Halloween Gallery #11: Lord Necron

Right back at you with another Halloween drawing. This one featuring the vampire nobleman, Lord Necron as seen in this comic.

This is another one where I tried something new in Photoshop. I actually didn't ink this drawing at all. Once I drew the pencils, I just used Photoshop levels to darken the lines and the "stamp" filter to smooth them out. I think it worked great for the backgrounds, but on the character I kind of missed all the varied line-weights I get inking with the brush tool. But, it didn't seem to matter too much once the colors were added.

Speaking of colors, this is another one where I tried to do more with background painting to try to get more of a painted animation background look with more contrast between character and background. I think I did a better job this time so don't be surprised if this is the "look" of my backgrounds from now on.

Hope you like it, and Happy Halloween!

Halloween Gallery #10: Invaders From The Stars!

Halloween is almost here, and I have a few more treats for you all (one might even be posted a little after Halloween, but I like to hold it over for a day anyway). Being in a Sci-Fi B-horror mood this year, I present to you this...

From a distant planet, these invaders attack! Laying waste to our meager planet in honor of their hive queen!

This one was something of a challenge, as I was experimenting with a more textured look to the background as well as just using the pencil line, much like certain styles of animation background. I'm not really sure I pulled it off, and I welcome anyone with tips on how to do it better next time, but at least I tried something new. Overall though, I'm happy with how this turned out, and I had fun making this.

Halloween Gallery #9: Mood Table 2015

I've been keeping up with Dinosaur Dracula's Halloween Countdown lately, being a fan of Matt Caracappa's work since the good ol' days of X-Entertainment. And, one idea of his that really catches my eye is the Halloween Mood Table, a special area of the house, usually a small table, where one puts lots of Halloween decorations and activities to help keep their Halloween spirit alive as the big day draws closer. As he's always encouraging others to adopt this idea with mood tables of their own, I decided to give it a try.

Starting with a duo of TV trays and covering them with a plastic Halloween door cover...

I soon created a world of Halloween fun right in my living room! As you can see (you can click any of these pictures to make them larger BTW) , I have the paper maché pumpkin mask as seen in this post. I also have an inflatable skeleton purchased from my local antiques/random stuff store, a cool black plastic skull, and some dancing top-hat pumpkin statues that my family traditionally gets out at Halloween and keeps around until New Years. And, inside the pumpkin mask is a set of flashing lights with cool Halloween sound effects. I just flip a switch and watch it spring to life!

As you can see, I have an assortment of movies and books on the table as well, that way I have easy access to all kinds of Halloween appropriate things to watch and read...

Bubba Ho-Tep: an excellent off-beat horror dramedy.

To me each Halloween season has me in the mood for a different kind of monster. Some years it's vampires, other years it's werewolves, Frankenstein, slasher-villains, etc. This year, to me, is the year of the 1950s/1960s sci-fi horror! Aliens, Atomic-Science-Gone-A-Muck, Giant Bugs, Ed Wood, whatever takes us back to a time when aliens were a stand-in for Communists and giant monsters were a metaphor for the atomic bomb!

And of course, the anime classic Vampire Hunter D. This is of course the result of me taping it from a movie channel one time that it came on. This is the original 80s film, but I do have the more modern sequel Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, on official DVD no less. I'll probably watch them both, but it's the original that makes it onto the mood table. I have some of the original books too, but for Halloween reading I have other things in mind...

Going with the popular horrors of my childhood. This includes Scary Stories for Sleepovers (the book I'm most likely to actually read), a trio of Goosebumps books, and Bruce Coville's Book of Monsters. Some light, but still scary (or at least fun) reading in between other activities for this busy October.

Anyway, this was a very fun project, and I thank Matt for making this a thing. I'll certainly consider doing this again next year. In the meantime, I have more Halloween Gallery entries to come (and they will be a lot less wordy).

Halloween Gallery #8: Creepie the Clown!

It's that time again. The leaves are turning orange. The nights are getting crisp.It's getting to be Halloween time again! And, this year I'm adding some great new entries to the Halloween Gallery. Starting with this happy fellow with a free ticket to fun...

Creepie the Clown is here to start our Halloween season off right. Have a Happy Halloween!

BTW still looking for voice actors.

Voice Acting Audition!

Update: This is still going on! Don't be afraid to send in your recordings. And, in case you needed more info, I've added character bios, below. Check them out!

It's finally time. I've got two new animated projects in the works and for the first time I'll need spoken dialogue. So, I'm pleased to announce my first voice acting audition.

Here's how it will work. Post a short video (or audio clip) of yourself to the Studio Snowlion Facebook Page. You can upload it directly or post a link to another video or audio site (Youtube, Newgrounds, etc.). Or, post the link in the comments below.

It doesn't have to be fancy or high quality. You can even just use your cellphone. I just need a video or audio recording of you acting out one of the parts from the sample scene below.

In this video, please let me know who you are (if I don't already know you), and which character you're reading for. You might need someone to read the other parts with you, or you and a friend can audition together (let me know if that's the case). Then, act out that character's dialogue in this sample scene:


Here's some info about these characters...

 Frederick (see here): He's kind of uptight, and a bit of a worry-wart, though a lot of that comes from living with Zoki. He and Zoki are working at this burger-joint because they desperately need the money to pay the legal fees to pay off the crooked lawyer that got them out of the trouble Zoki got them into. Kind of mad at Zoki lately for all the trouble he's caused.

Zoki (see here): Mischievous and impulsive, and a ruthless prankster. Tries to protect his friend Frederick, but often causes more problems than he solves. Has no concept of consequences and pretty much does and says what he wants whenever he wants to (which is often something crazy).

Soccer Mom: The spoiled trophy-wife of a rich executive. Very concerned about appearances and trends. Very used to getting her way due to her looks and wealth. Not used to hearing "no", and considers herself far above anybody in a "lowly" service job. Since having a kid she's gone out of her way to spoil him more rotten than even herself.

Kid: Just a spoiled bratty kid who doesn't understand "no".


INT: BURGER PALACE - DAY

Frederick is yelling at Zoki behind the counter. The few
customers left look shocked and horrified.

                      FREDERICK
          I can't believe you did that.

                      ZOKI
          What? Stuck up for you?

                      FREDERICK
          You're lucky that jerk survived!
          Are you trying to land is in jail?!

                      ZOKI
          Well, maybe not exactly trying... I
          mean it would be kind of impressive
          in a strange way, wouldn't it?

                      FREDERICK
          Are you serious?! This is exactly
          the kind of crap that got us here!

                      ZOKI
          Well, excuse me for sticking up for
          my friend. Maybe I should have told
          the boss about that guy, instead.

                      FREDERICK
                (cringing)
          Don't even joke about that.

A SOCCER MOM and a kid in a soccer uniform storms into the
place. She is holding a Burger Nation bag.

                      SOCCER MOM
          Excuse me! But, this Fun-Meal did
          not come with a Texty-buddy as
          advertised! Now my child is already
          late for soccer practice and he
          wants his toy!

                      KID
                (kicking counter
                 repeatedly)
          I want my toy!

                      SOCCER MOM
          Quiet sweetie. Now are you going to
          give us the toy that comes with
          this meal?

                      FREDERICK
          So, you're saying you want to order
          a King Klown Fun-Meal?
          (beat)
          Kid, stop kicking the counter!

                      SOCCER MOM
          Do not tell my child what to do!

                      KID
                (still kicking counter)
          Don't tell me what to do!

                      SOCCER MOM
          Quiet sweetie. No, I want the toy
          that's supposed to come with this
          meal! We never got it!

Frederick and Zoki share a look of disbelief.

                      FREDERICK
          That's not even one of our meals.
          You'd have to go to Burger Nation
          for that.

                      SOCCER MOM
          I am not stupid! Do not talk to me
          like I'm stupid.

                      FREDERICK
          I can't just give you a free toy
          because you thought you'd get one
          from another restaurant.

                      SOCCER MOM
          Unbelievable! That's it! I'm
          calling the police!

The Soccer Mom pulls out her cellphone and calls the police.
A disclaimer at the bottom of the screen flashes "People
have actually done this".
____________________________________________________________

If you're reading for the Soccer Mom (or the kid), you can skip the parts before she shows up. Also, there are more parts than these, but this should give me an idea of what you got.

Anyway, I look forward to seeing your audition videos. See you soon.

Edit: It's December now, and this is still going on! I need more audition entries. If your interested please follow the directions and send me your clip!

Crackergeist: New animated short!

It's taken me awhile, but it's finally here...

 

 

Studio Snowlion presents a new animated short. An epic struggle between man and graham cracker! Featuring my new character, Spooky Boy.I definitely was going for a creepy atmosphere and wanted to show reality distorting as we shift from 3D to 2D animation. This was an idea I had as a kid, basically "what if a cracker ate you?" and I still thought it was funny as an adult, so I animated it.

Music provided by http://www.purple-planet.com/

Sound effects by http://www.freesound.org (see credits for more info).

All music and sound effects used under various creative commons licenses (see credits for more info).

Animation software used for this:

        Blender (http://www.blender.org)
        Anime Studio (http://my.smithmicro.com/anime-studio-2D-animation-software.html )

Box-Bot Boogie #12: Crazy Rant

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Trying a new "Pencil" style for the background. Also, we got another first: the first appearance of humans in the strip, strangely enough.

Box-Bot Boogie #11: The Alien Pt. 3

It's a little late, but here we go...

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Next strip comes the Sunday after this upcoming Sunday.

I also posted lots of new stuff to the Gallery, so check it out!

Nippon Con 2015 and other announcements!

It's that time of year again. Time for me to hit the cons. And this Saturday (March 7, 2015), I'll once again be heading to Nippon Con. I've got a table in the Artist Alley and I'll be selling copies of Amusing Tales #1.

(Edit: They will be closer to full size likely the usual price. There was confusion with the printer earlier.)

And, by the way issue #2 of Amusing Tales (featuring the conclusion of "Two Moons") is finally in the works.

You can learn more about Nippon Con here...Nippon Con official site.

And, in other announcements, Box-Bot Boogie returns Sunday with a whole new batch of strips. And, stay tuned because I've got some great plans for Frederick and Zoki.

Yeah, I know it's been awhile. But, I've got a pretty good reason for that. I've been busy with more animation. My next animated short film, Crackergeist, is nearing completion and should be out by next month. I'm also overhauling my whole production process, so I'll have new pieces of animation out more often, and have an easier time balancing that with making comics.

Until next time, take care everyone.