An Ode to Pants

"My dungarees make them hun-ga-ree."

My cartoony design of Jemaine from The Flight of The Conchords in a few different kinds of pants. This was inspired by the lyrics in their song "Sugalumps".

"All these bitches lookin' at my britches."

"Put em in a trance when I wear track pants."

My line work. It's not perfect. I kept it a little looser than usual. I absolutely love the out stretched foot on the track pants pose. Those huge feet were really fun to draw. My favourite one is for sure the dungarees pose though.

PS. I graduated. As fun as cartooning and animation are, I've absolutely worked my fingers to the bone the last 4 years. Those of you who are also cartoonists and/or animators undoubtedly know that you live and breathe this stuff and it's not just a career, but a lifestyle.

Needless to say, it felt good to finally get that piece of paper that states I can officially and professionally draw boogers and bums.

Congrats to all my peers as well.

More Yogi and a BUM

Some more Yogi...I've had HB on the brain lately...seeing it everywhere. This time I paired Yogi with his arch nemesis for some character interaction. I love when people lead with their tongue when they're about to take a bite outta something...gross but It makes me laugh, so I incorporated that...After I drew it, I paused to figure out what the hell Yogi's even eating. I have no idea what that is...a delicious slice of bread perhaps? a piece of sponge cake? Soylent Green? I don't know, YOU decide. I threw some dry brush on there to gussy it up. I like how it turned out...It's amazing to me how much colour and some fancy brushes validate a drawing. Also, I just love that salmon colour.

I had fun drawing this. Here's my line work and solid colour for those who care to see.

...And my quick and dirty rough.

DUDE!
This was just my clean rough...or rough clean...whatever you wanna call it...Just figuring out the design...Next post I'll show ya the finished version. This is a peek at a little "just-for-fun" Flash project I'm doing. I'm animating a quick scene from my all time favourite movie, The Big Lebowski. The Character and BG style is inspired by Clone High.
My goal with this is to just have fun and see what happens.

Anyways. That's it for now. I'm heading out of the country for the week. So if I disappear from the webber net this week, that's why.

Talk to you soon.

Love: Frank

Demo Reel 2009 (Short Version)

Just a quick updated sample of some of my work, including a few scenes from my 4th year film "The Patsy Pals".

Smarter Than The Average...Cartoonist?

Finally, I'm back. Right now I'm sitting on a ton of studio applications and interviews...so we shall see what happens...I'm not even a month out of Sheridan...So I'll remain patient. I'm definitely ready and excited to start workin on some cartoons though.
Other than that, things have been a little rough around the edges lately but on the plus side I've been drawing a ton and I have a bunch of stuff that I need to post. Yesssss.

First off...Yogi. Freaking. Bear.
I love that big lug. Lately I've been watching a lot of Yogi and Flintstones and recently John K. started a blog dedicated to his "funky" interpretations of HB characters. I love it. The concept of doing a caricature of a cartoon character...It blows my mind. It's a great way to learn as well. Figuring out what makes a character look the way they do and why they have certain design elements, and then having fun with it. So needless to say, I was inspired and did my own take on Yogi Bear.

Below I threw him over a quick and dirty Yogi style BG. don't judge it too harshly, I'm not a BG dude and I did it in about 2 minutes.
Yogi def has my favorite BG style though. Fried egg flowers and sponging. Nothing beats it. All HB stuff has that loose style too it...seems like Yogi especially. Obviously it takes way more skill than it looks...tons of technique, and yet it always looks so spontaneous and fun.

Anyways, next post I've got some more Lebowski stuff for all you achievers.

Observe. He has swiped a pic-a-nic basket.

More Media Coverage

An article was published in the National Post this past Saturday (May 9th) that gave a peek into Sheridan's Animation Industry Day (Click on the copy above to see it up close). I was fortunate enough to be one of the Artists featured in the article, along with Tapan Gandhi, Laura Friesen, and Adi Targownik.

You can check out my scanned copy of the article above or read the online version HERE.

It was written By Adam McDowell. He was a great guy to work with. Rather than just getting a general taste of the day, he was really enthusiastic and involved. He sat down with us, asked some great questions, and then shadowed us for the rest of the day while actively participating in what was going on around him.

I particularly like his description of Tapan...and I quote:

"Slender, boyish Tapan Gandhi's harmless looks conceal a dark sense of humour."

bang on. haha.

My setup wasn't too shabby either:

"Frank Macchia’s thick black glasses and prize fighter’s profile mark him as the likely creator of the old-timey slapstick found in The Patsy Pals."

Don't be fooled, my "prize fighter's profile" is mostly used to chomp down on pizza while drawing and watching cartoons in my underwear all day.

The article also features a classic candid conversation photo of me and Evan Spiridellis of JibJab which is pretty cool.

haha, vanity aside, Adam hit on some great points regarding the state of the industry itself as well as how Sheridan fits into the picture.

Overall, Industry day was much more valuable than I had expected. More than anything, I feel it was a great chance to do some initial networking and add onto the relatively short list of contacts we had going into the day. I was also fortunate enough to score a couple of interviews which was a nice bonus, especially since only about 7 of the 46 studios who attended were interviewing.

Other than all that, I've been getting re-acquainted with some free time doodles and stuff like that. I have a small just-for-fun flash project in the works at the moment that I'll post about this weekend.

CHCH News: Sheridan Animation Industry Day

Busy, Busy.
I was fortunate enough to be chosen for an interview for CHCH news' coverage of Sheridan's Industry Day.
I wasn't expecting them to air any of my work, but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw The Patsy Pals and Evil Stevil doin their thing on the news.
I had to wing it, so hopefully I sounded somewhat intelligent haha
Also! I'm going to be featured in an article about the Sheridan Animation Program on Saturday, May 9th's edition of the National Post.
Check it.

Finish Line

Sorry I haven't been around to update for a while, but as you can imagine, Finishing The Patsy Pals has been top priority. I just finished this past weekend, and man...let me tell you, I have a new found respect and appreciation for anyone who's ever attempted to make an independent short film...and when i say independent, I mean entirely on your own.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I haven't had many people watch the finished product yet. That will be the true test. My goal with this cartoon was to entertain. So if I can get a smile or a chuckle out of you, I'll let out a sigh of relief and know I've done my job.

The second I was done this film I had to pack up and move 4 years worth of accumulated crap out of my apartment. I'm now back at home with mammy and daddy. 4 years of college behind me.

The job hunt begins.

Industry day is on Thursday at the school, so that should start the job hunt off nicely.
Anyways, I've posted just a few screen shots. Once I get settled, I'll write up a nice retrospective and post my film for you webber net dwellers to enjoy.

God bless cartoon violence...

COMING SOON!

What legitimizes a cartoon in today's capitalist society you ask?!?! Pfff...TOYS of course!
(PS. This statement is meant to be tongue in cheek. I'm not really a fat cat, I swear.)

I've collaborated with the incredibly talented Anthony Hrymakowski to bring you Patsy Pals Toys!
He's an amazing sculptor and all around artist who's got a real knack for translating relatively flat and designy cartoon characters into 3 dimensions while maintaining their appeal.
Check out his work by clicking his name above or on my buddies list.

Along with the release of the film, you'll be able to have your very own Patsy Pal to inflict cartoon violence on! Drop an anvil on him, blow him up, or just keep him on display on your desk...any one of those is acceptable.
The image above is just a teaser of what's on the way.

Also! I'm losing my mind putting upwards of 12 hours a day to make this film the very best it can be...and guess what?
10 more days til it's done.
I'm overwhelmed with a sense of excitement and panic after saying that.

See ya in 10 days!

Fancy Pants CG Stuff

This is kind of old, but I figured it’s worth tossing up on here.
This was my very first attempt at animating with Maya (this is just a quick playblast to give you an idea)...I love to draw, and there really is no substitute in my eyes, but I have to admit, I had a lot of fun with this.

It’s kind of interesting…you can tell by the style of animation that I’m typically a 2D guy…pose-to-pose sort of stuff…I love strong poses…Love character layout and really milking some comedic acting out of them…I find that sometimes CG animation becomes too wishy washy…clear definitive poses get lost in a sea of over acting within a pose until everything just blends together…Presto was my fav bit of CG I’ve ever seen and that was more of a pose-to-pose sort of animation style too….Same with Horton…and I just saw a preview for “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” which seemed to have a very bold and cartoony pose-to-pose style of animation too….I tend to prefer that sort of thing.

But anyways, I enjoyed using Maya and once my thesis film is done, I’ll def be tinkering with it some more over the summer.

By the way…I just did the animation…the character model and rig are courtesy of my prof……his name is Rosco…the alien, not my prof...

and of course...the dialogue track is from Dumb and Dumber.

PS…3 more weeks til The Patsy Pals

4 Weeks Left

This is it people...In less than a month, The Patsy Pals will reach completion.

A first edit of the film is due April 9th...ONE DAY before my birthday.

I'm tellin you...after the amount of work I've put into this thing, seeing it finished will be the best B-day present of my life.

Wish me luck in this last big push.

*takes a sip of rockstar*

Yearbook

At the end of every year, Sheridan releases a "flipbook" yearbook in which everyone in the program can submit a page of doodles. I've never submitted a page, but figured since this is my last year...no better time than now.

I gave it a bit of a scrap-booky look to keep it interesting. Threw on some of my fav doodles from the past year.

*EASTER EGG*

The page of text under everything in the bottom right hand corner is one of the pages from the original script for The Patsy Pals.

Figured I'd give it a little nostalgic value.

Lookin forward to gettin a copy and seeing everyone else's stuff.

Nudists

Recently my super talented prodigy blog buddy Brie introduced me to some awesome freebee drawing software called "Open Canvas" It's with out a doubt the best digital drawing tool I've ever used. So simple and intuitive.

Anyways...you can draw WITH people in this program. So FINALLY Brie and I had a little Open Canvas sesh.

The theme? RETRO NUDISTS!

Why you ask? because I haven't done any life drawing at all this semester and I needed some good practice.

Brie and I have a theory that the more unique and unconventional the body...the more beautiful the drawing will be. Kind of a contradiction...but for some reason people with bodies that don't fit into society's definition of "beauty" are a lot more interesting to draw.

However...I may be biased, but this rule seems to only apply to women lol.

Anyways...the results were beautifully grotesque, and again...I really enjoyed drawing with this software...if you dont have it...DOWNLOAD IT...it's free...it's simple to use....Open Canvas.

Be sure to head over to Brie's blog and check out her stuff too. She's one of the best artists I know.

Stink lines....I couldn't resist.

Sandbags

Hey there bloggers. Evidently I'm still alive.

Just been working harder than ever on the film / school / an awesome freelance gig.
I wish I could show some of the freelance stuff I've been working on. I'm currently designing the characters for a show that Cookie Jar Entertainment has in development. Unfortunately that's as much detail as I can give.

It's been a great opportunity and experience. They've been a pleasure to work with and have really allowed me to have a lot of freedom and fun with these designs.

And of course...The Patsy Pals....I'm on the home stretch of the film...basically 2 months left til completion. So far so good. but I'll let you be the judge once it's all done.

Up top is just another teaser. One of thousands of drawrins.
And below is just some colour design I did ages ago.

Sugalumps

I can't stop drawng this guy.

I think I may have a problem.

Just caught up with the secod season...and I can't get that "hurt feelings" song out of my head.

..."have you ever been asked if your hair is a wig?"...

YES! I actually have. and it DID hurt my feelings...I feel your pain Jemaine.

HAPPY V-DAY!

Evidently V-day can be immature and fun too.

Happy V-day everyone!

And especially to you Sammi!

I love you.

Roll Call

Jemaine?.....

I had a Conchords marathon today...Jemaine is irresistible...to draw

I've been so busy...school...the film...freelance stuff...my own doodles...it feels good though...Specially since I've really felt the creative juices flowing lately.

Work + (Productivity x Pizza) = Purpose

It's math...you can't argue with that shit.

The doodle that inspired the flash drawrin'

Burly Stills

Just checkin in to let you all know that I'm still alive and working hard on the film.

...enjoy some stills of Burly from one of my favourite scenes.

1 Second of Cartoon Violence

Just a taste.

This is 1 second out of 135 for my independent film (cartoon), The Patsy Pals.

This scene is just a test and lacks a final composite...no BG...no elbow grease...just the raw 31 frames of character animation.

I'll do my best to update my blog as often as I can between now and April...but right now I'm in the depths of production on this thing. Finishing The Patsy Pals, an finishing it WELL is my priority. I shant disappoint. I'm about a third of the way done so far. So far, so good.

I'll post more teasers...scouts honour.

Two-Zero-Zero-Niner

I'm back from my unproductive Christmas break.

Happy New Year!...2009 eh?....kind of sad...it's really the end of an era...not for another 991 years will human kind be able to wear those novelty new years glasses where your eyes look through the zeros. Sad really...I'd hate to be the owner of that quality product...

"Well guys, it's been a damn good 9 years of novelty new years glasses...we're gonna have to shut down for a while...but we'll re-group in the year 3000. Godspeed"

Anyways...enough of my hilariously topical anecdotes...and on to some drawrin.

So rarely do I work in this style...I think it's called...reality? haha

But anyways, this was a portrait that was requested by a friend. Sharpie, graphite, and a Bic ball point. I like that it's a little gritty and loose. Even though I'm an animator slash cartoonist through and through, it feels good to mix it up once in a while.

Back to my usual methods, this was flatter-ture I did for my parents as a Christmas gift.

Mammy Linda on the left and Big Daddy Dominic on the right.

They really loved it which was a relief. There's really no excuse to botch a caricature of people you've seen almost every day of your life.

They compliment each other nicely in caricature form though. My Mom's all jaw and my Dad's all forehead. PS, Thanks guys for my freakishly large jaw and forehead. I'm def the mutant spawn of these two individuals.

And finally, here's my fav life drawing from last semester. A lot more cartoony than usgh, but this model was really askin for it haha.

Last semester also marked the end of my life drawing classes at Sheridan. This semester is basically all about getting the independent film done.

Wish me and the Patsy Pals luck.

A FESTIVUS FOR THE REST OF US!!!

Well, tomorrow is Festivus (December 23rd). This year it falls on a Tuesday just like the actual episode.

I read an article yesterday that said more and more people are beginning to celebrate Festivus and have Festivus parties.

I find that unreal...I've always wanted to go to a Festivus party.

Festivus of course being the holiday that Frank Costanza invented in Seinfeld due to his frustration with Christmas.

How do you celebrate Festivus you ask?
Easy.

Step 1. Buy an aluminum pole instead of a tree. It requires no decoration. Tinsel is distracting.

Step 2. THE AIRING OF GRIEVANCES: At the Festivus dinner, you gather your family and friends around the table and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you in the past year.
"I got a lotta problems with you people...and now youre gonna hear about em!!!"

Step 3. THE FEATS OF STRENGTH: Festivus isn't over until the head of the house hold is wrestled and pinned to the ground.

And there you have it. Mind you, when Kramer thinks a holiday is a little "out there"...you know you have something pretty messed up on your hands haha.

HAPPY FESTIVUS EVERYONE!

"Crouger! YOU COULDN'T SMOOTH A SILK SHEET IF YOU HAD A HOT DATE WITH A BABE--...I lost my train of thought..."