Matt Gardner is both a talented illustrator/animator and a talented geek as well. Together, he uses his powers to create some seriously awesome and hilarious comic book flash parodies.
One of the things I noticed right away about his style is that his characters don't have any limbs- their arms and legs just kind of hover. I suppose this probably makes for easier animation, but it also adds some humor to the proceedings.
His cartoons mainly serve to poke fun at the comic book universe, often breaking the fourth wall to do so, and it is clear that his has a vast knowledge of the source material by the many obscure references he throws into the mixture.
Find his work at www.floatingheadstudios.com .
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Artist #4: Andea Chewiwie
Fan videos are a testament to our recombinant culture. It's an example of taking work, cutting it cut, putting it out of context, and saying something new with it. YouTube is crawling with such videos. Many fans clamor to take their favorite movie, show, or any other type of video and re-edit it to say something completely new.
I figure this would be a good time to mention my sister in this series of artists blogs, as she is among the many who take part in this cultural phenomenon.
Andrea Chewiwie is painter, illustrator, musician, and fan video editor as of recently. While many of her works have yet to go online, the above is a good example of both recombinant culture and her work. She's taken Linkin Park, a popular rock group, and fused it with FMV's from Final Fantasy, a popular video game series, to create something entirely new.
Artist #3: Jenny Barnes
Jenny Barnes, or "Dumpysaurus" as she would rather go by, is an artist whose work seems to draw mainly from sci-fi and fantasy roots, with some inspiration by the likes of Jhonen Vasquez (creator of Invader Zim and the Squee comic series.)
I like her work particularly because there's so much variation; some of her work evokes a sense of adventure and wonder, and some really make me feel like I'm losing my mind when I look at it- either way, I feel something.
Here's here DeviantArt: http://dumpysaurus.deviantart.com/ Check it out.
Artist #2: Andrew Kepple
Andrew Kepple is known online as TmsT, which stands for Too Much Spare Time. This may or may not be true, but it is true that Kepple has put his collegiate knowledge to good use in producing some of the net's most wacky and vibrant animations.
Kepple often joins forces with Neil Cicierega (covered in the last post), acting as unofficial music video animator for many of Lemon Demon's songs. The following, entitled "Geeks in Love," is Andrews artistic vision over Neil's music:
Andrew has also created many of his own interesting works, such as the Vertically Continuous Image, or his Up Skit Creek series of cartoons.
In general, Kepple's work features classic humor (occasionally bordering on the risque), which animation reminiscent to the saturday morning cartoon style. As a fan of flash animation, and having done a few myself, I hope eventually to make animations as good as his.
His work can be found at tmst.twu.net/sluggy .
Kepple often joins forces with Neil Cicierega (covered in the last post), acting as unofficial music video animator for many of Lemon Demon's songs. The following, entitled "Geeks in Love," is Andrews artistic vision over Neil's music:
Andrew has also created many of his own interesting works, such as the Vertically Continuous Image, or his Up Skit Creek series of cartoons.
In general, Kepple's work features classic humor (occasionally bordering on the risque), which animation reminiscent to the saturday morning cartoon style. As a fan of flash animation, and having done a few myself, I hope eventually to make animations as good as his.
His work can be found at tmst.twu.net/sluggy .
Artist #1: Neil Cicierega
Neil Cicierega may be the prime example of the effects of home schooling and having too much time on your hands... or he may just be a creative prodigy. Neil appeared on the online scene in 2001 with flash cartoons "The Japanese Pokerap" and "Hyakugojuiichi", which introduced the world to animutation. Animutation was a new form of online art that usually consists of foreign music, a senseless array of random imagery, and an adundance of the actor Colin Mochery. That sounds completely nonsensical, and that's the point. It's a mutated melting pot of pop culture and obscurity. His most recent animuation, entitled "Wizard Power", which features a strip-teasing Benjamin Franklin, GW Bush hypotizing the country with a planters peanut, and Gandalf in a bunny costume, is a testament to the absurdity.
Neil is not just an animator, however. His music project, entitled "Lemon Demon" is a mostly one man operation, with him playing most of the instruments in the band and synthesizing the rest. The music ranges from the thought-provoking "What Will Happen Will Happen," a comment on our society and where we're going, to the nonsensical "Gonna Dig Up Alec Guiness," which is about reanimating the corpse of actor Alec Guiness and using him as a side show attraction. Keyboards seem to be his specialty, with his keyboard solos often being a highlight of many songs. Many may recognize a fan favorite of his entitled "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny," which was been made into a popular flash cartoon.
Recently, Neil has seemed to focus more on his amatuer filmmaking projects. He has recently gained some mainstream attention on major news networks by winning the 2007 YouTube award for best comedy video. The video, entitled "Harry Potter Puppet Pals and the Mysterious Ticking Noise," is part of a series of Potter Puppet videos and has earned over 41 million views on the site.
Neil is not just an animator, however. His music project, entitled "Lemon Demon" is a mostly one man operation, with him playing most of the instruments in the band and synthesizing the rest. The music ranges from the thought-provoking "What Will Happen Will Happen," a comment on our society and where we're going, to the nonsensical "Gonna Dig Up Alec Guiness," which is about reanimating the corpse of actor Alec Guiness and using him as a side show attraction. Keyboards seem to be his specialty, with his keyboard solos often being a highlight of many songs. Many may recognize a fan favorite of his entitled "The Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny," which was been made into a popular flash cartoon.
Recently, Neil has seemed to focus more on his amatuer filmmaking projects. He has recently gained some mainstream attention on major news networks by winning the 2007 YouTube award for best comedy video. The video, entitled "Harry Potter Puppet Pals and the Mysterious Ticking Noise," is part of a series of Potter Puppet videos and has earned over 41 million views on the site.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
More Pages
Here's some more of my progress. Right now I'm at about 65 pages finished, so about 8 more speads 'til the minimum. I should reach that easily, as many sections of the book have yet to be fleshed out... gettin' down to the wire, though.
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Art Event 3 - WGI West Power Regional Prelims
If you've ever seen a marching half time show, a winterguard show is that, but without the musicians. Winterguard consists of a colorguard, usually made up from about 20-40 performers, who design their show on a basketball court sized tarp. Because of the lack of live musicians, the show is set to a piece of music that is played via cd or mp3 player. This allows for any type of music to be used. Like figure skating, this is a competitive activity, where each guard is marked by a set of judges, and trophies are rewarded to the highest scoring groups.
Winterguard, like marching band, blurs the line between performance and sport. A performer in guard is required to be in outstanding physical shape, while the same time, required to be able to convey a wide array of emotions through their work. Shows are graded both on artistry and precision. It's competitive, yet it serves to send a message to the viewer.
This past Saturday I attended the WGI West Power Regional Prelims at CSU San Bernadino with a couple of my friends. I used to go to shows often in high school, mainly because my friends had friends in the guards and I would tag along with them. Now, not having been since graduating, I was able to go just for the sake of enjoying the performances. I was glad to see that the art of winterguard is not only still alive, but improving. The one that stood out for me the most was performed by the "Fantasia" group. Their show centered around a white table, and seemed to me about life and death. The fact that they caught every rifle toss and performed each choreographed move with precision allowed me to focus on what the show was trying to tell me. I was pulled into the story of the performance and felt truly moved by the end. It was simply awe-inspiring; I don't really know how else to describe it.
This was a fun night out an a nice change of pace from what I typically do on Saturday nights. I'm glad to see this sport is still alive and will probably try to go to shows more often.
Art Event 2 - Luann: The Musical
I've never really been a fan of the "Luann" comic strip, or comics in general, but I had at least a working knowledge of the comic before seeing the musical stage adaptation at Palomar College on March 8th. Truth be told, I went to see it because I had a friend who was cast as Luann's mother.
Luann is pretty much a comic about an ordinary girl, who has ordinary friends and faces ordinary, everyday situations and problems. The play never deviated much from this- Luann goes to school, hates gym class, has a crush on a boy who doesn't know she exists, hates the pretty girls, and doesn't know what to do when she accidentally plans a party without her parents knowing about it. There was nothing really shocking or surprising about the story, yet it still had a kind of charm to it.
The stage was something to be admired. Using very minimal props, they were able to create a living room, bedroom, fast food restaurant, and several different school locations. This was achieved by using a few strategic set pieces, such a prop center stage that could be converted from a seat to a table, and a bridge that served as a backdrop to the stage. There was also a large, back lit projector screen, which was used for scene transitions, as well as a few creative scenes, such as where Luann is dreaming about the guy she likes. She stands on the left of the stage, while the actor who plays the guy is up on the bridge, with a thought bubble appearing in the projector screen. His confused acting made this scene that much funnier, and the whole thing was pulled off very well.
None of the songs really stood out for me, but great performances by the ensemble made them easily likable. I think, on the whole, Luann the Musical capture the feeling of the comic strip- kind of easy going, and something everyone can find enjoyment in.
Art Event 1 - Blast!
On Wednesday, February 6th, Blast! performed at the Orange County Performing Arts center, which I attended with several of my friends.
There is no premise or story to Blast, nor is there an easy way to describe the show. The show originates from the sports of marching band, drum corps, and colorguard. Drum corps combines an ensemble of brass instruments, along with a skilled collection of colorguard dancers to create a sort of music in motion. Blast takes this idea a step further in that, rather that performing on field, a smaller number of performers (approx 30 brass players and 20 dancers) take to the concert stage. Their attire is much more formal, with the musicians in all black, and dancers in simple costumes that match the color of the number they are performing.
But play music is not all they do with their instruments. Just as flags and rifles are tossed up in the air by the guard, trumpets and horns are tossed around, drummers are playing the drums with their ears, performers are running around the auditorium, and crazy things in general are happening all around. This is not your ordinary night out at a concert.
Color seems to be the main theme. The show opens with a single snare drum on the stage, which builds to a much larger musical ensemble. This is followed by the number "Color Wheel", which establishes that the audience is about to take a trip through every color, exploring the potential meanings behind each one. From there, the first act shows us purple, blue, green, and black, and the second act picks up with yellow, orange, and then red. All the benefits of being on stage in an auditorium come into play, mainly with the use of theatrical lighting effects. This is helpful in a show about color.
The theme of color gives for a nice backdrop to the musical selection, and allows for a good amount of variation. For instance, the blue segment features jazz, followed by an original piece about losing a loved one. In contrast, the green segment features a classical piece "Appalachian Spring" by Aaron Copeland, which is about the beauty of nature and living a life of simplicity. The mood of the songs are often representing by the subtle acting of the dancers and musicians. Though there is no dialogue, they convey the message of the musical through body language, even while playing music.
The color theme also allows for a contrast between the two acts. The first act, dealing with the "cool" colors, is mostly classical music, featuring very organized choreography. As we get more into the "warm" colors of the second act, we start to see more popular music ("Land of Make Believe" by Chuck Mangione, and even a techno song), and the performers start to break away from the confines of the stage and perform in the middle of the audience. The last number, which is about the color red and explores the ideas of passion, ends with a snare drum in the center stage, much like how the show began. This signifies that we've made a complete trip around the color wheel.
After the curtain call, the performers danced off the front of the stage and led the exiting audience into the lobby, where we were greeted with a big percussion dance party with all the cast members. This was a terrific way to end the show. All in all, the show was very high energy and a great way to spend an evening.
There is no premise or story to Blast, nor is there an easy way to describe the show. The show originates from the sports of marching band, drum corps, and colorguard. Drum corps combines an ensemble of brass instruments, along with a skilled collection of colorguard dancers to create a sort of music in motion. Blast takes this idea a step further in that, rather that performing on field, a smaller number of performers (approx 30 brass players and 20 dancers) take to the concert stage. Their attire is much more formal, with the musicians in all black, and dancers in simple costumes that match the color of the number they are performing.
But play music is not all they do with their instruments. Just as flags and rifles are tossed up in the air by the guard, trumpets and horns are tossed around, drummers are playing the drums with their ears, performers are running around the auditorium, and crazy things in general are happening all around. This is not your ordinary night out at a concert.
Color seems to be the main theme. The show opens with a single snare drum on the stage, which builds to a much larger musical ensemble. This is followed by the number "Color Wheel", which establishes that the audience is about to take a trip through every color, exploring the potential meanings behind each one. From there, the first act shows us purple, blue, green, and black, and the second act picks up with yellow, orange, and then red. All the benefits of being on stage in an auditorium come into play, mainly with the use of theatrical lighting effects. This is helpful in a show about color.
The theme of color gives for a nice backdrop to the musical selection, and allows for a good amount of variation. For instance, the blue segment features jazz, followed by an original piece about losing a loved one. In contrast, the green segment features a classical piece "Appalachian Spring" by Aaron Copeland, which is about the beauty of nature and living a life of simplicity. The mood of the songs are often representing by the subtle acting of the dancers and musicians. Though there is no dialogue, they convey the message of the musical through body language, even while playing music.
The color theme also allows for a contrast between the two acts. The first act, dealing with the "cool" colors, is mostly classical music, featuring very organized choreography. As we get more into the "warm" colors of the second act, we start to see more popular music ("Land of Make Believe" by Chuck Mangione, and even a techno song), and the performers start to break away from the confines of the stage and perform in the middle of the audience. The last number, which is about the color red and explores the ideas of passion, ends with a snare drum in the center stage, much like how the show began. This signifies that we've made a complete trip around the color wheel.
After the curtain call, the performers danced off the front of the stage and led the exiting audience into the lobby, where we were greeted with a big percussion dance party with all the cast members. This was a terrific way to end the show. All in all, the show was very high energy and a great way to spend an evening.
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