Kleeman and Mike in Backyard Jam

So the cartoon I first wrote about here and then here is finally done! Go on over either to kleemanandmike.com or Vimeo (http://vimeo.com/53638798) to watch it. Thank you so much to all who contributed to see this project through, sincerely.

I have to mention that out of all of the Kleeman and Mike shorts (I've worked on 4), this is probably the slickest and most professional one. It looks SO good! The art direction & color of surfer/artist Andy Davis really knocked it out of the park. Cool original music by Spencer Rabin of the San Diego band "Little Deadman". My old theme park friends, Rex Russell and Tony Misiano lending their voices for K&M respectively. As for my animation, I tried to do the best that I could with the limited amount of time I had last summer. My schedule at Full Sail is demanding and so I wish I could have spent more time animating. It all was wonderfully guided by Randy Christopher's direction.

I just dropped it off yesterday as a submission for next year's Florida Film Festival, wish us luck!

Update!!!

Here's a small "behind-the-scenes" clip of my run cycles near the end of the short :

Click here for a bigger view.

The fall / whiteboard

Hi guys, hope everybody is enjoying the fall! Superstorm Sandy didn't affect Central Florida that much aside from bringing cold weather a bit early this year but my heart really goes out to all those affected in the north east coast of the U.S. and Caribbean. If you'd like to help but can't make it up there, make a contribution to The American Red Cross.

Fall means a busy schedule at my day job at Full Sail University so that's why I've been a bit M.I.A. lately. I've been freelancing too but can't really show that work here without permission. I can tell you it's based on concepts in this book. And also had a family visit with my sister and nephew and I believe we have another artist on our hands! Check out Liam's abstract handiwork (looks like a bird in profile to me):

So to continue the whiteboard drawing concept, here is a post on the Dos Illustros sketch blog where I'm demonstrating how to abstract objects for my class' Black & White Abstract Composition assignment:

http://dosillustros.blogspot.com/2012/11/abstract-sketches.html

And here I demo to the class how to draw a human head and then add all kinds of things on top (this one kinda looks like a hipster-moustachioed-mulleted-tattoed Justin Bieber):

http://instagram.com/p/RXmNJiAseK/

Our Design & Art Theory class in the Digital Arts and Design and Graphic Design on-campus programs at Full Sail deal with traditional methods for designers. If you want to visit and check out the campus, make sure you come to their big and impressive monthly event: The Behind The Scenes Tour.

Couple more things: I still have a batch of figure drawings to post from my last Crealdé Sunday session but it'll have to wait until I scan them, my scanner isn't on the fritz but the computer it was hooked up to is so I need to find an adapter. I'm also getting together something for a local show in a new gallery in December and lining up a couple of album covers for a couple of talented local folks.

Hope you had a Happy Halloween, Thanksgiving (my favorite) is next!

Birthday drawings

Here's a couple of birthday drawings for some of my co-workers. I used the Pentel Tradio and Pocket brush pens for the main parts of the drawings and a Pentel Black Color Brush pen for dry brush effects on Canson BFK Rives cream paper. As always, click on the images for a closer look.

R.E.M.'s bassist Mike Mills for Kim last month, 5"x7" (http://instagr.am/p/PNC55_AsSu/):

A fun/weird drawing of heavy metal vocalist King Diamond and Korean pop star PSY (dancing in Gangnam Style) for my friend Avaryl, 8"x10" (http://instagr.am/p/PNFOVsgsUM/):

(I changed King's eye makeup to look like a fish, put a correct cross on his cheek, and made him smiling as opposed to his usual grimace for fun)

And as a bonus during these election times, here's a fictional ad that one of my former students worked up for fun. I don't think I'd ever run for office but Elias thinks I should! I think the logo is pretty cool although my real beard is whiter in color these days:

'Til next!

Collaboration 3

More progress in the collaboration painting with Tom! He painted a crinkled paper texture on the top right corner in blue while I added flat red violet squares on the bottom left (click on the photos for a closer look):

Detail of Tom's work:

Detail of my work:

Here are pictures of the set up that Tom made to reference for textures:

Keep watching for more progress!

This is a continuation of the collaboration painting between Tom Buzbee and I. To check out the first 2 posts, click here:

http://hugogiraud.blogspot.com/2012/06/collaboration.html

http://hugogiraud.blogspot.com/2012/07/collaboration-2.html

Big Figure Drawing Post

Drawings posted after the break, these are figure drawings from the Sunday morning class at Crealdé School of Art in Winter Park, FL for 4 sessions in the last couple of months. Done with a Pentel Tradio pen and Copic Sketch markers (N2, 5, & 8) on Strathmore 500 Series marker paper 9"x12". My scanner computer broke down and I waited a bit until I could scan a bunch of them from work. 

Warning: if you're offended by artistic nudity, I'd  suggest you not go further and please check out my other work here in the non-figure drawing posts (or clothed ones) and at the Dos Illustros sketchblog instead. If you're not offended then please read on...

Collaboration 2

Tom added green, blue, & bluegreen glazes in oil to the background. Now we have to stick to painting in oils, no more acrylic! He set up an area with paper & fabric textures to look and borrow for the painting. The placement of those textures on this background will be up to us. Keep watching for more progress!

This is a continuation of the collaboration painting between Tom Buzbee and I. To check out the 1st post, click here:

http://hugogiraud.blogspot.com/2012/06/collaboration.html

New Kleeman and Mike cartoon gifs

Hey guys, Randy just posted a couple of animated gifs from the new Kleeman and Mike cartoon- check them out! All done digitally in Adobe Flash by Randy Christopher:


Ruff animation October cat:

http://kleemanandmike.com/octrun02.gif



Final animation of Mike taking a skate run on the vert ramp (pretty awesome if I must say!). Mike has the Christian Hosoi look from the 80's wearing a shirt on the top back of his shorts & riding a hammerhead (reference for 80's skate fans). Check out the wood texture on the ramp:

http://kleemanandmike.com/mikerunloop_320.gif


I'll post a link to the full cartoon once Randy uploads it, from what I've seen already the thing looks pretty RAD! I also want to thank all of the Kickstarter fans that donated for their contribution since it helped pay for my work on the new cartoon. Thank you so much!!!