Magazine Article

I've been published! Well, sort of... A magazine called "Digital Content Producer" was doing an article on doing storyboards digitally and they contacted me at Cartoon Network to ask about Mirage. We supplied them with some art samples from one of the "My Gym Partner's a Monkey" shorts I directed and storyboarded. I guess that image is on the cover. They also have an article on-line about it. Check it out

Fosters Debut

I've been burning the midnight (and weekend) oil on some Foster's freelance and I can finally get the rewards of all my hard work (well, besides the paycheck...) The first episode I storyboarded is going to air this Saturday at 2 and again on Monday at 6:30 (PST). I guess it premiered on Thanksgiving (before the "Good Wilt Hunting" movie), but I missed it! If you are as impatient as I am, then check out the you tube version. Gotta love those hard core fans...

When you storyboard you often don't have any designs to work off of, so sometimes you need to make a pass to have an idea. Below are my roughs for a gang of thugs in this particular episode. After I board the show, then someone much more talented than myself (in this case, it's the amazing Ben Balistreri) takes over and designs the final look for production.

More backs

Elevator Action

Sketchbook entry

CNS storyboard notes

I jump from show to show at work making these shorts, so I really need to be on the ball with a show's style. I end up doing a lot of work at the start so that it makes things go smoother later in the process. I spent some time today studying the storyboarding style of a show here called, "Squirrel Boy". Here's a page of studies I made from watching some episodes.

"The Uninvited" animatic

Darrick Bachman and I wrote the Dracula short that's in the previous post. This here is an animatic of the storyboards I did for it (done entirely in Mirage)...

Billy & Mandy:"Uninvited" & "Party" shorts

Here are the last two Billy birthday shorts! I thought these worked the best of the six.

Billy & Mandy:"Cake" & "Makeover" shorts

They played two of the shorts in a row tonight. Only two more to show! Tune in tomorrow. Those two are my favorite.

Billy & Mandy:"Macaroni Man" short

This guy is making my job easy. He's posted the second short too! It's the POV of Billy's birthday thru his parents.

Billy & Mandy: "Super Myron Brothers" short

Someone posted the first short on You Tube! Here's the first one. Keep an ear out for the monster named Myron, I did the voice...not that you can really tell.

Billy & Mandy Shorts Premiere

Billy Shorts Promo:

THEY'RE ON TV! Finally some of the shorts that I've been directing here at Cartoon Network are seeing the light of day. Apparently CN is showing the first batch of "Billy and Mandy" shorts I directed during a Halloween stunt this week. I guess they're playing a short each night this week at 7pm (I missed tonight's sadly, but I did get the promo).

I thought it would be cool to have all 6 of the shorts centered around one day and each short would be a different perspective on that one event. Darrick Bachman came up with the great idea that it would be on Billy's birthday. They turned out pretty good. Check 'em out if you get a chance.

Comic Con

Why post comic con sketches when everyone else does? I prefer to wait months later to post mine. This dude screams Comic Con. He's got the look down. He was heading to the train, COVERED in various bags full of the weekend's spoils.

Another Train Sketch

Concept Design

Burbank sketches

I need to get out more and do some environment studies. I get too caught up with work and all the rest of life's bullsh*t that I don't take enough time to slow down. These are a couple sketches of me doing just that. Just looking for cool compostions and interesting subjects.

Fosters Thumbnails

I was just cleaning up from finishing a board for Fosters and came across a couple pages of thumbnail studies that I thought would be fun to post up. Nothing amazing, but kind of fun all together.

Storyboard Comparison

I've decided that I should really redirect my blog here to more of a storyboard/directing focus. I've noticed that it's beginning to meander a bit away from what I like to do, so in an attempt to kick it in the right direction, I've put together a quicktime of a board I did a while ago. It's from a Mike Mingola project called "The Amazing Screw-On Head". Chris Prynoski over at Titmouse Studios asked if I'd board the 2nd act. I did the entire board digitally in Photoshop...a tedious program to do boards. I now use Mirage, but I digress... I really tried to make it feel like the comic (hence all the tone). The final show looks great. I just wish the script was as good, but I digress...I put together a movie that has the final show on the top and my boards at the bottom. I've been meaning to try this out for a while. I thought it could be a fun way to show storyboards. I'm still trying to figure out You Tube's limitations, so excuse the streched image.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em

Interior apartment sketch

Sunday sketch

Goofy dude

Roughs

Just a couple pages of rough sketches. No purpose really. Just messing around.

Patio Set

Amazing Screw On Head

I forgot to post something up earlier, but the Sci-Fi channel premiered a show that I worked on. The show has already aired, but you can still view it on their website. The show is called "Amazing Screw On Head" and was directed by Chris Prynoski of Titmouse Studio. It was created from a Mike Mingola comic (of 'Hellboy' fame). Chris was nice enough to ask me to board the second act. I'll try and dig up what I did. It was a fun project and Chris did a hell of a job making it look like the Mingola style.

Metro

This drawing brought to you by Al Gore...

Three Amigos

Tablet Sketch-Backyard

I just got one of those fancy tablet PC's and I've been using it for some freelance on "Fosters". I decided to take a break and test it's ability outside, so I sat in my backyard and did this sketch. I'd have to say, I'm diggin' it so far. It's really light and I can still see the screen in the sun. Looks like I'll be storyboarding on the beach!

Alan sketch

While we were in the food court sketching the other day, Alan Bodner spotted us and stopped by to say hello. I was busy sketching someone else, but soon turned my attention to Alan and quickly got him down on paper. Alan is a well known guy in the industry art directing on "The Iron Giant", "Kim Possible", and recently on "Juniper Lee". Plus he's just one heck of a nice guy...and he's fun to draw. Gotta love that vest.

Sketchbook drawing

I finally got a chance to get out with the SketchClub crew yesterday for lunch. This dude was in the food court with us.

Quick marker design

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY Bellhop

Dark Crystal Designs

A while ago I got a chance to do some visual development for an animated version of "The Dark Crystal" for Cartoon Network. I had heard that they were developing it as a series and I got in touch with CN's development team to see if I could get involved. I don't want to post any of the work that I did for the project, but I think it's alright if I post the work I produced as a test to get the job. The actual development went in a different direction that this, but I really had fun with what came out in my first run.

Cintiq sketch

Show Premiere

This Friday (February 24th) at 9 PM e/p "My Gym Partner's a Monkey" premieres on Cartoon Network. They're playing 2 episodes back to back and the episode I worked on is at the head of the second one. It's called "Chew On This" and is actually one of my favorites. They're also going to be replaying both episodes starting at 10:30. So check it out live or fire up the ol' Tivo.

Page o' Thumbs...

Here's a throw away page of thumbnails and studies I did the other night while working on the short I'm making. Had a lot of fun with the brush marker. Fun tool, I just don't use it much. Got a little inspired by a Mark Goerner DVD.

duh...

Costco is quickly becoming our favorite spot to sketch people at lunch. This guy was sitting near by us with his girlfriend. He didn't look like the brightest blub in the closet...is that a saying?

TIMBER!!!

We started out 2006 with a BANG! Literally. Our tree in our front yard came down on our house on January 2nd. Funny thing is, we didn't hear it hit. Now all we have is an empty hole. It's so bare! What a way to start the new year!

Quick bg studies

These are some really quick studies I did for the Fairfield short I'm making with some friends. I like it when people post their quick thumbnails and roughs, so I hope you do too. Cause here's some of mine!

Just for fun...

I've been out of the posting habit during the holidays. Here's an older piece I did to get me back up and running.