called "Ralph Playhoel" and here is a page of doodles of Ralph and a puppet character from the show. In the segment that Tom Minton and I wrote, Ralph  would have sentimental moments talking to the puppet who he loved as if he were his own child. I forget the name of the puppet, maybe Tom remembers

but while we were doing this stuff Ralph came in one day and said Keith Richards asked him to do an animated video for the Harlem Shuffle:



We had an amazing crew for this

Bob Jaques - co-director/animator
Lynne Naylor - animator
Pat Ventura - animator
Gary (Gabby) Paine- animator
Jim Smith - layout
Phil Philipson -BG painting
Linda Gerlach - Ink and Paint

Did Bruce Timm work on it? Jim Gomez? Rebecca Reese?

If I missed anyone, let me know so I can add them.

I have lots of zany stories from that golden period, but am swamped working on my Cans Without Labels Kickstarter cartoon.

Speaking of Kickstarter, Ralph has his dream project up and you only have 5 days left to help him lay his most personal and intimate feelings out naked for the voyeuristic world to enjoy.

Last Days of Coney Island by Ralph Bakshi — Kickstarter

You get get some swell rewards too like original drawings of bums by the master himself!


...and if you are a young cartoonist animator starting out, I would strongly suggest you offer your work and soul to Ralph and help him out on the project. Working for Ralph is an essential character building episode for every cartoonist. We all need him to have an ongoing studio. It's bootcamp for quality cartoonists and benefits the whole industry.

Ralph is an international treasure, a true original. 

Doodletime

Maintain Guts

By the way I have an idea on how to share some of these animation clips with you guys

to make some user-generated mashups of silly scenes to music lines

any music you like

all the animation is timed to beats and even the dialogue is rhythmic - it sounds as bouncy backwards as forwards

You could make some fun loops I'll bet

maybe I'll start a youtube channel if anyone's interested in creating some good beats with cartoon accompaniment.

Mr. 23 is coming in tomorrow to take a whack at it.

whattaya think? 

Ernie Models To Print

 These have some general tips that can apply to all characters...see the labels for general construction of faces and how to use space and organic forms.

Some of these drawings may look anarchic but they still have to obey some general drawing principles in order to be effective.

One of the hardest concepts my artists have to learn is to make funny asymmetrical drawings - that still look like they are wrapped in flesh and stuffed with cartilage and teeth.

Many cartoonists have been conditioned to believe that construction consists of perfectly even, symmetrical circles and ovals - all arranged on a mathematical grid. So when they translate gutsy storyboard or animation drawings to layout or cleanups, they tend to even everything out and make the characters look like flat robots - or traced model sheets.

Hopefully these tips might help avoid that.

A REALLY IMPORTANT CONCEPT TO REMEMBER: 

CHEEKS, SMILE AND EYES 

ARE ALL CONNECTED FORMS!

Your mouth smiles because the cheek squeezes and pulls it up. When it moves up it also can effect the bottom of the eye shapes. Almost everyone seems to have trouble grasping this. There should be a whole course in this in animation schools I think.

 

http://johnkcurriculum.blogspot.com/