:: pale christmas ::

it's finally done!!! merry christmas homies!!!

:: time for beany ::

HOLY CRAP!!! i just dropped a decent coin on amazon to pick up the beany and cecil special edition dvd...but geez...it's friggin awesome! all the excerpts of clampett michael barrier uses on the golden collection dvds come from this beany and cecil dvd. it's insane. people like al pardo, mike carlo, and bob rutan better get in touch with me about checking it out!!!

also for those who haven't seen, check out this interesting article by milt gray [conductor of aforementioned interviews] on clampett and jones:

milt gray on clampett

[i'm gonna post some drawings soon too...]

:: what a TOOL ::

hey i've been posting a lot! it makes me feel like i'm getting crap done! this morning i thumbnailed the first 2 scenes of my picture [i like sayin picture, it sounds less pretentious than film...and more old timey]. i'll clean up some panels and put em up!

and it's called paper al, i think the egyptians invented it recently? i can't remember. i got a newer tablet but i still feel like i can deal with paper better!

i'd been using this ticonderoga blue pencil you can get at staples for sketching, but when i got to the light table, the lead was way too hard and i couldn't see the drawings underneath [maybe i should buy real animation paper, but i won't be able to fit that in a bulk scanner for testing...] i switched back to col erase and now i'm working with a plain old graphite 2HB because i can draw faster with the softer lead it seems. is that something you guys find useful too? i found these bob camp animation notes on goober sleave's blog [kevin langley] and it looks like he uses a really soft lead in the sketches. it's a lot of the preston blair stuff condensed, with a couple other concepts. here's a link to kevin's post with the notes:

bob camp animation notes

i think team katbot had mentioned having some similar notes passed on to them from destefano? my envy for team katbot still knows no bounds!

:: srsly guys ::

so you know i'm not lying:




i'm trying to nail character design and some decent poses then i'll start remembering how to animate again and go between the poses. these still may need work, but i'm getting started! i got in touch with an amazing band about helping me with sound and i'm betting i can send them my raymond scott music and they'd play it! CHOICE!

:: i solemnly swear ::

i solemnly swear:

to make a film timed using bar sheets and a metronome, collaborative storyboarding as writing, to utilize exposure sheets, proper breakdown notation, to make something with not a convoluted dialog heavy story, but mostly comprised of things to make people laugh...and to do it on paper...

i thomas sebastian smolenski, on this day of december 1st 2006, solemnly swear to make a gag cartoon within the year.

:: mose ::

so...i'm drawin some robots for my friend mose giganticus, and this is one of the ideas i came up with.

i've been playing earthbound [well mother 0 for nes] lately and they have a lot of the bulky robots, sort of similar to the 1950's comics designs, and i really liked how it looked, so i went a similar direction. i looked a little at old comics and 1940's stuff, but i mostly found that "metal men" sort of look and there's a lot of wicked boxy stuff too. i tried a lot of things on paper, but i think the big domed head kinda makes it look more menacing. things like no face and one "eye" make it spooky to me too. the more human looking something is the more we associate with it, but if something's humanoid but a little too off, like zombies or faceless robots it's eerie. oh and there's spikes, of course. i'll prolly be doin a few other versions...unless he likes this one right off which'll be pretty rad!

and it is 5 am and i drew this after working on pale force all day so i'm wicked rambly...but the robot's left claw is driving me nuts i'm going to have to fix the perspective on that tomorrow. i just threw it down without thinking. bad animator!

:: dreadful dynasty of vicious ::

VAMPIRE DUCKS!



there's broccoli offscreen...

i love this shot:

:: were ::

there's more to this drawing...but it's such a bad joke i didn't finish it...i have a lot more stuff on paper these days, but i'm going to try and start pulling a few again to make flashy since i have no scanner!

:: the incomplete unfinished works of... ::

hey all! sorry for the lack of sketches, i've been busy with pale force! but for anyone who may be slightly curious, i just found dvds of all my college projects...nothing i'm proud of, all things i learned from...but that being said i'm going to be putting them all on a dvd soon, hopefully with some supplemental material of explainations of what was actually SUPPOSED to happen in all of em...since none were ever completed.

and since the soundtracks for all of them [except the most recent...were it done properly it would have been...i bought sheet music from the raymond scott archives] are performed by the bursting mosquitos...i'll be throwing in some of those old tracks as well...since that CD was lost in the studio, it seems only fitting to put it on a collection of incomplete works.

basically this is me getting all this stuff out of my system and wrapping up loose ends, so i can grow up and move on. if you want a copy you're probably crazy. but we'll work something out...since i am too.

if i get any manner of response here, i'll get crackin. otherwise i'll probably drag my feet...and never get it done...since i'm pretty embarassed by everything that will be on it...

+ more crap!

:: pale force ::

watch 2 all new episodes of "pale force" tonight!!!

the first on tonight's conan o' brien, the second online at http://nbc.com/paleforce

pale force is totally made by jim gaffigan, paul and pat noth, brett hall and myself! which basically means minimal sleep for all of us! so i totally appreciate you checking it out! there's some really funny stuff in these! give em a look!

:: don't be a nerd ::

when i stopped thinking like a poindexter and started thinking like an animator i figured this out! it's almost ready, just gotta get the ink squirtin in and adjust the "mouseover" at the top! then i can meddle with the other colored ones and THEN website content! only 3 options this time, so no more reviews like "it's all looks and no content - aaron cripps" haha!






clicking him totally works now!

okay i suppose i AM headed down the all looks and no content road again...but i plan on content i SWEAR!

*edit*

[later that day...]

:: program ::

so i've just wasted an incredible amount of time attempting to learn flash actionscripting...and it didn't even totally work! i did at least get the first 2 button states to work, try scrolling over the squid, he totally changes! wacky!

*edit* just kinda fixed up the clicking, if you "press" the mouse down on him something happens, but if you scroll over him again he reverts back. i'm learnin, just slow!





also! i seem to have disappeared from the blogosphere for the moment!

i got a job working on a segment for conan o brien [and the internets] called pale force starring jim gaffigan...oh and conan...

it was enough work for me to quit ac! but i still have another week and a half left so right now i'm working 2 jobs...and tonight is testiment to the fact that my misguided attention span may give me trouble, since i've apparently been working with actionscripting for the last 4 hours instead of what i'm SUPPOSED to be doing...

:: progress? ::

flash "animation," you need a beatdown.

i'm going to have to find a way to scan my postits i draw when flash crashes...oh wait! i get to draw a new one now...

:: more floyd ::

these are better! i think i've almost got it if i don't already!

:: floyd ::

"hey smo! welcome back! you're almost there!"

-your comfort zone.



just don't ask me what's happening there...because i have no idea. sometimes i start drawing things without thinking. all i know is, i think i'm going to animate it...

:: tipper ::

the waitress in one of my favorite resturants in my neighborhood started giving me free drinks...but this is something i'm not accustomed to...and i have a hard time calculating tip...especially after free drinks...this is me thismorning.

:: coffee ::

i've been at work 3 hours extra...around that hour 3 sometimes i loose it...only one thing can keep me going...

:: presto ::

preston blair's book animation is the best animation book ever written. richard williams' the animator's survival kit is a good companion. and i reccomend keeping an eye out for nancy beiman's storyboarding book too [which will include things like directing a character and color theory].

but mostly so i personally can find this link no matter where i am...ASIFA hollywood [why can't asifa east rock like them?!] has been kind enough to post the ORIGINAL 1947 preston blair mgm/tex avery character design pages from his book. they were taken out of the later editions...basically anything we've ever seen...and had slightly watered down versions of similar characters. it totally changes the entire experience, the mgm characters are very well designed and were always some of my favorites. i highly reccomend checking them out!

:: preston blair's animation, 1947 ::

:: good morning cephalgia ::

i've got a headache and that reminded me of my thesis! i still haven't touched it...it needs to be finished!!!

:: note to self ::

be more confident in your linework. stop being so sketchy...even if it is at dr sketchy's.





draw heads for pete's sake!



okay i see nothing wrong with this one...lalala...

:: eliminated ::

if ya want something done more badassly...do it yourself! special thanks to pete for the sweet black bg, my gang for encouragement...and for endorsements like this [thanks charlie!]:

:: spum-smo ::

spumco art from comic con! yowza!

by john k, everyone's favorite perv:


by katie rice...or katie nice as the con blulletin informed us:

and guitar hero jim smith [you should buy his sketchbook]!!!

:: warriors we ::

support my gang or get bopped!

netflix warriors scavenger hunt, aug 2

if anyone wants to badass up the eliminators logo for our t shirts be my guest! i'll throw some money at ya! i might be hitting the blogs today to ask around, just a rough i can polish, 20 bucks or so. tell your friends!

:: peter wizardly ::

sometimes i look at the work my friends do and think "geez! i couldn't do that!", my friend peter lazarski, "peter wizardly" in my links, is working on a comic, here's a little promo he did! if you like his stuff give his blog a look [the picture is a link]!

:: croud pleaser ::

anyone notice a trend of me posting when i should be doing work? yeah, my blog has become a doodle blog...maybe i'll put some thoughtful work up here soooometime...

i made "dan dalmation" here up when i was in 4th or 5th grade. him and floyd were a package deal. he's had many incarnations but he seems to have stylistically "regressed" once my thesis hit...

:: makeover ::

new business cards call for new websites! here's a flash test!

:: the triumphant return of morning cat ::

he woke up, but the wind blew off his spiffy new hat that makes him look like ashton kutcher and now he's in a state of utter anguish!

did i mention i really don't like symbol animation? i didn't? WHOOPS!

:: smb-kb ::

:: clean livin' ::

:: we like it rough ::

here's a sketch i'm working on, when i'ts done i'll replace this post. it's still rough mind you...

:: oh snap! ::

yeah, that's right, i went there.

:: nutty merlin ::

this is the ice cream i eat!

:: business ::

business card GO! i erased my personal info from the back...YOU FRIGGIN STALKERS...but this is my final layout. i'm going to print it and make sure it reads then order em! i had this designed last summer! i don't know why i didn't finish it till now!!!

:: final ::

here's the final...not too crazy but figured i'd post anyways so...nyah!

:: mysterious baby ::

here's a preview of ny final for the jollyship broadway poster, i like it! but it's no greek mythology...they "asked" me to stay late at work to finish up my files before i leave...so i'm using the cintiq. hopefully it'll help me get the poster done quicker too....mua ha ha ha!!!

:: Scylla ::

i was doing some poster designs fo the jolly ship again, and i did some designs on Scylla & Charybdis. i think i have to revamp my entire idea though so i wanted to post some sketches on scylla...well at least her dog head model. i've been doing a lot of sketchbook work lately, and i need to do more because i don't feel like i'm progressing enough! ACK!

:: reference ::

:: beiman ::

nacy beiman's book is featured on cartoon brew! i sat in on her class in the fall and when this book comes out i'm all over that junk! if you want to know how to storyboard for REAL do yourself a favor and get this book!

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/archives/2006_05.html#001937

:: no one is safe ::

who are these people?!

:: sketchy ::

miss gigi lafemme from dr sketchy's! drawn as a pirate [challenge to incorperate a piratey theme] and riding the ever so elusive dog taxi [challenge to incorporate a poodle...it's an homage to my old dog]!

:: whiz-bang ::

this is my finalized poster design for Jolly Ship the Whiz-Bang's show at Galapoagos next friday. I'm going to do a color version for kicks too, but I want them to use the black and white one! YARR!!!

:: offscreen ::

all day i've been playing with flash trying to come up with demo reel tidbits. i'll work for a hour or so and then delete whatever it was i was working on and start again. this last one i did for an hour, i think i might clean it up, although i don't think it's really demo reel quality. i'm not sure what i should put on there...maybe something really weird?

:: one way ticket ::

hey! i figured out why none of the comments were showing up! thanks for trying to leave em at least, i appreciate it! i think the problem's fixed now!!!! so get on board that comment train kids!!!

:: jstwb ::

went back and colored the sucker!





here's a concept i was going to use for a flyer but i abandoned it, maybe it'll pop up somewhere else!

here's what i actually used for this show: