A Winter Scene

I drew this as a gift for our newest member to the FableVision team, Polly Searles!
I just added some color to it tonight. The year is finally winding down, and it's finally getting cold in Boston. Now, if only it would snow.

Stay warm. And have a Happy New Year!

I hear beards are in.

Favorite Music of 2011

2011. Where did the time go? Are you done with your holiday shopping? Are you done with your Top 10 Lists? I didn't think so. Let's dive right in, as I'm sure you have plenty more important things to worry about.

Much like last year, two albums battled it out for the top spot. The rest fell somewhat easily into the list. But if you're me and you put anything up against Yeezy... Yeezy wins. Hats off to Justin Vernon (Bon Iver), though—for one hell of an album that I'm sure will top a lot of lists this year and hopefully win him a Grammy or two. Heck, he's great on Watch the Throne, so everyone wins.

My TOP 10 Albums

1. Jay-Z and Kanye West
   – Watch the Throne
2. Bon Iver – Bon Iver
3. Toro y Moi – Underneath The Pine
4. St. Vincent – Strange Mercy
5. Neon Indian – Era Extraña
6. SBTRKT – SBTRKT
7. Cults – Cults
8. tUnE-YarDs – w h o k i l l
9. Panda Bear – Tomboy
10. Cut Copy – Zonoscope

Other albums of note:

The Beach Boys – The SMiLE Sessions
Whether or not this is how Brian Wilson would've assembled it in the late 60s is beside the point. I consider it a privilege to finally hear the original studio recordings. And they're great.

Laura Stevenson and the Cans – Sit Resist
I good friend turned me onto her music, and now I'm doing the same. She has a great voice—nearly made my Top 10.

Jim Guthrie – Sword & Sworcery LP: The Ballad of the Space Babies
Candy Claws – Dreamland Soundtrack
Jürgen Müller – Science of the Sea
Tycho – Dive
The above four albums are instrumental and mostly electronic (a few are soundtracks). I often play them while working. I can't say enough about Candy Claws, who are one of my favorite groups at the moment. Play 'Sword & Sworcery' by Superbrothers if you haven't already, too.

The Roots' Undun seems promising, but it's too early for me to give it a spot.

Finally, I mined a ton of individual songs from music blogs this year—a lot of them from Said the Gramophone (consistently, one of the best). So, be sure to check them out.

As always, more than anything else I'm curious to know what everyone is listening to. Feel free leave your favorites in the comments. I'm also on last.fm (bobjinxmusic) if you want to follow along next year.

Here are my lists from previous years: (2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006)

FableVision turns 15!

We had one heck of a party last night in Boston, ringing in 15 amazing years for the company I've been working at for over 7 of those years, FableVision Studios. Thank you to everyone who came out to celebrate with us! We also unveiled a new studio reel which we should have up on the site shortly. It's possible (perhaps?) that you haven't connected me with the company, or that you've never heard of FableVision. I'm currently the Director of Art & Animation, where I lead a truly extraordinary and inspiring team of illustrators, animators, and designers. Alongside producers, writers, and developers, we create educational games, websites, books, and animated films for learners of all ages. I couldn't ask for a better job or a better team.

Over the years, more than a few of our projects have made their way over to my blog.

For an immediate sampling check out the FableVision search label:

--> FableVision Projects

(which will bring up those posts—do it!)

To commemorate the anniversary, team member (and friend) Naomi Greenfield thought it would be fun for folks to interpret the company logo in their own way, and to present our concoctions to the company founders as a gift. So last weekend I figured out a way to work monsters and creatures into the mix.

The connection to the logo is more evident in color.

I can't say enough about this company, and how privileged I am to work here amongst superstars of individuals. I'd especially like to thank and our founding team: Peter Reynolds, Paul Reynolds, Gary Goldberger, and John Lechner. It's a studio defined by its people; I can't say that enough. It's why I look forward to going to work every day. To that end, an enormous thank you and congratulations to all FableVisionaries past and present. And equally, thank you to all of our collaborators and clients over the years.

To keep up to date with our projects, news & events, and studio antics (with even a few cameo tweets from me), be sure to follow us on twitter @FVStudioBoston. Also, if you have a story to tell, or your own educational mission, don't hesitate to write me directly.

Happy 15, Fablevision!

/ update /  FableVision + Monsters // pink