The Chad Frye - Illustration GuyI really enjoyed Netflix’s Klaus film from director Sergio Pablos. Sergio was the brilliant animator behind Disney characters Tantor the elephant in Tarzan, and Dr. Doppler in Treasure Planet. Klaus has some delightful hand-drawn animation with gorgeous lighting – every frame is a beautiful illustration.
While not exactly their Santa, the day after I saw Klaus, I felt the urge to draw a beefy Santa that is clearly influenced by theirs. Inked in my sketchbook, colored in Photoshop.
As we enter into Christmas week, I wanted to wish all of you a merry Christmas, with the hope that you will appreciate the season from a personal knowledge of Jesus Christ having come as a baby all those years ago to sacrifice himself for you on the cross. He was born to die. Very sobering, and humbling.
And yes, while I made a little joke about the title of the Christmas carol I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day, few recall that the lyrics were from a poem by American author Henry Wadsworth Longfellow called Christmas Bells that dealt with his personal conflicted feelings about the tragedy that was the American Civil War. Look it up, it’s a fascinating tale!
Merry Christmas!
The other day I did a little character design exercise in my sketchbook – I drew a head with a mustache, then decided to fill the whole page with mustachioed faces with the rule that no heads could overlap. This presented a creative challenge to fill odd shaped spaces with odd shaped heads.
The results were kind of fun, don’t you think?
I don’t think he’s doing it right. What a turkey.
One exciting thing that helps the Green Eggs & Ham show leap from the screen is the magnificent music of composer David Newman, a veteran composer of many movie scores over the years (Galaxy Quest, The Sandlot, Hoffa, Ice Age, etc.). I had the pleasure of watching him work his magic with an orchestra in the recording studio one day, and afterwards felt the urge to Seussify him.
Later in the year, I snapped this second image of David onstage at The Hollywood Bowl where he conducted a concert of John Williams’ music. Film music royalty.
What do fish sellers and cartoonists have in common? They both fill paper with fish.
Here’s a page from my sketchbook that I drew during a fall visit to Kitty Hawk, NC. I’ve spent a lot of time in the Outer Banks over the years beginning when I was ten years old. Ironically, I don’t fish when I’m there, but I have been known to do some crabbing once in a while. Take that however you wish.
A dog is man’s best friend. Even though Superman is technically an alien, he looks like a man, so the same rule applies.
Remember, only YOU can prevent forest fires – not woodland creatures who dress like Boy Scouts. They are utterly powerless in these situations.
