Update (super timely edition)

So what have I been doing these past few years?  When not making silly animations/illustrations under a pseudonym or other such shenanigans, I was actually working my first "industry" job as an inbetweener at Bento Box Studios!

 I've been working as an inbetweener for a Hulu original animated comedy series about a group of misfit superheroes called "The Awesomes."

For the two seasons that I've worked on the show, I've come to learn so much more about the inside of the animation industry, though I still feel I've only just barely scratched the surface.  There's still so much more I'd like to do with my animation, and being a part of the *ahem* AWESOME team that made this show was quite the opening chapter to my "professional" endeavors.

You said it, Seth Prock.

Don't worry though.  I know I had promised more ducks, and there are several ideas for them in the works.  With that in mind, hopefully I can actually start getting back to updating this blog a bit more regularly.  

Sketches, "The Tree"

Part of The Process-

Just to whet the appetite, here are just a few of my sketches that are centered around observation and replication of photos and life.  In some of these you'll see my continued struggle to reconcile different aspects of the processes of seeing, interpreting, and drawing.  Mostly of concern are the principles of composition, value, and draftsmanship, as well as the replication of the visual impact that the subject matter evokes.  But an embarrassing amount of anguish is created simply in the attempt to make a drawing look something like its source material.  Ah well. 

 The last picture is a potential title card for an upcoming project of mine, "The Tree."  Based on my reaction to a relationship gone sour, this project is slated to be a traditionally animated narrative of a jilted lover, whose sorrow gives life to a cursed tree.  The project should be a huge stepping stone for me, both in terms of the technical skills that I must acquire in order to complete it, and the emotional catharsis of telling the story itself.

There are some other exciting developments on the way, including several more animated shorts featuring my favorite flatulent ducks.

Big News

The Ottawa International Animation Festival

Last year, as a student of the animation program at the Rhode Island School of Design, I was taken on a school-sponsored trip up to Canada to attend this prestigious festival for the animated arts.  I had been assured by my professors that it was to be a very important and enjoyable experience, but nothing they said prepared me for how right they actually were:

This festival is incredible. 

This horse is awesome.

 Between the new sites and culture, the surrounding museum and architecture, and all of the shwarma restaurants I ate at, I loved Canada.  Even so, the festival itself was the crowning jewel of the whole experience: 

Here was a place where some of the most celebrated and talented people in animation, industry or independent, gathered to watch an exclusive selection of some of the most amazing and inspiring animations from hundreds, if not thousands of submitted films that year.  It was a gathering of enthusiasts appreciating and networking animation on an international scale.

I was floored, and I returned to RISD inspired like never before.  I wanted to become the best animator I could; a process that is still ongoing.  This festival was, and still is, a celebration of some of the best and most inspiring work in animation.  I was a little doubtful that I could ever reach that echelon.  Nevertheless, by the encouragement, advice and counsel of my great friends, family and teachers, I completed my thesis project(s) for school and sent off some audition copies to a selection of festivals, including this one. 

It got in.

Have you ever screamed at literature?  I have.

This is a huge honor, and I can't even begin to express my gratitude to all of the people that helped make it happen.  I'll be doing my best in the coming days to prepare for my upcoming return to Canada, and I've got several personal projects in the pipeline.  So stay tuned for updates, because there's a lot to look forward to. 

"The Greatest Cartoon Ever?"

This was the animation that immediately followed "Ghost" in my series of "completed-in-one-day" animations.  In the model of Greek theater, I decided that comedy should immediately follow the tragedy. Enjoy!

A Daily Animation

For the past couple of days, I've been working almost non-stop on a series of prompts for animations that were to be completed one for each day.  This was the first animation from that set and it holds a special place in my heart.  In light of it not being my usual fare, I decided to post it here to provide some contrast to my more *ahem* sophomoric animations. 

My Blog

Forgive me, as I'm still getting my blogging legs about me.  This space will be used to post the occasional work of art that winds up worthy of internet viewership, starting with this boisterous number to hail the new blog.  Huzzah to new beginnings! Enjoy!