No requests today. Simple pen and ink drawing of friends playing cards.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Monday, January 30, 2006
Drinkin' Buddies
"A man in a stylish suit and tie with a donkey head sitting across from a large fat carp, both drinking iron city beers."So sayeth bottomunion.
So draweth sketch-it.
Yes, this one took longer than sixty seconds. How many exactly? Three-hundred sixty four.
I just felt like spending a bit more time on this one. Considering that bottomunion is such a loyal customer and all.
Also, I was inspired by Tom Judd's Everyday. Some guy in the UK decided he was going to draw one drawing a day for a whole year. Ah-Maze-Zing! His drawings cover an entire page and they are more like many drawings instead of just one. The images are so dense it takes a while to view just one of them. It is definately a site I will return to. Again and again.
MashUps, ReMixes and Hacks
I've was very busy this past weekend working on sketch-it. You may not notice it by looking at the place but it's true. A successful blog lives and dies by the post. Not post-age, no view-age.There's another image for bottomunion I have yet to sketch and post today. More on that later.
Because I am creating, on average, one new sketch each day and about one and a half new posts each day, I want to have some sort of organization for all of this information. Call them Tags or Categories, they are a good idea. It's all part of this machine-readable movement that is hot again. Just like putting alt="" descriptions in for images, Tags give everyone more information about a posted item.
This also makes the items more accessible. Some people still browse the internet using text only browsers like Lynx. It's faster and eliminates a lot of visual noise. Try it sometime.
Google is usually ahead of the curve when it comes to accessibility of information on the internets. Not so in the case of Tags. After conducting a search via Blog Search for the terms blogger categories I soon learned Blogger doesn't have them(results).
After some preliminary research I settled upon the Greasemonkey|Del.ico.us MashUp method. Some people don't like this solution and prefer to utilize results from Blog Search. That may make for a more unified visitor experience but I prefer to use the best tools available. In my opinion, that's definately Greasemonkey and absolutely Del.ico.us.
Ever since checking out Flickr and seeing the tag cloud, I knew it was an effective visualization of information. There's a screen grab of sketch-it's tag cloud at the top left of this post. If you want to implement this solution in your blog, go here. FreshBlog has a variety of categorization solutions available.
Greasemonkey is a FireFox extension that enables thrid parties to develop JavaScripts to extend the capabilities of the browser. I currently use FasterFox, Greasemonkey, NoScript and Blogger Web Comments extensions.
FreshBlog's Greasemonkey solution creates a blogger entry box below Title called Tags. Simply entering a list of space separated tags, answering some questions after hitting publish post and clicking on the incorporated Del.ico.us link on the Refresh Blog page is all there is to it. You of course need a Del.ico.us account before undertaking this project.
Since I had about 50 posts, it took me a while to re-Publish each one with all of the appropriate tags. You can see that I receive a lot of requests to sketch animals.
The only way this method could be made easier if there were a list of tags with radio buttons from which to chose my tags a la WordPress. Thing with Blogger is I didn't have to install or update anything. I like it that way. With any sceeding of control goes the ability to modify. That is until someone comes up with a clever hack.
Friday, January 27, 2006
Micro-Minute Update
Rolling in is the first update of the new, visitor requested, Micro-Minute, animated short. Currently there are nine frames as determined by you, the casual peruser of sketch-it.That leaves a mere one thousand seven hundred ninety one frames left to be requested. I sense your hesitation. You are reluctant to become a part of interactive animated history soon to be known as WikiTainment.
Yes, you could sit idly by just like you did at all of those high school dances. I say don't let another dream-boat date pass you up. Get on out on that dance floor.
Micro-Minute Details here.
Thursday, January 26, 2006
Donkey Konk!
Why was the video game called Donkey Kong? There was Mario and the princess and the Ape. No donkeys. It would have been just as surreal if the vilain were a donkey and not a primate.I'm sure there's someone out there who knows the answer and it's just a matter of time before they find this silly picture for those crazy folks over at Bottomunion. They'll leave a comment, inhail happily and quickly through their asthma afflicted noses and chortle to themselves. Then they'll go over to Bottomunion and watch a couple of episodes of Carp Caviar.
Where they go from there is anyone's guess. Perhaps they'll decide to venture outside. They might feel the warm tingling of actual sunshine on their skin.
Doing our part. All in a minute's work.
Wednesday, January 25, 2006
From the Archives 002
I flew out to California with a stack of demo reels, my flipbook business cards and a whole lot of youthful idealism. This was the summer of 1996. Being a thrifty individual (hobo artist) I flew out on a red eye, stayed at the Santa Monica Youth Hostel and drove around in a Rent-A-Wrek.My trusty steed, a 1991 Ford Fiesta, cost me $20 a day and I parked it on the street, pumping quarters every few hours. I spent most of the working day driving to interviews or studios that didn't care about my work or my tiny flipbooks, so parking wasn't an issue.
If you've ever stayed at a youth hostel you know about the lack of privacy and security of property. I bought food at a supermarket and prepared it in the community kitchen.
All of the time I spent on the freeways in L.A. aggravated me. Having lived in Chicago, with ample public transportation, I began to loath the entire set up of the metropolitan area. If you love it and it works for you, great. Me, I hate having to get in my car and drive fifteen minutes just to return a video or buy a gallon of milk.
A company called Hypertoons was interested in hiring me. I declined and cancelled my upcoming appointments. I ended up changing my flight and leaving three days early. "I can make it as an animator in Minnesota," I thought.
One of my attempts at this goal was the "Daily Pencil Test". A pencil test is a rush-film version of an animated movie. Before any artwork is transferred to acetate cells and painted, the paper and pencil artwork is filmed. This gives the creators an idea of what the movement and timing look like without too much work going into it.
I reasoned I could create five seconds of animation each day and post it on a web site. How was I going to make money doing this? It was 1997 nobody cared about silly details like that. That's not true. I cared about silly little details like that. I had to pay rent and buy food. Not to mention repaying all of those student loans. That's why there's only this introduction piece and not any episodes of the "Daily Pencil Test".
Every now and again I trot out this idea and contemplate resurrecting it. For now, sketching requests in sixty seconds will have to suffice.
From the Archives 001
Ten years ago when I finished my computer animation training course at the School of Communication Arts in Minneapolis, I created a flipbook business card. I thought that it would be the little something that put my demo reel package over the top and get me that job at Pixar.While I was going to school I worked for a sign company and used an exacty knife to cut away scrap vinyl to create the hard-edged graphics.
Even though I was learning how to animate on computers, I did not own a computer. These were the days of 486 Pentiums and if you had 32 Megs of RAM you were stylin'.
The finished product consisted of twelve separate business cards, each containing one frame of animation. I made them by hand; cutting, assembling, stapling. Before attending computer animation school I studied hand-drawn animation at Columbia College in Chicago. I was accustomed to doing things the hard way. If I wanted animation, there was no other option.
I gave away all of the original flipbook business cards so I can't show you a picture. They are probably all in a landfill in California and New York, where I had hoped to start my new animation career. About five years ago I was unemployed and dug up the original vinyl frames and made the animated GIF you see above.
After ten years and countless releases of computer animation software, this handmade little ditty still looks good. Proof positive that the only limitation is your imagination.
Donkey on Tightrope
This is sketch number three of five requested by the brain trusts over at bottomunion. They tell me that the intended purpose of these requested images are, as of yet, unclear. I just wanted to know for my own curiosity but they don't need a purpose.Perhaps you like donkeys or maybe monkeys. Me, I like to sketch. Let's make some beutiful music together.
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
Pan left? Pan right? Just PAN.
mr. sketch-it is on the PAN. The Public Address Network is a collaboration of the following:Mica Scalin
Adam Quirk
Melissamus Maximus
Christopher Weagel
Erik Nelson
League of Space Pirates
Nick Rasche
Professor the Internet
Fifteen minutes of portable video nourishment delivered daily. Add it to your daily diet. (some adult language and adult content)
Donkeze
Once I was happy, but now I'm forlorn
Like an old coat that is tattered and torn;
Left on this world to fret and to mourn,
Betrayed by a maid in her teens.
The girl that I loved she was handsome;
I tried all I knew her to please
But I could not please her one quarter so well
As the man upon the trapeze.
He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease,
That daring young man on the flying trapeze.
His movements were graceful, all girls he could please
And my love he purloined away.
This young man by name was Signor Bona Slang,
Tall, big and handsome, as well made as Chang.
Where'er he appeared the hall loudly rang
With ovation from all people there.
He'd smile from the bar on the people below
And one night he smiled on my love.
She wink'd back at him and she shouted "Bravo,"
As he hung by his nose up above.
Her father and mother were both on my side
And very hard tried to make her my bride;
Her father he sighed, and her mother she cried,
To see her throw herself away.
Like an old coat that is tattered and torn;
Left on this world to fret and to mourn,
Betrayed by a maid in her teens.
The girl that I loved she was handsome;
I tried all I knew her to please
But I could not please her one quarter so well
As the man upon the trapeze.
He'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease,
That daring young man on the flying trapeze.
His movements were graceful, all girls he could please
And my love he purloined away.
This young man by name was Signor Bona Slang,
Tall, big and handsome, as well made as Chang.
Where'er he appeared the hall loudly rang
With ovation from all people there.
He'd smile from the bar on the people below
And one night he smiled on my love.
She wink'd back at him and she shouted "Bravo,"
As he hung by his nose up above.
Her father and mother were both on my side
And very hard tried to make her my bride;
Her father he sighed, and her mother she cried,
To see her throw herself away.
'Twas all no avail, she went there every night,
And would throw him bouquets on the stage,
Which caused him to meet her; how he ran me down,
To tell you would take a whole page.
One night I as usual went to her dear home,
Found there her father and mother alone.
I asked for my love, and soon they made known,
To my horror that she'd run away.
She'd packed up her box and eloped in the night
With him, with the greatest of ease;
From two stories high he had lowered her down
To the ground on his flying trapeze@e.
Some months after this I went to the Hall;
Was greatly surprised to see on the wall
A bill in red letters, which did my heart gall,
That she was appearing with him.
He'd taught her gymnastics and dressed her in tights,
To help him live at his ease,
And made her assume a masculine name,
And now she goes on the trapeze.
She'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease,
You'd think her the man young man on the flying trapeze.
Her movements were graceful, all girls she could please,
And that was the end of my love.
And would throw him bouquets on the stage,
Which caused him to meet her; how he ran me down,
To tell you would take a whole page.
One night I as usual went to her dear home,
Found there her father and mother alone.
I asked for my love, and soon they made known,
To my horror that she'd run away.
She'd packed up her box and eloped in the night
With him, with the greatest of ease;
From two stories high he had lowered her down
To the ground on his flying trapeze@e.
Some months after this I went to the Hall;
Was greatly surprised to see on the wall
A bill in red letters, which did my heart gall,
That she was appearing with him.
He'd taught her gymnastics and dressed her in tights,
To help him live at his ease,
And made her assume a masculine name,
And now she goes on the trapeze.
She'd fly through the air with the greatest of ease,
You'd think her the man young man on the flying trapeze.
Her movements were graceful, all girls she could please,
And that was the end of my love.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
Makin' Mica's Micros
power tie
spigot
dripping
pail overflowing
cat aproaching bucket and or spigutFive more frames for the micro-minute project. These come to you courtesy of Mica. While you are checking out her site, go also to the PAN. It's a daily dose of random, artistic, wholesome, goodness. Why are you still here? I said go.
Go.
For those of you still here, I want you to know that once enough requests have been sent to sketch-it for frames to be added to micro-minute, I will post a work-in-progress clip. How many are enough requests? I'd say about thirty. That will yield one second of animation.
Go.
For those of you still here, I want you to know that once enough requests have been sent to sketch-it for frames to be added to micro-minute, I will post a work-in-progress clip. How many are enough requests? I'd say about thirty. That will yield one second of animation.
Old Crow Drinkin' Fat Carp
What happens when a fish drinks like a, a fish and lets himself go? Here's your answer. From the mastermind behind bottomunion and Carp Caviar(mov) comes a request for this sketch.The natural lines on a fish head work nicely with haggard face of a whiskey swilling alchoholic. I looked at a couple of refernce images so I could trick out the fish so it looked somewhat like a carp instead of a generic fish. Since he wanted a Fat Carp, I gave my fish a plumber butt.
He's so lonely.
Don't you want to sidle up to him and ask for a light?
Charles Bukowski would be his friend.
Saturday, January 21, 2006
mr. sketch-it sings
Inspired by Mummenschanz, this piece was a lot of fun to create. It took me a total of 4 hours to construct the mask and run through the performance enough to make it look good.I used plain old cardboard, electrical tape, packing tape and three CVS disposable cameras. Getting all three cameras proved an impossible task. All that matters is that the lips are synchronized with the soundrack.
I just got an idea. Send me your audio file and I'll have mr. sketch-it speak it for you. That could be fun.
Friday, January 20, 2006
a sketch of my son
Another request fulfilled.Likenesses are perhaps the most difficult sketches to create. The people that ask for them, either wanting one of themselves or one of a family member, have intimate knowledge of that person. They know what the sketch "should" look like.
Pile on top of this difficulty, the subject is a child. I'm used to drawing adults. I often make all my sketches of people, young or old, look the same age. Often the age tends to be my age.
There are many components to creating a good sketch. The most pertinent ones in this instance are proportion, rendition and likeness. The boys eyes don't look like they are sliding off his face so I've got item one down. The lines are purposefull and not errant so that takes care of numero dos. I'll have to wait for a comment from the patron to find out if I got the final one.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
Cuteness Built Right In.
What's cuter than a cat? A kitten. What's cuter than a kitten? An itty bitty kitty courtesy of a micro-sketch. Cute things are made more cute if they are the same thing but smaller.I should mention that this is the first ever micro-sketch. I was messing around with some new pens I got for Christmas. Iwanted to see just how small of an image I could sketch. Pretty small
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Think Small
Let's have some fun, shall we? I am going to create a one-minute animated short film comprised entirely of micro-sketches (sketches measuring 1cm by 1cm). It's called the micro-minute and you get to tell me what it's about.You can describe a single frame you want me to sketch for inclusion in the film or you can describe an entire seconds worth of animation. If you are feeling flush you can block out five or ten seconds of animation. Like all sketches here at sketch-it, each sketched frame costs $1.
Breakdown
Buy one frame and you can subliminally suggest a message to the viewing public.
The human eye can't perceive anything faster than one tenth(0.1) of a second or 3 frames. As any magician can tell you, "The hand is quicker than the eye." If you want any hope of registering a permanent, conscious image, you'll have to buy 10 frames (0.3 sec).
Now we're talkin' about some screen time. Video is made up of 30 frames per second. It's a virtual eternity when you think about it. A droplet of water can strike a pond or a majestic bird can flap its wings. Think of the possibilities.Take the Wheel
I have absolutely NO idea what this thing is going to look like and that's the most exciting part. Only through your participation will this historic film be completed. Describe what you want your individual frame, sequence of frames or seconds of animation to look like using the form at the left.
1 frame = 0.03 secondsYou can specify what each new frame or each second should look like. Just describe it and click the "add to cart" button. When you have described all of your frames or seconds, click the "view cart" button.
10 frames = 0.3 seconds
30 frames = 1.0 seconds
Here's an example of what a micro-sketch looks like. In fact the "add to cart" and "view cart" buttons are micro-sketches.
1cm x 1cm x 30 fps x 60sec = micro-minute
buy your frames today.
Payment Cancelled
You are seeing this page because you have cancelled your payment.
Thank you for using sketch-it for your image fulfillment needs.
Thank you for using sketch-it for your image fulfillment needs.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Motivational Puppet
A visitor to sketch-it, with whom I used to work, sent in this request:"Could you draw me something to inspire me to run? I'm slowly losing inspiration...
mary"
Yes I can. Please follow these easy to follow instructions by following the steps one after the other.
- Click on the image to the right to view the full-rez image.
- Print out the full-rez image.
- Tape printed image to the chest of a running buddy.
- Have your running buddy run behind you all the while chanting, "I'm going to touch you with my tiny hands. I'm going to touch you with my tiny hands".
- Run like crazy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)