adventures on the animation rollercoaster

Animation Rollercoaster has moved into Kikutowne

2010-02-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

It's been a great five years here on Blogger, but Animation Rollercoaster needed a change. It's picked up and moved to Kikutowne. Click on the image below to get you to the new place:

As a welcome gesture to Animation Rollercoaster, Kikutowne has gone through a major redecorating process, thanks to the helping hand of Wordpress, and Graph Paper Press. For antiquity's sake, Animation Rollercoaster is leaving all its old belongings and posts here at Blogger. Feel free to come back here to visit if you're feeling nostalgic for Animation Rollercoaster's days of yore. If you follow the Animation Rollercoaster on any sort of reader, of have any links or bookmarks that lead to it, please change the address to http://www.kikutowne.com .

Thanks, and looking forward to seeing you on the other side (of the internet).

Holiday Bum Rush

2009-11-08T15:27:00.001-08:00

I've been a lot busier this year with events and circumstances that I never expected: jumping between three different studios (feature to TV and now back to feature), being a part of Hello Kitty's 35th birthday, having a table at APE all on my own, and traveling to Copenhagen (just got back last week!), and now it's November?! Unfortunately all these flurries of activity took me away from presiding over Kikutowne in any responsible sort of way. I'm also pretty bummed at how much I left Ito-Mobile in the dust. It's still there, but I haven't updated it since the first two days I started it. Some things that I plan to remedy as part of my jump start on resolutions for the new year... More on those after I finish bombarding you with the new wares I've placed online.

Since I have a window of time for the moment, and the holidays are fast approaching, I am beginning the trickle of what will hopefully turn into a flash flood of new products, flowing sweetly into the Kikutowne Shoppe.

Here's a quick rundown of some of the newness you can find in the shop today:

Various and ever changing collection of Catcumbers!
Freshly-wrapped stationery from Kikutowne!
Two rare sets of glasses (for drinking), only 2 pairs available for sale.

As an added incentive to purchase things early for the holidays, I have a secret code for friends and fans that will get you 15% off for the next month... if you email emperor@kikutowne.com, or direct message me on twitter, I'll tell you the code. On twitter, you can find me here.

Coming to the Kikutowne Online Shop Soon

2009-10-30T06:24:00.001-07:00

When I get back from Copenhagen (I'm going on a short trip), get your online wallets ready for these:

My toys make all the stress in the world go away when you look at them or hold them, according to one APE patron*. Buy one for someone you care about for the holidays!
--------------------------

*A shopper at the Alternative Press Expo, not a patron who happened to also be an ape.

CATCUMBERS for APE 2009

2009-10-14T11:54:00.000-07:00

Time has been flying by, but somehow I saved up enough time and energy to get some of these ready for APE at the last minute:

CATCUMBERS!

I found the striped fabric on sale at a big fabric store near my work, and figured I could find a good way to use it. I'm trying to make my plush characters look closer to how I sketch. I think I'm getting closer, but I worry that the simplicity and crudeness of it won't appeal to folks as much as more detailed plush. Whadda you think? Anywho, as far as APE prep goes I still feel like I have a ton of things to get in order and ready to go for the drive on Friday... I am still waiting for my precious notepads and pens to arrive in the mail. I hope they don't get delayed by the rain! I'm excited for the event, there's going to be a ton of friends there this year. I hope I will have time to do one more post before I leave so I can tell you where to find my booth, and my friends booths... Almost ready...

APE 2009 Prep II

2009-10-07T17:54:00.001-07:00

I am crossing my fingers that I will have notepads and pens like these, ready for APE! Please buy some so I don't feel lame for makin' them...

Weekend APE 2009 Stockpiling

2009-09-14T14:21:00.000-07:00

These look cooler in bulk then by themselves I think... So get ready to stock up at APE! You can see the big red stain on my carpet also...

APE 2009 Prep I

2009-09-11T15:57:00.000-07:00

I officially will be exhibiting at APE this year. I'm not sure how well this will go since life keeps happening and making me change course... but for now, here's something that's at least partially on its way:

I'm not sure if I like how these are turning out yet... We'll see...

Blog Break Over

2009-09-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

I took a bit of a hiatus from blogging to handle life. Here's something to keep you from forgetting to come visit:

[thanks Hugo]

Peppermint Collection

2009-07-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

Uniformed Collection

2009-07-20T18:37:00.001-07:00

Peppermint Fox Preview

2009-07-20T00:09:00.000-07:00

Sly Foxes

2009-07-09T11:35:00.001-07:00

Possibly coming to Comicon...

Keeping this one

There are different flavors, and different species on the way... Stay tuned!

Ten Months to Three Decades

2009-06-23T10:58:00.000-07:00

Today is my 30th birthday. The above photo was taken 10 months into the game. I came out the day my mom was supposed to be the guest of honor at her baby shower, a month earlier than expected. I guess I didn't want to miss the party. The doctor wasn't sure I was going to make it, because I only weighed 4lbs, 5oz, and had to be in an incubator for a couple weeks. Also I had jaundice, so they had to put me under some kind of light, and put gauze over my eyes so they wouldn't get hurt. One day, while I was getting my light treatment, my uncle was standing near the observation window. Another guy walked up next to him, and asked, concernedly, if the baby with the gauze on the eyes was blind. I hear that my mom was pissed, but probably because she was already stressed out and worried that I wasn't gonna make it, and now someone was asking if I was blind. I have a lot of fat baby pictures, that when I complain about how fat of a baby I was, my mom said they made sure I ate a bunch because they thought I was going to die when I was born. Sheesh. Now look at me, walking around like I own the place... I don't know what else to say about today, other than, it doesn't seem like it took very long to get here.

On the opening of my thirtieth year, I am thankful to have the life I do, especially after jumping the gun at the beginning and almost ruining it all. I am constantly grateful to my family and friends who are my valued copilots on the roller coaster.

Situation Normal

2009-06-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

Ito-Mobile

2009-06-08T15:28:00.000-07:00

Forget that other blog I was telling you about last week. That wasn't very well thought out. What I really wanted, was a place where I could do less talking, and more showing of what I'm up to...

I want to get better at spur of the moment photography, and according to my parents and everyone, the only way to get better at anything, is to do it more. Although I enjoy looking at other people's Polaroids, and real film fun, I'm not big into the retro camera movement, mostly because I can't really afford to take on more equipment (I have enough stuff because of my addiction to crafting, and my often wandering attention). Hopefully I can practice digitally, and get better at framing life, with no money wasted on developing my horrible mistakes*. I spent enough time and money on that in high school... My goal in my new space, is to document more, using my mobile phone camera, just because it is something I have with me most of the time, and is much easier to carry than my Nikon D50. Also, I get embarrassed bringing out "the big guns," because I usually get some kind of comment like, "Wow, someone has a fancy camera," followed by questions about the specs on it. That makes me nervous, since I suck at remembering technical things...

This new space is meant to house my photo essays on my day to day life. I am hoping to keep it free of words (in the posts), but occasionally there might be a cute video, links, or funny photos that I didn't take myself. My guarantee is that it will always be filled with snaps of the day to day, whether it be from my phone, my fancy pants camera, other websites, etc.

I hope you will visit my other home every now and then:

* Though I like to sound like I'm some kind of thrifty wizard, I accidentally spent a bunch of money, uploading pictures from my phone directly to Flickr. Still need to fine tune this whole process so I don't end up an accidental chump...

Inspiration from Conan O'Brien

2009-06-02T15:49:00.000-07:00

I watched Conan O'Brien's Tonight Show last night. It was nice to see him on TV again... I love his new set, and the show was great. My enthusiasm for Conan's sense of humor bubbled over into today. I wanted more, so I googled, and found these videos. These might be old news to everyone else, but this is the first time I've seen them. They are extremely funny, but also extremely inspirational... Check it out, especially those of you who could use some laughs, coupled with some motivation and hope. (0 ---- 0)

Part 1

Part 2

It helps to know that everyone goes through down times sometimes, but can rise back up like a funny, red haired, phoenix...

I hope one day I can be this good...

Tuesday Shark Attack (Hat)

2009-06-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

[via Boing Boing Gadgets, via Neatorama, via Crafter forum]

Aphids Suck, Conan RULES!

2009-06-01T14:41:00.000-07:00

I wanted to practice using some of the other brushes my friend gave me for Photoshop, so I drew what went on in my brain this Monday morning...

I'm excited that Conan is back on TV, starting tonight. Also, I am determined to eradicate the aphids from my Shishito pepper plant...

A Kiss From Tokyo Trailer

2009-05-26T09:38:00.000-07:00

Welcome back from vacation to those of you who had Memorial Day off. To ease the pain of the Tuesday-Monday blues, check out this radical piece of business:

Many congrats to Kevin, Stephan, and Cyrille! A lot more exciting news and updates coming soon... Stay tuned to Kevin's site for the latest developments in the world of Yuki 7!

More Etching

2009-05-22T12:23:00.000-07:00

I've been in a crafty kind of mood this year, I guess. I was encouraged by my friend Bruce to keep goin' with the glass etching I'd been dabbling in last year. I wanted to find a reusable stencil, so I wouldn't have to repeatedly re-cut the same design with my exact-O. The last etched glass project I did involved a lot of exact-O-ing, and swear words, when the tentacles I'd cut for my contact-paper-jellyfish kept getting stuck on top of each other, and then torn by my clumsy mitts.

I finally found some reusable, vinyl stencils at Michael's, the kind that I could cut my own designs in. It comes on a clear plastic backing that you can place them on when you're done using them, like reusable stickers. During this round, I did some testing with how much Armor-Etch cream was needed for an even etching, and also with how long the cream should be left on before being rinsed, in order to ensure a lack of visible brush strokes. I'm not sure whether it adds something to see the brush strokes or not, but I'm leaning more towards no visible strokes... My process was something like this:

Draw design with a Tombow HB pencil (my favorite softness, and brand) onto the stencil.
Remove stencil to self healing mat, and place flat, so as to preserve the clear backing sheet for later.
Use exact-O to cut stencil.
Place stencil on glass.
Brush super heavy/thick coat of Armor-Etch cream onto stencil/glass, leave for 30 minutes.
Rinse.
Dry.
Remove stencil to backing sheet.
Enjoy newly etched glass.

I also messed around with some glass paint. On the squid glasses, I felt it was best to keep to the simple shape, and only used paint to detail the eyes, so they would be more visible. I had some glass jars that I cleaned and saved, to try out something a little different. I wanted to do some UPA style characters... simple etched shape, with an offset line drawing. It's a little hard to get the glass paint to resemble an ink line, most of the time I had to put it on in more than one coat, or push it around, rather than paint it on. My lines ended up a lot thicker than I had hoped. To put the paint on the glass, I waited till my glasses and jars were completely dry, let the paint dry over night, then baked the glass in the oven (it says what temp on the bottle) so that the paint would set.

I'm considering putting some of these, or items like these in the store... But maybe want to get a better handle on how to get the line work looking more like what I imagined.

In case you're curious, I'm trying to sprout an avocado seedling in the amoeba jar, which is what that weird pod is, being supported by toothpicks, and cradled in water.

New Plush Forms

2009-05-21T17:44:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, I was trying to come up with some new plush ideas, so I can slowly but surely start putting the stock pile of fabric that I've built up, to good use. I want to eventually start selling some new things in the store, but I'm not sure if these particular ones will be put in there or not. Also, I've posted some sketches, in case you're interested to see my process. Don't follow my lead, I don't really know what I'm doing. Nevertheless, I thought you might want to see how it starts out for me. The tiny newsprint page was my attempt to figure out some construction ahead of time, but, to someone who actually sews from real patterns it probably looks like a cave painting.

Surprise! It's Adventure Time!

2009-05-20T22:06:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I've been workin' on Friendleton's show, Adventure Time, over at Cartoon Network. It's the first time I've been paid to work there, though not my first time gaining experience there. My very first internship in animation was at Cartoon Network, on Grim & Evil/ Evil Con Carne. I am having a blast working on Pen's show, and was thinking it would be a while before I could show you what I've been drawing... Then the other day, they posted some of my boards from the first episode I've done for the show. I've been working with Adam Muto, who did an awesome short about Samsquatch with Frederator... I went to school with Adam, but we didn't talk much. I mostly knew him as the animated dancing guy at the end of one of Pen's films. It was one of my favorite animations ever. I am smiling, thinking of it... Anyway, now me and Adam talk all the time, because we share the same office, drawing and laughing furiously together. We also own two of the same T-shirts. Aaaaawwwhhh Jyeah! Anywho, clickity-click on the super long hyperlinked sentence, or on the image above to see the post on the Frederator blog about me and Adam's board.

Sweating and Loathing in Las Vegas

2009-05-19T12:35:00.000-07:00

Kevin and I took a trip to Las Vegas this past weekend, to enjoy a No Doubt friends and family show. Kevin got to do some artwork for No Doubt, which is how we got hooked up with the tickets. To be honest, I've listened to them since high school, and still enjoy them now. Does that deserve hipster scorn? Possibly... but I still think they're awesome, regardless... I considered selling my copy of Tragic Kingdom a few months ago, but it still sits safely in a CD folder on my shelf, escaping the grasp of Amoeba Music. The show was crazy good, and renewed my No Doubt fangirlishness.

There was no photography allowed at the show, but here are some photos I took of everything else...

Las Vegas set on Flickr

Please Don't Punch It

2009-05-08T09:46:00.000-07:00

My Dad took a photo of the mouse mural I've been talking about (thanks Dad). Apparently, the other day, when he went to pick up my Mom from school, some kids were punching my mouse in the gut. I guess it has a pretty decent sized belly, so I can see the temptation, but since the wall is made of stucco, it's possible they ended up with bloody knuckles.

Does this look like something you imagined little me creating?

Back in the Game

2009-05-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

But this one's already spoken for...

My First Felting

2009-04-29T10:25:00.000-07:00

This mouse pin cushion is my very first venture into the fuzzy world of felt. I found this book one day at Kinokunia. Powered by excitement, I sallied forth to gather supplies! The book said the supplies should be easily found at the local craft store, but that turned out to be inaccurate for me. I looked at Michaels, and Joanns, with no luck. Here's where I ended up ordering from.

Felting is a lot of fun, pretty easy, and you should definitely give it a try. You get to stab something a bunch, and the end result is cuteness- what's not to like? Just be careful with the needle- it's terribly sharp. I stabbed my fingers multiple times when I got overzealous.

The Sound of Music, En Masse

2009-04-28T10:16:00.000-07:00

This made my day, at 9:30 in the morning.

My apologies for the brief hiatus in blogging. I've been trying to keep all my plates spinning in the air... Amongst the things to be covered post by post: trip to Monterey, adventures at the Bring Your Own Big Wheel (BYOBW 2009), an interview with me on Fulle Circle Productions blog, glass etching, plush, art shows, gardening, and adventures on Adventure Time! Phew!

Stay tuned!

----------------------------

Also... another reason I need to get a PS3 ASAP:

My Mouse, Saved

2009-04-06T16:51:00.000-07:00

I got this email from my mom on Friday. She still teaches at the elementary school where I went from Kindergarten through sixth grade.

Hi Eliz,

Guess what? They are getting ready to repaint our school and the architect/designer (a parent) who came up with the pallet and the plan for what color paint will go where, gave a super presentation to the Governing Board on Thursday afternoon. Very high tech. He took photos of the exteriors of our school and through his trickery was able to show what the new paint job will look like and how it will transform our school into a 21st century looking school. When he came to the cafeteria area, he said that Susan [the art teacher who's been there since I went there as a kid] said he could paint over the existing mural. However, when he showed the transformation, your mouse was the only figure he didn't paint over!!! I couldn't believe it! I told everyone at the meeting that YOU had painted it years ago and they got a big kick out of that! Just thought you might like to know.

Love,

mom

Hooray! My mouse was saved! The mouse my mom is talking about was one of several random animals designed by kids going to the elementary school at the same time as me. They were painted as carousel animals, and all the kids going there got to help with the painting of the mural, after the drawings were blown up and put onto the walls. I had initially drawn a plain, white mouse, because that was the kind that I had. The art teacher asked if I would mind them putting rainbow spots on it, so it wouldn't be so plain. I said yes, but I remember I was afraid it was going to look dumb with rainbow spots... It ended up looking pretty ok. (^-^)

Quote of the Day

2009-03-18T14:40:00.000-07:00

“Cartooning, like all other humor, comes from bad things happening.”

- Charles Schulz

Courtesy of Drawn!

NY 2009

2009-03-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

I took a trip to Manhattan in January, and am slowly getting all the photos I took onto Flickr. It always takes me longer than I expect to edit through them. The lazy side of me is complaining constantly, about how no one cares about the levels, or cropping. Ms. Obsessive Side is a stubborn little lady, and won't hear it... Anyway, more is yet to be added, but for now

here's where you can find the set.

Here are a few of my favorites, so far:

The trip was a blast. I can't really write the entire description, because there were so many things, and you would most definitely not want to read that much... Here's a bullet points version:

Snow in Times Square the very first night we were in Manhattan!

Taking the subway or train everywhere and anywhere we wanted to go.

Dinner at Lupa, Wallace Sean sat near us... I couldn't think of his name, so I ended up telling Kevin, "The voice of the T-Rex from Toy Story just sat down!"

Visited my friend and former teacher Bruce in Dobbs Ferry. Bruce pretty much knows how to do, or make, everything... Frames, paintings, tiles, faux wood finishes... But mostly he is an amazing painter, and a great friend.

A trip to the Whitney, to see an exhibit on William Eggleston, and coincidentally saw the Calder exhibit also... both made me feel like I have a lot more work to do in this lifetime...

Pizza at Stromboli's

Afternoon lunch at Cha-An (thanks to Mari-chan for the recommendation).

Drinks at the Back Room with Amid and Celia. What an awesome bar... I want to go back, if I can manage to find it again. Drinks are served in teacups, and you can warm yourself by a gigantic fireplace!

Randomly asked to stand nonchalantly with a group of about 8 other people in the subway for fifteen minutes, being filmed/photographed for an installation piece that supposedly will be 50 feet tall by 300 feet wide, somewhere in the UK. Supposedly I'm going to get an email telling me when I can see the piece online.

Hanging out with Scott C and Ian B, and having a really funny experience when trying to eat at an Indian food restaurant, that was right next door to a competing Indian food restaurant... they shared the same stoop, and literally were trying to grab customers, by the arm, from each other...

There was lots and lots of eating to be had in NY, and I limited the amount of writing on here about all the wonderful places I ate, mostly because the whole trip was so chalk full of eating. The nice thing about the cold, and the city, was that I could pig out, but would walk it off by the end of the day, and be totally ready for lots more eats the next day. On that note, I will be filling in a lot of the details about places that I ate, and enjoyed, as a guest contributor on Hugo's new food blog. If you haven't checked it out already, please do, especially if you love food, and want to know great places to go (mostly in LA, but now in NY, too).

All in all, it was a very fun trip. I hope I get a lot more opportunities to spend time in NY, it's a pretty exciting place to be.

Yuki 7

2009-02-17T09:11:00.000-08:00

Here is my work for Kevin's Yuki 7 project. I'm excited and honored to be part of the book/show. When Kevin first told me about the project, I thought it would be fun to see what merchandise for the Yuki 7 franchise might look like.

I sculpted a tiny Yuki 7 figurine out of wood, using a cordless Dremel that Santa gave me for Christmas. This is the first time I've really entered into the realm of wood carving. It was a little nerve wracking when occasionally I started to notice the smell of burning, and the noise takes a little getting used to, but I had a lot of fun. Now I just need a workshop space, it got a little messy trying to do woodcarving in the kitchen...

The second thing I made using my new tools, was a Yuki 7 feather duster. This was also made using the Dremel. I had to manage some clever piecing together of different wooden pieces that I had lying around from craft-project ideas of yore, but in the end I was pleased with the result. The feathers were also something that were lying around, I think at some point I had intended to use them as hair for a puppet. It was difficult to figure out how to get the mass of them to stick in the bottom, but eventually I came up with a sturdy solution. Both the figure and the duster are painted with Cel Vinyl, and then treated with an acrylic gloss coat.

Here is a picture of Kevin, and my photo studio setup. For Christmas, Santa also gave me a kit, specially designed for shooting small objects. It worked perfectly for my Yuki pieces, and I imagine that it will work pretty dang well for future toy shoots. Exciting!

I also like being able to see the relative scale of everything. It's pretty funny seeing that tiny figure standing around in a huge, white, fashion model tent.

The Yuki 7 project is certainly producing some great work from some great artists... be sure to keep checking Kevin's site for updates.

While You Were Out...

2009-02-16T14:02:00.000-08:00

In case you were curious, I wasn't spending the last month in New York. This picture was taken in a walkway at Grand Central Station. The week-long trip was really fun, and I was looking forward to getting back and sharing all the awesome adventures I had, leisurely posting pictures from my trip, etc... but...

When I landed in Los Angeles on Saturday night, I was greeted by the news that I shouldn't come into work on Monday, because Imagi wouldn't be able to pay me. The news wasn't delivered with any kind of alarm, and at first I wasn't too worried, I guess part of my brain was still on vacation in New York. Details were kind of vague, and it seemed that it might be just a short term problem... But after the first week went by, and there was nothing new for HR and Imagi to say to reassure me that I would be back at my desk anytime soon, all free time went towards figuring out a plan of action so I can keep my health coverage, and so I don't starve. I was still a bit hopeful, but now into week three... well... what would you think? They were still marketing Astroboy at the New York Comicon, so they still must be pushing forward somehow...

Imagi... I don't know what the heck happened, and while I have feelings about it all, I'm gonna leave it alone for now. I hope for the best, but am prepared for anything... In case you are interested in more of the details about what happened with Imagi, and what their future might be- for now it's best to check the Animation Guild blog. They know what's what, much more than me about all this... the posts regarding Imagi can be found here and here.

Thankfully things are back on track for me personally, and shortly I'll be sharing my pics from the trip, as well as my pieces for some upcoming shows... Thanks for still checkin' back here, even though I disappeared for a bit...

Please enjoy this photo in my absence...

2009-01-19T03:01:00.000-08:00

I'll be gone to NYC for the week. I'm on vacation till next Sunday... In the meantime:

This is my Mom's side of the family, plus my Dad, probably around the mid-seventies. It speaks volumes about everyone in the photo... Seems that my Dad is quite pleased about something... Found it in my grandpa's photo box over the weekend.

Whirlwind of a Start

2009-01-13T10:00:00.000-08:00

This year has already started out with a lot of hub bub, and not enough time to write about all the fuss... I have a lot of resolutions, projects, and new year goal related stuff that I want to write about, just not a lot of time yet

I wanted to take a quick moment, to at least post about something that was a happy surprise. Welcome to my Life was chosen by Channel Frederator as part of their staff favorites of 2008! In addition they did an interview with me on their blog.

Simplicity, January 1969

2008-12-30T10:47:00.000-08:00

More can be found here.

In My Grandmothers Sewing Desk...

2008-12-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

Over the holidays, part of my gift to my family was to organize my late Grandma's belongings. In her sewing desk I found a stack of small magazines from the late sixties-early seventies, catalogues of fashions with corresponding pattern numbers for the stylish seamstress. I plan to eventually scan all of them, and here is a sample from the earliest one. To see the whole catalogue, please visit my vintage fashion set on Flickr.

Needless to say, the originals are being donated to a certain Kevin .

Once Upon This Weekend

2008-12-12T11:09:00.000-08:00

I'm going to be in a group show this weekend. My friend, Keith Noordzy has brought together a lovely bunch of artists, at Alpha Cult in Long Beach! The theme of the show is fairy tales, and stories from my/our youth. I picked a book my mom used to read me as a kid, The Amazing Bone. Sounds like to the punchline to a joke, or the title to some XXX film, but in all seriousness, it's a great book by William Steig. Later I discover that Steig was also a wonderful cartoonist for the New Yorker, one of my favorite places to read panel comics. As a kid, those were probably my top two choices for professions: Children's book author/ illustrator, or New Yorker, panel comic artist. Here's my piece:

Gouache on watercolor paper, and the little plaque on it was made with a label maker and gold gouache paint.

If you get a chance, read the book. Its pretty short, and very dream-like, so it will be a short time well spent... Also my artwork and caption will make more sense if you read the book.

Here's the flyer for the show:

Kikutowne Holiday Sale!

2008-12-03T15:33:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the holidays, there's a big sale in Kikutowne! Older prints are discounted 60%, and holiday cards are at a special holiday price! I've also begun a clearance on artwork from my personal hoard. Rising out of the dust are pieces from art shows of yore, in addition to artwork from my archives, never before available to the world outside of Kikutowne. All of these are one of a kind, and pretty dang cheap. For anyone who's ever desired an original piece from me, (to brighten up your space, or just to covet) this is for you! As pieces are sold, new pieces will fill their slots, so be sure to check back regularly.

And another thing... there's a free, random gift with every purchase. It's not giant, but- it's free! Gifts are small, chosen at random, and you might hate it, but you also might love it... I don't know if anyone is a fan of the OG Sanrio store, but it's kind of similar to how you used to get a small present with your purchases there...

There are only two plush monsters left in the store... There won't be any more showing up in the store till after New Years, so... you know what I'm sayin'...

**I just want to be clear that I refrained from refering to the Kikutowne Sale, as a "Blowout Sale." Mom hates that term...

Thanksgiving Holiday Adventures

2008-12-01T16:03:00.000-08:00

Family

A Tiny Glimpse of My Uncle's Incredible Pin Collection

Sylvanian Families

LACMA

Griffith Observatory

Homemade Candles & Fake Tree

**If you would like to make any digital or scanned image into a Polaroid, here's the place to get the goods. I totally cheated, all of these were taken with my Nikon D50 this past weekend.

Family Pegs

2008-11-24T01:24:00.000-08:00

I just finished the details on these, this past weekend. They will be available in the shop by Thanksgiving...

Astro Boy Teaser and Still, Online!

2008-11-21T08:34:00.000-08:00

I don't really talk a whole lot about the work I do during the day lately- mostly because there's not much I'm allowed to talk about. But today, there is some excitement to share! A new teaser trailer, along with a brand new, sparkly still were released this morning. Above is the latest image released by Imagi for Astroboy- and it's from one of the sequences I storyboarded! The new teaser is online, and also will be playing in front of Bolt, and Madagascar 2. I'm really proud of Imagi, and my friends and colleagues. Most importantly, I'm incredibly excited to see this movie when it's done. Great work, guys and gals at Imagi!

Check out the trailer, in all different sizes, here.

My favorite comment from the Moviefone-Astro page, so far: "WOW, this just owned my face. i can not wait for this movie now."

I think that's good? ...

Here Come the Moms

2008-11-18T11:54:00.000-08:00

These are the first pieces I finished for some super limited holiday items I plan to put in the store by Thanksgiving. There will be at least four, wooden, family, holiday doll sets. I just finished painting the moms, who are dressed to the nines!

Here they are!

Some of the Newness

2008-11-08T17:47:00.000-08:00

Kikutowne: New Products for Fall/Winter

2008-11-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

Running off the exciting conclusion to the election last night, I used the good energy I was feeling to revamp my store, and to add a number of items that I had promised to add, post-APE. I have my robot posters up, as well as six, new, one-of-a-kind dolls. More dolls will be going up soon, and in addition there will be some special, one-of-a-kind, holiday products going up in the store later this month. Also, be on the look out for a possible post about a holiday sale, along with a special, holiday discount code...

(click on the image above to get to the store)

I Just Did

2008-11-04T09:46:00.000-08:00

Kikutowne Adoption Agency Flickr Group

2008-11-03T12:25:00.000-08:00

This photo was taken by a Flickr friend who adopted one of my baby mister monster plush dolls earlier this year. I was really excited to see this, and thought it might be a good idea to start a group where people could see what some of the adopted monsters are up to in the world outside of Kikutowne.

And that leads me to my point... May I present you with...

Friends and Patrons of the Kikutowne Adoption Agency:
A Flickr Group

Robot Posters Have Arrived

2008-10-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

Here's some photos of the silkscreen prints I'll be selling at APE. There were 50 printed of each. Since I'm not sure what the demand is going to be like this year, I was thinking of bringing half of them with me and leaving half at home. What do you think? Would you buy one? I will also have some available on my website after I get back from the convention. Oh yeah, and the blue guy's innards glow in the dark- I don't know if that changes whether you'd buy one or not, but I really geek out about things that glow.

One of These Could Be For You

2008-10-28T11:16:00.000-07:00

I'm happy to say, I met my goal for APE! Twenty-five baby monsters, ready to be adopted and loved! When making this post, I kept checking to make sure I didn't repeat one... Most of these will be with me at APE, five will be left behind for online adoption/purchase. All purchases will come with a free holiday card:

The horizontal line indicates a perforation. If you like, you can tear off the bottom, to leave a nice, square, polaroid-inspired illustration. If anyone wants to buy a few, I'll also be selling them. More info about my APE plans tomorrow, with poster photos, maps, and links to friends!

APE Prep

2008-10-28T11:09:00.000-07:00

This is what the last two weeks kind of looked like.

Coming Soon to APE

2008-10-06T10:34:00.000-07:00

In bald stage, no hats or horns developed yet...

I decided to paint the mouths on for this batch, as opposed to the embroidery method I usually use. It's faster, and easier for me to control the style of expression. Hopefully I can get these all done before Halloween! I will have five available on my online store prior to leaving for APE. There will be twenty other ones traveling to APE, and available for adoption. Who will be going to APE this year?

Thoughts of Stickers and Girls

2008-09-30T11:12:00.000-07:00

Here's some sketches I did, thinking about the owl sticker idea... Below that are some sketches I did thinking of a random movie idea I have... Maybe when I have some free time I'll get that headed somewhere-

$1.00

2008-09-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

If you could, would you buy a sticker of this for a dollar?

If I decide to make these... the actual sticker will be the shape of the owl, not a square...

Update: Monitor Calibration Test

2008-09-26T21:10:00.000-07:00

As an update to the previous post: I wondered whether the monitor I was using had any relevance to how well/ poor I performed on the color test. When taking it at work, I got a 12, but on my home computer, I got a 4! My computer at work is a Toshiba tablet PC, and my computer at home is an iMac. I'm not arguing for the superiority of one system vs. another, just wanted to point out that if you want the best possible representation of color, monitor calibration and sensitivity make a big difference...

Color Test

2008-09-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

I scored a 12 on this color hue test. Try it out, and let me know how you do!

My New Logo

2008-09-23T12:19:00.000-07:00

Still not so sure how I feel about Illustrator. Mainly because I'm so bad at it, and it took me way too long to figure out how to do the simplest things. Plus I get really OCD about making curves and points exactly right, then end up wondering how it took me two hours to make one simple shape....

Another One, to Go With the Other

2008-09-22T14:38:00.000-07:00

Here's another screenprint I hope to have finished for APE:

Which One is Better?

2008-09-19T10:42:00.000-07:00

The winner will be available at APE.
(In case it makes a difference, the circuitry might glow in the dark)

Busy Busy

2008-09-17T11:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,

Sorry I've been so neglectful of you lately, things have just been really busy with work. I miss you. Let's hang out again!

Elizabeth

Here's some stuff from my new, huge, landscape, watercolor moleskine sketchbook. One is an image I posted in its beginning stages a while back... but finally, five months later, I found enough down time to complete it.

The only one with words in it was drawn while watching this cool move that Kevin found, Deadlier Than the Male. Kevin was telling me I need to make a sticker sheet of the one in the middle. Or a series of prints, maybe Illustrator the crap out of it and digital print? I dunno, what do you think?

I'll be at APE this year, and I really need some input as to what people might like to find at my table. I will have a new crop of plushes, which is why I haven't been adding any to the online store lately. I'm a slow seamstress... Maybe I should start a monster adoption wait list. If all goes according to plan, I should also have a silkscreen robot print. Maybe pins, maybe stickers- what would you be into seeing? Now's your chance to cast your vote!

On My Way to the TFP

2008-09-06T07:13:00.000-07:00

Totoro Forest Project Auction, here I come...

I wonder who gets to take this home...
I'll be back with lots of pictures, hopefully!

DINOSAUR!

2008-09-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

I need to see this:

8-bit 2008

2008-08-07T11:09:00.000-07:00

"Old Skool"

details

Kevin Dart's Marvelous Backgrounds

2008-08-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

Kevin did a bunch of kick ass work on the BBC Olympics spot that was recently released... You should go check it out

Fruits Go Go

2008-08-05T10:44:00.000-07:00

This was for an art show at Monkeyhouse toys that's a preview for a bigger art show to come. The theme was crazy Japanese street fashion. I used gold paint and leaf in this, but... it doesn't look very good scanned...

**The color on her dress is closer to the photo, kind of a neon orange...

2008-07-23T14:36:00.000-07:00

I haven't had much time to post about my San Diego Comicon plans, other than images with very little explaination, and now I find that it's the day that I'm leaving already!

As far as things I'm selling, I have twenty, handmade, brand new monster babies. Each of them has a unique name, a birth certificate, a studio portrait, and comes in a cute, ventilated carrier. These will be $30 each. I also have fourteen, scuba-version preemies, ten plain preemies, and one bobble-hat preemie. Each of the preemies come in a cute, little, red carrier, and will be $15 each. Any dolls that I don't sell at Comicon will be put up in the Kikutowne General Store upon my return. I also have a bowl full of one-inch pins. If you buy a doll from me you can have a few. Or maybe if you just ask nicely...

For the most part I can be found hanging with Fleet Street Scandal. at table F9. If you want my official-Comicon-signing time, I will be at the Munkyking booth on Thursday, from 5:30-7PM. Make sure to stop by the Munkyking booth to see the prototype of baby Mister Monster that they'll have on display. I'll have my monster orphans with me, where ever I am... except maybe if I'm in the bathroom, 'cause that would be unneccessary.

See you at Comicon!

Comicon 2008, Here We Come!

2008-07-22T22:29:00.000-07:00

Who's Going to Comicon?

2008-07-19T10:24:00.000-07:00

These buddies:

In addition to these friends, I will have buttons, and possibly some last minute buddies coming along for the ride as well-

Inside my Head

2008-07-18T10:24:00.001-07:00

I think I'm going to have to get this game:

Its the best visualization of what's happening inside my brain, most of the time

Mom Monday

2008-07-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

My Mom forwarded these bits of goodness today, and they made me smile.

1. Turn the HD off on this video, otherwise it takes to long to load

2. Pepito: baby bird goodness

Thanks for making my day Mom.

Revealed

2008-07-10T09:07:00.000-07:00

Here's the full version of what I gave you a bite about a month or so ago. It's my piece for an art auction to save Totoro's forest. I'm honored to be a part of it, and there are many, many talented artists that are involved.

You might have read the above paragraph and mumbled to yourself, "Who the #@$! is Totoro?" He's my favorite animated movie creature, star of the film, Tonari no Totoro. The forest that inspired the film is in danger of being demolished by urban development. You can read more about it on the official page for the auction. Don't let them build over Totoro's forest!!!

Here's one of my favorite sections from the movie:

And here's a song for you to get stuck in your head for the rest of your life:

July 4th

2008-07-06T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. I've been pretty busy lately, but hopefully exciting, jam packed posts will be coming soon. I'm preparing a Comicon surprise, but am not quite sure it will be ready on time... In the meantime, here's Sam the Eagle, and friends, to entertain you:

More Sketches from London

2008-06-17T09:25:00.000-07:00

Coming Soon...

2008-06-02T08:42:00.000-07:00

This Was London

2008-05-27T10:55:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn't guessed from my previous post, I spent the second week of May in London. Kevin travelled there on business, and I decided it was a good time to take a UK vacation, joining him for the last week of his trip. A couple days after I arrived, Hugo and Daniel joined the adventure, and good times were had amidst the bustle of London. Finally I've recovered from jet-lag, and from some nasty two day bug that I caught the very last night I was there. Thankfully the plague struck me at the end, and not at the beginning of my travels. All-in-all, it was a great adventure, hopefully I'll be able to go back again soon. Little by little, I'm uploading scribbles and images from my trip. I'll be adding more photos to the set as I process them. Also, I accomplished the goal I set at the beginning of my trip: to fill a moleskine sketchbook from front to back. Usually I buy sketchbooks for trips with every intention of filling it, but end up only making it half way. Anywho- enough with the words, on with the images!

Guess Where I Went...

2008-05-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

Returning home pretty much felt like this:

Glass Etching: Squids and Things

2008-04-28T08:31:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I did some etching on glassware that I purchased at a local thrift store. I'm considering branching out to sell custom glassware in the Kikutowne store... what do you think?

A Start: Cramming out the Bad with Cute

2008-04-24T10:44:00.000-07:00

After Kevin and my misadventures last week (see post below for partial explanation), followed by the whirlwind of getting Kevin prepped for a three week trip to London, culminating in his departure yesterday afternoon, and then topped off with a late night of working on storyboards, I found myself driving home, feeling a little bit defeated. I decided it was high time I cram some cute into the moment to pull myself into a better mood. This is the beginning of my new, larger format, Moleskine landscape watercolor sketchbook. This page isn't finished yet, but I thought I'd start showing a little more about my process on my blog, and what better place to start than with the beginning of something new.

Also, thank you to Jared, and Drawn! for posting about me and my new store.

Decompression

2008-04-19T09:03:00.001-07:00

This week ended in one of the worst days I've ever had in my entire career so far. I plan to tell you about what happened, but I think I need to decompress first. For a sneak preview of the story, I will say that I was told by a writer who is supposed to be working with me, that even though I am the director of a show that I created, he doesn't have to take any of my notes if he doesn't want to. He has complete control over anything that involves writing... (I'm unclenching my fist and counting to ten right now) More about that later...

Anyway, in an effort to make this weekend a good one, rather than one filled with resentment and angst, I watched this, and it helped:

Beautiful, touching, and thoughtful.

VOTE FOR ME!

2008-04-16T11:56:00.001-07:00

Holy Bunnies, I was nominated for a Freddie award for Hot Cross Bunnies! The award I was nominated for was the Bad Ass Bunny Award. Please, loyal Animation Rollercoaster riders, please vote for me! (click the image below)

Girl Show 2008: La Femme

2008-04-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

Life continues to move at light-speed. I've been busier than ever lately, and juggling more projects at once than I think I ever have in my life. Ever. Here's a piece that I just finished for the Girl Show: La Femme, which will be opening Saturday, May 10 2008. I still have a few touches to add to the mechanics of this piece, like hinges, and rubber feet for the lid, but it's mostly done. It's my first time using gold leaf- I'm not sure if I'm completely satisfied with the outcome, but I have more of it to use up, so I guess I'll practice a little more with it and see what I can learn. Mostly, I was really satisfied that I found a way to install a light in the box, I'm a sucker for things that light up.

Another Friend Shipping Off to China

2008-04-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

Wish him well, he's got a long journey ahead of him. When he returns, he will be many-

Meet the Preemies

2008-04-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

Arriving This Week

2008-04-07T09:24:00.001-07:00

Something new will be in the store, hopefully by tomorrow. Here's a look-see:

Goblin Fish Press: Josh and Justin Parpan!

2008-04-02T11:20:00.000-07:00

(click on the title of this post to visit their store)

My friends, Josh and Justin Parpan, have just opened a new store on Big Cartel! They have wonderful prints, T-shirts, toys, and of course, one of my favorite things, Justin's book, Gwango's Trail. Also I recommend these postcards, by Josh (I have my favorite one pinned up next to my computer at work). Be sure to pick up something before they sell out of everything!

Basket Full

2008-03-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Belated Easter!

New Items

2008-03-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Lil' Big Horns and Chubs have been adopted, but there are two new monsters in the store to fill the void. Please go visit them!

There are also a bunch of prints that are new to the store, but might be old news to those of you who follow my blog... Check them out, too, if ya like:

(click on image to see it in the store)

Now I'm Cookin' With Gas!

2008-03-18T16:20:00.000-07:00

Check out my new website! (click on the image)

Thanks Kevin Dart, you make me look like an actual-actual-actual professional.

Kikutowne Shoppe

2008-03-13T01:27:00.000-07:00

(please click above to visit my new store)

I just opened my first online store ever courtesy of Big Cartel (that I learned about via How About Orange).

I started making plush, baby monster dolls for friends this past December, and have been posting a lot about it on here. Some people have asked if I'm selling them anywhere, and how they can get one. Finally I have an answer: I plan to keep making handmade, plush baby monsters until I run out of fabric. I bought quite a lot of fabric over Christmas last year, with the intention of making a crapload of dolls, but then realized it might be better to take it slow and steady, as the handmade route proved to be very time consuming. I'm working on getting a mass produced version, but for now, the only ones available to buy in the entire world will be at my online store. I'll be posting five dolls at a time, and possibly other things will show up in my store occasionally besides dolls, depending on if people are interested in purchasing other things from me. I have a lot of screen prints I made, as well as other artsy odds and ends- any feedback from my readers would be very much appreciated. Comment or email if you have any ideas for things you would like to see in my store... and hopefully would also want to buy if you saw them there...

As of this moment, here are the monsters currently avaliable in the shop:

*They are all unique, so if you see one you like, there's only going to be one chance to get that particular one!*
------------------------------------------
UPDATE

Pout has been adopted, here is his successor, who is currently available in the store:

Also, fourteen copies of my sketchbook compilation from 2004 are available in the store as well...

Hello Goodbye

2008-03-05T09:04:00.000-08:00

This week has been kicking me in the eyeballs so far... One of the projects I needed to finish by today was this:

I made this as a sample for the ultimate goal of a sizable army of ones just like him. He gets shipped off today. Here's some more pictures, so you can miss him even though you just met him...

Here's to a Happy Week

2008-03-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

My Awesome Brother

2008-02-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

Awwwwwe YEAH!!! An interview with my gentle monster brother on the Frederator blog! Thanks Jeaux! You rock!

Welcome to My Film Development Art

2008-02-26T00:09:00.000-08:00

Storyboards from back in the day:

The very first design idea I had for my brother's character in my short was this:

Happy Friday: Skittles Commercial

2008-02-22T09:38:00.000-08:00

I was watching TV last night, and this commercial totally cracked me up, and creeped me out at the same time:

Monster Sized Cartoons on Channel Frederator

2008-02-19T12:31:00.000-08:00

Welcome to My Life is on this week's episode of Channel Frederator's podcast! Hooray! Thanks to Eric Homan and Jeaux from Frederator for gettin' me in there! Have a great Tuesday, everybody-

Palm Springs Adventures: Set 1

2008-02-06T09:45:00.000-08:00

Be Kind Rewind Trailer: Michel Gondry Edition

2008-02-01T09:15:00.001-08:00

TGIF!

Peeking

2008-01-29T08:46:00.001-08:00

Who Do I Want to See During San Diego Comicon?

2008-01-22T19:28:00.000-08:00

These guys:

According to the YouTube, they are in SD in this clip... and... Yes, Delilah, they have a Myspace page, which says they're from Coronado.

Please, Wrong Trousers, perform for me!
Thanks for the tip, kev

Happy Monday!!!

2008-01-14T00:10:00.000-08:00

Baby Monsters 2: The New Batch

2008-01-10T09:29:00.000-08:00

coming soon, to a toy store near you...

Here's where they get their portraits done:

Pardon me while I upload the new portraits to Flickr... in the meantime there are archives for you to amuse yourself with...

New Year, New Shoes

2008-01-02T11:59:00.000-08:00

I made these for my brother for Christmas:

(sometimes he goes by "IQ MC")

This side represents the music-making side of my brother:

This one represents the graffitti-loving side:

He liked them so much, I think he's never going to wear them- maybe for special occasions?

Dad, thanks for photographing them for me.

Also, thank you to Vinyl Pulse for doing a write up on my latest handmade plush adventures!