I would have preferred to see Newt come to life on the big screen before a sequel to, say, Monsters, Inc. or Cars, but we all know how that works.  As if only to tease us, Pixar released concept art for the now cancelled Newt on it’s Facebook page.

Ah, well.

Thanks to the Pixar Blog for the heads up.

Top Ten

First of all…  Happy New Year!!  We celebrated very quietly during a snow storm, then went to a crazy-busy New York City for a fun weekend full of sight-seeing and LOTS of walking.  Fun stuff.

My girlfriend, Jacquie, put this list of Top 10 Ways You Know You Live With an Animator together.  It’s very funny, very true and very sweet.

She’s been a huge inspiration for me, and the number one reason why I’ve pursued a career in animation.  (Well, right behind how much I love it!).  Her support in so many ways has meant so much to me, I don’t think I could have gone that far without it.

Thank you, Jacquie!!

Jenny Lerew posted this clip on her blog.  It’s an animation by R.O. Blechman done for CBS back in 1966.  I really like simple stories with nice messages and this one stands out.

What made it memorable for me was showing it to my 11 year old daughter – a big animal activist – and watching the emotions wash across her face.  At first, there was surprise – “why is my Dad making me watch something as ancient and ‘crude’ as this?”.  Then laughter and happiness when she succumbed to the birds’ charm.  This quickly changed to contempt as the man walks in with a saw and the birds stop singing.  Finally, there was the “Awwww” moment.

All from a simple, short, sweet line-drawn animation.

Awww…

Check out the photography of Chris Jordan.  Although sad and somewhat disturbing, the images themselves are beautiful.  You always hear about the amount we consume in this country, but to see it in an image is simply stunning.  The images of Katrina’s aftermath are breathtaking.

Having just completed a huge animation for a visitor’s center at a national landmark, I am done taking on any new 3D generalist projects.  It’s been great fun and I have learned so much, but its time to really focus on character animation.

In the works are a couple of new shots, one with dialog, one without, as well as collaborating on writing a short animated film.

Due to demand (OK, a couple of people have asked), I have posted my demo on YouTube. Nothing major, and maybe several years behind the rest of the world, but what the heck?

Here’s the Link:

YouTube Reel
And the YouTube video:

I’m a little late with this, but this morning’s walk through the bogs on an unusually mild December day jogged my memory.  Right around the corner from us, to our dog’s delight, are acres of cranberry bogs.  Carver, MA has something like the largest ratio of cranberry bog to land.  I’m probably making that up, but it seems that way.

This past fall was one of the most beautiful I can remember in New England.  The weather was ideal, and the foliage was brilliant.  Brilliant!  We try to get out in the bogs as much as possible, and the fall we had encouraged that even more.  Every time I walked or jogged through the area, I thought, “I HAVE to remember a camera next time”.

Well, I never did.  Fortunately for me, my girlfriend, Jacquie is an artist and captured the beauty and the feeling of being out there better than any photograph ever could. (Click the image for a larger version)  It sits over our mantle, at the moment (it’s for sale HERE), and brings a warm smile to my face every time I see it.

Ahhh… Fall….

So, I understand the point of these blogs is to regularly post to them, not start them and abandon them.  Well, after searching around for my user id and password, I’m able to get back into this.

I’m going to start by removing my character reel (it’s not quite ready) and replacing it with individual shots with some comments.  I feel it’s appropriate to give some notes on how they were created, how my mentors at the school guided me, and some of the struggles and successes I had.

I then want to add some of my non-character work.  Although that’s not my focus these days, I’ve done quite a bit of general 3d work over the years, so it needs its place here, too.

Having spent the past few weeks as an Alumni Tutor at AnimationMentor, I am inspired to start a Tutorial section.  Look for that soon.  There is a lot of great information out there these days on creating character animation, and, well, I want to throw my two cents out there, too.  Besides, as an animator, I know I can never get enough information to help improve my work.

That’s it.  You can expect regular posts, now, I promise…

Well, after many fruitless attempts to redo my website, I realized what so many others have - that it’s easier to go with a blog.  So, with the help of WordPress, I’ll be revamping things over the coming weeks.

In the meantime, check out my demo reel!
Stay tuned…