The Abominable Charles Christopher

On the way to CTN-X a few weeks back, we received a message out of the blue from one of our favorite artists – Karl Kerschl. He wondered if we were interested in contributing a guest strip to support his phenomenal Eisner Award Winning webcomic: The Abominable Charles Christopher. Once we finally picked our jaws up off the floor, of course we said yes.

Abominable is a remarkably unique and genuine body of work. Karl continues to present a masterful balance between humor, action, and heart ache to the audience — all while creating breathtaking illustrations week after week. The expansive cast of characters create a world you simply want to spend time in while digging deeper into the story’s mysteries.

Above all else, Karl hits every Wednesday, never missing a beat. This is a feat of super human proportions and we truly wish we could steal a shred of his power. If you haven’t started reading, you owe it to yourself to check out one of the best strips out there — web or otherwise. And don’t forget to pick up the first collection here. Making comics is one of the most challenging jobs in art!

Thanks for the awesome storytelling Karl!

Nuf Said.

I don’t really know what this has to do with anything except I really wanted to draw antlers tonight. Nuf said.

Art for Hope

A little while back, our good friends at Autodesk asked if we would help support a project by VIZ Media to support the affected people in Japan when the tsunamis’ hit their homes. As you can expect we were honored and jumped at the chance to help out however we could! Dave and I both presented a piece and they will be included in an upcoming ebook published by VIZ Media through their VIZ Manga app on the Apple Store December 1st. This one is mine, but you should check out Dave’s bot too! If you think you have a little extra you can give to help those in need and love having fun art to look at, check it out! It may not be in the news any longer, but there are still a lot of people in Japan who could use a helping hand.

Below is a video of us doing some live demos at NYCC. It was a blast, and as an added bonus Autodesk was giving demos of Sketchbook Pro away with our Art for Hope images on the covers. Those guys are worldclass.

CTN-x Wow.

When we headed to the conference we didn’t quite know what to expect. We heard amazing stories from previous years but nothing could have prepared us for the grandeur of this show. Our schedule was packed pretty tight and we jumped in head first.

There are lots of shows across the country throughout the year with plenty of talent and panel talks. Yet none celebrate the art of the animation industry in this way. In depth discussions and intimate creator group sessions combine with an onslaught of remarkable creative talent from wall to wall. It’s rare in life when you can talk to one of your heroes. Now imagine meeting dozens of them day after day.

And that’s where CTN-x truly shines. You literally can’t walk ten feet without bumping into engaging talks about art, design and the industry in general. We had the supreme pleasure of talking shop with countless friends both old and new: Francisco Herrera, Tony Bancroft, Florian Satzinger, John Nevarez, Jose Lopez, Leonardo Olea, Kent Melton, Jake Parker, Ty Carter, Kohl Glass, Doug TenNapel, Steve Talkowski, James Gurney, Terryl Whitlatch, William Stout, Sue Nichols, Phil Allora, Willie Real, Stuart Ng, Colin Geller, Britney Lee, Peter de Seve, Rachael Mark, Wayne Medina and the list goes on and on. And many thanks to Tina Price for inviting us to this crazy carnival of art. We’re already looking forward to next year.

We also wanted to thank all the kind folks who came out to our talks. This was a new experience for us and you all made us feel right at home. And many thanks to Tony for keeping us in check on stage. And to the students, we’re jealous that we didn’t have a show like this while in school — soak it up!

Finally, we’ll leave you with a glimpse of madness — a climactic collaboration sketch during our last dinner in Burbank. Yeah, like we said.

Wow.

To the Moon!

With All 4 One, we had the chance to explore a whole new set of locations. Here’s a peak at the initial layouts for the small moon orbiting Magnus. When in doubt, throw a big ol’ googly monster in the background.

CTNX

We’ve also been gearing up for our visit to Burbank in a couple weeks for the CTNX show. We’ll be doing some live demos, signings, and presentations – so if you’re in the area be sure to come by. It’s one of the best shows for animation professionals in the country. More info soon!

Wrath of the Octomoth

All 4 One has hit the shelves! Greg and I had the great opportunity to create the concept art for the project along with many of the character models. Octomoth is one of the crazy bosses that you’ll battle along the way – hold on tight!

Also, if you’d like to catch a look at over 30 pages of development art, the A4O Strategy Guide features a robust concept art gallery. Kudos to the folks over at Brady Games!