CHECK OUT MY WILLY

I was fortunate enough, a few months back, to have a chance to work on Thurop Van Orman's Flapjack doing storyboard clean-up and revisions for them. It was the first gig I got off of doing a story-test, so the show holds a a special place in my heart. I'm so thankful Thurop gave me an opportunity to work for him, he's an awesome guy with the heart of a whale and the beard of a man whale. One of the first episodes I was given to clean-up was, last nights premier, 'WILLY'.  The episode was quite ambitious, a lot of action, a lot of singing, and... a lot of crowds.

Below; Original rough board and cleaned-up crowd/Willy

Below; Another cleaned-up crowd

Below; I think this is one of the first crowd shots I cleaned up. And it was great because I learnt how to draw every character in the entire Flapjack universe ever. I made photocopies of the colossal crowd at certain points along the way to track the progress,

EDIT; I realized the big crowd shot below wasn't actually from the episode 'Willy!', but a different episode I had been given to clean up.

Original rough board;

Small crowd;

 

One of the great things about working clean-up on the show was forcing myself to draw in a new style. The shapes and proportions of the characters are really wacky, fun and exaggerated, they contain a lot of stylistic properties I'd never really explored. I think we all have certain formulas we instinctively stick to, whether we are aware of it or not, and working on Flapjack was a great way to push myself into new design territories. Thaddeus Couldron is the current character designer on the show, he's an incredible artist.

Medium crowd;

Colossal crowd;

 

I'm not sure if this shot made it into the final episode? I don't have a tv, so didn't have a chance to catch the episode. They probably would've blown their entire budget on this one shot.

I also got my first TV screen credit

I did Manny and Khan before working on Flapjack, which would have technically made that my first screen credit, but who the heck knows when that things ever gonna air...

BUSY BEAVER

Got a lots goin on of late, so thought I'd post some of the recent stuff I've been up to.

Been doing a lot of writing lately, more on the philosophical side of things. Started a new blog dedicated more to the literary lines of labor. Just finished putting together a first collection of essays, one I'm in the process of having self-published. I've put it up on the blog free to download for anyone interested;

humanationessays.blogspot.com

Still busy boarding, hard at work on Madagascar 3. Can't post any of the artwork I've done so far, but got this gem of a picture. Me and some of the board artists stayed late to work the other night, so production ordered diner for us. They put the order in my name. The guy delivered the food and below is a picture of the receipt;

So that was awesome.

I now have a new nickname! By day I'm mild mannered Josh Beaverman, but by night... BEAVERMANNNNN! I'm also in the early stages of development on a new TV pilot with a major network, tentatively titled 'leave it to beaverman'.

I'm really dissapointed none of my friends came up with that when I was growing up. It's so obvious.

Also, now that a whole bunch of the cartoonstitute shorts leaked, I can finally post;

This was a little 'thank you' drawing I made for Derek Dryman. He really helped mentor me and Joey through the making of Manny and Khan, he's an awesome guy and super talented, have you seen Danger Planet!?

And check out the Danger Planet production blog if you havn't.

incredible stuff.

peace out

love in

-hat

MANNY AND KHAN LEAK 2.0

These guys just won't stay dead;

The short I made for Cartoon Network with my good buddy Joey G leaked online again, and this time in high def!

By high def I don't mean the sound is so high you'll go deaf, that was the older leak.

Special shout out to the cartoon cavalry on Toonzone for all your support, you guys are the coolest. It means a lot to know that people who like cartoons like Manny & Khan.

Much love.

POST SCRIPT

No new art stuff to post, so thought I'd start posting some of my writing. This is a spec script I wrote of 'The Office"

download here; The Office Spec Script

It takes place somewhere in the middle of season 2, much prior to Jim and Pam becoming a couple.

TEX BOOKIN'

Been a long time since I posted some artwork. I spend most of the day drawing at the studio, all of which artwork I can't yet post, and tend to work more on writing in my limited spare time. But I thought I'd post a little exercise I did recently. Something I struggle with is handling multiple characters in a panel or in a particular pose in which they all interact. Below is an attempt to understand better the science of posing multiple characters together.
A screen grab from Avery's 'Rural Red Riding Hood'.

First I traced the drawing (one of the greater advantages of having access to a cintique).

The first thing I noticed in studying the pose is the line-of-actions of each character and their respective relationship to each other;

The main focus of the pose (and the gag) is Red Riding Hood kissing the cow. All of the line-of-actions work to create a focal point centered around the smooching skulls of Red and the Cow. Red's upper body leans in towards the Cow, as does the Cow's upper body into her. The wolf, as a secondary character to the pose, enhances the juxtaposing angles by mimicking the Cow's slant and creating an even greater push towards Red. The Wolfs angle leads the eye towards the focus of the pose and draws no attention to himself. Red's legs have the same affect on the pose. By having a parallel angle to that of the Cow and the Wolf it even further helps to push the eye towards the important part of the pose. What we find is 3 repeating angles pushing against 1 angle, creating a clear focal point.

Below; Eyeline
The eyeline of all three characters lie on the same plane, leaving no question as to where you should be looking.

The extraneous limbs of both the Red and the Wolf continue the idea of supporting the main line-of-action by creating a perpendicular angle. It helps lead the eye to the kiss.

When you put all of it together;
Everything either points directly to or enhances the primary action/focus of the pose.
They make it look easy...

Some additional studies;

MORE OLDER ANIMATION

So recently Alexis_from_Animation contacted me about a blog she's starting up which focuses on the animation industry and it's inhabitants. She was kind enough to interview me for her blog;
Meet and greet: Josh "Hat" Lieberman


There were a few question left out because of spacial issues, so thought I'd post the remainder of the interview here.

~How did your family/friends react when you told them about what you wanted to do?
Animation was something I'd already been doing my whole life so I'm not sure it came as a surprise to anyone around me. My notebooks from high school were always filled with more doodles than notes and I basically just carried that practice on with me to higher education. That is of course until I got bored with paying an absurd amount of money for information I could get for free and decided to leave. Plus I didn't have any friends growing up so it was easy explaining it to them.

~What's the most rewarding part of the job?
What's the worst?
On a personal level, the most rewarding part of the job is that I can hardly call it a "job". I get to come up with jokes all say, draw stupid pictures and then just happened to get paid for it, it hardly feels like work.
However in a more altruistic sense, as I grow as an artist and an individual my perception of what it means to actually be an 'artist' continues to evolve. Currently I like to invest a majority of the importance of what I do into inspiring others.
Sometimes I'll just go out and draw cartoons for people on the street as they walk by. The smiles I get in return are pretty rewarding. I've embraced this idea of doing what I love to encourage others to love.
The worst part... the hours. I don't get to work nearly as long as I'd like to.

~Name your three biggest influences.
Number one would have to be singer/songwriter Jason Mraz. He's had as much if not more of an impact on my work than any visual artist. The way he chooses to live his life and the person he chooses to be is incredibly inspiring. His approach to his craft is extraordinary, insisting that his creations are hardly "his" but "ours". It's a remarkably refreshing outlook in such a self centered industry as "art". He's a good part of the reason I dropped out of school and headed westward to follow my dreams.

Stephen Hillenburg has had a pretty big influence on me as well. Spongebob came out when i was 12 and when I first saw it I think things really clicked for me and I said to myself "That's what I'm going to do." He was also kind enough to personally write me back after I had send him a fan letter with some of my own drawings, which I'm sure at the time were quite crude. That letter still inspires me to this day.

Three would be my mom and my dad, unless that counts as two? Not sure I could pick just one. They're hard work is what allowed me to be able to pursue my passion uninterupted. Without them I wouldn't be here.

~What's your ulitmate goal as an animator/artist?
Direct Space Jam 2 starring Lebron James.



Not much new artowrk I can post yet, but found some even older animation I did. An excerpt from another unfinished project "underground". It was originally supposed to be a feature flash animated film loosely based on some high school friends and me... I think I completed about 4 minutes of animation. I did write the screenplay in its entirety however.



peace

-Hat

OLD ANIMATION

mmm... Been super busy boarding on Madagascar 3, which is going great, but don't have much new stuff to post.

Thought I'd post an old animation I made. I did this at the end of my sophomore year, right before I dropped out. So I guess that would make this my senior film...?
The assignment was a 10 second turn and react, or something along those lines, but I wanted to make an animated short...

I remember at the time I was pretty into Tashlin, I think it shows.



peace

-Hat

DEFINING GREATNESS

I think too often artists put more emphasis on exposure than expression.

There is this preconceived notion that ones work is only worthy when viewed by an audience larger than that of their common community. An idea that one's art is only as impressive as the amount of people who see it.

This obsession with mass acceptance stems mostly from human nature, however when examined from an artistic vantage point seems somewhat misguided.

This infatuation with seeing our name in bright lights can easily blind us, so much so that we lose sight of (or never even come to realize) the fundamental forces behing our creative craft.
Prolonged periods of this acknowledgable concern can often hinder our very ability to perform.

When embracing these assumptions, one begins to defince success as recognition and not execution.

And although there may be countless cases to confirm this theory (success = recognition), there are as many, if not more, examples of individuals who's unglorified existence suggests that quite the opposite also qualifies as an accurate description of success. Take for example Van Gogh, a house hold name who is just as famous for his paintings as he is for his lack of ability to sell them.
Although I'm sure the adage of Van Gogh never selling a single painting is far exaggerated (he probably sold 3 or so, his paintings aren't that bad) it is well documented he made little to no living off of being an artist. And yet today his name rings synonymous with 'painting' and even 'artist'.

One can easily argue you that Van Gogh is "successful", however, he doesn't know that.

This alternative perspective of success only weakens its very definition by proving that both ends of the spectrum can yield the same results. Thus recognition (known or unknown) is ultimately only a side effect of success, and not its core definition.

(A stupid drawing to break up the text. Khan takes birthday's very seriously)


This approach to art is something I've been exploring the past few months as I try to define myself as an artist and an individual. In doing so I've embraced a new understanding of being an artist, simply put; inspire.

I do what I do to inspire others. To have a positive impact on their lives.

Now initially it is easy to be overwhelmed by this outlook assuming that 'impact' like recognition is only as powerful as the amount of people you reach. But before jumping to that conclusion one must examine and understand the true nature of inspiration.

When beginning to approach the question you will arrive abruptly at an evident truth, inspiration is impossible to measure, and yet this problem is actually the answer.

When you understand the vastness of inspiration, it becomes evident that numbers are irrelevant. Do not under estimate your ability to impact, whether it be one person or one hundred persons. The quantity is insignificant, the quality infinite.

When dealing with infinite forces it is impossible for any particular snap shot to be more focused than the whole. Inspiring one person is the same as inspiring a hundred people, they are indistinguishable from one and other.

I've always envied musicians, those capable of singing on street corners, whose message impact every passerby. Whether that individual stops to listen, or refuses to engage in eye contact, your words are heard. I admire this kind of immediate inspiration and I began to ask myself, "why can't I do that?"

and then I realized "I can."

I performed covers of my favorite artists, Stephen Hillenburg, Craig McCracken, as I drew characters from Spongebob and Foster's Home for the good people of my community. In doing so i have granted myself an opportunity to have an instant impact on a person's life, creating a brief moment of brightness that I'd like to think can have a lasting affect.

I play music with pictures.
As far as I'm concerned, I've "made it".

you can be as successful as you want to be when you choose to embrace a definition of the word that allows you to be so.

It is impossible to define greatness, not due to its abstract nature, but because it is a fluctuation force with varying degrees of altitude. Each of us are capable of greatness in our own ways.

One can only be as successful as you allow yourself to be.

Peace

-Hat

THERES A LEAK IN MY SHORTS

Well... this happened;


Making Manny and Khan was a huge learning experience, and unexpectedly, continues to be so.
It was pretty awesome to hear my short had been 'leaked' (my favorite method of obtaining entertainment), and it's been a pretty overwhelming and emotional couple of days.

The flood of feedback has been exciting, both good and bad, all embraced and processed. Absorbed through my soft skin, pumped through my veins, ultimately exiting, and leaving behind a more porous layer, albeit stronger. The 'leakage' has given me a whole new perspective on making cartoons, being an artist, and even life.

It's funny to know how much thought has gone into an idea, how much sweat and blood is poured into a project, only to have it pinned up helplessly in front of a firing squad. Manny and Khan from conception to completion was probably about a year and a half. And despite those early mornings and long nights, it takes most but 30 seconds to decide whether or not this product meets their standards.

I am not opposed to this reaction, and I myself am guilty. Human nature I suppose. Just something that has been brought to my attention through this incident. It has conditioned me to operate my gag reflex with more control, and perhaps step back to look deeper into what is in front of me.

I believe both Joey and myself know a lot more about these characters than is presented in the cartoon. It is hard to know everything about a person from a single seven minute conversation, heck, you probably won't know anything about that person realistically. He or she will be categorized within the larger compartments of your brain as a general archetype until further information is gathered. This is something I have taken away from the criticism, and will work to manage better in future projects.

I know this short is not perfect, in fact, far from it. I think there are things that worked, and things that didn't work. To be honest, I never really imagined anyone would like it. I love cartoons, I love making cartoons, the folks at cartoon network were kind enough to give me and Joey a shot to do just that. At the time, the idea of people actually enjoying what we made was perceived as being merely a bonus.

This cartoon was it's own life form, growing and evolving constantly.

Style was strongly debated;
Things are over analyzed;
A tree with a hole in it.

When you are so close to a project for so long, it becomes hard to see in it's entirety. Hard to examine, as if using a microscope lens set at x100 when the actual organism can and should be viewed at x10 (in HD of course).

I want to thank everyone who took the time to watch Manny and Khan, and encourage thoughts to be expressed. I've taken a lot away from this experience, mouthfuls in fact. If you enjoyed the short, I am honored and touched. It's incredible to know something you've put so much into can have a positive effect on an individual, even things as simple as smiles.
If you didn't like the short, perhaps there are still things to take away from it. I'm sorry Manny and Khan didn't touch you, I guess tonight you'll need to touch yourself.


This is not an angry rant. I am not yelling... my characters have already done enough of that.

In joy
-Josh

MANNY AND KHAN AND MANNY

Like a drawing this universe is malleable.
You can craft any reality you can imagine.
Imagine a world with no limits.

We exist only now.
There is no yesterday or tomorrow.
The only time you have is the time you make.

To do is to learn.
Mistakes should not be feared.
Failure does not exist when you learn from mistakes.

Define success.
If it something that alludes you
your definition is wrong.

Be a ripple not a wave.
A ripple will reach the shore.
Waves destroy the face of the earth.

Live Learn Love.

Peace
-Hat

REINVENTING AND RECYCLING

I was recently fortunate enough to have an opportunity to drive up the captivating Pacific Coast Highway (Number 1 Highway), as I relocated to a higher latitude, 'climate best by government test' Redwood City.

My entire life was crammed in my car as I left the city where not too long ago I began my "career" in animation (you can hardly call this a career). Burbank was chill, I got to meet a lot of cool people and be a part of some exciting projects. I was able to plant my roots there and absorb an enormous amount of knowledge, mostly by staying grounded. I'm sure I will return in the near future to the seeds I've planted in Burbank and share the fruits of my labor with new and old friends.

While residing in Burbank I maintained a cartoon collage on the wall above my desk as a source of inspiration. As I went to remove the meticulously placed scraps of paper I realized the cacophony of clippings represented my 2 year stay in Burbank almost perfectly, acting as a visual time line. From left to right I could clearly distinguish the different eras of my existence;

Intern, Freelance, Unemployment... more unemployment... Big break, Breaking in.

I could go on, but this picture says more than I ever could.


Relocating gives you a great opportunity to reinvent yourself, something I've been exploring the past few years, and continue to do. As I discover the human being I strive to be I've made some simple choices to help achieve my goal.
Opting to ignore cable, in lieu of more time to create, explore, read, write, draw, and in recent weeks began picking up sewing, and fashioned the over-the-shoulder briefcase that can be seen in the picture below.
I chopped off my longer locks in lieu of a shorter more summer-friendly hairdo in almost a representation of sorts of the shedding of skin (or in this case hair) and starting a new chapter in my life.

I've summed up my new outlook on life with a simple message;
Recycle Love

In the same manner we recycle plastics and papers, recycle love and kindness, pass it on. When something nice is done for you, do something nice for someone else. Or even start a whole new chain of love by doing something nice for a stranger.

Recycle love.

-Peace
Josh
AKA

Hat

...

Found these unpacking boxes; made me laugh.


Moved into a new place, getting ready for my new gig.

SIN-TIQUE

Drawing on a computer seems so wrong...but feels so good.




Hadn't had much experience on a cintique, been practicing for my next gig.

MILE HIGH PENCIL MILAGE

Been crossing the country by way of plane the last couple days, both ways, gaining hours only to lose them shortly after. This time traveling gave me an opportunity to draw quite a bit, and for whatever reason I fell in love with drawing again. Perhaps I truly did turn back the clocks, reverting to a point in time years ago when a younger me would draw for hours, until the hands would tell me it's time for bed.

I'm in between jobs, suspended in time and become somewhat complacent with doing nothing. I hadn't been drawing much prior to my plane rides. I try not to force it, but sometimes worry the spark has faded. That creative constipation seemed to subside as last few days I've enjoyed a renewed interest in the arts and below is a sampling of what flowed out of me.


Above; forgot how fun shapes can be.



Below; gearing up for my next gig.

It took 30,000 feet to get me high on drawing again. Or maybe I was just really happy to get the hell out of Florida...

SPONGE DOODLES

Some Spongebobs;

CAKE MONSTER

This is a piece I did for my lil cousin's 8th birthday.


There was originally gonna be this other character in the top right corner. He was gonna be a super hero; Birthday Balloon-Man, but the cake monster came out pretty cool I think, and a balloon super hero is really lame anyways... I mean how super can you be made of balloons?

WE'RE READY FOR OUR GROSS UP

Extreme gross-up;



Some random pages of random doodles I've done randomly over the last few days;



Peace

LIES!!!!!!!!

Taco Bell PSA


This "PSA"(Public Service AGENDA) really pisses me off. How can anybody else tell you how you're supposed to live your life?

First off, this PSA equates success with "playing in front of thousands", so by it's own insinuations only a handful of people on this planet could be considered 'successful'. Also, the implication "then I dropped out of high school" is left unresolved. Are we supposed to believe if she finished high school she would have gotten a record deal?
By it's own demeanor this PSA is implying that wanting to be a musician/artist isn't a "real job".

Secondly, I don't see anything wrong with this picture? Clearly she's doing ok for herself, i mean, look at those stylish threads. She gets to do what she loves, which is more than 95% of this country can say, and that is the definition of success.

Thirdly, if you listen closely to the lyrics of her song, she clearly states "lucky to be where I am"... quite a juxtaposition to the paradoxical message its unsuccessfully trying to convey.

Fourthly, dropping out of high school to pursue a career in music is incredibly courageous, and shows a level of ambition and character unmatched by any high schooler I've ever met. I would pay to hear what she has to say.

Taco Bell believes it's more respectable and appropriate for you to work the cash register at one of their restaurants for minimum wage than it is to pursue something you're passionate about.

Success is doing what you love, whether that means (in this case) playing for 2000 people, or playing for strangers on the street. Don't ever let anybody else tell you how you're supposed to live your life. Society wants you to fit into a cookie cutter mold of a mundane existence because it fears the 'different'. Make your own path.

MANNY & KHAN; WE LIKE BAD DRAWINGS!

Sum of the Manny and Khan artwork I've been workin' on. These 2 pieces I made for my mom, she's awesome.

I think our character designer Danbob Thompson ruined my life. I can't draw anything now without having all the lines overlap on top of each other... it's a really bad habit.

Below is a piece of artwork from Danbob's portfolio that both Joey and myself saw and instantly said "we need to steal that style for Manny and Khan!"

Property of Dan Thompson

The folks at Cartoon Network, specifically Craig McCracken and Rob Renzetti, really liked the youtful energy of the short and it's childish nature. So we tried to capture that "charm" in the art direction, and Danbob capitalized on the philosphy by implementing a "crude" stylistic approach to the character designs. The overlapping lines and jagged/uneven thick-and-thin linework really enhances the characters' personalites simply in design. Danbob did an incredible job capturing the energy of the short by making the characters appear they'd actually been drawn by kids. The short wouldn't have felt the same way without his masterfuly "poor" drawings. (Danbob is one of the most talented and diverse artists I've ever met, and this is in no way a stab at his abilities. In fact, it's actually harder to draw "poorly" than it is to draw "good" which is a testament to Danbob's skills!)

Everyone we brought on to help us out with the short, we always told them the same thing, that the feeling we were going for is "you should be making sound effects while you're drawings."