This group is ready to make films

Family Programs 2008 at the Telfair Museum

Winter Session Dates (4 weeks): Jan 28-Feb 22
Spring Session Dates (6 weeks): April 14-May 23

Character Design for Teens (Ages 13-16) New!
Experience the art of animation in this overview session for teens. Participants will explore the basics of animation, weight, speed, timing, etc, through the creation of flipbooks, stop-motion projects, clay character-animation, and drawing. The student will be the animator and director!

Instructor: Larry Lauria
Materials included. $80 members/$90 non-members
Limit 15 students
Thursdays 4pm-6pm

Character Design for Adults Ages 17+ New!
Based on the Jepson Center exhibition Leadership: Oliphant Cartoons and Sculpture from the Bush Years, Character Design will teach you techniques to sketch and design cartoon characters. Hailing from the Disney Institute, seasoned animator Larry Lauria will guide you through the basics of animation and cartoon character development.

Instructor: Larry Lauria
A supply list will be provided. $80 members/
$100 non-members
Limit 12 students
Wednesdays 10am-1pm

To register: Please download the online registration form after contacting studio coordinator to check class availability at stifelt@telfair.org or 790-8823.

Hello.

I just cleared out my COMMENT box and the 2000 plus spam messages- that plus the 1200 + from the Christmas Holidays and it is NO FUN!

If you have a comment please email me at lanimate@bellsouth.net and I will transfer it to my page.

Thanks…

Here is Ty B. bear in Central Park skating with pretzels, a hot dog - in the bg in a subway and a carriage ride thru the Park

Okay, so I’m a bit late with the New year greetings. We spent Christmas and New Years in New York City with our son and his wife.

It was the first time we had two weeks to explore NYC - most of the time it was quick trips to recruit or use post-production facilities. As the saying goes, “I love New York”. We had a wonderful two weeks exploring Queens and Manhattan. No better place to be in the U.S. during the holidays than a large city.

This first sketch is an early compilation of our New York activities.

It did snow for about 15 minutes - just enough for us to take a walk around the neighborhood

We stayed in Astoria, Queens and it was an easy 10 minute subway ride into “Midtown”. It reminded us so much of Europe- we were smack, dab in the middle of the Greek section - it was aterrific holiday.

Astoria abounds with wonderful Greek cafes- this is an early morning sketch!

We had a couple of meals in Little Italy at Cafe Sorrento. The first was with our family and the second was with an Irish friend visiting during the holidays.

Here is a napkin sketch of Ty B. Bear in Little Italy- note the flying cannolis!

Since we returned on the 3rd - we have been up to our necks in work and projects.
2008 looks like a great year!

Even more animated…

Here is another Christmas bumper we did as part of a package of holiday bumpers….long ago. The Currier and Ives look was achieved by our art director/ B.G. artist, Michael Lowery. These were early in his career and Michael always did a terrific job of translating into color some of our wacky ideas.

By the way…that final shot trucks out from a 10 field to a 23 field on the Christmas bulb.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!!

Here is My Christmas list of My Favorite Holiday Animation….enjoy…

Peace on Earth by MGM’s Hugh Harmon and Rudolph Ising (1939) nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

Cosmic Christmas by Nelvanna directed by Frank Nissen

A Wish for Wings that Work (1991) Universal TV Animation, director Skip Jones

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Chuck Jones

A Peanuts Christmas by Charles Schulz Produced by Bill Melendez

Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Disney Studios,1983, directed by Burny Mattinson

Ziggy’s Gift directed by Richard Williams (1982)

A Christmas Carol, A Ghost story directed by Richard Williams, produced by Chuck Jones

Twice Upon a Christmas produced by the Disney Studios

The Box by Paul Driessen (1975)

Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer by Rankin and Bass (1964)

This is a pencil test of the TONY sequence from the animated film OUR WORLD. It was not included in the final because we had enough sequences between longer pieces of animation. If OUR WORLD is an ongoing project- then it will be added later…

All of my animation was shot in FLIPBOOK software by Digicel.

This is RUFF animation and the timing was changed in certain areas after this test…see if you can find what we changed…

Tony is based on my former producer Tony Ames- principle percussionist of the National Symphony in Washington, D.C.

Tony doesn’t really look like this- except for his “go for it” attitude in life. My BEST producer EVER!!!

Sometime last century, a small animation studio on the outskirts of Washington D.C. was a hub of activity. This animated clip motivated their entire process. It was the first animation produced by the Animation House, Inc. in Alexandria, Virginia.

The staff grew from 1 to 6 in about three weeks and on to about 40 artists. keep in mind this was back in the animation stone age when animation was draw by pencil in hand, those drawings inked onto cels and those cels with their beautiful hand-painted backgrounds shot under a camera stand one frame at a time….ahhhhhhhhhh, the good old days.

Freddy’s Christmas was the first animation produced. It was a huge test, a leap of faith, a coming together of kindred animated souls for the art form. Everything seemed so simple then.

It took less than two weeks to animate, paint cels, do backgrounds, do the music, voice (yes, thats me singing off key- on purpose…really), sound effects and mix, edt- out the door.

That was a great time…very special…my thanks to everyone who participated

Raul as depicted in a cartoon sketch on Tybee Island, GA.

Here is a cartoon sketch of a filmmaker friend of mine Raul O Leary. We first worked together on the North/South of Ireland project ANIMAGIC! The idea of ANIMAGIC spawned from the CINEMAGIC Film Festival in Belfast and Derry (known as Londonderry to some folks.)

Anyhow, Raul was instrumental to the animation that appeared between the animated sequences. Raul was GREAT! He never complained and just did his work.

The cartoon sketch here depicts him in his new role from his new live-action project IN SEARCH OF OSAMA.

Hopefully, I can get a hold of some footage and place it on the site or give a link to his site.

Raul spent three years on his quest, it is ALL shot POV (point of view).

This the answer to an email I received today regarding the construction and design of Cute Little Girl Characters.

The request wanted a simple character that could be made into a CG character.

As always I began with 3D type construction to breakdown the character into simple forms and then “play” from there.

Besides the sketch I drew for the demo- I added a few more ideas…

Besides the sketch I drew for the demo- I added a few more ideas…

It came at a good time for me so I jumped right in and there you go…

Cafes and Coffeehouses!

I really enjoy a good cafe or coffeehouse - not particularly for the beverages - but for the scene. They are great places to people watch and to sketch people. With practice, it is easy to glance at someone- get their attitude or pose or face and transfer that via pen and waterbrush to a sketch book.

Here are a couple pages from the UNDERGROUND coffeehouse (on Main and Coffee Streets) in Greenville, SC.

The Underground IS underground. A wonderful basement level cafe with tables and chairs and couches and a stage for night-time events, films  and performances…and they are expanding!

It is a great place to draw!

A page of people sketches using pen and waterbrush

more people as they drift in early last Sunday morning

More to come…still animated!