fake your own death

Someone (me) TOTALLY did some figure drawing last Wednesday. She was a great model, and I got there first, so I got my favorite pose time, 1 minute. There were a few more than these, but they sucked, so consider this the best of the best of... that day.

Completely unrelated side note: I have suggested 'fake your own death' as a remedy to 5 different problems in the last 2 weeks. Does anyone know if that actually works?

felt fud free-for-all

After a long busy period, and a long dormant I-just-want-to-watch-tv-when-I-get-home-damnit period, I'm back to making new stuff for the shop! Check out Super Happy Breakfast Set, My Bestest Donut Friend, and Carrot Friends in Felt right around here somewhere.

Also! If you so desire, you may use this coupon code "JUSTCUZ" in my shop, and save 10% on everything! Just enter JUSTCUZ when you checkout, and bam, saving money, because you know, the economy and blah blah.

last post about that sketchbook, i swear!

Some absolutely horribly iPhone photos of the last few pages of my book for the Sketchbook Project. I sent it off last Friday, so it's in Brooklyn right now, chilling peacefully with (hopefully) 28,000 other books. It's probably going to end up being a few hundred or a few thousand... people are lazy, lazy suckers. BUT! Not I! So, here's the last of the goods.

i heart goats and stuff

Obviously, my favorite type of goat is the Nigerian Dwarf Goat. [So cute.]




And another something I've been working on, because the mighty buffalo seems friendly enough. Right? Right.



Also, Happy 2011 and stuff!

we'll always have paris, and this sketchbook

So here I am, updating! Two days in a row! I promise I'll update more in 2011, although I think I did alright this year.

Here's my sketchbook for The Sketchbook Project, in all it's almost-done glory!


The Cover



Page 1 - Giraffes Don't Make Good Pets



Spread 1 - Battle for Los Angeles



Spread 2- That Gape is Reversible



Spread 3- Her Stuff Don't Stink



Spread 4- The Cat's Meow



Spread 5- Don't Take Good Vibes, Little Bear


Spread 6- Girl is a Black Bear Skull



Spread 7- Make Some Noise



Spread 8- Please, Girl.



Spread 9- Unexpected Payment for Clean Dishes



Spread 10- LUKE, I'm Not Your Father


The later spreads are still in limbo, which you can probably tell, but it's nearly there! (Or it better be, since it's due in two weeks!) Til then, adieu!

evolution of a sketchbook Part 1

I've been working pretty steady on my book for The Sketchbook Project, so hooray! Sketchbooks, even though I keep like, at least 2-3 at any one time, are pretty difficult for me to be fully done with. I usually have to just do the last page, shut it, and put it away, otherwise I will noodle the hell out of it for the rest of eternity.

I've had this sketchbook for a few months now, and decided to post some of the old versions with their new re-worked versions below them, so you could see a little bit of how I'm constantly going back into pages. Sometimes it's just another scrap of paper, another bit of color, another piece of tape, and then I can finally let it go.





I will post all the spreads I have done so far (there's like 10 or twelve) tomorrow. Only 5 pages left!

2010 Year in Review

Hi all-

So, work! A lot of you have been wondering what I've been up to at the ole JibJab, so I thought I would post some of my additions to the 2010 Year in Review. These are always fun, because the last two years we've been doing them in a more handmade style, rather than purely digital, or live action, like most of our content.

For the most part, I created whatever the animators needed extra help with in the sewing department- everything from puppet hands (I think there's only one or two in the entire short I didn't end up making) to Oval Office curtains to American and Gay Pride flags, to a TON of finger puppets and just random little dudes to fill up background scenes. I also helped paint and puppeteer some of the smaller scenes. Lots of it goes by very fast, but I grabbed some of my scenes below.

It was especially fun getting to work with Justin again, as he did most of the concept and visual development we ended up using for the puppets and backgrounds.

Here's some shots from the short of my puppets.





This is the American flag I was asked to make. It actually has all 13 stripes and all 50 stars. WOOT. AMERI-CUH! I also sewed a gay pride flag (twice) and it was RIDICULOUSLY hard to make. You would think 6 stripes would be easier, but no. No sir. You would be wrong. The puppets in this scene were created by Romney.



This is a background that actually got cut from the final, but it's the Oval Office I helped make curtains for.


Evan also did a behind-the-scenes blog, so you can see some of the concept and better shots of my work right here, and check out allllll the content right here.

Other than that, I've been playing lots of Wii and trying to finish up my book for the Sketchbook Project. It's due in about 2 weeks, and I only have 4 pages left! Woo! So, with that, I bid you adieu and Merry Christmas! (And since this is likely my last post of 2010, let's throw a Happy New Year in there, too!)

moar polaroids that arent polaroids

The word polaroid is really like the word bandaid. It's an instant photograph/adhesive bandage, but we know it best by its brand name. Anyway, on with the show. Took a whole slew of pictures over the weekend, so here ya go, all... right in a group-style.



I went hiking with friends in Arcadia (waterfall, mountains), and took pictures of the puppy-slug hybrides (seals) in La Jolla. Beautiful place, La Jolla. Dr. Suess lived there, they even have trees that look like his truffula trees from the Lorax. There's also pictures of me that Justin took, and the start of a portrait project I'm working on. The idea is that people will have their picture taken making a face that they think is them. Uniquely them. Justin & Oliver were tests to see what lighting and distances work best.

Anywho, more pictures soon!

san diego wild animal park

We went to the San Diego Wild Animal Park (not the zoo, but affiliated) a few weekends ago, and here is photographic evidence! We fed lorikeets, Justin pet a hissing cockroach (the man is dressed as a cockroach, fyi), we watched a ridiculously horny Bighorn Sheep get disgruntled... all in all, a great day.






Also! I am [finally] updating the shop with new things, so check it out, if you have the time and energy! Birds, lots of birds... and some other fun things perhaps! I also have a show next sunday in Encinitas called ZigZag, so if you're in that area abouts, come say hello! 11-3!

tenuousness

I haven't been updating this much, mainly because I've been a unique combination of busy and lazy (my usual excuse, I know.) But! I have still been making things, both of plushy-types and drawing-types, and I will scan/photograph those soon. I promise. Sort of.

In other news, I got an instant camera (fujifilm still makes them) yesterday and I took some photos. Yay. I've also been listening to Andrew Bird a lot, specifically Noble Beast, so that's a double rainbow of yay. (He wears lots of vests and suity things, it makes me smile. More boys should dress like that.)

Here's Justin & Mike, a too-serious portrait of me, and Sammy the Office Pug.



Love of hate acts as an axis.
Love of hate acts as an axis.
First it wanes, and then it waxes.
(So procreate and pay your taxes.)