The King Of Pop

Yup, he was a "guest star" on Mighty Mouse, too! This is way over-designed, but there's still some cool things about it. I think this was drawn just after the video in which he smashed up a car and grabbed his crotch a lot.

Cool Print

Cheers, by Bob Dob. You can buy it for $75.00 + shipping here.

Latest Art Purchase

I got this nifty Katie Rice drawing off eBay! Check out her blog if you haven't already. It's great stuff - how envious I am of her skills at drawing girls!

League of Super-Rodents Design

Pee-Wee In Chains

I guess that falls into the category of "Things That Sound Dirty But Aren't".

Alien Design

From the Star Trek parody on Tiny Toons.

A New Ant Bully Clip

Courtesy of our friends at DNA Productions! That's Ken Mitchroney performing the voice of the guard ant on the right. This is running on Cartoon Network, too.

Puppets For Sale

Computer animator and puppeteer extrordinaire Mike Quinn is selling handmade puppets! He originally created the "Quinney" puppet to use in performing workshops and training courses, and now you can buy the new, improved version. They're super cute and are professional-grade construction and design (i.e. not for kids). I've wanted one ever since we had an on-the-job workshop, so you can bet mine's on order. Snag your "Quinney" puppet today for $99.95!

Points For Originality

Check out this trailer! Interesting, but overly long and incomprehensible (at least to my western eyes).

Mr. Test Tube

I'm not sure what he's from (maybe Tiny Toons), but I like him!

Universal Exec Stacey Snider Leaves To Run DreamWorks

Ms. Snider's exit, which had been rumored for weeks, leaves a major gap in the executive ranks at Universal, where she had guided the development and production of films since 1999. At DreamWorks, a much smaller operation, the executive will make four to six movies a year in partnership with the producer and director Steven Spielberg.

Read more here.

Buster Bunny, All Rambo-Style

This show made a big deal out of how "'90s" it was, but I was still stuck back five or six years earlier. I probably still am!

Let The Auctions Begin!

Rather than donate my extra toys to the Fennimore Doll & Toy Museum (as I have in the past), I've decided to auction off some of my impulse purchases in order to fund, well, more impulse purchases. There's sure to be plenty of neat, weird stuff for reasonable prices! Check out the "My eBay Auctions" web page in the Links section. I'll be setting up a lot more auctions soon, so keep checking back for updates!

A Note From Martha Maurer

February 24, 2006
Dear Family and Friends,
 
Hi! As many of you know, last year I joined Team in Training and completed a 13.1 half marathon at the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt County. It was such an amazing experience, I signed up again for the fall season, this time serving as a mentor to help newcomers with their first experience with Team in Training.  In October 2005, I completed another half marathon, this time the Nike Women’s Half in San Francisco.
 
Team in Training has definitely changed my life for the better. As thrilled as I’ve been with my physical improvement though, I’m no longer doing this just for the exercise. I’ve met and trained with many Honorees, cancer patients who are also committed to finding a cure for their own cancer and those of millions of other people. Team in Training’s purpose is to raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  As a member of the walk team, this season I have committed to raising at least $2400.00.  Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a non-profit agency dedicated to finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease, myeloma and other blood related cancers  while improving the quality of life of patients and their families.  I think all of us have someone dear to us with one of these cancers.  I have an uncle, John, with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a good friend, Jim, with myeloma and a close friend from college, James, with lymphoma. Money raised for Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is helping people like them every day.  Of  the money raised by Team in Training, a minimum of 75% goes directly to cancer research and patient services.  Less than 25% goes to administrative support and training for those of us participating. All donations are 100% tax deductible.
 
I’ve learned the research has found some medications that also help patients with other types of cancer, so raising funds for this research may help many other people as well.  My aunt Barbara has lung cancer, a cousin Laura was recently diagnosed with breast cancer, and a good friend, Steve, has kidney cancer.  I walk and pray for them too as I raise money to help find a cure. If you would like to sponsor me and support this worthy cause, please send a check payable to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and return it to me. I’m hoping to exceed my $2400.00 minimum by my birthday, April 10th.  Any amount is appreciated. Please check out my training website and if you like, donate online by going to:

www.active.com/donate/tntsvmb/tntsvmbMMaurer2 (cut and paste this into your browser)

Thanks for your support! Your prayers mean a lot!
 
Martha Maurer
(Address and e-mail removed)

Nerdy Autograph Hound

I've kind of turned into one myself. At least I'm not wearing the Jughead hat. Yet.

Special Guest Star Bob Hope!

Again, from Mighty Mouse. He drove the Texaco half-a-car and everything!

Workaday Duck

The End Of An Era

Actually, it ended a while ago. But now I'm cutting up my portfolio pages so I can scan and retouch more of the artwork. I'll still have all the pieces, just not in that format. I've had the physical 'folio since at least 1991, probably longer!

Swazzle Video Redux

Here's a non-Valentine version on YouTube. Enjoy!

Photoshop Fiddling

Here's a special edition of the Ferngully drawing. Compare and contrast!

It's Mashy The Pup!

From Mighty's Benefit Plan.

Another Inspirational Drawing For Ferngully

Here I am channeling a little of my inner Brian Froud.

More Cartoon Cheesecake

Teaser Poster

What Is It With Brokeback Mountain?

This has to be the least-seen, most-referenced film in quite a while. I'm amazed at the number of Brokeback jokes circulating right now. Crazy!

The Films Of Elaine May

Here's an interesting article about Elaine May, comedienne, screenwriter and film director. There's a retrospective of her four feature films in New York, playing today through Tuesday. A New Leaf sounds interesting, but it's unavailable on video in the US.

A Gift Drawing

There used to be a place in LA called Too Cute!, which was one of the first places to offer embroidered cartoon merchandise. I struck a deal with them - they would make a couple of custom sweatshirts for me, and I would do some artwork for them. They held up their end of the deal (full color and everything), but never asked for anything in return. Their loss was my sisters' gain - I did this one, and another design with Hampton Pig as a chef. I'll post that drawing too, if I run across it.

Enough Pontificating

Here's a drawing of a cartoon mouse.

Disneyland, My Disneyland

Few theme parks inspire as much affection and passion as Disneyland, still the gold standard for a family vacation. Website after website, blog after blog, the internet is stuffed with opinions and criticisms from fans. Many adult devotees would agree the park has lost some luster in recent years, and that changes - especially in Tomorrowland, a hopeful portrait of the future - are needed. But what changes? A good start might be to examine the cultural context, the attitudes which surrounded Disneyland's creation.

The park began in the late fifties, when most people still picked an occupation and made it a lifelong career. You invested a significant portion of your life into your work, and when retirement time came, you looked to your employer to help you out in your "golden years". Most companies were seen as honorable, looking out for the good of their customers, their employees, and their communities.

Evolving alongside Disneyland - and to some degree influencing and informing it - were the World's Fairs. Stretching back to 1851, they extolled the virtues of industrial and technological progress. These improvements and advances would make life better for everyone, and America's companies would be there to lead the charge. Using the world fairs' approach, the finanicial sponsorship of Disneyland's myriad attractions was part corporate propaganda, part innovative synergy. It worked because the American people believed in their businesses.

Can we really continue to apply this model in a post-Enron world? Is it possible to find companies whose drive for profits do not reveal a sad reflection in Disneyland's utopian mirror? While it's true that a gap between corporate promises and deliveries has always existed, has that gap become so huge that belief is virtually impossible? Who can we look to - not only in Tomorrowland, but in the entire park - to inspire visitors to optimism and trust once again?

I don't have the answer, but I think it's worth considering.

Scary Comic Rumor

From popbitch.com: Holy Terror, Batman!

...legendary comic writer Frank Miller is working on a new graphic novel, where Batman takes on Osama Bin Laden, called 'Holy Terror, Batman!' Asked for a plot synopsis Miller explains, "Batman kicks Al Qaeda's ass."

DK2, 300 and the Sin City movie were disappointing enough. Must all the goodwill be squandered? And so utterly?

The Ultimate Breast Man

Here's a funny Onion interview from 1998 with Russ Meyer, infamous director of such sexploitation flicks as Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, and Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls.

Pan's Labyrinth

Here's a still from Guillermo del Toro's latest, courtesy of I Watch Stuff! and Ain't It Cool News. His storytelling's a little weak, but his films are consistently interesting. I might check this one out. See more stills here.

Kinda Creepy

Publicity art for the upcoming "Shaggy Dog" remake.

A New Film From Studio Ghibli

Gedo Senki is an adaptation of Ursula K. Leguin's six-book Earthsea Cycle directed by Goro Miyazaki, the son of famed director Hayao Miyazaki. Click here to download the Japanese trailer.

If you can read French, you can find out more here.
Otherwise, check this site out.

Terrific. Sigh.

PIERRE, S.D., Feb. 22 — Setting up South Dakota to become the first state in 14 years to start a direct legal attack on Roe v. Wade, lawmakers voted on Wednesday to outlaw nearly all abortions.

Read more here.

Can You Smell What The Cow Is Cooking?

I forget which episode this drawing was for, but it's one of my favorite drawings of The Cow. Maybe I just dressed up one of John K.'s model poses - that might be why it turned out so well!

Another Drawing From A Breast Man

Pearl Pureheart by way of One Million Years B.C. I've never seen the movie, but that one still gets the point across.

New Simpsons From McFarlane

Coming this May - a couch gag boxed set! The gimmick is that the family members have magnets inside them, so you can rearrange them in lots of different combinations! Perfect for the office (or cubicle).

Shouldn't it come with a TV, though?

Brokeback Mountain in Lego

Experience it here.

A Big Bowl Of Bad

A great clip from Letterman. Scroll down a bit to find A Big Bowl Of Bad.

Another Pointless Film Boycott

There's some Bond fans out there who are pretty unhappy with the casting of Daniel Craig as the new 007. Now there's a website (craignotbond.com) that's organizing a boycott of the upcoming Casino Royale. Yeah, that'll make a dent. It has inspired me, though, to start a few new websites myself. Check out:

http://www.moorenotreallybondeither.com/

http://www.waitwaslazenbybond.com/

http://www.whowastheguybeforeremingtonsteele.com/

Mighty Mouse Nurse

Too many of those Hee Haw nurse sketches, I guess. Those were desperate times.

Sickeningly Cute

This is one of the few drawings from my job at Landmark Entertainment Group that I can still look at. The design sense of the place was not good at all, but it did help prepare me for the non-UPA-inspired world.

I Guess You Can Milk Dinosaurs

Jurassic Park IV may be on the slate for summer 2008. That's not the funny part, though. This is.

Cool Maypo Commercials

Check out these neat TV spots, directed by Disney and UPA alum John Hubley. "I Want My Maypo!" became a famous catchphrase, and inspired "I want my MTV!" thirty years later.

The Venture Bros. On DVD

Coming May 30th! The first season of Adult Swim's hilarious Jonny Quest take-off! Check out the great news here.

Merv Griffin! MERV GRIFFIN! MERV GRIFFIN!!

Technically, Another Upcoming Computer-Animated Feature

The A Scanner Darkly trailer, courtesy of I Watch Stuff. I can't tell if this is going to be really cool, or if it'll give me a massive headache after about ten minutes. I think I'll be more satisfied than I was last time. I think.

ANOTHER. CG. FEATURE.

Luc Besson (Yes, that Luc Besson) is making a film called Arthur And The Minimoys, which may be the least marquee-friendly title since The Hudsucker Proxy. Apparently Madonna is doing some voice acting for one of the characters, the effects work will be done by BUF Compagnie (who did the "Love Profusion" video), and it'll premiere at Cannes this May. Above is an image of Arthur, courtesy of I Watch Stuff! and Madonna Tribe.

The Second Tiny Toons Pig

I finally found a clean copy of this guy!

Bruce Vein And His Butler, Belfry

John Krisfalusi directed Night Of The Bat-Bat, and he designed the characters, of course. But I did do some nice drawing and clean-up here, if I do say so myself!

The Infamous Hampton Pig

Most of the Tiny Toons characters were designed by Ken Boyer, but nobody could get a design for Hampton (then called Hamlet) that Spielberg liked. So there was a contest - everybody who could draw, drew pigs for fifteen minutes and then all of the artwork was faxed to Amblin. My design won with Spielberg, but lost with the crew - I got a lot of flack for how big his head was, and how small his limbs were - making him difficult to pose.

In the end, someone else did all of the Hampton drawings for merchandising - I was told that I didn't have a feel for drawing the character.

Happy Presidents' Day!

Sorry, George - Abe is funnier.

Tiny Toons Seagulls

I forget what the deal was with the glop on their heads and the spray bottle.

Wile E. Coli

From Mundane Voyage.

Toons Fox #2

A Fox From Tiny Toons

Though I'm not sure they actually used it. I like it regardless.

Two "Guest Stars" From Mighty Mouse

Donald Pleasence and Vincent Price! I know the former was in Mundane Voyage, but I've forgotten which episode Mr. Price was in.

New Roughs For Afterworks 2 Story

Finally! I've finished the rough pass of Fetch, my story for the Afterworks 2 collection. It's clocking in at thirteen pages, which seems do-able to finish for April 1st, the hand-in deadline. In the end, I decided to re-do the four pages that I'd already drawn, and I think I told the story far more succinctly this time. Here's another sample rough page.

Oh What The Hell

Card Guard - Special Edition

Once I saw how well the tweaks turned out on the Buckingham Palace card guard, I had to tweak this one too! It never ends.

Writer. Actor. Director. Ten Years Old.

(Comic Book Guy voice) I've wasted my life. Find out why.

Cute Li'l Robot, 1984

Old Valentine Drawing

I did all the corrections on this one with tape and white-out, so this was a nightmare to clean up. I'm going to use the gamine bird in my PidgeonStuff shop now that the drawing's ready. There's a version of her there now, but I'm going to get rid of the black background.

New Open Season Trailer

This one looks a lot better. Check it out!

Another Card Guard

Originally, I tried doing this one against white, trying to describe the card contour with the surrounding elements. It didn't quite work, so while I was cleaning this up, I added a light blue background. I also couldn't resist Photoshopping in the actual MasterCard logo, replacing the hand-drawn one.

The Cow As Ed Norton

This drawing took a lot longer to clean up. I think I overdid it, but it looks okay.

If you don't know who Ed Norton is, shame on you!

And don't let me catch you watching this, either!

Gamera Is Really Neat

...he is full of turtle meat!

The Magic Meadow

Check out Patrick Johnson's short film here.

A Color Variation

Okay! I'm really going to leave this alone now. It's DONE. Really.

Another Anti-Valentine

Here's a second anti-Valentine design that I did for CafePress, but I didn't get it finished in time. The first drawing didn't sell any products, but I think it takes quite a while for shoppers to discover new items. I don't promote the store much, because I haven't found a cheap, effective way to do it outside of this blog and e-mail signatures.

Cool Toys On A Budget, Part 2

Fisher-Price has made super-cheap versions of their Krypto and Ace the Bat-hound toys. The nice designs of Iwao Takamoto at a bargain price! No accessories, no talking chips, and that's fine with me! Each toy has one feature - Krypto pops into a flying pose at the push of a button, and Ace has a retractable grappling hook. Only $6.00 + shipping each from Amazon!

Cool Toys On A Budget, Part 1

The Creature Mix line from MGA Entertainment features twelve animals with interchangable parts, so you can mix them up in the spirit of the old Dr. Seuss model kits. The design work is uneven, but I think the giraffe looks really nice!

One animal costs just $6.00 each at your local Toys R Us!

Las Vegas Avenue Q To Close

Ticket sales have been slow, so Q will be replaced by Monty Python's Spamalot. Read all about it here.

Mighty Kramden

This one's from Mighty's Wedlock Whimsy as well. It wound up getting streamlined and simplified, but I still prefer this version.

Coming In 2008

Planet One, the first feature from Ilion Animation Studios.

The designs are a little bland, and the story is "the old switcheroo", but otherwise it looks better than a lot of the new CG films. We'll have to wait and see how well these models are articulated and animated.

Is it just me, or does the alien dad look a little like Christopher Kimball, the host of America's Test Kitchen?

Cartoonist Interviews

Check out an informally filmed chat in Carmel with Hank Ketcham, Eldon Dedini, and Gus Arriola, among others. Cool!

Smug, Collegiate Tony

I think this was for a proposed Kellogg's business school or something. A contest, I think. I drew it at CalArts - the first pass was rejected, as I had unwittingly drawn Tony smoking and drinking. Here's the revised version.

Unfortunately, I didn't have access to color duplication, so this lame b/w xerox is all I have left. Too bad, as I think this is a pretty cool drawing. I wonder if the original is still floating around Kellogg's somewhere.

The Ten Best Sci-Fi Films That Never Existed

Here's a funny essay on some painful movie misfires and neglected properties. I have to say, though, I'm not as convinced as the writer that the Starcraft video game would make a great movie.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Best wishes to you and your sweetheart today! And if you're single... I've felt that pain. Hang in there!

Pearl Pureheart Is All Business

From A Star Is Milked.

Extracurricular Simpsons

I drew this for a grandparent's birthday card. I was still working on the show at this point.

Nice 2D Commercial

Check out this insurance spot directed by Sylvain (Tripets Of Belleville) Chomet.

Behold! ROM - Spaceknight!!

ROM was an electronic robot toy from the late '70s/early '80s (the era of Merlin). Here's a promotional film from the 1979 Toy Fair. Click on the slideshow to play it. I love the touch of Holst at the end!

PS (2/13) - I managed to snag a mint ROM in the box from eBay - the only reason the seal is broken is that the tape is twenty years old! I'm sure the electronics are hardy enough that it should work fine.

Copied From Heavy Traffic

I was going through a Bakshi phase before I started to work with him.

See you at WonderCon!

Willie

He was the main character of my freshman student film, Door To Door. The film didn't turn out well at all, but I drew him incessantly, and in a variety of '80s film roles.

Remember Captain Eo?

Here's a 1986 caricature of friend/classmate Ed Bell as Michael Jackson's pricey Disney spaceman. Ed's an Emmy-nominated director now, so I'd say he's had the last laugh!

Stop-Motion Freaks

Here's a still from an upcoming Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers stop-motion feature. While I love the original comics, this looks a little too Robot Chicken for me.

Wolverine For The Gap

Oh dear. This does not bode well. Not at all.

Discarded Rough

I did some artwork for a disc of photos from my 20th high school reunion in 2003. Unfortunately, by the time I got around to finishing it, the project's momentum had evaporated. I wound up using the art at my Pidgeonstuff store.

Originally, the photo CD jewel case was going to have a 'before and after' design - the outer cover would show the youthful, energetic sailing ship (our team name was the Commodores), the inner or back cover would show the slower, middle-aged ship, which I originally thought was funny.

In the end, I didn't think anyone else would agree, so I dropped the 'after' image. Here's the rough version.

Oswald Comes Home

In a deal with NBC Universal, The Walt Disney Company finally regained the rights to Oswald The Lucky Rabbit, a character wrested from Walt by Charles B. Mintz. Universal has owned the rights to Oswald for almost eighty years.

What closure! That's gotta feel good!

This Just In - Male Characters Dominate in G-Rated Films

A new study reveals what most G-rated film viewers could have probably told you.

I think the best thing to do when you're asking, "Why aren't there more fill-in-the-blanks in movies?" is to do something about it yourself.

The New Couple

Here's the new Ken, and (I guess) the new Barbie. Whoa - Ken's dating kinda young these days!

Barbie's Midlife Crisis

She's closer to fifty...does that still count? Read about her recent struggles against the Bratz line, and her upcoming reuninon with made-over Ken. Personally, I think the Bratz guy is being a bit presumptuous. His line - five years. Barbie - fifty. Who's going to date badly first?

From Mundane Voyage

I like these two guys. It's one of the better episodes - really weird, and pretty funny, too!

Life Drawing 2

Drawn on the same zoo visit as the gerenuk.

He's Tiny, He's Pig-gy

Another Tiny Toons incidental character, probably inspired by too many childhood viewings of Hee Haw.

Flushed Away Sneak Preview

It looks pretty good! Especially the frog characters. I guess we'll find out this fall...

Incidental Design

...from Mighty's Wedlock Whimsy. We bravely broke television ground for mouse waiters who hang on trapezes from autogyros.

The Full Lineup

I found a far better copy of these ants, so I re-scanned the art. I like this group - got a good amount of variety out of 'em.

Alice Card Guard 2

From 1986. I forgot about this one - it's my favorite of this project.

For Sheer Entertainment Value

...you can't beat Deputy Dawg!

New To DVD!

Just released today: David Lean's Ryan's Daughter.

Ryan received a critical drubbing on its initial release in 1970, as it was a resolutely old-fasioned romantic epic in the changing face of films like A Clockwork Orange and Brewster McCloud. Lean was so incensed by its reception - particularly a review by critic Pauline Kael - that he didn't make another film until 1984's A Passage To India.

While this film does suffer in comparison with Lawrence of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago (and what films don't?), it's still a really strong film. Saying that this is a lesser Lean film is like saying, "This Michaelangelo has a chip in it".

Set some time aside, and check it out!

A Li'l Doodle

The Power Of A Single Drawing

If you're ever tempted to think that cartooning doesn't have any effect in the world, think again. Sadly - in this case - it can.

In The Spirit of Nacho Libre

This drawing is truly bizarre, but I think there's something interesting in it. Definitely one to re-visit.

Blake Tucker

Friend and photographer, Blake has revised his website and started a blog in the bargain! You'll find both of them in my link index as well. Stop by and check out his striking, well-composed photos. There's prints for sale, and custom framing and matting available, too!

This Could Go Either Way

It's Nacho Libre, the new film from Jared (Napoleon Dynamite) Hess. It might bound to new heights or fall flat on its face, but the trailer looks pretty good, so I'll give it a shot.

Geraldine

The ending's a little predictable, but the staging, sound use, and animation are nice! Take a look. I wonder if this guy's a Flip Wilson fan...probably not.

Al "Grandpa Munster" Lewis Dies at 82

Baseball Scout. Restauranteur. Political Candidate. Who knew? If you didn't either, you can find out here.

Source Unknown

AARDMAN IN EYE'S SIGHTS
CBS finds comfort in 'Creature'

CBS is getting back into the animation game, pacting with Aardman Animations for a half-hour skein based on the Oscar-winning short "Creature Comforts." Aardman, the studio behind "Wallace & Gromit," will use its stop-motion animation style for the skein, which will be produced in both Blighty and Los Angeles.

...interesting. There's already a lot of Creature Comforts television episodes (see still), but they're not half-hours. I hope the concept can hold up in a longer format.

Ten Years Earlier,

I drew this - inspired by Bowie's Let's Dance resurgence. It probably looks more like Thomas Dolby in retrospect. The drapery's weird, but otherwise, it's pretty solid.

My One Critic Drawing

I did this as a card to congratulate my friend Rich Moore for the show's debut, which would put this drawing at 1994.

New From Swazzle

An e-card that you can send to your sweetheart for Valentine's Day! Send it out to as many people as you like (for one day) for $3.95! Check it out at puppetgreetings.com, in the Valentine's Day section. It's called The Door To Your Heart, with my wife puppeteering Hazel.

'85 Character Design Assignment

This was part of a trio of characters called The Bumgarden Gang. The artwork attracted a little attention at the time, and it even got in the college brochure (or maybe it was the college newsletter). This guy reminds me of Danny DeVito in Romancing The Stone.

Heckle & Jeckle - Those Scamps!

What's better than a dancing magpie? Two dancing magpies wearing fezzes! From Mighty's Wedlock Whimsy.

PS - These are the kinds of poses you get when the cartoonist in question can't actually dance.

Weird Christmas Drawing

From '93. I like the Santa design!

Happy Super Bowl XL!

Especially to the Steelers!

A Rare Layout Assignment

Hard pencils make for tough scanning and clean-up. This is still one of my college favorites.

More From Tazmania! More From Tazmania!

I've always liked this drawing. It's just fun!

You Know What I Don't Get? - Part III

Johnny Hart's insistence on cramming Christian messages into his comic strip. Don't get me wrong - I've been a big fan of Mr. Hart since I was a kid. But to have this sort of thing materialize in his current work, in my mind, feels inappropriate.

If it had always been a Christian-themed strip, or if he started a new one called Gabriel The Garrulous or something, it'd be one thing. Not to mention the fact that this can blow up in your face in a big way, if you're not extremely careful.

Come on! It's called B.C.

B - friggin' - C!!

Good Grief.

Another Design Assigment From 1985

Don't worry - I'm on medication now.

Betty Freidan Dies at 85

The author of The Feminine Mystique died yesterday of congestive heart failure. Read about her life and the enormous impact of her writing here.

A Mysterious Murder Comes To The Big Screen

The killing of Elizabeth Short in 1947 - also known as "The Black Dahlia Murder" - has gone unsolved to this day. Brian De Palma is directing a film based on the James Ellroy novel of the same name. Sounds interesting. Read about the crime and the film here.

Designer Toys Make The LA Times

Here's a good overview of the designer toy movement, for those who - ahem - need to catch up!

Another Example Of Good Editing

To say any more would spoil the fun!

The Mystery Of Larry Wachowski

Here's an interesting article about one of the creators of the Matrix films (foreground). I'd heard rumors alluding to some of the things covered in the article, but who knows if any of it is true. Maybe it's just a hoax to drum up publicity for V For Vendetta.

A Brand New Drawing!

Just finished this - in time for CafePress' Anti-Valentine's Day contest. You'll be able to buy it at PidgeonStuff soon, too!

Hampton & Gogo - Special Edition

The drawing is from 1989 - it was made for a charity auction, xeroxed onto a cel and painted.

The color, though, is brand new! This piece was much more fun to re-work, as I'd done some decent clean-up on it - I could actually 'magic wand' closed-in sections for a change!

In the end, I didn't change as many of the colors as I'd anticipated. The biggest new choice was framing it in black. I could see simplifying it even further, so I might return to it at some point.

Dinner Doodle

I call this one Three More Years.

Fun With Silhouettes

This was from character design class. I think. Maybe it was just design class.

Me And Wondercon - We're Like This

If you're going to be in San Francisco for WonderCon (Feb. 10th-12th), feel free to stop by - I'm going to be in a panel discussing the future of cartooning. It's part of an appearance by the National Cartoonists Society.

The panel will be on Saturday from 12-1PM, room 2022. Hope to see you there!

Break It Up, Son - Joke's Over

Hasbro's Mr. Potato Head/Star Wars line started out cute and funny. Darth Tater was pretty good, for sheer synergistic dizziness. Ditto the Spudtrooper. But this is just awkward. R-2...Potatoo? Even for a license where reaching is the joke, this is a reach.

Yes, that's a holographic Princess Leia Potato Head next to it. I'm really not looking forward to seeing her made into a spud.

You can pre-order this for $10.00+shipping at entertainmentearth.com.

Ye Olden (Tyniee Toones) Dayes

Here's a gift drawing I did that has nothing to do with the show. I think it still holds up well - this is another prime candidate for a clean-up/recoloring (there is a color version, but I could make it look a lot better now).

CalArts, Year Two

This drawing is significant to me because it's the first time I remember achieving (however awkwardly) design balances and rhythms that I wanted. A new personal style was beginning to emerge.

A Design Assignment

I don't remember what the category was. I think it might have simply been, "design two robots". This was a lot of work, but I still like it!

Another College Character Design

This assignment was to update one of the Alice In Wonderland cast. Here's my best modern card soldier!

Another CG Feature For 2006

Yankee Irving, directed by my pal Colin Brady.

Flushed Away Images

Pictures from Aardman's upcoming CG feature. I loved Were-Rabbit, but I hope they change the title - I think it's asking for trouble.

Devo 2.0

I'm not exactly sure what the diametric opposite of Devo is, but this seems pretty close.

A College Application Drawing

We're talking 1984. Lots of fine-line markers and feathery pencilling. Here's one of the less embarrassing ones.

A Change Of Pace

It was 1991 - Frank Miller and Terminator 2: Judgement Day were still rocking my world. So much so, that I combined them for my going-away card design. The tagline - what else? - I'll Be Back.

Merchandising Art

I did merchandising drawings for a brief time while working on Tiny Toons - I don't think they liked what I did, as I never saw much of it appear anywhere. This piece was done in 1990, when all I could think about was the upcoming release of "Dick Tracy". I got ribbed for that, perhaps rightfully so. This was done in my pre-Photoshop days, and it hasn't aged well - it's a good thing this is displaying small, as the line quality is a real mess. I've cleaned it up to some degree, but I think this piece is a prime target for a George-Lucas-style revision. Keep your eyes peeled for the special edition!