The Pensive Beast

Gross Granola Contest

My illustrator friend, Keith, was getting hassled today at work because he was trying to draw a granola bar, but everyone said it looked too gross. So a handful of us worked with the criticism, and decided to spend a couple minutes to see who could make the most disgusting granola bar. This was my attempt. But we totally got 1-upped when my other friend, Allie, thought of the crucial gross-out factor, the dirty band-aid, not to mention toes and bloody fingers (check it out here)! I challenge you to make your own!

Ponder in Red

Sticky Burr

I'm spreading the word about a new comic book by my friend, John Lechner, called Sticky Burr: Adventures in Burrwood Forest. It's the first book in a series he's creating about a brave little guy named Sticky Burr—you know, those prickly burrs that stick to things? There's a whole colony of burrs living in the forest, and the comic wonderfully portrays Sticky Burr's adventures in 56 pages of water-colored comic art.

There are chases on dragonflies, wild dogs, maze trees, and pages from Stick Burr's journal interspersed throughout the comic that provide all the information you need to know about life in the forest. His publisher, Candlewick Press, is marketing it as a graphic storybook (a kid-lit graphic novel), but it's simply a great comic book for young readers, in the tradition of greats like Tintin. The pages are breathtaking to any comic aficionado (I repeat, he hand inked and water colored every page!). So be sure to look for it on your next trip to the book store. You can find out more at the official Sticky Burr website John created, and here's a direct link to purchase it. If I still haven't sold you, check out this animation John created, which features the official Sticky Burr song!

Face paint

This is a concept keyframe for an animation I'm working on. It happens to be from the same series of shorts that I posted on earlier this year. Similar old-style feel, drawn in Flash. Hoping to begin animation soon. How much do you think this chap's worth?

UPDATE: Watch the full animation at this post: Flappers and Lipstick