Category: Caricature

Jack Davis Exhibit

My friend James Martin teaches at the Ringling College of Art & Design in Sarasota, Florida, where they are currently having an exhibition of work by a cartooning hero of mine, Jack Davis.

Jack Davis: Drawing American Pop Culture shows a variety of Jack’s work over a 60+ year career and will be on display until December 6. What James alerted me to, is that an illustration I did as a gift for Jack thirteen years ago happens to also be in the exhibit!

 

I was from the North, Jack Davis was from the South, yet we were still friends.

 

If I’m not mistaken, it looks like the drawing to the left of mine could be an original Mort Drucker sketch, and on the right might be a Dan Piraro. Yikes! Heavy company to be in.

Let that be a lesson to you, kids – when you do a doodle for a friend, make sure it is the best doodle you can possibly do. It just might end up in a museum!

By the way, HERE is a very complimentary review by Marty Fugate in the Herald Tribune newspaper that shows some of Jack’s work in the show. If you are in the vicinity of Sarasota, Florida, get out to see this show!!!

Categories
Animals Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Painting Art: Watercolor Caricature Cartoons Disney Illustrations Self Portrait

Jim Henson’s Birthday

Today is Jim Henson’s birthday. He would have been 83. Never had a chance to meet him, but sure have been appreciative of his imagination.

I actually tried getting work at the Jim Henson Company after graduating from university, but alas, never did get hired. At least it led to a visit at the Henson brownstone offices in Manhattan that no longer exist. What a thrill to a kid ready to take on the world, however, my path eventually led to a career in animation instead of puppets.

This ink drawing was worked up in my sketchbook, then scanned and colored in Photoshop.

 

No actual rainbows were harmed in the creation of this illustration.

 

By the way, back in June during my travels on the east coast of the United States, my mother and I stopped by the campus of the University of Maryland, Jim Henson’s alma mater, where we posed for a picture with him.

 

Categories
Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Photoshop Caricature Illustrations Random Doodles Sketchbook

Batman & Robin

Happy Batman Day!!!

When I was working on the Green Eggs and Ham show at Warner Bros., I was chatting with some colleagues who shared an office with each other. Lorenzo Martinez was joking that he and Sarah Arakaki were Batman and Robin, to which Sarah commented that she was Batman in that equation.

I thought that image seemed funny in my head, especially since Sarah is a bit short, and Lorenzo is overly tall. So, when I had a moment, I decided to turn that into a real image. This was the result.

 

The Dark Knight and Boy Wonder instilling fear in the hearts of their enemies.

 

Hopefully you’ll find the image funny on its own merit since you all probably don’t know Lorenzo or Sarah. What you should know about them, though, is that they are brilliant animation layout artists. Those are the people who design the environments – the sets – in animation.

Lorenzo is a veteran going back to films like The Little Mermaid, and more recently was the layout supervisor for the animated sequences of Mary Poppins Returns. Sarah is new to the business with Green Eggs being her first show. She’s got a very bright future ahead of her! Together with Tyler Gentry who I worked with years ago on Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, they make up the layout department on Green Eggs & Ham coming soon to a Netflix near you!

Categories
Art: Animation Art: Painting Art: Photoshop Caricature Comic Books Life Drawings

Shark Week

I hear that this week is Shark Week. We’re gonna need a bigger blog.

 

“I’m not talkin’ about pleasure boatin’ or daily sailin’, I’m talkin’ about workin’ for a livin’, I’m talking about sharkin’!” -Quint
Categories
Animals Art: Painting Art: Photoshop Caricature Cartoons Character Designs Random Doodles Sketchbook

Arnold

This pencil drawing stares me in the face every day since it is taped up on the wall in my studio. For some reason, I never thought to post it before. It was done years ago when Arnold Schwarzenegger was the Governator of Cal-ee-fornia as part of the development of an illustration of him that I was working on at the time.

If you’d like to see the full illustration, CLICK HERE.

 

It’s not a tumor!
Categories
Art: Drawings Art: Preliminary Sketches Caricature Illustrations Life Drawings Sketchbook

Happy Ending

Today is my last day at Warner Bros. Animation. For the past year, I’ve been proud to be a part of the story team on Green Eggs & Ham that will be unveiled on Netflix sometime in the fall.

It has been a thrill to work on this show, especially since the book of that same title was my favorite Dr. Seuss book when I was growing up. I remember my mother even making for me green eggs and ham for breakfast one day. Ended up that I didn’t like them, Sam I am. My little brain thought the eggs tasted like spinach.

Netflix hasn’t revealed too much about the show, so I’m not at liberty to do any Green Eggs specific art. Since that is the case, it seemed appropriate to commemorate my dear departure from WB in a more Looney Tunes worthy manner – why not go out in style a la What’s Opera Doc?

To paraphrase Bugs in the original cartoon, “Well, what did you expect in animation? A happy ending?”

 

Categories
Art: Animation Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Painting Art: Photoshop Caricature Cartoons Illustrations Self Portrait

May the 4th

“Muuaaaaggrrrrrrr!” Which means, “May the 4th be with you.”
I always admired Chewbacca’s articulation.
 
And yes, today’s doodle is in honor of the passing of Peter Mayhew this week – the man behind the Chewbacca mask. I did meet him several times over the years at various fan conventions where I was surprised that he spoke English, and not just Wookiese.
Categories
Animals Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Painting Art: Photoshop Caricature Character Designs Disney Illustrations Monsters

Space Jammin’

News broke not too long ago that a new Space Jam movie was in the works, this time featuring Laker’s great LeBron James. A search online says they are shooting now, and the film is due to come out in 2021. All that animation is going to take some time for sure!

A couple of friends recently went to go work on the film, which make me wonder what it might be like for LeBron working with legendary actors such as Bugs Bunny. LeBron has acted a few times, but this might be his biggest role yet. Bugs might have to give him a few tips on how to be a movie star.

No word yet on the title of the movie. Hoping it’s not Space Jam 2: Electric Boogaloo.

 

Who knew the rabbit could be so Hollywood?!
Categories
Animals Art: Drawings Art: Inking Art: Photoshop Caricature Cartoons