Thursday, December 20, 2007

Merry Christmas and All That Jazz!


Speaking of Sinatra, ol' Frank had a big hit with the song, "My Kind of Town (Chicago Is)", from the movie, "Robin and the 7 Hoods" back in the early 60's, that portrayed rival mobsters competing for gambling territory. Well, that era of Chicago gangsters was also celebrated in the more recent vintage musical, "Chicago", except that this show exposed the female of the species to be equally as murderous, albeit with a very dark humour to the whole proceedings. Anyway, when they made the film version of "Chicago" just a few years ago, I loved it so much that I think I ended up seeing it about 5 times during its theatrical run. And I've watched it several times since, once it was released on DVD.

Because I enjoyed the film so much, I ended up using it as the inspiration for my Christmas card that year, a practice that I'd been keeping up for over 15 years, though I must shamefully confess I have been remiss in doing one both this year and last, sad to say. (Sorry to everybody on the list - hopefully next year I'll get back to it!) Anyway, here is the Christmas card artwork I did that year of "Chicago", featuring caricatures of its stars, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Velma Kelly, and Renée Zellweger as Roxie Hart. Hey, just gazing at Catherine in her black negligee, stockings and garters certainly says "Joy of the Season" to me!

Hooking up the Homie John Krashna's Bike



Thursday, December 13, 2007

KEEPING UP WITH THE KARDASHIANS


Robert Kardashian came through for his second tattoo of his wifeys name Adrianna of the "Cheetah Girls" and Kim K. came through for back up!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Happy Birthday Frank!


Yes, Francis Albert Sinatra was born on this day back in 1915.

Don't worry folks, Frank's not winding up to slug ya'. He's just about to roll that lucky seven as he sings, "Luck Be A Lady Tonight". At least that's the song he was singing on the "Sinatra- A Man and His Music - Part II" DVD when I was sketching out this particular pose. Lucky for me, Frank's career is very well represented on DVD, both in his films and, in this particular case, his numerous televised specials from the 60's and 70's. And this is just great with me, as I am a HUGE Sinatra fan! So much so, that I have amassed a fair amount of Sinatra collectibles over the years, many of which can be seen on these display shelves in my own little bachelor den pictured to the left. In addition to the many DVDs, CDs and publications, I've got several original autographs, including the really neat one on the record seen on the top left in the photo, that has some odd little doodle under his signature that I'm thinking may be a quick self caricature.

So why my interest in all things Frank? It started when I was in my twenties, adjusting to early adulthood. Just as Walt Disney (whose own birthday was coincidentally just one week ago) had been such a major figure in shaping my youth and future career pursuits, it was the music of Sinatra that started to really resonate with me as I was beginning to mature. I'd always casually enjoyed hearing him on radio growing up as a kid in the 60's, but now the lyrics and their heartfelt delivery was starting to really mean something in my own life, leading me to more seriously take notice of Frank's artistry. Though certainly a very controversial and complex man, prone to both petty nastiness and immense generosity, what shines through it all is the intense passion and emotion he displays in every song he sings. Sometimes he's the breezy hipster, joyfully swinging through life to the Billy May and Nelson Riddle arrangements that defined much of his 50's output, while at other times he's the guy nursing a broken heart, exposing his hurt and loneliness for all the world to see. Uncannily, even in the various concert footage preserved on video from his TV specials, Sinatra completely immerses himself in the lyrics and emotions of these songs every time, as if he was feeling each of those raw emotions spontaneously for the first time. It never seemed fake, no matter how often he'd performed them - his passion in delivering the lyrics was so genuinely heartfelt. Listening to his "One For My Baby" never fails to elicit an emotional response - it's that powerful a performance. Likewise, as I myself am approaching the age of 50, I take more and more comfort in hearing his bittersweet rendition of "It Was a Very Good Year".

One thing I've always admired about Sinatra was his respect for all the talented songwriters who provided him with his numerous hits through the decades. It was quite normal for him to introduce a song he was about to sing by first crediting the songwriter responsible. He also did the same thing for his regular arrangers. Despite whatever ego Frank likely had as a top entertainer, I believe that deep down he knew that, if not for the songwriters, he would not have been able to enjoy such a long successful career himself. Frank took his music so seriously that he pretty much micro-managed every recording session for his albums, in which he insisted on singing directly with the musicians, as opposed to many other artists who normally came into the studio to lay down their vocals on top of the prerecorded instrumental tracks. For Frank, the music and the words had to be a unified performance to keep it sincere.

As an actor, though, Frank Sinatra's film career is, even by his own admission, rather spotty. After an early career in lightweight MGM musicals, Frank had to fight for the role of Maggio in "From Here to Eternity", to prove his real worth as a serious actor and ended up winning himself an Oscar in the process. Unfortunately, his success in movies was pretty up and down in the years thereafter. I must admit, my favourite Sinatra films are mostly guilty pleasures rather than those that are considered his major achievements by serious film critics. Though I can appreciate his sheer skill in a film like "The Man With the Golden Arm", where he played a card dealer addicted to heroin, I confess I'd rather watch him in far breezier roles in "Pal Joey" or my alltime favourite, "Robin and the 7 Hoods", where he starred alongside his fellow Rat Pack cronies, Dean and Sammy. I like "Ocean's 11" a lot too, but I prefer "Robin and the 7 Hoods" because it's the only Rat Pack movie that's an all out musical. Also it's got Bing Crosby in it, so that's a bonus! Ironically, though, I think the standout performer in that film may be Peter Falk as the nefarious Guy Gisbourne, the rival Chicago mobster trying to eliminate Sinatra's Robbo. Falk is just hilarious in the role, many years before he gained greater fame as TV's "Columbo".

Being the cantankerous rascal that he was, I think Frank too often proved hard to work with in the movies, often refusing to do more than one take, no matter who was directing him. Music definitely was his main passion, with his film work not always getting his best effort. Too bad, since he produced some great work when it did get his full attention. Mostly, though, I'm a fan of Frank Sinatra the singer, and I don't think anyone can ever top his body of work. Frank left us an incredible legacy of music for which I am eternally grateful. It sure gets regular play on my stereo, anyway...

Saturday, December 8, 2007

DJ SKEE


NOT ONLY IS DJ SKEE LA'S NO 1 DJ HE IS THE ONE RESPONSIBLE FOR LANDING US THE T-MOBILE DEAL. THE HOMIE LET ME LISTEN TO THE OFFICIAL JAY Z TRACK ON THE AMERICAN GODFATHER MIX TAPE COMING SOON! CHECK OUT MORE ON SKEETV.COM

TATTOO 12/06/07




JOSE FROM EAST L.A. LET ME DO MY THING.

Friday, December 7, 2007

TATTOO 12/05/07




THIS IS A CLASSIC AZTEC QUEEN AND A PORTRAIT. THANKS TO MIKE AND WIFEY FOR COMING THROUGH.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Happy Birthday Walt!


On this day, December 5th in 1901, Walt Disney was born. Though he may not have invented film animation, Walt Disney, more than anyone else, took it from being a mere novelty to an artform of the highest level, as well as a major American popular entertainment medium. I'm not going to attempt any history here on either the man or his legacy, as you'll find much more authoritative assessments by the likes of Mike Barrier, Leonard Maltin and John Canemaker, but I do want to offer up this one thought. Walt Disney has been called a "genius" by many and I am not going to dispute that in the least. However, I've always felt that much of that genius was due to Walt's basic common sense and good judgment. I am certain that the main thing that directed Walt was his own personal taste in art and entertainment. He likely believed that anything he enjoyed and found appealing would likewise be enjoyed by many other people the world over. I doubt that he spent much time trying to second guess the viewing public or by conducting demographic studies, as so many of today's studio brass do. As such, all of the films that were produced by his studio during his lifetime seem to convey much of what Walt personally believed in. I don't think we see that kind of personal sensibility at work very often in today's films.

On a personal note, I must credit Walt Disney and his filmed animation legacy with being the catalyst that started me on the straight and narrow path to my own career as a cartoonist. Though I have many artistic influences, it is the Disney classic animated features that remain my first love. Though the stories are always well crafted, for me it is the sense of characterization that I associate with the classics that I most respond to on an emotional level. There is still nothing more magical to me than a cartoon drawing that seemingly comes alive up on the silver screen. This thrill has never waned in a lifetime of viewing the work of Walt's talented animation staff. My favourites include "Pinocchio", "Fantasia", and of course the film I recently wrote about, "The Jungle Book", which was the last film to bear Walt's personal stamp.

Here's a clip from the Disneyland 10th Anniversary show, where Walt plays tour guide to Julie, his latest Disneyland ambassador. What I love about this show is how playful Walt is as he shows off his latest attractions concepts. You can see that Walt is so happy showing off the handiwork of his WED Imagineers including, in this clip, Mary Blair. As one of the lucky kids who grew up with these shows, this is how I like to best remember Uncle Walt:

"Purple Reign 64"


She's finally finished, its 3am its time to slide to the crib. Can't wait to see this car finished. The 64 is going back to Marios Auto Works to get completed. Your a sick man Chris!

Supreme NIKE's




Christmas came early! You should treat yourself to all four colors cop them at Supreme on Fairfax.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Lifestyle CC

Check out the Lifestyle car club Nike Dunks. My car club was Established In 1975 In Boyle Heights.

Tattoo's


Check out this back piece I did 4 years Ago.

How about this Arm piece I did tonight ?

I did this piece on Friday evening.

I did this arm piece 4 years ago on the same guy as the back piece

Saturday, December 1, 2007

Lost Angel Wall


If your Down Town check out the lost Angel Wall.
You might of seen this mural before ? Cos everyone loves to do their photo shoots, album covers, print adds, music videos and commercials, etc etc in front of it. The only problem is that every one forgets to write me a check after they have used my work, they must think they have won the art lottery. Toon$

Bombing Itlay


Nike flew me and Estevan out to meet with DJ Clark Kent in Milan Italy for the Nike Air force 1 conference. We hooked up with Milan local Fly Cat and went bombing in a old school yard, we then binged on a margarita pizzas and pasta.

2nd side of 64 hard top




Murals are halfway done will not get them finished until monday afternoon, send you more flics then

Thursday, November 29, 2007

Estevan Oriol Bill Board


Check his blog out at. http://estevanoriol.blogspot.com

Cartoon / Syndicate Vans SK8 HI "coming soon"


Once again the homie Berto from Supreme hooked it up with another project from Vans Syndicate, if your real about getting these shoe contact the Supreme store on Fairfax in the city of Los Angeles. Please don’t hit me up asking how to get these shoes, I am not a foot looker salesman and this is not a champs blog, ha ha ha. Don’t sleep these shoes will go fast.

Progress homies, 1 side of the 64 finished

Late Night Novel



Still here working on this graphic novel, getting closer and closer but still have along way to go, their are no short cuts with this kind of work. More flics coming soon. Stay Up Toon$

Sunday, November 25, 2007

The Necessary Inspiration...

Sorry that's it's been awhile since my last blog entry. My excuse is a combination of being otherwise occupied with job-related stuff, along with lacking the inspiration of knowing what to post. Anyway, the latter problem was cured when I read this article on Jeremy Richey's blog, "Moon in the Gutter", about Kim Novak. As it turns out, Jeremy also lists Kim Novak among his alltime favourite actresses, as do I. So after reading his tribute the other day, I decided to watch the film "Bell, Book and Candle" again last night, so I could sketch a caricature of her. After I inked it up today and coloured it on Photoshop, I went back to Jeremy's blog again, only to find out that he's actually showcased this very film role as a follow-up to what he wrote the other day! Here is the link to his fine article on this film.

Jeremy Richey is a far more articulate film commentator than I, so there's not much point in my adding much to it. All I know is that Kim Novak is absolutely sultry and alluring in her role as Gillian, the gentle witch in the story. Since having first seen the film when I was a kid, I can appreciate it even more today for what I perceive as being a sly satire on America's fear and distrust of the communist movement, as typified by the "beatnik" characters who make up the coven of witches in late 1950's New York. Also, since we're at about the halfway point between Halloween and Christmas, this film seems to straddle that interim period quite nicely, being about witches during the Christmas season in Manhattan.

I've long admired Kim Novak's good looks, as, like her contemporary, Marilyn Monroe, she's quite representative of that more curvy, voluptuous type that was definitely in vogue back in the 50's. It's hard for me to pick an absolute favourite of her roles, but "Bell, Book and Candle" is probably it, though of course she is also renowned for her role in Hitchcock's "Vertigo". Also, being the huge Frank Sinatra fan that I am, I have a soft spot for Kim's role in "Pal Joey" too. This was their second film together, having costarred previously in "The Man With the Golden Arm". Here is an original autographed photo from my collection of Sinatra memorabilia, which is a treasured piece as you can imagine.

By the way, here's an interesting bit of trivia relating to "Bell, Book and Candle". Roy E. Disney, the nephew of Walt Disney who is still active in the Company today, is apparently also a big fan of both the movie and the play on which it was based. So much so, that he named his yacht, "Pyewacket", after the Siamese cat that appears alongside Kim Novak as the "familiar" to her witch. (Hey, if I were Pyewacket, I'd probably want to be as familiar with Kim Novak as I could get!)

So in closing, I would like to dedicate this post to Roy Disney, as well as to Jeremy Richey, whose "Moon in the Gutter" blog has become one of my regular daily reads!

Sunday, November 11, 2007

The Cartoon Caveman At Work...

This past week at Sheridan College, two of my current 2nd Year students, Amir Avni and Mitch Kennedy, asked if I would do an on-camera demonstration of how I take a drawing from initial rough gesture through to the final sketch. It was all very spontaneous and we set up in the classroom right after I'd finished this week's lesson to their group. In a matter of minutes the camera was set up on the tripod looking down over my left shoulder and I started sketching away, keeping a stream of consciousness commentary going all the while I was working. Hopefully this will illustrate the ongoing thought process I experience as I am working out a drawing. By the way, I apologize for the initial stage where I am gesturing in quite lightly in blue pencil on the paper. What I didn't realize at the time was that it was just too light for the camera to pick up. However, once I start working out the basic forms on top of the scribbled gesture, you can make out more clearly what I am doing. As for the chosen subject matter, let's just say that there's nothing more appealing to me than doodling a cute gal!

Again, my sincere thanks to Amir and Mitch for coming up with this idea, as it really was quite fun to do and I am actually quite flattered that they asked me. Please be sure to also check out their blogs to see a sampling of what these clever students of mine can do themselves:

Amir Avni
Mitch Kennedy









The finished sketch. By the way, if this were an actual assignment, I would lay a fresh sheet of paper on top of this and refine the drawing much more before inking it.

Tuesday, November 6, 2007

What's My Line?

Again I am going to use John Kricfalusi's blog as a springboard to my topic today. John has been posting art notes that he'd written to hopefully ensure that the studios he was working with overseas would adhere to the correct design style of his show. You can read his post here. I believe what he is talking about in regard to linework relates to what I had also talked about in a Character Design class I gave just a couple of weeks ago to my Sheridan students. Since we rely on lines to a huge extent in cartoon art, the types of lines employed should actually mean something. To illustrate what I am getting at, here are the visual notes I drew for my class:

There really aren't many perfectly straight lines in nature - as they are mostly of human invention, found in machinery, architecture, etc. However, straight lines help to convey rigidity and firmness of form, whether something is absolutely solid or not. Straight lines also denote tension, such as the tautness of a rope pulled tightly, flesh stretched tight over the bone, or the creases in a freshly pressed suit and pants.

The 'C' curve travels in one direction and is mostly employed to show fullness of form. It can portray soft, pudgy flesh and the puffiness of fur. Anything that is inflated with air or bloated with liquid tends to round out into 'C' curves. The effect you can create when using them on humans or animals can also result in personality types that are friendly or comical. (Think of all of the rounded puffy forms on a circus clown, for example.)

The 'S' Curve is a curve that starts out in one direction then changes and curves in the other direction. This type of line is very prevalent in nature and is used to show rhythmic gracefulness of form. Animals that we consider very elegant in their structure, like cats and many types of birds, have flowing forms full of 'S' Curves. And of course an attractive female figure is loaded with them too! Many things in nature also move in 'S' Curve patterns, such as seaweed undulating with the current, a figure skater or ballet dancer, or a squirrel bounding up and down through the grass. A snake has to travel in 'S' Curves, its body pushing off from side to side through complex muscular contractions in order to propel itself forward.

From the examples above, I hope you can get a sense of what type of line will best suggest the desired form. Though I have deliberately used a preponderance of each individual type of line in the respective examples to exaggerate my point, a good drawing should ideally comprise a variety of linework stressing all three types of line. This not only helps to convey the correct form, but also creates visual variety, which is more pleasing to the viewer's eye, ultimately helping to engage their interest. This still of Shere Khan the tiger, from Disney's "The Jungle Book", has a nice variety of straight lines and curves that suggest exactly what the form is.

Here's an example from TV animation that still illustrates the principle of well-chosen lines to convey form. There are a few straight lines on Fred and Barney to show more of their ruggedness relative to their softer wives and round, chubby babies.

Unfortunately, many of today's cartoon shows fail to recognize the importance of line and tend to design everything with too many straight lines and sharp corners. Yes, I share John K's extreme distaste for this supposedly "stylistic" approach, as there really isn't anything clever or appealing about it in my view. Here's an example of what I mean:

This character has been created almost entirely from straight lines. Even his tongue! The result is that the character looks like he's been chiseled out of stone rather than made up of flesh, muscle and hair. The image ultimately has no sense of weight or volume and is merely a flat graphic design, and not a very good one either, considering the directionless arrangement of the lines in the hair for example. It certainly has not been designed for anything more than stiff, mechanical movement either, and this self limitation makes me long for the days when characters were designed specifically to work well in flowing, organic animation. Visually, it has all of the wit and appeal of a connect-the-dots puzzle in a kids' activity book! Sadly, we're seeing more and more witless design in today's TV animation. The tragedy is that it doesn't have to be this way, as there are countless individuals toiling away within the industry (and outside of it too) who are capable of far better design themselves. Why are they not being given a chance to shine? Why this rampant trend toward mediocrity?