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Virginia Davis of Walt Disney’s Alice Comedies passed away this morning. She was 90 years old and had been in failing health this past year.
In 1923, Davis was picked by Walt Disney in Kansas City to star in his proposed series of live action and animation shorts. Davis followed the Disney Studio to Hollywood to star in over a dozen Alice Comedies. She was Disney’s first movie star.
Later in her career, Davis appeared in Three On a Match (1932), with Joan Blondell, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart, as well as The Harvey Girls (1946). Virginia was in the scene with Judy Garland and Ray Bolger where they introduced the Academy-Award winning song “On the Achison, Topeka and the Santa Fe.”
Above, in tribute, is a particularly fun Alice from 1924, Alice and the Dog Catcher (pardon the foreign titles, and some politically incorrect humor).
(Thanks, Steve Waller)
0 Comments on Virginia Davis 1918-2009 as of 1/1/1900
Everyone knows about the Monster Cereals, right? They’ve been a part of the fabric of our childhood (at least, for me they are), along with their classic animated commercials for decades now. The commercials left such an impression on me, I’m surprised General Mills won’t revive the characters for any new spots. This totally perplexes me. Andy Cage sees the potential here and has started up The Monster Cereal Blog for everything and anything related to the iconic sugar frosted characters of Franken Berry, Count Chocula, and Boo Berry. Earlier, he posted fan art featuring the trio (as well as lesser knowns Fruit Brute and Yummy Mummy) throughout the entire month of May. (The image above was done by Saxton Moore.) There’s even a Facebook page to support the cause.
9 Comments on The Monster Cereals Blog, last added: 8/18/2009
Ward thanks for the posting. I think DRAWN! folks will really like the Month of MAY in my “MONSTER MAY-HEM FAN ART MONTH,” that you have put a link to. I’d love to do it again, I am now actively collecting new Monster Fan Art for October. This month I am doing TOYS and T-SHIRTS.
I too am perplexed that the cereal companies aren’t interested in maintaining the legacy of their brand mascots. I can’t speak from a General Mills standpoint but I’ve done work for another big company who generally perceives mascots as “old-fashioned” and who has shunned new mascot ideas.
I know a lot of people in the creative industry (and otherwise) who have grown up with these characters and consider them a part of the cultural landscape, if not a direct influence on their work.
Ward Jenkins said, on 8/17/2009 11:50:00 AM
If anything, cereal companies should know that if they brought back these characters, their reach would be two-fold: the young ones, and their parents who were brought up with these guys in the first place. Companies forget that the parents have more of an influence on what their kids buy than the kids themselves. Heck, I even bought Boo Berry recently solely for the fact it was BOO-BERRY!
itbitme said, on 8/17/2009 12:07:00 PM
Part of the reason for their decline lies in that it’s deemed inappropriate to market directly to children (although the fines are laughable; see http://bit.ly/KCTaS), so the companies are dropping their mascots and trying to appeal more to mothers, who generally make the purchasing decisions.
I’m sure a lot of moms are nostalgic for these characters as well, but that nostalgia is overridden by a desire to provide nutritionally for their kids.
itbitme said, on 8/17/2009 12:32:00 PM
Appending my previous post, I should clarify that I myself am pro-mascot, cereal-wise. I’ve pitched a few, but have sadly been shot down – so far.
pandafresh said, on 8/17/2009 2:07:00 PM
I’m in love with that above image. These cereals are delicious.
Alternative cartoonist and animator Mark Marek has been quite successful drawing comics, doing illustrations, animating and directing animation for some time now. His terrific new website shows off his past and present animated works, including an attempt (not in his usual primitive style, above) designing a moody, atmospheric Warner Bros. Animation logo for the company’s superhero shows.
Well this was an easy one! Did this several years ago, and have learned so much since than. I actually hand stitched the entire blanket with thread- don't know if the bang equalled the "buck" or time. Funny, I see all the mistakes, or not best decisions in the construction, but it is a lot of my friends favorite- go figure- just think I could do better if I ever go back to the subject, which is described in this December 6th, 2006 post. - need I say more!
It is certainly one of my favorites! I love that you hand stitched the entire blanket. What great texture that gives to the piece. It makes me want to hold it and touch it. Perfect for the theme...
There's a great new interview up over at Design Inspiration with 'illustrative designer' Leighton Hubbell. Be sure to check it out and leave him positive comments!
0 Comments on Design Inpiration Interview- Leighton Hubbell as of 8/17/2009 9:21:00 AM
Great-looking experimental music video for The Fiery Furnaces’ song “Charmaine Champagne.” It was directed by Phillip Niemeyer of Brooklyn-based Double Triple. Niemeyer writes:
It’s stop motion, and it builds on a lot of things we were just discovering when we did the Spoon video. Mike Reddy, illustrator for all of the Furnaces’ records is responsible for most of the art. We shot most everything on an art store light table. We photocopied many of these assets onto office transparencies. All the color comes from either paint, markers or silkscreen. The band was photographed and these were assembled into stop motion loops — no video. No digital motion — we wanted that janky look, even on the pans. We took some process photos and posted them here.
CREDITS
Director: Phillip Niemeyer of Double Triple
Artwork: Mike Reddy
Additional artwork (action painting): Hannah Cole
Animation: Phillip Niemeyer, Alex Marie Egan, Mike Reddy, Jeremiah Dickey, Christine Nguyen
Photography: Phillip Niemeyer and Ethan Finkelstein
0 Comments on “Charmaine Champagne” music video as of 1/1/1900
Today I spent some time updating my Cafe Press shop. It always takes longer than one thinks it will (especially if you accidentally delete whole sections because you haven't had enough coffee and aren't concentrating.)
Even with that mishap, I managed to add some Halloween stuff, and I'm proud of myself for getting it done this far ahead for a change! Usually I'm galloping to the finish line juuuust before the holiday. I will admit, these designs are not entirely new ~ I've just never put them on products before. So they're new in a new way, if that makes any sense.
This one started out as a watercolor painting of a plaid, like other ones I have in my shop. But something went wrong with it ~ can't remember what now ~ but instead of just throwing it out, I scanned it and played around with it in Photoshop. I love what it turned into! I added the type, and voila, a usable design! So let that be a lesson to you ~ don't throw out those mistakes, they may be salvageable.
This is a journal, obviously.
Then here I cropped out just the word "Scary" and did some products. I love these black shirts. I think kids might think they're kind of cool? I don't know ~ I have a bit of the "Remains of the Day lunchbox" nerd in me, so sometimes I love things that are tragically unhip. But that's OK ~ I figure there are other tragically unhip people out there too who my unhip products might appeal to.
There are a few other Halloween designs as well. I also did some products with my newest children's book promo piece that I showed here a few posts back, and think they look pretty good!
Tomorrow I will be knitting all day. All. Day.
1 Comments on Halloween stuff, last added: 8/17/2009
This is our cat, Boots - or Bootsie or Bootsie-ootsie as she is often called. She has this thing about getting under the covers lately and couldn't resist the unmade bed - ha! Had to take a pic.
Okay, okay, so it’s NOT exactly ‘Talk like an Acadian Day’ but August 15th IS National Acadian Day.
To celebrate…a CONTEST…to win a copy of my middle grade novel, ACADIAN STAR.
To win, let’s have a bit of fun. I’m sure you’ve all heard of ‘Talk like a Pirate Day’ well here’s a twist. Our very own, super-spectacular…
TALK LIKE AN ACADIAN DAY!!
To win a copy of ACADIAN STAR, you can either:
1. Just comment (yawn…)
2. Join in on the fun and tell me your favourite Acadian word. Mine is ‘BARDASSER’, which pretty much means trying to look busy, but otherwise goofing off (i.e. procrastinating).
3. REALLY get into it and leave a comment in your best Acadian ‘chiac’.
Okay, I get it. It’s pretty much how I (with my few years of language class MANY decades ago) speak French, anyway! Here goes:
Je voudrais tres MUCH to win ton libre. Donnez-moi, s’il vous plait!
Hope I didn’t throw a spanish word in there by mistake!
Hélène said, on 8/15/2009 1:20:00 PM
Awesome! Good work, Becky!
Sandra Love said, on 8/15/2009 1:48:00 PM
J’ai du bonneluck, moi. Asteur, c’est un mot tellement beau. Aussi le canard. Tu met le canard et j’y ai! J’aime bien tes romans.
Sandra
Joyce Lansky said, on 8/15/2009 1:52:00 PM
Je vou-like to win a livre pour moi truly! Merci-you pour la chance of moi vie!
Hélène said, on 8/15/2009 2:03:00 PM
Sandra, ‘asteur’ is another favourite of mine! Would you say it’s a forme of ‘a cette heure’ ?
Pardon my french grammar, it’s ‘tres horrible’!
Hélène said, on 8/15/2009 2:04:00 PM
Joyce, your ‘vou-like’ made me smile.
deniz said, on 8/15/2009 5:07:00 PM
Hi Hélène!
I can’t speak Cajun, and luckily have already read and loved Acadian Star – but I had to write cos I’m near Cajun country right now, in Mobile, Alabama! *waves*
Hélène said, on 8/15/2009 5:49:00 PM
Waves to Deniz!
For all those wondering about the Acadian/Cajun connection:
And also, for anyone interested in the poem ‘Evangeline’ by Longfellow, he captures the deportation of the Acadians in such a romantic, tragic, beautiful way:
Ok cuz…my favourite Acadian word would have to be ‘Catin’ and all its incarnations like ‘catoune’ and ‘catouner’ …. Do you want me to use it in a sentence? Or should I challenge you to? hehe
Hélène said, on 8/15/2009 7:00:00 PM
Ma p’tite catin, t’est plus belle qu’une mache-couine, mais y’inque un p’tit brin.
HOW DID I DO?
Annette Samson said, on 8/15/2009 7:20:00 PM
Awesome! T’es pas aiser toi! Sans doute tu vien du P’tit degrat, une vrai mangeuse d’arret!
(I am going to take some poetic license with the grammar)
Hélène said, on 8/15/2009 7:29:00 PM
Su pas une mangeuse d’arret, su une Tuck, through and through, ma moses…
Eric, you have been putting some great stuff up lately bro! This moleskine of yours seems to have given you an outlet and you have pushed yourself into a whole new realm man!!! I love this stuff. good work, cant wait to see more!
...so I wrapped my head around the idea as best I could.
(two wraps for the price of one )
Illustration Friday is a weekly illustration challenge. A topic is posted every Friday and then participants have all week to come up with their own interpretation. Read more about it here: http://www.illustrationfriday.com/about_p.php
When you purchase an item from ArtQwerks, 10% of your purchase price will be donated to my favorite animal charities; Second Chance Animal Rescue and Horses Haven, both in lower MI. Which charity will depend on the item purchased and I will most certainly appreciate it.
El miércoles 19 de agosto MARCIAL OMAR AYALA DUEÑAS nos presenta su primera exposición individual titulada "ESPERANZA" que se realizará del 19 al 28 de agosto en la sala uno del Complejo Cultural Chávez de la Rosa. Su muestra consta de una colección de 15 cuadros realizados al óleo en gran formato, con temática urbana, cotidiana y social.
EXPOSICIÓN ESPERANZA
"...la muestra pictórica tiene como tema central la presencia de la mujer arequipeña de mi generación dentro de sus roles más resaltantes como son la moda, la noche, los vicios y su presencia dentro de las fantasías masculinas así también una seria de obras inspiradas en el mundo musical vernáculas y chicha de algunos lugares y grupos arequipeños representantes de dichos géneros..." (Marcial Ayala)
Marcial Ayala es un artista que proviene de la ciudad de Cusco, donde ha cursado estudios de ingeniería química en la Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco y también de artes en la Escuela Superior Autónoma de Bellas Artes (ESABAC) Diego Quispe Titto de Cusco (2002). Después de participar en varias actividades artísticas en su ciudad, su gusto por el arte y nuevos planes lo traen a esta ciudad para continuar una carrera profesional en la Escuela de Artes de la Universidad Nacional de San Agustín, donde los culminó con una exposición colectiva titulada “Exposición Criminal” de la Promoción 2008.
PRESENTACIÓN
Esperanza como su nombre lo indica es un resumen de sueños, anhelos y fantasías del provinciano y descendiente de provinciano que vive en la ciudad blanca narrada desde un punto de vista contemporáneo... Representado en su estética callejera con estilos que van desde el póster anime japonés, el mural popular, la moda, la textilería y hasta los dibujos animados. La referencia cromática es innata y perteneciente a nuestra subjetividad ancestral que “reacciona” con las estéticas contemporáneas como el cromatismo digital y el diseño publicitario siendo la textilería y la ornamentación discotequera, automotriz y religiosa su destinatario más original. (Kennet O´Brien)
Thanks so much for the thoughtful in put to my “Fresh” post. The kudos were nice to get, and the ideas were great!
Here is a boiled down list of suggestions:
Cover trends in countries other than the U.S.
Comparison of covers from countries other than the U.S.
The use of stock photos: financial issues, pros & cons, exclusive rights, cover-specific photo shoots
Evolution of covers for books long in print
Historical accuracy on historical fiction
Publisher’s process in choosing cover art: Interviews with graphic designers, photographers, editors, big booksellers and authors about the choice of a book cover
Book spines
Endpapers
Cover trends over the decades (admission: I’ve been working on this one for a long time, with the goal of a journal article, perhaps far into the future – there’s a lot to look at
I keep a backlog of post ideas, so you may not see all of this right away – but be assured I will be working with these suggestions in mind.
IF you are a cover designer, cover photographer, editor who makes cover choices, bookseller who influences choices, or author who has a book cover story, I’d love to hear from you at jacketwhys (at) gmail.com.
Many thanks to all who responded!
0 Comments on Thank you! as of 8/17/2009 10:08:00 AM
It's been too long since posted, so here it is... This is one drawing in a series of fruits or veggies with a "world" on top. Others can be seen on my blog... http://susan-whimsicalities.blogspotcom I think the ghost fits well into the weekly challenge theme.
5 x 7" oil on canvas As part of my transition from illustration, I have resolved not to post any more existing artwork for Illustration Fridays. As time allows, I will use IF as I think it was intended: as a prompt for new paintings. I hope, however, that any new work posted here will be illustrative only in the sense of reflecting or being inspired by the topic. Which brings me to . . .
a cranky little opinion: if an illustration effectively solves the problem (which is what illustrations are supposed to do), its relationship to the topic should be obvious or at least discernible. If a submission requires words to explain how it relates to the topic, it has not solved the the problem. I guess submitting completely unrelated illustrations is fine, if the only purpose is to drive traffic to one's site; but as an illustrator, I am always a little annoyed when I click a submission and find it only vaguely, tangentially, or sometimes not remotely related to the topic except through some contrived explanation. Conversely, I am delighted by the clever ones, as my own ideas are usually fairly literal.
I absolutely agree with your comments. I am fairly new to the IF group so I have held my tongue on the subject, But since you brought it up... :) Also a lovely painting. Really nice composition as well as pertinent to the topic. Great Job!
This is a great painting. I agree on your ideas about IF. I like participating in it, but find that I'd rather use it as another point of motivation/inspiration rather than churning out weekly illustrations.
Then, on the other hand, sometimes the exercise - forcing yourself to think of a creative solution - is a good one.
Anyways - great painting and great treatment of this week's IF theme.
Thanks, Sally, Shane and Cat! With more-or-less constant deadlines, submitting applicable illustrations to IF from my collection of existing work seemed the only way to participate, so I did that for a couple of years. But since closing my illustration/chatty blog about six weeks ago and redefining some goals, I have decided I now can and must claim the time to produce at least one small personal painting per week.
Hurrah I agree that if the image requires justification by a completely contrived explanation then there is no point in entering it. Although I confess I did a submarine with caterpillar tracks coming off for the word subtract. So perhaps I'll defend the odd tangential solution.
I hope you enjoy the painting. I've gone digital to avoid the setting out and tidying up. A colleague has told me about water based oil paints though and how good they are. This is causing me to ponder a rethink.
Wednesday was our first full day home from the hospital, and it was such a fun day of mail and special delivery bounty, I just have to share. Not only did we have our specialest delivery home with us at last . . . . . . but we got lots of packages!
(Doesn't that kind of look like a studio portrait? I'm proud of it. I was experimenting with the camera a little. Oh, and I finally ordered a DVD manual to my camera so I can learn how to stray from the fully-auto setting and get some better pics! It hasn't arrived yet.)
First, my mom brought over FOOD. Lots of food. She'd been cooking for days, and my mom can cook. This week we've been eating crab quiche (with fist-size chunks of Alaskan king crab), roasted turkey breast, lemon risotto (delish!) and this awesome salad of orange slices, shaved fennel, and pecorino Romano in pomegranate dressing. Banana cake, garden tomatoes, soup, lasagna, and more. It's awesome. I told mom she's establishing a precedent and now she has to do this forever :-)
And the lovely folks at Scholastic sent a box of goodies: Lots of fun little books and things. Thank you Sheila Marie!
From Penguin, a well-timed treat: The first hard-cover copy of Silksinger. Yay!!! It looks so gorgeous. Like the paperback, the type and central image are spot-laminated (shiny), and the page design looks great. As soon as it was in my hands I wanted to sit down and read it. And I can tell you, after going through the many revision passes, one gets so sick of one's own book that it's wonderful to have that feeling again! (Oh, and the Silksinger audio is just going into the recording studio now at Brilliance. Exciting! Can't wait to hear it!)
Here's the beautiful frontis illustration by Jim: That's the title character, Whisper Silksinger, on her flying carpet. You'll notice her wings are small. Like Talon Rathersting, she's a scamperer, unable to fly, except by means of the extraordinary carpets woven by her clan.
Another book arrival: The new Children's Writers & Illustrator's Market, from Writer's Digest, edited by SCBWI friend Alice Pope. There's an article in it called "Under One Roof; A Writer & Illustrator: Married" about Jim and me and our collaboration. There's another story by Cheryl Klein of Arthur A. Levine Books, a great piece on revising, and she cites Not for Robots, which is cool. (Oh, and Cheryl has a post up right now about the AALB Fall list; check it out.)
And okay, lastly, and with supreme awesomeness, a gift bag turned up on the front steps, and it was from Matt Holm (illustrator of the Baby Mouse graphic novels for young readers) and his lovely wife Cyndi. And in it? Oh. My. God. A tiny pink handmade wig!!!!!!! Can you believe??? Look at it! It's sewn onto a little baby cap, and it is just so awesome. We have not yet had a photo shoot, but one is upcoming :-) A mommy-daughter pink-hair photo. It'll be a bit big for Clementine's little sweet head right now, but we'll try it anyway and take more photos as she grows into it. Awesome! For added awesomeness, there was champagne in the bag. Thanks Matt & Cyndi! You guys rock.
(Not to brag, but we also have a one-of-a-kind hand-painted Baby Mouse onesie that Matt made at our baby shower. Which she will certainly be wearing for the photo shoot!)
So, Wednesday was a pretty great day. Being home with our baby and getting presents :-)
Love to all.
26 Comments on Wednesday's bounty, last added: 8/18/2009
Your little pinkie Pie is going to look so cute in the wig. Oh, and the food you mentioned sounded heavenly, especially the crab quiche! That certainly was a good day. Food and family and prezzies!!
myrna said, on 8/15/2009 7:08:00 PM
I can't wait to see your Clementine Pie in that wig! You are going to post a picture, right? And I think I need to visit Amazon. Now.
I don't think Clementine could be any cuter, but I am giddy with anticipation thinking of her in that adorable Matt Holm pink wig - can't wait to see pics!
I rarely leave comments, but this is worth leaving my lurking status for ... congratulations! Clementine Pie (and her name!) are absolute perfection. Enjoy this magical time with your gorgeous family of three. My baby girl is three months old, and I'm still amazed that each day is more wonderful than the last.
Welcome to the world, Clementine di Bartolo. What an adorable name. I'm hoping that once Clementine's hair grows in, she has an excellent foxlick just like our other favorite 'Pie. :)
Hooray for the Silksinger hard cover! I can't wait to have that edition in my hands, so I can finally see the rest of Jim's artwork! His character portraits are so beautiful, I missed not being able to see all of them in the ARC.
And that pink wig is TOO perfect. Looking forward to seeing the results of the photoshoot!
Clementine Pie looks scrumptious in that ensemble! Can't wait to see the pink-haired duo. Hooray for all the yummy food, care, well-wishers, gifts and of course, your book! Bliss!
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Ward thanks for the posting. I think DRAWN! folks will really like the Month of MAY in my “MONSTER MAY-HEM FAN ART MONTH,” that you have put a link to. I’d love to do it again, I am now actively collecting new Monster Fan Art for October. This month I am doing TOYS and T-SHIRTS.
If anyone wants to do some fan art, check out the first round at http://monsterscereal.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html
Also, if you all would like to see some classic CHOCULA commercials on YOUTUBE, check out this user channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/CountChoculatte
Also, if you all would like to see some classic CHOCULA commercials on YOUTUBE, check out this user channel: <a
http://www.christian-louboutin-shoes.cc
http://www.jimmy-choo-shoes.com
I too am perplexed that the cereal companies aren’t interested in maintaining the legacy of their brand mascots. I can’t speak from a General Mills standpoint but I’ve done work for another big company who generally perceives mascots as “old-fashioned” and who has shunned new mascot ideas.
I know a lot of people in the creative industry (and otherwise) who have grown up with these characters and consider them a part of the cultural landscape, if not a direct influence on their work.
If anything, cereal companies should know that if they brought back these characters, their reach would be two-fold: the young ones, and their parents who were brought up with these guys in the first place. Companies forget that the parents have more of an influence on what their kids buy than the kids themselves. Heck, I even bought Boo Berry recently solely for the fact it was BOO-BERRY!
Part of the reason for their decline lies in that it’s deemed inappropriate to market directly to children (although the fines are laughable; see http://bit.ly/KCTaS), so the companies are dropping their mascots and trying to appeal more to mothers, who generally make the purchasing decisions.
I’m sure a lot of moms are nostalgic for these characters as well, but that nostalgia is overridden by a desire to provide nutritionally for their kids.
Appending my previous post, I should clarify that I myself am pro-mascot, cereal-wise. I’ve pitched a few, but have sadly been shot down – so far.
I’m in love with that above image. These cereals are delicious.
great!!!!!!!!!!!!! cereal brand mascots rules!!!!