Part of another sketchbook page. This one features Jeff taking a soak courtesy of Mr. Amblebath. The more I think of that the more twisted I think it is. Also, there’s a Gilligan at the bottom left.
Part of another sketchbook page. This one features Jeff taking a soak courtesy of Mr. Amblebath. The more I think of that the more twisted I think it is. Also, there’s a Gilligan at the bottom left.
There’s no new comic today (due to stuff), but in lieu of one I do have this little treat to give you. We’ll have a new installment for you on Thursday.
A few weeks ago, in case you didn’t read about it, I was explaining how back before Ellie was launched into space, Dr. Strang took her on a promotional tour around the world. They met world leaders. They were guests on popular television programs. And, of course, they also made appearances at local shopping centers.
One of our readers, Frank, wanted to know if I could post something from Ellie’s world tour. So here’s a newspaper ad for a department store appearance. Plus it features a drawing of Ellie that doesn’t really look like Ellie. Dig that pony tail!
If you like the cute, and let’s face it – if you’re reading Ellie, you must – then head over to see Katie Cook’s weekly comic Gronk. I just did some fan art for her and you can see that there too!
From the sketchbook, here are some caterslinks that aren’t among the twenty-one indigenous to the Jungle Oasis.
Here’s another website I thought had ended years ago, but when I checked it out today on a whim, I discovered that it had updated as recent as May. Boring 3D is a strange collection of computer generated images by graphic artist and animator Jimmy Maidens.
Each picture has a caption that might have something to do with what is going on in the scene, or might not. And while most stand on their own, others are part of a larger narrative.
I don’t know what it is I like about Maidens’ scenes. They all look as if they’ve been constructed from Play-Doh and then photographed like toys: up close with a short depth of field. The grass appears to be made of Koosh Balls. Dogs glow for no apparent reason. Clouds have the consistency of Scrubbing Bubbles. Maybe it’s all of these things along with the plain weirdness of it all.
Cartoonist Matt Feazell has been creating his comic strip, The Amazing Cynicalman, America’s Laid Off Superhero, since 1980. Now he’s in the process of finishing up a live action film of his comic creation! It has an all-star local cast, and even yours truly makes a couple of brief appearances. Plus it’s got the great Scott McCloud as the voice of Boardman. How cool is that?
Matt asked me to do some matte (Matt?) paintings for him, as well as an animated Powerpoint-like presentation that the evil Dr. Pweent screens to explain his dastardly plot. Here’s some screen grabs:
The first is looking up at Dr. Pweent’s lair. I constructed the model of the tower and added the smoke. Matt added the lettering on the side of the building.
This is one of the slides in the presentation with Dr. Pweent laughing maniacally.
Finally, here’s our heroes, Cynicalman, Lizard Girl, and that might be me standing in for Sean Bieri as Loan Shark!
Whatever happened to Rustboy?
I was filling my new bookshelf a few weeks ago and, as what always happens, I start wasting time by leafing through a book I hadn’t looked at in a while. In this case it was Brian Taylor’s Rustboy: Re-animating a Lifelong Dream.
Brian had started his Rustboy short film project some years ago (ten maybe?), and created beautiful looking animation with what was the available software of the day, all on his own. He published his progress on a slick website where he featured preliminary drawings, storyboards, test animations, and even specially composed music. It naturally garnered him quite a lot of attention.
Though the project was never finished, Brian still produced his “making-of” book, as well as some really cool Rustboy vinyl toys (which make me want an Ellie vinyl toy so much. One that has a green light in her torso). I had heard that there was even a children’s book in the works (haven’t seen one yet though).
Here’s some animation from Brian Taylor’s Rustboy for you to enjoy:
While on a web-surfing expedition some time ago, we here at Mission Control happened across the website of imaginary xeno-naturalist Brynn Metheney. Her project, titled The Morae River, is her personal exploration of an invented world, populated by strange, but strangely familiar plants and animals.
From her site:
“The Morae River Project started out as an exercise in world building but has grown into a personal exploration in writing, drawing, and evolution. . . I’ve constructed a river and the ecosystems that might exist along it and have begun to make it my own. My effort is to represent the more notable of species to give you an understanding of . . . flora, and fauna; to perhaps feel that these organisms are thought out, organized, and studied.”
This personal project has managed to bring Brynn quite a lot of attention and the opportunity to do some creature creation for clients as well. Sadly, she has decided that she’s gone as far as she can with The Morae River, but has a new project starting this fall entitled The Red Valley. We’re looking forward to more interesting flora and fauna to come!