San Francisco Mass Drawing Event Tonight!

If I were in the Bay Area tonight, I would definitely check this out. It's "Southern Exposure's 6th Annual Monster Drawing Rally", where a bunch of artists draw like mad and sell the drawings for $50 each. It'd be a blast to see the crazy atmosphere of it, and with 100 artists participating, there's bound to be lots of great work.

Jerry Beck Hosts Archive Benefit Screening Tonight in LA

If you're in LA and looking for something animation related to do tonight, you can go check out Jerry Beck. Forwarding this from ASIFA:
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This Thursday night, February 23rd, animation historian Jerry Beck will be presenting a program at the Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, CA. The event is a fundraiser for the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, and it looks like it will be a lot of fun.

Jerry will be discussing the studios we don't usually hear enough about... Harman-Ising, Lantz, Terry, Fleischer and Columbia, among others... and he will be screening choice films from his personal collection. Mike Van Eaton will have amazing original production artwork from the films on display, and tasty refreshments will be served. Bring along your copy of Jerrry's books, Animated Movie Guide, Animation Art, The Pink Panther Guide or Looney Tunes: The Ultimate Visual Guide. He'd be happy to autograph them for you.

Great cartoons, amazing artwork and finger food... What more could you ask for?

Admission is $8 and seating is limited. If you plan to attend, you must RSVP to vegallery4@aol.com. The fun begins at 7:30pm, Feb. 23rd, at Van Eaton Galleries, 13613 Ventura Blvd. in Sherman Oaks. Please come out to this event and support the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive.

For more information, see... http://asifa.proboards61.com/index.cgi?action=calendarview&thread=1140319611

Sketch Blog To Check Out

Passing this along from a friend. It's a blog of sketches by a bunch of DreamWorks artists. There's some nice work and it's neat to see the different styles. Contributing artists are Fabio Lignini, Luis Grane, Jakob Jensen, Arnaud Berthier, Simon Otto. Check out this cool one by Jakob:

Miss Mindy's Blog

I had lunch last week with my friend Mindy. We talked about art, animation, the business, personal projects, staying focused, lots of fun art stuff while enjoying Chinese food. Anyway, Mindy has a new blog, that you can read here. I'm also linking to it on the right in the links column for future reference. It features some of her great paintings and some freaky photos of her at Halloween. :)

Here's a painting of hers that we got recently. It's awesome! In case it's not clear from the photo, Mindy often paints on wood cutouts, so the image is silhouetted against the wall. I love it!

New Justice League Tonight!

Yeee-hah! I just saw an ad for a new episode of Justice League tonight! We've got plans, but we've also got TiVo! Woo-hoo!

(Just wanted to post in case people can catch it tonight).

Some Good Job Postings That've Come My Way

For people looking for work, check out these jobs that have come my way in the last week or so. If you're a member of LA SIGGRAPH, then you get jobs emailed to you pretty often. These looked like some good ones, so I thought I'd pass them along. Also, if you check out Laika's postings you could go work alongside my nemesis and friend, Josh Look.
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The Lucas Companies:
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The Lucasfilm Recruiting team with recruiters from Industrial Light + Magic, Lucasfilm Animation, and LucasArts will be conducting interviews in Los Angeles during mid-February.For immediate consideration please apply online choosing ‘LA 2006 CONSIDERATION’ at either http://www.ilm.com/, http://www.lucasfilm.com/, or www.lucasarts.com.
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LAIKA:
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Please e-mail resumes to tknott@laika.com referencing the position in the subject heading.For additional information please go to www.laika.com
Laika Entertainment, based in Portland Oregon, is currently in production on several animated feature films including: Neil Gaiman’s “Coraline” , directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and The Giant Peach); and "Jack and Ben", written and directed by Jorgen Klubien (Monsters Inc, Toy Story 2, A Bug’s Life, The Lion King, The Little Mermaid).
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General Technical DirectorsGeneralist/Character Setup Technical Director
Responsibilities:- Work with modelers and animators setting up characters and props- Design and implement user interfaces and controls- Troubleshoot problems and changes- Integrate rendered and live action elements into composited image- Compile all elements of a shot and following it through to completionQualifications:- Working knowledge of Windows, OSX and Linux platforms.- Extensive working knowledge of Maya and rigging in Maya- 2+ years experience in Mel Scripting- 3+ years experience in CG Animation/Visual Effects- 2+ years experience in Shake- Tracking experience in Matchmover, Boujou or other tracking software- Excellent communications skills- Problem solving skills under tight deadlinesGeneralist Technical DirectorResponsibilities:- Troubleshoot problems and changes- Integrate rendered and live action elements into composited image- Compile all elements of a shot and following it through to completion- Research computer graphics techniques and develops and implements them appropriatelyQualifications:- Working knowledge of Windows, OSX and Linux platforms.- Extensive working knowledge of Maya and rigging in MayaFX experience in fluids, cloth, hair/fur- 2+ years experience in Mel Scripting- 3+ years experience in CG Animation/Visual Effects- 2+ years experience in Shake- Tracking experience in Matchmover, Boujou or other tracking software- Excellent communications skills- Problem solving skills under tight deadlines
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Rigger/Character Setup Technical Director
The R&D Rigger works closely with Artists and Technical Directors to design, and develop in-house Looks Dev projects and to solve production issues and make productions more efficient.Responsibilites:- test pipeline for R/D- setup characters and props;- develop interfaces and tools for assisting animation;- Work with in a team environment;- Support Multiple ProductionsQualifications:- Strong understanding of anatomy of animals and humans;- Expertise with Maya in rigging and deformation systems;- Experience with C/C++, Perl, Python, Mel;- Experience in modeling, texturing and/or animation a plus;- Understanding of animation prinicples
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EffectsTechnical Director
The Effects TD works closely with Artists and Technical Directors to research, design, and develop in-house tools to solve production issues and make productions more efficient.Responsibilities:- Design and write shaders; procedural textures and procedural models (cloth/hair/fur/partical);- Develop effects-related tools and techniques;- Work with in a team environment;- Support Multiple Productions.Qualifications:- Expertise in procedural animation, particle effects and surface shader development;- Experience with Linux;- Experience with C/C++, Perl, Python, Mel;- Strong working knowledge of Maya, Renderman, Shake and Houdini;- Knowledge of Syfiex, Shave And A Haircut and Realflow a plus.
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Character Technical Director
The R&D Character Animation TD works closely with Artists and Technical Directors to research, design, and develop in-house tools to solve production issues and make productions more efficient.Responsibilities:- Character rigging and setup- Create and support interfaces, control mechanisms and tools for animation- Integrate Characters and rigs into the production pipeline.- Work with in a team environment;- Support Multiple Productions.Qualifications:- A strong working knowledge of Maya;- Experience with Linux a plus;- Experience with C/C++, Perl, Python and/or Mel a plus;- Understanding of physical motion, weight, balance and form;- Knowledge of human and animal anatomy.
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Shader Writer
The R&D Shader Writer TD works closely with Artists and Technical Directors to research, design, and develop in-house tools to solve production issues and make productions more efficient.Responsibilities:- Design and write Renderman shaders;- Develop rendering tools;- Maintain the library of shaders and shader tools;- Write surface, light, displacement and volume shaders;- Work with in a team environment;- Support Multiple Productions.Qualifications:- strong working knowledge of Renderman and Renderman tools;- strong technical skills in design and implementation of production-ready shaders;- a solid understanding of color and lighting;- Experience with Linux;- Experience with C/C++, Perl, Python, Mel;- BS in computer science or related discipline.
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Senior Software Engineer
The R&D Software Engineer works closely with Artists and Technical Directors to research, design, and develop in-house tools to solve production issues and make productions more efficient.Responsibilities:- Design, build, test and support new systems and software;- Maintain current systems and software;- Work with in a team environment;- Support Multiple Productions.Qualifications:- 5+ years of experience programming in C/C++, perl, Python and Mel;- Strong Experience with Unix/Linux;- Experience working with technical and non-technical software users;- Knowledge of 3D graphic applications (Maya, Shake and Renderman) a plus;- Strong problem solving and communication skills;- Ability to work in a team environment;- M.S. degree in Computer Science or equivalent.
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Production Database Administrator
The Production Database Developer/ Administrator will be tasked with ensuring that the database environment is designed and managed to meet the demands for availability, performance and manageability. Other functions include administration, performance tuning, planning, optimization, data modeling, development, and support.Responsibilities:- Data model design and recommendations.- Maintenance of database.- Optimize database performance.- Estimate database capacities.- Develop methods for monitoring database capacity and usage.Qualifications:- SQL databases such as Postgres and MySQL.- Database development, implementation, and administration in Linux / Unix environment.- Performance tuning and capacity planning, especially with Postgres.- Strong troubleshooting, debugging, problem solving, and analytical skills.- Clear understanding of complete development life cycle from design through implementation.- Good communication (verbal and written) and interpersonal skills.- BS Computer Science or equivalent.- 3 years experience as a DBA or equivalent.Preferred Abilities and Knowledge- Additional experience with Oracle.- Programming experience (preferably in Python).- Experience working in a CG animation production environment.
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CG Department Manager
LAIKA/House is looking for a CG Department Manager / Sr. Technical Director (Generalist) for its Commercial Division.Responsibilities:- Manage TD and Animation personnel- Develop technical/workflow strategies- Develop/Maintain Budgets- Work with producers and directors formaulating bids, timelines and staffing plans- Function as a Sr. Technical DirectorQualifications:- Working knowledge of Windows, OSX and Linux platforms.- Extensive working knowledge of Maya- 3 + years in CG Animation/Visual Effects- 2+ years leading CG teams.- Strong Communication Skills- 2+ years FX experience in fluids, cloth, hair/fur
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DreamWorks Animation
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Character Animators to work on our upcoming films!
Location: Glendale, CaliforniaDescription:Animators help to establish a character. They are depended upon to create the highest quality of animation for the film. They are able to handle any variety of shot from action-filled to serious acting.Responsibilities include:• Work closely with directing animator and supervising animator to keep characters on model. Set a high quality standard of animation for other animators to follow.• Help develop the emotional content of each scene through strong acting skills.• Support other animators creatively and professionally.• Test character setups and develop new animation tools.How to apply:1. Please paste/copy resume into the body of an email with the subject line of "Character Animator-Job Code: VFP" and send to animjobs@dreamworks.com(*Attachments of ANY kind are automatically deleted by our system due to virus concerns)2. Send Demo Reel to:DreamWorks Animation - Recruiting Dept.Attn: Character Animator1000 Flower StreetGlendale, CA 91201Visit us at: www.dreamworksanimation.com
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Lighters
DreamWorks Animation Seeks Lighters to work on our upcoming films!Location: Glendale, CaliforniaDescription:Seeking individuals with 5+ years of feature film experience (visual effects or cg animation) creating computer-generated surfaces, textures, lighting and "look" for animated projects.Qualifications:Requires entertainment/production experience with Maya, Renderman and Mental Ray. Experience with effects animation, compositing, shell scripting a plus. Requires reel to show aesthetic sense of color, texture, light and shadow.How to apply:1. Please paste/copy resume into the body of an email with the subject line of "Lighter-Job Code: VFP" and send to animjobs@dreamworks.com(*Attachments of ANY kind are automatically deleted by our system due to virus concerns)2. Send Demo Reel to:DreamWorks Animation: Recruiting Dept.Attn: Lighter1000 Flower StreetGlendale, CA 91201Visit us at: www.dreamworksanimation.com
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Visual Development Artist
DreamWorks Animation Seeks Visual Development Artists
Location: Glendale, CaliforniaDescription:• Explores and creates artwork that informs the early story process.• Works with Production Designers and Art Directors to generate and maintain character, environment, background color and texture, lighting and/pr prop design.• Contributes story and visual ideas.• Works with story and layout artists on design specifics.• Executes looks in 2D or 3D to pass on for further development.How to apply:1. Please paste/copy resume into the body of an email with the subject line of "Viz Dev Artist-Job Code: VFP" and send to animjobs@dreamworks.com(*Attachments of ANY kind are automatically deleted by our system due to virus concerns)2. Send Demo Reel to:DreamWorks Animation - Recruiting Dept.Attn: Viz Dev Artist1000 Flower StreetGlendale, CA 91201Visit us at: http://www.dreamworksanimation.com/

Nickelodeon Annie Award Winners!

The 33rd Annual Annie Awards were held this past Saturday, February 4th at The Alex Theatre in Glendale. There were some winners from Nickelodeon! Congratulations to:

Character Design in an Animated Television Production:
Ernie Gilbert - The Fairly OddParents - “The Good Old Days”.

Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production:
Lauren MacMullan - Avatar: The Last Airbender - “The Deserter”.

Writing in an Animated Television Production:
C.H. Greenblatt, Paul Tibbitt, Mike Bell and Tim Hill - SpongeBob SquarePants - “Fear of a Krabby Patty”.

Also, on a non-Nickelodeon note, the winner for Best Animated Television Production was "Star Wars: Clone Wars II Chapters 21-25" - Cartoon Network Studios. I absolutely loved that series so it's great they got the recognition. Congratulations to all the winners!

Superman Re-Design Posted Again For Ya

I've seen from my web stats that quite a few people have arrived here with the search terms "Superman re-design". Well, since the little hacker turds hacked my old blog and I took it down, it's been offline. But you gotta give the public what they want, right? So, here it is, a re-posting of the old posting.
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While I'm catching up with life, here's something I put together a while back. I saw the shot of Superman from the forthcoming movie, and I have a few issues with the character. Being a major fan of the Superman animated series as well as Justice League/Unlimited, I like their take on the more traditionalcostume. Here's a slight re-design:

Movie version on the left. My re-design on the right.

Here's my re-design isolated, with notes on it:

It's not a ton different, but I thought there was way too much negative space on the torso, and I like the larger shield. Also, I think brighter colors are better, although the current trend is to keep things more pulled in. Like superheroes will wear yellow and red and blue, but not too bright, then people might talk… I also don't think the "S" symbol on the belt is necessary, it's just redundant - the other "S" shield is a foot above it". The thigh line lower is similar to how Jim Lee recently modified Batman's costume, it makes everything seem a little less whitey-tightyish.

They did do a good job of staying true to the comics though, which is good. None of this "Spiderman spend one year and over a million dollars of new costume designs just to end back at the one that's worked for over 40 years" nonsense. I realize my changes are subtle, but I'm sure smaller points were debated for months and cost tens of thousands of dollars: this be free!

My friend makes the Colbert Report!

So, in by far one of the most exciting things of late (besides the Pixar news!), a friend of mine got the "Wag of the Finger" on the Colbert Report on Comedy Central. See, he's a big shot psychologist in the field and the Wall Street Journal published an article on his research on Monday. Colbert and other Republicans did not like the finding of the research, which suggested a relationship between political leanings and hidden racial biases. So, when Colbert gave a wag of the finger to Brian, it was quite exciting to say the least. If you want to see the science behind the study, check this out (I designed the website!). Be forewarned though, the last time I showed a friend the site he took the tests for several hours straight!

I joined the Nickelodeon softball team

One of the cool things about working for a big studio is that they sometimes have sports teams. Nickelodeon has a softball and basketball team, and last week they were looking for a couple of new guys to join the co-ed team. I'd been wanting to play softball again for some time. I had a great team with a bunch of my friends back in the early-mid-90s. So, when I heard there were spots I jumped on it. Monday night we had the 3rd game of the season, my first game. We lost, but not by much. I hit .500 with one RBI, which I was disappointed by. Also, I realized that playing in your early 30's is different than your early 20's. So, I'm working out, trying to get back in game shape. Cue "Eye of the Tiger" here...

I just can't wait 'til we play Disney soon!