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).

Henri stars in the openning sequence of OUR WORLD

Whew! The annual art festival on Tybee Island coupled with their 120 year anniversary celebration as a city has come to a close.

We did very well selling tons of cards and prints - not only my paintings but Ty B. Bear, too! . My orginals did not sell- I kept the prices up there (300-400.00 for a small canvas and over a grand for larger ones). From talking to other artists, I decided to keep the prices to a point where only folks who LOVE the art will buy it.

Well I am back at work - madly rushing about…

AND…in two weeks FREE animation workshops will be presented by yours truly at AWN. It is a six week workshop… and I am finishing the materials for that…more on the workshop later…

This one was a little trickier because of the bulk of the character and the long head and neck of Tony. Note: what you are seeing stops at his nose…his eyes, forehead and head are above the nose.

In my renewed efforts toward OUR WORLD…a new card has been produced for the festival circuit (pictured above).

More later….

CROSSING THE LINE was headed at a good pace toward completion…when two other films got in the way!

The first is OUR WORLD. This premiered at the Ludwig Museum in Cologne, Germany in October 2005…as the graduation event for the animation classes from the Internationale FilmSchule (IFS). Under the watchful eye of course head and producer, Alexandra Ohlsen, the film enjoyed fruitful stint at a hand full of European film festivals. One part of the film, FOR SALE, won a second place in the student segment of the Hamburg Animation festival.

To recap, the project was an international co-production between myself and the IFS. Animation was produced by students mostly in Germany and one segment was produced in the U.S. During the days leading up to the Cologne premiere, I was working away on my animation in Savannah and then finished the work in Cologne, Germany and in Provence, France. The film was designed like a relay race where everyone would begin with the world and end with the world. The idea was to see what folks had to say about the world. The film is meant to be an on-going project. In fact, I still have 3 sequences that are not in the film and will be added at a later date.

I received my copies of OUR WORLD in February of 2007. The film has created some interest and is experiencing a bit of a rebirth. So…because I want folks to see the film and talk about it and the state of the world! That may all be a bit extreme- and…I think it’s worth a shot. So I am repackaging the film and sending it off to Festivals in the U.S. A friend told me about

The second film to enter the fray is THE TRY OUT. It is a one gag, football based animated film. It involves a placekicker.
This is just a really fun project that has created itself. I am 3/4 of the way through the animation and hope to have it finished by the end of this month.

A concept drawing from my sketchbook!!!

CROSSING THE LINE will be back in the pipeline in November.

EVEN MORE ANIMATED!

Here’s another sketch from he cafe at Barnes and Knoble.

BaseCamp-a.jpg

As I was waiting in the cafe- I made a list of everything that was needed for a fun day at the beach - here are the things that came to mind.

Well, the rather huge convention on the Left Coast has driven me to do some of the things I can do- like draw and paint in my sketchbook.

This is a family lounging on the beach at Tybee Island

Here is a sampling from around the Savannah cafes and the beach on Tybee Island.

While having a smoothie at Cafe Ambrosia, this young mother was waiting patiently for her daughters.

Here is my daughter Kristin relaxing away an afternoon at Cafe Ambrosia in Savannah,

At the Annecy festival a group of animators show films not selected for the competition and call it the Annecy Plus.

Another sketch of folks in the Bean having a meeting

Well here is my version of a Left Coast Computer Plus - only with ink pens and watercolors!

ome kids were playing at North beach on Tybee island

As of Monday- I get down to some really serious stuff - animation wise.
EVEN MORE ANIMATED!

Here’s some more animation!

These are selected clips from the animated short, OUR WORLD.

This film was produced over several years and just finalized a couple of months ago.
The working premiere was screened in Cologne in October 2005 before a “standing room only crowd”

When I created the project I was thinking in terms of an ANIJAM (a film organized by Marv Newland)- a sort of animation relay.

I wanted to see what other folks thought of the world. I tried to involve students from schools here in the States…and for one reason or another
it never quite unfolded…

In 2005, I took the project to IFS - International FilmSchule in Koln (Cologne) and two groups of students along with
animator Jared Chapman in Austin, Texas and yours truly worked on the film. Work was produced in Savannah, Cologne, Austin and Provence.

The animation you see is some of my work on the film. I have added narration.

I want to thank Alexandra Ohlsen from IFS who produced the final film version. Also big thanks to Kent Braun of Digicel, Inc. for
the use of Flipbook software (the best and easiest 2D animation software around).

Thanks also to all the artists who worked on the film and to Sadie Miley for her work on the digital ink and paint of my sequences.

Last but least to my lifetime muse, Tricia, who for over 30 years has inspired me.

even more animated…..

This is a small snipit of a pencil test from Crossing the Line.

If this works then I can upload videos, animation and other cool stuff!!!

I shot this test with my webcam pointed at my animation disc using FLIPBOOK by Digicel

SOOOOOOOOooooooooooo easy!

Well, it’s just past the half way point of the month and much to my amazement and joy, the key drawings for CROSSING THE LINE are past half way completed.

The method of using the thumbnails has worked very well. It does provides the necessary footage and also some funny animation circumstances. My favorites have included footage completed at the waiting room of an automobile service department and the local ice cream/ coffee shop. These places also provide wonderful opportunities to sketch the customers as they come and go…

…another plus, free donuts at the car dealership…

Well, onward and upward- “animation wise”

A few more sketches….

Here’s the first worm character’s head evolution

The model sheet from the pencil character/prop

a partial Henri reference walk