Martha Benefit Photos

I've been meaning to post these sooner but work and life just keep getting in the way!

So the benefit was a blast and I got to see lots of friends that I haven't seen in a long time. It was a CalArts mini-reunion.

Here's some stolen text from the benefit site to let you know how it went.


We pulled it off! The auction was a big success, and we did exactly what we hoped to do: gave a good friend a helping hand in her time of need. In the end, we grossed $32,226.00. The money will be going directly towards Larry Baxton's care and rehabilitation.

People from the animation world came out in big numbers. Some of us had not seen one another in ages, so the event served as a reunion of sorts, as well. There was a lively spirit in the air, and everybody had a great time.

We sincerely appreciate everybody coming out and spending what they could. You all really made a difference in somebody's life. THANK YOU!
A few key items did not sell at the event, so we are going to be selling them on E-Bay. We will post the information about these items right here on the web site. So if you could not join us at the event, this would be a wonderful way to do your part.

We want to thank everybody who donated their time and effort to this wonderful cause. First off, thank you to Cal Arts for donating the facility, and being more than accomodating with all our needs. To Antran Manoogian and ASIFA for handling the processing of the funds. To Bill & Sue Kroyer for purchasing all the food and drink, plus all the supplies. And to all of the volunteers -- too many to count.

We'd like to extend a special thanks to Character Animation head Cynthia Overman, Glenn Vilppu, Dan Hansen, James & Kendra Baxter, John & Gale Musker, Robert Lence and his mother Ann, former MPSC president Tom Sito and his wife Pat Sito, the incredible artists at Pixar Animation who could not attend, but generously sent their work down, the amazing artists from the Los Angeles area who gave so much of themselves, and the countless others who made everything so very successful.

Another Story for Sara

I boarded a little story for Sara on her Birthday last month. Here are a few of the drawings.

Martha Needs You!

Hey Folks, if you went to Cal Arts, then you know what a wonderful woman Martha Baxton is. Also, you know how much she has helped all of us who went there. If you didn't go there, and you like animation, a lot of the people who make the animated shows and movies you like got a lot of help from this fine lady. She is the administrative assisitant to the head of the character animation department at Cal Arts. Almost anyone who went to Cal Arts in the last I-don't-know-how-many-years has benefitted from her infinite care and generosity of spirit. Her husband recently had a stroke and they took a major financal hit, so some really good folks are putting on a benefit AUCTION to help them out. All the info for the auction can be found HERE. Click this link and get down for the cause. The auction is September 9th, starting at 5:00pm at Cal Arts, in Valencia, CA.

Skrib EDIT: This is also a chance to bid on some RARE ORIGINAL animation art so check out the auction!!!

Love you Martha!

The above poster art is by Elizabeth Ito and Pen Ward.

In Memory of Joe Ranft 1960-2005

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of Joe's death. I wanted to post something that remembered not only a great story artist but also a great person. I've met Joe a couple of times and even interviewed with him at Pixar but didn't have the pleasure of actually working with him. But fortunately for me I work with and know alot of people that have and through them I've feel like I know him. This video is of Joe doing a an impromptu magic trick while he was working at Disney in the mid 80's. Joe you are missed. (Sorry there's no audio. It's my first attempt at uploading to YouTube.)

If you don't know who Joe is here's a few links:

Pixar's Artist Corner
Joe's IMDB
Ronnie Del Carmen's blog

Also, if you have any Joe memories, please share them in the comments section.

Artie

Artie Lange sketch from the Howard Stern Show.

Bored Drawings

I just turned in a big sequence and I have nothing to do...but draw little sketchy people.

Just some doodles

Just some doodles while working. Plus, I haven't posted here in forever. Super props to skribbl for keeping this blog alive. It's daunting to post after that awesome series con-folk.

See Ya!

It's been fun doing all of these little drawings but it's time for me to go the San Diego Comic Con. Hope you enjoyed them and I'll do more next year when it's Con time. I might even publish a book.

In my absence, go here to my friend John Sanford's site for even funnier stuff!!

Chippy and Loopus

See ya at the Con!!

ComicConFan: Optimus Prime-Cardboard Edition

The formula for success: red sweatshirt, white sweat pants, cardboard, duct tape, paper towel rolls, and yellow briefs. Optimus Prime rules all costumed characters. He is the embodiment of love for the Comic Con. Come back Optimus! Come back!

ComicConFan: Scared Granny

Without fail somebody brings their grandmother to the Comic Con. Temporary lapse in judgment or just plain stupidity, you make the call. For nine hours the grandmothers are left between the Nintendo and SciFi Channel booths clutching their rosary and wishing for a quick death.

ComicConFan: The Hipster

The Hipster is too cool for school. He speaks in catchphrases that end in a finger point and a wink. If he thinks you are really cool "Super-Freak-Mack-Daddy" he might even give you a backrub. His friends and co-workers that are into the Con always have to coax him in to attending. After days of flip-flopping he agrees to go at the last moment claiming he only wants to see the "Freak Show." He vehemently denies any interest in Geek Culture but deep down inside wishes he was the Silver Surfer.

ComicConFan: Unidentified Walking Fuzzy

Amongst the many costumed super heroes can be found an occasional "Unidentified Fuzzy." Often measuring over eight feet in height, they have no identifying origin or booth that they belong to often miscategorized as the latest Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, Neo Pet, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, or highly collectible Urban Vinyl character. Big game hunters have tried in vain to tranquilize these surly beasts only to disappointed when they find that there is no drug strong enough to bring them down. Most "Unidentified Fuzzy" enthusiasts have settled to just taking pics of the beasts as they pose and grope the "Scantily Clad Women Who Have Nothing To Do With Comic Books."

Comic Con Fan: Table Toad

The curiously androdgynous Table Toad can be found around the noon hour, eating, reading or sleeping at one of the scarcely available tables near the food court. They haul their morning purchases to the table and set up their base camp leaving only to add relish/mustard/sauerkraut to their eight dollar hot dogs. Trying to communicate with this beast in hopes of sharing the table will only lead to frustration as they only reply in a series of mumbles, raspy breaths, eye rolls and the occasional bodily function. Approach at your own risk.

Comic Con Fan: Hardcore Dad

Hardcore Dads are a rare breed. So determined to attend the Con, they ignore conventional wisdom and take their brood, at any age, through the tightly packed convention floor aisles. Barreling through with their strollers, they stop often in the middle of any walkway to peruse the booths at their leisure. Maybe the Dads hope to instill the sense of wonder in their own children that they have experienced at the Con. My guess is that they are training their children at an early age to become their own personal pop culture scavenging bellhops. A legacy any parent would be proud of.

Comic Con Fan: Security Zealot

If you're worried about getting your #0 special foil cover issue of Jim Lee's Wildcats pinched, don't. Because the Con security is on the job. This eternal warrior's main duties include but are not exclusive to: keeping the stairways clear, expediting the autograph lines, and making sure no freaks enter the main showroom floor.

Comic Con Fan: Man-Tiger

Fig.1

Bob here is a computer programmer by day, and a tiger enthusiast by night. He loves tigers. He can't get enough of tigers. He dreams of tigers. And on occasion, he dreams of being a tiger.




Fig. 2

Bob has taken his dreams and made them a reality. He has saved up most of his programmer salary to pay for plastic surgery that has transformed him physically into a tiger. Nails extended and striped, facial/body tattoos, cat eye contact lenses, whisker implants, dental implants/teeth sharpened, ears cut and pointed and upper lip split.

Bob is living his dream.

You go Bob.

Comic Con Fans: Super Troopers

What's a comic convention without Stormtroopers? Who wouldn't want to don plastic armor, march around in the heat of summer and unconvincingly look threatening? They come in many flavors. My favorite is the Elvis stormtrooper. Go ahead and Google him. You know you want to.

Comic Con Fan: SCWWHNTDWCB

"Scantily Clad Woman Who Have Nothing To Do With Comic Books." Not really a fan but more of an object. The admirers line up by the thousands to have their pictures taken with them. I wonder what they'll do with the photos when they get home??

Comic Con Fan: Grizzled Pro

The "Grizzled Pro" returns year after year to sift through the millions of portfolios that are presented to him by the eager "Portfolio Lads." Why he does this, he doesn't know. Normally the GP is cloistered in his studio trying to pencil out the latest issue of "Gore Hole." The Con is his one chance to see the outside world and hopefully get some recognition for the hours of intensive work spent for little pay. His real reward is seeing and posing with the SCWWHNTDWCBs (Scantily Clad Women Who Have Nothing To Do With Comic Books).

Comic Con Fan: Goth Girl

For those who've always wondered:

Goth is a contemporary subculture prevalent in many countries around the globe. It began in the United Kingdom during the late 1970s to early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture is remarkable for its longevity compared with others of the same era. Its imagery and cultural proclivities show influences from nineteenth century Gothic literature, mainly by way of horror movies.
The goth subculture has associated "gothic" tastes in music and fashion. Gothic music encompasses a number of different styles. Common to all is a tendency towards a “dark” sound and outlook. Styles of dress within the subculture range from death rock, punk, Victorian, androgynous, some Renaissance style clothes, or combinations of the above, most often with lots of black attire, makeup and hair.

Comic Con Fan: Portfolio Lad

Ah the ubiquitous portfolio lad. As you see them walk down they aisle they emanate an energy that is so pure. So raw. So innocent. They line up by the dozens to have their portfolios reviewed in hopes of being discovered, handed their own comic title, and eventually heading up their own artist driven company with toy, feature film, television, videogame, and internet divisions. Although few make it, most are chewed up and spit out by the grizzled industry veterans who flip through their portfolios nonchalantly. If they aren't broken the first year, they may try again the next. And the next, and the next, and the next....

Comic Con Fans: Klingon Family of Lemon Grove

I noticed at last couple of Cons that the abundance of Klingons have been replaced by legions of Hobbits. They must be getting older and attending time share weekends. I guess they found the real meaning of "Q'apla!"

Comic Con Fan: The Ravenous Reader

Look out for this one near any bathroom entrance or waste recepticle. Instead of waiting to get home to read their latest purchase, they plop themselves down at the highest traffic walkway intersection and begin reading.

ComicConFans: Pierced Couple

Every Con you see new levels of piercing. I tried piercing once. I almost died. Always let a professional do the piercing. Lesson learned.

Comic Con Fan: Furry Unicorn Man with Guitar

I actually saw this guy walking around. I was videotaping the wacky characters and he did a perfectly timed take reaction of a woman (I think it was Lady Death) walking by. Priceless

Comic Con Fan:The Classic Trekker

Since the San Diego Comic-Con is looming on the horizon, I thought I'd take some time every day to do a drawing of some of the types of fans that attend. I've been attending the Con regularly since 1979 so I've seen a few characters in my day. This is the Classic Trekker.

Drawings from the same meeting but not as funny

So here are a few from the same meeting that Robo was talking about. Not too much drawing because I was looking at what Robo was drawing and giggling too much. He was a man posessed! I guess when executives feed you the lines your mind starts to go to "those" places. By that I mean fish that have "needs".

Lunch time Meeeting Fun!!!

We had a big story artist/vis. dev lunch meeting today. For some reason, I couldn't stop drawing. Here are some of the sketches. The two with the little fish was inspired by something an exectutive said concerning movies and the audiences. The quote was something like " We would never do a movie about a fish who lives in a house and drives a car because it would skew too young and wouln't attract that older audience." This is my attempt to prove her wrong. It's a movie about a little fish taha likes blowjobs and lap dances. Coming soon to a theater near you. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll care.
-John

My Other Business

So I haven't posted in a long time, but I have a good reason. Well actually I don't, but I've been busy working at my other job, Wedding Art. It all started when I was unemployed and broke and I didn't have the funds to buy my friend anything on her registry. Instead I made a Warhol print of her and her husband to be. Suddenly it was a thing as my friends got married they all demanded art. So I've continued to duplicate pop art added a personal twist incorporating the couple. I just finished the Lichtenstein for the wedding I attended last Saturday.

It has been fun to study the works of great artists I admire and make a weak attempt to duplicate their style. Since I am only repeated what has already been mastered I am not earning a cent. My next task will be to create my own signature style. But actually I can't wait for the day I get to buy a toaster like everyone else.

Hilighter Love

Caricatures drawn with a eye-numbing pink hilighter pen.

FishPool and Happy Cinco De Mayo

Here's another meeting sketch. Don't know if these are Mudskippers or what but they're definitely up to no good. Playing pool and smoking lead to ________________________. (insert violent headline here)

For those of you in North America and Mexico, "Happy Cinco De Mayo!" For our other foreign friends...Have a good weekend!

Rabbits and Wolves

A few weeks ago, I was looking through some old stuff and found these drawings. The funny thing is that they pre-figure "Chippy and Loopus" by a year or two. Here I thought I came up with those characters out of thin air when in reality they were in the back of my head the whole time.
This first group of sketches is from a comic I was drawing called "Rabbit Zero". It's about a little rabbit who gets into mudane yet frustrating problems like being stuck in the line at a supermarket and then resorting to extreme violence to rectify the situation. Kind of a proto-Chippy. The big difference is he didn't talk and worked alone.



This is a page from my sketch book. The little girl bunny on the top left was the result of a dream my wife Sara had. She awoke one morning and said "get a pencil and a pad of paper". Then she preceded to describe this little rabbit character. I decided to to draw a little comic strip for her starring this little girl rabbit and her boyfriend (the rabbit on the right). I began to form a cast of characters to support them. For a number of reasons, I never drew the strip. Notice the wolf directly below the little boy rabbit. Look familiar?