New trailers

From Nocturna and Mr.Collieu

Been a while

It's been a while since I've last posted something inspirational. Well thanks to the link on DRAWN, I've been given an inspirational boost.

Check out HOTHEAD FILMS for some great 3D work that's different from the usual 3D stuff.
Of note are there bumpers for E4.

Enjoy.

Interview

Well, well, well. Look who's just been interviewed on Randall Sly's 'Character Design' blog.
Yup, me.
Walk on over and have a look. Not so much for my interview but also for the many other talented artists who've been interviewed and have amazing art and designs to look at.

Thanks Randall.

Interview Here

Wacky

Here's a quicky. You've gotta love old wall paper patterns. They make for great backgrounds.

Busy,busy,busy

Appologies but I've been rather busy as of late. I'm working on a show that has me animating 4 characters riding a unicycle. Fun, fun, fun...

Hope everyone has a Happy Halloween.

Kind of a rant plus a drawing too

I guess this is kind of a rant.

Why don't we have more cartoons with heart? Or perhaps I mean soul. What I'm trying to get at is every so often we get one. I would think Ren and Stimpy had heart and soul. You really felt the creator wanted these guys to live. Spongebob's the same. You really feel like you know him, or you want to know him.
Now no offence to the individuals/commitee's who create the rest of the cartoons we see on tv today, but I don't really feel I want to know the characters in the shows.
Heck, if I was walking down the street I might even go out of my way to avoid some of them.

We need more characters with heart and soul and less copying the characters with heart and soul.

My opinion.

Saul Bass titles

Check out the cool Saul Bass designed titles on YouTube.To find more just go to You Tube and search Saul Bass.

My Rant and a Drawing too

I'm going to try something a little different here. For the next few Wednesday's I'm going to post a Wednesday Rant. Feel free to agree or disagree, comment or don't comment. It's just a rant. Something to put out there. So without further ado I present...

School.Enough already.


Why is it that we have so many cartoons that involve school? What's the deal? I mean if I'm a kid and I come home from school, turn on the tv to watch cartoons do I really need to see more school? Is this the only type of shows that appeals to T.V. Exec's?

I have a son in grade 3 a daughter in 2 and my youngest in SK. They go to school and usually have homework when they come home. After we finish the homework (which for a 8 and 7 year old can take a couple hours) we have dinner. After dinner they can watch a little tv. What's on tv? Superhero's who go to school. After cartoons we put them to bed and sometimes my wife will read Harry Potter to them. Guess where Harry Potter takes place? School. (Iknow Harry's a little different but still it all takes place at school.)

Remember when you were young and watched cartoons? Bugs Bunny never went to school. Mighty Mouse never went to school. The Smurfs, Scoobi Doo, and the Blue Falcon never went to school.

SCHOOL SCHOOL SCHOOL!!!!

Of course I know how important school is. And I realize not all cartoons have an element of school in them but hey this is my rant and I say give the kids a little break.

Gruesomestein's Monsters

Above is an episode of Gruesomesteins Monster's.

The show created by Riccardo Durrante and Mark Ackland. It was posed out by Ackland and animated in Flash.

I had the opportunity to animate Home Sweet Home(above).

In all, 5 5minute episodes were done. Hopefully someone will buy them some day.

Enjoy.

A night out

What's this? Two posts in a row?
What can I say, inspiration has shown itself once again.
I recently picked up Amid Amidi's truly wonderful book "Cartoon Modern".
It's everything I could have hoped for and more. I can't put it down and yet I force myself to so that I don't wear it out within the week.
If you like this sort of thing as much as I do please check out Amid's CARTOON MODERN blog.
And if you're interested buy the book at Amazon.com.

In the mean time here's my attempt.
The drawing was done with a black felt tip pen, scanned in and composited onto a swatch of 70's wallpaper.

Run

Run for Illo Friday.

A Fish

Illo Friday

A quickie.

I love the Muppets

One of the few places I have always wanted to work is with the Jim Henson company. Not so much as a puppeteer, more in the design area. One day perhaps...

Opening

Here's the opening for Mystery on PBS.Created and designed by Edward Gorey.
I believe animated by Derek Lamb, Eugene Fedorenko and Janet Perlman.Below that is Tim Burton's Vincent.
Boy I sure wish they made more of this type of thing.Enjoy.

Vincent

Yep.Still here.

I know, I know. It's been a while. A combination of things has kept me from posting for a while. Work mostly. You see there's an old saying "You can't see the forest for the trees". Well that kind of sums up the type of person I'm having to deal with at work. For obvious reason's I won't go into it but it has been a lesson in patience.
I've also been spending time doing development work for the studio I work for so that takes up a certain amount of creative energy. Especially when the project is a little empty.
Add to that an overall lack of inspiration and you end up with no posts for almost a month.

I don't know if anyone is still out there but have patience I will be back and hopefully poting more often.

There are alot of new blogs out there worth checking out which I'll post soon. Till then...


Ciao

Sacrafice and Skyline

Two quickies for Illustration Friday. I originally goofed and forgot that the topic was changed to Sacrafice instead of Skyline. Oh well, a good excuse to get off my but and draw again.
Enjoy.

B is for Busy

Wow, been really busy lately and have had a shortage of spare time. Here's a quick doodle for the time being.

S is for Simple

More fun

A sneak peak of two characters from a story I've been developing.

Circus

Portrait

Illo Friday

Doodles

Some random doodles over the past week.

Happy Birthday

Well, this weeks Illustration's theme was cake. It just so happens it's also my daughter Teleri's 7th birthday. She's cute as a button and will someday draw circles around me.
What more could a father ask for.

Happy Birthday Tillybud !!!

More playing with newsprint

A couple more

I seem to remember this mole from a Richard Scary book. Or perhaps it was the Provensen's.
Either way the influence is pretty clear.

Guy and Beastie

I recently bought a few pads of cheap newsprint for the kids and remembered how well it soaks up those black grease pencils.

Angels and Devils

Those who know me might reckognize this one but when Illustration Friday announced the topic this week as being Angels and Devils I thought..." Hey! Why re-invent the wheel."
Enjoy.

Happy Anniversary

Has it been 10 years already?
Though we've known each other much longer today is our 10th wedding anniversary.
Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for our beautiful children. Thank you for putting up with me. Here's to the future...

Happy Anniversary my sweet...


Love Jeff

Sesame type illustration

For some reason when this weeks Illustration Friday topic was revealed to be "Under the Sea" I just couldn't get past this image in my head.
I know it's corny but I guess when you grow up with Seame Street these things are bound to happen.

I'm back

Well it's certainly been a while since my last post. Been doing a little freelance job on the side which has occupied pretty much all of my free time. Anyways things will be settling down soon and hopefully back to normal.

In the mean time, here's one for this weeks Illustration Friday.

Robot

My Kid Monday

One my daughter Teleri calls portrait. Of whom I'm uncertain.

Speed illustration

Unfortunately I was too busy to get this in for last weeks Illustration Friday.

Ironic since the topic was Speed.

Spring sketch

Wednesday Sketches

Wow! Two posts in a row. I must be on a roll. Enjoy.

Tuesday sketches

Monster

Illustration friday

Animation history

No new drawings to post so I thought I'd shift gears. First off I'm currently reading Shamus Culhane's autobiography entitled "Talking animals and other people". A fascinating first hand account of the very begining of the animation industry and his life working in it and the people he's worked with. Most copies are out of print now but you can hopefully find a copy in your local library like I did.
Another good book along these lines is "The Moose that roared". A great book as well mainly focusing on Jay Ward and Rocky and Bullwinkle. After reading that book one is left with that old saying "Some things never change".

Finaly I should point out that I have jumped on yet another bandwagon and have opened an online store through Cafe Press. Feel free to browse and shop. If there's enogh interest I will probably move it to a paying account where I'll be able to sell even more types of things. We'll see.
The link for the store in on the right with the original title "Subconscious Ink. Store".

Please come again.

My Kid Monday

Some etchings by Teleri(6)

St.Paddy's Day

There's a saying that goes " Shake any family tree and an Irishman is sure to fall out".
Today's the day to celebrate the little Irish in all of us.

Sláinte

Book collection

Nothing new to post so I thought I'd share a little memory.

I, like many other artists and animator's, have a Lot of books. Books primarily for reference and inspiration.

One of the first books I bought in relation to animation was Walt Disney's World of Fantasy by Adrian Bailey. By no means was it The Illusion of Life (an animator's bible), but it was still full of wonderfuly inspiring images and photos of the artists who worked there.

This book still resides on my bookshelf along with The Illusion of life,Chuck Amuck, The Animator's Survival kit, etc.

It will always remind me of the begining, of that new found excitment, and of that funny feeling which can only be described as a cross between longing and passion.

Illustration Friday's

Here is my second posting for Illustration Friday's.(I know, I'm posting on a Wednesday)

I couldn't come up with anything terribly clever this time so I just coloured a couple of doodles.

The title.... Bugs.

My Kid Monday

Here's a sweet drawing my daughter Tilly did for my wife after coming home from the hospital.

Tea

My first entry into the world of Illustration Friday.

I give you The Earl of Grey.

My Kid Monday's

My son Breandán(7) went through this stage where he enjoyed drawing kings. Here is one that he's named King Dobon.

Back to the Subconscious