Bob McKimson Tribute at the Aero on Friday
Hey the Aero theater in Santa Monica is presenting a Bob McKimson retrospective Friday evening and you should go if you can.
MCKIMSON AS ANIMATOR:
Bob was one of the best animators ever. He drew better than just about anyone and had a completely unique way of moving his characters. He was the lead animator at WB in the 30s and early 40s and taught many of the other animators. He set the
Last Day To Join Us at CTN
see how we make this stuff and have a go at drawing in Toonboom. We'll show you how to be a top Hollywood cartoonist.
Meet The Cans Crew at CTN and Trade TB Secrets
We'll be at CTN in Burbank ion a couple weeks to show some of the progress on Cans and to demonstrate how we are using it.
How to Ink with thick and thin lines and hierarchy,
How to do lip synch
How to use separate layers
How to animate tricky character designs by using a construction layer
How to makea republican's eyes have weight.
How to eliminate pesky ex sheets and
Happy Birthday Dad!
I was digging through some old photos in Ottawa and discovered the evolution of my Dad.
Here he is below joining the airforce at 10 years old. He had to lie about his age and say he was 11.
Being a hardy Slav and raised on a farm in the depression, he matured early.
Here he is at 12, ready to kick some man ass.
One of his first jobs for the Royal Canadian Air Force was to search for
National Internet Loon Celebration
I love when people use other people's blogs to talk about stuff that has nothing to do with the topics in the post or to vent their anger at people who don't have their own blogs. "I know! I'll write on John's blog about someone else I want to heckle!" Smart.
I sometimes just delete the loon comments as a courtesy to the readers who are actually interested in talking about what the post is
Thanks!
Hey thanks for the tip on rotating
I'm gonna go try the command-alt keys now
I couldn't find that in the toonboom shortcuts menu
I still can't figure out why they put that image in front of what you are doing though
The Rotating Tool irritation
I love using Toonboom Animate but it does have some mysterious irritations, like the rotating tool:
Irritation 1: There is no key command for it. You have to constantly interrupt your drawing by going to the toolbar and dragging out a menu and dropping down to get the damn tool
Irritation 2: It puts an image of an animation disk on top of the drawing so you can't see what you are doing
Work from the constructed poses
Here are 3 poses from a layout scene, drawn in pencil
scanned very strangely but ignore that
Before inking, (or animating or anything else) it helps to understand the larger forms that are controlling the action.
I make a layer in Toonboom where I race the big forms over the layouts
This way inkers, animators, inbetweeners can see what is happening without getting lost in the
INKING: Ink the forms, not just the lines
I'm working with a bunch of inkers and finding that I have to explain the same concepts multiple times to each artist individually. So I figure if I just put the tips up here where everyone can see them, maybe it will save me time explaining so much.
This pencil layout is lively and almost constructed. It's slightly disconnected so let's enhance it through the miracle of construction.
I Hate The New Blogger Interface
Blogger must have decided it was losing money so it redid its interface to make it much harder to use. I think they want us to all stop using it, which I am considering because it is so much harder to use now.
Now everything takes multiple steps and you can't find anything without dragging down all these drop-down menus.
I love this bug: you can't backspace from your new
Toonboom's Animate on sale today
Toon Boom Animation: Toon Boom Animate Professional Animation Software
seems to be on sale for $350 today. That's a pretty good deal
PRICE
$349.00 $699.99
UPGRADE
$149.00 $299.99
CROSS-GRADE FROM STUDIO
$199.00 $369.99
Buy
Try
Inking Test in Toonboom
Some folks have been sending me some pretty good inking samples. If you want to do a test on an actual scene in Toonboom, let me know.
Here's a swell George by Julian.
I like Ethan too.
He has a nice sense of organic form.
His inks of the characters feel alive.
Paul is good but still a bit mechanical. Some of his curves look like he is using a circle template. It could
Dream Pets To Draw 1: Crotchy
Here's Crotchy the Pup proudly displaying himself so you can learn to draw toy anatomy.
Crotchy has always dreamed of being a nude life model - see his sad puppy eyes
Thanks to the generosity of Auralynn and her magic toy-cam now you can help him realize his dream.
Drawing toys is a very good way to sharpen your construction and perspective skills.
Use his seams to help
Posing: FRAMING one character's pose with another's
This is a good technique to use with the others I have been tailing about.
You can have one character's pose create a frame around the other's.
The frame is created by the space between the 2 characters.
This makes the 2 poses easier to read and it looks swell too.
You can also use background elements as framing devices.
The master of this (and other posing
Inking: Hold the big forms together with consistent line weight
Here is an ink of Slab that Paul did. Paul is quite talented and his lines are real clean. Almost 2 clean
But the character's form doesn't hold together because of the inconsistencies in line weights. My eye is drawn right to his chin because of the super heavy line there. I should be looking at the whole character, not one insignificant part of him.
Also his head doesn't
Posing: Action and Reaction
The most obvious simplest way to compose 2 characters talking to each other is
have the one who is talking lean towards the one who is listening
the listening character leans back at less of an angle than the speaker leans forward
Aim the eyes at each other too for good communication between the characters
Of course you don't always want to use that formula. It wouldn't be
Posing: Static VS Dynamic
Here is a scene with characters in dynamic poses. They look alive.Here are some characters in static poses. 1) evenly spaced apart2) Standing straight up and downThis is obviously a publicity shot - and those are usually kind of bland and generic for some reason.Here is another static evenly spaced group of characters from a comic.Compare to a more lively couple of poses.Fred and Barney's poses
CONTRASTS in successive poses
The same concepts that apply to individual drawings can also be used in actions - the differences between separate poses. Some differences are subtle, others are more dramatic. You need a variety of differences between successive poses in order to give focus and pacing to the different ideas you want to convey through the characters.BTW, look how little space in the head that the face actually
Using SPACE in your drawings to focus their meaning
BTW, all these theories and techniques are merely toolsNOT ends in themselvesyou don't just randomly put abstract spaces around things just for funYou use them to make your expressions and poses more understandablein other words - you think of the pose, expression or story point you want to make and you frame the important parts of the drawing's intent by putting space around it.and you still use
CONTRASTS for good design
Learning control of contrasts will make your drawings more alive, interesting and appealing.There are many kinds of contrasts, not just contrasts of size.more detailed info to come...
Inking: Eyes and Eyebrows Construction
Figure out the form and position in space of the cranium first - you want the eyes to conform to the position of the skull.-also make the pupils look like they are sitting on the form of the eyes, not going in a different direction****DON'T POKE THE EYEBROWS AND WRINKLES TOO FAR OUTSIDE THE HEAD OUTLINE**** - you don't want to make the head silhouette too complicated
Inking: Face/Head Thick and Thin Hierarchy
See also HOW EYEBROWS WORK:Inking: Hierarchy of Head Outline and Details | CansKickstarterHey if you think you are getting anything out of these instructional posts, show some love:
Ethan Inks One
Ethan did a swell job on Ernie here. I added my little nitpick notes. What Ethan did best was make all the lines come together to make a living character. It all holds together. Sometimes inkers will think of each line in terns of itself and then you end up looking at a collection of lines instead of a living breathing cartoon character. Ethan FEELS the life of Ernie and that's the ultimate goal.
Inking Tips: Gravity/ Put a HEAVY line UNDER forms
I imported Jim's pencil drawing into Toonboom to start inking it.I like characters to have a feeling of weight. One way to do it is to drawslightly heavier lines under each form - especially the bottom of the feet.But also under the torso...under the chin and jaw etc.Next: inking forms instead of lines
Inking Tips: UNDERSTAND the drawing before you ink it
Here's a swell pencil drawing of Ernie by Jim Smith. Jim is very good at suggesting form even with rough sketches. If the drawings aren't carefully cleaned up or inked, they can easily flatten out and lose their impact. So it's important to analyze a drawing before you start inking. The first thing is to note how the biggest forms are constructed and how they relate to each other in dimension
Any Toonboom Inkers Familiar with my style?
Hi folksI'm getting started on the cartoon here. If you have already inked some of my characters in the past and can use Toonboom Animate I might have some scenes for you to work on if you are interested.Here are some inking tips:http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2008/11/inking-advanced-pt-1-logical-line.htmlI had a good post on how to ink faces - using inks by the amazing Brian Romero, but the
Where Steve Jobs Got The Idea For a Phone That Does Everything But Be a Phone
This must be it. He stole it from Yogi Bear!This is a radio that dispenses Bumwad. It's just like a phone that you watch TV on. Or a toaster that you shave with.Here's Yogi about to take a big ol' brown bear dump while listening to his favorite tunes:MUSIC TO DUMP TOYou get better reception on your dumping radio if you use pink wad.It might have also been where the idea for drop-down menus came
What is it about Terrytoons?
The cartoons were low budget for the time and hastily done, yet I still have an extreme fondness for them. There are many cartoons from the same that had obviously higher production values, but not all of them had such quirky lovable characters.
YOU MADE IT HAPPEN!
and here is a lovely image colored and inked by fan and Cans supporter Robert Wertz!"LET'S MAKE THE GODDAMN CARTOON ALREADY!"
LAST DAY TO GET FABULOUS PRIZES
Look what Spumco swag did to bring cheer to lovely Sarah!Vintage 90s Spumco Fan Club Membership Club PackagePencil Enhancers!George Liquor says: "I can't believe you can get such good crap just for helping make my cartoon! That's the beauty of Capitalism!""Dig around for some hidden cash that your Mom doesn't know you got!"This is a most exciting new invention and here is just the beginnings of
Stretch Goals - Animate the Pretty Girl and her Pussies
ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT TO GET SOME BONUSESJohn K's "Cans Without Labels" by John Kricfalusi — KickstarterThanks to everyone who is helping me skirt the man on this one!
Usesthis - article about what tools and technology I use
Here's an article about what tools I use to make cartoons.The Setup / John KricfalusiI thought it might help to see images of some of the stuff I was talking about:Here's an old story outline I did on a typewriter. Before computers you had to get everything right in one shot, or you'd have to start over again.Also if you had new ideas you wanted to add or wanted to edit, you again had to retype
IAma On Reddit today
Hey if you wanna shoot the sh** liveI am here most of the day:John K. Ren and Stimpy Creator Back Doing Web Cartoons and Digital Toys : IAmA
Fancy Comic Book Inking Easy To Do For Animation Now
I always admired the way guys like Shane Glines, Bruce Timm, Joe Sinnot and the Harvey Comics inkers could wield a brush. I never had the dexterity to use a real brush with ink myself.But once I got a Cintiq and started inking on the computer I found programs that allowed me to do the thick and thin styles I like so much in Comic books - and without the mess.I started first with Illustrator
YOU ARE THE EXECUTIVE
BE THE KING OF ENTERTAINMENTHey, I added a new prize to the CANS WITHOUT LABELS Kickstarter campaign. Help me make a cartoon and then show off to everyone that you are a big shot Hollywood producer!John K's "Cans Without Labels" by John Kricfalusi — KickstarterThere's a shitload of other exciting prizes too. Thanks for realizing the dream with me.
Kickstarter- Help Me Make a Cartoon
Hey fans and fellow animators. I know you've always wanted to be your own TV executives. Now's your chance to "Green Light" a cartoon personally - without having to wait years for the mystifying network process to water down all the things you demand in your cartoon entertainment!I have been wanting to try out this Kickstarter thing for awhile now and finally bit the bullet. I think it's the
Another Slab N Ernie Story To Work From
This one is less gross:John K Stuff: another George Story pt 1 - Cartoons VS Homeworkyou can take any page of this story and fill it out with story sketches and continuity.You can skip the first page (the title sequence)
A Storyboard Audition From Paul Badilla - Acting Continuity
Here's a submission from Paul. I like that he is instantly wanting to get into the characters. His continuity here is focused on their feelings about what's happening.I would have aded a bit more context though - by drawing WHAT it is they are reacting to. They are watching the SUPERFRIENDS and the gags in the story depend upon knowing some things about the animation in the SUPERFRIENDS - like
Story/Gag Workshop at TAAFI (TORONTO) on Sunday July 8 2012
STORY WORKSHOP 1:30 PMHOW TO DRAW STORIES FOR CARTOONSThe folks at the Toronto animation festival came up with a unique workshop idea and asked me to demonstrate the way I write the stories for my cartoons.As most people who've read the blog know, I don't use scripts; I use the classic cartoon method of writing the details of the story with drawings on storyboards. My writers are all cartoonists
STORYBOARD AUDITION - the HEARTACHES
If you want to be involved in the TAAFI storyboard workshop and want to work with my girl and light switch characters, here is an outline for a story I wrote:John K Stuff: CALLING ALL GIRLS-THE HEARTACHES pilotMost of it is already storyboarded:JohnKCartoonStories: The Heartaches PilotTHE ENDING ISN'T STORYBOARDED YET.HERE IS THE PART THAT HASN'T BEEN STORYBOARDED YET:CFP is found CFP decides
The Story Process Step by Step
KNOW THE CHARACTERSThis is very important. Know their personalities and how to draw them.The stories and gags you come up with should take advantage of their specific personalities and quirks. Not every gag works for every character.COME UP WITH A FUNNY SITUATIONThis is the starting point for a story; just come up with an idea. If it sparks many more gags it's worth developing further.WRITE A
Happy Father's Day
I made a cartoon once based on the first fan letter we got for Ren and Stimpy. It was from a kid named Anthony.So I featured my Dad in the cartoon playing Anthony's father. I used scenes and images that were etched in my brain from being reared by a man who believed in rules and discipline.This is how I saw him when I came home from school one day all happy, whistling a Frank Sinatra tune and
The Most Beautiful Girl in Cartoons
These gorgeous close ups are from "Fort Better Or Worser", a hilarious cartoon from 1935.My guess is they are drawn by Roland Crandall because they look a lot like the drawings and animation in Betty Boop's "Snow White". -but I could be wrong.I just love this style. When I think of what makes the Fleischers unique it's this kind of look. It's more like the comic strips than what was becoming
CLEAN SHAVEN MAN CLOSE UPS
I love these detailed faces they did in Fleischer cartoons in the 30s.These are from 1936.The cartoon credits Seymour Kneitel and Roland Crandall as animators.I'm not sure who did this scene but it's Jim dandy.This set below is full of animation genius. It's a must for every serious funny cartoonist.POPEYE VOLUME 1 1933- 1938
Stussy Around The World
EUROPEJAPAN CLICK BELOW:http://stussy.jp/blog/2012/06/06/stussy-guest-artist-series-%e2%80%9cjohn-k%e2%80%9d/STUSSY 2012 SUMMER コレクションから、カナダ生まれのアニメーター “John K” をフィーチャー。2012サマーコレクションには、John K.とのコラボレーションによるＴシャツシリーズが登場。 リリースを記念して制作されたアニメCMは、1991年当時の「Ren & Stimpy」でもよく見られたレトロな番組内CMを彷彿させる内容に仕上がっている。
Stussy Puts the Violence Back Into Cartoons!
Hey I drew some more shirt designs for Stussy and the brilliant and innovative art director, Adam Jay Weissman asked me to make a cartoon to advertise it. Rather than just do a pure ad, I asked if I could make a little story and embed the ad in it. He said ok so here it is:SEE THE CARTOON HEREBEHIND THE SCENES SECRETS:I Drew the storyboards with ball point pen on a crappy newsprint
Lunch Doodles
I was having lunch with Eddie and Sandra and telling them about some great new nature shows I've been watching called "Wild Australia". There are a lot more marsupials than just the regular ones we all knew about. I used to think marsupials were an earlier form or mammals than the rest of us, but the specials seemed to infer that we aren't so sure anymore. I wish I knew the answer!When I doodle
Get Toonboom's Animate Program cheap today
Hey if you want to get a good animation program cheap I just saw that "Animate" is on sale today.) They aren't paying me to advertise, I just get emails from them every time they have a sale.I switched from Harmony to "Animate" because it's not only way cheaper, but it's easier to use. Well "easier" is relative; it still has some screwy tools and menus - like "copy and paste" doesn't work the way
Where Should You Keep Your Excess Strings?
Ever wonder what to do with all that extra string that's piling up all over your house?Thank God for cartoon string holders.
Final
I tried putting white highlights in his eyes with white out. That crap never works. So I had to go in and try retouch some stuff.Well there you have it. Now back to animating.
Neutral Colors
Ok, time to get at the neutral colors...Neutral colors are colors that are not primary or secondary colors. They are colors not easy to name because they are much more subtle blends. "Brown" is the simplest form of a neutral color but even "brown" is usually too harsh to use as a main area of color.Gray is neutral too, but there are many tints of gray. Add a touch of blue for a cool gray, a touch
Blue Nose
I always bugger up Stimpy's nose. I can never get the right kind of blue out of a marker.The names of the colors and the colors on the label tend to lie about what color the ink actually is. COLOR TIP: Don't be influenced by the names of colors on your paints, markers, crayons - whatever. Test each color first and judge it by your eye and taste.I have the worst luck in finding good light blue
Naked Colors
I separate my flesh colors into 2 groups:1) Pinkish flesh colors. -for people who sunburn easily2) Yellowish flesh colors. - for people who tan easilyRen is basically a naked Mediterranean man. he always has a slight tan.I start with an orangey brown color for shaded areas.Then I use "buff" to do his lighter areas. I do his main color fill with "Light Sand".Next: Stimpy's Blue Nose
Marker Posters - Coloring - Fills
I don't enjoy coloring as much as inking. Especially doing the large flat color fill areas.I dread Stimpy the most because he has large areas of red to fill and I can never find a marker that looks like Stimpy's shade of red. Coloring takes patience and really taxes the ADHD. I try to break up the process by using more than one red and taking breaks between each step.I have my reds loosely sorted
Inking a Marker Card
I've been animating on the computer for so long now that I was fearing I would forget what paper pencils and markers were. I had to do a poster for someone so thought I'd share the process step by step with the rest of you cavemen who still draw with your hands and primitive utensils.
First, I rough out the drawing very lightly with a colerase pencil. I use red for Ren and Stimpy because most of
Favorite Off Model Friends
Here's Mickey with his hunk of cheese that he is never without.Fred with a glandular condition.Yogi to blow on - with hole.Swedish gay porn Donald.Yogi in his Sailor's hat and Mickey Mouse overalls and sexy bare chest.Dino with eye pimples covered with primeval ooze.Fred and his bitches.Wilma's Dad is Gumby.Popeye lets his hair grow out and dumps Olive for a normal looking girl.Donald with
Sody Fan Art
I was putting together some Sody images to make a couple of model sheets when I came across a bunch of swell fan art of her.Quite a variety of styles.I don't know all of the artists so have no credits, but if you see something you drew, make a comment and put a link to your sites if you like.I included a caricature of Helene in the model sheet above because the drawing is quite similar to the way
Here's the Rest
The Flintstones have been glued to their outhouse.This is the stone age punishment for adultery7 generations of descendants assume the gilt of their progenitors.
Mystery Solved
After you're done shooting extinct animals in the uvula, you can practice smoking to prepare you for growing up.
Designing My Own Characters Is A Different Process
When I design characters for myself, I think less about design than I do about personality. In fact, I rarely think at all about it. I feel it instead.When designing characters for commercials or even for other people's cartoons, I rely more on design theories in the abstract. Like how to balance shapes and spaces that add up to a pleasing 2 dimensional graphic that is more symbolic of a general
New Character Design Blog
http://johnkdesign.blogspot.com/Hey folksI am putting together a new blog site just for my design work - mostly from commercials and short spots.That image above is a layout from Rex Hackelberg's fancy designs.Take a gander if you are interested...
Does Anyone Still Have A Real Job?
Are People always asking you to "friend" them on a million social media sites that promise you rewards of eternal life, love and great jobs? Someone got me to sign up for "Linked In" about 4 years ago and it has not ever gotten me any work. All the work I get is from people who are already familiar with my stuff and they call or email me directly. I think my job description is too simple: "I make
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