On Your Mark
From the Film and Animation Division
Studio Ghibli Cyber Punk. Four words you wouldn't think would go together...but oh they do so well. This is an animated music video created by Studio Ghibli for the song "On Your Mark" for a Japanese rock band. Made waaaay back in 1995 at peak animated cyber punk. I assume they did this for a quick cash infusion between films and to stay sharp...maybe even to explore a different style? Anyway, it's cool.
There's an indulgently long Wikipedia entry on it here: LINK
WATCH IT HERE: LINK
Star Princess Aven
Here's a character design I did of Star Princess Aven recently.
Here's the original drawing I did back in 2012.
and she's in the BG her of the Skull Chaser Japanese Movie post I made a year later.
I've always wanted to put her in a Skull Chaser story, but since drawing comics is too hard, and I'm lazy she never went beyond those two drawings...until now. I'll have to incorporate her in the next comic I do.
The Soviet Triton M1 Midget Submarine
This little guy came across my feed last week and I think it’s a great design, with all the right details.
Information on exactly what this was and when it was used is surprisingly sparse on the internet, despite lots of phots and a model kit made of it. I’m sure there’s details on it in a book somewhere. Regardless, I’m not into it for the history as much as I’m in it for the design. I like the squatty nature of it, the side by side seating is unique, and the teardrop shape has a retro flair to it that’s nice.
You know I’m a sucker for cross-sections:
Here it is on a transport of some sort, but I like to think this is the off-road version.
And here’s one of the pilots. Do not mess with these guys.
-Jake
Pencilish Animation Studios
From the Department of Relationships
Want to own part of an animation studio? Tom Bancroft (Creator of Mushu from Mulan and the popular online art challenge #MerMay) has starting a crowdfunded animation studio via WeFunder: LINK
I’m happy to serve on the advisory board of Pencilish Animation Studios. I love the idea so much. They’ve raised over $200K in a few short weeks and invite you to become an investor as well.
Pencilish is a traditional 2d animation studio that will be making shows for both youtube and streaming. It's got a bunch of industry vets and young talent working together to make this happen. And instead of going to big investors to get the ball rolling they are fan supported. Meaning, you invest in it and if the company succeeds you succeed too. Investors also get to be a part of the behind the scenes of what goes on with the studio and have input on what projects get made.
This is super early stages, but I think it's a great idea and can't wait to see what they produce.
Check it out here: LINK
-Jake
Bunch o’ battle otters....er mice?
I was going through my archives and found these drawings from back in 2010. The first 50 people who bought my Spacecave drawing book got one of these original drawings in their package. Anyone out there still have one of these?
Princess Mononoke
“You cannot alter your fate. However, you can rise to meet it.” - Princess Mononoke
Happy birthday Miyazaki san, you grumpy old brilliant man!
Princess Mononoke was the first Miyazaki film I saw. Back in 1998, shortly after it came out, my friend @monkeyfeather brought a VHS of it to work and we watched it without a dub and without subtitles. I was entranced by its beauty and audaciousness. I immediately became a fan and wanted to see more films by this studio. I don’t blame Miyazaki for wanting to retire all the time. These things are hard to make and it is an embarrassment of riches to have all the films of his we do have. That said, if he has it in him to make one or two more of these, I wouldn’t mind one bit.
NEW CHALLENGER
My 12-year-old son (Calvin) and I have been collaborating on a character design for @t.m.wilson’s Character Arena!
Below is my design, Calvin’s original design, and the bio he wrote for the character. Calvin is a fun art director to work with but accepts no compromises😅. Hope you like her!
Robot Round Up
From the Art Department
I breathed new life in some old robot drawings of mine by adding color. I've been wanting to stay active on my IG account, but have little time to draw something new every day so I've been digging stuff out of my archive, tweaking them a little, and posting it up. Engagement is the highest it's been since Inktober. So there's your social media pro-tip for the day!
-Jake
RED BUNNY FORCE!
Illustration I did for the latest episode of 3 Point Perspective, the illustration podcast I do with @leewhiteillo and @willterryart . This episode was all about building a team around you and I thought it would be fun to draw the @svslearn red bunny as a team of superheroes.
Listen to it here: LINK
The North Polians
I've been kind of taking it easy this month. My family and I all got covid, so I've been down and just been evaluating the year, and calibrating my plans for 2021.
We are all feeling a lot better now, except my wife and I can't smell anything.
Wish I had more to post this month, however, this week I've been inspired by all of the great Christmas classics the kids and I have been watching and I wanted to do a line up of a bunch of characters inspired by the movies we've seen recently.
Sharing them here with you, hope you like them!
Merry Christmas!
Jake
The Rise of Skywalker - A Design Case Study
From the Department of Creative Bank Accounting, Film and Animation Division
Say what you will about the film, but the art department at ILM always brings their A game to projects. They just dropped a bunch of new concept art that wasn't in the "Art of" book. It's a nice addendum to the book. When I read the book I noticed it was missing a ton of Exegol stuff that should've made up the back portion of the book. I assume they didn't want it leaked out before the film came out since the book was probably going to print well before the film was released.
Really glad they posted it here, and there's a ton of new art to see. Of special interest for me are some of the new ship designs. Check it out here: LINK
-Jake
The Night Fish and the Star Catcher
From the Drawings Unit a division of the Art Department in cooperation with the Department of Partnerships and Collaborations
I had the unique privilege to design the cover art for this years Inktober Art Box sketchbook, and I'm REALLY happy with how it turned out. This is an excellent sketchbook to draw in and I’m honored to have my art on it.
Here's the original art that I made which was then put on the sketchbook.
The Star Catcher
I created this guy last year for the ArtSnacks print. Not sure who he is, or what he's about, but he's a lot of fun to draw:
And I drew him again for one of my Inktober52 drawings:
I already have several space characters I've created and drawn comics with (Space Skull, Missile Mouse, Lucy Nova) but each of those are grounded in traditional sci-fi tropes. I think with Star Catcher I'm subconsciously wanting to explore a space fantasy that can't exist in reality. I guess this means you can expect to see more of him in the future.
-Jake
Skull Chaser Arcade Machine
I had the fortunate opportunity to be a part of a unique show for Gallery Nucleus called PHANTASY ARCADE. From the website:
“Phantasy Arcade is a unique art exhibition concept born out of quarantine. Featuring a coupling of artist and musicians, each artist created work for an original, non-playable, 1/6th scale arcade cabinet. Musicians simultaneously created original music based on the artists' concepts. The collection is a miniature arcade that evokes nostalgia for things that never were.”
When I was asked to participate, I immediately knew I wanted to do something with Skull Chaser. Here’s what I came up with:
This was so fun to do as an art project, but all I want now is to actually PLAY Skull Chaser. I imagine it being a side scroller like Metal Slug. Each level is a different planet where he chases down a criminal and takes their head for a bounty. He’s then able to spend his credits on power ups and improvements to his ship.
This thing is actually available for purchase, and possibly the coolest part of it is it comes with its own THEME MUSIC, written and performed by George Shaw.
Check it out and ORDER ONE here: LINK
-Jake
My Top 5 Christmas Books
From the Office of Book Acquisitions:
Christmas is just a couple weeks away and things are really getting cozy here at the Parker home. The tree is up and dressed, stockings are hung by the chimney with care, lights are strung up around the roof, there's ginger cookies on the counter, and Alison got out the big stack of Christmas children's books for us to read. The kids are too old for these books, but whatever, we all love reading them no matter what age we are.
I thought for this week I'd share my 5 favorite Christmas children's books. These are books I find exceptional, both in story and art, and think they belong in every home library. I wish I could show you all the art inside of them! You'll just have to check them out from the library, or order them for yourself to see all the amazing illustrations.
And of course I'm always on the look out for good Christmas books. If there's one you think I should know about, one that you love and read every year, let me know!
1) The Broken Ornament by Tony DiTerlizzi
I'm a long time fan of Tony DiTerlizzi. Tony is a remarkable storyteller and illustrator. His characters are infused with life and magic. This book only came out last year, but I can see it becoming a classic. In this book, Jack accidentally breaks an ornament releasing a fairy who turns the house into what is essentially an extension of the North Pole with elves, reindeer, snowmen, and more filling up the rooms.
Tony's website: LINK
Get the book here: LINK
2) I'll Be Home For Christmas by Holly Hobbie
Holly Hobbie is a master of watercolor and this book is one of her finest. I look at some of these illustrations and scratch my head at how she thought to work the paint that way, and how I would've screwed it up. What's most impressive about her art is the light. A good chunk of the story in this book happens under moonlight, and somehow she makes those pages as vibrant and bright as the interior shots.
Holly Hobbie's wikipedia page: LINK
Get the book here: LINK
3) A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Illustrated by Carter Goodrich
My copy of this book has seen better days, it looks like someone spilled eggnog on it or something. This is a special book. Charles Dickens used to do readings of a Christmas Carol for public audiences. (Can you imagine attending one of those?!) When he first started doing these they took 3 hours for him to read an edited version of the book. The more of these he did the more he trimmed and refined the story down. Keeping just enough to have the dramatic effect he was going for without any of the fluff, he got it down to a hot 90 minutes. He recorded all of these cuts and changes in his personal hand-annotated prompt copy of the book, essentially making the perfect read-aloud version of A Christmas Carol, and that's what was turned into this book.
And that would've been enough to make for a great little Christmas book, but then the publisher went and got a young Carter Goodrich to illustrate the thing, and he just knocked it out of the park. Goodrich would go on to design characters for almost every animated film from 2005 and on. I'd really like to see this story animated with the characters he designed for this book. Amazing.
Carter Goodrich's portfolio: LINK
Get the book here: LINK (out of print, you can only find used copies)
4) When Santa Was A Baby by Linda Bailey, Illustrated by Genevieve Godbout
I just got this book a couple weeks ago. I had been made aware of Godbout's work from a Mary Poppin's book Alison got me from Disneyland. When I was looking her up I saw she illustrated a Christmas book, so I bought it as a little treat for myself. Godbout has a vintage 50's flair to her work. Her edges are soft, her colors are rich, and her shape language reminds me of Mary Blair.
Genevieve Godbout's portfolio website: LINK
Get this book here: LINK
5) Santa Calls by William Joyce
This copy has been well loved over the years. I probably owe it to myself to get a new one. This is, hands down, my favorite of all Christmas Books. It has mystery, adventure, and peril. It has a beautiful message about friendship and loyalty. It's filled with clever details, and artistic flourish. (I mean, just look at that monogram on the cover, would ya?) This is what a picture book should be, if you are ever looking for an example.
William Joyce is also one of my all time favorite creators. He's a storyteller at heart with southern charm (he's native to Louisiana) and a unique 1930's meets space-age visual style. He can spin a yarn with the best of them, and even his Instagram account is filled with stories on every post. If you ever want a master class in how to compose an image for a square canvas, study his books.
I also have the honor of calling him a friend. We met back in 2003 where I was an assistant of sorts on some projects he was doing, and we've kept in touch all these years.
William Joyce's Website: LINK
Get the book here: LINK
That's it! Hope you are able to hold these books in your hands some day. Merry Christmas!
-Jake
68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice
From the a big filing cabinet in the back of the office
Some real gems in here like:
- Being enthusiastic is worth 25 IQ points.
- A worthy goal for a year is to learn enough about a subject so that you can’t believe how ignorant you were a year earlier.
- Acquiring things will rarely bring you deep satisfaction. But acquiring experiences will.
Antique Steam and Gas Engine Show 2009
From the Department of Creative Bank Accounting, Photography Desk
I'm really happy this guy brought his camera to the 2009 Antique Steam and Gas Engine show in Vista, California. Fascinating to see these dinosaurs of mechanics on display. I've actually seen a few of these models in person. I visited Boise Idaho once and at the convention center in town there they have 20 or so tractors on display around the parking garage.
I love tractors because there's beauty in their utilitarianism. Their engineering is on display with little attempt to hide it under an aerodynamic fuselage. These things are meant to do a job, and a not very glamorous job at that, and they look the part.
Lots of images here: LINK
Pablo & Jane and The Hot Air Contraption by José Domingo
From the Office of Book Acquisitions
I bought this book several years ago, and its dense images just captured my imagination. I WANT TO SEE MORE BOOKS LIKE THIS. I love how each page is filled to the brim with interesting things to look at and as I read, I just get lost, wandering around inside his imagination. Well done, Jose!
Found the project page for the book that the illustrator posted on Behance. Worth a look: LINK
Mix Up At the Lab
From the Art Department
This is what happens when you put the Dino DNA lab right next to the Robotics/AI lab.
Japan's remotest torii gates, as captured by Ronny Behnert
From the Department of Creative Bank Accounting, Photography Desk
Striking photos of Torii Gates.
Photographer Ronny Behnert uses long exposures to get these shots, and I assume some photoshop to eliminate background elements. Regardless, the effect is mesmerizing. Looking at this gallery lowers my blood pressure, and helps me to pause and reflect a little about the veil between the mundane and the sacred.
Check out more of Behnert's INCREDIBLE photography here: LINK
Via (@UrbanFoxxxx)