Frank Townsend and Dean Edwards - Life Drawings

I sketched the amazing comedians Frank Townsend and Dean Edwards as they performed on stage with Mark Viera. They are all hilarious, and are all really nice guys.

Ink Sketch - Lahore, Pakistan

A travel sketchbook can be a pain to carry, but opening its weathered cover years later can bring back a whole world of memories.
     I like sketching in ink. Favorite art teacher Barry Schactmann said that ink keeps us focused and helps us take our decisions seriously.
     I drew this picture years ago while visiting the Pakistani home of a friend's extended family. Relatives gathered each evening, ate meals seated around a shared bowl on the floor, and hosted a multitude of friends and neighbors who dropped in, sometimes sharing lively conversations, and sometimes just sitting. It was wonderful.
     Although our countries are separated by cultures and customs, seeing this sketch reminds me that we often have more in common with our global neighbors than we might think.

Storyboards and Concept Sketches

I create storyboards and concept sketches for TV, film, web, and digital  media. I love how visual storytelling can bring words to life, and open minds to new ideas.

Ink Sketch: Haim Cohen & Andrew Hodgson, Annapurna Himalaya, Nepal

Some time ago I made this ink sketch of Haim Cohen and Andrew Hodgson playing a tiny travel chess game outside a teahouse on a stone footpath that led through Landrung, Nepal.  We met backpacking in the Himalayas, and said goodbye a day or two later.  Our feet have taken us so many different places in the years since then.  Andrew went to Canada, and Haim returned to Israel and became a chef.

A thoughtful game like chess is a great opportunity to sketch because players are quiet and focused and unselfconscious. 

Ink drawing, 8x8 sketchbook, Landrung, Nepal.

Cartoon: Musicals With Mixed Reviews

Art History According to Pigs

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Will the Cycle Be Unbroken?

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Cartoon: Cinema with Chairs

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Insights from St. Louis Novelists

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Words of Wisdom From St. Louis Poets

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Louis Armstrong was right: It really is a wonderful world.

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Find Yourself At The Shakespeare Festival

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New 'secrets' of chess

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Goodbye, Maurice Sendak

'Do the one thing you want to do and do it well, and you'll be happy.' Moving final video of Maurice Sendak.
http://cheezburger.com/37656321?siteId=12237

The Robots Are Coming...

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Earth Day is just one day...

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Foolish Wisdom Throughout the Ages

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March comes in like a...

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RIP Moebius, whose art showed us the future

Visual pioneer Moebius influenced nearly every movie we see about the future. great writeup - via Witzke

Must-see 'Size of the Known Universe' film owes a credit to Eames

The American Museum of Natural History has a stunning short film about the size and scale of the known universe: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=be4_1326835129
Its breathtaking 'Infinite zoom' format owes a tip of the hat to Charles and Ray Eames and their 40-year-old pioneering film project 'The Powers of 10:' http://powersof10.com/

Eames shot 'Powers of 10' on celluloid one frame at a time by filming hand-rendered paintings and photos. Its 'Infinite zoom' format has been copied and re-copied so many times that we're used to it now, and its handmade visuals appear primitive next to today's digital renderings, but when Eames' concept first appeared on screen it was revolutionary. That we are still seeing Infinite Zoom used regularly in films and videos is a testament to its brilliance.
 
I first saw 'Powers of 10' in the Smithsonian Museum's Air and Space Museum when I was a boy, and I spent most of that day in that small room watching that film. Its simple dual-clock graphics introduced viewers to the idea of relativity and the dynamics of light-speed travel. It changed the way I saw math, science, and astronomy.

It opened a new window onto Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Here's the original version I saw in black and white. It's worth a look.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yIxh-Z7lbk&feature=related

Here's the color re-make from 1977.
http://www.allthingsscience.com/video/42/Powers-of-Ten

Alas, Poor Albert...

... Apparently We Hardly Knew Ye.

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It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like...

...Christmas Lights!
I love them.. once they're up.

Click HERE to read the entire cartoon.

From 'Humbug' to 'Ho-Ho-Ho' in Three Steps

Sourpuss Scrooge changes his tune after an all-night coaching session from a talking trio of spectral spirits. What the Dickens did they say to him?
What can we learn from a ghost?

Pie Pie Chart Chart

This is a Pie Pie Chart Chart,
or a Chart full of Pie Charts about Pie.

We have over 50 flavors. What's your favorite?

Christmas Music: It's Not Just For Christmas Anymore!

I love Christmas music, but does it become less special when you hear it for three months in a row?

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Women Are Human Beings, Unless...

...unless they're characters in huge Hollywood movies, apparently.

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Don't Wear a Red Shirt On Star Trek...

...unless you have a Scottish accent or a miniskirt/headset combo.

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Thanks, Science Teachers

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5 Pixar Success Secrets .. That Might Have Saved 'Cars 2'

Pixar has an astonishing track record for producing critically successful movies, so 'Cars 2' caught everyone off guard: With sparkling visuals but an unsatisfying story, 'Cars 2' may be Pixar's lowest rated film, with only a 38% approval rating on the film critic site RottenTomatoes.com.

What went wrong?

Dev Patniak of Jump Associates interviewed Oren Jacob, former chief technical officer of Pixar on FastCoDesign. From the discussion he pulled five secrets to Pixar's Success:
1. If it sucks, say so.
2. Defend your opinion, then 'Hit Play Quickly.'
3. Look upstream for the source of the problem.
4. Match the medium to the message
5. Hire for excellence.

I think Rules 1 and 3 are what saved 'Toy Story 2:'
Pixar rewrote and rebuilt the whole movie in eight months because someone had the guts to speak up and say the story didn't work, and the someone listened. 'Toy Story 2' went on to become a huge success, earning an astonishing 100% approval rating.

Why didn't Pixar repeat this strategy and save 'Cars 2?'
I think three things happened:
1. Not enough story team members admitted the plot didn't work,
2. The project got too far down the pipeline before anyone admitted the story was mediocre, and
3. This film's visuals were much so more complex than 'Toy Story 2' that a similar rewrite and rebuild would be impossible this time. Rather than push the release date back and hold out for a higher-quality story, Pixar tried to wrap the existing plot in dazzling visuals and hope for the best.

Unfortunately, now we've seen the results: Pixar has its first dud, and a blemish on its previously spotless record.

We're looking forward to great films from Pixar in the years to come. They can make excellent movies; Following their own best practices will help assure that they do.

Why Are the Arts Important?

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Bob Cassilly Lives On

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Banned Books Week

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At least 46 of the top 100 novels of the 20th century have been the targets of ban attempts, according to the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom.
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/

Can you guess which classic children's books people have attempted to ban most often?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/american-library-association/10-surprising-childrens-b_b_976704.html

The Shark Deserves a Design Award

Shark built out of tires by Ji Yong Ho

The shark deserves a design award.

Older than the dinosaurs, it's one of the most successful species alive,
pared down and distilled, honed over millions of generations,
like a hot rod stripped down to its most effective essentials.
You can literally build a shark out of anything and it will still be cool.
Sharks are Cool Times Ten.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/gallery/2011/sep/08/power-of-making-craft?CMP=twt_fd#/?picture=378726430&index=6

Goodbye, Borders.

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Remembering 9/11

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'This Meeting Will Be Brief' and Other Delusions

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On Styles Of Music

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Here's to Freedom...

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Comic: Summer's Winding Down..

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Hot Summer Breakfast

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