Back!

Finals done, so it's back to work on The Saucy Bears after a semester-long break. Actually, I never stopped working ; I stole minutes here and there to jot down jokes, to work on backgrounds, and to learn a brand new piece of software that will be instrumental in bringing the Saucy Bears to life. So, thanks but no thanks, Korean animators. I got this. Did I mention that I write in the shower? Repeatedly, you say? Forgive me for being thorough. I just feel that it's important that you understand all aspects of my process. Especially the naked parts.

So, now that I have a clearer sense of how all of this is going to work, I'm narrowing down story ideas. My goal is to have six web shorts ready to go by mid-2010. My course load will be lighter from here on out, so I think I can do it. With your help, of course. No, I'm not hitting you up for cash, although high-bandwidth web hosting is expensive. Probably. I haven't really checked. What I really need are your throats.

Do you have a voice? Are people always going on about how expressive it is? Do you have impeccable comic timing? Do you enjoy saying the same thing over and over and over? Do you like me? If so, you may want to think about lending your vocal talents to this project. Not only would you get to spend hours with me hovering over a microphone, you'd also get the opportunity to collaborate in the crafting of a character (or characters) that may endure for generations (or five minutes). I almost promise that this entire project is not just an elaborate pretext for playing around with Google Wave (email me for an invite!).

Looking forward to 2010!

Flush With Warm Water

Now that my schedule is becoming crowded once again, I'm finding myself squeezing work on projects into any available free space. For instance, this morning I wrote a scene for the new Saucy Bears cartoon in the shower. And because I'm not afraid to talk to myself I acted it out. In the interest of full disclosure (or, if you prefer, disclothesure) I should also tell you that there was a brief dance involved. And just so that you won't go the rest of the day with a mental image of my shower theatrics burning behind your eyes, I'm including one image from the aforementioned scene.

Enjoy! I'm off to hit the showers again for another shot of inspiration.

The First Million is the Hardest to Make

I think I heard a millionaire say that once, and it's probably true. I do know that the road to my first million has been somewhat rocky. And a few weeks in, I know that the road to the first Saucy Bears cartoon is full of some pretty jagged-ass rocks, too. For the most part, this is because I've ditched the way I used to make cartoons. The old way involved moving two-dimensional characters against stationary two-dimensional backdrops. The new backdrops are three-dimensional, which changes the process a great deal. Now, instead of drawing a separate backdrop for every angle in every location, I simply position a "camera" and snap a picture. The upside is that I can make the world of the Saucy Bears feel more authentic by constructing a 3D world for them to inhabit. The downside is that constructing a 3D world can be tedious and time-consuming. Another (and perhaps the most important) plus is that I will be able to reuse and build upon the current world for subsequent cartoons. Economy!

Damn. If I had a budget for this project, I'd be way under right now and in need of a shady accountant.

While you're waiting for me to actually have something real to show, how about have a look-see at something I made today:

(you can now click for large-making)

Older Posts

The posts up to now have been mostly snaps of building exteriors. I'm including below the few that were posted on the old site before migrating to Blogspot:

New videos, images, and other items will be posted before you know it.

Moved

If you are reading this you are most likely aware that I have decided to move the Saucy Bears news site. I decided that it's probably best to keep business (my upcoming Secondary Education Master's program) and pleasure (using cute, cuddly bears to tell raunchy jokes) separate. And because the SB news site was on the university's server, it made sense to remove my handful of references to pornography and all things naxty just in case a prudish instructor mistypes a URL or something.

So now I'm at Blogspot and protected by an adult-content disclaimer. I think a little sleaze is in order, don't you?

Stay tuned. I may be calling on some of you to lend your vocal talents to the new project before long.