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Seth MacFarlane’s The Cleveland Show had been widely expected to be canceled, and The Animation Guild recently confirmed that the show is finished. The show had a respectable four-season run on FOX comprising 88 total episodes.

Fox Animation Studios is still humming along with Family Guy and American Dad so MacFarlane remains busy, though an undetermined number of Cleveland Show rank-and-file will likely be laid off.

(Thanks, Graham)

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Did  this sketch a few months or so ago. Digitally painted her just for fun tonite. Kept it light and simple. Sometimes I do a great job of over thinking things which results in some overworking. Sigh. Maybe I should pretend every project is just for my personal amusement.

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fawnsberg is an illustrated stationery range created by sisters rachel and patricia mumau. the collection of cards, papers, and stamps was born out of love for handwritten letters and besides fawnsberg the sisters also work with their mother kim at the primele creative studio. if their beautiful cards have captured your heart you can find them for sale at fawnsberg or on etsy.

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szilvia nagy-domokos is a hungarian designer now based in dublin who has just started her business in surface pattern. you can check out her first collection of patterns which use simple shapes with a retro feel.

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Episode 3 of the Fairy Fabulous Web Show from Designing Fairy is now up:

 

Head on over to my Tumblr blog to watch.

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jospehine kimberling's new fabrics for blend are called 'global bazarr' and feature patterns inspired by a morrocan casbah which have been updated with bright upbeat colours.

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You’ve read Cartoon Brew for years, but starting next week, you’ll be able to hear it, too.

Welcome Joel Frenzer and Alan Foreman, the rowdy bad boys of the animation podcasting world and hosts of the interview series Frenzer Foreman Animation Forum.

Frenzer and Foreman launched their show in 2010 and have recorded thirty-five episodes to date. Beginning with the next episode of Frenzer Foreman Animation Forum, the show will introduce a new fast-paced HALF-HOUR format with episodes debuting exclusively on CartoonBrew.com every two weeks.

In each episode, Joel and Alan invite movers and shakers of the animation community on their comedy hot-seat for casual chit-chat about animation, art, culture, filmmaking, life, and Joel’s dog.

The Frenzer Foreman Animation Forum is recorded and produced in Brooklyn, New York, but we’re hatching plans to send our adventurous duo on the road to far-flung locales like Los Angeles and perhaps even a major international animation festival or two.

Here’s a little bit about your new hosts:

Joel Frenzer is an independent filmmaker whose films have screened at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival. He is also a professional animator with numerous industry credits, voice actor, puppeteer, exhibiting fine artist and sound designer. He has taught and assisted animation classes at Harvard University, Massachusetts College of Art & Design, Pratt Institute, and is currently the full-time professor of animation at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. 

Alan Foreman has worked on numerous TV and web series including Home Movies, Hey, Monie, Time Warp Trio, Word Girl, Speed Racer: The Next Generation and Cat Slap, the latter which he created for Mondo Media. He is currently working as a freelance animator for clients that include Buck, Hornet Inc, TED Ed, Nick Jr, The Electric Company, Six Point Harness, and Michel Gondry.

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I made this video for a few people who were kind enough to point out that I didn't do the best job explaining warm and cool colors in my digital painting tutorial - in a NICE way. Thank you - you know who you are :) I love using color and Photoshop's color picker really helps to understand the organization of tinting, shading, warming and cooling colors. I hope you can benefit from this video - I love talking color!

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artist and illustrator lo cole has a new blog, and a new portfolio of fun repeat patterns created in his own unique style. here are a few examples but for more info or to get in touch with lo visit him online here.

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I'm completely behind on my blogging! The first two books in the Tiny Tab Series, published by Nosy Crow, are out this month. These are some of my favorite books I've illustrated (hello, anthropomorphic animals!) and I'm thrilled they are out into the world. I've been working hard on them all of last year.

There are die cuts on the spreads where by pulling the tabs, it reveals something fun. Perfect for babies and toddlers And yes, its been personally tested in this household by the Nugget ;-)

Teeny Weeny Looks for His Mummy and Bunny Boo has Lost Her Teddy is now out in the UK. Its been a joy working with Nosy Crow with 2 more in the series coming out soon!

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Tracy Campbell sent in this April showers illustrations.  She is a writer and an artist, living my dream. When she is not busy with her interior decorating business, she taps away on her laptop and writes for children, tweens, and teens. She also sharpens pencils, flips open paint lids, and yank off marker caps to draw and paint whimsical works of artfrom her second-floor studio in my 1841 farmhouse nestled high on a hill…assuming she doesn’t get distracted by howling coyotes marching up the gangway or by ribbon-streaked sunsets that take her breath away.  She has a whimsical shop where she sell greeting cards, inspired by all things warm and fuzzy. To view my Premier Collection, pop on over to www.tracycampbell.net/shop.html.

At Bloomsbury, Rachel Mannheimer has been promoted to editor.

Tracy Sherrod will join Amistad as editorial director on April 22. Previously she was the founder and proprietor of Tracy Sherrod Literary Services, representing Karine Steffans, Katori Hall, Kalisha Buckannon, and others (and prior to that she was an editor at Simon & Schuster).

Amistad is a division of HarperCollins, who publishes works by and about people of African descent, on subjects and themes that have significant influence on the intellectual, cultural, and historical perspectives of a world audience.

At Simon & Schuster, Nick Greene has been promoted to associate editor and Jonathan Cox moves up to assistant editor.

At Workman Publishing, Raquel Jaramillo, who has been acting creative director for two years, will return full time to her position as director of children’s publishing.

Following on Avon Impulse and Harper Teen Impulse in the US, Harper UK will launch a digital first women’s fiction and romance imprint in May. Harper Impulse, an imprint of their Harper Fiction division, aims “to find, publish and break new talent from debut authors, and import the hottest trends from the US.” Harper Fiction publishing director Kimberley Young will run the line , joined by content developer Charlotte Ledger, who worked previously at Chawton House Library as well as Mills & Boon.

They invite unrepresented submissions and are looking for everything from “short reads to epic sagas.” The company says they have received hundreds of manuscripts over the past month and have three acquisitions in the works. and has already received nearly 500 manuscripts in less than a month and has three acquisition deals in the works. Their editorial team will offer writing workshops and events “to give authors a diverse publishing experience.”

Publishers Marketplace reports: After Skyhorse and Start Publishing’s intended joint acquisition of Night Shade Books’ assets ignited public controversy over the original terms of sale (and now, after a revision, the sale “is in a holding pattern right now waiting for all the authors’ feedback”, a Skyhorse spokesperson told us) the two publishers have bought a different science fiction & fantasy publisher, Underland Press, for an undisclosed sum. The deal for the six-year-old press, according to a joint release, is part of Skyhorse and Start Publishing’s plans “to deepen their relationship to the genre community.”

Skyhorse publisher Tony Lyons said in a statement: “We are thrilled at the acquisition of Underland. We look forward to publishing 10–20 new books a year.

Talk tomorrow,

Kathy

Filed under: Agent, authors and illustrators, Editor & Agent Info, Kudos, News, Publishers and Agencies, Publishing Industry Tagged: HarperCollins, Rachel Mannheimer, Simon and Schuster, Tracy Campbell

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This past winter I went on a reading jag. One of the books I read was by Nathaniel Philbrick called Revenge of the Whale. Although this book was adapted for young people from In The Heart of The Sea, A New York Times Best Seller, and longer version of the book. I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone younger than 13, some of the subject matter is very gruesome.

Revenge of the Whale is a true story about one of the most well known maritime disasters of the 19th century - the sinking of the Whaleship Essex by an enraged sperm whale in 1821. It was this horrific event that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick.

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This past winter I went on a reading jag. One of the books I read was by Nathaniel Philbrick called Revenge of the Whale. Although this book was adapted for young people from In The Heart of The Sea, A New York Times Best Seller, and longer version of the book. I wouldn't recommend this book for anyone younger than 13, some of the subject matter is very gruesome.

Revenge of the Whale is a true story about one of the most well known maritime disasters of the 19th century - the sinking of the Whaleship Essex by an enraged sperm whale in 1821. It was this horrific event that inspired Herman Melville to write Moby-Dick.

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Once again, it is time for the 2nd Big Peepsqueak Give-A-Way!   

Will you be the winner?

Will you get a box in the mail full of Peep goodies?

This time around, the prize is for both of my books, “Peepsqueak”, and “Peepsqueak Wants A Friend,”  AND a Peepsqueak plush toy!

Are you up for it?

Here are your 2 easy instructions:

1.   If you have not read Peepsqueak yet,  go to the story link below and listen to Brad Mendleson read it aloud.

2.  Go to the Amazon link below, and give me a review.  So I know you are entering the contest, start your review with the words, “I LOVE PEEPSQUEAK!”.  If you have read the second book, please feel free to review it too.  At the end of two weeks, I will take the names off the Amazon site and put them in a bowl and pick the winner!!!  You will be able to watch me draw your name!!  Here are the links! 

Peepsqueak story link:  http://www.readmeastory.tv/category/read-me-a-story/

Amazon review link:  http://www.amazon.com/Peepsqueak-Leslie-Ann-Clark/product-reviews/0062078011/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_3?ie=UTF8&pageNumber=3&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

Please SHARE this with others.  Peepsqueak is waiting for you!!

love, Leslie Ann and Peepsqueak!

Filed under: Just for fun, Peepsqueak!

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While working on layouts for "Sights from the Zoo" - 
I have been keeping in mind color, light bright and fun.

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They say a stroke can happen to anyone, at any age.
Anyone.


I diet and exercise like a heart-healthy zealot, rarely drink, don't smoke, and yet...

After more doctors and hospitals than I ever thought I'd need, I'm home.
Fuzzy and shaken. Tripping over my own feet.
Headache-y.

And so beyond thankful
that I still have words and sight, and everything!

I tried to explain this to my hubs, tried to tell him
how important my words, my wit, my thoughts, all of it,
how essential it is to me,
and he patted my hand,
"We all love our brains, honey."

We do. We love our brains!
But do we realize?

It's my revelation of the year.
Would you rather have brains or beauty?

39 years,
many of them obsessed with cals and carbs,
grapefruit juice and healthy exercise...
and guess what?

When it all flashes in front of you,
who cares if you are a size 2 or a size 20?
Alive!

Love that mirror.
Enjoy it. Every inch of yourself, no matter your size,
no matter your foibles.
Enjoy your bumps and lumps, your warts, your wrinkles.
You are a living masterpiece.

Enjoy your messes, your arguments, your in-laws, your guffaws.
Family? Snuggle with them!
Friends? Keep warm by them!

Not published yet? Not a beauty queen?
Our measure of success can be so misleading.
Alive!

It took a stroke to remind me again of my SACRED DIRT -
this life, every blessed day of it,
dishes, mismatched socks, paper piles,
my beautiful, beautiful life.

I have coherent sentences,
the ability to wipe tears
and kiss each sticky face,

even if sometimes things change,
even if it takes a while to paddle back out and find my rhythm,

what a beautiful, sacred dirt I stand in
every day.

Alive!

 

If you get anything from this post, please get this:

Anyone can have a stroke. 

If you or someone you know has an episode 

with ANY of these symptoms, 

call a doctor, or 911 immediately. 

They have ways to reverse a stroke
if they catch it right away.
Learn the signs.
You might save a life...
even your own!

Thank you to my dear ones who have reached out 

during this time.

Bless you, bless you.

Your love brings strength.

 

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Like a signature, each animator has their own little quirks or trademarks that distinguish their animation from others. Some draw character’s features in a unique way (eyes, hands, etc.), some lean heavily on certain principles or include abstract imagery or gimmicks into their scenes, and some fall back on specific poses or gestures. The “Milt Kahl Head Swaggle” is an example of the latter, and it both intrigues and aggravates me at the same time.

To clarify, the “Milt Kahl Head Swaggle” is when a character (animated by Disney legend Milt Kahl) sort of rattles his/her head from side to side, usually at times when they’re feeling cocky or self-assured. Sort of an “Am I great or what?” type of gesture.

Again, I can’t deny how remarkable an animator Milt Kahl was, but for a long time I considered him to be a really hammy animator in the worst possible sense, and this gesture cemented that idea in me for a good long while.

In a Frank Thomas or Ollie Johnston scene, I could see the wheels turn in the character’s heads and felt that the characters were sincere, emotionally-driven personalities. I never felt that in the majority of Kahl’s characters. A lot of his characters are like actors on a stage, projecting themselves a bit too far in their performances.

But at the same time, he uses this gesture for a reason, and it works well in every scene he implements it. He only used it on broader, more caricatured characters like Tigger, Sir Ector or Brer Rabbit, characters with strong egos and a cocky sensibility, and the gesture defines the character’s personality in the most simple and direct way possible.

Much like finding an often-reused piece of animation or sound effect in a Disney film, my dislike for it came only from repeated viewings. Because we live in the age of DVDs, Netflix and Quicktime files,  we now can have a studio’s entire library literally at our fingertips, able to survey and dissect the content any way we choose, including surveying an animator’s entire forty-year output front to back and taking shots completely out of context like I have here.

Another thing I realized over time is that Kahl seemed to prefer being a broader animator. For years he was stuck with the most difficult and seemingly less interesting assignments, which the rest of the animators couldn’t pull off because they weren’t as good of a draftsman as him. For example, he clamored to work on characters like Captain Hook but was stuck doing Peter Pan and the Darling children, or with Alice instead of the more zany, off-the wall characters that populate the rest of Alice and Wonderland. He would end up designing a lot of these other characters, but never get to animate most of them.

Luckily for him, by the 1960s, Kahl’s creative shackles were loosened and he was back to doing broader animation, and like a free spirit, he went all out on each character, from The Sword in the Stone through The Rescuers. Each character he animated during that period overflowed with energy, all of which was probably pent up inside him for so many years. His days of princes and realistic little children were over, and for the rest of his career he was able to let loose, have fun and do the things he wanted to do.

Milt Kahl knew he was a good animator, and he wasn’t afraid to show it through brash flourishes of animation. The head swaggle, corny and over-the-top though it may be, not only defines those Disney characters, but also defines the self-assured Kahl himself.

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Daughter and I have just arrived home from another flying visit to Tokyo. As I was only in town for a couple of weeks it was a very busy time squeezing as much into each day as I could, most days spent zipping from one side of the city to the other. That's the way I like it though, Tokyo is a city in constant movement, it's a place to stay busy and on the move, a roaring metropolis. But it's also a place of fascination and beauty, filled with oases to dip into for much needed pauses.

Denentoshi Line to Shibuya

What I love about Tokyo is the contrast, on the one hand there's the sense of being lost in the crushing urban wheels of the city (which in itself can be a very comforting feeling), and on the other there's the discovery of gems: galleries, shops, cafes and other beacons of serenity and joy. It's these details that make the difference, though the city is a turbulent machine, it's filled with portals of tranquility.

Yamanote Line between Shinjuku and Ikebukuro

On this trip though a lot of my moments of calm were spent on the train, sketching away. From uptown Yamate to downtown Shitamachi, from fashionable Aoyama to suburban Yokohama, I traveled, and observed my fellow travellers. And here are some of them.

Chiyoda Line from Nezu to Meiji Jingumae

Inokashira Line from Kichijoji to Shibuya

Late night train, Denentoshi Line to Tama Plaza

Dozing highschool student. Morning train, Denentoshi Line to Shibuya

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It’s been over 24 hours since yesterday’s horrific incident clouding the Boston Marathon, yet I’m still unable to put the right words down. I was not there, so anything I can add is merely an abstract opinion; though I do believe everyone is entitled to their own thoughts and feelings.

In the build-up to Boston, just like all other running fans I was excited. The Boston Marathon is one of the biggest, in name, numbers, and history. I wrote about it, shared one of it’s most legendary runners’ perspectives on it, and held hope that an American Woman would finally bring a win back to the States.

I was charged with anticipation; that’s one of the great things about the running community, I, thousands of miles away from the starting line, was able to ‘taste’ just a smidgen of the electric energy swirling around Boston.

While an American Woman didn’t bring home a win, in the first wave of finishers the closeness of the running community and shared kinship, especially between training partners, was displayed poignantly by Kara Goucher’s and Shalane Flanagan’s finishes. They wanted to know how the other did.

Runners are able to understand each other in a unique way. Even if they are strangers, even competitors on the same course, they are able to sense things about the other…words unsaid, with a glance. There is something to be said for shared agony, suffering, whatever in the heck you want to call the ‘pain’ of racing.

And then it happened. I am thankful that no one that I immediately ‘know’ was harmed. But I feel that as a part of the running community, that isn’t quite correct. A runner knows a runner.

A runner also knows just how crucial a support network is. So a runner knows the supporters, spectators, cheerers, and any spirit moved to absorb the electric atmosphere of the Boston Marathon.

I was not there. I can’t even begin to understand the ‘whys’ behind this and I can only imagine what it was like to be there.

Though, I try my best to find what positives there can ever be. There isn’t a positive in this case, but rather just a glimmer of something redeeming. I will say this, here is this legendary event holding wonder and lore and now it is stained with this awful cloud.

Rather than let the smoke and ashes suffocate the event and the running spirit, we are able to come together, mourn the tragedy but not let it erode our kinship and sense of community. The 2013 Boston Marathon will no doubt be one of those things forever tinged with loss, sadness, and no doubt anger.

Though it will not stop us from running. It will not revoke the meaning behind the marathon. Don’t let the anger swallow you, don’t entirely lose hope for humanity yet, be thankful for what you have, those precious moments of life and the ability to run for another day. Not that running is the end-all by any means…it wasn’t running that was the target, but I’ve always found running a loyal companion to take me through life’s hardships.

Hold your loved ones dearly, let them know. Hold you ability to use your able body quite dearly too. Runners are instilled with an indomitable spirit, a fortitude like none other, but a closeness to each other quite unique.

Runners will do what runners do…run through the hardships to get to brighter times.

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